What is "jailbreaking" you ask? What does it mean? Why is it called that?
Jailbreaking is the term used by owners of iPhones and iPads when they want to use more features of the device than Apple will allow. If you have an "Android" device, the term is "rooting" because you are being given "root" access to the device.
People in the computer press often describe Apple products as a "walled garden." Imagine a beautiful walled garden filled with all the things you could desire; happy people, fun parties, all the desirable things you might find in say, a Hollywood stars mansion or a luxurious spa resort.
But, some people feel that this beautiful garden is nothing but a prison.
A prison that gives everything a person could want, except freedom. These people feel as though they are in "jail".
So they break out of jail; they perform a "jailbreak". They find ways to get around the restrictions that Apple (the jail warden) has put on them.
Like in the real world, breaking out of Apples' "jail" carries consequences. You could cause your iDevice to stop functioning, a condition called "bricking"; because your shiny device is now nothing more useful than a brick. Or, Apple could sneakily re-capture you and put you back "in jail."
One consequence that no longer applies is going to real-world prison. Yes, thats right; until last year, you could have gone to real jail because of un-jailing your phone.
So, now you know. Any questions?
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
On The Nature of Technological Progress
Next week will be the 10th anniversary of the attacks of September 11th, 2001.
At that time, the only way people knew about the attacks was through traditional broadcast media; TV and radio.
Today, when momentous events occur the first notice of them is produced by citizens who broadcast news of the event over the Internet; through Facebook or Twitter or YouTube.
10 years ago, none of that existed. 10 years ago, the Internet was there but most people did not use it, nor did they have convenient, fast access to it.
Today, we have pocket-sized super-computers that also make phone-calls. Today, people are assumed to have Internet access; not only access but fast, always-on and convenient access.
In the last 10 years, we, society, have embraced so much technological change we dont even think about what it was like without it.
10 years ago next week, we were told "the world has changed."
They didnt know the half of it. What were you doing the first time you had convenient access to fast Internet?
Or you got your first "smart" phone?
Can you really imagine your life without the gadgets you use now?
At that time, the only way people knew about the attacks was through traditional broadcast media; TV and radio.
Today, when momentous events occur the first notice of them is produced by citizens who broadcast news of the event over the Internet; through Facebook or Twitter or YouTube.
10 years ago, none of that existed. 10 years ago, the Internet was there but most people did not use it, nor did they have convenient, fast access to it.
Today, we have pocket-sized super-computers that also make phone-calls. Today, people are assumed to have Internet access; not only access but fast, always-on and convenient access.
In the last 10 years, we, society, have embraced so much technological change we dont even think about what it was like without it.
10 years ago next week, we were told "the world has changed."
They didnt know the half of it. What were you doing the first time you had convenient access to fast Internet?
Or you got your first "smart" phone?
Can you really imagine your life without the gadgets you use now?
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
On The Nature of Computers
Withe the news of Steve Jobs' departure from Apple, I am reminded of all the things he did to world of computers that has changed everyones life.
In the early days of computers, there was one choice for a Personal Computer: IBM. It was a white or beige box, with a green on black TV-style screen sitting on top.
To make it work, you had to type commands at the blinking cursor. There is a reason why all highly-skilled computer people are called "wizards". If you knew what you were doing, you looking like a wizard from a fantasy novel casting a spell; writing arcane formulae on the magic screen. If you were successful at your invocation, the computer did something; often inscrutably.
And then, 10 years later and a century of drudgery later, came a computer whose very screen said "Hello." Just by looking at it, you could tell that the user would not have to be a wizened old man performing arcane rituals just to turn on a program.
This was, of course, the Macintosh; a computer so simple a normal person could use it.
Steve Jobs always made pronouncements, not just announcements. One of the first things he did after being allowed to come back to Apple, was to say "The floppy disk is dead."
At the time, every computer came with a floppy disk. How else could you save your work to a transportable medium?
At the time, everyone in the PC world, including myself, scoffed at this obviously flawed pronouncement. But in the course of time, the floppy disk did die; even though you can still buy computers with floppy disks in them. Or at least holes for the drive should you wish to put one in.
You may have noticed, the Windows based computer world is not exactly big on innovation. Its like taking a basic car frame, chassis, engine, suspension, wheels, etc., and putting different body shells and interiors and it and selling that car as every type available: Ford, Corvette, Ferrari.
You can gussy it up however you like, but its always the same thing underneath.
Macs are similar to PCs in this way, but instead of just saying "here's a new outside; have fun"; Apple, meaning Steve, took some ideas and ran with them, often opening up entirely new market as he did so: the All-in-one computer, the iMac; the incredibly tough laptop; the incredibly light and thin laptop; the all-in-one pocketable computer and internet device, the iPhone, the iPad, etc.
You get the idea.
Apple has, for a long time but not always, taken great risks with trying new products. A famous flop was the Newton.
Famous for its bad design, and amazingly bad handwriting recognition.
But, it was a thing no one had tried before. And after its famous flop, companies sprang up in its wake trying to do better.
Palm, anyone?
So, today, what is the nature of computers?
Are they frustratingly hard to use, and inscrutable when the unusual happens? Or are they rainbow-hued delights that say "what you want to do is right there on the screen"?
When they break, and they all do, even the rainbow-hued delights of intuitiveness, what can be done about it?
Do you unplug it and take it to the manufacturers retail store and service center, or do you call up a number that takes you to a land of gibberish and incomprehensibility, where you are told to do the same thing (that you have already tried) over and over again?
Or do you have a repairman that come in and charges by the hour?
(Hmmm, who could that be..?)
The nature of computers today is one of magic and wonder, as well as frustration and drudgery.
On the one hand we have the tool that makes modern life possible (though some would disagree), and on the other hand we have a tool that make modern life enjoyable.
Do we take the one that is all things to everyone and enjoys great adaptability and expandability, because it is able to do anything we ask of it, or do we take the one that is easiest to use and might reduce the stress level in our lives and allow us to concentrate on living rather than tool-induced frustration?
Even if that second road is the less well-paved road, and we might encounter potholes, blockades or other obstacles?
Ultimately it is up to the end-user to decide which nature of computers is the right one for them.
Versatility and frustration or freedom and speedbumps?
What is it for you?
In the early days of computers, there was one choice for a Personal Computer: IBM. It was a white or beige box, with a green on black TV-style screen sitting on top.
To make it work, you had to type commands at the blinking cursor. There is a reason why all highly-skilled computer people are called "wizards". If you knew what you were doing, you looking like a wizard from a fantasy novel casting a spell; writing arcane formulae on the magic screen. If you were successful at your invocation, the computer did something; often inscrutably.
And then, 10 years later and a century of drudgery later, came a computer whose very screen said "Hello." Just by looking at it, you could tell that the user would not have to be a wizened old man performing arcane rituals just to turn on a program.
This was, of course, the Macintosh; a computer so simple a normal person could use it.
Steve Jobs always made pronouncements, not just announcements. One of the first things he did after being allowed to come back to Apple, was to say "The floppy disk is dead."
At the time, every computer came with a floppy disk. How else could you save your work to a transportable medium?
At the time, everyone in the PC world, including myself, scoffed at this obviously flawed pronouncement. But in the course of time, the floppy disk did die; even though you can still buy computers with floppy disks in them. Or at least holes for the drive should you wish to put one in.
You may have noticed, the Windows based computer world is not exactly big on innovation. Its like taking a basic car frame, chassis, engine, suspension, wheels, etc., and putting different body shells and interiors and it and selling that car as every type available: Ford, Corvette, Ferrari.
You can gussy it up however you like, but its always the same thing underneath.
Macs are similar to PCs in this way, but instead of just saying "here's a new outside; have fun"; Apple, meaning Steve, took some ideas and ran with them, often opening up entirely new market as he did so: the All-in-one computer, the iMac; the incredibly tough laptop; the incredibly light and thin laptop; the all-in-one pocketable computer and internet device, the iPhone, the iPad, etc.
You get the idea.
Apple has, for a long time but not always, taken great risks with trying new products. A famous flop was the Newton.
Famous for its bad design, and amazingly bad handwriting recognition.
But, it was a thing no one had tried before. And after its famous flop, companies sprang up in its wake trying to do better.
Palm, anyone?
So, today, what is the nature of computers?
Are they frustratingly hard to use, and inscrutable when the unusual happens? Or are they rainbow-hued delights that say "what you want to do is right there on the screen"?
When they break, and they all do, even the rainbow-hued delights of intuitiveness, what can be done about it?
Do you unplug it and take it to the manufacturers retail store and service center, or do you call up a number that takes you to a land of gibberish and incomprehensibility, where you are told to do the same thing (that you have already tried) over and over again?
Or do you have a repairman that come in and charges by the hour?
(Hmmm, who could that be..?)
The nature of computers today is one of magic and wonder, as well as frustration and drudgery.
On the one hand we have the tool that makes modern life possible (though some would disagree), and on the other hand we have a tool that make modern life enjoyable.
