Hijacking Your DNS

A woman called me recently to inquire about some of my photographic services. We talked for a while and I directed her to my Web site. While we were st ill on the phone, she tried to go there but got something else...an advertising page with me and other area photographers listed. That wasn't right, so she tried again and got another advertising page, but I wasn't on that page at all.

After some additional conversation and finding out that her son was using the computer to download music files from illegal sites, I was pretty sure that her computer was infected with a great deal of malware, one or more of which changed her DNS settings to take her to another DNS server.

Just to remind you, a DNS server (DNS stands for Directory of Names Services) is where you are first taken when you type in a Web site address, like www.corkrum.com. The DNS server then finds the IP address for that particular Web site then forwards your request to it. It's a translator of sorts so you don't have to remember those long IP address numbers.

DNS servers are located all around the world. When you signed up with your ISP, you were given a DNS address that is entered into either your computer or in your router. Usually, it is the DNS server used by your ISP. Most people have never changed their DNS settings, although they can. But there is some spyware, viruses, and worms that will change your DNS settings without your knowledge. This new DNS server that you are unknowingly using will take you anywhere it wants to to accomplish its ends...including fake Web sites designed to steal your personal information.

That is what probably happened to my potential customer...another reason why you need to have your computer protected with anti-spyware and anti-virus software designed to stop anyone who tries to hijack your computer. Also, a little common sense is needed, such as not clicking on links in your e-mail, even if it is from a friend.

But, there is another story about DNS hijacking that has made the tech news headlines quite recently. A well known expert in Internet security, Dan Kaminsky, discovered a huge security flaw in the current 20-year-old DNS system. Because of the possible ramifications of such a discovery, this flaw was kept under extremely tight security wraps until it could be fixed. Dan wrote a fix for it, then sent it out secretly to every DNS hosting service.

The problem is that not all DNS hosts have run the update. And, of course, now it is no longer a secret so some bad guys may be writing malware to hijack unpatched DNS servers. You have no control over this process as the DNS server itself would be hijacked, not your computer.

Fortunately, Kaminski has a Web site where you can check to see if your particular DNS server has been fixed. Just go over to http://www.doxpara.com and you can just click a button to see if your DNS server is safe. You can also read Kaminski's blog to read more about his research, although he will not reveal the technical details until July 24th at a major tech conference.

In my next blog, I will talk about an alternate DNS site you should be using for even greater security that will stop you from going to phishing sites, pornography sites and other bad places. Stay tuned.

Do You Trust Your ISP?

There is a scary new trend occurring in the Internet world. Some Internet Service Providers, trying to increase their bottom line revenues, are allowing third party companies to install hardware in their facilities that track user's Internet habits. Another word for this would be spying. These companies track your web page habits, search terms, and even your e-mail's looking for key words that allow them to classify you in one of their one-thousand categories. Cookies identifying you are then put on your computer without your knowledge. Then, as you browse the Net, you are targeted for advertisements based on the cookies on your computer. For this, your local ISP gets a commission.

The two biggest companies that are doing this are NebuAd and Phorm. Other companies that are doing this are Front Porch, Adzilla, and Project Rialto. Phorm's use in Britain has caused a firestorm of criticism as some of Britain's largest ISP's use them. Their method of tracking you is insidious as they redirect you to fake Web sites that makes your browser think it is the real web site. Then you get a first party cookie on you computer before you get to the real Web site you requested.

These companies are deploying their equipment to ISP's all over the US, but to whom is a mystery as they refuse to release their customer lists. Charter Communications, CenturyTel, and Wide Open West did have plans to implement these systems, but have backed off recently as this form of spying has now come under Congressional scrutiny. One senator has called it nothing less than illegal wire tapping. Its like having someone standing over your shoulder when you are using your computer and taking copious notes about what you are doing...then selling that info.

The Senate has held hearings to investigate this new intrusive way of spying on you. It turns out that a series of federal laws written back in the 1980s provide some protection for us. Some of those laws restrict deep packet inspection by any broadband provider; the Cable TV Privacy Act singles out cable providers for the most extensive opt-in regulations, meaning they must notify their customers first and let them opt in to be tracked. But today, they are using opt-out tactics meaning the customer has to contact the ISP and tell them they don't want to be tracked.

For their part, these spying companies insist they are not violating any laws...in fact, they say they are providing a useful service so users can get advertisements that fit their lifestyle. NebuAd says that it does not collect or use personally identifiable information and does not store raw data linked to "identifiable individuals." Rather, it says, it creates and continually updates anonymized profiles with information "about the user's level of qualification" for certain types of ad. But, who is to stop them from taking the next step, which is to attach your name to their collected data?

The bottom line is that your ISP, which handles everything you do on the Web, may or may not be allowing third parties to spy on you without your knowledge. To my way of thinking, this is a clear betrayal of trust and violates your right of privacy. Laws should be passed to prevent this.

Until this happens, is there a way to thwart this type of spying? You bet there is! All you need to do is encrypt your Web surfing before it leaves your computer. This is done by installing a special program that encrypts your data, then sends it to a specified proxy server, which then un-encrypts it and sends your request to its final destination. The web page you request is then sent back to you via the same proxy server that encrypts it and sends it to your computer. The data that flows through your ISP is encrypted and can't be tracked or used by anyone except you.

