Returning a Start Button to Windows 8
Posted by admin on Feb 5, 2013
Do you own a system with Windows 8? Do you wish you could get back that traditional Start Button from Windows XP/Vista/7?
Stardock’s Start8 tool restores a Start Button to the Windows 8 desktop, for just $5.
Longtime Windows users have criticized Microsoft for yanking the Start Button and forcing them to book to the new title-based Start screen rather than letting them opt for the traditional desktop interface. Start8 drops users directly onto the traditional desktop. It also adds configuration and personalization options, the ability to search in Control Panel apps, and support for pinning in Jump Lists. Microsoft has blocked other Start button workarounds, but Stardock believes that it would be very difficult for Microsoft to do the same with Start8. “The reason Microsoft can’t easily break us… is that those programs relied on a Registry switch to do it, which Microsoft removed,” says Stardock CEO Brad Wardell. To get the app, click here.
Practice Good Password Habits
Posted by admin on Feb 1, 2013
Taken from PCWorld Magazine, November 2012
If you are like me, you probably haven’t changed the passwords you use in a while. Your digital privacy is a critical part of your personal privacy, so making a few easy changes to the way you create passwords will pay off in peace of mind.
First, make sure that the password for your primary email account is strong and unique, yet easy to remember. This means that names and birthdates are poor choices, because someone could guess the password using publicly available information. To create a unique password, think of it not as a single word but as a passphrase that you generate using the same method each time. First, pick a phrase that is easy to remember, such as your hometown and the name of a pet. Let’s use “Oakland Jack” as an example. Multiple words are ideal, because the spaces serve as special characters but are easy to remember. Next, add a site-specific tweak that ensures your passphrase is unique to that service. So, for my Outlook password, we could use “ouOakland Jack7”. Then, I could append the current year to the end of the passphrase. So my password for Facebook could be “faOakland Jack82012”, which looks like gibberish but is easy to remember because I know the process that generated it.
No password is perfect, of course, which is why you should update yours as often as possible.
Canadian anti-spam legislation (CASL)
Posted by admin on Jan 30, 2013
From the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Canadian anti-spam legislation and the corresponding regulations have taken a “ban-all” approach to regulating commercial electronic messages (CEMs). All emails, SMS texts, social media sent in a commercial context are captured. The legislation will obligate the sender to obtain consent from the receiver prior to sending a CEM. That consent may not be obtained by sending a CEM. The definitions for consent are quite specific and are more demanding than existing privacy legislation. The legislation also requires an opt-out mechanism in all CEMs which must be backstopped with a database with the details of all business/personal relationships and removals of consent.
The administrative penalties for non-compliance are excessive. The rules would also provide powers for private parties to sue under the legislation.
The broad scope of CASL means that it will impact every single business, association, club, charitable organization and foundation that conducts activities in Canada. Without significant modifications and exceptions, this legislation will impede commercial speech, an essential ingredient of market competitiveness and lead to reduced competition and higher prices.
This legislation will also impose massive compliance costs on businesses that may be ill-equipped to undertake them and will result in economic hardship for both business and not-for-profit organizations. The result will be a corresponding negative impact on local economies.
In its current form, these regulations will impede innovation and competitiveness by needlessly channelling resources away from new ventures and opportunities and by slowing the regular updating of computer software and systems. Ultimately, this legislation and the regulations in their current form will not solve the problem of nuisance/fraudulent messages or of nuisance/malicious software, which are generally initiated outside the jurisdictional reach of the CRTC, the agency tasked with enforcement of the CASL.
How Hackable Are You?
Posted by admin on Jan 29, 2013
Taken from PCWorld Magazine, November 2012
If you use email, upload photos, frequent social networks, and shop on the Web, your online profile is likely already out there. Even if you don’t go online much, bits of your personal data may be available for viewing via digitized public records: Someone could readily find out if you have a mortgage, for example, of if you’ve recently gotten married or divorced. Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself.
1) Search for yourself and discover what information is out there. Just type your name into a search engine and see what comes up. Look at the results the way a hacker would… is there enough data to piece together your life?
2) Use passphrases instead of passwords. The best passwords are randomly generated, but these can be hard to remember. However, as most passwords are hacked using brute force – in which hackers use a computer to run through all possible combinations, all passwords can be cracked. The longer the password, the harder it is to crck.
3) Keep your software and antivirus programs up to date.
4) Create unique passwords only for accounts that contain sensitive information – say, email, banking, and social network sites.
5) Be careful about what information you give away to noncritical websites. If you can’t get past a screen because the website wants you to give up too much information, just make it up!
6) Protect yourself offine by locking your mailbox, shred important documents, and never carry your social insurance card.
Ten Ways to Get the Most From your Wi-Fi-Only Tablet
Posted by admin on Jan 25, 2013
Taken from PCWorld Magazine, November 2012
Chances are, if you have a tablet, it is Wi-Fi only. That means, it does not have its own cellular based 3G for 4G internet connection. Check out these ten tips for Wi-Fi-only tablets.
1) Tether your tablet to your cell phone and share one data plan.
2) Get a mobile hotspot, which is a dedicated cellular-based modem and router, built into a small little package. Hotspots are often faster than a tethered connection, but requires an additional data plan.
3) Pre-load magazines and books using your wireless internet connection before you head out.
4) Use offline mapping apps such as Google Maps’ offline-viewing option. You just need to look up the route when you are connected to a wi-fi connection first, and then choose “offline viewing”, and you will still get the turn-by-turn directions.
5) Make sure you download any emails, documents and web pages using your wi-fi connection before you head out the door.
6) Load up on games and activities the same way so that you will have lots to do when you are away from an internet connection.
7) You can also use your wi-fi connection to make phone calles using Skype, Google Voice or MagicJack.