Do we take the one that is all things to everyone and enjoys great adaptability and expandability, because it is able to do anything we ask of it, or do we take the one that is easiest to use and might reduce the stress level in our lives and allow us to concentrate on living rather than tool-induced frustration?
Even if that second road is the less well-paved road, and we might encounter potholes, blockades or other obstacles?
Ultimately it is up to the end-user to decide which nature of computers is the right one for them.
Versatility and frustration or freedom and speedbumps?
What is it for you?
Monday, August 15, 2011
Data Breaches and You
PC World has an article on corporations' overall response to securing your data against breaches.
What is that response? "We dont really care about our customers as long as our brand still looks good."
For the more nuanced explanation, go here.
But, fear not; for there is a solution to keep yourself safe from data breaches. Be warned, however, that while the solution is easy, there is work involved.
Read it here.
Should you desire assistance with preventing (or dealing with the aftermath of) data leakage, call me.
What is that response? "We dont really care about our customers as long as our brand still looks good."
For the more nuanced explanation, go here.
But, fear not; for there is a solution to keep yourself safe from data breaches. Be warned, however, that while the solution is easy, there is work involved.
Read it here.
Should you desire assistance with preventing (or dealing with the aftermath of) data leakage, call me.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
The Joys of Editing Someone Else's Webpage
Sometimes, I get asked "Can you make some changes to my webpage/site?"
Since I can, and they dont usually take a lot of time, I say "Sure."
But sometimes, those small changes can turn into a head-pounding nightmare, where I end up screaming at the ceiling, "Why? Dear God, why did they have to do *that*?"
Most of you have probably never built a website from scratch, and then had to set up hosting, upload the pages and then troubleshoot any problems (and no, Wordpress is not "from scratch," because Wordpress has done of the hard parts for you; especially on the .com site).
Last week, I was consulting with a good customer on the changes he wanted done on his company's website(his previous webmistress was often out of town on church business). So there I was, I had downloaded the page I was working on and the images that went with it.
I fired up my trusty, but old, copy of Dreamweaver and set about making the changes that the customer had asked for.
When I uploaded the changed page, and refreshed my browser window, I saw that all but one of the images were "broken": broken means no pictures were displayed. Technically, the link that tells the web page where to find the pictures was broken.
So, no pictures. On the company's front page of their website.
I kinda freaked out. The website was live, and and totally broken.
I went and looked for where the image links said the pictures were, and no such folder existed.
On the server, there was an "images" folder. The images folder is where all young designers are suggested to put the pictures for their website, because it makes everything easier.
The young woman who had been maintaining the website previously(who was a professional web designer person) had not been using the images folder.
In fact, it looked like my downloading of the web page had somehow mysteriously moved (not copied) the entire folder with all of the pictures in it to my computer, and erased said folder from the server.
I dont think thats even possible, but its what it looked like. Or, even more impossibly, the download process re-wrote all of the image links in the web page so that they would correspond to an appropriate folder on my hard drive.
After I discovered this had happened is when I was screaming at the ceiling (metaphorically, anyway).
After a brief break, and some deep breaths, I found all of the pictures and was able to move them to the images folder. I refreshed the page, and...
Still broken.
Re-uploaded everything.
Still broken.
Checked image links.
Now only partly broken.
It had been a half-hour by now, and in the middle of the day. I was kind of expecting my phone to ring and hear the customer ask, "Peter, what happened to the website?" (Fortunately he didnt).
I went back into Dreamweaver and did a global search and replace on all the image links to point them to the right folder.
I saved the page and re-uploaded, and...
Still two images broken.
"How?" I asked my self. It turned a couple of the graphics files were scattered about and I had missed moving them the first time.
I fixed that, refreshed the page, and...
All better.
Just something to remember the next time you change website maintainers and there is gibbering when you call for an update.
Since I can, and they dont usually take a lot of time, I say "Sure."
But sometimes, those small changes can turn into a head-pounding nightmare, where I end up screaming at the ceiling, "Why? Dear God, why did they have to do *that*?"
Most of you have probably never built a website from scratch, and then had to set up hosting, upload the pages and then troubleshoot any problems (and no, Wordpress is not "from scratch," because Wordpress has done of the hard parts for you; especially on the .com site).
Last week, I was consulting with a good customer on the changes he wanted done on his company's website(his previous webmistress was often out of town on church business). So there I was, I had downloaded the page I was working on and the images that went with it.
I fired up my trusty, but old, copy of Dreamweaver and set about making the changes that the customer had asked for.
When I uploaded the changed page, and refreshed my browser window, I saw that all but one of the images were "broken": broken means no pictures were displayed. Technically, the link that tells the web page where to find the pictures was broken.
So, no pictures. On the company's front page of their website.
I kinda freaked out. The website was live, and and totally broken.
I went and looked for where the image links said the pictures were, and no such folder existed.
On the server, there was an "images" folder. The images folder is where all young designers are suggested to put the pictures for their website, because it makes everything easier.
The young woman who had been maintaining the website previously(who was a professional web designer person) had not been using the images folder.
In fact, it looked like my downloading of the web page had somehow mysteriously moved (not copied) the entire folder with all of the pictures in it to my computer, and erased said folder from the server.
I dont think thats even possible, but its what it looked like. Or, even more impossibly, the download process re-wrote all of the image links in the web page so that they would correspond to an appropriate folder on my hard drive.
After I discovered this had happened is when I was screaming at the ceiling (metaphorically, anyway).
After a brief break, and some deep breaths, I found all of the pictures and was able to move them to the images folder. I refreshed the page, and...
Still broken.
Re-uploaded everything.
Still broken.
Checked image links.
Now only partly broken.
It had been a half-hour by now, and in the middle of the day. I was kind of expecting my phone to ring and hear the customer ask, "Peter, what happened to the website?" (Fortunately he didnt).
I went back into Dreamweaver and did a global search and replace on all the image links to point them to the right folder.
I saved the page and re-uploaded, and...
Still two images broken.
"How?" I asked my self. It turned a couple of the graphics files were scattered about and I had missed moving them the first time.
I fixed that, refreshed the page, and...
All better.
Just something to remember the next time you change website maintainers and there is gibbering when you call for an update.
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Inside Your Computer, Part 4: Fans and Cooling
This is the fourth part in an ongoing series about the parts and pieces that make up the innards of your computer.
This time I will talk about the fans and ways of cooling your PC.
First off, why do PC's even need cooling? As the electrons that compose electricity move along wires, they generate heat. The faster they move, or the more of them that are moving, the more heat that is generated.
As I mentioned in the previous post in this series, the CPU and other components generate a lot of heat, which has to go somewhere.
A CPU has a heatsink and a fan to dissipate its built-up heat, but that heat has to go somewhere too. So, now we come to case fans (or chassis fans). The are the fans that pull in cool outside air and exhaust the hot inside air.
Every computer you buy has at least two fans that come with it, even laptops. One is the CPU fan and one is the power supply fan.
If you put your hand behind a computer's case, you will feel a breeze of warm air. That is the power supply fan keeping the power supply cool, and in the process helping to keep the computer cool as well.
These fans usually come in three sizes, 60mm, 80mm, and 120mm; or small, medium and large.
Computer cases, except for the small ones, can usually add one or two more fans. Some cases can add several fans; fans for cooling hard drives, cooling the RAM, cooling the chipset, even.
Why? Because cold computers work better, faster and longer. Think of it this way; do you work better when it is 110 degrees out or when it is 70?
In the continuation of this post, I will talk about the other ways of cooling your PC: Water, Immersion, and Peltier.
This time I will talk about the fans and ways of cooling your PC.
First off, why do PC's even need cooling? As the electrons that compose electricity move along wires, they generate heat. The faster they move, or the more of them that are moving, the more heat that is generated.
As I mentioned in the previous post in this series, the CPU and other components generate a lot of heat, which has to go somewhere.
A CPU has a heatsink and a fan to dissipate its built-up heat, but that heat has to go somewhere too. So, now we come to case fans (or chassis fans). The are the fans that pull in cool outside air and exhaust the hot inside air.
Every computer you buy has at least two fans that come with it, even laptops. One is the CPU fan and one is the power supply fan.
If you put your hand behind a computer's case, you will feel a breeze of warm air. That is the power supply fan keeping the power supply cool, and in the process helping to keep the computer cool as well.
These fans usually come in three sizes, 60mm, 80mm, and 120mm; or small, medium and large.
Computer cases, except for the small ones, can usually add one or two more fans. Some cases can add several fans; fans for cooling hard drives, cooling the RAM, cooling the chipset, even.
Why? Because cold computers work better, faster and longer. Think of it this way; do you work better when it is 110 degrees out or when it is 70?
In the continuation of this post, I will talk about the other ways of cooling your PC: Water, Immersion, and Peltier.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
An Easy To Use Back-up Plan
Most computer users dont back up their important data at all; some back up occasionally but not often enough.
The questions I get when I mention backing up are, "How?" "When?" and "What data?"
So, here are the answers and an easy to do plan.
How do I back up?
The questions I get when I mention backing up are, "How?" "When?" and "What data?"
