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Help each other out of non-Webroot technical jams and discuss tech-related stuff in general.

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Chinese supercomputer tops the charts -- two years early

[img]https://d1qy7qyune0vt1.cloudfront.net/webroot-en/attachment/4140i2EB1CB29391BBBA0.png[/img] The performance of the systems on the Top500 list continues to improve exponentially. (Note that it's a logarithmic scale on the vertical axis, with each line marking a tenfold improvement.) The three series of dots here represent the total performance of the top 500 systems at the top, the performance of the No. 1 system in the middle, and the performance of the 500th system at the bottom.     Performing more than 33 quadrillion calculations per second, a new Chinese supercomputer called Tianhe-2 arrived two years earlier than expected to claim the top spot in a list of the 500 most powerful supercomputers in the world. The [url=http://top500.org/]Top500 list[/url], updated twice a year at the [url=http://www.isc-events.com/isc13/]International Supercomputing Conference[/url], measures performance for mammoth systems typically used for jobs like modeling nuclear weapons explosion

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Google plans to wipe child porn from the Web

Photos and videos of child pornography on the Web have multiplied at an alarming rate over the past few years. In 2011, the [url=http://www.missingkids.com/CVIP]National Center for Missing and Exploited Children[/url] said it received 17.3 million images and videos of suspected child abuse, which is four times more than 2007.   Google has announced that it wants to help curb this proliferation of child pornography. In fact, the Web giant plans to take it even a step further -- it wants to completely eradicate child porn from the Internet. "Behind these images are real, vulnerable kids who are sexually victimized and victimized further through the distribution of their images," Google Giving director Jacquelline Fuller wrote in a [url=http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/our-continued-commitment-to-combating.html]blog post[/url]on Saturday. "It is critical that we take action as a community -- as concerned parents, guardians, teachers and companies -- to help combat this problem.

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Purdue students charged with switching prof's keyboard to improve grades

Who understands the importance of performance better than an engineer?   Yet the pressures that come with performing to perfect levels can cause some engineers to cut corners, even obfuscate.   How tragic, then, that three apparently bright (or not quite so bright) young things studying engineering at Purdue University have been charged with using their skills to artificially jack up their grades.   I am not sure how sophisticated this alleged scheme was.   It all began to allegedly unravel at the end of 2012 when an engineering professor was suddenly struck by suspicion that the password on his computer kept changing. He knew he hadn't changed it.   So, [url=http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013306130019&nclick_check=1]as the Indiana Journal and Courier reports[/url], the university's IT security team went into action. It discovered that the professor's computer had been accessed to allegedly make students seem a touch more clever than the

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Linksys PLEK500 Powerline AV2 Gigabit Network Adapter Kit review

With the Linksys PLEK500 Powerline Adapter Kit, the speed of home powerline networking has been turned up a significant notch. This is the first adapter kit that supports the latest HomePlug AV2 standard. This standard, in theory, offers the speed cap of up to 1.5Gbps. The kit, however, doesn't quite support the top speed of the standard; rather, just 500Mbps at most, which is the speed at which certain HomePlug AV-based devices are capable. Nonetheless, in my testing, it has indeed offered the fastest sustained real-world speed among all powerline adapters I've seen. Whether this performance is going to be just the new normal for powerline adapters, we'll have to wait and see when more HomePlug AV2-based adapters become available. In the meantime, the Linksys PLEK500 is the fastest powerline adapter kit you can get, enough to justify its relatively high price of $120. For more choices, check out the alternatives on this list. [img]https://d1qy7qyune0vt1.cloudfront.net/webroot-en/at

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Star Trek in your sitting room! Ultimate home office... which will set you back £30,000

Is this the office of the future?  It may look like a prop from the latest Star Trek movie but they it is in fact a state-of-the-art home-office work station.   [img]https://d1qy7qyune0vt1.cloudfront.net/webroot-en/attachment/4132i4721E9A71A9650F4.jpg[/img] Office of the future: Right now this home office from MWE Labs will set you back £30,000 but Microsoft has already started using them so one day our offices may be full of them     But it doesn't come cheap and at £30,000 costs more than the average brand new BMW.   The home office's manufacturer claims the Emperor 200 is the most advanced home office and comes equipped with a touchscreen control centre, three 27-in LED screens and air-filtering system to control heat.   The office comes equipped with a touchscreen for the left-hand, mouse pad for the right and three adjustable screens to easily reach eye-level.   IDesigners, MWE Lab, based in Canada, describe it as the 'ultimate computer worksta

