Digital TV Converter Box Program

As previously reported on February 18, 2009 television stations in the U.S. will turn off their old-technology analog signals and broadcast only in a digital format. At that time anyone who owns an older television that gets its signal via antenna will need a converter box in order to receive the digital transmissions.

The government has set aside millions of dollars to help those households that need assistance with the change over. Each household is eligible for two coupons, regardless of whether they have pay-television service or not. To request a coupon apply online at dtv2009.gov or call the 24-hour hotline, 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009).

When talking about digital TV converters, usually means a basic device that attaches to your analog TV set, allowing it to receive digital over-the-air programs using your existing antenna. These are the digital-to-analog converter boxes (or “digital TV adapters”). The expected price is about $40 to $70, meaning with the coupon you may still need to cover some of the cost. Here is a full list of Coupon Eligible Converter Boxes (CECB).


How to tell if you need a DTV Converter

As of March 1, 2007, all television receivers shipped in interstate commerce or imported into the United States must contain a digital tuner. In addition, effective May 25, 2007, the Commission required sellers of television receiving equipment that does not include a digital tuner to disclose at the point-of-sale that such devices include only an analog tuner, and therefore will require a digital-to-analog converter box to receive over-the-air broadcast television after the transition date.

As for how to determine whether your television equipment purchased prior to May 25, 2007 is a DTV, many DTVs and digital television equipment will have labels or markings on them, or statements in the informational materials that came with them, to indicate that they contain digital tuners. These labels or markings may contain the words “Integrated Digital Tuner” or “Digital Tuner Built-In.” “Receiver” may be substituted for “Tuner,” and “DTV,” “ATSC,” or “HDTV” (high definition television) may be substituted for “Digital.” If your television equipment contains any of these labels or markings, you should be able to view digital over-the-air programming without the need for a digital-to-analog converter box. (Remember, you do not need an HDTV to view free over-the-air digital programming. As long as your television equipment contains a digital tuner, you can view over-the-air digital. An HDTV is only necessary if you want to view digital programming in “high definition.”)

Many newer DVD recorders and other TV equipment come with built in DTV tuners. So make sure to check all your components before you go out and buy a convert box as you may not need one!

You should also check the manual or any other materials that came with your television equipment in order to determine whether it contains a digital tuner.

If your television set is labeled as a “Digital Monitor” or “HDTV Monitor,” or as “Digital Ready” or “HDTV Ready,” this does not mean it actually contains a digital tuner. Thus, you still will likely need a separate set-top box which contains a tuner in order to view programs in the new digital TV transmission standard (which includes HDTV formats) on such a set.

Over-the-air digital set-top boxes can be purchased at retail stores. Cable and satellite TV providers also sell or lease digital set-top boxes for their specific services. (Note: the digital set-top box described here is not the same as the NTIA program digital-to-analog converter box, used to convert free over-the-air digital broadcasts for viewing on an analog TV set.)

If your television set is labeled as “analog” or “NTSC,” but is NOT labeled as containing a digital tuner, it contains an analog tuner only.

If you cannot determine whether your television set or other television equipment contains a digital tuner, you are advised to check your equipment for the manufacturer name and model number, and then contact your consumer electronics retailer, or the manufacturer, to determine whether it contains a digital tuner. This information also may be available online through the manufacturer’s website.

Because most broadcast stations in all U.S. television markets are already broadcasting in digital, consumers are further advised to contact their local broadcast stations to determine the channel numbers on which the stations are broadcasting digital programming. Consumers should then ensure that their televisions are set up to receive over-the-air programming (as distinguished from the signals of a paid provider such as cable or satellite TV service), and then tune to the over-the-air digital channels to see if they can receive the digital broadcast programming.

Do I need a new Antenna for DTV?

The antenna you've been using for watching analog TV over the air can also be used for digital TV, including HDTV. Viewers in some areas, however, will find that a better antenna—a rooftop one, perhaps—is needed to ensure reliable digital TV reception.

Digital TV reception differs from analog: Essentially, you either get a perfect digital signal for a particular channel, or nothing at all. It’s what’s known as a “cliff effect.” You will either find yourself at the very peak of reception capability or—less happily—in the deepest ditch. Which means you won't get the channel at all.


Do I Receive Digital Broadcasts If I Subscribe To Cable Or Satellite?

If you receive cable or satellite television service, contact your cable or satellite provider about any additional components, such as a digital set-top box, that you may need to watch digital broadcast programming. If you use the older style boxes then no you aren't receiving digital TV and you'll more than likely need to upgrade.

Will DTV work with my VCR, DVD Player, Camcorder, Video Games?

VCRs, DVD players, camcorders and video games will continue to work, even if they are only analog-capable. However they may not provide digital-quality picture and sound. Newer components may come with a digital tuner built in so check your owner manual or check the manufacturers site for more information.

Recent Updates
Important Information about Coupon Distribution from DTV2009.gov

TV Converter Box Coupons are plastic cards that look like gift cards. They will be:

• mailed to households with approved applications, starting in late February.


• sent based on the date of application, in the order in which the applications were received.


• mailed on a staggered basis – not all at once.


• delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.

Coupons cannot be printed or downloaded from the Program Website and are not available to pick up at retail locations.

Remember to call ahead to confirm availability of coupon-eligible converter boxes at the store on the day you plan to shop.

Toshiba To Drop HD DVD, Is This The Final Nail In The Coffin?

PC Magazine reports that Toshiba is expected to "Pull the Plug on HD-DVD"

"Toshiba is expected to pull the plug on its HD DVD format in the coming weeks, after a rash of retail defections that followed Warner Home Video's stunning announcement in early January that it would support only Sony's rival Blu-ray Disc format after May."

Toshiba has not made any official announcements however the HollyWood Reporter which originally broke the story has cited sources that have stated, "An announcement is coming soon,It could be a matter of weeks."

Wal-Mart has also announced that it will stop selling HD DVD movies by June, and is expected to restock its shelves with ‘only Blu-ray movies, hardware machines, as well as standard definition movies and DVD players, and up converts. This follows the announcement earlier this week that both Best Buy and Netflix.com Inc. are supporting behind Blu-ray exclusively.

It looks like HD DVDs days are numbered.

Best Buy Laptop Lawsuit

The $54 million laptop...you're joking right!

In what can only be stated as a publicity stunt Raelyn Campbell is suing Best Buy for loosing her laptop. On her blog, she admitted that the $54 million in damages she was seeking was an "absurd amount," but said that she chose such a large sum in order to draw attention to the problem.

She's not trying to draw attention to the problem she's trying to gain attention for herself at Best Buy's expense. If she only wanted to draw attention to the problem then why sue for $54 million, a million would be sufficient.

Now don't get me wrong, I loath Best Buy and Geek Squad, and have been very out spoken about their shady business practices in the past. And while I do think she is entitled to adequate compensation as well as an explanation of what happened to her laptop I in know way agree with taking the position of suing just to make headlines.

For those interested in the full story you can check out the story MSNBC's Red Tape Chronicles.

*Update*
I know it has been well over a year since this case drew public attention however I recently received an email asking for some follow-up. Thanks to Ron btw for that.

The case never made it that far. Washington Post blogger Raw Fisher posted some details and follow-up on his.

In that post he points out that a D.C. Superior Court judge has tossed out Campbell's case. Apparently she had whittled her demand down to $100,000 and "a full explanation" of whatever happened to her laptop at Best Buy's Tenleytown store. But in the end the judge tossed out the frivolous case and she got no money at all.

Mahalo Lawsuit, Final Update

For anyone following my two previous posts "Mahalo Lawsuit Looks Inevitable" and "Mahalo Refuses Mentors Payments" this will come as no surprise. An agreement between myself and Mahalo.com was never reached, forcing me to seek legal action.

My case was filled in Sacramento County Small Claims court (case number 08SC00893) February 01, 2008. Our court date has been set for 04/07/2008 1:30 P.M. in Sacramento.

