I feel a little ignorant here, as if I missed something. Wasn't the Patriot Act and the resulting Homeland Security Agency meant to protect all of us from terrorist plots around the world? Didn't we just give up more of our rights for protection against the evil lords of terror that threaten to destroy our lives, our property, and our country in the name of their religion, politics, or other some such silly reason?
Then answer me this...why was it that Home Security Agents went forth in the last few days to shut down a popular Web site that allegedly had been distributing copyrighted music and movies, including versions of "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith." It was Homeland Security agents from several divisions that served search warrants on 10 people around the country suspected of being involved with the Elite Torrents web site, and took over the group's main server.
The Homeland Security Agency said it was the first criminal enforcement action aimed at copyright infringers who use the popular BitTorrent file-swapping technology. According to the investigators, "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" was made available through the Elite Torrents site before being shown in theaters and was downloaded more than 10,000 times. Investigators said that the site had 133,000 members and that it distributed more than 17,000 individual movie, software and music titles.
"Our goal is to shut down as much of this illegal operation as quickly as possible to stem the serious financial damage to the victims of this high-tech piracy--the people who labor to produce these copyrighted products," Acting Assistant Attorney General John Richter said in a statement. "Today's crackdown sends a clear and unmistakable message to anyone involved in the online theft of copyrighted works that they cannot hide behind new technology."
"Today's actions are bad news for Internet movie thieves and good news for preserving the magic of the movies," said Motion Picture Association of America Chief Executive Officer Dan Glickman in a statement. "Shutting down illegal file swapping networks like Elite Torrents is an essential part of our fight to stop movie thieves from stealing copyrighted materials."
I am just having a small problem with Homeland Security being used to do Hollywood's dirty work. But, I guess a little pressure from the Hollywood-owned Congress can work wonders. I just wish they would focus their energies on protecting us from the real evil that's out there in this world, waiting to release their havoc.
Maybe I am just mad I didn't get a chance to get the new Star Wars movie before the site was shut down. No, not really. It is a very good film, by the way and I will happily lay down my $20 bucks for it when it comes out on DVD.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Google's Digital Library Plans Under Attack
Back in December, I wrote about Google's ambitious plan scan to scan and digitize the books in the world's largest libraries including nearly all the 8 million books in Stanford's collection and the 7 million at the University of Michigan...as well as the New York Public Library and libraries at Harvard and Oxford.
However, this idea and plan has been denounced by a group of academic publishers who complain that the project may violate copyright laws and hurt book sales. In a letter to Google, Peter Givler, executive director of the Association of American University Presses, called Google Print for Libraries a "broad-sweeping violation of the Copyright Act" and questioned the search leader's right to digitize the entirety of copyrighted works.
It doesn't matters, said Givler, that materials that are not out of copyright will not be full-text viewable (they will be full-text searchable). "The fact is Google Print for Libraries appears to be built on a gigantic fair use claim, which we think is questionable at best," Givler wrote. "If the fair use is not valid, it could be a gigantic copyright violation. ... Google's claim that it is fair use to make copies of every copyrighted work in even one major library, let alone three of them, is completely unprecedented in scale; it is tantamount to saying that Google can make copies of every copyrighted work ever published, period. Courts have never recognized a fair use claim of that magnitude."
The association is hardly the first organization to object to Google Print. Back in March, Sally Morris, chief executive of the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers, an international association of more than 300 not-for-profit publishers, registered the same complaint.
"The law does not permit wholesale copying (which is what digitization is) by a commercial organization of works that are still in copyright," she told The Harvard Crimson. "It is also illegal to make those works available digitally once they have been copied."
This is such a wonderful plan that I hate to see it attacked and perhaps even shut down. Sometimes life seems to be full of disillusionment. But of course, we live in an age of full blown greed.
However, this idea and plan has been denounced by a group of academic publishers who complain that the project may violate copyright laws and hurt book sales. In a letter to Google, Peter Givler, executive director of the Association of American University Presses, called Google Print for Libraries a "broad-sweeping violation of the Copyright Act" and questioned the search leader's right to digitize the entirety of copyrighted works.
It doesn't matters, said Givler, that materials that are not out of copyright will not be full-text viewable (they will be full-text searchable). "The fact is Google Print for Libraries appears to be built on a gigantic fair use claim, which we think is questionable at best," Givler wrote. "If the fair use is not valid, it could be a gigantic copyright violation. ... Google's claim that it is fair use to make copies of every copyrighted work in even one major library, let alone three of them, is completely unprecedented in scale; it is tantamount to saying that Google can make copies of every copyrighted work ever published, period. Courts have never recognized a fair use claim of that magnitude."
The association is hardly the first organization to object to Google Print. Back in March, Sally Morris, chief executive of the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers, an international association of more than 300 not-for-profit publishers, registered the same complaint.
"The law does not permit wholesale copying (which is what digitization is) by a commercial organization of works that are still in copyright," she told The Harvard Crimson. "It is also illegal to make those works available digitally once they have been copied."
This is such a wonderful plan that I hate to see it attacked and perhaps even shut down. Sometimes life seems to be full of disillusionment. But of course, we live in an age of full blown greed.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
VOIP Phones Must Now Include 9-1-1 Service
In one of the biggest challenges yet for the young VoIP telephone industry, the Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously that Net phone operators must be able to steer 911 calls to the geographically appropriate emergency call center. In addition, the calls themselves must be accompanied by the originating address and phone number, the FCC said.
