Another “Uh oh” (Scary)

Well, I can’t say I didn’t see this coming, but… uh oh.

* U.S. government warns of hack threat to network gear

(Reuters) – “The Department of Homeland Security urged computer users on Tuesday to disable a common networking technology feature, after researchers warned that hackers could exploit flaws to gain access to tens of millions ¹ of vulnerable devices.

The U.S. government’s Computer Emergency Readiness Team, on its website, advised consumers and businesses to disable a feature known as Universal Plug and Play or UPnP, and some other related features that make devices from computers to printers accessible over the open Internet.” Read more..

It’s kind of what happens when you think about security after you design and build something.. Like we’ve done with this “tech”.

Rapid 7’s free “are you vulnerable?” scanner: ScanNow for Universal Plug and Play (UPnP)

¹ emphasis: mine

Unrelated reading reco: 100 Wars

Today’s quote: “Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.” ~ Margaret Young

Copyright 2007-2013 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

---

>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

---

All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Find out which mobile apps are stealing your identity (& more)

A few quick reading reco’s for you today:

* Find out which mobile apps are stealing your identity

“Mobile device malware is approaching exponential growth. Mobile apps are the vehicle of choice to deliver malware. Michael P. Kassner looks at our options.” Read more..

And you might be interested..

* Five Web Apps to make you smarter

“Wally Bahny suggests five web apps that you can use to hone your IT skills as well as make yourself smarter in other business-related areas.” View on site..

Still using Outlook?

* 10 tips for speeding up Outlook

“If you’ve used Microsoft Outlook for a while, you know that it can slow down… way down. In fact, when not looked after, Outlook can become nearly useless. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to make Outlook not only usable, but significantly improved. And none of these techniques requires a single configuration change to your Exchange server (IMAP or POP3).” Read more..

And, say what? There’s a(nother) new iPad! (sorta)

* Apple’s 128GB iPad: A premium product at a premium price

“Will customers stomach the price tag of the new 128GB iPad?” Read more..

[I dare you to read that and not think “gouging”.. (and is one reason why I don’t own any iProducts).]

This next, all I can say is: Um..
Yeah..
OK…

* Oracle speaks, promises to get Java “fixed up”

“After a series of Java malware outbreaks that have resulted in widespread infections and earned significant criticisms from security analysts, many of whom recommended uninstalling the software altogether, Oracle appears ready to break its silence and address the concerns.” Read more..

Okay. Out of time. Have most excellent day!

Copyright 2007-2013 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

---

>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

---

All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Attention all cell phone owners: Important news

Attention all cell phone owners

(well, GSM phone owners, any way..)

Important news: Unlocking Your Cell Phone Is Now Illegal

“As of Saturday, it is illegal for you to unlock your phone without permission from your wireless carrier.” Read more..

Now, understand, I am not really into all things cellular, but my understanding is: if you ever want to (re)sell your smart phone, or switch it to a different provider’s service, or travel without “roaming charges”, you want an “unlocked” phone. So you may want to call your current provider and request the unlock code before Saturday.
(I also understand, but may very well be wrong, that “unlock”-ing is different than “jailbreak”-ing or “root”-ing. [I’ve never cared to hack a phone.])

And you may want to sign the White House Petition and (try to) get the new law changed, as well (the link is at the bottom of the [referenced] article).

They keep trying…

Um.. One problem: I have not ever Facebooked.

Today’s quote: “Nobody really cares if you’re miserable, so you might as well be happy.” ~ Cynthia Nelms

Copyright 2007-2013 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

---

>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

---

All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Sunday Beauty #113 (and a Sunday Ugly too)

Here’s another interesting image for your Sunday.

Click on image to see more by this artist

“Lion, Kruger Park, South Africa” by Dimitry B, courtesy of Flickr Commons

(How’s that for a “unforgettable face”?)

Sunday Ugly:

Beware the Easy e-card

Here it is – 2013 – and criminals still think sending this *crud* is an effective money-making strategy. Why?
Certainly, the cost of mailing is negligible (aka “free”) but why bother if nobody answers?
Oh. Some *humans* must still be responding to them.

Don’t have people comparing your IQ to a box of rocks: resist the “curiosity” and simply practice the Basic Rule of Email – Do Not Open Email from People You Do Not Know. (sorry, “Dr Peters”.)

Today’s quote: “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.” ~ Mark Twain

(Yes, I’ve posted this one before. But my spidey-sense tells me to post it again today…)

Copyright 2007-2013 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

---

>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

---

All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

A Word About Word #2 (Some Useful Tricks)

Folks, I have been using Microsoft’s document maker (aka “text editor”, or “word processor”) –  Word – basically since it first came out, back in the Paleozoic Age of computing (circa 1984, or so) so I was pleasantly surprised when I reviewed a Word Tips article where I actually learned something new.

