Smartphone protection, Free software, Fun videos, More!

Let me start today by wishing you all a safe, and joyous long holiday weekend! I know many are happy to see the arrival of Fall.

First up: The other day I mentioned Rick Robinette has been quite actively posting on his What’s On My PC..  site. Here’s two more I think you may want to look at.

* NEW FEATURE – Android CM Security Now Includes An App Lock, Phone Finder and Family Locater

“I am often asked what security app do I use on my Android devices (tablet and smartphone)? Answer: I highly recommend CM Security (by Cheetah Mobile). Two of my biggest fears with that computer in my pocket (called a smartphone) is data security and losing my phone. With CM Security and their recently added components, I […]” Read more..

* DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS – Some Really Good, FREE, and Tasty Software

“One of my passions is software and when I come across something that is professional in stature and FREE, I really get excited. Software developers are a completely different breed of people that are dedicated to a building process that can literally require years of devotion to get it just right or to keep up […]” Read more..

[ There’s a media convertia/YouTube downloader some may want to look at.]

Bonus reading:
* The executive order that led to mass spying, as told by NSA alumni

“Feds call it “twelve triple three”; whistleblower says it’s the heart of the problem.” Read more..

* Does Technology Cause ADHD?

“Some experts believe that technology has a role in the rising rates of ADHD — but whether it causes the disorder is still being debated.” Read more..

 [ There’s kinda a Rule.. if you have to ask the question, the answer’s “yes”. Example: “Do I look fat in these jeans?” ]

* CNET presents the 100 hottest devices of the month‏

“CNET 100 is a tech-filled list of the latest and greatest products that give you a look into how they are trending, in real-time using our exclusive algorithm. From the most talked about products to the obscure fascination, you can keep up with the newest tech obsession.” Read more..

Friday Fun Videos (Yes. Plural.)

This first was sent to me by a reader.

And this Fail compilation was posted just two days ago.

Today’s quote: “Man is the most intelligent of the animals – and the most silly.” ~ Diogenes

Copyright 2007-2014 © “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.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)

Wrapping up the week

(And a fun video, for balance)

Here are a few interesting headlines, for your consideration.

The ‘Nemanja’ POS malware is being used to steal payment cards in a worldwide campaign.

* ‘Nemanja’ POS malware compromises 1,500 devices, half a million payment cards, worldwide

“As many as half a million payment cards used in hotels, grocery stores and other business around the world – including in the U.S. – have been compromised by ‘Nemanja,’ a recently discovered piece of malware that has infected nearly 1,500 point-of-sale (POS) devices.” Read more..

* For sale: alleged dump of 145M eBay user records

“An alleged dump of eBay user records has been made available for purchase, a day after officials at the popular auction and shopping website made the announcement that a breach occurred sometime between late February and early March.” Read more..

Apparently, a copy of such a list is worth $700.

* HP To Eliminate Up To 16,000 More Positions

“The additional cutbacks come on top of the 34,000 positions that HP was eliminating in connection with a multiyear restructuring plan that was outlined in May 2012.” Read more..

.. so.. you want a career in tech?

* Surface Pro 3: The tablet that can replace your laptop

“Microsoft has had some problems framing the marketing for the Surface tablets, but “The tablet that can replace your laptop” tagline nails it.” Read more..

[Just one problem.. it’s not exactly true. {More true than with an iPad, tho.}]

* State-Owned Chinese Firms Hired Military Hackers for IT Services

“The DOJ’s historic indictment provides some rare insight into China’s cyber espionage operations.” Read more..

Saving the best for last department: How to lie, cheat and steal like Snapchat — all the way to the bank

“Two weeks ago the Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement agreement with Snapchat, formally acknowledging the app lied about user privacy and security, and took user data without consent.
The great thing about users is that you can do anything you want to them, and they can’t refuse. ¹

Snapchat collected the contents of user address books without their consent, and its privacy policy flat-out lied about collecting a user’s location information. Snapchat secretly collected the private user information and shared it with unknown parties. Snapchat promised users their photos disappeared “forever” — an impossible promise that exploits a populace not fully educated about mobile technology’s functions and implementations.” Read more..