VOIP phone operators will have 120 days to comply after the ruling is published, which is expected in the next few days. The commission is responding to concerns from lawmakers and the public about a growing number of U.S. residents who use VoIP services. VoIP, or voice over Internet Protocol, allows a broadband connection to double as a phone line, and Net phone calling plans are cheaper than regular landline plans.
But because the calls aren't routed through the traditional phone system, carriers must engineer a way to get them onto the 911 infrastructure serving the nation's 6,200 emergency call centers. That task involves many technical, business and political hurdles.
Congress is joining the effort to force Internet telephone companies to link up to the 911 network. A 10-page measure, which has been introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives, also would permit state and local governments to levy taxes on VoIP companies in exchange for providing access to 911 operators. The bill was made public just hours before the meeting at which the FCC passed its 911 regulation.
Focus on the VoIP 911 issue heightened in late 2004, following a string of incidents in which VoIP subscribers couldn't get through to emergency services, some with allegedly deadly consequences. According to Florida resident Cheryl Waller, her 3-month-old child died as a result of the delays.
Attorneys general in Texas and Connecticut are suing Vonage, alleging the company misleads customers about its 911 services. This is the direct result of a Houston teenager who failed to reach 911 on her Vonage line to get help for her parents who were shot during a home burglary. Vonage did advertise a limited 9-1-1 service, but typical VoIP 911 calls are answered by someone in the emergency call center's administrative offices and aren't accompanied by a call-back number or the caller's location. And, callers after business hours hear a recorded message that the offices are closed and that they should call 911 if there's an emergency.
VoIP operators blame 911 problems on their inability to access the telephone infrastructure owned by Verizon Communications, Qwest Communications, SBC Communications, and BellSouth that serve the nation's 6,200 emergency call centers. In turn, those Bell companies say VoIP operators have always had access, just not under the terms they want.
As I mentioned here before, the VOIP phone service I use, Packet8, does already have and E911 service now mandated by the FCC. Although they don't get the press that Vonage does, Packet8 is an excellent phone service that is actually cheaper than Vonage, and has local Grant County numbers.
VOIP phone operators will have 120 days to comply after the ruling is published, which is expected in the next few days. The commission is responding to concerns from lawmakers and the public about a growing number of U.S. residents who use VoIP services. VoIP, or voice over Internet Protocol, allows a broadband connection to double as a phone line, and Net phone calling plans are cheaper than regular landline plans.
But because the calls aren't routed through the traditional phone system, carriers must engineer a way to get them onto the 911 infrastructure serving the nation's 6,200 emergency call centers. That task involves many technical, business and political hurdles.
Congress is joining the effort to force Internet telephone companies to link up to the 911 network. A 10-page measure, which has been introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives, also would permit state and local governments to levy taxes on VoIP companies in exchange for providing access to 911 operators. The bill was made public just hours before the meeting at which the FCC passed its 911 regulation.
Focus on the VoIP 911 issue heightened in late 2004, following a string of incidents in which VoIP subscribers couldn't get through to emergency services, some with allegedly deadly consequences. According to Florida resident Cheryl Waller, her 3-month-old child died as a result of the delays.
Attorneys general in Texas and Connecticut are suing Vonage, alleging the company misleads customers about its 911 services. This is the direct result of a Houston teenager who failed to reach 911 on her Vonage line to get help for her parents who were shot during a home burglary. Vonage did advertise a limited 9-1-1 service, but typical VoIP 911 calls are answered by someone in the emergency call center's administrative offices and aren't accompanied by a call-back number or the caller's location. And, callers after business hours hear a recorded message that the offices are closed and that they should call 911 if there's an emergency.
VoIP operators blame 911 problems on their inability to access the telephone infrastructure owned by Verizon Communications, Qwest Communications, SBC Communications, and BellSouth that serve the nation's 6,200 emergency call centers. In turn, those Bell companies say VoIP operators have always had access, just not under the terms they want.
As I mentioned here before, the VOIP phone service I use, Packet8, does already have and E911 service now mandated by the FCC. Although they don't get the press that Vonage does, Packet8 is an excellent phone service that is actually cheaper than Vonage, and has local Grant County numbers.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
A Big "Whoops" for the New Netscape
On Thursday, AOL, owners of the web browser Netscape, released the new version, 8.0. It was touted as the security-conscious browser for all of us as it took aim to protect users from spyware and phishing scams.
In less than 24 hours, they had to release an update to fix several serious security flaws. Whoops!! Apparently there were 44 security issues that had to be hurriedly patched, which to their credit, the Netscape folks did in a hurry and had version 8.0.1 on the market the next day.
The new Netscape is based on version 1.0.3 of Firefox, and the Netscape folks thought the new browser was immune to security vulnerabilities in the Firefox software that were fixed last week in Firefox 1.0.4. Well, it turns out that Netscape 8 was vulnerable after all.
"We had been misinformed by an external security vendor that the Firefox security issues did not affect us," Netscape spokesman Andrew Weinstein said Friday. "Within hours of discovering that the vendor was not accurate, we had addressed those issues and posted an updated version of the browser."
Netscape, is still facing heat over the security goof-up from Mozilla developers. Ben Goodger, lead engineer for Firefox, on Thursday posted an exploit on his blog to demonstrate that Netscape 8 was vulnerable. At the same time, he pitched Firefox as a more secure Web browser.
