Tech Talk

Deep in the jungles of West Papua’s central highlands, there is a village with its own mobile telecommunications network. That network runs in a box latched to the top of a tree, providing the only reliable cell coverage anywhere within a four-hour drive. This small setup has created a booming local mobile economy—and it could be the harbinger of a whole new class of private and community mobile networks that change the shape of mobile for those who have been underserved or overcharged by traditional phone carriers. The single “tower” cell network is the work of graduate students from the University of California at Berkeley’s Technology and Infrastructure for Emerging Regions (TIER) research group, under the direction of Professor Eric Brewer—the founder of the content delivery network Inktomi. The group built its mobile solution with software developed in San Francisco and some off-the-shelf hardware adapted for the task. Working with the Methodist church-owned school Misionaris Sek

Some leaks claim it is: http://gizmodo.com/report-amazon-is-gearing-up-to-add-a-streaming-music-s-1532828948   "Re/code reports the claims of industry sources who say Amazon is in talks to create a streaming music service that it would bundle with Prime subscriptions. The report makes a lot of sense, and if true, it would make Amazon Prime and even better deal than it already is. Think how amazing that would be!"

This one rings so true for me 🙂  This is from the awesome show Portlandia, which you can watch on Netflix Instant.    

Last week, a new Windows 8.1 Update 1 build leaked to the Internet but this one was labeled as "Windows 8.1 with Bing." Since Bing SmartSearch is already a partof Windows 8.1, many have wondered exactly what this mysterious SKU is going to be when the final version is released. Today, a new report on ZDNet from well connected journalist Mary Jo Foley claims, via unnamed sources, that Windows 8.1 with Bing is an experiment for Microsoft. She writes that while the actual SKU has only minor differences from the other versions of Windows 8.1, it could be a way for Microsoft to offer Bing-related incentives for either consumers or OEMs which could make Windows free in the future. Microsoft already offers nice incentives for anyone to search the web using Bing. It started its free Bing Rewards program a few years ago which allows folks to get rewards such as.gift cards for Amazon, Applebee's and Microsoft services like Xbox Live and Skype by searching the Internet on Bing.com. Jus

Apple's SSL encryption fail and iOS keylogging flaw juiced anxiety levels in an industry already reeling from security fatigue   It's hard not to be paranoid about technology these days, what with the constant onslaught of data theft, zero-day exploits, malware botnets, and run-of-the-mill security vulnerabilities. Add into that mix the ongoing revelations about NSA snooping and the complicity of RSA and other tech vendors in its surveillance agenda, and it's no surprise that the latest cases of technical eavesdropping -- a major SSL vulnerability in iOS and OS X and an iOS flaw that allows malicious apps to record touchscreen presses -- brought a maelstrom of criticism and scrutiny down on Apple. While Apple promptly issued an iOS patch for the gotofail SSL bug, which left users vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks that monitor and record everything that transpires on unsecured public networks, it was another four days before the company shored up defenses in OS X Mavericks.

Secunia’s Vulnerability Review 2014 provides an interesting analysis of the number of vulnerabilities in the Top 50 portfolio products. The Secunia Vulnerability Review provides a vision on global vulnerability trends, evaluating carefully the 50 most popular programs on private PCs. These programs are practically everywhere, in many cases, they are key application for ordinary IT operations, let’s imagine to internet browsers or applications like PDF reader. Data proposed by Secunia’s Vulnerability Review 2014 revealed that third-party programs are responsible for 76% of the flaws identified in the 50 most popular programs in 2013. Despite large diffusion of Microsoft products that account for 66% of the Top 50 programs, only 24% of the vulnerabilities in the Top 50 programs in 2013 were related to applications designed by company of Redmond.   Key findings from the study are:   76% of vulnerabilities in the 50 most popular programs on private PCs in 2013 affected third-pa

