Introducing Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Looks like the Windows 8 Consumer preview is available. I'm not sure if there is a trial period or if it's completely unlocked. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go download it.

Introducing Windows 8 Consumer Preview:

'via Blog this'

It’s the end of the world as we know it…

Image via Wikipedia

December 21st, 2012 has been touted as the end of the world…according to the Mayan calendar.

I’ve been picking up on all the hype over the past few months and just sort of absorbing it in. The continual conspiracy theories and rumors around why they ended on that specific date. I remember when the y2k scare was going around, the fear of the world ending because all of the computers were going to shut down! Oh the horror! Basically the programmers just programmed up to that time and then stopped so they could work on other parts. More than likely planning on getting back to updating that part of code later.

Well that got me to thinking and I developed some theories of my own. Maybe the person who made the calendar ran out of rock and never got around to getting any more? Maybe it was his turn to be the ritual sacrifice? Maybe he got busted by the prince on having an affair with the princess? Maybe that’s the day they ascended back to the heavens?

There’s all sorts of theories on why it ends at this date. Personally I think that’s as far as they got for their day (It really was a very impressive feat, figuring the calendar up to that date!) and just said ‘Ok, that’s enough for now, I’ll finish it later.”

Honestly, I’ll admit I’m not really that worried. I mean if it is the end of the world then so be it, nothing I can really do to prevent it. So instead I plan to make the most of this year. Learn a new programming language, achieve some certifications and take a well deserved rest while painting the house. Ok, that may not seem like a rest but to me it is!

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Tips for staying on top of tech | TechRepublic

Great article from TechRepublic on staying up on tech news. If this is one of your 2012 resolutions then here is a good start!

Tips for staying on top of tech | TechRepublic:

'via Blog this'

JoliOS - Linux for the rest of us

A friend of mine asked me if I would take a look at her Compaq Mini 110c and see if I could resurrect it. I said "Sure, why not?" I've never worked on a netbook before and figured it wouldn't be much different than any other PC.

We got together and she gave me a rundown of what was going on, it just booted up to a blinking cursor. I figured  Windows XP (what it came with) was just corrupted and run the restore and it should be good. Well after about a month of fighting and researching I discovered this is a common issue with these little machines and unfortunately there isn't an easy resolution. So I let her know that its probably best to reformat and re-install windows. She was cool with that so I proceeded to spend another 2 months trying to get Windows XP to boot off a USB drive as the Mini has no CD Rom. Needless to say it was a long fight that I lost. My friend ultimately ended up getting a new netbook which was probably the best decision in the long run. I talked to her about the Mini as I was fascinated by it at this point and was determined to get something to run on it!

I proceeded to research operating systems to see what was out there that would be light, easy to figure out and easy to install on netbooks. I stumbled across JoliOS which is a Linux distribution. Now those of you that know me know that I love the concept of Linux and the fact that it's free and almost as good (program compatibility issues) as Windows is a great choice. However I shy away from Linux as I'm too dependent on certain applications that don't run very well in Wine. However I think I may have found my savior in JoliOS! Joli is based upon Ubuntu, the popular Linux distro that has really brought Linux into the mainstream.

According to Wikipedia, "Joli OS is an Ubuntu-based GNU/Linux operating system developed by the company Jolicloud. The operating system was itself called “Jolicloud” until version 1.2, when the company renamed it “Joli OS”. The product name “Jolicloud” now refers to a cloud desktop for managing Web apps, files, services and as a computer Operating System.". So as you may have guessed it's cloud based. Yes and no, you can still access the local file system, network drives and such through the underlying Ubuntu OS. "Eeewww, that means I have to dig into Linux!" Not necessarily, JoliOS makes this easy and fun to use! The interface is similar to a smartphone or iPhone/iPod/iPad touch. Now for experienced linux users, you can dig deeper, but for new or novice users like myself, there's no need.