Saddest part is (it sure seems to me), the people who use Snapchat couldn’t care less about such things.

¹ Anyone using, or thinking of switching to, a “subscription service” should think about that fact …

Today’s quote: “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” ~ Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

Copyright 2007-2014 © “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.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)

The Sun Is Out

Have you seen the television ads for Microsoft’s Windows 8 and.. the “Surface” tablets?

According to them, we can be dancing in the streets (as shown on TV!) and getting a group together to do the robot, as we touch, touch, touch the screens of our wonder devices.

I hope these people got paid to do that…
And it took ’em just three days to film!
{click on image to read how the ad scored with the public. Source: socialbarrel.com}

Granted, the fact that Microdoft’s iPad competitor has a keyboard, and will run productivity software (like Office), has me thinking a Surface might be the first “tablet PC” I buy, but.

I won’t buy the first edition of anything: I would buy a “Pro”, not an “RT”: and I will not buy a tablet until I already have the best/up-to-date-est Desktop for my office and laptop for my mobile needs (aka, I’ve run out of other toys to buy).

Apparently, though, many have already bought their Surface devices.. some, a long time ago (“pre-order”). And some of those are dancing in City Plaza now, as we speak, as they have one. Others who pre-ordered, haven’t received theirs yet, I understand. Where is my Microsoft Surface? Here’s what we know

“Microsoft’s Surface RT has launched, but most have yet to receive their tablet, despite promises from the software giant. From a ZDNet crowdsourced effort, here’s what we know.” Read more..

Which means there’s some disappointed people out there, I guess..

And I guess I will repeat: the ONLY way I’ll touch Windows 8 would be on a Surface tablet. (Despite how wonderful the ads make it sound..) If you think you might want/need a new Desktop or Laptop/Notebook.. might want to buy today – while there’s still Windows 7 units on the store’s shelf. (And, yes. My “Don’t Buy The First One Rule’ also applies to Windows 8. Even if I thought it was the neatest thing since sliced bread, [and let’s be clear – I do not] there’s a reason for the “wait for the Service Pack” axiom.)

Because Windows 8 has arrived.

For better or worse.

*     *     *

It has been a great week for Bay Area sports fans. People are actually smiling here.. Thank you, S.F. Giants! (World Series Champions 2012)

*     *     *

Apres pos of nuttin at all: Loved Google’s art today.

… I never did master his technique…

Today’s quote: “What the country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds.” ~ Will Rogers

Copyright 2007-2012 © “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.

Okay, So There’s Now A “Mini” iPad..

C[ick on image to see more iPad Mini

Some of you will be keen to learn..

Apple gets official with iPad mini; upgrades iPad again

“What might have been one of Apple’s worst kept secrets is finally here.” Read more..

So there you go, your tablet dreams are answered.

And for those who are their friends’ and family’s always on-call free tech support agents..

Today’s free download: Emsisoft Emergency Kit 3.0 is now available. Free portable malware killer with even better detection.

Emsisoft Emergency Kit contains a collection of four programs to detect and remove malware. Version 3 is now available, and as always, completely free of charge for private users. Greater detection is the primary improvement, with Emsisoft Emergency Kit now using the same scan engine as Emsisoft Anti-Malware 7.0. You can launch the kit directly from a CD or USB stick without installation.

Note: I do not advise this tool if you are an “average computer user”, but for the experienced and savvy (aka, if you have been cleaning malware for a while already) who already have a ‘portable toolkit on a stick’.

Today’s quote: “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

*   *   *

Another iPad upgrade? Didn’t they just release one last month? (This one is improved, tho.. ahem.)

I’ll leave you with some advice loyal readers will recognize: don’t buy the first version of any thing.

Copyright 2007-2012 © “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.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day | iPad Teardown

It is the weekend. And it is a holiday. And here is what a real shamrock looks like. (How’s that for a trifecta?)

Click on image to see more by this artist (reco')

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

What is St. Patrick’s Day all about?