A new claim from noted Microsoft reporter Paul Thurrott states, via unnamed sources, that Windows 8.1 Update 1 will be made available to download April 8th for the general public. However, MSDN subscribers will still get access to the final build ahead of that date, although not as early as usual. "Windows 8.1 Update 1 will hit MSDN on April 2, Windows Update on April 8" — Paul Thurrott (@thurrott) February 27, 2014 According to a message on his Twitter account, Thurrott says that MSDN users will be able to access Update 1 on April 2nd, less than a week before the final build will be launched. Usually, MSDN subscribers can get new Windows builds several weeks ahead of their general availability date. Previous rumors put an early April date for the release of Update 1, but this is the first indication about when MSDN users could get their hands on it. Leaked builds of Update 1 indicate it will bring a number of small but significant changes to Windows 8.1, mostly for its use by desktop

REVIEWS Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Security Complete review: Protection needs improvement 4 weeks ago by Sarah Jacobsson Purewal, PCWorld Webroot's suite has a nice interface, but the program needs to get better at detecting zero-day attacks and distinguishing between threats and nonthreats.

Boeing this week filed an application with the United States Federal Communications Commission for a secure Android smartphone called the "Black" that will self-destruct if anyone tries to physically open the case. The company will offer it to the U.S. defense and security communities.   The Black has embedded hardware security features, can be configured through software policies, and has endless modularity capabilities, according to Boeing. "With hardware encryption and other security solutions, you can significantly reduce the potential threat of attacks," Jim McGregor, founder of Tirias Research, told TechNewsWorld. However, "unless you're willing to limit the functionality of the device and/or its services, there will always be some threats."  Boeing Black Specs The Boeing Black has a 4.3-inch qHD screen with 540 x 960 pixel resolution. With dual 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 CPUs, it weighs 170g. It runs a secure version of Android. The device will support dual SIM ban

I'm not dumb but I'm. Not a programmer by any means...this person accessed my phone..mine and my wifes emails..he went into the phones program..took over and made it where he has totall control he can access anything...I can factory reset it...as soon as I turn it back on. He resets it to his prefferances. I delete apps and a minute later its back...has gone so far as to make it so when someone calls..texts .emails anything..it gets re routed elsewhere...and much more ..please help....thank you

Description of Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1 (SP1) is now available via Windows Update or you can download and install from this Article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2817430/en-us and more info here also: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2850036/en-us   I installed it today and all went fine for me. ;)   TH

Technology can be wonderful, but sometimes — like when your Mom finds your Twitter feed — it just creates new problems that were previously unthinkable. The latest case in point: On the first day of the second Formula One preseason test, the Marussia team saw its 2014 car complete only three laps around the track because some witless oaf in the team garage downloaded a “Trojan-type virus” onto its computer system. Whoops. According to the team’s principal John Booth, the infection “cost us the best part of the day”, and contributed to the team getting only 29 laps of testing in across its four days at the Bahrain International Circuit. He expressed concern about the team’s readiness for the first race in Australia next month, saying “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried in the slightest.”   Full Article

The program adds another layer of defense to the operating system and springs to action when malware is executed on the system. It can mitigate attacks so that they are not successful at all or reduced in scope. It should be clear that this is not a 100% protection against malware, but it does add a level of protection to the system that can be quite useful if attackers do not target EMET directly as well. Microsoft has released a Tech Preview of EMET 5.0, the upcoming version of the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit. EMET 5.0 introduces two new mitigations to the 12 security mitigations of version 4.1 which improve the defensive capabilities of the program further. Full Article

Hi,   Would someone tell me how to post pictures!  :@

Hi peeps!   Can anyone tell me if there is some kind of programme that lets you wipe your old files from disc so that you can use them again.   Probably not, the manufacturers have to make money somehow, but it seems a bit of a waste that you can only use them once, I've got millions of the things with one back-up on.

We live in the future! http://www.sandisk.com/about-sandisk/press-room/press-releases/2014/sandisk-introduces-worlds-highest-capacity-microsdxc-memory-card-at-128gb/

Sad day - thanks for all the laughs and you'll be missed! http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-harold-ramis-dead-20140224,0,2259309.story

and agreed to pay Comcast direclty for the bandwidth to get rid of streaming problems.  On the plus side now your Netflix will be fast again, but on the downside it sets a bad precedent for net neutrality.  Read more here.