JoliOS' interface is simple, clean and easy to use. As you can see from the picture to the left it looks like an iPad! There is an app for just about any current online or cloud based service out there. (I'm actually writing this entry from the Blogger app.) You can add apps from the app area or create your own. I haven't tried that yet so I'm not sure how that works. Needless to say I am very pleased with JoliOS and am loving it! It's actually taking all that I can to not convert over! Speaking of converting, JoliOS is perfect for those of you new to Linux and want to resurrect an older PC like for the kids or even grandma. Lots of social media apps, educational apps and yes, even Angry Birds. For those of you that want a little more, you can access the file system and such by using the Local Files app. I was able to copy some movies, pictures and music over to the Mini from my network drive.

The only thing I was bummed about is of course my weather applications. I storm spot for a hobby and have three certain applications I use but they are all Windows based. I figured I would never get them to work. Wine is one of the apps that JoliOS features and helps you get some of your Windows based programs to function in Linux. So I thought I would give it a try. I copied the installation files over and they were immediately picked up by wine and had a little wine glass added to their icon. I double clicked on the executable to see how it would react and it installed them! All but one was able to work without an issue so two out of three isn't bad! I can access these programs from the local apps section. I haven't figured out how to make an app icon like in the screen shot or if it's even possible but I'm not all that concerned as i can still easily find and access them.

JoliOS may be the Linux distribution the rest of the world has been waiting for. I highly recommend you give it a try, they have a cool program that allows you to create a bootable USB stick which you can try it on. It takes a couple of hours to get used to it but once you do you'll find that surfing the web and participating in social activity is much more fun.

MyCleanPC: Is it really worth it?

I’ve been seeing the ads on TV for MyCleanPC.com where they claim they can make your PC run as good if not better than new. They use scare tactics like malware, viruses and other things to grab your attention.

As a computer user myself and I consider myself to be quite knowledgeable about them I thought I would test it out. Here is my review of MyCleanPC.com

MyCleanPC is actually a part of CyberDefender whom unfortunately has been associated early in their life with increasing a users security risk rather than helping it.

INSTALLATION

After I downloaded the application I began the install. Immediately AdAware caught and blocked the running of a file called cdswx.exe. This threw the first red flag for me. I jotted down the file name so I could research it after the install was complete.

As the installation continued I noticed that all MyCleanPC is, is just a registry cleaner. It doesn’t remove viruses, malware, spyware, adware, or fix other issues like blue screens of death (BSOD). (NOTE: BSODs may be linked to registry issues.) Now I’m a big supporter and highly recommend CCleaner. It’s free and doesn’t install add/malware and it just plain kicks butt. Also look into SlimCleaner by Slimware Utilities they make a great product as well. So I was really curious to compare MyCleanPC to what CCleaner finds.

SCAN RESULTS

After MyCleanPC installed, I ran it and it found 770 items. I installed it on my laptop, a Dell Vostro 1000 running Windows Vista Basic. (I know I know, “Hey it’s Vista, there’s your problem!”) I wasn’t able to use the repair option as I have to purchase it and I wasn’t going to waste money on a registry cleaner when there is a perfectly good one for free. I then ran CCleaner and guess what, it found 770 items as well!

I then uninstalled MyCleanPC from my laptop using YourUninstaller to ensure that all the leftover registry entries were removed and then went to look up cdswx.exe which was blocked earlier on. (AdAware also caught and stopped cdswx.exe from running again during removal.)

CDSWX.EXE

According to several security sites, (Like this one.) this has a valid reason for being caught by AdAware. It’s a backdoor program. What this means is that if it’s installed onto your system and someone knows how to manipulate it, they can get into your computer without you knowing! In all fairness, this application can be used in a good way. There may be an option (if you pay for MyCleanPC and are a computer user like this adorable older couple.) to where you may need a support rep to remote into your computer to help fix an issue.

OVERALL

AVOID MyCleanPC. It’s a waste of time, money and may actually put your computer at more risk than before. If you have already purchased it, uninstall it and demand a refund from them. If any software that is not specifically designed and states up front that they have options for their support staff to remote into your computer, run as fast and far away as possible.

There are several FREE registry cleaners out there like CCLeaner. but CCleaner alone won’t help your computer stay running at top speed. You need to perform regular maintenance on it as well. Defrag your hard drive every 3 to 6 months. Hard drives are getting bigger and bigger and the more you put on them the more fragmented they can get which can cause your computer to work harder to locate all the files it needs. Run a cleaning application, (either Windows clean up or use the one in CCLeaner or SlimwareCleaner.) and use an uninstaller program like YourUninstaller to remove software. Doing this on a regular basis will help keep your computer running in great shape.

