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Issue 435 - February 14, 2007
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2007
==== 1514 Subscribers in 49 Countries ====
Welcome to the 435th issue of the PC Improvement News. PCIN consists mainly
of news highlights and tips. There is something for everyone, and if this is
your first issue, I'm sure there will be something for you. If you give me
two or three issues, I know that you will come back for more!
You can reach me at editor@pcin.net with
any suggestions or comments.
Support PCIN at http://PCIN.net/donate.php
Contents
Opening Thoughts
Wow! We got hit hard by the big
snow storm. I don't know for sure how much we've gotten, but it must
be around a foot (30 cm). I tried to open my garage door this morning to
put out the garbage and there was a snow drift 3 feet high in front of it.
Andrew had a snow day today, so Lisa and him and Matthew outside playing
in the snow. They all had a lot of fun.
There is no Digital Photography Tip of the Week. It
has been a busy week, and since today is Valentine's
Day, we should be away from the computer and with those we love. That's
where I'm headed. The tip will return next week.
Graham editor@pcin.net and
Chris chris@pcin.net
News Highlights
Internet Hit by Significant Hack Attack
Hackers briefly overwhelmed at least three of the 13 computers that help
manage global computer traffic Tuesday in one of the most significant attacks
against the Internet since 2002.
Experts said the unusually powerful attacks lasted as long as 12 hours but
passed largely unnoticed by most computer users, a testament to the resiliency
of the Internet. Behind the scenes, computer scientists worldwide raced to
cope with enormous volumes of data that threatened to saturate some of the
Internet's most vital pipelines.
The motive for the attacks was unclear, said Duane Wessels, a researcher
at the Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis at the San Diego
Supercomputing Center. "Maybe to show off or just be disruptive; it
doesn't seem to be extortion or anything like that," Wessels said.
Read the NewsFactor
article...
Leave a comment...
Jobs Calls for End to Music Copy Protection
Steven P. Jobs, Apple's chief executive, jolted the record industry on Tuesday
by calling on its largest companies to allow online music sales unfettered
by antipiracy software.
The move is a gamble for Apple. Its iPod players and iTunes Store have defined
the online music market, and they have much at stake in the current copy-protection
system.
Under terms reached with the major record labels, online music stores embed
software code into the digital song files they sell to restrict the ability
to copy them. Because Apple uses its own system, the songs it sells can be
played only on the iPod. That limitation has drawn increasing scrutiny from
European governments, pressure that Apple has recently begun to acknowledge.
Read the New York
Times article...
Leave a comment...
Tech experts plot to catch identity thieves
The topic of data protection stole the show at the RSA Conference on computer
security here this week. Identity theft and corporate espionage were dominant
themes among the 15,000 attendees.
And with good reason. Data are the new currency of the Internet age for legitimate
- and illegitimate - businesses, says Howard Schmidt, former chief information
security officer of eBay who now is a consultant. Data have never been shared
as quickly, and in such vast amounts.
But as millions of Americans use personal data to shop and bank online, and
as more companies store data electronically, they remain targets for online
fraudsters, Schmidt and others said.
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, security experts, politicians and other analysts
offered their takes on the problems, and suggestions to fix them.
Read the USA Today
article...
Leave a comment...
Cracking Down on Video Piracy
The pressure on Google to institute more aggressive copyright protections
and policies is mounting. The latest heat emanates from social-networking
site MySpace, which announced Feb. 12 that it is expanding the use of audio
screening technology to block the uploading of unlicensed videos to its site.
The company already uses "fingerprinting" technology licensed from
content management company Audible Magic to filter out music owned by major
labels.
In a statement, MySpace Chief Executive and co-founder Chris DeWolfe said
the company's action was intended to show its users, many of whom are musicians,
that it respects their work and ownership rights.
Read the BusinessWeek
article...
Leave a comment...
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Digital Photography
Tip of the Week
... will return next week...
Until next time, Happy Shooting.
The digital photography tip of the week is written by
the PCIN Assistant Editor, Chris Empey. Chris is a long time photographer
and is currently the President of the Niagara
Falls Camera Club. You can see more of his photography at his Photo
of the Day website.
If you have a tip to send Chris, or a question about digital photography
he can address in the newsletter, send it to chris@pcin.net.
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PCIN.net Site Update
Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 and Adobe Premier Elements 3.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/photoshopEL5_Premiere3.php
ExpoDisc White Balance Filter Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/expodisc.php
Paragon Software Group Partition Manager 8.0 Professional Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/ppm8.php
Update PCIN.net home page with "Top 10 Most Popular..." features
http://PCIN.net/
Microsoft Digital Image Suite Plus Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/msdimagesuiteplus.php
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Tips and Other Stuff
Create your own word puzzle (Wheel of Fortune style)
Create your own Wheel of Fortune style word puzzle at Atom
Smasher:
I read about this on Google Blogoscoped.
Leave a comment...
The Best Free Software
From PC Magazine:
Most software is expensive and bloated. Yet free software typically does
one task and does it with precision and elegance. Among the thousands of
free apps available on the Web, how do you find the best, most reliable
ones for your needs?
To produce this story, we asked PC Magazine staffers to share their best-loved
free software and were inundated with responses.
Leave a comment...
Need to convert a file?
Regular reader Pat sent along a
link to some file conversion utilities:
Ever get that need to convert a file and you don't have the software to
do the job? There are two sites that I have been using, and are quite handy.
One is Pixer.us, and the other
one is Zamzar.com. Pixer.us
let's you upload images, which you then can resize, crop, and save to the
appropriate format instantly. Zamzar's online conversion tool will convert
any file and email it to you for free. File sizes are limited to 100mb,
so don't expect to convert any large format movies.
I've mentioned Zamzar before,
but hadn't heard of Pixer. They're both worth checking out!
Leave a comment...
Trivial Pursuit - Original Genus Edition Updates and Corrections
I read on Ken Jennings' Blog about
a site that reviews Trivial Pursuit
questions and summarizes their accuracy.
That final percentage in the lower-left corner of this table tells the
amazing story... over 95% of Trivial Pursuit's original questions are still
accurate 25 years later! Impressive.
If you are into trivia, you should definitely check
it out!
Leave a comment...
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PCIN.net Affiliated
Sites
Both of us have other sites other than PCIN.net. These are all sites that
we are actively involved in (they aren't client sites). Don't forget to check
them out from time to time for updates:
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Disclaimer
and Other Stuff
PCIN is brought to you by Graham Wing. The opinions expressed are those of
the Editor, Graham Wing and the Assistant Editor, Chris Empey. Graham Wing
and Chris Empey accept no responsibility for the results obtained from trying
the tips in this newsletter.
- If any of the links are too long to fit on one line, you may have to cut
and paste.
- To subscribe another address or unsubscribe, please visit http://PCIN.net/ and
follow the appropriate links.
- The only way to become a subscriber is by asking. You have either filled
out the subscription form or asked me directly.
- If you have a web site or run your own newsletter, please email me at editor@pcin.net and
I will add it to the subscriber web pages that I have on my site.
- Support PCIN by visiting http://PCIN.net/donate.php or
by clicking on the PayPal link below:
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Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Chris Empey can be reached at chris@pcin.net
Copyright 1998-2007, Graham Wing. All rights reserved.
This publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, as long as the author
is notified and the newsletter is presented as is.
Support PCIN by visiting http://PCIN.net/donate.php
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