On Computers Tips

Framed for child porn — by a PC virus by AP: Yahoo! Tech

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:47:13 PST

"Framed for child porn — by a PC virus by AP: Yahoo! Tech: "Of all the sinister things that Internet viruses do, this might be the worst: They can make you an unsuspecting collector of child pornography.

Heinous pictures and videos can be deposited on computers by viruses — the malicious programs better known for swiping your credit card numbers. In this twist, it's your reputation that's stolen."

This reminds me a lot of the Julie Amero case. Of course that was a typical adult porn storm (I experienced one on my home computer years ago after accidentally surfing to a "bad" site -- of course I knew how to immediately shut down the computer).

Firefox turns five: half a decade of Web liberation - Ars Technica

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:25:54 PST

"Five years ago today, Mozilla announced the official release of Firefox 1.0. The open source Web browser has come a very long way since then and has achieved a level of popularity that few would have imagined possible. The success of Firefox and Mozilla's unwavering commitment to open Web standards has helped to usher in a new era of vibrance and diversity in the browser market. To commemorate Firefox's fifth anniversary, we are going to take you back in time for a look at some of our classic coverage of the popular browser."

I can't believe I've been using Firefox for ONLY 5 years. I feel like I've been using it forever. I adopted it because of security concerns and because I wanted to try tabbed browsing. I really can't remember when I last used IE except for things like some Microsoft sites. Occasionally, I still find a site that doesn't render well in Firefox, but that has become extremely rare as time goes on.

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 11-08-09

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:57:26 PST

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 11-08-09. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific that's 1PM to 4PM Eastern. Join us for the live show and chat. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

AT&T Ends Internet Calling Ban on iPhones

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:41:18 PST

According to this article VOIP and Skype can now run on IPhones

Links from the Gregg Zone

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:02:56 PST

1) There is something about spending large parts of our lives in given locations; we are always keeping up to some degree on what is happening there. Kind of like Joe checking the weather in the valley where we used to live. I remember in the early years living in Los Angles it was very pleasant, and then came the smog, pollution, and population explosion. I could not adapt had to move out, now I see they have done much to clean the air, granted it’s not enough. They are at least progressively oriented and trying to solve problems. This is something I just ran across that I liked quite a bit worth taking a look, be sure to compare the pictures of the bridge. http://news.cnet.com
2) It has been a few weeks since I put up a link about medical advancement, I ran across this and thought it looked quite promising. Basically they are learning how to grow new organs, bones and tissue using the body of the person needing the procedure. I don’t think it will be many decades before we are able to extend life spans well beyond 100, and do it with bodies that would be aged at 40-50 by today’s standards. http://blogs.zdnet.com
3) When I saw this story I tried to Google around to find an article with a little more information without any success. So I will leave it up to you if you want to dig a little deeper. If you have not seen the movie “Supersize Me” you really should check it out. I remember a segment in the movie where the guy said he suddenly had intense cravings for his McDonalds meal. Said he had never experienced that before. This article really brought that home. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
4) This is about what seem to be a new development in the field of air-metal batteries. I have seen many variations using lithium, aluminum, and zinc. They have great potential, able to store up to 10X today’s lithium batteries. They would make good grid batteries for storing solar to use at night, also cars, and the usual suspects. If this pans out it may be the one we have been waiting for. http://www.technologyreview.com
5) For my geek offering, I thought this was interesting, physicists are saying the speed of computers has a limit, just like the limit for the speed of light. From the sounds of it we won’t have much to worry about for a while though. http://blogs.zdnet.com

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:29:00 PST

Dell Small Business has the Dell Vostro 220 Slim Tower Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 Desktop Computer w/ 19" LCD Monitor for $409.00. $35.00 Shipping. Dell E1910H 19" LCD; Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 @ 2.93GHz; 2GB RAM; 250GB HDD; DVD-ROM; gigabit ethernet; Windows 7 Professional; 1yr warranty

Joe sent me this link to inexpensive versions of Windows 7. Please double check the version and 32/64 bit and full/upgrade edition on your order.