So, here are the answers and an easy to do plan.
How do I back up?
The easiest way to back up is to buy an external hard drive that come with a back up program included. Install the program and allow it 2-4 hours to make an entire copy of your hard drive.
Other than that, you back up by copying your files and folders to any device that is not inside your machine, which is why they're called "external."
Flash drives, memory sticks, and camera style memory cards are not recommended for back up purposes because they are too small and can be easily lost.
If you know how to "burn" a CD, that is another good option.
When do I back up?
At least once a week. If you are creating data that is important to a business, or otherwise difficult to replace, you should back up every evening (The external drive and back up program mentioned above will give you options as to what, when and how often to back up.)
What do I back up?
Pictures, documents, financial data, music, and everything else. You should back thing up in this order, because this is the order of irreplaceability.
Since most people have huge amounts of everything, the easiest way to back things up is from oldest to newest; especially with photos. Last weeks might be able to be replaced, or re-taken, but last years or ten years ago can never be replaced (everything changes over the course of years, you could never re-create the exact pictures you took).
A common mis-perception when backing up is thinking that once the data is off your computer, its "backed up."
Not so. A backup means you have your data in at least two places at once, so that if something happens to one place, you can replace it from the other place.
In other words, redundancy.
Other than that, you back up by copying your files and folders to any device that is not inside your machine, which is why they're called "external."
Flash drives, memory sticks, and camera style memory cards are not recommended for back up purposes because they are too small and can be easily lost.
If you know how to "burn" a CD, that is another good option.
When do I back up?
At least once a week. If you are creating data that is important to a business, or otherwise difficult to replace, you should back up every evening (The external drive and back up program mentioned above will give you options as to what, when and how often to back up.)
What do I back up?
Pictures, documents, financial data, music, and everything else. You should back thing up in this order, because this is the order of irreplaceability.
Since most people have huge amounts of everything, the easiest way to back things up is from oldest to newest; especially with photos. Last weeks might be able to be replaced, or re-taken, but last years or ten years ago can never be replaced (everything changes over the course of years, you could never re-create the exact pictures you took).
A common mis-perception when backing up is thinking that once the data is off your computer, its "backed up."
Not so. A backup means you have your data in at least two places at once, so that if something happens to one place, you can replace it from the other place.
In other words, redundancy.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
An Easy To Use Security Tool
As most of you are aware, security between your computer and the Internet is of utmost importance.
In order to assist you with making sure your computer is as secure as possible, here is a link to a website (Gibson Research) which will scan your Internet connection for any open holes through which malicious attacks may come.
Shields Up! is an online vulnerability scanner. It tests whether Windows is leaking information about you to the Web, whether your firewall is actually protecting you, and what websites see about you when you visit them.
I suggest that you click on each of the top row of tests, see what happens, and read what it says about the results. If it says you have passed entirely, feel good; if you get any other result, you should call me and I will come over and fix things up so that you will pass.
In order to assist you with making sure your computer is as secure as possible, here is a link to a website (Gibson Research) which will scan your Internet connection for any open holes through which malicious attacks may come.
Shields Up! is an online vulnerability scanner. It tests whether Windows is leaking information about you to the Web, whether your firewall is actually protecting you, and what websites see about you when you visit them.
I suggest that you click on each of the top row of tests, see what happens, and read what it says about the results. If it says you have passed entirely, feel good; if you get any other result, you should call me and I will come over and fix things up so that you will pass.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
More than just computers
I often say than I do more than just computer repair, but I imagine people wonder "what other things are there?"
So I thought I would tell you some of the other things I have helped people with.
One day, I was working on a laptop at a customer's home, and some of their friends arrived with a Wii game system. As I worked along, they were having trouble hooking up the Wii to their big rear-projection TV that used a stereo receiver for for the speakers.
When I had finished repairing the laptop, they were still having trouble getting the sound to work right. I went across the room and asked the husband if he would like my help; full of frustration, he said "Sure."
I took the RCA a/v cable that Wii comes with and started plugging it into the various likely plugs.
If any of you have ever seen the back of one of the huge projection TV's or worked with stereos. you know the multitude of various plugs there are. I didnt think there could be so many plug-ins.
After a few minutes of plugging and unplugging, we managed to get the sound working properly.
They paid me for the laptop repair, and thanked me for getting the Wii's sound to work and I left feeling good that I had not only fixed a laptop, but had taken the frustration of of setting up their evenings entertainment.
So if you need technical expertise outside of your computer, I can help.
So I thought I would tell you some of the other things I have helped people with.
One day, I was working on a laptop at a customer's home, and some of their friends arrived with a Wii game system. As I worked along, they were having trouble hooking up the Wii to their big rear-projection TV that used a stereo receiver for for the speakers.
When I had finished repairing the laptop, they were still having trouble getting the sound to work right. I went across the room and asked the husband if he would like my help; full of frustration, he said "Sure."
I took the RCA a/v cable that Wii comes with and started plugging it into the various likely plugs.
If any of you have ever seen the back of one of the huge projection TV's or worked with stereos. you know the multitude of various plugs there are. I didnt think there could be so many plug-ins.
After a few minutes of plugging and unplugging, we managed to get the sound working properly.
They paid me for the laptop repair, and thanked me for getting the Wii's sound to work and I left feeling good that I had not only fixed a laptop, but had taken the frustration of of setting up their evenings entertainment.
So if you need technical expertise outside of your computer, I can help.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Why does the computer work for the tech but not for me?
When I go to peoples houses to repair their computers, I always ask the customer to demonstrate the problem they're having.
Naturally, when I sit at the computer and turn it on, it works normally. Isnt that just they way things work for mechanics and repairmen? Of course it is; just like when you take your car to be fixed.
When this happens, I try to give the customer an explanation of why this may be happening.
"It's a peculiar form of electromagnetic radiation," I say. I call it the 'tech-field radius;' its the distance a broken object must be from a repairman who is intent on repairing it.
This description works for any repairman or mechanic.
One day I was at a customers house, an older gentleman, and he asked the question I had heard many times before, "Why...?"
As I was in the middle of my somewhat complicated technical-sounding explanation of EMF's and radiations and such, he interrupted me and said, with a very definite tone, "Nonsense! It's pixie dust!"
And that's now what I tell people. It just makes more sense.
Naturally, when I sit at the computer and turn it on, it works normally. Isnt that just they way things work for mechanics and repairmen? Of course it is; just like when you take your car to be fixed.
When this happens, I try to give the customer an explanation of why this may be happening.
"It's a peculiar form of electromagnetic radiation," I say. I call it the 'tech-field radius;' its the distance a broken object must be from a repairman who is intent on repairing it.
This description works for any repairman or mechanic.
One day I was at a customers house, an older gentleman, and he asked the question I had heard many times before, "Why...?"
As I was in the middle of my somewhat complicated technical-sounding explanation of EMF's and radiations and such, he interrupted me and said, with a very definite tone, "Nonsense! It's pixie dust!"
And that's now what I tell people. It just makes more sense.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Junk Emails
Question: When I get junk email and add the address to the "blocked sender" list, and create a rule to delete junk email when it comes in, why do I keep getting it?
If it were that simple to block spam, the spammers would have gone out of business long ago.
When you "block" a sender, the mail program takes your command literally and only blocks that sender. Spammers dont wait for you to block an address before they move on, they send their spams from dozens of different adresses all at once.
When you get spam, look at the sending address; are any two the same? Chances are, no.
When you create a rule to delete spam as it comes in, your rule has to be specific enough to catch the spam but general enough so that all of your email doesnt get auto-deleted.
This is hard.
Also, the email program will only delete mail that exactly fits the rule. Which means it catches maybe one in ten or less.
In order to get around all of the many creative ways to block spam, spam mailers have to be even more creative. This is why you keep getting spam. It makes people money.
Oh, that and stupid people. Those are the two reasons...
So now that you know that spam is a never ending flood of junk email that threatens to overwhelm the carrying capacity of the Internet, and that setting up logical rules to block the spam wont work against an illogical and highly creative enemy, what can be done?
Bayesian Filtering. If you are using any sort of Webmail (gmail, msn, aol, hotmail) this wont work for you unless you install a mail program on your computer.
Mail programs, called 'clients', are Thunderbird, Outlook, Pine, Eudora, etc. T-bird and Outlook have the most advanced spam filters. Thunderbird actively uses Bayesian filtering and will tell you how to make it work.
Outlook is very passive about spam filtering. There are downloadable add-ons that will give it Bayesian filtering, such as SpamAssassin, and SpamBayes.
I suggest Thunderbird; its the mail program I use, and once the filter gets going, I hardly see any spam.
The reason Bayesian filtering is so effective is that you teach it what you consider spam. As you go along, the filter will learn what to look for and will delete those emails that match the general idea of spam instead of the exact match.
In practical use, it will take about a month for the filter to be running at maximum efficiency.
In the never-ending battle against spam, isnt it worth the time?
If it were that simple to block spam, the spammers would have gone out of business long ago.
