TheMiddaySun: 2007

Friday, September 14, 2007

Unlock that shiny new iPhone!

It seems that I read an article a day about people unlocking the iphone to allow them to use it on any network they want. Hmm.... isnt that what the FCC just ruled on?

Here one to get the tech writers going!

From what I have read on a couple of forums and news sites, it appears that Microsoft is updating files on your machine even if you have Windows Update turned off! This is not good! Article here.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

What another hit on Apple? no, but a big hit on the phone carrier of the iPhone.

Nothing like a $4,800 cell bill! Article here.

WOW, never really thought much about it, but, I must agree....

Apple is now the hated software company, not Microsoft. tho I think people still hate Microsoft, Apple is now becoming the greater hated of the two. :-) Article here.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Ha! A little insigth into the MS Office world.

Cute article about MS employees office bungles. Article here.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Have a Vista fetish, but cant afford the cost of a new OS?

Here is a nice guide to make your Windows XP system look and act like Vista. Article here.

Cant wait for this one!

Windows Vista Sp1 Beta available in September!!! Article here.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

I'm so tired of the MAC fanboys

They are always crying that the MAC is sooo much better then the PC with Windows. Well, here's an article to quiet the crowd. Article here.

WOW, I am posting again! Been too long, so here ya go

I never really gave much thought about Web OS's, so I really didnt know that there were so many, some are much more robust than others, but hey, a free working environment that u can use anywhere, might be the ticket if you find yourself restricted on an internet kiosk and want to access your workspace. Check out this article that talks about 45+ web OS's
Article here.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Here is a great article

A ZDnet writer wrote an article about people not wanting to move from a paid for operating system like Windows and MAC, to a free operating system like Linux. This is a rebuttal/follow up to that article. Article link here.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

A cute article about technology that could have been.

http://digitalliving.cnet.co.uk/specials/0,39030785,49291589-1,00.htm

Monday, July 23, 2007

XP, Still what people want.

As I have said before, if you don't have a pressing need to upgrade to Microsoft's new OS Vista, then don't. I think the majority of the public feels the same. XP sales are still doing well, and Microsoft, should take notice. They will, but will ignore it trying to push the new and the now of Vista on us, even if we don't want it. I understand why Microsoft felt they needed to create a better future looking OS, but I think they failed in the area of allowing third party vender's time and understanding of the OS to be compatible. My thoughts only. Anyway, this article should confirm the XP sales info I just stated.

Still XP'ing at home.

Wait! Dont surf the net using your iPhone!!!

Ah, just kidding, but I think we will start seeing more of this as the iPhone become more infused into the daily lives of the average phone person.

Still liking my Samsung A930.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

DRM, I hate it, and so does most everyone else.

It appears that the DRM Microsoft uses to protect it's WMA files for the Zune has been cracked again. and again, and again, and again.  :-)

Not shure why one would want to do this, but.......

If u just want the iPhone as a media player and not have to register it with AT&T, well, you can.

Article here.

Doesn't take long.....

Already there is an exploit for the iPhone. :-)

Sunday, July 15, 2007

You are never safe while surfing the net

One of the things I do on a daily basis is fight spyware and virus's. Not on my personal machine, but in the corporate environment, on my family machines, friends, and when ever I tell someone I am a desktop tech. While on vacation this week, my wife and I decided to upgrade our timeshare. As we were talking to the Bluegreen sales rep. I mentioned that I was a computer tech. Almost on queue, he wanted to ask me about his personal machine, and why it was running so slow. I gave him a few suggestions, and we went about our process of upgrading our vacation plans. What I am getting at is that the internet has brought upon us a pandora's box of malware/spyware
 and other software baddies.

Anyway, article here.

Microsoft Malware Protection Center

Most of you probably know that Microsoft has put out their own
anti-spyware application based on the old Giant software. Since then
Microsoft has put out antivirus and a complete system called One Care.
They dont get the best of ratings, but they are solutions if you dont
have one.

Microsoft Malware Protection Center

Hybrid Hard drives are here

More then likely the next hard drive you buy will be a hybrid hard drive. What is a hybrid hard drive you ask? Well read this article at Toms Hardware for more insight.

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Let the Microsoft bashing begin!

