By physically altering the gaming unit’s DRM technology, the user can play illegally pirated copies of popular games that would normally be blocked by the system. The immensely popular game “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2″ launched last week and it’s likely that some Xbox 360 players would be interested in playing a pirated copy on a modded console.

When Microsoft detects a modded console, they have the ability to ban that console from using the Xbox LIVE service due to the unique identification numbers that’s associated with every Xbox 360. While the system can still play games locally, the owner will not be able to sign into their LIVE account, access online content or play in multiplayer games with other Xbox 360 owners.

The bannings will also impact holiday shoppers looking to save money this holiday season by buying used Xbox 360s on eBay, Craigslist or through a local retailer who sells used consoles. Owners of blocked Xbox 360s may be looking to sell their systems without informing potential buyers of the situation.

If you are looking to buy a used Xbox 360, be aware that it may not be immediately obvious that the unit was physically modded. If possible, you’ll want to physically inspect the case to confirm that the seals on the back of the unit are not broken. Also make sure that there are no pry marks on the case that may indicate it has been opened. Another sign of a modded unit is when the A/V plugs aren’t aligned properly through the case holes.

If you have other questions about gaming technology, stop into your local Best Buy and speak with a Geek Squad Agent.

There’s been a lot of very positive talk recently about Best Buy’s @Twelpforce since its launch three months ago, but it’s not the only way to reach out for Geek Squad assistance.

Geek Squad is available 24 hours a day via phone at 1-800 GEEK SQUAD (1-800-433-5778).  Our Mission Control Agents can help you schedule on-site appointments with our field Agents, or direct you to our other remote service options.

If you have broadband Internet access and can connect to the Internet, we can assist you with your remote support needs via our Virtual Agents at the GeekSquad.com.

If you’re looking to talk to a live Agent in person, you can use our store locator to find the nearest Geek Squad Precinct, often located in your neighborhood Best Buy.

Of course, if you have Twitter, you can always reach us through @GeekSquad or @Twelpforce .

1.  Turn Off Bluetooth – Your phone’s Bluetooth antenna is the #1 contributor to dead batteries.  The reason is that not only is it consistently broadcasting a signal for other devices to pick up, but it may also be searching for signals.  The best thing to do is to disable Bluetooth if you are not using it.  If you use it frequently, say with a headset, at least check to see if your phone has an option to disable searching for devices.
2. Wi-Fi Connections – #2 on the list of battery killers is your phone’s Wi-Fi capabilities.  Again, your phone is constantly searching for a hotspot if the Wi-Fi antenna is turned on.  Always disable Wi-Fi when it is not in use.
3. Roaming/No Signal – Believe it or not, if your phone has no signal, that can and will drain your battery.  The reason is that the phone is working harder than normal trying to find a tower to connect to.  Roaming can also be a power drain since your phone may be using a tower that the phone was not designed to work with.  If you are going to be out of your main coverage area for a long period of time, it might be a good idea to power down your phone until you can get service again.
4. Backlight Settings – Another great way to conserve battery life is to reduce the amount of time the backlight on your screen stays on.  For best results, consult your owners manual for recommended settings, but anything 30 seconds or shorter is a safe bet to improve battery life.
5. Data Connections – For those of you who may be smartphone users, check your email and data connections.  If you are using a direct connection to a server to update when new items arrive (commonly known as a “push”), you may see shorter battery life.  Try changing your sync settings to every 30 minutes or even every hour.  You will see a huge difference in the longevity of your battery because the phone is no longer maintaining a constant data connection.

Remember, results will vary based on your phone and your usage patterns, but trying a few or all of these tweaks may be the difference between a good night’s sleep in a comfy hotel bed or snoozing at a rest stop, reclined in your driver’s seat!

The video is a simple overview of how to technify your decorations with the addition of two components. The first of which is a programmable light controller that can control any number of lights and other electrical Halloween decorations in a choreographed light show.

There are many different companies that make controllers, such as Light-O-Rama or D-Light. If you’re a hobbyist, you can purchase kits to assemble yourself, or if you’d like, you can even find fully pre-assembled starter packages with everything you’d need.

The second component you’ll need is a computer to control your electronic light show.  In my case, I use an Intel Atom-based computer running Microsoft Windows 7, but the system requirements for a project like this are basic enough that just about any home computer will do.

To program the light controller, you first create a show combining your lighting instructions with the audio or music of your choice.  Sequencing software to do this comes in many different forms, from very simple command line programs to more advanced graphical interface software, such as Aurora, which is featured in my video.

Once your sequence is completed, it can be loaded into a scheduler program on the computer, to be played back on the day and time you select.  The computer is then connected to the light controller by either network cable or through a special wireless link, so that the light commands can be played back by the controller in time with the audio from the computer.

While there is a good amount of work involved in setting up a holiday light show of your own, it can be very rewarding when the local trick-or-treaters stop by and almost forget to ask for their candy because they’re too busy watching the show.