“Saint Patrick’s Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig (The Festival of Patrick Day)) is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick (c. AD 387–461), the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church. Saint Patrick’s Day was made an official feast day in the early seventeenth century, and has gradually become a celebration of Irish culture in general.”

*     *     *

A Little Tech (to keep me honest):

* Copy Cassette Tapes and Vinyl LPs (Records) To CD With Audacity

“I don’t know how many times over the years I have been approached and asked if I knew of a low cost software solution to copy (or convert) cassette tapes and Vinyl LP’s (records) to CD (or the computer). To be honest, and being as software savvy as I think I am, I often was not able to provide a good solution and left scratching my head.” Read more…

* Apple iPad 2012 Teardown: Amazing display, difficult to repair

“The 2012 Apple iPad is a solid upgrade and its Retina display is amazing. But as Bill Detwiler discovered, it’s still difficult to open and repair.” Read more..

*     *     *

24 hours worth...

Today’s quotable quote: “Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy.” ~ Joseph Campbell

*     *     *

Copyright 2007-2012 © “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. <<

---

It’s a cat’s life…

This morning was one of those mornings I came out to find the Windows “welcome screen” waiting for me, instead of my work-in-progress (and open websites), which meant that Windows Update had reboot-ed my machine; which is a pretty good indicator that yesterday was Patch Tuesday.

No, I didn’t lose any work.
Because now we have cool built-in “save my bacon” things like “autodraft”; and modern browsers will remember my “tabs”, and offer to “restore” my “session” – etc..

It wasn’t always like this.
Long ago, now, back in what I call the Jurassic Period, whenever I was working on a computer I would end each sentence I typed with a period and a Ctrl + S (the “keyboard shortcut” for the Save command).
That was because Windows 95 might freeze, “lockup”, spontaneously reboot, or just BSOD at any given – totally random – time, for no (apparent) rhyme and no (apparent) reason. And seemed to like doing it.

By the time Windows 98 Second Edition came along, things weren’t quite so bad, and my habit softened and mollified itself to typing Ctrl + S at the end of every paragraph.
I maintained this habit right up through the second “service pack” for Windows XP.
With that release, “Windows” and the word “stable” (in Geekspeak, “stable” means “doesn’t crash too ofen”), could actually be used in the same sentence..

Where am I going with this..? Oh. Yes. I remember: some time ago now I wrote two articles I would like to put in front of you again.. in case you missed them.

Finding my computer reboot-ed this morning didn’t bother me because I know a rather important fact – updates are our friends, and we want them. Please see Learn to love the pop up.

And I realized just how long ago it was I dropped my Ctrl + S habit.. and I marveled at the fact that my (main) Windows 7 computer has not had a single BSOD. (And I’ve been running Win7 since the RC.)
Not a one! Please see, It is time to face facts and finally dump Windows XP

Today’s free download (reader submitted): MAGIX Xara Xtreme Photo & Graphic Designer 5 Silver Heads up! The free download is only available until November 24, 2011. (retail $90)

“Do you enjoy photography and love photos? Do you want your photos to look flawless and give them a versatile, creative design? Then Photo & Graphic Designer 5 is the optimum solution for you.“

Note: Just make sure you UNCHECK the Magix Ask Toolbar if you don’t want it (you probably don’t want it :) And you have to register to get the code so use an email you don’t care about. (I will go further: you do not want the Ask toolbar.)
Thank you, Dear Reader (you know who you are).

More reco’s:
* Six Ways to Protect Yourself from Duqu

“Security blog Dark Reading features a post today by Kelly Jackson Higgins called “Five Things To Do To Defend Against Duqu.” Some of the suggestions make more sense than others. PCMag.com Lead Security Analyst Neil Rubenking adds a sixth rather important suggestion.” Read more..

* Jason Hiner’s 10 best tablets of 2011 [Updated]

“New tablets have hit the market week after week throughout 2011, but here are the 10 best that are worth your attention, and your money.” Read more..

Today’s quote: “It isn’t so much that hard times are coming; the change observed is mostly soft times going.” ~ Groucho Marx

Copyright 2007-2011 © “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. <<

---