When you "block" a sender, the mail program takes your command literally and only blocks that sender. Spammers dont wait for you to block an address before they move on, they send their spams from dozens of different adresses all at once.
When you get spam, look at the sending address; are any two the same? Chances are, no.
When you create a rule to delete spam as it comes in, your rule has to be specific enough to catch the spam but general enough so that all of your email doesnt get auto-deleted.
This is hard.
Also, the email program will only delete mail that exactly fits the rule. Which means it catches maybe one in ten or less.
In order to get around all of the many creative ways to block spam, spam mailers have to be even more creative. This is why you keep getting spam. It makes people money.
Oh, that and stupid people. Those are the two reasons...
So now that you know that spam is a never ending flood of junk email that threatens to overwhelm the carrying capacity of the Internet, and that setting up logical rules to block the spam wont work against an illogical and highly creative enemy, what can be done?
Bayesian Filtering. If you are using any sort of Webmail (gmail, msn, aol, hotmail) this wont work for you unless you install a mail program on your computer.
Mail programs, called 'clients', are Thunderbird, Outlook, Pine, Eudora, etc. T-bird and Outlook have the most advanced spam filters. Thunderbird actively uses Bayesian filtering and will tell you how to make it work.
Outlook is very passive about spam filtering. There are downloadable add-ons that will give it Bayesian filtering, such as SpamAssassin, and SpamBayes.
I suggest Thunderbird; its the mail program I use, and once the filter gets going, I hardly see any spam.
The reason Bayesian filtering is so effective is that you teach it what you consider spam. As you go along, the filter will learn what to look for and will delete those emails that match the general idea of spam instead of the exact match.
In practical use, it will take about a month for the filter to be running at maximum efficiency.
In the never-ending battle against spam, isnt it worth the time?
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
'Indestructible' Rootkit Gets Upgrade
The Alureon rootkit has just undergone an upgrade according to Russian antivirus firm Kasperkey Labs. It has gone from version 3 to version 4.
The original version made it so that Microsoft could not download Windows Updates in an attempt to get rid of it. When Windows updated, the rootkit caused a Blue Screen of Death, so Microsoft modified the updated to scan for the presence of the rootkit and, if present, Windows would not be updated.
Alureon 4.0 now has the capability to infect 64-bit machines, create its own web hosting service within Windows (through DHCP), to remove any other types of rootkits or malicious spyware from an infected machine, to prevent any other malware on an infected machine from using the Internet, and the ability to spread itself via its own encrypted Peer-toPeer network.
But, there are defenses against this malicious software.
The first defense is not to be infected in the first place because you have up-to-date and effective anti-virus software.
The second defense against it is to format your hard drive and re-install Windows.
Aren't computers fun?
You can read more about this here, and here.
The original version made it so that Microsoft could not download Windows Updates in an attempt to get rid of it. When Windows updated, the rootkit caused a Blue Screen of Death, so Microsoft modified the updated to scan for the presence of the rootkit and, if present, Windows would not be updated.
Alureon 4.0 now has the capability to infect 64-bit machines, create its own web hosting service within Windows (through DHCP), to remove any other types of rootkits or malicious spyware from an infected machine, to prevent any other malware on an infected machine from using the Internet, and the ability to spread itself via its own encrypted Peer-toPeer network.
But, there are defenses against this malicious software.
The first defense is not to be infected in the first place because you have up-to-date and effective anti-virus software.
The second defense against it is to format your hard drive and re-install Windows.
Aren't computers fun?
You can read more about this here, and here.
Monday, July 11, 2011
"1 Little Trick" Ads Are Credit Card Scam
I'm sure you have seen the "1 Little/Simple/Weird old Trick" ads on the edges of websites; in fact, they may be the ad that "ate the Internet."
As it happens, the Washington Post is reporting that these ads (and others like them) are doing nothing but taking advantage of people's gullibility when it comes to ads on the Internet.
These ads have the cute (or gross, depending on the ad) animation that attracts your attention, then it promises a free sample of a miracle cure-all. After you have clicked on the ad, you go to a website that looks like a consumer reporting site that boasts endorsements, sometimes from celebrities like Oprah and Rachael Ray, often will have an article from someone claiming to be a skeptical consumer reporter who then goes on to pitch the product.
Once you have read all of this, you are shown how to order your "free sample." What you arent told is what that free sample will cost.
Usually, the tiny fine print will tell you that the sample will cost $79.99 for Shipping and Handling, and every month you are billed another $79.99 until you call and cancel.
But, the article goes on to say, just try to cancel over the phone. After multiple hang-ups, you may just succeed.
So, the conclusion is, dont click on any ad that promises something that sounds too good to be true, because it probably is.
The article is here.
As it happens, the Washington Post is reporting that these ads (and others like them) are doing nothing but taking advantage of people's gullibility when it comes to ads on the Internet.
These ads have the cute (or gross, depending on the ad) animation that attracts your attention, then it promises a free sample of a miracle cure-all. After you have clicked on the ad, you go to a website that looks like a consumer reporting site that boasts endorsements, sometimes from celebrities like Oprah and Rachael Ray, often will have an article from someone claiming to be a skeptical consumer reporter who then goes on to pitch the product.
Once you have read all of this, you are shown how to order your "free sample." What you arent told is what that free sample will cost.
Usually, the tiny fine print will tell you that the sample will cost $79.99 for Shipping and Handling, and every month you are billed another $79.99 until you call and cancel.
But, the article goes on to say, just try to cancel over the phone. After multiple hang-ups, you may just succeed.
So, the conclusion is, dont click on any ad that promises something that sounds too good to be true, because it probably is.
The article is here.
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Inside Your Computer, Part 3: CPU
Part three of this series will look at the CPU: The Central Processing Unit.
If the power supply is the lifeblood of a computer, and the motherboard the part that keeps it all together, then the CPU, also called a "processor" or "chip", is the brains of the operation.
The CPU handles all of the instructions of the computer. It tells all of the other parts where to go and what to do. The CPU is assisted in this task by the chipset (more on this later).
The primary function of the CPU is to execute software instructions. Everything in the computer, hardware and software, is processed in series' of steps. The lines of code that make up all software tell the CPU what needs to be done and in what order.
There are four basic steps the CPU does(which are explained in greater, and more technical, detail here): retrieve instructions from memory(RAM) or storage(hard drive) and place them into a holding area(cache) to await processing.
After retrieval, the instructions are broken down into their various part and handed off to the parts of the CPU designed to execute those parts.
After decoding what instruction need what done done with them, the CPU will execute those instructions, and send the results to the output area.
Finally, the CPU will assemble all of the executed instructed and sends the result back to the working memory where the operating system works with them.
Modern CPUs do so much processing so quickly that they generate quite a bit of heat. So much heat, in fact, that you could fry an egg on an uncovered CPU(provided the egg was less than an inch square, and could be cooked in the 30 seconds or so before the CPUs casing broke from the heat).
Because CPUs generate so much heat that they would cook themselves to death, two measures have been implemented to keep this from happening: a thermostat, and a heatsink/fan combination.
The thermostat measures the CPUs temperature and will turn off the power if the CPUs temperature reaches a dangerous level.
The heatsink and fan combination are whats used to keep the CPU cool. A heatsink is a block of metal that conducts heat away from the CPU and allows the heat to dissipate in the outside air. Its like your cars radiator.
The fan usually sits on top of the heatsink and pulls air over the fins of the heatsink and blows it away from the CPU and motherboard.
Any questions?
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Announcement
As you can tell, I have changed the background of my blog; I felt the old colors were a little dated.
Since I am now "blue-skying" ideas for this blog, I thought a little blue sky in the background would be nice.
Since I am now "blue-skying" ideas for this blog, I thought a little blue sky in the background would be nice.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
An In-Depth Look at Public Wifi Insecurity
Recently, I wrote about the vulnerability of public (or "open") Wifi. Now a reporter for CNN has written an article demonstrating how the wifi-eavesdropping tool called Firesheep actually works.
The article is here.
I hate to be the guy who rains on everyones parade (like we need more rain!), but this is (capital I) Important.
If you are in a Starbucks, or some other place with open wifi ("open" means unencrypted), you need to know that there is a risk in going to websites which require a user name and password to get in. Like Facebook, Twitter, your bank, your email, etc.
Gmail is an exception, because you can go to https://www.gmail.com and set up an encrypted session before you put in your user name and password.
If you use the Firefox browser (which you can get here), there is an add-on you can get that will tell you when someone is using Firesheep; it is called Blacksheep, and you can get it here.
The article is here.
I hate to be the guy who rains on everyones parade (like we need more rain!), but this is (capital I) Important.
If you are in a Starbucks, or some other place with open wifi ("open" means unencrypted), you need to know that there is a risk in going to websites which require a user name and password to get in. Like Facebook, Twitter, your bank, your email, etc.
Gmail is an exception, because you can go to https://www.gmail.com and set up an encrypted session before you put in your user name and password.
If you use the Firefox browser (which you can get here), there is an add-on you can get that will tell you when someone is using Firesheep; it is called Blacksheep, and you can get it here.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Computer Maintenance
Diane, from Real Feng Shui Solutions, has asked recently about "blowing out your computer." (Note that this is different from "blowing up your computer.")