Here we go!!!!!

Firefox 3 is getting closer and closer

I have to admit, that I love the functionality of the Firefox browser with the plug-ins it has available to use. I even like the skinning ability. But even with the skins, it is an ugly browser. I wish Microsoft would try to compete with Firefox. IE 7 is a beautiful browser, but it lacks greatly in the ability to add cool plug-ins. For example, I am using ScribeFire from within my Firefox browser to write this blog post. It makes it easy to link sites and talk about current trends as I am browsing the internet.

Anyway, article here.

FireFox'ing my way through the internet - TMS

All u movie downloader beware!

The MPAA is getting smarter, and I would think this is just the beginning. As the old saying goes.. If it's too good to be true, it isn't.

Article here.

Paying for my movies - TMS

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Sometimes it takes a court order

I like having choices in my windows environment. Microsoft tend to not allow choices unless forced to do so.  So this is nice to see.

Googleing - TMS

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

This is great!

Ubuntu forums - Mig5 writes.....

Pull yourself away from the computer!

No Wait! You can watch TV on your computer instead!

http://mashable.com/2007/06/18/33-ways-to-watch-free-tv-online/

Monday, June 18, 2007

R U ready for Vista Service pack on?

I'm not, as I dont even have Vista installed at home yet. Still not sure about the performance of the nVidia drivers. But I do use it at work.

For those that r ready, here is some details about what Microsoft plans on releasing.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Norton and McAfee - Go home

I have never been a fan of the big antivirus companies. They cost alot of money and require you to purchase a yearly license. There are many free av's out there that offer equal or better protection against virus and malware.

Here is a nice article about the comparison of many of the major players.  Quite interesting.

Safer Computing - TMS

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

A sad day is soon to come our way

I dont care as much about sales tax on item purchased over the net as much as I am about access taxes.

Article here.

Buying all my stuff online before this fall - TMS

Monday, June 04, 2007

OK, for all those out there that think they need tons of memory, this is for you

I have 1gig of ram in my machine. I dont think I have ever found that I needed more than that for any application I may run. Here is a good article for those that feel they want to load their machine down with as much ram as possible.

Article here.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

I want one.

http://linuxdevices.com/news/NS5094510735.html

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Sweet!

This is very cool!

Really cool stuff here

Ever wonder about being spied on?  I havent, but some do, and this may be an answer to stop that.

Article here.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

It's official. XP Sp3 wil be here on 07

Here is an excerpt from the Microsoft Press release.

"Simplified deployment:
Customers running Windows Vista or Windows XP SP3 will be able to
easily realize the benefits of a Juniper UAC deployment without
requiring the need to deploy additional client software."

That is a good thing my friends!

Good article on why application need to change

Applications need to change to take advantage of the multi core CPU's that are now becoming the norm.

Article here.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Looking for an alternate program for Visio? How about MS Office?

Osalt.com has the answer. They can help guid you to many alternative FREE open source software to many of the common commmercial pplication like MS Office, Visio, Autocad, iTunes, and many more. Check it out!

Happily open sourcing - TMS

Xp Sp3? Really?

It seems that Windows XP Sp3 may be on the way after all.

Article here.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

OpenOffice now has a virus. Gotta hate that!

Microsoft is always being beat up for its office vulnerabilities.  Well, not it's OOo's turn.  Read article here.

Dells Informational Blog

http://direct2dell.com/

Linux on a Dell - This is a great thing for Linux, but what about you?

I have been a proponent of Linux for years.  My only gripe is gaming.  I understand there are workarounds such as virtual machines and Wine, but gaming on Linux is almost non existent due to the game developers resistance to venture into the Linux world.  But for a normal desktop to surf the net and do productivity software, Linux is perfectly fine.  Would I suggest my parents buy a Linux Dell?  No.  Would I buy one?  Maybe.

Dell's decision to sell computers with Linux pre-installed, is a great thing for the user community, Linux, and Dell.  I can see nothing but good coming from this.  Linux gets more of an install base, driver support from hardware manufacturers will be pressured into becoming more reliable and the drivers themselves will become better.  User now have a choice.  Linux or Windows.  For those that want to venture off into the wild blue world of Linux, you can do so now without the struggles of having to install the OS and drivers.  For some this is a big deal.  Dell will sell more computers.  This probably wont become a cash cow anytime soon, but they will sell more computers because of this.