"If security is important to you, this demonstration should show that browsers that are redistributions of the official Mozilla releases are never going to give you security updates as quickly as Mozilla will itself for its supported products," Goodger wrote.
Sounds to me like the Netscape people were set up to look bad.
Still, Netscape does have some nice new features. It protects users against online scams such as phishing and spyware by automatically adjusting security settings while people surf, based on lists of sites that are known to be malicious and of trusted sites.
If you would like to read a PC Magazine review of the new Netscape, as compared with the newest version of Opera and Firefox, go to:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1815833,00.asp
In less than 24 hours, they had to release an update to fix several serious security flaws. Whoops!! Apparently there were 44 security issues that had to be hurriedly patched, which to their credit, the Netscape folks did in a hurry and had version 8.0.1 on the market the next day.
The new Netscape is based on version 1.0.3 of Firefox, and the Netscape folks thought the new browser was immune to security vulnerabilities in the Firefox software that were fixed last week in Firefox 1.0.4. Well, it turns out that Netscape 8 was vulnerable after all.
"We had been misinformed by an external security vendor that the Firefox security issues did not affect us," Netscape spokesman Andrew Weinstein said Friday. "Within hours of discovering that the vendor was not accurate, we had addressed those issues and posted an updated version of the browser."
Netscape, is still facing heat over the security goof-up from Mozilla developers. Ben Goodger, lead engineer for Firefox, on Thursday posted an exploit on his blog to demonstrate that Netscape 8 was vulnerable. At the same time, he pitched Firefox as a more secure Web browser.
"If security is important to you, this demonstration should show that browsers that are redistributions of the official Mozilla releases are never going to give you security updates as quickly as Mozilla will itself for its supported products," Goodger wrote.
Sounds to me like the Netscape people were set up to look bad.
Still, Netscape does have some nice new features. It protects users against online scams such as phishing and spyware by automatically adjusting security settings while people surf, based on lists of sites that are known to be malicious and of trusted sites.
If you would like to read a PC Magazine review of the new Netscape, as compared with the newest version of Opera and Firefox, go to:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1815833,00.asp
Thursday, May 19, 2005
WalMart Out - Netflix In
Netflix will take over Wal-Mart's DVD rental business. Under the deal, announced today, Netflix and retailing giant Wal-Mart will co-promote DVD sales and rentals. Wal-Mart will shut down its online rental service to concentrate on DVD sales.
The deal calls for Netflix to promote Wal-Mart DVD sales to its 3 million subscribers, and Wal-Mart will offer its online customers the opportunity to sign up with Netflix at the current subscription price for a year. Wal-Mart is the world's largest DVD retailer, and Netflix is the world's largest online DVD rental service.
Netflix will also take over Wal-Mart's online service, allowing its customers to pay the $12.97 per month guaranteed by Wal-Mart for 12 months.
The partnership radically changes the competitive landscape for the online DVD rental industry pioneered by Netflix, which more recently has been against larger rivals such as Wal-Mart and Blockbuster. The new partnership also could discourage Amazon from bringing its U.K.-based online rental service to the United States.
The deal calls for Netflix to promote Wal-Mart DVD sales to its 3 million subscribers, and Wal-Mart will offer its online customers the opportunity to sign up with Netflix at the current subscription price for a year. Wal-Mart is the world's largest DVD retailer, and Netflix is the world's largest online DVD rental service.
Netflix will also take over Wal-Mart's online service, allowing its customers to pay the $12.97 per month guaranteed by Wal-Mart for 12 months.
The partnership radically changes the competitive landscape for the online DVD rental industry pioneered by Netflix, which more recently has been against larger rivals such as Wal-Mart and Blockbuster. The new partnership also could discourage Amazon from bringing its U.K.-based online rental service to the United States.
New Windows OneCare Program
Microsoft will soon be releasing the beta of a new service called Windows OneCare, which is designed to keep busy computer users' machines automatically updated and protected from viruses, spyware and other threats and running at top performance.
It's an interesting idea, and it will certainly be of benefit to consumers who don't have time to spend on PC maintenance and administrative tasks. You can read more about it here:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/may05/05-13WindowsOneCarePR.asp
The service will eventually be subscription-based and will will draw in part on existing tools like the company's anti-spyware software, as well as on basic PC management functions inside Windows. But it will add a more powerful firewall, ongoing antivirus protection, and the right to get a live support person on the phone without paying extra.
The OneCare service marks the first time that Microsoft has offered antivirus software directly to consumers, even though it has spent several years buying companies that offer the technology. Executives said they did not plan on offering the virus-fighting technology outside the OneCare bundle of services.
The service will be launched in beta form to Microsoft employees in a week, and will be released to consumers in late summer or fall. The company did not provide any details on projected pricing.
It's an interesting idea, and it will certainly be of benefit to consumers who don't have time to spend on PC maintenance and administrative tasks. You can read more about it here:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/may05/05-13WindowsOneCarePR.asp
The service will eventually be subscription-based and will will draw in part on existing tools like the company's anti-spyware software, as well as on basic PC management functions inside Windows. But it will add a more powerful firewall, ongoing antivirus protection, and the right to get a live support person on the phone without paying extra.
The OneCare service marks the first time that Microsoft has offered antivirus software directly to consumers, even though it has spent several years buying companies that offer the technology. Executives said they did not plan on offering the virus-fighting technology outside the OneCare bundle of services.