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Yahoo FOUGHT against NSA's PRISM but lost and was forced by secret court to join

Yahoo's top lawyers had a courtroom showdown with the National Security Agency after it had demanded information on certain foreign users without a warrant, but the tech giant lost and was forced to hand over the data, it was revealed today. Court documents obtained by the [url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/14/technology/secret-court-ruling-put-tech-companies-in-data-bind.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0]New York Times[/url]show that the Internet company had initially refused to join the PRISM spying program, insisting that the broad national security requests seeking users' personal information were unconstitutional. However, the secret court operating under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) sided with the NSA and forced Yahoo's hand.   Read [url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2342200/Revealed-Yahoo-FOUGHT-NSAs-warrantless-spying-program-lost-forced-secret-court-join-PRISM.html]here[/url].

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Win7 Standard user account?!

Hi,   I'm looking into Standard User Account in Win7. What are the pros and cons of using the standard user account instead of an administrator account for daily use, both security wise & comfort wise? Will apps like WSA and browser update in a standard user account as the account restricts to what the user can do?   Best Wishes, Amit

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CNET Reviews: Xbox One vs. PlayStation 4

We've still got about five months before the new [url=http://reviews.cnet.com/microsoft-xbox-one/]Xbox One[/url] and [url=http://reviews.cnet.com/ps4/]PlayStation 4[/url] launch in North America, and already blood has been spilled. From Microsoft gathering an arguably more impressive stable of exclusive games, to Sony revealing the lack of restrictions on PS4 games and a $100 lower price -- effectively, not only kicking the Microsoft brand when its down, but also knocking out a few teeth. This next console launch may be one of the most exciting and brutal yet, and I can't wait to comfortably watch from the sidelines, praising Thor I'm not in either of their shoes.   [b]Hardware[/b] The [url=http://reviews.cnet.com/microsoft-xbox-one/]Xbox One[/url] and PlayStation 4 house very similar silicon inside their respective bodies, with a few key differences. According to an [url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-spec-analysis-xbox-one]exhaustive analysis[/url] by Digital F

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Facebook, Microsoft release NSA stats to reassure users

[img]https://d1qy7qyune0vt1.cloudfront.net/webroot-en/attachment/4124i909B8AEDBF7D58FF.jpg[/img] Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna and Facebook General Counsel Ted Ullyot, in this file photo.   Facebook and Microsoft today became the first Internet companies to disclose the total number of legal orders they receive for user data, including ones from the National Security Agency and from state, local, and federal police performing criminal investigations. The total for Facebook: About 18,000 accounts over a six month period, or one-thousandth of one percent of user accounts. Microsoft's total was about 31,000 accounts over the same six month period ending December 31, 2012. A Google spokesman told CNET this evening that the search company is working on disclosing the same type of statistics, and plans to be more detailed than Microsoft and Facebook. Ted Ullyot, Facebook's general counsel, [url=https://newsroom.fb.com/News/636/Facebook-Releases-Data-Including-All-Nationa

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Insignificant bug keeps encrypted disks unlocked after ejecting in OS X

[img]https://d1qy7qyune0vt1.cloudfront.net/webroot-en/attachment/4118iC5DD502E892E54F8.png[/img] Apple's CoreStorage disk encryption technology [url=https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4937813]has a small bug[/url] that will keep a disk unlocked, even after it has been unmounted from the system. In OS X Lion, Apple introduced a drive management technology called CoreStorage. When enabled, CoreStorage will create a "logical volume group" out of one or more physical drive partitions, and then create usable "logical volumes" from this group to serve as storage for your system. This setup allows the logical volume to span multiple physical partitions (as is seen with Apple's Fusion Drive), and support features like encryption for Apple's FileVault 2.   According to the [url=http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/man8/diskutil.8]manual page for the OS X disk management command "diskutil"[/url] (the Terminal approach to disk management), when an

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Creating an iPad experience -- on four wheels

The largest, most expensive mobile device in most people's lives is not a smartphone or a tablet. It's their car. As microprocessors, GPS, and wireless have invaded the automobile, carmakers have begun to obsess about apps and interfaces that make such gadgetry work. Here's a closer look at the design process.   [img]http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/130611112132-aut01-620xa.jpg[/img]

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Me at the Microsoft MVP Open Day!