Computer get dusty, just like anything else in your house, so you need to occasionally dust them. However, you cant just take a feather duster to them and call it good.
What you need to do is get a can of compressed air from your local office supply store (it will say on the label "computer duster" or similar).
Once you have it, turn off the computer. Using short bursts of air, clean the dust from the outside areas of the case; anywhere you see dust, blow it away.
Diane also asked about opening up the case and blowing out the dust from the inside. This is a good idea, but there are precautions that must be taken, for your safety and the safety of your computer.
The easiest way to do it is to slide the side panel of of your computer where it sits, and blow the dust out. However, some cases are harder to open than others.
First, check to see if the side panels are held closed with screws, it probably is; you will need a fairly small Phillips head screwdriver to undo them.
Most computers have 2 side panels than can be removed, you want to remove the side panel that is opposite (further away from) all the plugs in the back of your computer.
The panel will slide toward the back of the computer, often with a click or thud as it releases.
Once it is opened, you will see the innards of your computer.
DONT TOUCH ANYTHING!
The static electricity in your finger is enough to seriously harm several of the components inside your computer.
Before you start blowing out the dust, touch a metal part of the case; this will safely discharge any static electricity you have built up.
Now, blow out the dust with short bursts just like you did on the outside. You should blow from an angle to allow the dust to have a way out instead of billowing up in your face.
If you are going to venture into the crevices of your case in pursuit of dust bunnies, always touch a metal part of the case before putting any part of your body (or the can of air) inside the case.
Remember, turn the computer off first, and always touch a metal part of the case before you touch anything else and you should be safe.
If, however, you do touch something and you feel a "zap," back away from the computer and call me. Dont turn the computer back on until you have a computer professional inspect it.
I know this is wordy, but I hope it answers your question Diane.
Computer get dusty, just like anything else in your house, so you need to occasionally dust them. However, you cant just take a feather duster to them and call it good.
What you need to do is get a can of compressed air from your local office supply store (it will say on the label "computer duster" or similar).
Once you have it, turn off the computer. Using short bursts of air, clean the dust from the outside areas of the case; anywhere you see dust, blow it away.
Diane also asked about opening up the case and blowing out the dust from the inside. This is a good idea, but there are precautions that must be taken, for your safety and the safety of your computer.
The easiest way to do it is to slide the side panel of of your computer where it sits, and blow the dust out. However, some cases are harder to open than others.
First, check to see if the side panels are held closed with screws, it probably is; you will need a fairly small Phillips head screwdriver to undo them.
Most computers have 2 side panels than can be removed, you want to remove the side panel that is opposite (further away from) all the plugs in the back of your computer.
The panel will slide toward the back of the computer, often with a click or thud as it releases.
Once it is opened, you will see the innards of your computer.
DONT TOUCH ANYTHING!
The static electricity in your finger is enough to seriously harm several of the components inside your computer.
Before you start blowing out the dust, touch a metal part of the case; this will safely discharge any static electricity you have built up.
Now, blow out the dust with short bursts just like you did on the outside. You should blow from an angle to allow the dust to have a way out instead of billowing up in your face.
If you are going to venture into the crevices of your case in pursuit of dust bunnies, always touch a metal part of the case before putting any part of your body (or the can of air) inside the case.
Remember, turn the computer off first, and always touch a metal part of the case before you touch anything else and you should be safe.
If, however, you do touch something and you feel a "zap," back away from the computer and call me. Dont turn the computer back on until you have a computer professional inspect it.
I know this is wordy, but I hope it answers your question Diane.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
RSS, Feeds, and Suscriptions
I'm taking a break from the Inside Your Computer series this week, to talk about bookmarking, feeds, and RSS.
I have been asked how I keep track of all the things I read. Some customers have asked me about "feeds" and "subscriptions," so I am going to take this time to explain them and what you can do with them.
A "feed" is a continuously updating source of information, like "newsfeed." The most
common type of feed is called RSS: this stands for Really Simple Syndication. When you
see the orange symbol to the right, that means that page is followable.
You dont need to enter an email address for an RSS feed, but you do need a program that will let see and read your feeds.
This program is called an aggregator, or "feed reader." Most email programs have one built in, including Gmail.
As for what i do, I just grab the bookmark icon (called a "favicon") and left-click drag it to my list of bookmarks.
I have been asked how I keep track of all the things I read. Some customers have asked me about "feeds" and "subscriptions," so I am going to take this time to explain them and what you can do with them.
A "feed" is a continuously updating source of information, like "newsfeed." The most
common type of feed is called RSS: this stands for Really Simple Syndication. When you
see the orange symbol to the right, that means that page is followable.
You dont need to enter an email address for an RSS feed, but you do need a program that will let see and read your feeds.
This program is called an aggregator, or "feed reader." Most email programs have one built in, including Gmail.
As for what i do, I just grab the bookmark icon (called a "favicon") and left-click drag it to my list of bookmarks.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Inside Your Computer, Part 2: Motherboard
The next component I am going to talk about is the Motherboard.
What is it: The motherboard is a printed circuit board that contain all of the circuits, sockets, plugs and power couplings needed to make the computer run. Basically, its where you plug everything in.
Where is it: Inside the chassis (which is what the tower/box/case is called) the motherboard is attached vertically along one of the long sides of the case so that the other components that plug into the motherboard have enough space without banging into the case or the other components, as well as having enough room for airflow to cool everything.
If you have any questions, please put them in the comments. Thank you.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Inside Your Computer, Part 1: Power Supply
Q: Whats a computer without power?
A: A boat anchor.
The first part of the computer I am going to talk about is the power supply.
What is it? The power supply is an electrical transformer that takes house current (120 volts AC) and turns it into 12, 5, and 3.3 volts DC, as well as other voltages depending on what hardware is hooked up.
Where is it inside the computer? When you take the cord from the wall and plug it into the computer (or any electrical appliance or gadget), you are plugging into the power supply.
Why does it make noise, why does it have a fan in there? Power supplies are noisy because they must have a cooling fan to keep the internal components from overheating. The faster electricity moves through wires and circuitry, the hotter those wires etc. get. If they get too hot, the components could melt or otherwise fail.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Inside Your Computer, Introduction
In this series, we will take a look inside your computer and explain what the components are and what they do.
I will also tell you which parts can be replaced easily and talk about some cautions you will need to know before putting any hands inside the box.
If you have any questions, please put them in the comments, and I will answer them either in the comments or in the next post.
I will also tell you which parts can be replaced easily and talk about some cautions you will need to know before putting any hands inside the box.
If you have any questions, please put them in the comments, and I will answer them either in the comments or in the next post.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
How much RAM is enough RAM?
With the advances in speed and capabilities, as well as the transition from 32-bit to 64-bit computing, this isnt as easy a question as it used to be.
First off, what is RAM? Random Access Memory is the workspace your computer uses to do everything it does.
RAM is often confused with the Hard Drive. The hard drive is storage, whereas RAM is where the files that have been pulled out of storage are worked with. Just like in an office where you pull a file out of the file cabinet and take it to your desk to work with it.
So, how much do I need? This depends on three things: the version of Windows you have; the age of your computers motherboard; and how much money you have.
If you have Windows XP, the most you can have is 4GB, regardless of the other factors.
If you have a really old computer with Windows XP, then the maximum is between 2GB and 4; a little investigation is required to find the exact amount you can have.
If you have Windows Vista, you have to look in "Computer Properties" to see if you have 32-bit or 64-bit; the first is restricted to 4GB, the second may or may not be.
If you have Windows 7, and you bought it at a store, then you have 64-bit and you are only restricted by your budget and the motherboards circuitry.
How much do you need? For Windows XP and 7, 1GB will do, but more is better.
For Windows Vista, 3GB; and more will make your life easier.
There you go.
from 32-bit to 64-bit computing, this isnt as easy a question as it used to be.First off, what is RAM? Random Access Memory is the workspace your computer uses to do everything it does.
RAM is often confused with the Hard Drive. The hard drive is storage, whereas RAM is where the files that have been pulled out of storage are worked with. Just like in an office where you pull a file out of the file cabinet and take it to your desk to work with it.
So, how much do I need? This depends on three things: the version of Windows you have; the age of your computers motherboard; and how much money you have.
If you have Windows XP, the most you can have is 4GB, regardless of the other factors.
If you have a really old computer with Windows XP, then the maximum is between 2GB and 4; a little investigation is required to find the exact amount you can have.
If you have Windows Vista, you have to look in "Computer Properties" to see if you have 32-bit or 64-bit; the first is restricted to 4GB, the second may or may not be.
If you have Windows 7, and you bought it at a store, then you have 64-bit and you are only restricted by your budget and the motherboards circuitry.
How much do you need? For Windows XP and 7, 1GB will do, but more is better.
For Windows Vista, 3GB; and more will make your life easier.