The service will be launched in beta form to Microsoft employees in a week, and will be released to consumers in late summer or fall. The company did not provide any details on projected pricing.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Is 1/3 of All Software Pirated?
According to the latest study released the software trade group, the Business Software Alliance, more than a third of the software installed on PCs worldwide during 2004 is pirated, with losses from unauthorized software increasing by $4 billion from 2003. The actual number is 35%, which is down 1% from the previous year. The study was put together for the BSA by the research firm IDC.
Estimated losses from software piracy climbed, however, from $29 billion to $33 billion, as both the legal and unauthorized software markets grew from 2003 to 2004. IDC estimated that $90 billion worth of software was installed in 2004, compared to $80 billion in 2003, with sales of legal software growing 6 percent.
Lest you think this is all attributable to US users, the countries using the most pirated software, according to IDC, are Vietnam, Ukraine, China, and Zimbabwe. Ninety percent or more of the software used in those countries was pirated during 2004, according to the BSA report. In more than half the 87 countries studied, software piracy exceeded 60 percent.
IDC estimated that 21 percent of software in the U.S. was pirated, compared to 23 percent in New Zealand, and 27 percent in the United Kingdom. Austria and Sweden were also among the countries with the lowest software piracy rates.
Frankly, I believe these numbers are a little high and that the results of the study are to be used for political purposes; ie: the White House and Congress putting heat on countries like China and the Ukraine. I also think the US numbers are a little inflated, although I know software piracy does occur on a regular basis. I have nothing to base my thoughts on except my knowledge of good, old fashioned hard ball politics.
Estimated losses from software piracy climbed, however, from $29 billion to $33 billion, as both the legal and unauthorized software markets grew from 2003 to 2004. IDC estimated that $90 billion worth of software was installed in 2004, compared to $80 billion in 2003, with sales of legal software growing 6 percent.
Lest you think this is all attributable to US users, the countries using the most pirated software, according to IDC, are Vietnam, Ukraine, China, and Zimbabwe. Ninety percent or more of the software used in those countries was pirated during 2004, according to the BSA report. In more than half the 87 countries studied, software piracy exceeded 60 percent.
IDC estimated that 21 percent of software in the U.S. was pirated, compared to 23 percent in New Zealand, and 27 percent in the United Kingdom. Austria and Sweden were also among the countries with the lowest software piracy rates.
Frankly, I believe these numbers are a little high and that the results of the study are to be used for political purposes; ie: the White House and Congress putting heat on countries like China and the Ukraine. I also think the US numbers are a little inflated, although I know software piracy does occur on a regular basis. I have nothing to base my thoughts on except my knowledge of good, old fashioned hard ball politics.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Firefox News and Updates
If you use, or are thinking about using Firefox as your web browser of choice, you might be interested to know that the Mozilla Foundation has released a new version of Firefox that fixes three security flaws that have recently been uncovered. The new version, V.1.0.4 is available on the Firefox/Mozilla web site.
As with all the other recent security fixes, the new versions are not patches but complete new versions that must be completely downloaded and installed through normal program installation means. Firefox 1.0.4 for Windows is a 4.7MB download.
Security updates are getting to be a common occurrence with Firefox and Mozilla. This update is the fourth addressing 32 security holes in 2005. But what separates Mozilla from Microsoft is the fact that they fix their problems within days of being uncovered, rather than months.
Recently, an Internet security company released information that there were only 7 days out of 366 in 2004 during which Internet Explorer had no unpatched security holes. This means IE had no official patch available against well-publicized vulnerabilities for 98% of the year. On the other hand, Firefox users went only 26 days in 2004 with a known security hole.
For this and other reasons, IBM is encouraging its employees to use Firefox instead of IE. Firefox is already used by about 10 percent of IBM's staff, or about 30,000 people. Now, IBM workers can download the browser from internal servers and get support from the company's help desk staff.
For IBM, the move is a significant step in lessening dependence on a product from rival Microsoft. By supporting Firefox internally, IBM is also furthering its commitment to open-source products based on industry standards.
Meanwhile, Mozilla is self-promoting Firefox with three new video ads. The short videos show people getting so entranced by Firefox that they do things like scream loud enough to crack office walls and become disoriented enough to take a bite out of a cell phone, as if it were a candy bar.
The videos had registered 300,000 hits by the end of the weekend, and were nearing 500,000 hits by Monday. The videos can be viewed at Funnyfox.org, a site set up by Mozilla Europe. They are cute.
As with all the other recent security fixes, the new versions are not patches but complete new versions that must be completely downloaded and installed through normal program installation means. Firefox 1.0.4 for Windows is a 4.7MB download.
Security updates are getting to be a common occurrence with Firefox and Mozilla. This update is the fourth addressing 32 security holes in 2005. But what separates Mozilla from Microsoft is the fact that they fix their problems within days of being uncovered, rather than months.
Recently, an Internet security company released information that there were only 7 days out of 366 in 2004 during which Internet Explorer had no unpatched security holes. This means IE had no official patch available against well-publicized vulnerabilities for 98% of the year. On the other hand, Firefox users went only 26 days in 2004 with a known security hole.
For this and other reasons, IBM is encouraging its employees to use Firefox instead of IE. Firefox is already used by about 10 percent of IBM's staff, or about 30,000 people. Now, IBM workers can download the browser from internal servers and get support from the company's help desk staff.