Its probably in my best interest to make no further public comments on the case until there is a resolution one way or the either. But I did want to provide everyone with an update and thank everyone that has shown support.

Comcast Defends Content Filtering

Comcast tries to defend its net neutrality, network management and P2P filtering.

Wikipedia defines Network neutrality(equivalently "net neutrality", "Internet neutrality" or "NN") as a principle that is applied to residential broadband networks, and potentially to all networks. Precise definitions vary, but a broadband network free of restrictions on the kinds of equipment that may be attached, on the modes of communication allowed, that does not restrict content, sites, or platforms and where communication is not unreasonably degraded by other communication streams would be considered neutral by most observers.

This principal seems to be foreign to service provider Comcast (and now AT&T) as they have come under fire for their network management practices.

Comcast has taken to the approach of limiting or even denying file-sharing traffic. While they have admitted to delaying P2P traffic during peak hours, they deny blocking P2P applications completely. However many users have claimed otherwise.

Two articles "Comcast Defends Filtering in FCC Filing" and "Comcast Under Fire Again for Net Neutrality" both from PC Magazine have in-depth coverage of Comcast's position on the issues.

Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of a House Internet and telecommunications panel has introduced a new bill HR5353 labeled the "Internet Freedom Preservation Act". Markey claims the bill is designed to assess and promote Internet freedom for consumers and content providers. The bill tasks the FCC with the job of conducting an assessment of broadband practices and consumer rights. Finally, it requires the FCC to hold eight broadband summits around the nation and to report back to Congress on its findings and any recommendations for further action.

Crack Down on Pirated Software Auctions

PC Magazine reports: The SIIA has its eyes on eBay.

That was the message behind a statement released Wednesday by the Software & Information Industry Association, which said it had filed seven suits in a district court in northern California against eight defendants. Each was accused of trying to auction pirated software from Adobe, particularly copies of its Adobe CS3 suite.

Washington, D.C. – February 13, 2008 – The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) announced today it has filed the largest round of lawsuits since launching its auction site anti-piracy program two years ago. SIIA filed nine separate suits in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, on behalf of members Adobe Systems Incorporated and Symantec Corporation. The lawsuits are part of SIIA’s comprehensive program to battle rampant auctioning of pirated software.

Two suits were also filed against eBay sellers two weeks ago, naming two more defendants; one was accused of selling pirated Adobe Photoshop CS3 software, while the other involved the alleged selling of Symantec pcAnywhere 11.0 Host and Remote, pcAnywhere 10.5 Host and Remote and Norton Utilities 8.0 for Macintosh.

“SIIA has declared war against those who continue to sell pirated software on auction sites such as eBay,” says Keith Kupferschmid, SVP of SIIA’s Anti-Piracy Division. “Our goal is to give illegal software sellers a rude awakening, so that unsuspecting software buyers and legitimate sellers are protected. For too long, auction sellers have been able to sell pirated software while risking only the removal of their auction. SIIA has upped the ante by bringing those who pirate software to justice in court.”

Of the industry's top names, however, there is one notable exception; a list of the program's participants includes Apple, Adobe, Intuit, McAfee, and Symantec, but doesn't include Microsoft, which has its own methods of dealing with piracy, including working with the FBI.

A representative for Microsoft's Genuine Advantage program said that users who report that they own a pirated piece of Microsoft software, such as Windows, can notify the company at Microsoft's anti-piracy site. If the software meets the company's criteria, the user may be receive a free copy of authentic Microsoft software in exchange. Users that do not meet the criteria may be referred back to the Genuine Advantage department for a discounted copy of the software, the representative said.

Next Generation iPhone Hacks

More new iPhone Hacks are on the horizon.

From Technology Review
Apple's plan to release a software kit that lets people create legitimate add-ons for the iPhone could make the device appeal to an even wider audience.

Hackers have been crafting clever add-ons that range from instant access to a Blockbuster Online DVD queue to a pocket guitar that takes advantage of the touch screen. In addition, people have found ways to unlock the iPhone from AT&T, so that it can work on other cellular-phone networks.

All of these hacks, however, are done without Apple's blessing or technical support. This month, Apple is expected to release a software development kit (SDK) that will allow programmers to write legitimate software for the phone.

This will enable developers to make more reliable software, and it will let the average iPhone owner easily download new programs without needing to follow arduous online instructions from blogs. And importantly, an SDK will likely spawn a new world of applications--possibly even business software--that could extend the reach of the iPhone beyond a user base of four million, as announced in January. "When you have a device like the iPhone that can attract so many people, you also have enterprise developers who want to use that interface," says Mike McGuire, an analyst for Gartner, a market research firm. He says that an SDK will lead to commercial applications for the business sector, "and that's where the real money is."

More at TechnologyReview.com

The Web's Best Laptop CPU Guides

Confused about laptop CPU choices? I'll be the first to tell you you aren't alone. I've been shopping around for a good laptop on a reasonable budget for months now and the 20-30 different CPU choices out there leave your head spinning. And if a technophile like me is confused then how can the average consumer fare?

Luckily I've found a few great guides that will help answer some of those questions and guide you along the way to making the informed choice. The guys over at NotebookReview.com, NotebookCheck.net and Tom's Hardware have built a couple great guides. Some with benchmarks and side by side comparisons and some just well written guides that everyone interested in buying a laptop should checkout.

First off is the "The Ultimate CPU Guide" from NotebookReview.com. This very informative guide provides a breakdown of both AMD and Intel CPU's from the older Celeron M 520 to the new Core 2 Extreme X9000.

Second is the Mobile CPU Benchmark Chart from NotebookCheck.com. This is a sorted and filtered table of the best-known laptop processors. It contains technical information such as model, codename, speed ratings, cache ratings, front side bus (FSB) Thermal Design Power (TDP) and average benchmark values.

Last but not least are the interactive Mobile CPU 2007 and 2008 Charts from Tom's Hardware. Unfortunately these charts are very limited to only a few processors. However they give some real life side by side comparisons. A great tool for beginners and advanced users alike.

New Phishing Method Could Be Undetectable

Loopholes in the the Domain Name System (DNS) could make financial scams such as phishing attacks practically undetectable.

According to a recent Techworld.com article "Phishing attacks could be undetectable". Researchers David Dagon, Chris Lee and Wenke Lee of Georgia Tech, and Niels Provos of Google presented their study "Corrupted DNS Resolution Paths" describing the exploit, called "DNS resolution path corruption".

The study noted in a previous article describes how an attack could be carried out by a simple piece of code implanted via a malicious website or email attachment. The code would change a file in the Windows registry settings, telling the PC to use the malicious server for all DNS information.

The Techworld article states, "The problem is "open recursive" DNS servers, which are used to tell computers how to find each other on the internet by translating domain names like google.com into numerical Internet Protocol addresses. Criminals are using these servers in combination with new attack techniques to develop a new generation of phishing attacks, according to the study."

"Using Google's network of web crawlers, researchers uncovered more than 2,100 Web pages that used exploit code to change the Windows registry of visitors."

File-Sharing In The UK , Lose Your Internet Access

Illegal file sharers in the UK who go online and illegally download music and films may have their internet access cut under plans the government is considering.

Reports from the BBC News indicate that the British government is considering plans that would require internet service providers to take action over users who access pirated material via their accounts or face be prosecution, and the details of customers suspected of making illegal downloads made available to the courts.

It is estimated that six million people a year are downloading files illegally in the UK. At a cost of millions of pounds in lost revenues to music and film companies. The BPI (similar to the RIAA), the trade body that represents the UK record industry, said internet providers had "done little or nothing to address illegal downloading via their networks".

Representatives from the Internet Service Providers Association have countered by saying "ISPs are no more able to inspect and filter every single packet passing across their network than the Post Office is able to open every envelope."