There you go.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Blue Screen of Death
Blue Screens of Death, or blue screens or BSOD's, are those annoying and mysterious screens that pop up and tell you that something horribly wrong has happened to your computer, and that give you the secret code to fixing the problem.
Ok, what is a Blue Screen of Death, anyway? Technically, it is called a Stop Error. It happens when Windows notices a problem that cant be dealt with normally, so Windows puts on the brakes and everything comes to a screeching halt.
Thats why it's called a "stop" error, because there is an error so big everything has to stop.
Where do they come from? Typically, Blue Screens happen because of software corruption. Sometimes a display driver malfunctions, or there is file corruption because of a virus.
Blue Screens have variations in what say they and in the severity of the problem, although they are usually only visible to an experienced eye.
There are typically three variations:
With the first type, you can restart the computer by pushing the power switch on the case, counting to 10 and pushing the power switch again and hope.
If that doesnt work, restart again, and try Safe Mode. During intial power up, when you see the logo of the machines manufacturer (HP, Dell, etc.) repeatedly tap the F8 key and click on Safe Mode in the menu that appears.
Then restart normally.
With the second type, also try restarting and Safe Mode. Otherwise call a repairman.
With the third type, write down what the all caps words say and call a repairman. Also withy the third type, try to remember when your last backup of the data you feel you cant lose was.
Hope that it was recently.
If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section and I will answer them.
Ok, what is a Blue Screen of Death, anyway? Technically, it is called a Stop Error. It happens when Windows notices a problem that cant be dealt with normally, so Windows puts on the brakes and everything comes to a screeching halt.
Thats why it's called a "stop" error, because there is an error so big everything has to stop.
Where do they come from? Typically, Blue Screens happen because of software corruption. Sometimes a display driver malfunctions, or there is file corruption because of a virus.
Blue Screens have variations in what say they and in the severity of the problem, although they are usually only visible to an experienced eye.
There are typically three variations:
- The Blue Screen that says "Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer..." etc.
- The one that says that but includes a "STOP: OxOOOOOOca" or something similar.
- The last one has words in ALL CAPS with underlines between the words. These messages say something like "DRIVER_IRQ_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL"
With the first type, you can restart the computer by pushing the power switch on the case, counting to 10 and pushing the power switch again and hope.
If that doesnt work, restart again, and try Safe Mode. During intial power up, when you see the logo of the machines manufacturer (HP, Dell, etc.) repeatedly tap the F8 key and click on Safe Mode in the menu that appears.
Then restart normally.
With the second type, also try restarting and Safe Mode. Otherwise call a repairman.
With the third type, write down what the all caps words say and call a repairman. Also withy the third type, try to remember when your last backup of the data you feel you cant lose was.
Hope that it was recently.
If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section and I will answer them.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Is This the Mac Apocalypse?
For those who dont know or havent heard, in the last month Macintosh computers have been attacked by a fake security program.
Generally, fake or "rogue" security programs and warning popups are not harmful to the computer because their creators are looking to convince you to give up your credit card numbers in exchange for the fake security program fixing whatever it said was wrong.
These types of programs attempt to scare unsuspecting people into giving up their credit card numbers; for this reason, they are called "scareware" or "crimeware".
For a long time, Macintoshs have been malware (MALicious softWARE) free. The term malware is meant to encompass both "viruses" and "spyware" (the two most prevalent types of malicious software).
The people who create viruses and spyware have long felt it was not an efficient money-making move to create malware for the Mac OS, because it is harder to do than for Windows.
This new rogue program is the first one gain wide attention since OS X has been released, and has at least three different names, one of which is Mac Defender.
I am not to mention all of the various names this program has, because names are not important to this discussion.
The way to defend yourself against this type of threat (regardless of its name) is to NEVER give your administrative password to any program you dont recognize. If you didnt download it or put its disc into the disc drive, do not install it; drag it to the Trash Can.
So, after all of that, what do we know?
1) Macs are harder to virus than a Windows machine, but just as easy to scareware.
2) This attack is NOT a virus, but rather a clever con job that attempts to fool unwary people.
3) If you are not installing a program, and a pop-up asks for your admin password, do not give it out.
Ok, then; whats the answer to the lead-in question?
The answer is No, this is not the Apocalypse. (Unless it is already 6 pm EDT, Sat. May 21, 2011 where you live)
But, and this is a big but, this IS the opening salvo in what could be flood of new malware for the Mac.
Lets all be careful out there.
Generally, fake or "rogue" security programs and warning popups are not harmful to the computer because their creators are looking to convince you to give up your credit card numbers in exchange for the fake security program fixing whatever it said was wrong.
These types of programs attempt to scare unsuspecting people into giving up their credit card numbers; for this reason, they are called "scareware" or "crimeware".
For a long time, Macintoshs have been malware (MALicious softWARE) free. The term malware is meant to encompass both "viruses" and "spyware" (the two most prevalent types of malicious software).
The people who create viruses and spyware have long felt it was not an efficient money-making move to create malware for the Mac OS, because it is harder to do than for Windows.
This new rogue program is the first one gain wide attention since OS X has been released, and has at least three different names, one of which is Mac Defender.
I am not to mention all of the various names this program has, because names are not important to this discussion.
The way to defend yourself against this type of threat (regardless of its name) is to NEVER give your administrative password to any program you dont recognize. If you didnt download it or put its disc into the disc drive, do not install it; drag it to the Trash Can.
So, after all of that, what do we know?
1) Macs are harder to virus than a Windows machine, but just as easy to scareware.
2) This attack is NOT a virus, but rather a clever con job that attempts to fool unwary people.
3) If you are not installing a program, and a pop-up asks for your admin password, do not give it out.
Ok, then; whats the answer to the lead-in question?
The answer is No, this is not the Apocalypse. (Unless it is already 6 pm EDT, Sat. May 21, 2011 where you live)
But, and this is a big but, this IS the opening salvo in what could be flood of new malware for the Mac.
Lets all be careful out there.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Blocking Video Ads
I was asked recently at a Biznik.com blogger support group meeting what could be done about the video ads on some websites that load video and play with volume as soon as the page loads.
I agree that this is terribly annoying. There are two things you can do about this; leave the volume on "mute" all the time, or download flash and/or ad-blocking software for your browser.
Be aware, though; you cant just Google for "ad-blocking software," this will get you into trouble especially if you dont know what you are looking for.
If you are using Firefox, go to the add-ons page and search for "ad-block" and "no-script".
The installation procedures are easy, just follow the steps given.
If you are using Internet Explorer, I dont know what to suggest, because there is no established base of user-addable software for Microsofts browser.
If you're using Chrome, go to Chromes websites and search for the same terms as at Firefox's add-ons page.
Regardless of which browser you end up modifying this way, be aware that the no-scripting and ad-blocking may cause certain websites to look funny or otherwise malfunction.
If this happens, follow the instructions that came with the add-ons about how to "white-list" a particular website.
I will post a follow-up to this blog with more detail instructions later. Watch This Space.
I agree that this is terribly annoying. There are two things you can do about this; leave the volume on "mute" all the time, or download flash and/or ad-blocking software for your browser.
Be aware, though; you cant just Google for "ad-blocking software," this will get you into trouble especially if you dont know what you are looking for.
If you are using Firefox, go to the add-ons page and search for "ad-block" and "no-script".
The installation procedures are easy, just follow the steps given.
If you are using Internet Explorer, I dont know what to suggest, because there is no established base of user-addable software for Microsofts browser.
If you're using Chrome, go to Chromes websites and search for the same terms as at Firefox's add-ons page.
Regardless of which browser you end up modifying this way, be aware that the no-scripting and ad-blocking may cause certain websites to look funny or otherwise malfunction.
If this happens, follow the instructions that came with the add-ons about how to "white-list" a particular website.
I will post a follow-up to this blog with more detail instructions later. Watch This Space.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
NFC: What is it and should you care
NFC stands for Near Field Communication. It is a very short distance radio signal that would allow you to you use your phone as a credit/debit card; just like the Japanese and some Europeans have been doing for almost 10 years.
There are rumors that Apple will be including this capability in the next version of the iPhone. I have not heard of any inclusion in future models of competing phones.
What this will allow you to do is let your wireless phone carrier (AT&T-Mobile, Verizon or Sprint) manage your day-to-day finances for you. For a suitable charge, of course.
Will this actually happen? Who knows? This capability has been talked about since the days of dial-up modems and Palm Pilots, so it may yet be a ways off.
If it does come about, you should be wary of your mobile phone provider giving you short term loans that you promise to pay off when the cell phone bill comes.
There are rumors that Apple will be including this capability in the next version of the iPhone. I have not heard of any inclusion in future models of competing phones.
What this will allow you to do is let your wireless phone carrier (AT&T-Mobile, Verizon or Sprint) manage your day-to-day finances for you. For a suitable charge, of course.
Will this actually happen? Who knows? This capability has been talked about since the days of dial-up modems and Palm Pilots, so it may yet be a ways off.
If it does come about, you should be wary of your mobile phone provider giving you short term loans that you promise to pay off when the cell phone bill comes.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
What you should know about 'The Cloud'
When computer people and marketing people talk about 'the cloud', they are talking about doing or storing something on a computer that is only reachable through the Internet.