NOTE: YourUninstaller does cost but it’s worth the money in my opinion.

Down the Tubes! But in a fun way

Every once in a while you come across something really cool on the web that makes you enjoy it again like it was a brand new toy. Today I’m grovin’ on Yahoo Pipes.

Yahoo Pipes is a mashup tool that lets you take data from all sorts of different sources and bring them together to create custom content. This can be for your personal site, blog, twitter, whatever you want. It’s actually not to hard to do.

Now, I approached it with my typical “get your hands dirty” approach and tried creating my own weather feed pipe. I was successful but am having a problem getting it to update one of my twitter accounts so I decided I better read up and actually learn some things about it before going any farther.

I also found an actual application you can use to create pipes on your desktop and not be stuck with Yahoo. This is good for those companies that don’t want to have any sensitive data potentially slipping through. It’s called DERI Pipes and can be found here. I’ll play with this after I get a good grasp on Yahoo pipes.

Off to go play Mario, well not the actual game but with Yahoo Pipes! I’ll keep you all informed and you may see some of my pipes here!

Being Social but Also Being Safe

Recently there has been a lot of chatter about how the social network Facebook is displaying all of your contacts.

The Post floating around…

“THE PHONE NUMBERS IN YOUR PHONE are now on Facebook! Click on ACCOUNT, click on EDIT FRIENDS, left side of screen and click CONTACTS. You will see all phone numbers (FB friends or not) are published that you have stored in your mobile phone. TO REMOVE, go to Right column, click on "this page," then click "remove" Please repost this on your status, so your friends can remove their #'s and thus prevent abuse if they don't want them published!”

In response, Facebook posted this

“Rumors claiming that your phone contacts are visible to everyone on Facebook are false. Our Contacts list, formerly called Phonebook, has existed for a long time. The phone numbers listed there were either added by your friends themselves and made visible to you, or you have previously synced your phone contacts with Facebook. Just like on your phone, only you can see these numbers.”

I hate to tell you but Facebook is correct. This feature has been there for quite some time. I’ve been on Facebook for about 2 years now and it was there when I started. It’s an automatic feature and you as the user must disable it.

Now I can understand why everyone is getting upset, your mobile phone number is a personal thing. You like to consider it “private" information” just like what you enter on social networks like Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, ect.

Social networks are just that, social. If you look up the word social in the dictionary you see,

“pertaining to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly companionship or relations: a social club.” (taken from dictionary.com)

it’s you and all of your family, friends or peers gathered in one location. Facebook is the biggest one and has done wonders for people reconnecting with one another. The idea behind Facebook is just that, make a place that’s easy for you to connect with everyone and maybe make some new connections. Since it’s a “social” environment, this would include various ways to contact each other, email, through Facebook itself, by postal mail or phone.

How all this came to fruition is smart phones. We love them and we hate them and in some case they are smarter than their owners and in this case they are. If you have a smart phone like an Android, iPhone, Windows 7 phone and you connect to Facebook or any other social network on your phone through an app, it will ask you if you want to import your contacts. Most people just click ok all the way through so they can get started using it. This is where the “security breach” happens. The user fails to stop and think about what they are doing or about to do and just wants to get to their shiny new toy. 

This is where you the user of these services need to really focus and pay attention. By default, Facebook and most other social sites leave certain options open to help with integration and networking which includes importing your contact information.

What the people posting this are not fully aware of and just being sheep and following the paranoia is that those numbers are only visible to you, not anyone else. Try it, go to any of your friends sites and try to find their list of numbers, you won’t be able to. These numbers are for your eyes only. You can still remove them if you wish.

The biggest thing to take away from this is that you and you alone are responsible for your own safety and security. Do not rely on someone else to do it for you, if you do then you will fail. Take the time to read the information presented to you. Take the time and go through security settings BEFORE you allow any integrations, take the time to understand how something works. You’ll have plenty of time to play with your new shiny toy and after taking the time to properly set it up and protect what you want to protect, it will be a very enjoyable experience.