This type of technology does exist and if you use a laptop on public Wi-Fi networks, you should be using it anyway to prevent hijacking of your personal information. I have been experimenting with some of this software while on the road this summer and will shortly write a blog on my results. Until then, just be aware that this new type of spying is happening.

Those Damnable 3rd Party Cookies

One of the new features of Firefox V3 is its ability to reject any 3rd party cookies that some Web sites may try to place on your computer. To be truthful, this feature is not new as it was in Firefox V1.5, but then was removed in Firefox V2. Now it is back and better than ever.

A third party cookie is one that comes from some party other than than the Web page you are currently visiting. As an example, you go to a Yahoo page, for instance, and Yahoo puts a cookie in your computer to help identify you when you return to their site. This can be very handy. But, on the Yahoo page is an ad for some company and it also tries to put a cookie on your page to help track your buying habits. This would be a third party cookie.

Much of the spyware and adware that shows up on your computer when you do a spyware scan come from third party cookies. The ability to reject these cookies is an important part of your safe browsing experience. It was great to see that the feature to reject these cookies is back in Firefox. The problem is that this feature is turned off when you install Firefox 3.0. To turn it on, you need to click on "Tools," then "Options." Then click on the "Privacy" icon and you will see the "Cookies" options. Just uncheck the "Accept third-party cookies" and you are protected. That's it.

Now, every once in a while, you may need to accept a third-party cookie. For instance, Firefox add-on's Foxmarks and Google Reader will not work unless you enable third party cookies. Here is how to handle this situation: In the above mentioned section on cookies, you will see a button titled "Exceptions." Click on that button then enter the Web address of the cookies you wish to accept. For instance, for Foxmarks, you would enter "Foxmarks.com". Then click on the "Accept" button and close the window. That's it.

I strongly recommend that if you are a Firefox user that you do this today. It will really cut down those adware and spyware cookies.

Corporate Updates in the Tech World

Once again, sorry for my lack of blogs lately, but I am on the road a great deal these days, mostly without Internet access. Tomorrow I am off for Whitefish, Mt. for another show and won't be back till next week. I am hoping to get into Glacier National Park for some photo activity as it is only a few miles from Whitefish.

I seldom write about the comings and goings of tech businesses, but there is so much going on right now that I thought I would pass along some of the more interesting tidbits. Thanks to CNet and ZDNet for their help in preparing these stories.

Justice Dept Investigating Google/Yahoo Partnership

The U.S. Department of Justice plans to gather information from third parties in a probe of the advertising deal struck last month between Google and Yahoo, according to sources familiar with these types of investigations. Yahoo announced the nonexclusive partnership in June under which rival Google would supply it with some search ads, a move that could increase Yahoo search revenue but that also gives Google even more power in the market. The partnership idea came to light during Microsoft's attempt to acquire Yahoo (see below), which put more pressure on the Internet company to improve its financial results.

Microsoft to Go After Yahoo Again?

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Microsoft has been looking for partners in recent days that would help it make a new bid for Yahoo's search business. This would be Microsoft's third attempt to acquire Yahoo. A couple of months ago, Microsoft pulled out of negotiations after Yahoo would not lower their asking price, a price that Microsoft said was way too much. Then Microsoft went after Yahoo again a month or so again, not to buy the whole company but only parts of it. This time, Yahoo pulled out after making the above-mentioned deal with Google.

All this has caused huge turmoil at Yahoo, which is not in very good financial shape. Investor Carl Icahn is waging a huge proxy fight to take over Yahoo and dump its current president and board of directors, whom he accuses of bad management. Microsoft has reportedly met with Icahn recently. Even more pressure is being applied by the stock market as Yahoo share prices have dropped below $20. Microsoft had offered $32 per share when they pulled out (Yahoo wanted $37 a share). They might wind up getting it much cheaper than was originally proposed. Microsoft is trying to increase its Web business as they recognize that their current business model is out-of-date and needs to be more Web-centric.

Blockbuster/Circuit City Deal is Dead

Movie-rental chain Blockbuster has announced that it has withdrawn its $1 billion bid for consumer electronics chain Circuit City. The reason given was unfavorable "market conditions." The original deal was was thought of as one company in trouble trying to buy another company, also in trouble. Blockbuster shares jumped nearly 12 percent, while Circuit City fell 14 percent in after-hours trading following the announcement. I think that says it all. Both companies have struggled in the past year...Circuit City posted a $200 million loss near the end of 2007, and Blockbuster has been fending off Netflix's success in online video rentals, as well as the growing threat of digital movie downloads.

Circuit City to Sell Office Subscription

Microsoft has announced that Circuit City will be the first to offer a new Microsoft Office subscription service, dubbed Equipt. This service bundles a subscription version of Office Home and Student with Microsoft's OneCare antivirus product for $69 a year--just $20 more than the suggested price of OneCare alone. Microsoft is trying to tap into the fact that while many people would rather find a copy of Office that they don't have to pay for (either an older version or a pirated copy) they are willing to pay for security software. This Office version contains Microsoft Excel, Powerpoint, Word, and OneNote (no Outlook, however). Its regular purchase price runs from $100 to $165 on the Web.

Two Good Book Sites

I love to read books, as is evidenced by the number of shelves I have just filled with books. In fact, it may be time for me to get rid of some. But if books are a passion, here are two sites you might find of value.