Acer Aspire AS5732Z-4510 NoteBook Intel Pentium T4300(2.10GHz) 15.6" 2GB Memory DDR2 667 160GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi Intel GMA 4500M - Retail
Comes with Windows 7 Premium $400

Refurbished HP Pavilion s5120f AMD Dual Core 2.7GHz PC for $300 + free shipping
Buy.com again offers the factory-refurbished HP Pavilion Slimline s5120f Athlon 64 X2 2.7GHz Desktop PC, model no. NP187AA#ABA, for $299.99 with free shipping. That ties our October mention as the lowest total price we could find by $30. It features an AMD Athlon X2 7750 2.7GHz dual-core processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB hard drive, DVD burner with LightScribe, modem, memory card reader, and Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit. A 90-day warranty applies, but it's not clear who backs it.

Chocolate.com: Free $5 gift card
At Chocolate.com, subscribe to the company newsletter via this short form and receive a free $5 gift card for any future purchase from Chocolate.com. The gift card can be immediately redeemed by signing into your account and using the coupon code on your first purchase. Of note, you can limit the frequency of the newsletter.

Insignia 42" 1080p Widescreen LCD HDTV for $499 + $70 s&h
Best Buy offers its Insignia 42" 1080p Widescreen LCD HD Television, model no. NS-L42Q-10A, for $498.99. Shipping adds $70, or choose in-store pickup. Even with shipping, that's a $151 overnight drop and the lowest total price we could find. Sales tax is added where applicable. It features a native resolution of 1920x1080 (1080p), 1,400:1 contrast ratio, 450 cd/m² brightness, four HDMI inputs, and VGA, component, and other video inputs.

ZipZoomFly has the Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5TB SATA Hard Drive WD15EADS on sale for $110 - $15 off $100 with eBillme [Exp 12/16] = $95 with free shipping. Features a 32MB buffer, 100MBps internal data transfer rate, and is covered by a 3-year warranty.

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Mozilla releases first beta of Firefox 3.6 |

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:12:39 PST

Among the features in the new version, - • Personas, which lets people customize the browser appearance. • Faster execution of Web-based JavaScript programs, better browser responsiveness, and faster startup time. • The ability to drag and drop files from the computer to the browser. This is useful for uploading files to Web sites, as will a feature not in the beta • Expanded support for geolocation technology • The ability to detect the computer's orientation for machines that offer accelerometer support. • Video built into Web pages with the HTML5 "video" tag now can be viewed full-screen. Earl

Microsoft will release six updates next patch tuesday - The Inquirer

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:16:02 PST

"MICROSOFT HAS announced that it will release six security updates, with three for Windows labelled as 'critical', next Patch Tuesday, the 10th of November."

This coming Tuesday is Update Tuesday. Don't forget to do them.

AlaskaJoe

Verizon announces $350 Early Termination Fee!

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:21:32 PST

Verizon announced yesterday that they are doubling their early terminations fees, to reach as much as $350 for some users. YUK

Who's Your Graphics Daddy?

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:22:14 PST

Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) change so quickly that it's hard to keep up with where your 2007 unit fits with today's units. Moreover, nVidia in particular has played games (pun intended) with model numbers, recycling G80 units.

This article is a graphics hierarchy chart that will place your particular unit on the graphics food chain. Useful to see how you might move up or laterally with anewer GPU.

So, What Does Google Know About You?

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:16:53 PST

This article link takes you to the new Google Dashboard for your personal Google accounts. There, you'll be able to see and change the information Google keeps about you. Worth checking out.

More on the subject of the dashboard here.

The piece de la resistance is here, a link to Google's ad preferences on just little, old you based on your Google cookie. Opt-out links available too.

McAfee says piracy has tripled and spam is up. Malware comes free with pirated files.

