Vista: Digger got theory...
"...Da Vinci code, Microsoft style..."
Click here to see the full picture.
Digg's Page
By the way, Vista really suck, I tried it for four months and now back to XP! ^ TOP
Security Matters! (about anti-virus and stuff)
I'm writing (aka copying) this guide on computer security because I'm tired of people coming to me to help them with "broken computers" mostly caused by viruses and spywares (for free). If your computer suddenly become slow and sluggish your computer probably already infected by malwares. It is actually quite easy to secure and clean your computer from viruses and malwares.First, you need to know some definitions:
1. Virus, Worm, Trojan - A virus is computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without permission or knowledge of the user. A virus can only spread from one computer to another when its host is taken to the uninfected computer, for instance by a user sending it over a network or the Internet, or by carrying it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, or USB drive. Additionally, viruses can spread to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer. A worm can spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as part of a host. Unlike a virus, it does not need to attach itself to an existing program. Worms almost always cause harm to the network, if only by consuming bandwidth, whereas viruses almost always corrupt or modify files on a targeted computer. Trojan horse is a file that appears harmless until executed. Trojan horse installs malicious software while under the guise of doing something else. Trojan horses are more notorious for installing backdoor programs which allow unauthorized non permissible remote access to the victim's machine by unwanted parties - normally with malicious intentions. Unlike a computer virus, a Trojan horse does not propagate by inserting its code into other computer files. (wikipedia)
2. Spyware - computer software that is installed surreptitiously on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user's interaction with the computer, without the user's informed consent. Spyware programs can collect various types of personal information, but can also interfere with user control of the computer in other ways, such as installing additional software, redirecting Web browser activity, or diverting advertising revenue to a third party. (wikipedia)
3. Adware - Adware or advertising-supported software is any software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertising material to a computer after the software is installed on it or while the application is being used. Some types of adware are also spyware. (wikipedia)
4. Rootkit - is a programs which work to subvert control of an operating system from its legitimate operators. Usually, a rootkit will obscure its installation and attempt to prevent its removal through a subversion of standard system security. Techniques used to accomplish this can include concealing running processes, files or system data from the operating system. Rootkits is used by malware to help intruders maintain access to systems while avoiding detection. Rootkits often modify parts of the operating system or install themselves as drivers or kernel modules. (wikipedia)
5. Malware - software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. It is a portmanteau of the words "malicious" and "software". Malwares include Virus, Spyware and Rootkit. (wikipedia)
Where all this viruses and malwares coming from?
1. Toolbars - Do not install excessive additional toolbars to your browser, as they may slow down the browser or become a source of adware or spyware. One of the popular spyware toolbar is Hotbar.
2. Messenger/Chat software such as Yahoo Messenger, Live/MSN Messenger, mIRC - These softwares are not malwares by themself but very vulnerable to malwares and I have seen many cases where these messengers were hijacked by malwares and became zombies. (Uhh.. Scary..) When using this messaging applications, never click on any link sent by unknown 'friend' or user. Also never click on a link that look slightly weird or "out of place" even it is from your real friends or family member. What usually happen when you click on those links is that your computer will automatically download malwares (like virus or spyware) into your computer and make your instant messaging application a zombie that spreading the 'weird link' to your friends without your knowledge. Imaging how embarrassing to send "Hey Sexy! Look at my sexy picture at http://www.***.***/mysexypictures" to your ex or your parent.
3. CD-R/Ws, CD-Rs, USB/Pen/Thumb Drive, Floppy or any portable storage - This is usually how trojans and viruses being transferred from a computer to another computer. To prevent viruses and trojans from infecting your computer, do a "Virus Scan" on the portable storage before you open any files on the storage. How to do this? If you have anti-virus installed in your computer follow these steps. In "My Computer" right click on the storage device and click on "Scan" or "Scan with XXX Antivirus" or "Check for Viruses" or "Scan for Viruses" or anything similar. It is also a good idea to install Portable Apps ClamWin in your USB Drive and use it whenever needed.
4. Emails - NEVER open or download any attachment from unknown sender. In fact never open any email from unknown sender, and mark those email as Spam by clicking "Mark As Spam" or "Spam" or anything similar. If you are using POP/IMAP protocol to open your emails, use a less popular email client such as Mozilla Thunderbird since viruses usually target popular email client such as Microsoft Outlook.