For IBM, the move is a significant step in lessening dependence on a product from rival Microsoft. By supporting Firefox internally, IBM is also furthering its commitment to open-source products based on industry standards.
Meanwhile, Mozilla is self-promoting Firefox with three new video ads. The short videos show people getting so entranced by Firefox that they do things like scream loud enough to crack office walls and become disoriented enough to take a bite out of a cell phone, as if it were a candy bar.
The videos had registered 300,000 hits by the end of the weekend, and were nearing 500,000 hits by Monday. The videos can be viewed at Funnyfox.org, a site set up by Mozilla Europe. They are cute.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Buying Wine on the Internet
Wine drinkers rejoice! The U.S. Supreme Court this morning ruled that state governments cannot prohibit people from purchasing wine from out-of-state wineries, determining that states' claims of possible lost taxes or shipments to minors don't justify such prohibitions.
The justices, voting 5-4, said the traditional state authority over alcohol sales must yield to the constitutional requirements that states not engage in protectionism. "States have broad power to regulate liquor," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority. "This power, however, does not allow states to ban, or severely limit, the direct shipment of out-of-state wine while simultaneously authorizing direct shipment by in-state producers. If a state chooses to allow direct shipments of wine, it must do so on evenhanded terms."
The ruling is a great victory for smaller vintners and Internet commerce and a blow to the liquor distributors who'd been enjoying enjoy fat markups. About half of the states now have protectionists laws prohibiting interstate sales.
There is a loophole, however. Because the court was only concerned about discriminatory state laws favoring in-state wineries, a state could require that all alcohol sales take place face-to-face, and levy the same strict rule on its own wineries as well.
We shall see...
The justices, voting 5-4, said the traditional state authority over alcohol sales must yield to the constitutional requirements that states not engage in protectionism. "States have broad power to regulate liquor," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority. "This power, however, does not allow states to ban, or severely limit, the direct shipment of out-of-state wine while simultaneously authorizing direct shipment by in-state producers. If a state chooses to allow direct shipments of wine, it must do so on evenhanded terms."
The ruling is a great victory for smaller vintners and Internet commerce and a blow to the liquor distributors who'd been enjoying enjoy fat markups. About half of the states now have protectionists laws prohibiting interstate sales.
There is a loophole, however. Because the court was only concerned about discriminatory state laws favoring in-state wineries, a state could require that all alcohol sales take place face-to-face, and levy the same strict rule on its own wineries as well.
We shall see...
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Hidden Menu - An Excellent Utility
Let's talk about your computer's desktop. Is it covered with shortcut icons to launch programs...and/or do you have launch icons in your system tray? I know that is probably true for most of you. I know I used to do the same thing. I had icons on my desktop that I hadn't used in a long time.
I tried moving my most important icons into the Quick Launch tray on the task bar, but found that it got too crowded. So I decided to look for a utility that would allow me to store my program icons unobtrusively, but would be there immediately when I needed it.
I found a wonderful free program called, "Hidden Menu" that does exactly what I wanted. It stores all of my most used programs in a menu that is hidden from view. To see the menu, I just move my mouse pointer to the upper left hand corner of the screen and Hidden Menu opens right up, allowing me to launch the program I want.
Hidden Menu has a variety of user options including what locations you want to have it open when you move your mouse there. I chose the upper left hand corner as there are useful icons already in the other three corners. But you could have the upper left and lower right if you wanted.
Getting the icons into Hidden Menu is also easy...you just drag and drop them from your desktop. After dropping them into Hidden Menu, I just delete the original icon from the desktop. I then go into Hidden Menu and edit what I need, such as the title I want to be seen when the menu opens or move the icons around so that similar programs are grouped together. That's all you need to do.
To prepare for Hidden Menu, I just analyzed what programs I use the most and want to be easily available for a fast launch. If they are not on the desktop to drag and drop, I use the [Start] [Programs] buttons to find the program, then right click on it and select [Send To] [Desktop], which then puts a shortcut icon for the program on to the desktop. Again, after dragging it to Hidden Menu, I delete it from the desktop.
I still use the Quick Launch on my task bar for programs I use several times a day, such as e-mail and Internet browsers. I also have Excel and Word there because I use them several times a day.
Check out Hidden Menu and see if it is for you. To get your free copy, go to:
http://home.i-cable.com/lokinwai/
I tried moving my most important icons into the Quick Launch tray on the task bar, but found that it got too crowded. So I decided to look for a utility that would allow me to store my program icons unobtrusively, but would be there immediately when I needed it.
I found a wonderful free program called, "Hidden Menu" that does exactly what I wanted. It stores all of my most used programs in a menu that is hidden from view. To see the menu, I just move my mouse pointer to the upper left hand corner of the screen and Hidden Menu opens right up, allowing me to launch the program I want.
Hidden Menu has a variety of user options including what locations you want to have it open when you move your mouse there. I chose the upper left hand corner as there are useful icons already in the other three corners. But you could have the upper left and lower right if you wanted.
Getting the icons into Hidden Menu is also easy...you just drag and drop them from your desktop. After dropping them into Hidden Menu, I just delete the original icon from the desktop. I then go into Hidden Menu and edit what I need, such as the title I want to be seen when the menu opens or move the icons around so that similar programs are grouped together. That's all you need to do.
