Archive for December, 2010
Protection Against Virus Threat
December 25th, 2010Information and communication technology, ICT, has changed much throughout the years and is constantly evolving to enrich our lives with its potential. The internet makes available a wealth of information and services from all around the world to everyone at the click of a button.
However, every good thing has its flaws and the internet is no different. The exponential growth in internet use exposes users to potential threats such as computer viruses and hackers that can mine personal information such as bank account details, access private emails and commit other cyber crimes such as the exploitation of children. One way of fighting off these dangers is by committing to cyber safety and security.
Anti-virus software helps to detect and remove computer viruses and other malicious programmes such as worms and trojans. The public are reminded to always remember to install anti-virus software in their computers – the anti-virus protection should be in use at all times, anti-virus software should be updated regularly, the computer should always be scanned after updating an anti-virus programme and the computer should be scanned regularly. As new viruses are being introduced on the internet almost everyday, users should ensure that their anti-virus software is always updated using the ‘live update’ feature to automatically check for updates.
A firewall is a software or hardware designed to block hackers from accessing your computer. It monitors communications between the computer and the network, and blocks unauthorised connections to the computer. A firewall can also block programmes residing in a person’s computer from sending out information to the internet without his approval. Users are also advised to always remember to install a firewall on their computer or home network; the firewall should be configured to prevent or block other computers on the internet from accessing the computer, the firewall should be configured to stop information in the computer from being sent out to the internet without the owner’s approval and the computer should be scanned periodically to check for security vulnerabilities.
Users should not open an email that has a suspicious title especially when they do not know the sender. Emails are commonly used to disseminate viruses, worms and trojans. Be very careful of acting on the contents of the email and opening files attached to an unknown sender. Such emails may be frauds or scams. Always scan all email attachments for viruses before opening them. Delete the email if the subject title appears suspicious or strange, even if the email is from someone you know. The person may have sent a virus unintentionally. Never open email attachments with file extensions as they are often used to propagate viruses.
Source:-http://www.rtbnews.rtb.gov.bn/?c=newsDetail&news_id=16220
Logitech Halts Google TV Revue Shipments: Report
December 25th, 2010Logitech has called for a freeze on Google TV components from Gigabyte Technology, marking the second instance where Google requested hardware delays so it can refresh the software.
Logitech has told Taiwan’s Gigabyte Technology to freeze shipments of the Logitech Revue companion boxes that power Google TV from December through January, according to Digitimes.
The publication said Logitech made the request to allow Google to finish upgrading the Android-based Google TV software, which felt unfinished to many reviewers. Logitech declined to confirm the report for CNet when asked to verify its validity.
If true, it marks the second piece of evidence that Google is asking its Google TV hardware partners to postpone shipping new appliances so the search engine can improve the product.
Google allegedly asked TV set makers such as Toshiba, LG and Sharp to refrain from launching Google TV sets at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show next month so that it can boost the software.
The Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg called Google TV a poor product for “geeks” in a video of best and worst products of 2010.
Google TV is the company’s ambitious effort to wed Web surfing with channel surfing by putting its Chrome Web browser on TV sets and making all TV broadcast and Web content searchable.
The effort is one of the dozen or so in the last decade, including plays by Microsoft and Intel, to put Web browsing and applications on TVs. All have failed.
Shortly after Google launched Google TV in October via the Revue companion boxes and Internet TVs and Blu-ray players from Sony it became clear to many reviewers that the product felt unfinished.
This was particularly poignant weighed against the cost of the hardware, which many felt was too high. Logitech Revue costs $300, while Sony TVs integrated with Google TV run from $600 to $1,400. The Blu-ray player was $400.
Google has also found its service blocked from accessing Websites from CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox as the networks are leery of allowing Google to serve their content for free.
The Netflix application, for example, was just a dumb movie server, lacking the controls to let users add new titles to their instant queues, or otherwise manage their content beyond removing titles or fast-forwarding and rewinding.
Google has markedly improved this app, eWEEK found in testing this past week.