I finally got a picture from the MVP Open Day from May 24th, 2013 at Microsoft Head Office in Toronto, Canada. We got allot of new info on many fronts from Software and Hardware but my MVP NDA does not allow me to discuss anything to my Fellow Webrooters but it was a great day 8:00am to 5:00pm and there were over 100 of us and 60 via Web Hookup then after they took 40 of us the ones that wanted to go to a Toronto Blue Jays game in an Executive Suite we had a great time and I got home around 1:00am. :D   Daniel   If you look close enough I'm wearing my Webroot Expert Advisor Polo Shirt! ;)   [img]https://d1qy7qyune0vt1.cloudfront.net/webroot-en/attachment/3794i16F54209258C956E.png[/img]

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Microsoft Office comes to the iPhone

) -- Microsoft Office, the suite of productivity tools used by millions, has finally come to the iPhone. The move is a significant one for Microsoft and its users. Before, the popular set of tools, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, was available only on Windows phones, which have captured a sliver of the smartphone market. The feature is available free in Apple's App Store for subscribers to Office 365, the cloud-based version of Office's business-like tools for home users. Subscribers pay a monthly fee. [url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/office-mobile-for-office-365/id541164041?mt=8]Office for iPhone[/url] is intended for people who need to edit PowerPoints or Excel spreadsheets on the go, not create them from their phones. The company said users can work with documents on their phones, and the updates will be transferred to those documents on PC versions. They'll also be able to share documents from their phones. "When we launched Office 365 earlier this year, we commi

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E3 2013: How to be Sony-Smart

What an exciting E3 2013, no? And we're just two days in!   Yesterday, I posted about the (then) brand new announcements from [url=https://community.webroot.com/t5/Techie/Microsoft-and-EA-Big-announcements-at-E3/m-p/43820#.UbejJtimXa8]Microsoft and EA camps[/url], but really, this E3 is all about the latest chapter in the Playstation vs. Xbox rivalry. Here's the kicker: It looks like the tables have turned and Sony is winning... Last night, Sony held it's press conference much like Microsoft did earlier to kick off the day. And much like Microsoft, Sony [url=http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/06/from-destiny-to-transistor-these-are-the-games-youll-play-on-the-ps4/]presented and demoed a handful of exclusives[/url] and showed off the PS4's power (article courtesy of ARS Technica). Unlike its rival, however, Sony also utilized the moment to address some of the main gripes gamers were having with next-gen consoles. Needless to say, unlike Microsoft, the announcement was greeted wit

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MikeR
MikeRRetired Webrooter
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The Reason Microsoft's Always-Online is the Future of Gaming

Microsoft is placing the Xbox One beyond the reach of people without a stable and reliable internet connection. The reason for the move to always-online is to take console gaming to the next level. This will create a new world of hybrid multiplayer development and games that would not be possible on an unconnected console.   The perfect example of this new frontier of multiplayer gaming is Bungie's online first-person shooter (FPS), [b][url=http://www.techhive.com/article/2028589/destiny-bungies-next-big-thing.html]Destiny[/url][/b]. The multiplayer advancements will incorporate many of the appealing aspects from Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs) into a console.    [b][url=http://www.techhive.com/article/2041667/why-always-online-consoles-are-good-for-gamers.html#tk.twt_techive]Full Article[/url][/b] [b] [/b] [b][img]https://d1qy7qyune0vt1.cloudfront.net/webroot-en/attachment/4080i8679703619E98396.jpg[/img](Source: Techhive) [/b]

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After the Cloud, What Next?