To prepare for Hidden Menu, I just analyzed what programs I use the most and want to be easily available for a fast launch. If they are not on the desktop to drag and drop, I use the [Start] [Programs] buttons to find the program, then right click on it and select [Send To] [Desktop], which then puts a shortcut icon for the program on to the desktop. Again, after dragging it to Hidden Menu, I delete it from the desktop.
I still use the Quick Launch on my task bar for programs I use several times a day, such as e-mail and Internet browsers. I also have Excel and Word there because I use them several times a day.
Check out Hidden Menu and see if it is for you. To get your free copy, go to:
http://home.i-cable.com/lokinwai/
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
First Review of Dual Core Chips
Both AMD and Intel are up against the wall when it comes to making their chips any faster. To make higher speed processors using today's chip technology would bring bring them to the point of meltdown because of the amount of heat being generated.
But, both companies have come up with an ingenious solution for making computers faster and more efficient. To put it simply, their new CPU's will have two processors built on one chip. Hence the name, "Dual Core" CPU's. These new computers can do more because it is almost like having two computers controlling your work flow.
Both AMD and Intel introduced their new chips within two weeks of each other. Right now, these chips are very expensive (as you would expect) and are used mostly in network servers, although one of the Intel processors is available in a high end gaming computer.
Soon, these new processors will find their way to our desktops. Inevitably, people will want to know whether AMD or Intel is building the better chip, at least in terms of speed and efficiency. Our friends at CNet have already gathered all these chips together in one place to run the first series of tests.
For those of you who don't want to read the review, the clear winner was AMD. If you would like to read the review, go to:
http://www.cnet.com/4520-6022_1-6217968-1.html?
But, both companies have come up with an ingenious solution for making computers faster and more efficient. To put it simply, their new CPU's will have two processors built on one chip. Hence the name, "Dual Core" CPU's. These new computers can do more because it is almost like having two computers controlling your work flow.
Both AMD and Intel introduced their new chips within two weeks of each other. Right now, these chips are very expensive (as you would expect) and are used mostly in network servers, although one of the Intel processors is available in a high end gaming computer.
Soon, these new processors will find their way to our desktops. Inevitably, people will want to know whether AMD or Intel is building the better chip, at least in terms of speed and efficiency. Our friends at CNet have already gathered all these chips together in one place to run the first series of tests.
For those of you who don't want to read the review, the clear winner was AMD. If you would like to read the review, go to:
http://www.cnet.com/4520-6022_1-6217968-1.html?
Monday, May 09, 2005
The Search Engine Wars Continue
The boys and girls at Yahoo and Google are working overtime to not only improve their respective products, but looking for new ways to search for previously unsearchable items.
To start, Yahoo is developing a search engine for finding music data and downloadable songs from across the Internet. The search giant plans to introduce the music search engine within the next couple of months, according to a well-placed source. The specialty engine will let people search on an artist's name and retrieve all the available songs from other music services, as well as album reviews and band information from Yahoo Music. Yahoo considers audio and video to be cornerstones of its future. In addition to buying song outlet MusicMatch for $160 million, Yahoo is working on another music service in conjunction with rival MusicNet.
But wait, were not done. Both Yahoo and Google turned to video search this week, with each company touting more searchable content and superstar partnerships. Yahoo released a finalized version of its video search engine, after five months of testing. The company will also announce alliances with CBS News, MTV, Reuters and others to include their video clips within its searchable database.
Meanwhile, Google announced a string of new liaisons with television programmers, including the Discovery Channel and CNN, so that people can find still images and text of their shows in Google's index. The company, however, is continuing public tests of Google Video, which launched in January.
Google is also seeking to patent a technology meant to help its Google News section sort stories based on their overall quality, which would augment the current methods of ranking results by date and relevance to search terms. In separate filings with the U.S. and world patent offices, Google detailed the new ranking formula. The technology would let Google prerank content from specific news outlets to ensure that those stories appear above other search results.
And the winner of this consumate search engine rivalry...all of us.
To start, Yahoo is developing a search engine for finding music data and downloadable songs from across the Internet. The search giant plans to introduce the music search engine within the next couple of months, according to a well-placed source. The specialty engine will let people search on an artist's name and retrieve all the available songs from other music services, as well as album reviews and band information from Yahoo Music. Yahoo considers audio and video to be cornerstones of its future. In addition to buying song outlet MusicMatch for $160 million, Yahoo is working on another music service in conjunction with rival MusicNet.
But wait, were not done. Both Yahoo and Google turned to video search this week, with each company touting more searchable content and superstar partnerships. Yahoo released a finalized version of its video search engine, after five months of testing. The company will also announce alliances with CBS News, MTV, Reuters and others to include their video clips within its searchable database.
Meanwhile, Google announced a string of new liaisons with television programmers, including the Discovery Channel and CNN, so that people can find still images and text of their shows in Google's index. The company, however, is continuing public tests of Google Video, which launched in January.
Google is also seeking to patent a technology meant to help its Google News section sort stories based on their overall quality, which would augment the current methods of ranking results by date and relevance to search terms. In separate filings with the U.S. and world patent offices, Google detailed the new ranking formula. The technology would let Google prerank content from specific news outlets to ensure that those stories appear above other search results.
And the winner of this consumate search engine rivalry...all of us.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Spyware Roundup - Keeping Informed
Have you ever wondered why there is so much spyware out there and why companies keep trying to infect your computer with it? The answer is simple...there's lots of money involved. In fact, the spyware industry is worth billions of dollars.