Source:-http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Web-Services-Web-20-and-SOA/Logitech-Halts-Google-TV-Revue-Shipments-Report-481712/
5 ways to recycle or revitalize your old computer
December 25th, 2010Christmas is coming, and you’re about to have a ton of time off. Some of that time will be spent energetically tearing apart beautifully-wrapped gifts, and eating food is certainly next on the list of priorities. Obviously you have to play with your new gifts (or put on your new socks), but after that… after the postprandial sofa-surfing grunts and burps and farts… well, there isn’t a whole lot you can do.
The other big thing about Christmas is the amount of waste it produces. Wrapping paper, cards, ribbons, the plastic packaging of the presents themselves… there’s an awful lot of trash on Christmas Day. Then, of course, you need to throw out all of the things that have been replaced by new gifts: old kitchen appliances, clothes, televisions, printers and, most importantly, computers. A new laptop or desktop is incredibly cheap nowadays, which makes them very popular gifts.
But shouldn’t we do something with the old stuff, rather than just throwing it out? Of course, you could Freecycle, or give your clothes to charity — but hold onto those old computers! You’d be surprised with how many cool things you can do with an old desktop or laptop computer. You could finally learn how to use Linux, or set up a media center PC so that you can watch downloaded movies on your TV. You could create a locked-down box for your kids to surf the Web on, or a network-attached storage server for your backups. There’s almost no end to the list of neat things you can do with an old PC!
Tux, the Linux mascot 1. Format the hard drive and install Linux
Every computer, as it grows older, aspires to one day be a Linux box — Linux puts a bounce in the step of any computer, no matter how old it is. It’s like the retirement home of PCs. If you’ve got an older (pre-2005) computer on your hands, it would be ideal for more menial tasks, like downloading torrents. Newer processors are quite capable of doing fancy things, like transcoding HD video in real time (more about that later) and streaming it to your TV.
As for which Linux distro you should install, you can’t go far wrong with Ubuntu. The Desktop version is a good starting point if you’ve never used Linux before, but there’s also a Server build if you’re feeling adventurous, or if you’re a developer. Ubuntu is probably the most universal as far as hardware support goes, too, which hopefully means you won’t have to spend hours hacking your Wi-Fi card into submission…
Once you’ve got Ubuntu installed, get reading the documentation. You’ll be surprised at how ‘familiar’ Ubuntu feels, but at the same time, don’t expect to become a Linux pro without a lot of experience.
2. Convert your desktop or laptop into a media center/home theater PC
Samsung Plasma TV
You have two options when making a media center PC: either you make a complete system that outputs video via VGA or DVI and plugs straight into the TV, or, if you have a newer TV that has an Ethernet (LAN) socket, you stream video over your local network using DLNA.
In most cases, it’s easier to have a computer close to your TV, and connected directly via VGA or DVI. Most people don’t want a computer in their living room, though, especially if it’s ugly or noisy. The next best option, then, is to hide your media center PC in a cupboard somewhere, and run a long cable to the TV. A 10 meter DVI cable isn’t cheap (about $40), but it’s a small price to pay to remove the sound of whirring computer fans from the living room.
The other alternative, DLNA — hooking your media center PC up to the home network — is more advanced, but also much more powerful. There are good, free options for both Windows (TVersity) and Linux (uShare). Your media center PC could also double up as your BitTorrent box — so all of your downloaded TV shows and movies are automatically in the right place and ready to stream.
It’s worth noting that you could just use your own, new computer to stream video to your TV — you don’t have to use a separate computer. Also, if you don’t have a new TV that supports DLNA, but you do have an Xbox 360 or PS3, you can stream to your console, which will then output to your TV!
3. Make a bullet-proof Web surfing box for your kids, a loved one, or for yourself
If you only have one computer at home, or a computer that’s shared by a few people, it will have the tendency to get very messy very quickly. If you have kids, or someone in your family that doesn’t quite understand ’safe surfing’, it won’t be long before the computer attracts its very first malware infection. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to clean it up with Malwarebytes — but if you’re unlucky, you might be forced to format, thus potentially losing lots of important documents and photos.