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:50:17 PST

McAfee says piracy has tripled even in wake of Pirate Bay prosecution. Spam is up and malware travels easily with pirated files.

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 11-01-09

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:00:27 PST

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 11-01-09. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific that's 1PM to 4PM Eastern. Join us for the live show and chat. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:12:53 PST

Joe sent me this - Black Friday starting already:
http://www.blackfriday.info/sales/sears-black-friday-ad.html

Acer P235Hbmid Black 23" 5ms HDMI LCD Monitor $170 at Newegg
Newegg has the Acer P235Hbmid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 50000:1(ACM) Built-in Speakers for $180 - coupon code EMCMLNX45 [Exp 10/31] = $170 with free shipping.

Dell PowerEdge T110 Intel Xeon 2.4GHz Quad Core Server for $320 + $25 s&h
11. Dell Small Business offers the Dell PowerEdge T110 Intel Xeon 2.4GHz Quad Core Server for $320 plus $25 for shipping via the directions below. It's $318 off and among the least expensive new Xeon-based Dell servers we've seen. (It was $20 less a week ago, since expired.) Sales tax is added where applicable. It comes with an Intel Xeon X3430 2.4GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 160GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive, DVD-ROM, and Gigabit Ethernet. No OS is included. To get this deal:Click here to begin scroll down to the hard drive section and change the quantity to "1"; click "Update" click "Continue" and add to cart for $300

Western Digital 1.5TB USB 2.0 Hard Drive for $100 + free shipping via 2nd-day
Dell Small Business offers the Western Digital Elements 1.5TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive, model no. WDBAAU0015HBK-NESN, for $99.99. With free shipping via 2nd day delivery, that's $0.07/GB and the lowest total price we could find by $39, although we saw it briefly for $11 less last week (since expired). Sales tax is added where applicable.

Acer X223WBD 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor $130 at PC Connection
PC Connection has the Acer X223WBD 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor for $130 with free shipping. Enjoy life with 1680 x 1050 resolution, 2500:1 contrast ratio, 300cd/m2 brightness, 5ms response time, DVI with HDCP.

SAMSUNG SH-S223C 22X SATA DVD Burner Black Drive $26
ZipZoomfly Part#: 10011470
Manufacturer SKU: SH-S223C
List Price: $29.99

Circuit City has the Olympus FE-26 12MP Digital Camera for $80 + $7 = $87 shipped. Features 3x optical zoom, a 2.7" LCD viewfinder, digital image stabilization, 20 shooting modes, AF tracking, face detection, and automatic shadow adjustment

Fujifilm A150 10MP 3x Digital Camera for a low $70 Free Shipping 4.5oz; 10 Megapixels; 3x Optical Zoom; 3" LCD; SD/SDHC; 2x AA

I-inc iH-252HPB 25" Widescreen LCD Monitor
I-inc iH-252HPB 25” (24.6" Diagonal) $189.99