I've written many articles in the past about spyware, mostly about how to get rid of it off your computer. I would be willing to bet that everyone who is reading this article is infected with some sort of spyware. When I started using Counterspy, I discovered that I was picking up spyware on a daily basis, usually in the form of cookies. Many of them keep showing up daily, depending on where I surf the net.
All this made me wonder why people or companies want to know so much about me and my computer habits. So I did a little research. But rather than rehash it all, I am going to give you a few links to the most informative articles I found. What you read may surprise you, but at least you will know why spyware is so rampant.
Research: Spyware industry worth billions
Spying on Spyware Makers
The remedy for spyware…not anytime soon
New spyware bill needs a rewrite
Because there is so much money involved, don't expect our government to come to our help anytime soon. There may be a new law enacted sometime soon, but it will probably be a toothless fraud. Politicians are anxious to tell you that they have done something about this problem, but it will be as useless a law as the anti-spam laws they have enacted in the recent past. Am I cynical, or what?
On a personal note, I will be back on the road later today for another art show (where there is no wireless connection), so there will be no blogs for a few days.
I've written many articles in the past about spyware, mostly about how to get rid of it off your computer. I would be willing to bet that everyone who is reading this article is infected with some sort of spyware. When I started using Counterspy, I discovered that I was picking up spyware on a daily basis, usually in the form of cookies. Many of them keep showing up daily, depending on where I surf the net.
All this made me wonder why people or companies want to know so much about me and my computer habits. So I did a little research. But rather than rehash it all, I am going to give you a few links to the most informative articles I found. What you read may surprise you, but at least you will know why spyware is so rampant.
Research: Spyware industry worth billions
Spying on Spyware Makers
The remedy for spyware…not anytime soon
New spyware bill needs a rewrite
Because there is so much money involved, don't expect our government to come to our help anytime soon. There may be a new law enacted sometime soon, but it will probably be a toothless fraud. Politicians are anxious to tell you that they have done something about this problem, but it will be as useless a law as the anti-spam laws they have enacted in the recent past. Am I cynical, or what?
On a personal note, I will be back on the road later today for another art show (where there is no wireless connection), so there will be no blogs for a few days.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
New Sober Worm Spreading at Light Speed
The newest variation of the Sober worm has spread rapidly across the Internet in the past 24 hours and now makes up two-thirds of virus traffic on the Internet, according to security experts.
Sober.P, first detected on this last Monday, now accounts for 77 percent of all viruses detected by Sophos's threat-monitoring stations worldwide. Kaspersky Lab, a Russian maker of antivirus software designed to combat such threats, described the worm's spread in Western Europe as an "epidemic."
Variants of Sober have been circulated since 2003 and have continued to hit corporate and home systems. The mass-mailing worm has continued to spread because people still open attachments in infected e-mail's, despite warnings.
The latest Sober offshoot uses an e-mail written in both English and German. One of its lures is a message saying the recipient has won free tickets to the 2006 World Cup soccer tournament. Once victims open the infected attachment, the virus harvests their e-mail addresses. The virus copies itself onto the user's computer and then sends a similar e-mail to the harvested addresses.
Free tickets to the World Cup won't thrill too many people in the US, so the spread of this Sober is not very big in this country. But, in Western Europe, its a different story. Soccer is almost a religion over there, hence the epidemic proportions of the infections can be traced to that area.
Sober.P, first detected on this last Monday, now accounts for 77 percent of all viruses detected by Sophos's threat-monitoring stations worldwide. Kaspersky Lab, a Russian maker of antivirus software designed to combat such threats, described the worm's spread in Western Europe as an "epidemic."
Variants of Sober have been circulated since 2003 and have continued to hit corporate and home systems. The mass-mailing worm has continued to spread because people still open attachments in infected e-mail's, despite warnings.
The latest Sober offshoot uses an e-mail written in both English and German. One of its lures is a message saying the recipient has won free tickets to the 2006 World Cup soccer tournament. Once victims open the infected attachment, the virus harvests their e-mail addresses. The virus copies itself onto the user's computer and then sends a similar e-mail to the harvested addresses.
Free tickets to the World Cup won't thrill too many people in the US, so the spread of this Sober is not very big in this country. But, in Western Europe, its a different story. Soccer is almost a religion over there, hence the epidemic proportions of the infections can be traced to that area.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
States Want Those Sales Tax Dollars
It's a big sticking point with many states that so many purchases made over the Internet don't include sales tax. For instance, if you live in Washington State (as does your's truly) and you buy something from a company that has no presence in this state, you pay no sales tax. If they have a presence here, under the same corporate name (like Amazon) sales tax is collected.
If you live in Washington State and you buy one of my paintings, I must (and do) charge sales tax. But if you live in New York State or any of the other 48 states, I will not charge you any sales tax. I do report the sale when I fill out my Washington State business tax forms, but I get to deduct it as an exception since it was an out-of-state sale.
All this, of course, is a real sore point with Washington and all the other states that charge sales tax. They want those tax dollars! But there is a way they can collect them, especially if they come after you.
You see, every state that has a sales tax, also has a Use Tax. What's that, you ask? Its basically a law that says if you buy something from out-of-state and are not charged sales tax, you are required to pay your state the same amount of tax that you would have paid in-state in the form of a use tax.
