While the main reasons people get all jittery about malware and spyware are usually privacy and data issues, one thing that would surely make anyone take notice is suddenly not being able to connect to the Internet. We are so used to being continuously hooked to the Internet that we no longer think about it. Well if the Internet is as essential to you as it is to me, then you’d better pay attention to the virus called DNS Changer.

The DNS Changer is a malware that the FBI first issued a warning on back in November 2011. According to the FBI, the DNSChanger affects your computer by controlling DNS servers and in effect forcing unsuspecting users to fraudulent websites, interfering with web browsing, and making your computer vulnerable to other malware. While that in itself is bad enough for you to take notice and make sure that your computer is not affected by the virus, the fact is that computers that are stil infected by the virus come July 9, 2012 will probably end up losing Internet connectivity.

The reason for this is that the only reason you still have Internet connectivity at all (if you’re affected by the virus) is the FBI was able to get a court order “authorizing the Internet Systems Consortium (ISC) to deploy and maintain temporary clean DNS servers” for those already affected by the virus. These clean servers will be shut down on July 9, by which time you should have cleaned up your own system and restored your DNS settings to what it should be. So if you’re not yet sure if you’re affected by the malware, head to DNS Changer Check Up Site to see if you are in the clear.

Image via DNS Changer Check Up

While I encourage you to read the entire article itself, which gives you not just the results but outlines the methodology they used as well (And yes, they were pretty scientific about it), here’s a quick summary of the results from the study.

• Shaken drinks win for coldness. If you want to get your drink to get cold as fast as possible, shake it. In the experiment shaken drinks’ temperature dropped down to 29 degree F immediately, while the stirred drinks’ temperature dropped only to 38.1 degree F.
• Stirred drinks win for purity. The drop in temperature of shaken drinks comes with a price, diluting a drink by up to 1.75 times more than stirring does.

In short, if you want to pace yourself, then shake your drink. But if you want to get drunk faster, then stir it.
Other recommendations of the study include shaking cocktails that have juice, dairy, or egg whites, and stirring those that only use spirits—such as martinis and Manhattans.

Source: Gizmodo

If you’re looking for the perfect fashion accessory to celebrate your success, why not get cuff links for your dress shirts? However, not just any cuff link will do. Why get a cuff link that serves only as a cuff link? Get one that will do more than that, like store your data.

Store your data and bring it wherever you go without fear of misplacing your USB flash drive by putting on some USB cuff links. You got that. USB cuff links.

You can find USB cuff links for $100 to more than $200 in online stores. These little gadgets actually look pretty snazzy and look exactly like your normal cuff links and are available in gunmetal and gold-plated finishes. Unfortunately, the mother of pearl gunmetal cuff link by Cuff Daddy that look specially nice is out of stock as of the moment.

If you don’t feel like toting around a USB drive, you can find other functional and geeky cuff links such as thermometer cuff links, watch cuff links, abacus cuff links, and compass cuff links. While these cuff links are just as functional as your USB cuff link, they are not as inconspicuous as USB cuff links and would not make for everyday wear. However, they are more affordable with prices ranging from $30 to $70.

Image via Amazon

The glasses, which are not meant to be worn all the time, “will have a low-resolution built-in camera that will be able to monitor the world in real time and overlay information about locations, surrounding buildings and friends who might be nearby.” It will also feature a “small screen” that will be placed just a few inches from your eyes, which will obviously be the display screen that will feed you with whatever the built-in camera detects. The camera and screen are not the only things the glasses will tote though with the glasses coming with motion sensors, GPS, and 3G or 4G connection. The Google Goggles will run on Android and we can obviously expect Google to include their own products and services as built-in apps.

This ultimate geek gadget won’t make you look that geeky either, at least if Seth Weintraub of 9 to 5 Google is to be believed, since it’s supposed to look like a pair of Oakley Thumps. There’s no news though if it will indeed come with earphones like the Thump, much less a music player. However, how hard would it be to add that with the other hi-tech features?

It is said that the Google Goggles is expected to cost you as much as a smart phone nowadays do.

Image via Oakley

If you want to know more about the Android OS and the devices that support it, check out these following sites:

Android Tapp

The biggest come one for using an Android device is being able to access thousands of apps, installing it on your preferred Android device and using it. Android Tapp is a great resource for Android apps. In fact, it is considered as one of the best resources for reading app reviews. If you’re thinking of getting an app or want to find out which apps are currently the most popular, Android Tapp is the place to visit.

Cyrket

The Android App Market was only viewable on Android devices (smartphones and tablets), but an enterprising guy was able to find a way to bring the actual Android App Market to the web. Cyrket allows you to browse through the App Market apps and even read reviews, comments and user ratings.

TalkAndroid

As far as Android sites go, you can’t go wrong with TalkAndroid. It’s actually a well thought out site that has news, reviews and various Android related guides. But its forum is very informative and actually one of the contributors to a massive Android Wallpaper repository.

AndroidGuys

The Androidguys.com web site has been in existence for almost five years. They have an extensive news coverage of all things Android. They also have a Reviews and a Rumors section.

An Android forum can also be an excellent place for talking to other Android users and sharing ideas for apps and getting tips and advice on getting the best out of your smartphone.

I need not get into the details about why George RR Martins writing is beyond great (in depth exploration of each character), since this is supposed to be about the HBO series that introduced it to the public. Needless to say, every Song of Fire and Ice fan must have been on edge waiting for HBO’s adaptation of the Game of Thrones, fearing that it wouldn’t live up to expectations. But of course, we all know by now that most everyone’s pretty happy with how things turned out. True, I would have liked the direwolves to be a little bigger, but when it comes to the wall, I guess my spatially-challenged mind couldn’t imagine it to be as tall as that before…I love it. As for the characters, much everyone is spot on, not only in their look but also the way they carried it all off.

