It seems it’s a quiet day for tech news. I think we are all still reeling from all the news that indicates our deep recession is going to continue for a while. Not good. I am thankful I retired from the working world so I don’t have to be out pounding the streets for a job. But being on a relative fixed income, I am acutely aware that food, gas, and other prices are on the rise. And many times, the price increases are shockingly large.
Putting all that aside, I have found some interesting stories for this edition of Rants and Raves. I was amazed how the Hong Kong stock exchange was shut down because of hackers…and how Amazon has beaten Apple 30% fee demands through innovation…and how cable and satellite subscriptions are on a downward spiral. Lots of things to digest here.
So without further delays…read-on! - JRC
Hong Kong stock exchange halts trading after hack attack
Hackers broke into the Hong Kong stock exchange news Web site today, forcing the exchange to suspend trading of seven companies, according to The Wall Street Journal. The affected companies, which included HSBC, Cathay Pacific Airways and the Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing, which runs the bourse, had all released price-sensitive information earlier in the day. The exchange's news site publishes corporate filings.
Wal-Mart Shuts Down MP3 Store
When I saw the news that Wal-Mart was shutting down its online music store, I had the same reaction that most of you probably did: Wait, Wal-Mart still has an online music store? The retailing giant started up its online music store in the wake of Apple's success with the iTunes Store, and like many of the MP3 sellers of that era--MSN Music, Yahoo! Music, and so on--it's now dead.
Kindle Cloud Reader Rains on Apple's In-App Fee Parade
Amazon has found a way to give iPad users easy access to their Kindle books -- and the Kindle Store -- without having to give Apple a 30 percent cut of its revenue. Other content providers, including Walmart and textbook company Kno, are following suit. The trick? HTML5 Web apps with caching features that allow offline access. The apps also work with PCs and Android tablets equipped with browsers that support HTML5.
Mozilla shrinks Firefox's memory appetite
Mozilla's Firefox 7, slated to ship in late September, will be significantly faster because of work done plugging the browser's memory leaks, a company developer says. Firefox has long been criticized for using large amounts of RAM and for not releasing memory when tabs are closed, practices that can degrade the browser's performance, or in extreme cases, cause it to crash or lock up.
Cable, satellite see quarterly loss of TV subscribers
That loud snipping sound is a greater number of Americans cutting the cord and ditching their cable and satellite TV subscriptions. That's the verdict today in an analysis done by the Associated Press of the pay TV companies' quarterly earnings reports.
Sorry, Hollywood: It’s time for a piracy comeback
The U.S. credit ratings downgrade, tumbling stocks and international instability have made not just financial analysts nervous this week. Consumers are also starting to wonder whether we’re about to enter another recession. Whenever that happens, people start to tighten their belts and cut unnecessary expenses — like paying for movies and TV shows.
Five (And Then Some) Tech Tips for Travel
I’ve been racking up about 70 round-trip flights a year, so I know this space pretty well. I’ve got the tech part of it down to a science. Here’s what I’ve learned along the way—tips for maximum flying efficiency and minimum misery.
Folder Axe Cuts Unwieldy Folders Down to Size
In a nutshell, it's a folder splitter. You know all those utilities that split large files? Folder Axe is the same thing, just for large folders. If you've ever struggled to manage a folder with 8,000 image files, you might see why this can be a useful thing. Actually, a folder with thousands of image files is an easy case: How about a folder full of thousands of random files, with no rhyme or reason at all, like a typical downloads folder?
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