Anyway, enough rambling about this from me.  A nice article from the desktop Linux website here.

Wishing I could game on Linux - TMS

Monday, May 21, 2007

I cant say it enough.....UPDATE YOUR SOFTWARE!!!

Here is a good example of the majority of users.  Read the comments too.  Amazing.

Click here to get infected!

I dont think I have clicked on 3 banner ads in my entire life.  I hate them, they are annoying, intrusive and place spyware cookies on my machine. (I have them blocked but they do try)

I have often wondered who and why for banner ads. They must be profitable as they are still here and are proliferating almost every site you visit.

Someone decided to do a test with Google adwords.  He even states in his ad that you will be infected with a virus!  Guess what? 400+ people have clicked it!  Hello!

Article here.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Microsoft Office and OpenOffice

Although I use OOo (Open Office .org) on a very limited basis, I do support the product as a viable alternative to Microsoft Office.  Microsoft and OOo have both been pushing to have "open" standard document formats to better allow ineroperability between competing products as not all companies and consumers use the same office product.

OOo uses ODF with is the industry standard document format.  Microsoft uses Open XML and has tried to make it an industry standard.

The article linked is about Microsoft supporting ODF.  This is a good thing folks!  Article here.

OOo, Ahhh, Ahhh, Ahhh - TMS

Microsoft denies Vista being the lasst 32bit operating system

But theres a catch.  More here.

Vista and Ready Boost

Vista is capable of using a flash drive as a storage area for frequently used programs so they can be started faster.  Most people have been skeptical about this and I have yet to see any real data on if this actually works.

ComputerWorld decided to put it to a small test and see if it actually worked as claimed.  Article here.

Readyboosting through my day - TMS

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Vista SP1!!! It lives!!!!

Too bad this is in German, but......

Article here.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

I am sure by now...

Most of you have heard that Microsoft claimed that the open source software community had violated 200+ patens.  This isa small rebuttle from OpenOffice.org

Article here.

Anything and everything u wanted to know about Vista Volume Activation

Article here.

Upgrading is how I have always build my systems

I have never really gone out and purchased a new system.  I tend to upgrade my way through the evolution process to a bigger faster now machine.

Microsoft's EULA (End User License Agreement) states that if you upgrade your motherboard, you have to buy a new license.  Hmmm.....  I do that about once every two years and have never purchased a new WindowsXP cd.  Am I a Software thief!

More info here.

Linux running from the web. Cool!

OK, I will admit, I didnt read the entire article, but I wanted to post it anyway.

Read it here.

Funny, I have thought this all along.

I have never bought into the iTunes thing, nor have I ever really wanted to download a movie to my PC.  I prefer to buy a DVD.  Well it now seems that everyone else is also thinking that iTunes is not the godsend of portable music and video.

More here.

I cant believe this! I would be livid!

http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/13/faked.attack.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Ah, good ole Vista. I still havent bought my copy yet. Wonder why?

Read more here.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

UAC - another article, but this time a positive view

Article here.

r u standing in an angry manner?

Are your arms crossed all the time?  Do you tend to look away when talking to someone?

Body language says it all.  Try to improve!

Too long between posts, oh well

Maybe it's because I have had too much going on at work and home, or maybe it's because I was feeling sick with a sinus infection, or maybe it's because I am lazy, or maybe it's because i sit in a small claustrophobic cube at my office!!!

I don't know why, but here is a cool article about ceiling height and how it affect a persons ability to think.

Article here.

Thinking outside the cubicle - tms

Monday, April 16, 2007

Funny I find this article!

I just finished setting up MediWiki at my office for us to use as a knowledge base.  I work in desktop support and we are always calling each other to "remember" how to do something.  For example, I have printed out instructions on how to remove and re-install TCP-IP in Windows XP.  I for the life of me cannot remember the registry area that I delete the Winsock and winsock2.  Now, instead of calling a coworker to read it off for me, I can go to another workstation and print a copy to use.

Anyway, enough of me babbling.  Article here.

U think they would charge the owner the bus fare?

Article here.