Starbucks Moves To AT&T Hot Spots

Computerworld.com reports that Starbucks Corp. has announced that it is moving away from T-Mobile as its in-store Wi-Fi provider and will transition to AT&T Inc.'s Wi-Fi service in more than 7,000 of its high-end coffee shops beginning this spring.

Starbucks has said it will give customers who use a Starbucks card two hours of free wireless access per day. Additional time will cost $3.99 for a two-hour session and monthly memberships will cost $19.99 and include access to any of AT&T's 70,000 hot spots worldwide.

Nearly all of AT&T's broadband Internet customers, about 12 million, will automatically have unlimited free Wi-Fi access at Starbucks, the companies said. This comes on the heels of the AT&T plans to offer free Wi-Fi to almost all of its current broadband subscribers.

The deal boosts the number of AT&T hotspots in the U.S. to 17,000 — the most in the nation. AT&T previously had around 10,000 Wi-Fi hot spots in the U.S. in places like airports, McDonald's restaurants, Barnes & Noble bookstores, coffee shops, and sporting venues.

A full list of hotspot locations can be found at the AT&T Wi-Fi website. AT&T users simply have to find the network (SSID: attwifi), and log in using their primary DSL or U-Verse account username and password.

Vista SP1 Integration Update

Slipstreaming Vista SP1

I've received several questions since my last post "Vlite Vista SP1 Integration". As I mentioned in that previous post, the folks over at WinBeta.org have the only comprehensive guide to SP1 integration. Yesterday they updated the guide with a little more information for those that are still seeking answers.

The latest post "Windows Vista SP1 Slipstreaming FAQ" quotes Kevin Remde from Microsoft and his Technet blog post "I can't do WHAT?! Why can't I create my own slipstreamed installation of Windows Vista SP1?".

As you can see the reverse integration method used by the folks at WinBeta.org is currently the only method that will work! Vlite will still work for creating the ISO and ultimately creating the DVD, however you won't be able to remove unwanted Vista or Vista SP1 components.

MayDay Botnet, Storm Worm and Now Mega-D

The newest botnets and worms on the horizon are becoming increasingly hard to track, hard to find and harder to remove. Last week I posted about the MayDay Botnet which researchers are saying it sneakier and stealthier than anything they've seen so far.

Last month new warnings went out about the latest version of the Storm Worm. Sent to unsuspecting users as a simple innocent looking Valentine greeting. The spammed email messages are just plain text, but contain links that lead to malicious Web sites displaying one of eight cute Valentine images. If you run the executable named VALENTINE.EXE, your system will inevitably join the Storm botnet to start spamming other Internet users.

Previous variants of storm used the same similar approach sending emails with subjects such as, "You've received a postcard from a family member!" or "You've received an Ecard from a friend".

Now we face the newest, and possibly the worst spam threat in the form of "Mega-D". According to a recent Ars Technia article "New Mega-D menace muscles Storm Worm aside", the Australian security company Marshal, Mega-D now accounts for 32 percent of the total spam the company is tracking online. The experts at Marshal have said "Storm is one of five botnets that we have been monitoring that we believe are responsible for approximately 75 per cent of all spam in circulation. One particular botnet which heavily promotes a certain brand of male enhancement pills (Mega-D), accounts for nearly 30 percent. This one bot has already exceeded Storm’s records and it has done it quietly without attracting too much attention."

Computerworld.com writes "Storm worm dethroned by sex botnet". " The Mega-D botnet, which offers discounted sexual enhancement pills to users, delivers a whopping 30 percent more spam than Storm, famous for delivering malicious Valentine's Day cards. It is the largest botnet on record, according to security firm Marshal Ltd., and has exceeded Storm's highest spam output in September last year by 12%".

The best defense against viruses, malware, trojans, worms and botnets is a good offense. Meaning update all your virus definitions regularly, update your spyware programs, your windows installations and all your installed programs. Viruses can attack exploits in media players, flash players and even Adobe Acrobat while you are viewing PDF's.

Its also highly recommended that you avoid opening emails from unknown sources. While you might be tempted to read that e-card you are far better off being safe than sorry. If you aren't currently using an anit-virus program thenI'd suggest either AVG's Free Version or Avast's Free Home Edition. For spyware detection and removal Spy-bot Search & Destroy and Ad-aware Free Edition.

Revolution Money Exchange

**Update**
I've posted an updated review
Great PayPal Alternative, Revolution Money Exchange Reviewed

*Correction note*
I previous stated the company was founded by Ted Leonsis and Steve Case. They are indeed investors and board members in the company. Jason Hogg and Patrick Graf however are the founders of Revolution Money, previously called Gratis Card.

Revolution Money Exchange is a new online payment system launched last year. The company founded by Jason Hogg and Patrick Graf and run with current investors and board members Ted Leonsis and Steve Case has placed itself in direct competition with PayPal. Offering free online money transfers and currently drumming up business by offering a $25.00 sign-up bonus. A deal that is spreading fast across sites like Slickdeals.net, FatWallet.com and Dealighted.com.


InformationWeek and USAtoday did stories on the site back in November however until recently I hadn't heard anything about it. Of course once I heard of the $25.00 sign-up bonus I had to investigate. After reading several articles and several blog posts I saw I was just in the dark.

Revolution its self is more tied to a next-generation credit and debit card that promises to be more secure and less expensive than current cards. According to the InformationWeek article the card itself is anonymous, so it doesn't have the cardholder's name on the card nor does it contain any information about the cardholder in the magnetic stripe.

The MoneyExchange side of the business is the online money transfer. They offer FDIC insured accounts issued by First Bank & Trust. For most services there are no fees, however there do seem to be high fees for things like check withdrawals, check stop payments, paper statements, ACH returns, and overdrafts. You will also need to be prepared to enter your SSN, a step that can not be avoided to sign-up.

In addition to the $25.00 sign-up bonus they offer $10 refer a friend bonuses (up to 50/yr). The only draw back I've seen there is you can't simply refer people, you have to directly email them from within your account on the site. Personalized referral links would be helpful, but I guess that cuts down on the some spam issues.

Follow up 4/7/08

Having used the service now for a couple months, I can report no issues. I received my $25 instantly, attached my bank account and withdrew my funds. The only real drawback I've ran into is that eBay does not currently allow the service. I have seen a few questions regarding its use on eBay and from what I can gather it won't be approved, or endorsed by eBay because it doesn't allow buyers to dispute payments. (not to mention eBay doesn't want to loose out on Pay-Pal fees)

According to eBay's Accepted Payments Policy as a seller you can only accept payments through approved methods. So at least for now I won't be able to fully rid myself of Pay-Pal.

72 Tips for Safer Computing by PC Magazine

Some great beginner tips from the basics of disabling autoruns, to setting more secure passwords Pc Magazine covers them all in this comprehinsive list.

Vlite Vista SP1 Integration

According to Vlite and Winbeta Microsoft has confirmed that there will be no way to directly slipstream SP1 into Vista.

Of course, that doesn't mean it can't be done and the guys over at WinBeta have been working hard on the problem. They've released a Vista SP1 Reverse Integration Guide which will walk users through an involved process of reverse integration.

After looking over the guide I'll say this is for more advanced users and is probably not for the average user. This of course is not official nor an easy method. However it does look possible, and I'm sure they'll be researching a way to come up with a less complicated method.

Flock Adds MySpace Support

The popular Mozilla-based social Web browser Flock added MySpace support. This comes following the recently released MySpace Developer Platform, the updated browser will allow users to surf the Web with their MySpace friends via constant updates on all their actions within the social network.

With the new refinements users can be informed within the browser when friends from MySpace or other supported social networks — like YouTube Photobucket and Flickr — post new photos or videos or when a user has new messages from friends on a social network.

I haven't used Flock in several years, but as you can see from my review I enjoyed my experiences with the browser. With the new additions and recent changes I might have to revisit their site and see how they've progressed.