Really, the best solution is to keep work and play separate. It’s just common sense: don’t store important files or check your online bank on an untrusted computer. Fortunately, it’s really easy to make a bullet-proof Web surfing box that is just for surfing (and playing a few Flash games, of course!)
Again, you could use Linux (Ubuntu!), or if you have a spare Windows 7 or XP license, use that! Almost everyone knows how to use Windows, so they’ll be able to jump right in — but of course, if you’re a bearded type, you might want to take this chance to teach your kids the basics of a real operating system.
There’s no real need to burden the Web surfing box with things like virus scanners — it’ll just make a slow computer even slower. Instead, just roll the entire system back with something like Comodo Time Machine.
4. Grab a cheap hard drive (or two), and make a Network-Attached Storage (NAS) device for easy home backups
In the past year alone, I’ve generated something in the region of three terabytes of digital photos and videos. Because I sell my photos, I have to keep them backed up. For most people, backing up to the cloud with something like SugarSync is ideal, but if you have vast amounts of data, a NAS, or network-attached storage device, is by far the better choice. Unless you have a fast Internet connection, a NAS might be your only choice, too.
A NAS is basically a bunch of hard drives attached to a LAN. With Samba shares, you can make those drives appear as local drives, which as you can imagine makes backing up files a very trivial task.
The best and easiest way to make a NAS is to grab FreeNAS, a FreeBSD (similar to Linux) distribution. Put it on a USB flash drive (it’s only a few megabytes), plug it into your old computer… and that’s it! Well, you may need to do some fiddling if FreeNAS doesn’t detect your hardware, but there’s a lot of documentation, and the support forums are great.
Earlier this year, I grabbed some cheap 1TB drives (they’re only about $50 now), a gigabit Ethernet switch ($40), and made my own FreeNAS box. It’s liberating to have almost limitless amounts of free space (it’s trivial to plug in a new drive), and great to know I have a backup if my main system dies. Did I mention that you can use a FreeNAS box as a BitTorrent client too…?
5. Dismantle it — or upgrade it!
If I’m brutally honest, most of my new computer purchases have been to replace broken computers. It’s probably something to do with pushing the hardware beyond its limits, or something. Anyway: it makes little sense to give a broken computer to someone — and it will most likely just get scrapped if you give it to charity — so you only really have two options: upgrade it, or dismantle it.
Upgrading a computer is surprisingly easy — but you need to know your way around a computer’s innards, or you’ll just end up breaking it further. If you’ve never dismantled a computer, now’s your opportunity! While microchips are infinitely complex, the actual layout of a computer is surprisingly easy to understand. Before you know it, you’ll be able to point out the RAM and CPU, and, one day, maybe even locate the fabled BIOS/CMOS reset jumper.
To get you started, Instructables has a fantastic guide on how to dismantle a desktop computer. Laptops, on the other hand, vary a lot between manufacturers — they’re also a lot harder to take apart. In general, I wouldn’t recommend trying to fix or upgrade a laptop yourself, but if you just want to dismantle it, check this guide on taking a Sony Vaio apart.
Now, having dismantled a computer, you have the opportunity to upgrade it. If you can locate the motherboard’s serial/model number (it will be on the board itself), you can then find out whether it can accommodate a faster CPU or more RAM. Once you’ve successfully upgraded the computer, give it to a friend, or close family member — it would make an ideal Christmas present…
Source:http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/24/5-ways-to-recycle-or-revitalize-your-old-computer/
Checkout Lane: Smart shopping for snowblowers
December 22nd, 2010If you’re thinking about ditching the snow shovel this winter in favor of a snowblower, you should consider going to a store where you’ll get professional attention to help with the handling of the machines.
“A lot of the stores just sell them right out of the box and they don’t adjust them properly,” said Colby Thomason, a partner at Milton Village Hardware in Mass. “Getting it from a place that knows how to set it up is important.”