Friday, April 13, 2007

I really like this site....

You may find me linking to this site from time to time, but I suggest you just bookmark it and read it as your daily bread!  Lifehacker

As I said earlier about XP SP3 and XP being fazed out - well read this and then u decide.

Article here.

Vista boot times and shudown times are not what MS claimed they would be!!!! OMG!

This doesn't surprise me.  Microsoft is touting the blended Hibernate/sleep for shutting down a system.  I have yet to get that to work on my machine here at the office.  Not that I shut down often, as I don't, but I have tried to accomplish this on several occasions.

Anyway, article here.

Always booted - TMS

XP to go away faster than we probably want.....

I have read a few articles about sources close to Microsoft stating that the MS giant is going to phase out Windows XP before SP3 even makes it out the door, therefore SP3 will not be available.  I don't place too much stock in this as Microsoft has to answer to corporate demand, and from what I can tell corporations are not breaking the door down to get Vista.  I know we aren't.  I don't even have Vista on my machine at home.  Yet.  :-)

More info available here.

Happily computing - TMS

Friday, April 06, 2007

Google is helping my little state!!

We have been hearing rumors for months, but this is the first time I have actually seen a real article about it.  Google is going to build a data center in my home state of SC.  WooHoo!

read more here.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

I find that this may be true for a consumer based market, but not for the corporate world

My company will probably not adopt Vista until 08.  There are many reasons for this.  A new OS is still unproven, waiting for a while to adopt, the OS will have gone through many patches and updates.  When we do adopt, we will be implementing a more secure and more robust OS.  We also need time to build our products to work with the new OS.  There are many changes in Vista that affect a variety of programming languages and implementations.

With all that being said, I personally don't see the rush to get Vista on my desktop at home.  I have found that Nvidia drivers are still, to this day, not the greatest.  For me that is crucial, as I game on my home machine more than anything else.

Anyway, read more about the demand for Vista here.

Wireless Encryption broken!!!!

Anyone that has setup their home based network using WEP as their wireless encryption might want to reconsider this and change it over to TKIP or WEP2.

Read more here.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Tahoo Mail offers unlimited space so they can get people to use it!

I haven't use Yahoo! mail in a very long time.  It hasn't changed much since I used it last and by them offering unlimited space doesn't make me want to either.  Too much spam.  Just like my Hotmail account, too much spam!  I use my Hotmail account for two things.  MSN messenger and signing into Microsoft sites for beta's and such.  Nothing else.  I use Google Mail instead for everything else.  Their spam filter is far superior than any other web based email that I have found to date.

Anyway, if you didn't already know and have a Yahoo! mail account, you now have unlimited space.  Don't know what your limit on actual email size would be, but as far as total space, you don't have a a limit.

gmailing - TMS

Thursday, March 22, 2007

I’ve not jumped on the Satellite Radio band wagon just yet.

But I might! The more I read about it and the more the technology improves, the more interested I am. No I am reading that Sirius is buying out XM and potentially offering custom subscriptions. This may be all I need to make the plunge.

Read more here.

The music industry and CD sales, when will it stop?

Here we go, blaming digital music for the slumping sales of CD's. Guess what? They are right! One day the music industry will actually embrace the digital world as a whole.

More here.

Happy with my e-music. TMS

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Using Word 2007 to post this entry.

Not sure what this will look like or if it will be formatted, but I am giving it a try since I have not been able to use my other tools lately.

Monday, March 05, 2007

I like this guy!

http://news.com.com/2010-1027_3-6163766.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Fair Play and why it exists, Actually a good read

Ever wonder why apple sells it's music with DRM? This is a great article that gives good indepth knowledge about how and why Apple is using DRM.

Article found here.

Friday, February 23, 2007

HUH? What? Oh sorry, I was sleeping

Yeah, been a few days since I posted. sorry about that.

Anyway, I bought a new PDA this week. I had a Palm Tungsten E that was a couple of years old and did not support wireless, though it was color and had a decent processor. I wanted wireless and the ability to do Windows networking. After much debating, I decided to get a Dell Axim x51. It's the second best Dell offers, as it doesn't have the video memory/card to play games. I don't feel the need to spend an additional 100.00 for those features. As with any new device I am still learning all the things I can do with it. So far I have successfully connected to my works network wirelessly and surfed the net. I was also able to connect to my home network and surf the net. But I am having problems connecting to network shares. Still working on that. :-)

Anyway, to make a long story short, I am enjoying my new PDA.