Personally Customized Cell Phones

Two new cell phone companies Modu Mobile and zzzPhone have announced plans for build-to-order customizable cell phones.

The foundation of the Modu product will be a small phone designed to slide into special "jackets." These "jackets" are phone exteriors with extra functionality, plus software that instructs the phone about special color schemes and other features. For example, a user might use a "jacket" with a camera in it to take pictures, then replace that with a "jacket" with a QWERTY keyboard for easy text messaging.

zzzPhone on the other hand will be using a build-to-order site similar to Dell's. You use its Web site to choose the features you want, and the company will build it for you. Its base model costs $149. You can choose from a range of colors and add additional features, such as a 7-megapixel camera, TV tuner or GPS for additional cost.

ComputerWorld's article "Who wants a custom cell phone?" covers more details on the two companies, their phones and potential uses.

More information on Modu can be found in the recent EFluxMedia post "Israeli Startup modu Revolutionizes Phone Industry">

MayDay Botnet

MayDay botnet is the newest peer-to-peer botnet causing havoc for thousands of U.S.-based large enterprises, educational institutions, and customers of major ISPs. MayDay is the potential successor to the Storm trojan. A botnet that infected hundred of thousands of computers late last year.

DarkReading reports that MayDay uses a combination of techniques to communicate with its bots, including hijacking browser proxy settings and It can communicate through an enterprise's secure Web proxy and conduct updates and attack activities.

Tripp Cox, vice president of engineering for Damballa is quoted in the recent DarkReading article "MayDay! Sneakier, More Powerful Botnet on the Loose". He states that "The botnet uses two forms of P2P communications to ensure it can talk to its bots, including the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP). "This malware is for multiple protocols and is specifically designed to be successful despite whatever security controls might be in place."

So far anti-virus companies have not been able to find a way for detecting MayDay's malware. It is unknown if it is because of the advanced techniques used in the malware construction or if AV companies can't identify these pieces of malware.

The infection comes in the form of what appears to the victim to be an Adobe Reader executable, but is actually the malware. Damballa is still studying the botnet's delivery mechanisms for the malware, Cox says.

AT&T Broadband Prices Are On The Rise

InformationWeek announced that AT&T will be increasing the prices of all its DSL services by $5 across the board.

The recent InformationWeek article states that most consumers in AT&T's service area will see $5 jumps in their monthly rates. For instance Basic 768 Kbps service will rise from $14.99 to $19.95, Express 1.5 Mbps service from $19.99 to $25, and Pro 3 Mbps service from $24.99 to $30.

Just a few weeks ago I wrote about AT&T's plans to "play big brother" with their announcement of plans to implement voluntary content filtering. Now they go and raises prices to users, are they trying to drive customers away?

Google Experiementing With Search Results

Google has introduced what it is calling "Alternate Views" search results. Users will see results on a timeline, map, or in context of other information types. With these views, Google extracts key dates, locations, measurements, and more from select search results so you can view the information in a slightly different format.

For more information on this and other experimental Google projects check out the Google Experimental page or the Official Google Blog.

PcWorld's How to Buy and Sell on eBay Scam-Free

PcWorld put together a great how to on buying and selling on eBay. The article "How to Buy and Sell on eBay Scam-Free" covers several of the most common ways buyers and sellers are scammed as well as ways to avoid such scams.

Of the many things that are covered are: account hijacking, payment fraud and fake and misrepresented items. This article is a must read for the average Ebay user that might not be aware of some of the hidden dangers.

New High Speed Solid State Drives

Intel and Micron have partnered to create solid state drives using NAND flash memory chips that can reach speeds of up to 200 MB per second for reading data and 100 MB per second for writing. The new technology would be approximately 5 times faster than current memory chips. Which have maximum read-write speeds of 40 MB and 20 MB.

Micron is expected to release a high-speed 8 GB solid-state drive later this year. With higher-capacity products expected closer to the beginning of 2009. These new drives will be ideal for HD video files. Where the content can be moved in and out of a storage device quickly, so it can be played on a handheld gadget or recorded in a camcorder.

Read InformationWeek.com's article "Intel, Micron Claim To Boost Solid-State Drive Speeds By 500%" for more information.

MacBook Air Has a Few Problems

Apple Support has released a few documents outlying the issues facing would be MacBook Air owners.

Of the several issues outlined many are networking problems. These include a reduction of throughput for wireless networks that use the 2.4-GHz band, slow speeds when connected to multiple Bluetooth devices and routers that refuse to work the Remote Disc magic.

Recent articles from Computerworld.com, Wired.com and Yahoo! News cover many of the problems as well as a few solutions.

AT&T Data Network Down

Computerworld.com reported that AT&T's wireless data networks in the Southeast and Midwest U.S. were down for several hours on Thursday.

AT&T is still looking into what caused the failure, however users on the EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) and UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) services began having problems around 6:30 a.m. EST. The problem was fixed and the network was back up and running by 3:00pm.

MacBook Air Recieves More Competition

Miniaturized versions of the Intel Core 2 Duo processors specially developed for Apple's new MacBook Air will soon be used by other PC vendors in systems. A move that will most likely be creating competition for what has been labeled as the world's lightest and thinnest notebook.

The MacBook Air comes with miniaturized version of Intel Core 2 Duo Merom family processors. The processors unning at either 1.6 GHz or 1.8GHz, have been shrunk by up to 60% compared to other Merom processors.

The companies' names have yet to be released, but the chip most likely will bring smaller and lighter notebooks that will compete in size and performance with the MacBook Air.

At the Intel Developer Forum last year, Intel talked about shrinking the size of chips by up to 60% for its next-generation Montevina mobile platform, which will include the new Penryn processors manufactured using the 45nm process. The small form-factor chips will be released shortly after the normal-size chips, due to ship by the middle of 2008.

Confused About Digital TV Transition?

You aren't alone, millions of television viewers will be affected by the Feb. 18, 2009 changes and recent studies indicate the majority of them don't full understand the changes ahead.

Feb. 18, 2009 that's the date in which full-power television stations in the U.S. will turn off their old-technology analog signals and broadcast only in a digital format. At that time anyone who owns an older television that gets its signal via antenna will need a converter box in order to receive the digital transmissions. In laymans terms these are your typical local stations, and you'll now need a converter box in order to watch those channels.

Reportedly 13.5 million television households, rely on over-the-air television broadcasts for programming. According to recent surveys by Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, 36 percent of respondents in its survey were unaware of the transition. Among those 58 percent believe all televisions will need a converter box to function. While another 48 percent believe that only digital televisions will work after 2009, and 24 percent believe they will need to throw away all of their analog television sets and buy new digital sets.

None of these presumptions is true.

According to the recent MSNBC article "Consumers confused about digital TV transition"the government has allocated $1.5 billion to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to pay for coupons that will subsidize the cost of converter boxes. But only $5 million of that is for consumer education. Another $1.5 million has been allocated to the Federal Communications Commission for public education efforts.

Each household is eligible for two coupons, regardless of whether they have pay-television service or not. To request a coupon, consumers can apply online at dtv2009.gov or call the 24-hour hotline, 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009).

For more information visit the FCC DTV
Consumer Facts Page or DTV.gov.

Vlite Vista Installation Customizer

The developers of the popular Windows XP customizer Nlite have now worked their magic on a new customizer for Windows Vista. Vlite is designed to streamline your Vista installations and remove any unwanted Vista components. Items such as Windows Media Player, Windows Mail, Windows Photo Viewer, Wallpapers and other utilities can be removed before installation.

Vlite also allows for integration of other components such as hotfixes, drivers and language packs into the new image and has an unattended install function. This tool doesn't use any kind of hacking, all files and registry entries are protected as they would be if you install the unedited version only with the changes you select.

Techworld recently featured an article titled ""New utility cuts Vista install down to size" that provides a few more details, and a few things to watch out for when using this utility.