When diagrams of computer networks are drawn out, the Internet has always been represented by a "cloud", because it would be impossible to diagram all of the computers and other hardware that comprise the Internet.
So, now that you know that all of the 'cloud' stuff means that your stuff is now outside of your computer, what should you know?
First, anything of yours that exists outside of your computer or your control, no longer belongs to you. You may tell your cloud storage or service provider that it does, and they may agree with you, but really, it doesnt. Whoever has control over it, owns it.
Second, there may be hidden costs or frustrations dealing with cloud services. What happens if your cloud service or storage provider goes out of business? There goes your stuff.
Also, if you store controversial material online, such as your music collection, then if the record companies decide to sue your storage provider for "abetting piracy" and get a court order to delete all "pirated" music unless the owners of that music can prove that none of it is pirated; what do you do? (In case you are wondering, the record companies believe that any and all music that exists outside of a CD is pirated, even music copied from a CD to a computer.)
So you see, there are a couple of considerations to think about before storing anything online, in the "cloud". Because the cloud might rain on your parade.
When diagrams of computer networks are drawn out, the Internet has always been represented by a "cloud", because it would be impossible to diagram all of the computers and other hardware that comprise the Internet.
So, now that you know that all of the 'cloud' stuff means that your stuff is now outside of your computer, what should you know?
First, anything of yours that exists outside of your computer or your control, no longer belongs to you. You may tell your cloud storage or service provider that it does, and they may agree with you, but really, it doesnt. Whoever has control over it, owns it.
Second, there may be hidden costs or frustrations dealing with cloud services. What happens if your cloud service or storage provider goes out of business? There goes your stuff.
Also, if you store controversial material online, such as your music collection, then if the record companies decide to sue your storage provider for "abetting piracy" and get a court order to delete all "pirated" music unless the owners of that music can prove that none of it is pirated; what do you do? (In case you are wondering, the record companies believe that any and all music that exists outside of a CD is pirated, even music copied from a CD to a computer.)
So you see, there are a couple of considerations to think about before storing anything online, in the "cloud". Because the cloud might rain on your parade.
Friday, March 25, 2011
How-to: Adjust your monitor resolution
Are the icons and writing on your computer screen too small, or to large?
You need to change the resolution of your screen.
Resolution means how many pixels can fit into your screen. You have probably heard of or read somewhere numbers like 800x600 or 1024x768 or something like that. Those numbers are the resolution of the screen.
To change the resolution (in Windows XP), right-click on an empty area of the Desktop and click on Properties.
Then click on the Settings tab, and down at the bottom left, there will be a slider which will alow you to change your screens resolution.
When you are finished, click on Apply and then OK.
The screen will go black for a moment, and the re-appear in its new size. When it does, there will be a Dialog Box asking if you want to keep the new resolution. If you are happy with it, click yes.
You need to change the resolution of your screen.
Resolution means how many pixels can fit into your screen. You have probably heard of or read somewhere numbers like 800x600 or 1024x768 or something like that. Those numbers are the resolution of the screen.
To change the resolution (in Windows XP), right-click on an empty area of the Desktop and click on Properties.
Then click on the Settings tab, and down at the bottom left, there will be a slider which will alow you to change your screens resolution.
When you are finished, click on Apply and then OK.
The screen will go black for a moment, and the re-appear in its new size. When it does, there will be a Dialog Box asking if you want to keep the new resolution. If you are happy with it, click yes.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
How-to: Get your printer printing again
We've all been there; one moment you're printing and everything's fine, and the next moment the printer is stuck, and even after you clear the paper jam and reset the printer so the light isnt blinking anymore and everything looks fine, the darn thing wont print.
You tell it to print over and over again and you just give up in frustration. Why wont it print?
If you click on the Start button, sometimes there is a link on the right side of the Start Menu labeled 'Printers', if not, go to the Control Panel and double-click on Printers.
Once you are in the Printers window, go up to File and click on 'Cancel All Documents'.
Windows will ask you if you are sure, say yes.
This should clear most of the print jobs that are jamming up the Print Spooler. If they all go away, you should be able to print. If there is one print job left behind, close all of your windows, making to save any unfinished work, and restart the computer.
Once the computer is back up and ready to go, you should be able to print.
You tell it to print over and over again and you just give up in frustration. Why wont it print?
If you click on the Start button, sometimes there is a link on the right side of the Start Menu labeled 'Printers', if not, go to the Control Panel and double-click on Printers.
Once you are in the Printers window, go up to File and click on 'Cancel All Documents'.
Windows will ask you if you are sure, say yes.
This should clear most of the print jobs that are jamming up the Print Spooler. If they all go away, you should be able to print. If there is one print job left behind, close all of your windows, making to save any unfinished work, and restart the computer.
Once the computer is back up and ready to go, you should be able to print.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
How-to: Boot into Safe Mode
A lot of my customers ask "how do you boot into safe mode?"
Here is the procedure: If the computer is off, push the power and as soon as there is any sort of writing on the screen, repeatedly tap the F8 key until the computer beeps or until the Windows Advanced Options Menu appears.
When you arrive at the Advanced Options menu, there will be a list of options which will start with Safe Mode, then Safe Mode with Networking and several others. If you have Windows Vista or Seven, the list will begin with Repair Your Computer.
Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, move down to Safe Mode with Networking, and press Enter.
After 30 seconds or so, you will see the Windows login screen. Click on your user name and wait. You will then see a dialog box that ask if you want to use System Restore or work with Windows. Choose the one appropriate to you need, and you are in Safe Mode.
If you are restarting your computer, the same steps apply once the computer has started up.
Here is the procedure: If the computer is off, push the power and as soon as there is any sort of writing on the screen, repeatedly tap the F8 key until the computer beeps or until the Windows Advanced Options Menu appears.
When you arrive at the Advanced Options menu, there will be a list of options which will start with Safe Mode, then Safe Mode with Networking and several others. If you have Windows Vista or Seven, the list will begin with Repair Your Computer.
Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, move down to Safe Mode with Networking, and press Enter.
After 30 seconds or so, you will see the Windows login screen. Click on your user name and wait. You will then see a dialog box that ask if you want to use System Restore or work with Windows. Choose the one appropriate to you need, and you are in Safe Mode.
If you are restarting your computer, the same steps apply once the computer has started up.
Microsoft helps prevent attacks on older Office
Most people have an older version of Microsoft Office. Computer attackers know this, so they attempt to attack computers through known loopholes in protection, called "exploits".
So Microsoft has a program, called EMET, that helps ward off attacks made through older versions of Office.
A PC World contributor has a short description of this program that you can read about and a download link to the program here.
So Microsoft has a program, called EMET, that helps ward off attacks made through older versions of Office.
A PC World contributor has a short description of this program that you can read about and a download link to the program here.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Pros and Cons of At&t buyout of Tmobile
PC World has a short article on what the buyout will mean for you. Here.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Android Security Woes
Life for the Android is just getting tougher all the time. First there is a researcher who finds a way to infect Android phones through the Marketplace(and tells Google about it).
Then some enterprising hackers (some of them Chinese) found a way to virus 50 different already existing and popular apps on the Marketplace.
Now, it has been reported that Google has a remote kill switch for anything running on the phone, including the OS. Wherever there is a remote anything switch, there can also be remote surveillance. I, for one, do not welcome our new Google overlords...
Or maybe I just like my iPhone better.
Here is an article on why maybe the Apple approach is better. http://tinyurl.com/4lk6tr9
The iPhone may be a walled garden, but its a safer place to be than outside. Once you've "broken out of jail," the world can be scary.
Then some enterprising hackers (some of them Chinese) found a way to virus 50 different already existing and popular apps on the Marketplace.
Now, it has been reported that Google has a remote kill switch for anything running on the phone, including the OS. Wherever there is a remote anything switch, there can also be remote surveillance. I, for one, do not welcome our new Google overlords...
Or maybe I just like my iPhone better.
Here is an article on why maybe the Apple approach is better. http://tinyurl.com/4lk6tr9
The iPhone may be a walled garden, but its a safer place to be than outside. Once you've "broken out of jail," the world can be scary.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Two new problems to watch out for.
The first is OddJob, a new trojan horse program, that prevents you from seeing that have not logged out of your banks website.
Once OddJob detects that you have clicked on the "log out" or "exit" link, it intercepts and negates that command while sending an image to your browser that looks like you successfully logged out.
Once you have left the website, OddJob can then transfer money out of your account without you knowing it.
The second thing is more of an advancement than an object, carberp malware checks for antivirus before infecting. Carberps creators are submitting it to virus-analysis websites and improving whichever parts are bad.
So if it is effective at removing, say, AVG antivirus, it will infect computers using that program.
Once OddJob detects that you have clicked on the "log out" or "exit" link, it intercepts and negates that command while sending an image to your browser that looks like you successfully logged out.
Once you have left the website, OddJob can then transfer money out of your account without you knowing it.