Mozilla has shown off a prototype for a $25 (£15) smartphone that is aimed at the developing world. The company, which is famed mostly for its Firefox browser, has partnered with Chinese low-cost chip maker Spreadtrum. While not as powerful as more expensive models, the device will run apps and make use of mobile internet. It would appeal to the sorts of people who currently buy cheap "feature" phones, analysts said. Feature phones are highly popular in the developing world as a halfway point between "dumb" phones - just voice calls and other basic functions - and fully-fledged smartphones. Mozilla hopes that it will capture an early lead in a market that is now being targeted by mobile device manufacturers who see the developing world as the remaining area for massive growth. It will face stern competition from bigger, more established brands, however - with more announcements of this kind expected over the course of the next couple of days at the Mobile World Congress in Barcel

Hi, I'm wondering if the Webroot Antivirus scans all of the links/sites that are sometimes listed under UTube videos to check if they're OK to use.  I've been searching for a movie but have come across lots of links to other sites that stream the full film on-line, are these sites also checked by Webroot?

I know you are located in that area and I might be moving there. I really want to move there but I've hit a snag most of the ISPs seem to be on the bit bad side like comcast and centurylink. I've been with both of them and they both sucked.   Are there any alternatives to those two other then a WISP and DISH???   This will prolly make or break the move plans. I CAN NOT deal with a crappy ISP, as what I do REQUIRES stable connectivity.   Thank you!

My Lenovo laptop/notebook is running fine.  I happened on a file in my "Public" Folder titled CAFADEBUG.  Microsoft doesn't claim it, but they do claim VS7DEBUG.  I have this text activity log named CAFADEBUG and I have copied/pasted it below.  What the heck is this?  I'm finding confusing/conflicting information on the web when I Google Searched this.  Like I said, my computer isn't giving me error messages.  Everything appears to be normal.  Thoughts?   CAudioFilterAgent64.exe(tid ad4) 0:[ J_STATE] - wWinMain CAudioFilterAgent64.exe(tid ad4) 0:[ J_CMDLINE] - ParseRegistrySettings - AFA_Settings = 20008 CAudioFilterAgent64.exe(tid ad4) 15:[ J_CMDLINE] - ParseRegistrySettings - dwCmdLineOption | AFA_Settings = 20008 CAudioFilterAgent64.exe(tid ad4) 31:[ J_CMDLINE] - Option - Run AFA as DTM CAudioFilterAgent64.exe(tid ad4) 46:[ J_CMDLINE] - Option - Detect Screen Orientation CAudioFilterAgent64.exe(tid ad4) 46:[ J_WINDOWS] - Windows Version i

Facebook has said it will buy messaging app WhatsApp for $19bn (£11.4bn) - the social networking giant's biggest purchase to date. WhatsApp is popular with people looking to avoid text messaging charges and has been cited as a rival to BlackBerry Messenger. WhatsApp has over 450 million monthly users. In a statement, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg described WhatsApp's services as "incredibly valuable". WhatsApp allows users to send messages over internet connections, avoiding text messaging fees. The company claims it is currently registering one million new users a day. Facebook will pay $4bn in cash and $12bn in stock for the firm. An extra $3bn in restricted stock will be given to WhatsApp's founders and employees.   Full Article  

"Computerworld - Microsoft has set Oct. 31 as the end of sales of new consumer-grade Windows 7 PCs, but for now has left open the do-not-sell-after-this-date for business machines. On the site where it posts such policies, Microsoft now notes that Oct. 31, 2014, is the end-of-sales date for new PCs equipped with Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium or Ultimate. All three are consumer-oriented versions of Windows 7; Home Premium has been the overwhelming choice of OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) for consumer systems."   Full Article

Microsoft marketing chief Tami Reller announced that the company has sold 200 million Windows 8 licenses in the 15 or so months that it has been on the market. This number includes only OEM and retail copies of the operating system and excludes volume licenses. The company previously announced that Windows 8 had reached 100 million copies sold in May of last year, a rate of sales that matched Windows 7. That operating system, however, reached 240 million sales within the first 12 months, demonstrating that Windows 8 is clearly not selling as fast. Still, in a PC market that's shrinking—and which started shrinking even before the release of Windows 8—200 million copies is perhaps not too shabby. PCs as a whole are not selling as fast as they were during Windows 7's heyday, and both Windows and Office are suffering as a result. As is almost always the case with these numbers, this is a sell-in figure rather than sell-through, which is to say that it represents the number of licenses sold