I've used Nlite for years to streamline and slipstream things into Xp install Cd's and personally give it a thumbs up. Its a must have for anyone that has the old SP1 install CD or simply anyone that doesn't want to spend hours downloading all the hotfixes and add-ons after a fresh install.

Cable TV: Legal False Advertising

MSNBC recently discussed how Cables companies such as Comcast squeeze more and more out of your wallet. The article titled "Cable TV: King of misleading come-ons" points out ways Comcast mis-leads its would-be customers with teaser rates and promotional ads that never clearly explain their charges.

On mailers sent to Seattle-area residents, the introductory period was not defined. When did it end? Whenever Comcast called. And despite the abundant small print on post cards sent to Seattle-area TV watchers — which numbered 300 words or more — the real price of the service (ultimately about $150 a month) never appeared once

In a 2006 out-of-court settlement between the Comcast and the Massachusetts state attorney general, the attorney general said “Comcast, and its predecessor, AT&T Broadband, engaged in a series of unfair practices in the advertising and sale of its cable television services, including advertising limited time offers of free or reduced rate digital cable packages without adequately disclosing to consumers what the actual price of those services would be during and after the promotional period.”

Is this surprising? No we've all know for years that cable companies are monopolizing the markets. Ask any Comcast customer how much their bills have risen over the years and how little content has risen. Add on internet fees and now phone service and Comcast is sitting firmly in your pocket.

Windows 7 'build' on BitTorrent is bogus

Computerworld reports many users of popular torrent sites and programs having been creating bogus files called Windows 7. The files are a supposed follow up to Windows Vista.

Neowin.net reports that several BitTorrent sites have been seeded with files posing as the M1 -- for Milestone 1 -- build of Windows 7. But downloaders have confirmed that the disk images are bogus and should be avoided. The potential for virus infection is obvious but as of now no one is reporting any malicious use of code. So far it looks to be a simple prank.

Popular Blogs such as Gizmodo have recently reported that the previous release date of 2009 as been pushed back to 2001 or beyond. Earlier this month Gizmodo posted Video of Windows 7 Ultimate however in my opinion it looks more like a tweaked version of Vista than anything.

MacWorld MacBook Air Hands On

MacWorld throws the MacBook Air through its paces with some preliminary tests of the standard default-configuration. As you can see from the article the results are pretty much in line with what was expected. Thinner and lighter won't help with performance, but you've got to admit that the MacBook Air looks awesome.

Cell Phone Advertising A Revolution??

Not in my mind my, but according to a recent article on MSNBC.com top technology executives at the World Economic Forum think so. Mobile Internet and video capable cell phones will eventually let advertisers tailor messages based on a user's location.

Several top cell phone companies might eventually employee "location advertising" enabled by the devices' global positioning system. Personally I have to agree with U.S. congressman Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, he noted that the prospect of advertisers knowing where users are through GPS was "bone-chilling." Its not bad enough that we can be tracked by "big brother" but now we may have to worry about getting inundated with ads!

Mahalo Lawsuit Looks Inevitable

It looks as though the inevitable is likely, in less than a week I'll be forced to file a lawsuit against Mahalo.com and Jason Calacanis for failure to pay in accordance to the terms of our contracts. I made pretty much every attempt possible to reach an agreement and avoid going through the court process. However its beginning to look fairly dim.

The only recent contact came shorty after the follow up post to my original post "Mahalo Refuses Mentors Payments". I basically pointed out the fact that the pages they are refusing to pay for are still on Mahalo.com and for the most part they have been untouched or unaltered in anyway. The majority of these pages are still listed under my name and unfortunately I'm still listed on the email for the submitted user links!

To me this more than signifies the acceptance of those pages. Which in turn shows I fully fulfilled the terms of the Mahalo Mentors Agreement and my end of the contracts!

Given the fact they still had to calculate payments for December, of which I'm owed approximately $760, and they are never on time with those payments. I decided to give them until the end of the month to pay in full for all three months. Payment delays have always been an issue with Mahalo so they may surprise me!!

The lack of response to my email, which was a response to them calling, pretty much tells me I'm going to have to go through the legal system and fight to get my payments.

It pretty unfortunate that it has to come to legal action considering from July to December I devoted most of mt time and efforts to working with at Mahalo.com and with the members of the Mahalo Greenhouse.

Meg Whitman to Retire

The Wall Street Journal has announced that EBay CEO Meg Whitman is finally going to step down after 10 years with the company.

In recent years EBay and Whitman have come under fire for rising costs, security issues and fraud prevention as well as the acquisition Skype which led to a $1.4 billion write-down of its investment. Over the past several years sites like Firemeg.com Power Sellers Unite and We hate Ebay have become more and more prevalent.

Under her leadership, eBay has turned into one of the most-visited sites on the Internet. But the company's growth has weakened in recent years cutting cut its stock price by half from a peak of just over $56 in late 2004 to just about $28 today.

Hack of Legitimate Web Sites Larger Than First Thought

In a follow up to a story posted last week "Massive Hacking Attack Hits Hundreds of Sites" Computerworld writes "Mass host hack bigger than first thought, hits 10,000 sites.
Some hacked Apache servers reinfected even after clean-up and Linux reinstall".

Last week a senior security researcher at ScanSafe Inc., said that they had uncovered hundreds of sites which had been hacked and were feeding exploits to visitors. According to ScanSafe the number is far higher than originally thought. Reaching approximately 10,000 sites hosted on Linux servers running Apache.

Those servers have been infected with a pair of files that generate constantly-changing malicious JavaScript. When visitors reach the hacked site, the script calls up an exploit cocktail that includes attack code targeting recent QuickTime vulnerabilities, the long-running Windows MDAC bug, and even a fixed flaw in Yahoo Messenger.

ScanSafe originally drew a link between the security breach at U.K.-based Fasthosts Ltd., and the site hacks, saying then that the domains ScanSafe had found infected had, or had recently had, a relationship with Fasthosts.

Fasthosts denied such a cause-and-effect, and cited what it called "technical discrepancies" with Landesman's claims, but said it was investigating nonetheless.

For more information check out the full article at Computerworld.com

DeviceVM's SplashTop the Instant On Desktop

Device VM, a startup based in Silicon Valley, has recently released a tiny piece of software that is integrated with a PC's motherboard. The software gives users the option to boot either Windows or a faster, less-complex linux based operating system "SplashTop".

SplashTop users can start surfing the Web or watching a DVD in less than 20 seconds, and, in some cases, in less than five. Splashtop is embedded in the motherboards BIOS, so it starts before the operating system is up and running. The user will see a simple menu screen offering a handful of options, including launching the Firefox Web browser, a media player, Skype, or an instant-messaging program, or allowing Windows to boot.

The applications are stored in a flash-memory chip on the motherboard, so they can be quickly accessed--even if the hard drive fails. And since the software is linux based it is inherently safer than surfing the web with a slimmed down version of windows. The threat of viruses or hacking would be minimal.

Splashtop is currently available on motherboards from Asus. David Speiser, director of business development at DeviceVM said, "within the next couple of months, desktops and laptops with Splashtop-enabled hardware will be available to consumers."

DeviceVM is not the only company looking to cut boot times. BIOS company Phoenix Technologies announced a technology called HyperSpace, which is expected to be available in laptops in the second half of this year. And Intel is developing both hardware and software that will shorten boot times. They are currently shipping Intel Turbo Memory, which boots Windows faster by caching data in flash memory instead of on the hard drive.

CPU's for 2008 and Beyond

CNet.com and PCMag.com feature two great articles "CPU Road Map: 2007 and beyond" and "CPU Road Map 2008: Maxing Out Moore's Law" mapping the future that Intel and AMD have in store for us.

AMD's Phenoms have hit the market with less than a bang. However it appears as though AMD might have a few CPU's on the horizon to keep an eye on. AMD is expected to move from the 65-nm process to the 45-nm as well, with the Leo platform in dual- and quad-core flavors. We will see Eight-core CPU's coming from AMD sometime in2009, still in 45 nm, with the Python platform. Python is also expected to be on the market when AMD moves from DDR2 to DDR3 memory.