The second thing is more of an advancement than an object, carberp malware checks for antivirus before infecting. Carberps creators are submitting it to virus-analysis websites and improving whichever parts are bad.
So if it is effective at removing, say, AVG antivirus, it will infect computers using that program.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Anti-virus for Android Phones
As a follow up to my post on a data-stealing Trojan Horse on Android phones, I have seen that AVG has an antivirus program for Android phones.
Now your Android phone can be every bit as safe as your home PC. Just make sure to keep that antivirus updated!
Now your Android phone can be every bit as safe as your home PC. Just make sure to keep that antivirus updated!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
They're At It Again
Every once in a while, you see a TV ad for a website that promises to "speed up" or "clean out" your PC via a website.
Sometimes it's MaxMySpeed, or CleanUpMyPC or something similar. It all looks so slick and so polished and it has such realistic testimonials from such real-looking people, how is the lay-person supposed to know that its all a scam?
How is it a scam? If you are having virus issues, one of the first symptoms is a lack of internet connectivity.
So, if you cant get to their website, how can they clean up your computer? Simple. They can't.
And they know it. And they know you dont know it.
Just think about it for a second, these TV ads sound like a miracle cure for computer stresses; if they really worked, wouldnt you be hearing about from other places?
If it sounds to good to be true, can it be true?
Dont fall for a TV ad scam; if you have computer troubles, call a repairman or a repair shop.
They'll know what to do.
Sometimes it's MaxMySpeed, or CleanUpMyPC or something similar. It all looks so slick and so polished and it has such realistic testimonials from such real-looking people, how is the lay-person supposed to know that its all a scam?
How is it a scam? If you are having virus issues, one of the first symptoms is a lack of internet connectivity.
So, if you cant get to their website, how can they clean up your computer? Simple. They can't.
And they know it. And they know you dont know it.
Just think about it for a second, these TV ads sound like a miracle cure for computer stresses; if they really worked, wouldnt you be hearing about from other places?
If it sounds to good to be true, can it be true?
Dont fall for a TV ad scam; if you have computer troubles, call a repairman or a repair shop.
They'll know what to do.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Trojan Horse on Android Phones
Security guru Bruce Schneier has posted an article on his website about a new Trojan Horse program that runs on Android-based mobile phones.
Read it here.
The article talks about how a malicious program can fool the user into granting permission for the app to search the phone for stored credit card information and relay it back to the apps creator.
Read it here.
The article talks about how a malicious program can fool the user into granting permission for the app to search the phone for stored credit card information and relay it back to the apps creator.
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Top Troubleshooting Tools for your PC
PC World has a great article on downloadable programs that can be used to diagnose problems on your PC.
Read it here.
Read it here.
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Will Denial of Service Attacks be the Future?
Over at PC World, Arbor Networks thinks so. The article lays out several reasons why Denial of Service attacks wont go away any time soon.
Read it here.
But, I hear you asking, what in the world is a denial of service(aka DOS or DDOS) attack?
This is what it is: If you could get ten or a hundred thousand computers to all ask for the same web page (like cnn.com or amazon.com) at the same instant, the computers that contain that one web page (called 'servers') would overload and reset (the technical term is 'fail-over') and while the servers are resetting themselves, the web page is not available (404: page not found).
While this may sound complicated, think of it this way: When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and everyone was trying to reach their friends and family in New Orleans, the phone system overloaded and callers got the "all circuits are busy" message.
Because everybody wanted to call New Orleans at the same time, nobody got through. This is an accidental denial of service.
When computers do the same thing, it is an intentional denial of service.
Oh, and the second D in DDOS stands for 'distributed', meaning widespread.
Read it here.
But, I hear you asking, what in the world is a denial of service(aka DOS or DDOS) attack?
This is what it is: If you could get ten or a hundred thousand computers to all ask for the same web page (like cnn.com or amazon.com) at the same instant, the computers that contain that one web page (called 'servers') would overload and reset (the technical term is 'fail-over') and while the servers are resetting themselves, the web page is not available (404: page not found).
While this may sound complicated, think of it this way: When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and everyone was trying to reach their friends and family in New Orleans, the phone system overloaded and callers got the "all circuits are busy" message.
Because everybody wanted to call New Orleans at the same time, nobody got through. This is an accidental denial of service.
When computers do the same thing, it is an intentional denial of service.
Oh, and the second D in DDOS stands for 'distributed', meaning widespread.
Friday, January 28, 2011
New Anti-virus Ratings
PC World has new anti-virus ratings out for the New Year.
You can find the article here.
The article talks about how well the top paid anti-virus suites are doing not just in protecting you against known threats, but also emerging threats, such as banking-related malware.
Still the top rated paid security program: Norton 2011
PC World also rates the performance impacts of these program.
Lowest total memory use: Trend Micro, Norton, and Kaspersky.
Highest total memory use: PC Tools, G Data, and Bit Defender.
You can find the article here.
The article talks about how well the top paid anti-virus suites are doing not just in protecting you against known threats, but also emerging threats, such as banking-related malware.
Still the top rated paid security program: Norton 2011
PC World also rates the performance impacts of these program.
Lowest total memory use: Trend Micro, Norton, and Kaspersky.
Highest total memory use: PC Tools, G Data, and Bit Defender.
Monday, January 24, 2011
What does those Blue Screen numbers mean?
If you've ever gotten the Blue Screen of Death you know that there are always numbers there; numbers like 0x000000C. Often these numbers come right after the word STOP.
I found a website that lists, in order, all of those stop error numbers and the words that are most often associated with them.
You can find it here.
I found a website that lists, in order, all of those stop error numbers and the words that are most often associated with them.
You can find it here.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Why you should always encrypt your smartphone
Ars Technica has a great article on why smart phone encryption is a good idea, and also why limited government is a good idea.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/guides/2011/01/why-you-should-always-encrypt-your-smartphone.ars
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/guides/2011/01/why-you-should-always-encrypt-your-smartphone.ars
Friday, January 14, 2011
New phone coming to Verizon Wireless
In case you haven't heard, the iPhone is coming to Verizon. I can't wait.
I'm in the market for an upgrade to my phone and this came at just the right time.
I'll let you know the progress.
I'm in the market for an upgrade to my phone and this came at just the right time.
I'll let you know the progress.
Friday, January 07, 2011
How to fix desktop shortcuts after uninstalling Google Chrome
If you have used Google's new web browser, Chrome, and decided you dont like it enough to want to uninstall it, you will an unexpected consequence:
None of your desktop shortcuts will work. Windows will give you a polite error message about not finding the program you had clicked the shortcut for.
A little bit of clicking around and you will find that nothing is missing, the programs, web pages and all of your data are still there, it's just that the shortcuts dont work.
What's more, you will find that even if you create new shortcuts, they dont work either.
So, what to do? Turn on Internet Explorer, go to Tools, then Internet options and click on "Make Internet Explorer the default browser", click Apply then OK and close Explorer.
Your shortcuts will now work.
None of your desktop shortcuts will work. Windows will give you a polite error message about not finding the program you had clicked the shortcut for.
A little bit of clicking around and you will find that nothing is missing, the programs, web pages and all of your data are still there, it's just that the shortcuts dont work.
What's more, you will find that even if you create new shortcuts, they dont work either.
So, what to do? Turn on Internet Explorer, go to Tools, then Internet options and click on "Make Internet Explorer the default browser", click Apply then OK and close Explorer.
Your shortcuts will now work.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
A New Year, A New Chance to Keep Posting
This is my third year of promising to post more and more often. Do you suppose this year I'll actually do it? They say third time is the charm; I hope so.
Now on to the post.
Ten Threats for 2011
Bob Sullivan's Red Tape Chronicles has presented his ten threats for 2011 that Web users will have to watch out for.
They are:
1: Geolocation (apps like Foursquare and Latitude)
2: More Internet connected gadgets (Anti-virus for your TV, anyone?)
3 & 4: Mobile phones, iDevices and Tablets
5: URL shortening (tinyurl and bit.ly)
6: Friendly Fire (personalized attacks pretending to be someone you trust)
7: Less spam (but more infected Facebook posts and tweets)
8: The Cloud (If Amazon can delete Wikileaks, they can delete you)
9: Hactivism (Hacker Activism)
10: Government sponsored virus/spyware.
If you wonder how likely these are, you can check out last years predictions here.
Now on to the post.
Ten Threats for 2011
Bob Sullivan's Red Tape Chronicles has presented his ten threats for 2011 that Web users will have to watch out for.
They are:
1: Geolocation (apps like Foursquare and Latitude)
2: More Internet connected gadgets (Anti-virus for your TV, anyone?)
3 & 4: Mobile phones, iDevices and Tablets
5: URL shortening (tinyurl and bit.ly)
6: Friendly Fire (personalized attacks pretending to be someone you trust)
7: Less spam (but more infected Facebook posts and tweets)
8: The Cloud (If Amazon can delete Wikileaks, they can delete you)
9: Hactivism (Hacker Activism)
10: Government sponsored virus/spyware.
If you wonder how likely these are, you can check out last years predictions here.
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