I found this to be a interesting read as to what is in the future after cloud technology. This should wet the pallet for our savy tech's here. Here is the URL for your reading:[url=http://resource.onlinetech.com/after-the-cloud-what-next-mobile-technology-in-data-centers/]http://resource.onlinetech.com/after-the-cloud-what-next-mobile-technology-in-data-centers/[/url]

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jgouverneur
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11 years ago
YegorP
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Xbox One: Microsoft Quickly Gets on the Defensive

Another day, another controversial console story from E3 in Los Angeles...   Yesterday [url=http://community.webroot.com/t5/Techie/E3-2013-How-to-be-Sony-Smart/m-p/44030#.Ubi8k9jV2L0]I posted about Sony's intelligent strategy[/url] that helped them steal the spotlight (and likely many would-be Xbox One buyers) at E3, after it announced that they would not restrict the way users buy, sell, and lend games for the PS4. In other words, they didn't change anything from the policies that exist now on current consoles. The problem is that Microsoft did.   Now, after hearing a barrage of customer backlash and anger over the Xbox One's licensing and used game policies, Microsoft (more specifically Chief Marketing and Strategy officer Yusuf Mehdi) is firing back...politely.   "We're trying to do something pretty big in terms of moving the industry forward for console gaming into the digital world. We believe the digital world is the future, and we believe digital is better." Y

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Steps for Safe Web Surfing

The following steps I use, and I wanted to share with you.   Practice safe shopping   Use regularly updated security software [b] [/b] Educate yourself about the types of scams on the Internet   [b]Surf Safely [/b]  When browsing the Web for financial institutions or other sites, take steps to avoid fraudulent sites   Click with caution When checking e-mail or instant messaging   Use a firewall   Secure Wireless Networks   Strong passwords   Common Sense   Be skeptical      

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New MacBook Air promises all-day battery life (hands-on)

Walking into [url=http://news.cnet.com/wwdc/]Apple's WWDC 2013 keynote[/url], few attendees guessed that the only laptop to get an update would be the MacBook Air. Last updated almost one year ago, the Air remains the most mainstream-targeted of all Apple's systems; in fact it was clearly the laptop most used by WWDC press attendees to blog, tweet, and report on the keynote. But almost as surprising as this being the only MacBook to get a June 2013 update is the relative paucity of new features, at least at first glance. The main new selling point would seem to be the move to Intel's new fourth-generation Core i-series CPUs, also known by the codename Haswell. [b]New hardware[/b] We've previously tested Haswell chips in a few laptops and been impressed with both the performance and battery life gains (to be realistic, the latter is much more important for consumers). If you add Haswell to Apple's already-stellar battery life reputation, you get a system, in the 13-inch Air, that Apple

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Dell powers up three new Alienware gaming laptops

[img]https://d1qy7qyune0vt1.cloudfront.net/webroot-en/attachment/4036i0851ADD891DB2346.jpg[/img] The new Alienware 18.4-inch high-powered laptop.   Dell has beefed up its Alienware series with three new laptops equipped with some seriously high-end specs. Unveiled on Tuesday at the [url=http://reviews.cnet.com/e3/]E3[/url] show in Los Angeles, the [url=http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/uscorp1/secure/2013-06-11-dell-alienware-gaming-pc-e3]Alienware 14, Alienware 17, and Alienware 18[/url] are designed for hard-core gamers who need laptops packed with lots o' power. Starting at $1,199, the [url=http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-14/pd.aspx]Alienware 14[/url] offers a 14-inch screen (1,366x768 or 1,920x1,080 resolution), as much as 16GB of RAM, and up to a 512GB solid-state hard drive. Starting at $1,499, the [url=http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-17/pd.aspx]Alienware 17[/url] is equipped with a 17.3-inch screen with a resolution as high as 1,920x1,080, up to 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB h

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Radical design of Mac Pro

Call it the Revenge of the Cube. Apple has introduced a new version of the high-end Mac Pro desktop at WWDC 2013. The updated model skips Intel's [url=http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-3121_7-57587411-220/intels-new-fourth-gen-haswell-processors-what-you-need-to-know-faq/]fourth generation of Core i-series processors[/url], previously codenamed Haswell, instead sticking with pro-level Xeon processors. But it's the design of this new Mac Pro that became a conversation topic: instead of a big square box, the new Pro is a shiny black cylinder that looks like it fell off the engine of a starship.   [img]https://d1qy7qyune0vt1.cloudfront.net/webroot-en/attachment/4034iAD4BB5665EAFAC59.jpg[/img] Apple unveiled the all-new, radically designed Mac Pro computer today at the World Wide Developer's Conference today in San Francisco.   Steve Jobs had a similar dream years ago in the G4 Cube, a famously minimal gleaming box that was meant to represent the future of desktop computers. The Cube