Microsoft Surface Pro
Posted by admin on Jan 22, 2013
Taken from MarketNews
Microsoft announced that it would be releasing the Surface Pro hybrid tablet PC to the U.S. market in January at a starting price of $899 for the 64GB model. The price was expected to be considerably higher than the current Surface RT that came out in October, but is it too much for it to have a chance of success?
Considering that we’re talking about a full-fledged Windows 8 PC that shouldn’t have any major limitations for the user, maybe it’s not such a bad deal. On the other hand, once you go to 128GB and add the touch keyboard cover, you’re looking at a price tag in excess of $1,200. Some will say that a MacBook Air costs about the same and has similar specs, which is indeed true.
The Surface Pro is also a tablet, first and foremost, and adding the Touch Cover essentially turns it into a functioning PC. With access to Microsoft Office and an array of other Windows apps, isn’t this the best of both worlds? You have what appears to be an ideal combination of creation and consumption, particularly since the Surface Pro would ostensibly be able to run apps from both the Windows Marketplace and those downloaded from a Web browser.
BlackBerry Starts Fresh with BB10
Posted by admin on Jan 18, 2013
Taken from MarketNews
Soon we get to see the latest BlackBerry platform, BB10, which RIM is quick to clarify is a completely new operating system versus an upgrade. On January 30, Research in Motion (RIM) will reveal the first two devices to operate on BlackBerry 10. Currently known only as Dev Alpha B, the touch-only developer prototype device we saw today (there will also be a QWERTY and touch model) was thin and sleek with a large screen (roughly about 4.75″). But the main focus is on BB10, which promises to revitalize the BlackBerry platform in the wake of falling market share, increased pressure from the market leaders, Android and iPhone, and now new competition from Windows 8 and its slew of manufacturer partners.
It’s not so much what sets BB10 apart from the others as it is how the new OS finally brings RIM back into the fold. There are intuitive menu icons, with everything controlled via swiping motions. Integrated calendars, hubs, and application switching that combine information from various social networking sites, make it easy to see details of each attendee at a meeting and related e-mails, and allow for separating business and personal application, e-mails, and content into two unique views. And there’s quick and seamless operation via a new HTML5 browser that RIM says boasts markedly faster load times than other platforms (though this would also be impacted by the user’s wireless connection and location, among other factors.)
5 Reasons to Upgrade Your Wireless Router
Posted by admin on Jan 15, 2013
Chances are, years ago, you set up a wireless network in your home for a single task, such as enabling a laptop to access the Internet without having to use a cable. But over the years, numerous other devices have entered the scene that can use your home’s Wi-Fi network — HDTVs for streaming movies and accessing the Internet, printers, smart phones, tablets, video game systems, eBook readers, media players and more.
Can your network handle this increased demand?
If it’s been a few years since you installed a wireless router, the answer is probably no. The latest routers feature 802.11n technology (compared to the older 802.11g/b), which offers faster speeds — especially ideal for streaming video and playing multiplayer games. Some models also have multiple antennae, sometimes referred to as dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz speeds), to better handle a number of wireless devices at the same time. These new 802.11n routers also offer a broader range, easier setup and better security. Speaking of security, remember to password-protect your wireless network so your neighbours can’t piggyback on your Wi-Fi for free.
The good news is you don’t need to break the bank to pick up a new wireless router, as prices start at $30 for a basic802.11n model capable of streaming up to 150 megabits per second. Routers that can handle up to 300 Mbps speeds start at $50 and routers with speeds up to 450 Mbps typically start at $100.
There are five reasons to consider the upgrade:
1. Faster speeds: Newer routers can handle streaming high-def video, multiplayer games.
2. Broader distance: Access the Internet anywhere in your home or on a porch or backyard deck.
3. Support for more wireless devices: Connect a couple dozen devices without noticing any slowdown.
4. Better security: Newer routers offer more secure ways to safeguard your network and information.
5. Simpler setup: The latest routers are easier to setup, offering interview-like questions for users to click through to get going.
Laptop Pioneer’s Innovation Led to the Clamshell Case Still Used Today
Posted by admin on Oct 21, 2012
Taken from The New York Times
In 1979, William Moggridge was hired by Grid Systems to design a new type of computer – one that could fit into a briefcase. His ingenious solution was a clamshell case, roughly 38 x 30 centimetres, which popped open to reveal a luminous screen on top that folded over the keyboard on bottom. The Compass, as this groundbreaking laptop was called, went on sale for about $8000. It even made trips aboard the space shuttle starting in 1983.
Moggridge, who died at 69, was not only the designer of that first laptop, he is also widely viewed as a father of the field of interaction design, and discipline that focuses on improving the human experience of digital products.
In his book Designing Interactions, Moggridge wrote: “I had the experience of a lifetime developing a design that was innovating in so many ways. I developed the way that the screen was hinged to fold down over the keyboard for carrying.” In fact, almost every laptop since has used some form of Moggridge’s design. His name is on the patent, but the rights to the patent were assigned to the client. Grid was bought by the Tandy Corp. in 1988.
William Grant Moggridge was born in London in 1943, and died in 2012.
Commodore C64 Computer Introduced 30 Years Ago
Posted by admin on Oct 14, 2012
Was it really 30 years ago that Commodore introduced the C64 computer?
The CPU, featuring a whopping 64kb of RAM, 16 colours, and an integrated keyboard racked up the all-time highest computer sales figures and an astounding product run for starters. Between 12.5 and 17 million C64 consoles were sold (estimates vary due to suspect accounting and other factors) between its introduction in 1982 at the amazingly low prince of $595, and the company’s demise 12 years later. In the vanguard of gaming machines, over 10,000 titles were developed for the C64.
