While Google is good at revealing MS and Apple security flaws, it’s been up to its own version of one of Stuxnet’s modules: Google watches and listens to you – without your knowledge or permission, of course. If you remember, Stuxnet had a module which could record pictures and conversations covertly while spying (presumptively on hostile governments’ activities) using the person’s computer. You’ll also remember that there’s an “int...

  FRT (facial recognition technology) used to be slow and clumsy. Machines, slower. Not so anymore, especially when augmented by Cloud resources. So, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration put together businesses and consumer groups to avoid legislation, which could be dicey. Those talks have fallen apart over “informing consumers and obtaining permission to use” this FRT. “The talks have covered a range of issues dealing with how companies store,...

  LastPass has noted suspicious activity on its network. “We want to notify our community that on Friday, our team discovered and blocked suspicious activity on our network. In our investigation, we have found no evidence that encrypted user vault data was taken, nor that LastPass user accounts were accessed. The investigation has shown, however, that LastPass account email addresses, password reminders, server per user salts, and authentication hashes were compromised. ...

  There are lots of file converters for audio, text and graphics out there, but this is the only one I know of which will convert to multiple formats simultaneously. Note that it’s a Cloud based service so, be circumspect regarding personal/financial info. You can read about it here: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/convert-any-file-format-cloudconvert And keep cool this weekend!

  MS has over the past month turned its security software to destroy the Ask browser toolbar. For anyone who doesn’t know, Oracle bundled this crap with Java…despite consumer complaints. So Oracle “answered” MS by changing its installer to now bundle the Yahoo browser tool to IE. On 12.11.14 MS threw down the gauntlet and said “enough” ( here ) and set the target date to 6.1 for implementation. “Late last month, Microsoft warned developers that as of June 1 its secur...

  MS is going to try to give Chromebooks a run for the money… Digitimes wrote that apparently MS is working with Acer, Lenovo, and Inventec to produce $169-249 W10 notebooks. Sounds like good news to me…and might be for the OEMs as well as profits haven’t been all that great for them… Take a look at the articles in the Sources: http://www.omgchrome.com/microsoft-windows-10-chromebook-strategy/ http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20150525PD208.html?chid=8

  I was amazed by this…you mean they haven’t been up until now? Really? https://www.infopackets.com/news/9605/us-encrypt-all-government-websites

    So, PayPal and eBay are calling it quits on July first. Romance on the rocks. Preview of PayPal’s new privacy policy: “Amendments to the PayPal User Agreement, the PayPal Privacy Policy and the PayPal Acceptable Use Policy Effective Date: July 1, 2015 PayPal is changing its User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Acceptable Use Policy.  The amended User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Acceptable Use Policy will be effective as to all PayPal users on Jul...

  For those looking for a light weight free program to shield against USB threats... Shiela USB might be a good deal better than what's out there.   You can read more here:  http://www.ghacks.net/2015/06/06/shiela-usb-shield-protects-pcs-against-usb-threats/?_m=3n%2e0038%2e1630%2ehj0ao01hy5%2e1owp  

  So...MS has announced its RTM for W10: July 29th.    http://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-windows-10-finally-has-a-release-date-july-29/?tag=nl.e404&s_cid=e404&ttag=e404&ftag=CAD1acfa04  

  So, they (choose any set of initials you wish) want to have easy access to all internet communications…hence backdoors in email/chat/messenger apps. This also means that any encryption firms put in their software must be built in a way that law enforcement has the key to unlock the encryption so they can read your communications. To be clear: The key would be binary in the sense that the firm has one half, and the other half would be held by the government. At this poin...

  To understand this, you have to understand that W10 will have multiple editions, each requiring a ‘service branch’ all of its own. “There are going to be three Windows 10 servicing branches when the product launches: Current Branch (CB), Current Branch for Business (CBB) and Long Term Servicing Branch (LTSB) . Different versions of Windows 10 will give users access to different servicing branches.” – Mary Jo Foley You should read her article linked in her name (a...

  You thought unified meant one OS across all devices, right? Wrong, or ‘Unified OSino’. Window10 will ship in three consumer editions and three Enterprise and education editions. Now that’s ‘unified’. Translation: The three consumer editions Home, Mobile and Pro are designed for the demands of end-users, professionals and small businesses. Home is the equivalent of the Windows 8 edition, a basic edition of Windows 10 that will most likely ship on the ...

      King passed away peacefully at home in Las Vegas. He was 89… Two time inductee to Halls of Fame - Blues and Rock and Roll. 15 Grammies...including lifetime achievement award...and more...along, long list. The legendary  B.B. King  is without a doubt the single most important electric guitarist of the last half century.  Incredible blues guitar…played with the best. Still listen to my “Riding With The Blues” album w...

  We’ve had the Patriot Act (I really don’t like throwing that ‘P’ word around, especially for that) fourteen years. By and large? It’s a real balancing act, which has been abused. Now, the House has forced the Senate’s hand and hopefully we’ll have a new law which removes the mass data collection the NSA’s been doing. We’ll see. Now, the House has passed the USA Freedom Act (catchy use of the ‘F’ word) supposedly restraining the NSA’s bulk data collection. Not a word of tha...