Happily computing - TMS

Friday, February 16, 2007

Microsoft Vista's UAC

I hate it.

With that being said, let me explain a little. I now have Vista Business installed on my computer at work. I decided to give UAC one more chance, not sure why, but I did.

After having to respond to several prompts just to delete an icon, I realized that UAC has not changed since Beta 2. It's is poorly implemented and, in my opinion, sucks.

Microsoft is now touting that UAC is not a security feature. Well if it's not a security feature, what is it?

Read more here.

DRM, did I ever tell you that I hate it?

:-) European Exec's, don't like it either. Read more here.

Cool Tool

If you are looking for a cool tool that will give you some neat in depth info about your system, then look no further than CPU-Z.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Installing Ubuntu as a VM

For those of you who are interested in linux but dont want to go all out and install it on their machine as a dual boot, then this could be a solution for you!

Read article here.

Again, another music download story

BUT, this one has a different tale.

Read more here.

Friday, February 09, 2007

A more indepth look at Nvidia and why we don't have real working drivers.

I still do not understand why it took them so long to start working on drivers!

Article can be found here.

Ubuntu, and Linspire come together

As I have previously stated, Ubuntu is my choice for a Linux desktop. I currently have it installed at home. I dont know how this deal will work out in the long run, but it sounds like a decent idea right now.

Read more here.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Who would have ever guessed?

http://security.itworld.com/4337/070207itsabotage/page_1.html

Bringing my uzi to work - TMS

This may offend, but....

I am so damn tired of the Government trying to protect myself from myself. If I want to do something that endangers my life needlessly, then that is MY CHOICE. I don't need the government telling me that I cant do it.

Article here.

Stupidly wandering off the cliff while listening to my Dell DJ.

I have to agree with this

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/top-10-reasons-why-movie-downloads-suck-234981.php

RIAA says CD should cost more not less

Read this article first.

I personally feel that if you want a CD, then buy the CD from the artist themselves if possible.

Microsoft is at it again

I have always thought that when broadband did come our way and grace our home with fast internet access, that I wanted to create a small home server using Windows Server 2003 to control my home network.

Well it seems that Microsoft thought that people would do this, so here comes the Home Server from Microsoft. Read their Blog here.

Google Mail for everyone!

Google Mail (Gmail) has been my primary email for about 2 years. I find their spam filters excellent, and the ability to retrieve mail via Outlook a major selling point. Other free email services offer POP support but I don't feel their spam filters work as well, and many don't even offer POP support.

But now to the point of the post. Gmail is now available to anyone who wants an account. I suggest that if you are looking for a good alternative to your ISP's email, Gmail should be high on your list. Another bonus to using Gmail, is that if you ever change Internet providers, your email address does not change.

Get Gmail here.

Gmailing - TMS

RIAA is hated by everyone, including the courts

I say this because I feel it's really true. Consumers don't like the RIAA because they want to impose restrictions on how and where they can listen to their PAID for music. Artists dont lke the RIAA because it makes it difficult to distribute their music to the fans, and takes money out of their pockets. Courts also are not to fond of the RIAA because they waste time and money sueing people for copyright infringement and then cant prove it, or sueing dead people, or people that do not even have computers.

I just read another article about the lady that has taken on the RIAA and won. She is now going to get her legal fees paid for by the RIAA. It's about time the courts helped the little guy.

Read article here.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Nvidia tries to come back and explain, but I find it lame....

Read about it here.

Microsoft's rebuttal!

http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10877_11-6156413.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=tr%5c

My point exactly

http://www.flexbeta.net/main/comments.php?catid=8&shownews=23123

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Am I allowed to rant one more time about Vista? Please?

I was able to get my hands on a copy of Vista Business upgrade. I decided to take the plunge, one more time, into the Vista abyss by upgrading my XP Pro at home. This was, btw, a real valid non beta version of Vista, and I wanted to see if it truly was worth my time and efforts to upgrade and stay with Vista as my primary OS.