First is GoodReads.com. If you have always yearned to be a book reviewer, this is your place. At GoodReads, you can rate your reads and write reviews about all the books you have read or are currently reading. And you can follow reviews of people you know or even some strangers whose book tastes are similar to yours. There are lots of good book reviews to read and you can choose who you want to follow. I have just started doing a few reviews and plan to continue when I can find more time. Writing two blogs and traveling makes it a little more difficult, but I am not complaining. Membership is, of course, free.

The second site is BookMooch.com. Quite simply put, this site lets people trade their used books for the only cost of postage. If your book shelves are overflowing, this might be a good way to get rid of some while getting new reads for very little cost. Membership is free. Every time you give someone a book, you earn a point and can get any book you want from anyone else at BookMooch. And remember, you can get a lower postage charge when sending books. Currently, the site has 70,000 members with an inventory of 1/2 million books. You might find something of interest there.

Here is a bonus link for you...the Morton Grove Public Library (wherever that is) has put together a very large list of Web sites for book lovers. It's worth a look.

Mastering your Bookmarks with Firefox 3

I read an interesting article today that I thought I would pass along. It is entitled "Five Ways to Master Bookmarks in Firefox 3" and is on the CNET Web site. I recommend you read it if you use Firefox, and maybe even if you don't as you might find yourself changing browsers. There are some things in the article that I was not aware of. Did you know, for instance that you can click on the star at the far right of the address bar to create an instant bookmark? Pretty cool.

By the way, Mozilla's attempt to set a new Guinness record for the most downloads in a 24 hour period produced almost 8.5 million downloads of the new browser on the day of its release a week ago. It is a record, mainly because there was no record in that category before. So Mozilla set the bar.

And speaking of new browsers, Opera is now out with their latest version, 9.5. It is a very good browser and would be my choice if there wasn't a Firefox. I like many if its features. Both browsers are definitely better than Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and far more secure. Check out the latest version at www.opera.com.

FYI - new blogs will be fewer in number for a while as I have started the Art Show Season. But, as always, I will try. My first show was a tremendous success, which surprised me given the state of our economy and gas prices.

The Race is On

OK...Today is the big day. Mozilla is trying to set the all time record for most downloads in a 24 hour period. Of course, it is all about downloading the brand new, now official, Firefox 3.0. They were supposed to start at 10:00 AM PDT, but there were technical difficulties. The problems were fixed and the site came on-line at 11:15. So you have until 11:15 tomorrow morning to be a part of the record...and of course, get their great new release.

For no good reason, even though the version of Firefox I have is the same as the official release, I went ahead and did it anyway. If you have waited to download Firefox's new release, today is a good day to do it and be a part of the record (maybe).

To download Firefox 3, go to:

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/?from=getfirefox

To check the counter too see how many downloads have occurred go to:

http://downloadcounter.sj.mozilla.com/

As I write these words, the count is around 1.6 million (including me) which is about 8,000 downloads per minute.

Why do I feel so silly?

USB Sound Cards

Recently, I wrote a blog about what I don't know about audio technology. Well, I am learning more all the time. One of the most interesting lessons I learned was about connecting my home desktop computer to my new, improved music system. At first, it seemed very straight forward...all I had to do was connect a long cable from my computer's sound card to an input on my receiver. Of course, you can do that, but you may be in for a nasty shock...it probably won't sound very good. I know because I tried it.

I started doing some research on the Net and quickly found out that if you really wanted to make this connection, you need a better sound card...specifically a USB sound card. Internal sound cards are just not very good for getting music out of your computer into your music system. More research on revealed the USB sound cards run from about $25 to $200. The higher the price, the better the sound...supposedly. Interesting enough, these USB sound cards can also yield simulated five channels of sound to your sound system or to any pair of headphones. To be honest, I haven't really checked out that capability yet as I was more interested in just getting two channels to my music system and letting it turn it into 5.1 channels, if I want it.

Anyway, I opted for the lower priced option as I really wanted to see if it did work and would make a difference. I purchased a Turtle Beach Audio Advantage USB sound card from NewEgg.com for around $25. When it arrived, I found that the device was about the same size as a USB thumb drive. I installed the software, which was very straight forward. The manual recommended that you first plug in headphones to make sure it works well. So I did. WOW, what a huge difference in sound quality. It just blew me away how much difference there was between my internal sound card and my new USB sound card using headphones. Next, I plugged in my computer speakers and they sounded much better also.

The reason a USB audio card is so better has to do with something referred to as DAC (Digital to Analog Conversion). Remember, the computer, an iPod, a CD player, and DVD player are all playing material recorded digitally. Your ears (as well as your speakers) are analog. There has to be a conversion done someplace in the loop. DVD and CD players have their own built-in DAC. An iPod also has a DAC, but it is nowhere near as good as a DAC in a CD player. This is one reason why I wanted to output my music from the computer (using iTunes) rather than my iPod. USB sound cards provide this higher quality DAC. Supposedly, the higher the price, the better the DAC.

After the headphones test, I plugged a connecting cable to the music system receiver. It sounded just great. My new receiver also has an enhancer setting to improve the sound of compressed music, like MP3's, FM radio stations, and even music stations coming from your cable or satellite company. It does make a difference you can hear. Besides the 6,000+ "tunes" I have inside iTunes, I can also play Internet-based radio stations, all of which can now be directly outputted to the receiver and my high quality speakers.