Intel and their new "Core 3" Nehalem processors, which are scheduled for release in late 2008, should be the next big thing on the market. Nehalem will have integrated memory controllers, thus eliminating the FSB entirely (something AMD has done for years). This means that the CPU will talk to the system memory natively at DDR3 speeds. Nehalem will be offered in one- to eight-core versions for the desktop and likely for laptops.

As little as a few years ago the biggest question on the market was which single core cpu was best, which manufacturer could reach the highest Ghz rating and where will they amaze us next. Now the question on everyones mind is dual core or quad core. In a couple years it will be quad core or octo-core!

For me this raises the question of how much computing power does the average user really need? I've always head fast to the idea that "most" users don't need dual core machines. And can in fact get by with single core PCs. However now the view is that most users can benefit from a mid-range dual core setup but don't need quad core. In a couple years we'll have to change that view.

If you are curious how your CPU stacks up against the latest greatest offering from Intel and AMD checkout Tom's Hardware Cpu Charts and the PassMark CPU Benchmark Charts.

AT&T to Play Big Brother

Even thought the federal government has said that AT&T and other ISP's don't have to police their networks for pirated content, the telecommunications giant is voluntarily looking for ways to play internet cop.

According to CNet.com AT&T executives have said the company is testing technology to filter traffic on its network to look for copyrighted material that is being illegally distributed.

So far, most ISPs such as Verizon Communications and Qwest Communications International have declined comment. Comcast has stated that following last years uproar over their allegedly slowing P2P content that they are no longer using or testing content filtering technology.

Art Brodsky, a spokesman for Public Knowledge, a digital-rights public interest group has said "Content filtering is like the cops knocking on everyone's door to make sure there are no stolen goods inside, searching packets on a network throws out the whole idea of innocent until proven guilty."

MacBook Air Versus the Competition

PC World provides a little perspective on how the MacBook Air fairs against its PC/Windows based competition including products from Sony, Lenovo, and Fujitsu. And in a second great article "MacBook Air: How Incomplete Is It?" they point to some key features that are missing.

Eweek.com has a similarly impressive slideshow. I'll admit the MacBook Air looks impressive however with a starting price tag of $1,799 I won't see one sitting on my desk anytime soon.

For those that are willing to shell out the dough you'll get a very stylish notebook measuring 12.8″ x 8.94″ x 0.16-0.76 inch and weight 3.0 pounds. Powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor 1.6ghz, 80GB 1.8″ disk with a 13.3″ 1280×800 LED-backlit display. Other features include 802.11n draft wireless, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor, and 2GB of RAM standard. Apple also decided to pack in a full-sized keyboard, iSight webcam, and MagSafe power connector.

You'll be limited to a single audio jack, a single USB 2.0 slot, and Micro-DVI out. Unfortunately you do not receive an optical drive nor do you have the option for a wired Ethernet adapter.

Add-ons and upgrades include an optional $19 S-Video adapter, a $29 USB Ethernet adapter and for those willing to spend $3,098 you can opt for the upgraded model which will feature the 1.8GHz processor and a 64GB SSD for storage.

Massive Hacking Attack Hits Hundreds of Sites

Computerworld.com reports that a massive hack of legitimate UK based Web sites has been spreading malware to visitors' PCs, using a new tactic that has made detection "extraordinarily difficult,". "All of the affected domains either have or have had a relationship in the recent past with Fasthosts, a UK based hosting company" said Mary Landesman, a senior security researcher at ScanSafe Inc..

The hacked sites sites are legitimate URLs, many of which are small mom-and-pop e-commerce sites mainly located in the U.K.

MySpace Profiles Offering Fake MS Patch

Attackers send new "friend requests" to MySpace users. When clicking on the person's picture or name link to view their profile, it shows a profile page overlaid with what looks like a legitimate Windows "Automatic Updates" pop-up box. Visit EWeek.com for more details.

Mahalo Dropping Payments to Guides

Allen Stern over at CenterNetworks summed it up well with his recent post Mahalo Changes Payment Plan and Yes, Jason Mahalo is an SEO Play - I've Got Charts

Beginning Monday, January 14th, we will be assigning smaller dollar amounts to extremely short SeRPs or very fringe topic SeRPs that aren't of high priority, and likewise, we will be assigning higher prices to SeRPs in especially difficult verticals or which are in high demand.

Mahalo was supposedly able to run for the first several years without generating revenues from Ads, however we now see that has changed. Jason at one time said they had enough capital to run for several years, however he has been actively searching for more money. ValleyWag seems to think Mahalo is burning money.

What gives Jason are you guys going broke? Do you honestly feel as though your guides are going to work their butts off to create a "great" page for $2.00? I wonder how many of your current guides are planning a mutiny? They've already been complaining about delays in payment and delays in having their SERRS accepted. It sounds as though things are sliding down hill fast over there! Thank god I got out when I could. Now if I could just get paid for the work I did for you guys I'd be a happy man!

Best CES 2008 Coverage

Not all of us could make it to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this year, and don't we all wish we could be there. However there are plenty of great bloggers and technology sites that are there and they are providing great coverage. Here is a list of a few of the sites I personally have been following.

Technology Sites
PC Pro: CES 2008
Tech Web TV (great videos)
CNET: CES 2008
Wired @ CES 2008
PC Magazine

Blogs
Valleywag CES 2008
Auto Blog (The cars of CES) an often overlooked area of CES
PopSci Blog

Talk of Recession Looms Over the Fun at CES

The worsening economy, and the combination of a surge in the U.S. jobless rate, high oil and gas prices and a worsening credit and housing crisis has many in the consumer electronics industry on edge.

An article by Eweek.com outlines the many fears and hurdles faced by company executives at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.

Geeks.com Website Hacked Customer Data Stolen

According to The Consumerist Geeks.com recently discovered on December 5, 2007 that customer information, including Visa credit card information, may have been compromised. It is advised that anyone that has recently made a purchase from Geeks.com AKA Computer Geeks.com, track all their Visa activity or place a fraud alert on their accounts.

More information on avoiding identity theft.

Update: ComputerWorld.com has this great article on the security breach. Geeks.com has set up this phone number (888) 529-6261 to assist customers with questions and concerns related to the incident.

Follow up to "Mahalo Refuses to pay it's Mentors"

As there has been a great deal of interest in my recent post "Mahalo Refuses Mentors Payments" and I've received several emails inquiring as to how things are proceeding I figured I'd better post some follow up.

Unfortunately there really isn't much to say. I had to wait until the end of December for them to contact me with the total number of pages they were refusing payment on. All told it ended up being 257 pages for a total of $2,510.00.

Following the legal guidelines I was given I sent them a demand of payment letter. In any situation such as this you must show proof that you contacted them asking for payment. So now the waiting game begins, they have until the end of the month to respond or remit payment.

I found out today that they have removed my greenhouse account, previously it was active even though it was not in use. I didn't plan on building any more pages so thats not really an issue however I found it funny.

Facebook Reinstates Tech blogger Robert Scoble's Account

From: Computerworld

Technology blogger Robert Scoble's Facebook account was reinstated Thursday, just hours after the social network kicked him off the site for running an application to import his contacts from the popular social network,

The incident kicked off a raging debate about who owns the content that a user builds up on a social network. Scoble was testing a new feature of Plaxo Inc.'s Pulse social network that allows users to import Facebook contact information, including names, emails and birthdays to Plaxo.

More on this story

Trojan Delivers 'Ransomware' Demands Payment for Unlocking PCs

As featured in an article on Techworld.com

Following infection by the Backdoor.Win32.Delf.ctk trojan your computer is completely locked and a very official looking screen prompts you to to dial a 900 number for activation.