Example...you live in California and go to Oregon, a state with no sales tax. You buy $100 worth of goods. California's use tax is 7.25%, therefore you would be required to pay the state of California $7.25. In Washington State, you are required to pay the same amount of use tax that you would have paid had you bought the item in your home town, since every area here has its own tax rate.
Of course, very few consumers report their out-of-state or non-taxed Internet sales. But states are looking to beef up their enforcement of use tax collection. Here is how California is doing it:
Last year, California added a line on its state income tax form that requires residents to estimate how much use tax they owe. So, if you report nothing and did actually do some tax-free Internet buying, you are lying to the state (remember, you sign your tax form under penalty of perjury) and, if you get audited, you could wind up paying a pretty hefty penalty.
This year, the state tried a use-tax amnesty program that brought in about $2.3 million. That leaves the estimated $1.34 billion that went uncollected, according to California. Other states report similar shortfalls.
From the perspective of state tax collectors, the simplest solution would be to require out-of-state shippers to collect taxes. But shippers generally can't be compelled to do that, thanks to a Supreme Court decision that said only businesses with offices or other tangible connections in the destination state can be required to collect sales taxes.
Still, state officials are lobbying Congress to change these rules. They're proposing a so-called "streamlined sales tax." The idea is to create a uniform set of rules effectively permitting tax agencies to require out-of-state sellers to collect use taxes.
Look for state governments to keep hammering to get these sales and use taxes any way they can. Remember the old adage from Howard Jarvis..."if you've got a dollar in your jeans, there is always some government agency trying to take it."
If you live in Washington State and you buy one of my paintings, I must (and do) charge sales tax. But if you live in New York State or any of the other 48 states, I will not charge you any sales tax. I do report the sale when I fill out my Washington State business tax forms, but I get to deduct it as an exception since it was an out-of-state sale.
All this, of course, is a real sore point with Washington and all the other states that charge sales tax. They want those tax dollars! But there is a way they can collect them, especially if they come after you.
You see, every state that has a sales tax, also has a Use Tax. What's that, you ask? Its basically a law that says if you buy something from out-of-state and are not charged sales tax, you are required to pay your state the same amount of tax that you would have paid in-state in the form of a use tax.
Example...you live in California and go to Oregon, a state with no sales tax. You buy $100 worth of goods. California's use tax is 7.25%, therefore you would be required to pay the state of California $7.25. In Washington State, you are required to pay the same amount of use tax that you would have paid had you bought the item in your home town, since every area here has its own tax rate.
Of course, very few consumers report their out-of-state or non-taxed Internet sales. But states are looking to beef up their enforcement of use tax collection. Here is how California is doing it:
Last year, California added a line on its state income tax form that requires residents to estimate how much use tax they owe. So, if you report nothing and did actually do some tax-free Internet buying, you are lying to the state (remember, you sign your tax form under penalty of perjury) and, if you get audited, you could wind up paying a pretty hefty penalty.
This year, the state tried a use-tax amnesty program that brought in about $2.3 million. That leaves the estimated $1.34 billion that went uncollected, according to California. Other states report similar shortfalls.
From the perspective of state tax collectors, the simplest solution would be to require out-of-state shippers to collect taxes. But shippers generally can't be compelled to do that, thanks to a Supreme Court decision that said only businesses with offices or other tangible connections in the destination state can be required to collect sales taxes.
Still, state officials are lobbying Congress to change these rules. They're proposing a so-called "streamlined sales tax." The idea is to create a uniform set of rules effectively permitting tax agencies to require out-of-state sellers to collect use taxes.
Look for state governments to keep hammering to get these sales and use taxes any way they can. Remember the old adage from Howard Jarvis..."if you've got a dollar in your jeans, there is always some government agency trying to take it."
Monday, May 02, 2005
Time Warner Employee Data May Have Been Stolen
I sure hope you are not now, nor have ever been an employee of Time Warner. Why? Because personal information for 600,000 current and former Time Warner employees has been lost, potentially setting the stage for one of the largest cases yet of identity theft.
Time Warner said the mishap occurred on March 22, when data storage company Iron Mountain was transporting its backup tapes to a storage facility away from its offices. The company lost the tapes while in transit. The tapes were discovered missing on the same day they were picked up, and when they could not rule out foul play, they contacted the U.S. Secret Service to investigate.
Time Warner waited for more than a month before notifying current and past employees that their personal information may have been compromised. The reason for the delay was that they didn't want to comprimise the investigation by going public. The media giant has set up an 800 number to answer past and current employees' questions and provide free credit monitoring for a year. A few days ago, the company began the process of encrypting its data.
The Time Warner case is just the latest in a string of data theft cases to rock corporate America, from Bank of America to educational institutions such as the University of California at Berkeley.
Time Warner said the mishap occurred on March 22, when data storage company Iron Mountain was transporting its backup tapes to a storage facility away from its offices. The company lost the tapes while in transit. The tapes were discovered missing on the same day they were picked up, and when they could not rule out foul play, they contacted the U.S. Secret Service to investigate.
Time Warner waited for more than a month before notifying current and past employees that their personal information may have been compromised. The reason for the delay was that they didn't want to comprimise the investigation by going public. The media giant has set up an 800 number to answer past and current employees' questions and provide free credit monitoring for a year. A few days ago, the company began the process of encrypting its data.
The Time Warner case is just the latest in a string of data theft cases to rock corporate America, from Bank of America to educational institutions such as the University of California at Berkeley.
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