For your info, when you plug your USB sound card into your computer, it bypasses your internal sound card, so you may be "forced" to plug your computer speakers into the new sound card. When you unplug your USB sound card, the old sound card kicks back in.

The bottom line is that the audio output from your computer sounds much better with a USB sound card. In fact, even if you don't connect your computer to your music system, a USB sound card is a good investment. You definitely should consider one for your laptop.

How to Get Rid of Worthless Bookmarks

If you are like me, you constantly explore the Internet looking for various subjects of interest. When you find them, you probably bookmark them, hopefully to return to them in the future. How many times do you never go back? Or how many times do you bookmark the same site more than once? And, then, of course, when all your bookmarks start piling up, do you go through and trim down your list and then organize them into folders?

Well, I do organize them pretty well and I do occasionally go in and clean them up. And, of course, using Firefox with Foxmarks allows me to keep all my bookmarks synched on all my computers. But, still, I still have accumulated lots of bookmarks over time and have very little time to go through and see how many of them are still good.

I just found of free program that will automatically check your bookmarks to see how many of them are dead (sites not there anymore) and separately check for duplicate entries. It is called AM-Deadlink, V3.2. The good news is that it works with not only Firefox, but with also Internet Explorer and Opera. It runs as a separate program, not inside a browser. The program works very quickly, although I am sure the speed depends or your Internet connection as the program goes through and checks each link separately.

After it is finished you will see the results displayed on your screen. You can then click a button, and the results are reorganized to show you the dead links at the top...at which point you can start deleting them. If you are not sure about a link, you can click on it and the link opens at the bottom of the screen to show you what your browser would see if you had it open. It is very handy not having to leave the program to check on these links. Deleting the dead links is then quit easy.

After this, you can click on another button and all your duplicate book marks are displayed. Again deletions of duplicates is quite easy. When you are done, you save your work. Nothing could be easier and it is definitely a time saver.

You can download AM-Deadlink at the Download.com web site.

This Just In - The New Apple iPhone

This afternoon, Steve Jobs gave his long-awaited speech at the Apple World Wide Developer's Conference. It was anticipated that he would announce an all-new cheaper iPhone....and that is exactly what he did. Here is a quick look at the new iPhone 3G features.

• Faster, 3G data networking. One demo took 59 seconds on the old EDGE network, 21 seconds on the iPhone 3G, compared to 17 seconds on WiFi. Apple claims it’s 26% faster than competing models from Nokia and Treo.
• Longer battery life. 300 hours standby, 10 hours 2G talk, 5 hours 3G talk, 5-6 hours browsing, 7 hours video, 24 hours audio.
• Better audio. No details were available on this.
• Integrated GPS, including live GPS tracking.

The iPhone will be available July 11th in 22 countries. The 8GB model will be $199 (black only), and the 16GB model will be $299 (black or white), with a new 2-year rate plan (sold separately).

Podcasts - Finding the Best Ones

Sometimes if you see me around town, you may notice a pair of headphones attached to my ears. People probably think to themselves that a man of my years should not be trying to act like a teenager listening to his favorite hip-hop music. Well, if you do see me with my headphones on, I am more-than-likely listening to a podcast on a subject that interests me.

As you might guess, my favorite podcasts center around either technology or photography. However, if you see me laughing out loud, you know that I am listening to "Car Talk" from NPR. Those two guys really are funny. Anyway, I found that podcasts are a great way to fill in my "spare time" when I am not writing a blog, working on photographs or doing some other work that requires my complete attention (and silence).

Ever since I purchased my iPod Classic a few months ago, I realized podcasts are a great way to spend a lot of my free time...learning more about the subjects that interest me. I originally bought my iPod for music, and I still use it for that, but podcasts are becoming more predominate use of my time. When I go for my daily walk, I usually now listen to a podcast rather than old time rock and roll. Frankly, podcasts can be more interesting than music, and since I really hate to exercise, they really do make the time go faster. It is similar to using Books-on-Tape when driving long distances on roads you have been on many times. The time and miles go much faster. The distinction is that audio books or music are mostly for entertainment...podcasts are for learning.

When I purchased my iPod, I also installed Apple's free music organizing program, iTunes, on my computer. Besides organizing one's music, it can also be used for videos, photographs, Internet radio channels (tons of those), and, of course, podcasts. What is even more useful is that when you find a good podcast, they usually have a link where you can subscribe for free using the Apple's iTunes Store. You click on it and iTunes will automatically download your chosen podcasts as they are released. Of course, when you plug your iPod into the computer, iTunes will sync with your iPod automatically and load the new podcast (and erase those that are no longer wanted) onto your device.

So, with all this in mind, here are some interesting places to go to read about and subscribe to podcasts, either to listen on your computer or portable music player.

CNet Podcast Central - A complete list of their large assortment of technology podcasts. Many are interesting, my favorite right now being "The Real Deal." But I have not sampled them all.

TWit TV - This is the home of several great technology-based podcasts (and now some video podcasts) by Leo LaPorte. If you ever watched Tech TV's Call for Help or other shows, you will remember Leo as he is an engaging personality who really knows his stuff. Most of his shows feature other knowledgeable folks from the world of tech. My favorites are The Tech Guy, This Week in Technology (TWit), and Windows Weekly.