Sunbelt-Software has posted more information as well as screen shots on their blog

Update: McAfee has posted removal tools and instructions

Man vs. Machine - Jason Calacanis - Weblogs - Mahalo

From FastCompany.com By: Adam L. Penenberg

Serial Webmeister Jason Calacanis survived the dotcom bust and went on to sell Weblogs Inc. to AOL for $25 million. He says his new search engine--powered by people, of all things--will give Google a run for its money. We almost believe him.

read more | digg story

Mahalo Refuses Mentors Payments

Mahalo Refuses to pay it's Mentors

To make the long story short I've been working with Mahalo as a mentor since back in July. Well things have gone pretty smoothly with the exception of payments being continuously delayed until last month. I got an email informing me that there was a discrepancy with some of the pages that I've "mentored" and they needed to discuss our payment options.

I'm informed that because I spent less than 15mins "QC'ing" some of these pages they are refusing to pay for them. Later I'm told its because there weren't enough edits or major changes. Now as I can see it from the QC process no where does it specify that there even needs to be a change made.

# To check the quality of the work, follow this process:

* STEP 1: Assess the page and make sure it looks complete and well-organized. Are there any sections it needs to have but doesn't? Is there a Guide Note, Fast Facts and related tags? If it's missing anything important or fails to follow Mahalo formatting and style rules, kick back the page.
* STEP 2: Click the "Open Links" button on the guide toolbar. Wait a few moments for all the links on the page to open. Skim quickly over all of the links. If more than 1/3 of the links look questionable or fail to meet Mahalo standards, kick back the page.
* STEP 3: Do a quick Google search. Does Google's Top 20 have quality links that you haven't yet visited? If so, kick back the page.

# If the SeRP is not acceptable, click the "Decline" button and send an email to the PTG explaining what they can do to improve the page.

They provide me with a list of about 111 pages they are willing to pay in full for but the rest are "under scrutiny". Basically it works out to 359 out of the 470 pages I reviewed during October.

I'm given two options:
1. they can do a full audit of these pages and they'll pay me for the ones they think had enough work done or have been worked on since they were added to Mahalo. I'm not told what constitutes enough work nor am I given any guidelines for their review!
2. they will pay me 1/3 of the total sum for the remaining pages, this works out to paying me $3.33 per page or $1163 out of the $3590 they owe me.

Well not being one to take things sitting down I ask them to do a full audit of these pages. Which some how they manage to audit 359 pages with 3 full time guides in less than a week. Keep in mind they've told me that its not likely that I could have done the same thing in a full months time. They inform me that they are now willing to pay me in full for an addition 120 pages. Interestingly that works out to just about the 1/3 they wanted to pay in the beginning.

So I reviewed the full list of pages they don't want to pay me for. I noticed that several of the pages we were specifically asked to QC and move to Mahalo. These were either pages from other mentors, previously QC'd page ect. And several of the pages had numerous changes made. Which leads me to believe they infact did not do a full audit of these pages and I in deed should be paid in full.


In an attempt to reach an amicable agreement I offer to review the list of pages and they could pay me in full for the ones I feel I deserve a full payment for and a lump sum or $5/page can be paid for the rest. Or they can simply pay me $5/page for the remaining 239 pages. I still didn't understand why they were refusing payment to begin with as these pages were mentored per their guidelines. I felt no matter how you cut it I worked on all these pages and I should at least be paid a little for my time spent.

I received the inevitable response in the form of a phone call (Mahalo isn't big on putting things in writing} informing me that they are simply refusing to pay anything beyond what they have already paid. I'm still waiting on the payment for the 120 they are now willing to pay. They also inform me that there was an issue with some of the pages from November and they will now be audited.

So now it looks like they are going to refuse payment of anywhere from $2400 to $3200 (maybe more). Its my understanding that at least 2 other mentors had similar issues, with one opting not to fight, and the other asking for a full audit. So I know I'm not alone in this ordeal. But what a way to be treated for someone that worked their butt off for this company.

The verdict: Leopard spanks Vista, continues OS X's reign of excellence

November 07, 2007 (Computerworld) -- This story caps off a truly comprehensive wave of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard coverage from Computerworld. Our readers have asked for more operating system coverage, and we're delivering.

Our Week of Leopard package covers many aspects of what's new in the latest Apple operating system, everything from Leopard Server, improvements for developers and changes to user accounts to nitty-gritty details on Time Machine and the other bundled apps and utilities in OS X 10.5. We've also compiled a comprehensive image gallery of Leopard's new look and features, as well as a rundown of its highs and lows. The stories in our Leopard package have been researched and written by at least half a dozen Mac experts.

The questions that remain are these: Is Leopard a truly great OS? How does it stack up against its predecessor, Tiger, and Windows Vista? Should you get this thing for yourself? Should you recommend it for your company?

Vis-a-vis Vista

Given the timing of Mac OS X's release, the somewhat lukewarm response to Microsoft's Windows Vista by many IT shops, and even the similarity in the areas of concentration pursued by Apple and Microsoft -- a comparison between Leopard and Vista is inescapable. Both companies emphasized efforts to improve usability and add features to their bundled software.

Both added transparency to their user interfaces. Both heavily revised the structure and management of their user accounts. Both enhanced parental controls, upgraded their onboard e-mail programs and added new versions of their browsers. Both did fairly significant behind-the-scenes work to boost their video and animation capabilities, as well as to better support third-party software development.

Throughout the four years of the Vista development process, I tested and evaluated at least 15 different alphas and betas of the operating system, spending hundreds of hours evaluating the late prereleases and the final editions. Likewise, I spent countless hours testing Leopard, both in prerelease form and the final version now available to the public. What I found after all that testing is that despite their similarities on paper, Leopard and Vista are nothing alike.

Vista has a cover-Microsoft's-butt, designed-by-corporate-committee feel, while Leopard tightly adheres to Apple's well-honed user-interface design principles. In numerous small ways, Apple has improved its OS, while Microsoft has, in a plethora of ways, changed Windows -- not always for the better. (For detailed reviews of both operating systems, see Hands on: A hard look at Windows Vista and In Depth: Apple's Leopard leaps to new heights.)

Any residual sense that Apple is somehow above competing directly with Microsoft's Windows is dispelled by Leopard. With OS X 10.5, Apple is clearly going head to head with Microsoft and Vista. With the smoke clearing, it's also apparent that Apple still has a lead on Microsoft when it comes to user interface and functionality.

That doesn't make Apple and its Mac platform or even Leopard an enormous business success. But it's impossible to miss the refinement infused throughout Apple's new operating system, whereas there are compromises in Vista that impinge upon the user experience without giving something back in return. Apple is focused on the user experience, while Microsoft appears to be focused on antipiracy, overengineered security protections, and digital rights management aimed at serving its prospective third-party partners.

There's really no contest. Tiger is a better OS than Vista, and there are no long-term downsides to Leopard. Vista doesn't measure up.

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What it took to hack the iPhone

The same Safari bug is also on Mac OS X and Windows, say researchers

July 24, 2007 (Computerworld) -- The iPhone vulnerability that could let hackers steal data or commandeer the device also exists in the desktop edition of Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X operating system, the exploit's researchers said today.

Charles Miller, one of the three researchers from Baltimore-based Independent Security Evaluators (ISE) who found the bug and wrote proof-of-concept exploits, confirmed that the vulnerability in the iPhone version of Safari is also present in the desktop version of the browser. Safari is included with all Mac OS X installations.

The Windows version of Safari is also vulnerable. "[But] it may or may not be exploitable there," Miller said.

Miller, Jake Honoroff and Joshua Mason found the Safari flaw using what Miller described as "fuzzing" techniques. Fuzzing, a tactic commonly used by vulnerability researchers, drops random data into applications or operating system components to see if -- and where -- breakdowns occur. Typically, the process is automated with a fuzzer, software that hammers on application inputs.