5. Peer-to-peer softwares - Some p2p softwares are known for its notoriety as "adware agent" such as Kazaa. Stay out of this kind of software and use only software that are known "adware/spyware free" like uTorrent, Azureus and Deluge. Also, scan for virus on every file you download before opening it.
6. "Useless Crap Software" such as Bonzi Buddy, Huntbar, Hotbar and all other useless software/bloatware. NEVER install any software like this. In fact never install any software that you do not need (no matter how cute the monkey is).
7. FAKE Anti-Spyware program - Malicious programmers have released a large number of fake anti-spyware programs, and widely distributed Web banner ads now spuriously warn users that their computers have been infected with spyware, directing them to purchase programs which do not actually remove spyware — or worse, may add more spyware of their own. Known FAKE Anti-Spyware/Virus include: errorsafe (AKA system doctor), Pest Trap, SpyAxe, AntiVirus Gold, SpywareStrike, Spyware Quake, WorldAntiSpy, Spylocked, SpyShredder, SysProtect, Spy Sheriff, Spy Wiper, PAL Spyware Remover, PSGuard, Malware, WinAntiVirus Pro 2006, WinFixer, Spydawn, ContraVirus, UltimateCleaner, MagicAntiSpy, AV System Care, Registrycleanerxp.com, SecurePCcleaner, PCSecuresystem and many more. AVOID these softwares at all cost. Instead, use a known good anti-spyware such as "Microsoft's Windows Defender" and "safer-networking.org's Spybot Search & Destroy." (wikipedia)
8. Networking - Use firewall. Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and Vista came with built-in firewall. Make sure you turn on the firewall on your computer. Never allow other user on your network to modified your sharing folder.
What you can do to prevent your computer from infections?
1. Install an anti virus software such as Trend Micro/PC-Cilin AV, Mc Afee AV, Norton AV and regularly update the virus definitions. There are also free antivirus available such as AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition, ClamWin Free AV and Norton Security Scan (available with Google Pack). ClamWin Free Antivirus and Google Pack's Norton Security Scan does not include an on-access real-time scanner. You need to manually scan a file in order to detect a virus or spyware. I personally recommend you to use AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition together with free Norton Security Scan(Google Pack). Once a week, do a full scan on your computer with the anti-virus sofware.
2. Install anti-spyware software and update it regularly. Three most excellent anti-spywares are free: safer-networking.org's Spybot Search & Destroy, Microsoft's Windows Defender and Lavasoft's Ad-Aware. Download, install and update it regularly. Full scan your computer weekly. It is a good idea to use two anti-spyware software if you have a fast computer. I use both Spybot Search & Destroy and Windows Defender.
3. Update your Windows regularly. The updates usually contain "security patch" to make your computer more secure. (Click on Start->Programs->Windows Update)
4. DON'T use Internet Explorer especially IE6 or below. Instead use a less popular browser such as Mozilla Firefox or Opera. This is because most internet related malware target Internet Explorer. If you are using Mozilla Firefox, consider using AdBlock Plus Add-on to block advertisements and also adwares.
5. Install an anti-rootkit: Free AVG Anti-Rootkit
6. STOP using Micro$oft Windows and start using Apple Mac or Linux. I prefer Linux since it is totally free. The top three linux distros that are also user friendly are Ubuntu/Kubuntu, openSuSe(by Novell), and Fedora (by RedHat). [according to Distrowatch.com]. Most of malwares are targeting Microsoft product, so if you avoid Microsoft product, there is a good chance your computer never infected by a malware forever.
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Top 10 Best Free Software (according to me)
1. Mozilla Firefox
Firefox is a free web browser developed by the Mozilla Corporation and a large community of external contributors. Why I prefer Firefox? It is because of security, speed and a lot of useful plugins. I like the way Firefox differ from Internet Explorer. Until now, Firefox still remains the reigning champ in secure browsing. Another great reason for using Firefox is the advertisement filter, Adblock Plus plugin. It is a great way to get rid of those flashy ads.
2. Spybot - Search & Destroy
Spybot - Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware. Spyware silently tracks your surfing behavior to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you haven't intentionally installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been "hijacked" or changed without your knowledge, your computer is most probably infected with spyware. Even if you don't see the symptoms, your computer may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's no harm giving it a try to see if something has invaded your computer.
3. VLC Media Player
VLC media player is a free media player by the VideoLAN project. It is a highly portable multimedia player, encoder, and streamer supporting almost all audio and video codecs and file formats as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It is able to stream over networks and to transcode multimedia files and save them into various different formats. It is one of the most platform-independent players available, with versions for GNU, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, BeOS, BSD, Windows CE, and Solaris, and is widely used with almost 30 million downloads for version 0.8.5.