NPR Podcasts - If you want interesting subject matter done by knowledgeable people on a wide variety of subjects, head over to the National Public Radio Podcast Directory. I've never counted the number of podcasts that they offer, but it is a very large number. This is where I get my Car Talk fix.

Podcast Alley - I am fairly new to this site, but they list over 41,000 different podcasts. With so many, there is probably a ton of not-so-interesting podcasts, but it is worth a look. I find their subject listings to be rather limiting.

Podcast Search - Uses Google to find podcasts by subject. It did a nice job on a couple of my searches.

Yahoo Podcast Search - This used to be a great place to look for podcast by subject matter, but now they list a lot of other audio material when you do a search, so you may have to cull through a lot of garbage to find what you are looking for. It's too bad.

Tips from the Top Floor - One of the first photography podcasts, mostly aimed at amateur photographers. Chris Marquardt knows his stuff and is a great guide for the non-professional.

Photography Podcast - Produced in Montreal, this show is sometimes a little more in-depth and advanced than Tips from the Top Floor, but definitely worth a listen if you like photography

With all this information, you should find some podcasts that might be very useful for whatever interests you. Give podcasts a listen in your free moments.

Free Program Checks Your Software for Security Holes

Secunia is a major player in the security business. One of their important functions, besides looking for new viruses and spyware, is to look for security vulnerabilities in software products. These are places where a potential hacker can get into your computer and take over without your knowledge. They are continually finding new "holes" and reporting them, forcing software companies to issue revisions for their users.

Of course, they keep a complete database on all these vulnerabilities. With that in mind, the company decided to use their treasure house of information to help personal computer users keep up-to-date with these software issues. They created a software called "Secunia PSI" that will scan your computer looking for unpatched software with vulnerabilities. Currently their database has over 44 million software programs that they track. After a scan, it will issue a report not only telling you what unpatched software you might have, but also providing links to the web where the fixes are available for download.

I downloaded the program recently on my laptop to give it a try. It took about 15 minutes to do a scan (the times for your computer will vary depending on how much software is on your computer). When it was done, I got a list of 10 software vulnerabilities. The first one on the list showed that there was no fix available. It was a program I used for a specific project sometime ago and had never deleted. I deleted it. The other nine on the list all had links to the fixes. I duly started the process of upgrading my vulnerable software and except for one, it all went smooth. The good news was that you don't have to download the upgrades, then leave Secunia PSI to do the fixes. Just click on "Run" rather than "Save" and the upgrades are completed.

The one I am having a problem with is Java. It won't apply a fix for some reason, but that is not Secunia's fault. I am continuing to try and figure out why. As I said, the other fixes all went smoothly. Some fixes are quicker than others. For instance, it reported that OpenOffice needed a patch. When I clicked on the fix, it downloaded the latest version of the program which is very large. Although it took time, the fix was done.

I think Secunia has provided a terrific service for computer users. I strongly suggest you download it and let it help you make your computer even more secure. You can read more about it and download it for free at the Secunia PSI Web site.

Quick Update on the New Firefox

I don't mean to sound like a walking ad for Firefox, but this new version is a good one. And since we all use browsers so much in our daily lives, a good one is important. Today, Mozilla released Firefox 3.0 Release Candidate 2. From everything I have read, this is the final version as the final code was locked in last week. The official version is probably about 10 days off. But you can feel safe downloading this one now. I heard an interview on a tech podcast with four big names in the biz and they all said download it now. One well known writer said this new version will finally get him away from Internet Explorer once and for all.

Also today, one of the last holdouts for upgrading their add-on's, MacAfee Site Adviser, released their new version for Firefox 3. For me, that only leaves Tabs Mix Plus and AVG Safe Search as the last two holdouts for add-on's...but they are important ones, never-the-less. By the way, if you install Version 3, all your add-on's will be upgraded automatically. If they won't work in V.3, you will be told as much, however when a version is released, you are automatically notified. That is how I found out about MacAfee.

By the way, ComputerWorld is reporting that Firefox is on pace to hit the 20% market-share mark next month. Not bad considering Internet Explorer once owned 96% of the market. Why is Firefox on the rise? Simple...it works better, has better security, better performance, more functionality, and is more customizable, thanks to add-on's.

OK...I'm off my soapbox now.

What I Don't Know About Audio Technology

I have not upgraded my music system in a long time. Oh, I've added DVD players, new CD players, even a separate audio amplifier system for center and rear channels. But, the heart of my system, my Nakamichi stereo receiver, is 20 years old and my speakers are 18 years old. And there are several new audio and video technologies that my system can't handle well. So, as much as I love my Nakamichi, I decided to do some upgrades.

1. First I decided to get a new 5.1 channel receiver and eventually purchased a new Yamaha 5.1 receiver with 105 Watts of Power. One of the big features I like about it was the ability to restore the sounds of compressed music (MP3's and satellite radio) back to its non-compressed state. And since I am downsizing and put all my music into MP3 format on my iPod and computer, this was a big deal for me.
2. Then, I decided to buy an all-in-one CD/DVD player that could also play my SACD (Super Audio) CD's and my MP3 CD'S. For that, I found a Denon player that I bought at a fabulous price.
3. I was going to buy new speakers. I have a pair of Celestion SL-12 speakers that sold new 18 years ago for $1,700. I was in Costco recently and heard a $1,000 system that just sounded horrible compared with mine. After doing some Internet research, I discovered that there is probably nothing better on the market today than my current speakers (at that price) and I decided to keep them. I read several posts from people who wish they still had theirs.
4. After deciding that, I bought a new Celestion center channel speaker at a great price that matches my front speakers and it made a world of difference over the the previous center speaker I was using.