Here it is (you might not know all these either..) Five tips that will increase your Word productivity

“Most of us don’t have time to discover all the ins and outs of the software we use on a daily basis. We learn on the fly, we occasionally pick up a tip or shortcut, and we grudgingly plow through the Help system when we absolutely have to.” Read more..

Also, down at the bottom, there’s: Additional resources

• 10+ lesser-known shortcuts for formatting Word text
• 10+ keyboard shortcuts for entering special characters in a Word document
• 10 things I can never find in Word 2007 (aka “That *dang* Ribbon!)
• The 10 most useful Word shortcuts
• 10 obscure Word tricks that can expedite common chores

And, yes. People still use Office (Word/Excel/Access/PowerPoint/Outlook) and yes, they “own the disc”. (Frankly, I think you always want to have the disc..)

Audience participation: Is anyone out there actually using Toucan for backup/sync? Or.. tried to? I’d appreciate some ‘feedback’, if you’d be so kind.

Today’s quote: “A man’s health can be judged by which he takes two at a time – pills or stairs.” ~ Joan Welsh

Copyright 2007-2013 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

---

>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

---

All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Friday Fun Videos (of the High Flying Sort)

Folks, wanna have some fun?

Okay, then! Let’s start. This first one is quite short. First, click here. Then toggle the viewer to Full screen mode. Then click Play ” >”.

Insane, eh?

Now, ole Tech Paul loves airplanes. And loves fun. But I would want no part of that!

Here’s some more things that go fast..

Okay, so some of that was a little.. um.. not-so-fun.. let me try again..

Yeah. OK. So that stuff is not for everybody. So for the rest of you, here’s your FFV.

Yay! The weekend is almost here.

And how about some tech? AT&T buys Verizon Wireless spectrum for $1.9bn

“AT&T has agreed to acquire airwaves from Verizon Wireless, the U.S.’ largest cellular network by subscribers, for $1.9 billion, the company said today.” Read more..

Today’s quote: “I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places.” ~ Henny Youngman

ATTN: Do you have the IP of 192.74.237.188 ? If you are not a spammer, you’re infected (actually, “botted“). And your machine is spamming blogs with bogus comments, and probably doing other nasty things as well.

(Don’t know what your IP address is? Click here.)

Copyright 2007-2013 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

---

>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

---

All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

February Approaches

I am doing my “mental reviewing” a bit early this month.. as the first calendar month of 2013 ticks away its final days.. How has the New Year fared so far?

* I understand many of you are in a “deep freeze”, and it’s rather cold.
Like, bust the water pipes cold.

You have my sympathies, and I hope you’ll have great success keeping the frostbite away, and that your pipes don’t break. (I [also] understand there are some highly effective frostbite preventatives available..)

* A day or two ago, I received an email telling me that – all month long – it has been National Stalking Awareness Month.

No. I’m not kidding. See? Here’s a button.

“Stalking is a dangerous crime that affected 6.6 million adults in the United States in one year.  The better we understand the facts about stalking, the more we can do to stop it.

That’s why the Stalking Resource Center, National Center for Victims of Crime, and the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice, launched National Stalking Awareness Month in 2004. Every January since then, communities across the country have focused on stalking – holding events, sharing information, and building awareness about the crime.” Learn more here.

Please don’t think I am taking anything away from the seriousness of crime with what I say next — but I am old enough to remember life before Political Correctness, lapel ribbons, and calls to raise “awareness”. I have nothing against ‘raising awareness’ (and I’d like to think that’s kind of what I do here, at Tech – for Everyone) or anything else that helps make us less ignorant… But I think we’ve reached a point where a fear-mongering media, and 12,932 “awareness” months, are kind of overwhelming us.. and creating a reverse effect.
And there’s only so much room on our lapels for pins…

Sorry. I digressed. Please visit the Stalking Resource Center, at http://www.stalkingawarenessmonth.org/. There’s a short quiz there. You can “test” your stalking “awareness”.

* I don’t really have any comment about this big news..  Microsoft May Back Dell Buyout

.. Partly because the PC has been declared “dead” (seems all people really want are wimpy little “smart devices” like tablets and phones) and partly because I’m not smart enough to predict the future.

* I had an interesting conversation with a very sharp fella who’s betting big on near-field technology, and is hoping that before long, we here will be a cash-less society, that there’ll be no more credit cards, and that we’ll be using our “smart” phones as our wallets and purses.. as he said they are already doing (more) in Europe and Japan.

I couldn’t argue that that is the direction many want to take us. Nor that it seems the direction we head. I did present him with some ‘bigger’ arguments he really did not want to hear. There’s nothing wrong with using some other form of “payment” than actual money. The credit card proves that. Right?

* ‘Dexter’ Malware Bleeds Retail POS Systems

“With so much of retailers’ profitability tied up in the holiday season, now would be the worst time for malware to infect point-of-sale (POS) systems. Yet that’s precisely what’s happening.” Read more..

Today’s quote: “Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.” ~ Plato

Copyright 2007-2013 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

---

>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

---

All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.