So how on earth did something like this get up on to the New York Times website? According to a CNET article it sounds like a simple case of social engineering bait-and-switch at the human level. A person approached the New York Times appearing to represent a legitimate corporation looking to buy internet ad space on their website. This, in itself, is a common practice. At first glance everything checked out with this person/entity. A few days later, however, that legitimate looking advertisement was exchanged for an ad that was less than reputable. The ad was displayed for some time before someone realized what happened.

One of the most popular questions I receive in the field is “why do people do this?” In short, usually it is for monetary gain. Somewhere along the line whoever comes up with this false ad is getting money or steals your credit card number. Sometimes you are promised with a download that will fix all your “problems” that you didn’t even know you had. In that case they are looking for you to enter your credit card number to purchase some software. Other times you will be directed to a website in hopes that you will buy something off of the website.

The second popular question I get is “how do I not get infected?” Well, there is no one hard and fast answer. I can provide you with some guidelines that will help keep you safe which entail modifying your web surfing behavior. First off, most major “Name brand” websites (as I call them) are fine. The NYTimes, for instance, caught the problem quickly and removed the ads. Surfing less reputable websites that promise things too good to be true is a more dangerous proposition. Offers for free music or movie downloads are two common examples. Stay away from those websites, and don’t click on any ads that promise things like this. If you question a websites authenticity do some quick research on a search engine such as Google or Yahoo to see if it has been reported as illegitimate.

Secondly, be wary of ads promising to “speed up your pc,” “fix registry/system problems,” or “fix computer vulnerabilities”. There is no cure-all or magic program that will make your computer do some song and dance for you. They just do not exist.  The only thing that should be popping up with warnings of infection is the program you have installed to scan for viruses and spyware.

To recap, here’s a quick list of do’s and don’ts to protect yourself against rogue ads:

• Do stay away from websites or ads that indicate you have computer problems and promise to fix them.
• Do keep your antivirus updated, and run scans often.
• Do enable parental controls to prevent unauthorized downloads.
• Don’t use the apparent “cancel” button to make these windows disappear, use the little red “X” in the upper right hand corner.
• Don’t input your credit card number into websites unless you are sure the product you are buying is legitimate (look it up on a search engine website!)

Lastly, if you at all suspect something is awry with your computer you need to turn it off immediately and have it looked at. The longer you keep it online the worse the infection can become.

If you follow these tips you should have a much happier web surfing experience!

For years about the only “secret question” that consumers would face would be “mother’s maiden name”, used almost exclusively by credit card companies. With the advent of the information age, most online sites now offer secret questions as an easy means to reset a forgotten password. Maybe you can’t remember that excellent, random string of characters you used to create your login, but that’s why they ask you things you are sure to remember, like “your first car”, or “your high school mascot”. Once you verify that, you get to create a new password, bypassing the forgotten random string of characters that made up your strong password.

Unfortunately, this also allows would be identity thieves access to your accounts. In a time when social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter allow us to report about every bit of minutia about our lives, the information that would normally make up a “secret question” is not so secret at all.

This recently came to light when I was talking with my brother, who was trying to prevent my mother from joining Facebook because, as most Facebook users seem to do, she would include her maiden name so people could find her. And of course, that gives everyone access to his credit cards. At which point I asked him, “Why don’t you use our paternal great-grandmother’s maiden name instead?”

The key to the secret question is that it is designed to stir your memory when you can’t recall a password, and to insure that you are you. The problem is that most of them involve facts that are easily discovered. Your Facebook or Myspace page may list your alma mater and a few seconds on a search engine will pull up “Badgers” as your high school mascot. An enterprising identity thief may track down your childhood address. The nostalgic blogpost that you put up two years ago reminiscing about your first car is still cached somewhere, if not connected to your site. And even if you are guarded with your own information, there is nothing to say that someone can’t go poking around your siblings’ pages to find the name of your old family dog.

My suggestion is to take the secret question and forge something that you know, which is consistent, and use it across all of the sites. Most of them allow you to select from a number of different questions, but they simply record the question and your response. So if you’re a fan of seafood, you can make “halibut” the answer to your secret questions. It doesn’t matter if your bank asks you for your favorite movie, your webmail asks you for the street you grew up on, or your job search website asks you for the model of your first car. The answer to all of those can be the same large flat fish.

So long as you can remember what the answer to your secret question is, picking something random which has no relationship to the question actually being asked gives you an opportunity to have a second layer of protection. And unlike regular passwords which can be subjected to “brute force” or dictionary attacks, secret questions are typically very limited in terms of how many times they can be answered incorrectly.

And if your credit card company is still asking you to supply your mother’s maiden name, remember that the only way that they got it in the first place was from you. Go ahead and tell them Caesar or Einstein; as long as you are consistent, it doesn’t matter what you say.