So, I thought I had everything figured out and was excited yesterday when my new receiver and DVD player showed up at my front door. I took out the old components, cleaned up the cabinet, put the new components in their respective places. Of course, the whole system required a major rewiring job. So I duly unplugged and marked my cables.

At this point, I was dying to hear my new system in action...so I plugged the DVD/CD player in and turned them on. Nothing. No sound, no TV picture, no nothing. At least it didn't explode. After trying and trying and failing, I did something I seldom do, but was desperate. I got out the manuals. There I discovered a whole new world of adventure. I learned about optical fiber optic cables and digital coaxial audio connectors. What? In order to make things work, I needed a couple of these cables so I went and bought them. After about 5 hours into this project, I have some limited video and the audio is getting better. But, there is still a long way to go. I definitely have to keep reading the manual.

I just can't figure out all the things that the receiver does. In the old days, there was a button or switch for everything. Now, these new receivers do so much that you have to go through a whole series of steps to tell it to do one thing. And my new Yamaha is not alone in this. They all do it. They have so many capabilities that creating individual buttons is impossible. So I will keep plugging away, reading the manual and pushing buttons. My only problem will be remembering everything I do correctly as my own internal memory systems are not as strong as they used to be. But I am determined to emerge triumphant.

The bad news is I haven't even tried to connect my computer or iPod to it yet. Perseverance is the key.

An Inside Look at Google

I was fascinated by an article posted this week on CNet and Webware where Google gave a inside look at how their data centers work. This is a rare thing for this giant search engine company, but they did it at the Google I/O Conference held in San Francisco.

If you don't want to read the entire article (and some of the other articles linked in the story), here are some of the highlights that caught my eye:

So, how many servers does Google have? Well Google would not exactly spell that one out, but a little simple math reveals that they have well over 200,000 individual computers acting as servers. The company has 36 data centers located around the world. Each center has 150 server racks and each rack holds 40 computers.

Even Google admits that it might be an overkill, but they base their need on the assumption that every computer is expendable...in other words, they assume that so many computers are going to fail at any one time. To quote from the article:

"In each cluster's first year, it's typical that 1,000 individual machine failures will occur; thousands of hard drive failures will occur; one power distribution unit will fail, bringing down 500 to 1,000 machines for about 6 hours; 20 racks will fail, each time causing 40 to 80 machines to vanish from the network; 5 racks will "go wonky," with half their network packets missing in action; and the cluster will have to be rewired once, affecting 5 percent of the machines at any given moment over a 2-day span, Dean said. And there's about a 50 percent chance that the cluster will overheat, taking down most of the servers in less than 5 minutes and taking 1 to 2 days to recover.

So how many computers would you guess are involved every time you do a Google search? Would you believe 700-1,000? Remember that every time you do a search.

There is a lot more to this article and I recommend you give it a read.

Update on Firefox 3 - I went ahead and installed Firefox V3 RL1 on my laptop to see if it is as good as I am hearing...It is! It loads faster and runs noticeably faster than V.2. Am just waiting for a couple more crucial add-on's such as MacAfee Site advisor and AVG 8 to upgrade for Firefox 3.

The Blockbuster Download Kiosk - Huh?

New ideas are flowing like water over Niagara Falls these days. Here is a new one from Blockbuster (you know, the rental video store chain) that has me and others scratching their head. Blockbuster Chairman and CEO James Keyes made the announcement of his plan at the Annual Stockholder's meeting earlier this week.

The plan, as outlined by The Hollywood Reporter, is for consumers to bring portable devices into Blockbuster stores and download movies, usually in about two minutes. Blockbuster expects to begin testing the kiosks, in about three weeks. Initially, the system will work only with Archos devices, but Blockbuster expects the kiosk to be an "open system" that is compatible with a range of devices. Keyes declined to predict how many titles will be available on the kiosk, noting that Blockbuster was still in negotiations with the major studios for content.

According to the story, "Keyes acknowledged that the kiosk pilot is likely coming well ahead of broad consumer demand for such services and should therefore only be seen as one additional distribution channel for the company as it tries to offer entertainment content whenever consumers want in whatever form they want."

So, let's try to figure this out logically: Amazon.com, Microsoft's Xbox Live, and Netflix already deliver movies directly to PCs...Netflix already has introduced a download box that sits on your TV...TiVo, Vudu, and Apple TV, as well as cable and satellite services offer video on demand to TVs...and electronic copies of movies are being sold alongside DVDs. So what makes Keyes think people want to leave their homes, then drive to a store with a laptop-size device to download movies from an kiosk?

Dear Mr. Keyes: people don't want to drive to video stores to download movies. Convenience is everything these days. That is why Netflix is whipping you in customer service and revenues. But, of course, this is the same company that wants to spend one billion dollars to buy a dying Circuit City chain.

I own this bridge on the east coast that I am dying to sell...