Links from the Gregg Zone

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:22:57 PDT

1) Starting off with another of those stories that give a little hope for solving some of our pollution, and congestion problems. When it comes to the inter-cities cars really do not make much sense. I read somewhere that the average speed for a car in London is about the same as walking speed. Just the cost of parking in most downtown areas of larger cities should prove a major deterrent, but people just put up with it. This is a really nice solution for cities with decent weather, and to a lesser degree on a seasonal basis for other areas. A zip car concept using bicycles, has just been unveiled in Vancouver, really looks like a good idea, story here complete with video. http://www.paulhillsdon.com
2) Here is a discussion of an idea for launching cargo in to space, much cheaper, and more environmentally friendly than our current procedures. Think Alaska, a very big gun with a barrel over a mile long buried into a mountain. Now all you need is a viable alternative to gun powder. The three discussed here to power an Orbital Gun Launching System; Light gas power, Ram Accelerator, and Nuclear Cannon. This sounds like a workable idea to me, the major cost of space development is launch cost, while this will never be for people, due to the G-force, water cost 10,000 dollars a gallon, and satellites cost mega-millions. For cargo to build stuff like hotels, space stations, even interplanetary spacecraft not requiring spec’s capable of launch stresses, it sounds perfect. Technical but a good read, and food for thought check it out here http://nextbigfuture.com/
3) I was looking at a site referring a project called Sietch Nevada, basically building an underground city, based on the concept from the novel Dune. Anyway, it got me to thinking about a link I put up a year or two back about vertical farming. Thought I would check in and see if anything new was going on there, just because I think it is such a great idea. Putting up the site again, at least I think it is the same one. If you are not familiar with this check it out, this will be our future food source for vegetables, just a matter of time. I was happy to see that there is still a lot of interest, recent news stories and interest. If you are into the subject and would like to learn just how important it is, be sure to read the essay’s from Columbia University. http://www.verticalfarm.com
4) One more ecology article here, for those who thought my talking about investing a few bucks into the emerging fields of green technology for the last three years (wow has it been that long, almost), check out this article about the Eco Barons. There was another article that the top ten wealthiest in China are into green tech. Good read, encouraging http://business.timesonline.co.uk
5) Had to throw in something for Halloween real Quick. http://www.guidespot.com
6) For tech link this week a new search tool for Google in case you somehow missed it, Firefox has a new goody to combine a Google search with Wolfram Alpha. Looks pretty cool to me, but then I am easily impressed. http://www.howtogeek.com

Dear Microsoft: What's the deal with Windows 7 upgrades?

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:34:31 PDT

"One group at Microsoft seems to be stuck in 1999. For some inexplicable reason, the technical team responsible for packaging and manufacturing and selling Windows 7 has decided to clam up about a product it is selling by the truckload."

If you bought Windows 7 Upgrade media (mine was in my mailbox today) you will want to read this article by Ed Bott. He and Paul Thurrott (http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/upgrade.asp) are by for the most vocal of the Windows experts about Windows 7 upgrade issues.

Google’s New Mobile App Cuts GPS Nav Companies At The Knees

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:07:16 PDT

It is not a standalone navigation app. Rather it taps into a lot of the resources Google makes available on the Web, including Google Maps, Streetview, voice recognition, and sophisticated search. Google says its navigation will come to iPhone, if Apple approves (AppleInsider.com)
Droid arrives on Verizon Nov. 6 with Google Maps Navigation Here is a YouTube unboxing and demo video of the new DROID by Motorola-Google-Verizon that comes loaded with Google's new Navigation software using the Android OS,

How I'm installing Windows 7 - Geek News Central

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:55:07 PDT

This is the way I would do an Upgrade to Windows 7. They call it an upgrade but it really isn't. This way you can avoid any problems in going from Windows XP to Windows 7. I don't run dual boot systems, I have Ubuntu on another computer so when I want to play I just use a KVM switch to change OS.
I have heard and read that some folks have had problems upgrading from Vista to Windows 7. I don't believe in upgrading an OS, one reason is you bring any problems along with the upgrade. If your computer isn't running right, an upgrade might not fix it. Another reason I don't upgrade is if you want to go from a 32 bit OS to 64 bit (I have been running Vista and Windows 7 in 64 bit for a couple of years.) you could run into problems.
I think a clean install is the only way to go. Saving your old hard drive is not a bad idea, in case you want to go back. Once I went to Windows 7 RC1 I turned off my Vista computer and are saving it in case a customer needs help and I need Vista, Otherwise it stays off. I don't even have a Keyboard, monitor or mouse connected to it. I remote in when I need it. When I received my copy of Windows 7 RTM from Microsoft I again did a clean install. I have all of my data backed up on my server here at home. An off site back up is a very good idea, I don't do it because I'm lazy.