Snowblowers generally come in two varieties: single-stage machines and two-stage machines. The single-stage device processes the snow with a rubber auger, or a large rotating drill bit, that scoops up the snow and feeds it through a chute. This allows the machine to be smaller and less expensive, costing between $300 and $700.
The two-stage machine scoops up the snow with a larger metal auger and feeds it to an impeller, which is similar to a fan blade, in the back of the machine. It then feeds the snow through the chute. Two-stage machines, which are more expensive than one-stage machines, can process larger quantities of snow at a slightly faster pace.
When you buy a machine, you should register your warrantee so you can get it fixed easily if something goes wrong.
Maneuverability is also a factor that should be considered when buying a snow blower.
“Most people check on how easy the machine is to maneuver,” said Chris Collins, owner of Quincy Small Engine Repair in Quincy, Mass.
Collins said some of his customers prefer a smaller machine, even if they have a large driveway, because they are able to fit it between the cars easier.
Two-stage machines are often self-propelled, with several speed settings, steering ability and a reverse setting. The single-stage machine is auger-propelled, meaning the only thing helping the machine along is the rubber auger that’s designed to wear down over time.
One advantage with a rubber auger, though, is it can clear snow down to the pavement without ruining the machine, unlike a metal auger.
Source:http://www.crookstontimes.com/news/business/x1651490353/Checkout-Lane-Smart-shopping-for-snowblowers
Microsoft set to leap on tablet bandwagon before it rolls out of sight
December 22nd, 2010It’s big news this week that Microsoft may be introducing a version of Windows that runs on processors from ARM — which rules the tablet market — rather than longtime partner Intel.
Microsoft did sign a deal that would let it design its own embedded ARM-based processors and has the really unappealing Windows CE available that will run on ARM and other embedded systems.
Wintel is an empire — some say a dictatorship — but that doesn’t mean Microsoft has to be tied to the hardware side of it.
Gartner and IDC both changed their projections on how many PCs they expect will sell next year on the assumption tablets will eat as much as a third of new PC sales, and will make up as much as 10 percent of the total installed base of PCs by 2014.
PC hardware design is moving away from Wintel, and Microsoft has to respond.
The whole IT world has been sneaking away from Microsoft for years — to Web apps and smartphones and tablets and open source and freeware and anything else it can find.
Tablets and smartphones — which will merge into the same device within a very few years, but with the option of connecting to a larger screen — are the next big step. Microsoft is really slow responding to the change in form factor, as it’s been slow to respond to a lot of things recently.
Former chief software architect Ray Ozzie made the post-PC era the point of his exit memo on leaving Microsoft in October.
If Microsoft demos a version of Windows for ARM processors at CES in January, that will only show that Ozzie had some impact even before he left, and that someone kept the project going after he cleaned out his cubicle.
It will still take a long time to get the drivers and hardware to run on what are still grossly non-standardized tablet hardware, let alone getting anyone to admit what they really miss from this post-PC, mobile-computing era is a version of Windows they can carry with them always.
Still, it’s a sign Microsoft hasn’t stuck itself completely in the mud when it comes to responding — however slowly — to drastic changes in technology or the market for it.
Source:-http://www.itworld.com/hardware/131587/microsoft-set-leap-tablet-bandwagon-it-rolls-out-sight
Telecom firms jostle for cloud computing tenders in technology switch
December 22nd, 2010omputer and telecommunication infrastructure firms are jostling for tenders to offer cloud computing services as organisations switch to this technology as they seek to cut cost of hiring IT talents, acquiring hardware.
By outsourcing infrastructure, software and hardware, an organisations can reduce capital expenditure of acquiring, maintaining and hiring IT skills by 30 per cent.
Increased Internet speeds across the region have opened doors to computer software and hardware vendors to unveil services or applications online to end-users in cloud computing
Under this technology, applications and files are stored on a large, centralised supercomputer or network where end-users can accesses files using less complex machines.
Among the firms jostling to offer cloud computing are Microsoft, IBM, Google and HP who have unveiled various applications to fit into the space in the local market.
Source:-http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/-/539444/1077060/-/12lk7mcz/-/