Firefox Three 99% Ready to Go.

A few days ago I wrote that Firefox had made Release Candidate 1 of the new Version 3 available for download. It had some bugs, so they are now preparing Release Candidate 2 with a public release date of this beta on June 5. The final code is now frozen, meaning that this is the final version. The final version of Firefox V3 will officially be released in the second week of June.

Mozilla, makers of Firefox, is organizing a “Download Day” to promote Firefox 3.0 and set a Guinness World Record for the most downloaded software in 24 hours. This seems a little scary to me as I fear their servers might get overloaded and cause problems. I hope it won't backfire on them. Based on my testing, Firefox V.3 looks like an outstanding product...not only in my opinion, but also the opinions of many other tech writers who are testing it. It is smaller, faster, and has some nice new features. This could be a big winner for them.

As for the FoxMarks add-in, I received a nice reply to my last blog from a fellow who works at FoxMarks. They are releasing a new version of FoxMarks for Firefox 3...and, in fact, it arrived just yesterday. That is good news as FoxMarks is an outstanding add-in that keeps all your bookmarks on all your computers fully synchronized. It is one of the most useful tools in my arsenal.

As for other add-ins, the most important ones all seem to be upgrading to run on V.3.

Noteworthy News From the World of High Tech

Firefox Version 3 - Latest word from Mozilla is that the final version of this popular web browser will be available in late June. It is actually ready now and you can download it, but Mozilla is waiting for the makers of their most popular add-on's to come out with new versions of their products that will work with Firefox 3. My favorite add-on's such as FoxMarks and Tabs Mix Plus are not yet available for V.3. The add-on's are what really make Firefox special as a browser. V.3 is faster, uses less memory, and has a few great new features that I have written about here before.

Google Docs - Google Docs and Spreadsheets has a handy new view that Microsoft Word has had for years. When flipped on you can see what your writing will look like on a virtual page, so when you print it out you won't be surprised that your term paper or novel is shorter or longer than you anticipated.

Twitter Tweeks - Am enjoying using Twitter to write mini-blogs (140 characters max) and to follow other Twits. But, the huge success of the service is causing problems. During peak hours, it is too overloaded and goes down. Twitter has received a large injection of cash and will update the infrastructure to handle their popularity...but it will take time.

Blu-Ray Sales - The HD Blu-Ray DVD player may have won the battle for dominance in the next generation of DVD players, but did it lose the war? Statistic show that ever since it was announced they were the winner, sales have tanked badly. From January to February - sales were down 40%. And that was after they won the war with HD-DVD. The reason...prices are still steep (around $300 for the cheapest Blu Ray...and there aren't that many Blu-Ray disks available. But probably the most important is that even with an HDTV, regular DVD players still look good. The newest generation of DVD players also have a way to scale-up their images to fit HDTV's...and those sell for about $75 and up. Read more here.

Netflix Direct to your TV - NetFlix, the excellent on-line DVD rental business, has been offering free viewing of over 5,000 films for no additional charge above their monthly subscription fee. Up until this week, those free movies could only be viewed on your computer. Now, for $100, you can buy a set-top box that will put the movies right on your TV set...still with no additional charges. The good news is that you get unlimited amount of movies for no additional charges. The bad news is that the picture quality is not as good as a DVD and there is no surround sound. See the review on the CNET Web site.

Good Article - Thinking about moving up to a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera. Here is an in-depth article on CNET you might find interesting.

Another Good Article - PC Magazine recently posted an article on Broadband in America...talking about all the different options to receive fast Internet services. It includes DSL, Cable, and fiber optics to the home. I found it interesting and recommend it for reading. About half of the U.S. is now connected via broadband, but we are only ranked 25th in the world. Korea, for instance, has 89% connected to broadband. But, we are about the cheapest on cost per kilobyte.

Search the Universe - Microsoft has released a new, free software that enables users to explore the universe with impressive content from the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory Center, and other famed ground- and space-based telescopes. Colorful nebulae, distant galaxies, black holes, and radiation clouds are all accessible from your desktop with a few clicks. The software has been released for free in honor of Jim Gray, a Microsoft researcher who was lost at sea last year. Have been to busy to try it out, but it sounds just great. Here is a download link.

Personal Rant - This is the price you pay me to write these blogs - I get to blow off steam sometimes. I drove home last night from a day in the Leavenworth area. Susan called and asked me to stop in Wenatchee to pick up dinner. I suggested fried chicken as that is something we only eat maybe twice a year. Stopped at Kentucky Fried Chicken in East Wenatchee. There I discovered that 8 pieces of chicken costs $21. What a rip off!! I turned around and walked out, thinking that KFC must have been acquired by an oil company. Drove three blocks to Fred Meyer and got 8 pieces of chicken for $6. And their chicken is good. Goodbye KFC forever. I know prices are on the rise everywhere because of the high transportation costs, but that is just ridiculous.

Update on Yesterday's Blog on Windows XP

After posting my blog on the Net yesterday, I received an e-mail post from PC Magazine's blog on security, one of the many blogs and newsletters I subscribe to. Apparently, Microsoft has figured out the continuous reboot problem. Here is an excerpt from it that might prove helpful:

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THE REASON BEHIND THE XP SP3 CONTINUOUS REBOOT BUG

Reports are all over about problems with some users installing Windows XP SP3; their systems go into a continuous reboot cycle.