As I had stated before, my personal experiences with Vista have been mixed. I really like the look of Vista. Yet there are things I really dont like, such as UAC (User Access Control).

Anyway, I decided to "upgrade". Vista actually give you the option to install clean even if you are upgrading, so I took that option. It renames your old install to Windows.old. So I would be able to get my favorites and outlook data file if needed.

After all was said and done, I think Vista is still a very pretty OS. I also think it's rather stable. But there are still problems with various hardware that I have installed. I dont blame Microsoft for this, I blame the hardware vendors.

I have been playing with Vista for over a year. If I was a major hardware vendor with products that thousands of people use everyday on PC's. You bet your ass I would be making sure my product works with Microsoft's new OS!!! I find it baffling that major players like Nvidia, still, cant produce a WHQL driver for Vista. They have had 5 years to develop one!

Small companies I can forgive to some extent. Like my Razor gaming mouse. I emailed Razor, several months ago, about Vista drivers and they said they didnt even have beta drivers yet. Forgive them if Vista is still in beta, but not now after Vista is out. At least provide some semblance that you are working on creating drivers for Vista. I have not found anything on their web sites, yet.

So back to XP Pro it was for me. No more artifacts in my games from crappy Nvidia drivers. No more crappy mouse movements due to non existent drivers/default drivers.

XPing, again - TMS

I really like this blog! Check this guy out.

http://www.istartedsomething.com/ (from previous post also)

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Sorry for not posting much lately, but this is great and I had to share it! http://www.istartedsomething.com/20070206/more-vista-exploits/

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Confusion ensues!

http://www.flexbeta.net/main/comments.php?catid=1&shownews=22975

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Lost...But not completely!

Linux

Its strikes fear into most Microsoft tech guys. At least it did me for a long time. As much as I wanted to understand and play with this OS, I found myself frustrated and lost when trying to get video drivers installed, a newer version of Firefox, or trying to get my sound card working. For a windows tech guy that has worked in windows for over 10 years, this was very frustrating. I must point out that this was a few years ago, looking at RedHat 6 and Mandrake 8.

Today I feel Linux is must better with hardware support. This is a great thing for people like me that wants to try something different. I have installed Ubuntu a few times and it has only had problems with one piece of hardware. My winmodem. This I can completely understand. The modem was designed to run under Windows, hence the name winmodem.

Broadband is on it's way to my house, and when I am able to get online with broadband, I will have another go at Linux. Maybe try Open SUSE this time. :-)

Another article about Linux being a great replacement for Windows XP and even Vista here. n-joy!

Desperately seeking alternative computing - TMS

Friday, January 26, 2007

Wait! Dont buy Vista.....yet.

As I have said before, Vista isn't all that......yet. This article pretty much sums up my feeling about Vista.

potentially a linux fanboy - TMS

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

WiFi - I didn't know I was so ignorant. :-)

WiFi is something that has pretty much become the standard of today's networking for home users and public places. Heck some towns offer WiFi through out downtown, free to the public.

One of the new fads out today in WiFi is the new draft N. Personally I don't suggest someone to go out and buy a router that is designed for draft N, as it has not be finalized. When it is actually finalized, your equipment will need to be updated with new firmware. For most home users this is not something they want to undertake. Therefore, I choose to recommend the defacto standard of 802.11 a/b/g routers and cards.

I recently read a very good article that prompted this article and the title. If you didn't know much about the WiFi world, you will after reading this article. A great read for those that thought they knew WiFi and those that want to know!! Read article here.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Linux - The next real desktop OS

Now that I have used Microsoft's Vista operating system for a few, I have found myself looking elsewhere for a new operating system. I do feel that Linux is the answer. Even more proof that Linux is becomming a mainstream competor is that fact that it is being used on mobile devices. Motorola has a new phone coming out and itis running Linux. See article here.

I have decided to try running Ubuntu at home as my main desktop OS, the only disadvantage is that I like to play games and in order for me to do that I will need to run a windows emulater called Wine.

alternately computing - TMS

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Spyware....I hate it

As most of you probably already know, spyware is the #1 treat to users when surfing the net. This article talks about the most poliferated spyware of 2006.

