Monthly Archive for August, 2008

Lexar Image Rescue 3 – Free Download Offer

Published on August 30, 2008 in Software Tips. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , .

There are lots of free image recovery software titles out there. I couldn’t figure out how companies could still be charging for their products when the free ones are great. Lexar was one of those companies still selling, but for now (I don’t know if it is permanent), they are offering their product for free if you purchase one of their memory cards. However, the link is open to all:

Product Highlights

  • Recovers photo, video, and audio files from any brand or type of memory card, using any card reader
  • Recovers popular file formats, including JPEG, TIFF, RAW, MP4, AVI, and more
  • Redesigned interface and simple recovery process
  • Live online chat link to Lexar support engineers
  • Includes card reformatting, secure deletion, and overall card health check features
  • Works with PC or Mac

TypoBuddy – Find Misspelled eBay Auctions

Published on August 27, 2008 in Recommended Web Sites. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

I previously posted about e Boo Boos. Now Download Squad has posted about TypoBuddy:

TypoBuddy, like previously reviewed TypoTracker, helps you find deals by searching for misspelled variations of the items you search for. Why?

Because most people that search for a particular item will try to spell it right – meaning that listings with typos might go unnoticed, and you’ll wind up getting a sweet deal just because some seller was careless enough to not check his or her typing.

NASA finds nasty virus on space station

Published on August 27, 2008 in Computer Security News. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

From The Great Beyond (a “Nature” blog):

Ok, the headline is a little misleading. But it’s still a bit worrying that NASA has found a computer virus on the space station.

Astronauts onboard the International Space Station are now running anti-virus software on their systems, following last week’s detection of an unwanted computer-guest.

According to Space.ref a ‘W32.Gammima.AG worm’ was detected on the ISS.

Caution: Driver May Be Surfing the Web

Published on August 25, 2008 in Computer News and Wireless Internet. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

From the New York Times:

Anything that keeps tykes pacified on long car trips, like video systems in rear seats, is a boon to automotive safety. Today, Chrysler is poised to offer in its 2009 models a new entertainment option for the children: Wi-Fi and Internet connectivity. The problem is that the entire car becomes a hotspot. The signals won’t be confined to the Nintendos in the rear seat; front-seat occupants will be able to stay online, too.

Bad idea. As drivers, we have done poorly resisting the temptation to move our eyes away from the road to check e-mail or send text messages with our cellphones. Now add laptops.

Photoshop Alternatives

Published on August 20, 2008 in Digital Photography Tips & Info. 0 Comments

Download Squad has a nice posting with information about several Photoshop alternatives such as:

  • GIMP
  • Paint.NET
  • ArtWeaver
  • Photofiltre
  • VicMan’s Photo Editor

In the comments, there are also some other alternatives mentioned.

Tiny Talents

Published on August 19, 2008 in Computer News. 0 Comments Tags: .

The New York Times has a nice article about some “how-to” sites:

On the Web’s amazing how-to sites, I am studying bar tricks. I should be learning, once and for all, how to do CPR, but all I really want to know is how to mix a Singapore Sling, palm a card and tongue-knot the stem of a maraschino cherry.

The best thing about how-to sites like Howcast, eHow, WonderHowTo, Instructables, SuTree, VideoJug and ExpertVillage — huge collections of videos that offer instruction in Chinese dining etiquette and surviving zombie attacks, plating fettuccine Alfredo and linking spins in freestyle kayaking — is that they revive a lost era of two-bit skills, when Cross pens whirled around thumbs, Zippos burst in and out of flames and someone was forever trying to show you how.

I Was There. Just Ask Photoshop.

Published on August 16, 2008 in Computer News. 0 Comments Tags: .

From the New York Times:

Removing her ex-husband from more than a decade of memories may take a lifetime for Laura Horn, a police emergency dispatcher in Rochester. But removing him from a dozen years of vacation photographs took only hours, with some deft mouse work from a willing friend who was proficient in Photoshop, the popular digital-image editing program.

Like a Stalin-era technician in the Kremlin removing all traces of an out-of-favor official from state photos, the friend erased the husband from numerous cherished pictures taken on cruises and at Caribbean cottages, where he had been standing alongside Ms. Horn, now 50, and other traveling companions.

“In my own reality, I know that these things did happen,” Ms. Horn said. But “without him in them, I can display them. I can look at those pictures and think of the laughter we were sharing, the places we went to.”

“This new reality,” she added, “is a lot more pleasant.”

Goodbye, Passwords. You Aren’t a Good Defense.

Published on August 11, 2008 in Computer News and Security Tips. 0 Comments

From the New York Times:

The best password is a long, nonsensical string of letters and numbers and punctuation marks, a combination never put together before. Some admirable people actually do memorize random strings of characters for their passwords — and replace them with other random strings every couple of months.

Then there’s the rest of us, selecting the short, the familiar and the easiest to remember. And holding onto it forever.

I once felt ashamed about failing to follow best practices for password selection — but no more. Computer security experts say that choosing hard-to-guess passwords ultimately brings little security protection. Passwords won’t keep us safe from identity theft, no matter how clever we are in choosing them.

F.C.C. Vote Sets Precedent on Unfettered Web Usage

Published on August 2, 2008 in Computer News. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

From the New York Times:

The Federal Communications Commission formally voted Friday to uphold the complaint against Comcast, the nation’s largest cable company, saying that it had illegally inhibited users of its high-speed Internet service from using popular file-sharing software. The decision, which imposes no fine, requires Comcast to end such blocking this year.

Kevin J. Martin, the commission’s chairman, said the order was meant to set a precedent that Internet providers, and indeed all communications companies, could not keep customers from using their networks the way they see fit unless there is a good reason.

FormatFactory Kicks Media Conversion

Published on August 1, 2008 in Digital Entertainment, Recommended Web Sites and Software Tips. 0 Comments Tags: , .

From Download Squad:

What could be better than a program that will convert audio, video, and image files from and to just about any format you can think of? How about one that does it all batch-style with minimal clicking? FormatFactory doesn’t care what files you want to swap in what order, just feed it your sources and watch it go to work. Unlike a lot of similar apps, this one doesn’t limit you to only video or audio, or even to one file at a time.Dump in as much as you want of whatever you want, and FormatFactory will do all the heavy lifting. It even supports the iPhone and PSP, and 3GP as well – making it a great way to cram multiformat goodness onto your favorite portable player.

This posting is from almost a month ago, and I finally got around to trying it last night. It’s great! It converted a video for me in just a few seconds. I also tried a WAV to MP3 converstion and it only took a few seconds as well.

None of the download links on the site itself worked, so I did a search for the program and found it easily.