4. uTorrent
Ever wanted to download Friends, Gilmore Girls, James Bond or any movies with DVD quality for free? uTorrent is the answer. The original BitTorrent client is good for files sharing files, but the uTorrent client is a lot more better than the original BitTorrent client; It has lots of extras, such as a configurable bandwidth scheduler and global and per-torrent speed limiting. Plus, it also has small footprint (less ram and processor resource) compare to Azureus.
5. FileZilla
If you were a webmaster like me, you need FileZilla. FileZilla is a fast and reliable free FTP client and server with lots of useful features and an intuitive interface. It supports FTP, SFTP, and FTPS (FTP over SSL/TLS). As of March 1, 2007, it was the 13th most popular download of all time from SourceForge.net.
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Safari Browser now available for M$ Windows
as the title says...
Apple claims their Safari is way faster than IE7 or Firefox 2.
Links:
Digg it
Official website ^ TOP
SONY: "Protecting the Act of Terrorism!"
"Ban Sony products...." ^ TOP
Robot's video
Enjoy the show...
^ TOP
My Robot! - The Hazard Rover
After hours of working hard we finally successfully built this robot.
Read More → ^ TOP
Aero?
XGL-Beryl 3D Desktop ^ TOP
Microsoft Firefox 2007 Professional Edition
http://www.msfirefox.com/ Check it out!(No, I'm not kidding.=P) ^ TOP
Apple iPhone for real!
This time, for real!
Good news: On January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs announced that the iPhone will first be available in June 2007 in the US, H2 2007 in Europe, and in 2008 for Asia and Australasia.
Bad news: (monopoly)Cingular Wireless(AT&T) will be the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the United States.
Another bad news: (Can't afford it!)The initial U.S. release will be offered in two configurations with two different prices, based on a 2-year phone service contract: a 4 GB model for $499, and a 8 GB model for $599.
Read the news here ^ TOP
Good posture is bad..
For generations, schoolteachers and moms have told young people to stop slouching and to sit upright. That advice, it turns out, was wrong.Using advanced scanning equipment, doctors have concluded that the best way to avoid back pain is not to sit bolt upright but to perfect a more laid-back posture, a sprawl that is halfway between upright and horizontal.
"When they looked at all test results, the researchers said the 135-degree position was the best for backs, and say this is how people should sit."
Researchers at Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen used positional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) capable of taking snapshots of 22 volunteers' spines as they sat upright, slouched and hunched forward or laid back at an angle of 135 degrees.
Desk slouchers, the images showed, are at high risk of causing wear and tear to spinal discs in their lower spine. But those sitting upright position caused the most damage. With the back vertical strain on the spine forced spinal disc material and muscles to shift out of line.
"We were not created to sit down for long hours, but somehow modern life requires it," said Waseem Bashir, a doctor on the study from the University of Alberta, Canada.
The safest posture, which put least strain on spinal discs and surrounding muscles and tendons, was the substantially more relaxed 135 degree backward sprawl, the researchers found.
"This may be all that is needed to prevent back pain, rather than trying to cure pain that has occurred over the long term due to bad posture."
To avoid a lifetime "pain, deformity, and chronic illness," he recommends sitting in a chair that provides full support to the spine when you lean slightly backward, which mimics the supine position.
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Hacker claims to have cracked iPod restrictions
A hacker known for cracking the copy-protection technology in DVDs claims to have unlocked the playback restrictions of Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod and iTunes music products and plans to license his code to others.
The first ipod: Five years ago, Apple engineers used foam core and old fishing weights to craft a
model of a new MP3 player. The age of iPod was about to begin.
The move by Jon Lech Johansen, also known as "DVD Jon," could pit the 22-year-old against Apple's lawyers, experts say, but if successful could free users from some restrictions Apple and its rivals place on digital music.
Today, songs purchased from Apple's online iTunes Music Store can't be played on portable devices made by other companies. Songs purchased from many other online music stores also won't work on iPods because they similarly use a form of copy-protection that Apple doesn't support.
Johansen said he has developed a way to get around those restrictions. But unlike his previous work, which he usually posts for free, the Norway native plans to capitalize on his efforts through his Redwood Shores-based DoubleTwist Ventures, said the company's only other employee, managing director Monique Farantzos.
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