Not that the iPhone made it easy. The lack of debugger, for example, required that Miller and the others turn to alternatives, including the Mac OS X crash reporter, which logs all crashes, for ways to probe the iPhone. "The crash reports contained the contents of registers and what libraries were loaded," giving the team some clues, Miller said. Others they gleaned by examining the phone's core applications, which they could pull off the device only using iPhoneInterface. That program, part of the results of a group effort at the iPhone Dev Wiki, lets researchers and hackers modify the phone.

"Between the crash reports and the core files, we had a good picture of the application when it crashed," said Miller. "We found a few crashes that stuck out from the rest."

With iPhoneInterface and another program named Jailbreak -- Miller called them "hacking tools" -- the three researchers were able to pull Safari off the iPhone, disassemble it on a Mac desktop machine, and modify it so that would crash at the code location where the researchers wanted. "It was trial and error," Miller admitted. Testing required the application to be returned to the iPhone, where it was run, generating another crash report.

"It was like 'fuzzing' for an exploit," said Miller.

Although the three are withholding details until Aug. 2, when Miller will reveal more at the Black Hat security conference, one security expert is betting that the Safari vulnerability is a buffer overflow bug.

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Attention turns to second-gen iPhone

Next version of iPhone will take advantage of faster 3G wireless network speeds

By Matt Hamblen, Computerworld
July 06, 2007

The first-generation iPhone is barely on the streets, but some users and analysts are already talking about when a second-generation model will be launched to take advantage of faster 3G wireless networks for speedier Internet browsing.

The first version of iPhone supports AT&T's EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment), a 2.5G network advertised as providing download speeds of 70Kbps to 135Kbps. AT&T and Apple chose that network because it is the largest, reaching 270 million people, company officials said last week.

However, several analysts and reviewers believe that the next-generation iPhone, which could ship early next year in the United States, will be provisioned to handle a faster 3G network, such as AT&T's High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), to support download speeds of 400Kbps to 700Kbps. However, AT&T and Apple would not comment Thursday on their plans or a timetable for iPhone 2.0 or AT&T's HSDPA.

AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel stressed that "HSDPA is available in 160 metro areas, and AT&T will continue to build it out through the rest of the year, so obviously we're continuing to build 3G. "

But Siegel also repeated comments made last week that iPhone users will accept the slower EDGE speeds, especially since the iPhone can access faster Wi-Fi networks when a hotspot is available at home or a coffee shop. "We haven't had many complaints about EDGE," he said. "What really matters for a real human being using the iPhone who doesn't know anything about EDGE is that this is going to be a great experience in totality, whether searching for a stock quote or a map or many other things. We think overwhelmingly that people will be thrilled using this device. The experience they have on EDGE will be a really good one."

Siegel's comments, however, don't match user consternation about EDGE speeds registered at the MacRumors forums, or concerns raised by some reviewers, including one who said it took two minutes to download the Yahoo Web site home page.

The discussion thread at MacRumors asked people to post their EDGE speeds over iPhone using a network measuring tool. Some reported speeds were higher than those advertised by AT&T, but most were slower, with 64Kbps on July 3 in San Diego and 71Kbps in Los Angeles that same day. "Boooooo!" is the only comment from the San Diego user identified as FreeState. GnarleyMarley87 reported 126Kbps in Atlanta on EDGE, but 1,245Kbps over Wi-Fi at home. Other uses weighing in on MacRumors about the differences between 3G and EDGE and why Apple is waiting indicate that iPhone users are aware that AT&T's 3G network is not widely available in the United States. Users also noted that 3G-capable phones consistently run down batteries faster than those on slower networks. One analyst, Ken Dulaney at Gartner, recently confirmed that a 3G phone can use up a battery at a rate 30 percent faster than a 2.5G phone.

Apple officials would not comment on a timetable for the next iPhone release, or even whether it will support 3G.

Two analysts tended to support the decision to release the first iPhone over EDGE in order to get the broadest network reach over higher bandwidth. "EDGE is not a show-stopper for iPhone, and I think the next version will likely have 3G," said Michael King, an analyst at Gartner.

King said some industry experts believe Apple can have a second-generation device ready by October, but that Apple won't unveil them so closely behind the first version's June 29 release. King believes AT&T's HSDPA network will be more widely available for U.S. users in late 2008. "It's a pretty usable network now," he said.

With a second-generation iPhone, Apple is also likely to support QuickTime, giving access to streaming video that uses more bandwidth and tends to require a 3G network, King said.

Shiv Bakhshi, an analyst at IDC, said that Apple was "wise to have chosen ubiquitous network reach over bandwidth ... a culture of mobile data consumption in the United States is only beginning to set in. By the time it takes hold, Apple will be out with 3G iPhones and AT&T will likely roll a 3G HSDPA network across its national footprint."

Asked when both will happen, Bakhshi said "in under a year."

But Bakhshi said that it is not clear how much current iPhone users will be downloading from the Web. Songs and video can be imported from a PC, so EDGE speeds might not be an impediment for the average user.

"Every network falls short as your expectations rise higher," he said. "Some people will always be high-end users and will find EDGE really frustrating, but for the average Joe Blow like you and me, it will suffice."

Bakhshi added, "The single biggest driver of iPhone may not be data usage."

"Instead, it might be just its ability to invoke envy in your friends."

Mahalo Greenhouse Goes Live!!

Mahalo, dubbed the human-powered “search service” has accepted yours truly to be a part time guide. Even though they went live with the beta last week, it wasn't until earlier this week that I received my confirmation. So far things are rolling right along with 6 Search Results Pages (SeRPs.) done this week.

What is Mahalo you ask well check them out Mahalo FAQ's. If you'd like to become part of the Mahalo team drop by The Greenhouse. There you can find all the information on applying to become a part time guide.

For information on the projects that I've been working on visit my profile.

15 free security programs that work

I'm just going to say I was reading this list and I was seriously disappointed. There is no mention of two of the top tools in use today, spy-bot search and destroy and adaware. Neither of which you should do with out, and both are free. However the rest of the tools listed are fairly good and are definitely recommended to use.



From the moment you switch on your PC, your system faces countless Internet-borne dangers, including spyware attacks, viruses, Trojan horses, home-page hijackers, and hackers trying to weasel their way into your system. And the Internet isn't the only source of trouble. Anyone with access to your PC can invade your privacy by prying into which Web sites you visit -- and learning a great deal more as well.
But fighting back is easy. We've found 15 great pieces of software -- firewalls, spyware busters, antivirus software, rootkit killers, and general Internet security tools -- designed to protect you against any dangers that come your way. They're free, they're powerful and they're easy to use. So what are you waiting for? Start downloading.
Preventing and Eliminating Malware
From firewalls to antivirus software to tools for combatting rootkits and spyware, here are some great downloads to protect your system against malicious attacks.
ZoneAlarm
Check Point Software's ZoneAlarm may well be the most popular free firewall on the planet, and the most recent release (finally) protects Vista machines. Arguably, ZoneAlarm is the product that made everyone conscious of the need for firewall protection. It's extremely easy to use, and its method of configuring outbound protection is particularly useful. Whenever a program tries to make an outbound Internet connection, ZoneAlarm announces it with a pop-up alert. You can then permit or disallow the connection, on a one-time basis or permanently. Configuring your level of protection is a simple matter of moving a few sliders. Though the free version of the software is exclusively a firewall, Check Point also offers for-pay security suites. But if all you're looking for is a firewall, stick with the free version.
Comodo Firewall Pro
ZoneAlarm is extremely popular, but that doesn't automatically make it the best free firewall you can find. One formidable contender is Comodo Firewall Pro, which independent testing site Matousec rated as the top firewall. Matousec found that Comodo offered the highest level of antileak protection, one measure of a firewall's effectiveness. Comodo offers true two-way firewall protection, is highly configurable, and (unlike most other firewalls) provides a great view of your system and your Internet connection.
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