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iOS 7 changes are overwhelmingly cosmetic (hands-on)

To silence a growing chorus of discontent against an operating system design that's remained more or less static since 2007, Apple needed to go big. With iOS 7, it did. Apple's crisp, newly announced OS update gives the mobile operating system a radical new look and some first-for-Apple features for iPhone and iPad fans, like quick-access system controls, automatic app updates, and Apple's AirDrop file-sharing system.   The visual overhaul, which becomes available this fall, is a clean sweep that changes absolutely everything, from the typography and color schemes to the typical icon and button shape across the entire platform. And we mean the whole thing -- from the Safari browser to the photo app.   While there are a few notable new features in iOS 7, the new interface is by far the platform's deepest felt and most profoundly changed of the entire batch. Apple's other features are relatively uninspiring and do little to challenge competitors; however, we have a feeling that

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iOS 7 specs versus Android 4.2, Windows Phone, BlackBerry 10

[img]https://d1qy7qyune0vt1.cloudfront.net/webroot-en/attachment/4032i7A0EB29FCB3FF544.jpg[/img] Apple completely rebuilt its iOS interface.   [url=http://reviews.cnet.com/apple-ios-7/]Apple's iOS 7 comes out swinging[/url]with an overhauled design that reskins practically every element with a gleaming new interface. From what we've seen so far (including hands-on time with iOS 7 on an iPhone 5,) we like the latest 'do. A lot. While some new behaviors go along with the updated apps, [url=http://reviews.cnet.com/apple-ios-7/]iOS 7[/url]'s changes are more cosmetic and iterative than they are groundbreaking. That's completely understandable; not every update can spark a revolution. However, apart from a few notable innovations, iOS 7 doesn't seem like it's enough to overturn criticism that its growth has stalled, that it's less innovative than arch-rival [url=http://www.cnet.com/android-atlas/]Android[/url], and that it borrows heavily from other competitors (in truth, they all stea

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Tech experts accuse Apple of ditching unique look for 'almost unrecognisable' interface

Tech experts have accused Apple's new software of being designed more for its critics than its army of loyal fans. The bold redesign, which scraps Apple's iconic style in favour of a more generic Android look, was called 'almost unrecognisable' by Jan Dawson, analyst at IT research firm Ovum, and will 'disorientate' customers in a bid to prove the company can still innovate. Others hailed the redesign as being a step too far with Paddy Smith, online editor at Stuff.tv adding he hoped the 'the biggest update to iOS since iPhone won't also prove to be its most controversial.' GameSpot UK's Mark Walton even accused Apple of going on the 'defensive' during its keynote speech at its annual WWDC and said the changes show criticism about the company's supposed lack of innovation since Steve Jobs died had finally got to it.   [img]https://d1qy7qyune0vt1.cloudfront.net/webroot-en/attachment/4030i9FD74D15B9B02FEF.jpg[/img] The new iOS 7 software has fewer textures and a more monochrome

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YegorP
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Microsoft and EA: Big announcements at E3

As some of you know, E3 2013 is upon us. And while this year's Xbox One and PS4 announcements did give users a glimpse into the next-gen consoles, they were mostly focused on the social and all-purpose capabilities of the new machines. At E3, on the other hand, it's all been about the games (so far).   Microsoft was up first with it's announcement of sequels and Xbox One exclusives (as well as non-exclusives). Among the sequels, there was the impressive looking Forza follow-up, Forza Motorsport 5, which should put a smile on the faces of both car-lovers and racing fanatics. Perhaps (actually without a doubt), the more exciting sequel news for the majority of gamers will be the much-anticipated Halo 5. Although it won't be available at launch, Microsoft promises a release during the first half of 2014.   Other notable announcements were a Killer Instinct reboot (Finally!), the futuristically-cool-yet-beautiful Quantum Break, and third person slice-em-up Ryse: Son of Rome. Chec

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jgouverneur
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11 years ago

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