So why am I raving about the Game of Thrones now? Perhaps it’s because I can’t wait till Season 2 comes out on April (2 more months!!!), or perhaps its because I’ve been watching the Season 2 trailer over and over since yesterday. If you haven’t seen it yet, prepare to be left hanging.

As for me, it’s time to hit the books and brush up on the plot in time for Season 2!

If you are not a software developer and just want to add something geeky to your resume, then you’d probably love the idea of signing up for Code Year. So just how does signing up for Code Year up your geekiness level?

Code Year participants, who are exactly 341,648 people as of this writing, are sent interactive programming lessons every Monday, which they are expected to complete within the week. So far the topics finished have are “Getting Started with Programming” and “Functions in Javascript”. Note that all of the lessons assume that you have no background in programming, so you shouldn’t be afraid that they would be too difficult for you. If anything, they might be a tad to easy for you if you already have some background in programming.

So why is it again that you should sign up for Code Year? Frankly, I don’t know. To each his own. Some might want to sign up for the fun, some to learn something new, and some because they want a taste of programming to see if they would maybe like to someday really get into programming. Whatever your reasons are (and one of mine is to gain better appreciation of what my husband does on a daily basis), you can bet that you’ll learn something new if only you give it a try.

Veteran programmer already? Then Code Year is definitely not for you, but maybe you can spread the word and have your non-programmer friends try it out.

Image via CodeYear

Since we all need some humor in our lives, I thought that I’d just share some of my favorite images and cartoons that I encountered this year. Some might make you smile, some might not. I do hope it does inspire you to look for more fun in your life though and to remember to squeeze in a laugh at least once a day. Here’s the list, and here’s to another year of laughs!

Schrodinger’s Cat Wanted

What really made me laugh though was the blogger’s quote from the Big Bang Theory.

Sheldon: What do I have to say to bring this discussion to a speedy conclusion?
Leonard Hofstadter: Tell me whether or not I should go out with Penny.
Sheldon: Schrodinger’s cat.
Leonard Hofstadter: Wow, that is brilliant!
Sheldon: You sound so surprised.

Mnemonics

Warning: Explicit content in this cartoon.

Angry Bird Spotting Guide

I am fully aware that Angry Birds is so mainstream, but only geeks will bother making a spotting guide!

Image credits:

• Schrodinger’s Cat via DigitalHobo
• Mnemonics via XKCD
• Angry Birds Spotting Guide via GeekoftheDay

Nah, you say. Nerds have never truly been accepted as cool. Although we’ve known that to be true all along. Pop culture has always been driven by the Adonis-set. Throughout history, geeks have been tricked into doing others bidding; frequently it has been the result of someone playing the “cool” card and leading us to believe we’re something we’re not.

But this seems to be different. Never before has geekdom so thoroughly infiltrated the ranks of the normal. So much so, that nerdy-looking, or acting, males are now frequently portrayed in main stream advertising as the “everyman” they target for sales.

To demonstrate what we’re talking about, we’ve compiled a list of the top 5 things that truly illustrate the phenomenon. Here they are:

Hipsters – unwashed hair, skinny jeans and ironic t-shirts, need we say more? This popular social category – to which many in the silicon-subset aspire to – has inspired music, fashion, television and even the automobile industry.

Video Games – Once the socially barren domain of true nerds, video games have gone mainstream. Of course, it’s because they’ve become more affordable and accessible; but who would have ever thought such a nerdy pastime would come to dominant popular culture.

Polling – someone actually took the time earlier this year to poll 1,000 American adults about their feelings about their own nerdiness. Seriously. And even more surprising, a vast majority of respondents said they would consider it a compliment if they were called a geek.

Promotional Items – These free trickets and knickknacks given out everywhere from sporting events to trade shows and other special events, are now being sold specifically to appeal to geeks. Items such as Enterprise-inspired iPhone holders and LED flashlight/cell phone charger key ring combos are now widely available with imprinted logo of your choice.

Television – One of the top Nielsen rated television shows at the moment is “The Big Bang Theory,” a sitcom that revolves around the intertwined lives of a bunch of geeks. Tina Fey on 30 Rock has also done wonders for the group image.

I guess it’s finally just time. After all, it’s kind of odd it took society this long to fully embrace its inner nerd. Here’s to it; and hope it stays this way. After all, we deserve it.

That’s right, while you won’t get a Stanford or MIT degree, nor even a certification for learning these free courses, you’ll still know what you learned and get to brag that you’ve somehow gotten a Stanford and/or MIT education.

According to DigitalHobo, the live lectures for the free Stanford courses will start on January 2012. Most of the free courses are in the field of Computer Science, although there’s also at least one course each under Medicine, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Complex Systems, and Entrepreneurship. The courses will be delivered in the form of lecture videos that are supplemented by assignments and stand-alone quizzes. Students get to interact and help each other learn through a Q&A forum where everyone gets a chance to ask questions and answer that of their classmates. Teaching staff will be monitoring the forums to ensure that all important questions will be answered correctly.

MIT, on the other hand, has a lot more free courses you can take via the MIT OpenCourseWare. However, not all of these courses offer lecture videos like the Stanford courses all do. This is because the material you will find on MIT OCW are simple course materials that professors decided to make publicly available, which means that the kind of available content for each course varies greatly. Course materials you will find can be in the form of lecture notes, assignments (with or without solutions), online textbooks, projects (with or without examples), exams (with or without solutions), image galleries, videos, and study groups.