I think when you go to Windows 7 you will be very happy. I did notice Saturday 10/24/09 Microsoft's Update servers were busy, I would think that was because that was the first Saturday after the release of Windows 7 and a lot of new computers were sold and connected for the first time. I didn't have any problems connecting to Microsoft's update server on Monday.

Happy Computing and enjoy Windows 7.

AlaskaJoe

Fake Facebook e-mail contains Trojan

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:42:28 PDT

"A new variant of the Bredolab Trojan horse is attached to a fake 'Facebook Password Reset Confirmation' e-mail, security firm MX Labs is reporting.

Some users are receiving the e-mail from 'The Facebook Team,' according to the security firm. The sender's e-mail address displays 'service@facebook.com.' In reality, the address and sender were spoofed."

Just FYI. I know none of our readers would fall for this one.

Hasta la Vista, baby: Ars reviews Windows 7

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:44:20 PDT

"With much fanfare and even a few parties, Windows 7 has arrived. In this extensive review, Peter Bright dives deep into Microsoft's new OS offering to see what's new, what's still the same, and whether it's worth upgrading."

Windows 7 upgrade paralyzes some PCs with endless reboots

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:55:50 PDT

"Some users trying to upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7 have seen their PCs crippled by an endless series of reboots, according to reports on Microsoft's support forum.

A Microsoft engineer writing on the same forum said the company was investigating users' problems, but he downplayed them as 'isolated issues.'

Users began posting messages about the endless reboots Friday, saying that the Windows 7 installation would hang two-thirds of the way through the upgrade. They reported a message on their machines that claimed the upgrade had been unsuccessful and that Vista would be restored. Instead, their PCs again booted to the Windows 7 setup process, failed, then restarted the cycle."

I have one thought about this. While Windows 7 was thoroughly beta tested and the RC had wide public usage, the upgrade version did not. Indeed, Microsoft has kept, up until release, the details of a clean install using upgrade media top secret. So too were secret the other details of the upgrade media. Are these just bad media burns from downloads as MS seems to be contending, or this there a distinctive flaw or incompatibility in the upgrade process? Only time and testing will tell. This is testing that I contend should have been done more widely pre-release.

As most of you know, I do not advocate upgrading even from 32 bit Vista to 32 bit Windows 7. Of course I have to clean install because all the computers I will be upgrading will be going from either XP to 64 or 32 bit Win 7 or Vista 32 bit to Win 7 64 bit. I'm not letting MS off the hook here if they are to blame, but users also have a responsibility to back up their data (or perhaps image their drive if they want to be able to start back at square one) before upgrading. I will be doing both before I do a clean install of course, but it should also be done before an upgrade.

No matter how well designed the Windows 7 upgrade engine is (and I have a question about it in my mind at this point in time) things can go wrong. After all, we are talking about upgrading an OS. It is great when it works, but it should not be all that surprising if it doesn't.

Microsoft blames Windows 7 upgrade mess on user confusion

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:39:06 PDT

"Microsoft yesterday blamed user confusion for the problems many have encountered trying to move from Vista to Windows 7 after buying a discounted upgrade offered to college students."

Pilots Say Laptops Contributed to Distraction - WSJ.com

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:37:46 PDT

"The pilots of Northwest Flight 188 have told federal investigators that a bathroom break, chatting with a flight attendant in the cockpit and then taking out their laptops to discuss work schedules created distractions that led to more than an hour of radio silence with air-traffic controllers, according to people familiar with the statements."

"How many cores you got?" 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 12 ... 100?

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:36:25 PDT

Tilera has announced a 100 core processor, looking to the server market, where server software like Apache Web server and MySQL database could make good use of that many cores.

No live show today!

joe@oncomputers.info (Joe Polinsky) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:35:48 PDT

Because I have been ill for the past two weeks today's show will be a rerun of 08/09/09 show. We will be back live next week on November 1st.

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 08-09-09. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific that's 1PM to 4PM Eastern. Join us for the live show and chat. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

I'm sorry about that.
AlaskaJoe