It seems that most of the calls I get from home users that are having problems with their computer is a result of spyware.

I decided to list several ways to avoid spyware, it actually very simple, but most people don't know where to begin. With this being said, lets get on to the good stuff...

1. Most spyware found on systems is in the form of cookies. Cookies are small text files that get placed on your system from websites. They are normally intended for good. They are used when shopping on the Internet, they hold your "shopping cart" info. Websites that require a log in use cookies to remember who you are and automatically log you into the site by reading the cookie. But there is a bad side to cookies. Banner ads also place cookies on your machine. These cookies store info about you! That way the advertising company can find information out about you and potentially send spam emails and pop up ads to you based on the sites you visit. To avoid this type of exploit is pretty simple. Open Internet explorer and choose Tools from the menu. Then choose Internet Options. Once the Internet options dialog appears, you click on the privacy tab. Now we will adjust the way Internet Explorer handles cookies. Click on the advanced push button. In the Advanced Privacy Settings window, make the following changes. Check the Override automatic cookie handing checkbox. Then select the Always allow session cookies checkbox. Make sure the radio button for Accept is selected under First-party cookies. Then make sure the radio button is selected for Block under Third -party cookies. Click on the OK button. Then click on the OK button once again.

2. Next lets concentrate on removing the Internet waste once you are done surfing the Internet. Open Internet explorer and choose Tools from the menu. Then choose Internet Options. Click on the Advanced tab. Scroll all the way to the bottom and check the Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed checkbox. Click on the OK button.

3. Now we can learn a little about toolbars for Internet Explorer. First off, you don't need them. So the easiest way to avoid email spam and Internet Explorer pop-up windows is to never install IE toolbars. Second, I am not saying that all IE toolbars are bad but very few are good. Therefore, the best practice is to not install them at all. I understand many of them promise to block popup's but in reality they produce more. Internet Explorer 6 and Internet Explorer 7 have built in pop-up blockers. It is turned on by default and works well. If a site tries to open a pop-up page, Internet Explorer will show a pale yellow bar across the top of the window stating that a pop-up was blocked and offer choices for you to allow or keep blocking the pop-up from that site. Ultimately it is still the users choice to continue to block pop-ups, as it should be.

4. Anti-spyware software is also a great way to avoid being inundated with Internet Explorer pop-up windows and spam emails. There are only a few that I would personally recommend. Windows Defender being the best of the bunch at the moment, second would be Ad-aware SE, and third Spybot S&D. All of these tools are free and provide realtime protection against spyware infection.

As my final state, I just wanted to say that in order to be fairly safe from spyware, follow the above instructions, and when installing downloaded software, actually LOOK at the screens prompts. Some include things like Gator (spyware), but offer a check box to deny installing. So practice safe surfing and enjoy all that the Internet has to offer.

Safely Surfing - TMS

Friday, January 12, 2007

Got a secret?

http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/mg19325865.500

Another MPAA article

http://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-caught-uploading-fake-torrents/

Another reason I dont like Apple

They are too much in control, and one day could be like Microsoft. They probably are like Microsoft in the digital content world. Read on here.

For those that are just dying to get their hands on Vista, please read this.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=402

Thursday, January 11, 2007

I want one

http://www.oqo.com/products/index.html

Looks like Apple is in trouble aready on they new phone launch!!

Here is the "real" iPhone

Here is the articlwe describing what happened

Glad I'm not Apple! TMS

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

The new thing everybody wants, just like the Razor used to be......cool

Article here.

still liking my new Samsung. TMS

A ringtone for the kids

In my "older" age, I guess I will not be able to hear this new tone. I find that a good thing. One of the things I hate most is hearing a cell phone ring. I have mine on permanent vibrate mode.

Article here.

Silently hearing my cell ring. TMS

Saturday, January 06, 2007

It's My Birthday

OK, I tried looking up the little song by Verne Troyer on the Geico commercials, but found that alot of people had done the same thing, so in my efforts to be slightly different; I decided to not include that in my subject line today. :-)

Anyway, Yesterday was really my birthday. So now at the ripe age of 42, I have to say that I am very satisfied with my life. Not sure I would ever get to this point, as I struggled much as a young man.

Also, Happy New Year to all!

n-joying life, TMS