Now Microsoft has provided an explanation, and it's an interesting one. The problem occurs on AMD-based systems where Windows was build from an OEM image captured on an Intel-based system. Perhaps it never mattered before, but in such cases, and depending on a particular registry key, an Intel-specific driver (Intelppm.sys) is loaded.

Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB88372 explains this some more and gives instructions for what to do if you are experiencing the problem. There is even more on the subject in this forum post on Microsoft.com.

Creating system images in this way is, when you think about it, a pretty stupid thing to do and the OEMs are clearly at fault. By the same token, the SP3 beta test was pretty large and I wonder how something like this could have escaped notice.

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And, here is an excerpt from the Microsoft forum post mentioned above:

"We are working on a filter for Windows Update to detect the specifically affected AMD systems (not all AMD systems are affected, it appears to only be those with an image created on an Intel system and the missing registry key or file), and temporarily prevent these machines from installing Windows XP SP3. Implementation of the filter us currently slated for the end of May. Automatic distribution (AU) for XP SP3 is scheduled for implementation later this summer. We are also investigating a hotfix that can be deployed over Windows Update."

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My solution is to sit back and wait for the automatic distribution scheduled for this summer.

This Just In

Users of Spyware Doctor and Norton Internet Security are reporting that these two security programs are yielding false-positives on some basic Windows programs after installing SP3. XP SP3 causes Norton Internet Security to identify ctfmon.exe as a keylogger (a kind of malware that records your keystrokes to capture passwords and other important data). In reality, the ctfmon.exe file in your Windows\System32 folder is a Microsoft system file that enables alternative input methods such as speech, tablet, or on-screen keyboard.

In the case of Spyware Doctor, the popular anti-spyware tool from PC Tools detects Trojan-Spy.Pophot.WX in RunDLL32.exe even if the system is uninfected. RunDLL32.exe is an important system file that Windows uses to run code in dynamic link library (DLL) files. By default, Spyware Doctor prevents any files it identifies as infected from running. If an important system file such as RunDLL32.exe is flagged incorrectly, the result can be disastrous for your PC.

I am sure that fixes will be forthcoming for both programs. But, we may not have heard the last of XP SP3 bugs.

Windows XP Life Span

Because so many people have no desire to upgrade to the Windows Vista operating system, it begs the question...how long can you keep Windows XP before it stops being supported? Others who bought Vista-equipped computers, but don't like it, want to know if they can down step to XP. There is a lot of misinformation about the expected life of XP, so let's see if I can help give you the straight dope so you can figure out your game plan for your operating system.

First of all, most computer techies agree on one thing, if your current computer has Windows XP installed, do not upgrade to Vista. A great majority of problems with Vista comes when people try to upgrade to it from older machines. Even newer machines running XP should not try to upgrade. The only way to go to Vista is to buy a brand new computer equipped with it. As for buying a new machine equipped with XP, Microsoft is going to stop selling XP after June 30, so you will have no choice after that date when buying a new computer. If you have Vista and want to downgrade to XP, that June 30 date applies to you also. Software dealers will no longer be able to purchase copies of XP after June 30, although I suspect many will have XP on hand long after that date.

As for support and upgrades for current XP users, Microsoft plans to offer free patches for vulnerabilities it classifies as security critical for Windows XP at least until 2014. Their is one caveat...this only applies where the latest Service Pack is installed. This, of course, is the brand new SP3, which is almost certainly the last Service Pack that Microsoft will offer for XP.

According to the original schedule, Microsoft was to have continued supporting SP2 for a further 12 months following the release of SP3, meaning May of 2009. However due to large volumes of enquiries from customers and some problems with SP3, Microsoft has now extended this period to 24 months. So, if you need support from Microsoft for your XP SP2 computer, you have until May 2010. The change means that XP users have gained an extra year to update to SP3. For the most part, SP3 does not offer any real benefits...it is mostly a compilation of all the security patches they have been issuing since the release of SP2....and if you have your computer set to automatic updates, you already have all these. SP3 does not offer any fundamentally new functionality, but you should install it eventually just so you can have support until 2014. As reported previously, there are many reports of problems with SP3 such as infinite restart loops. The causes of these problems are not yet known, but Microsoft is working on a fix right now. So, you may want to hold off any SP3 update until these problems are solved. You have plenty of time.

As for Vista, Microsoft has not yet revised its planned support end dates for it. Now here is something bizarre...Vista Ultimate continues to be classed as a product for home use, so that it will not be eligible for extended support. The result is that, as things stand, Microsoft will provide patches for Windows XP Home for longer than for Vista Ultimate. Go figure.

My personal game plan, unless the computer gods intervene, is not to buy another computer until the release of the new Windows 7, which may go into beta testing next year. Vista will be a short-lived product, which might be Microsoft's way of admitting that Vista is a bit of a failure. I am also thinking of a dual booting system running both Windows and a Linux system, such a Ubuntu and try and do as much computing as possible with Linux. It is definitely far more secure than Windows, or even the MAC system.

The bottom line for us XP users is that our operating system should be good for some time to come. The only other monkey wrench that might cause XP to become obsolete would be if software makers started producing software that only runs on Vista. But, with the huge installed base of XP computers, I don't see that happening.