Read all of this

Folks, truly a ‘must read’ for you today. Please read the whole article, and please have your thinking caps on.

* Google turns in a user for allegedly possessing criminal material

“Find out how Google detected illegal activity on their systems and how they responded to the discovery.” Read more..

[ .. and you may want to peruse the numerous comments as well .. ]

And if that wasn’t enough for you, More Good Reading: Hacked Canadian ISP leads to virtual currency theft

“A hacker who gained privileged access to a Canadian ISP’s network hijacked net traffic from foreign networks and stole more than $83,000 in virtual currency.

The hacker, who experts believe may be a former employee of the Canadian ISP and is working alone, compromised the servers of firms that generate virtual currencies like Bitcoin and Dogecoin.” Read more..

[ um.. “firms that generate virtual currency”..? ]

*      *     *

Today’s quote: “There is no great genius without a mixture of madness.” ~ Aristotle

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.)

If you build it, they will come

lapel-pin-US-flag

An item for you thinkers out there..

* Cryptocurrency mining malware discovered on surveillance DVRs

“Johannes Ullrich, dean of research with the SANS Technology Institute, posted on Monday that DVRs made by Hikvision, a video surveillance products and solutions supplier headquartered in China, were found to contain malware that mined for Bitcoins.” Read more..

What are the implications here?

(Puts a twist on the meaning of “Made in China” a bit, too, doesn’t it? But you should know that already: remember the “infected digital picture frames” [circa 2008] ? )

*     *     *

Other tech: What you should know about Windows 8.1 Update

“The soon-to-be-released Windows 8.1 Update brings minor improvements that favor those using a mouse — in other words, most Win8 users.

Anyone currently on Windows 8.1 will want the update; those who still haven’t made the Modern plunge won’t be impressed.” Read more..

[ This actually does eliminate my main beefs about Win8. But I won’t be switching – it’s Win 7 for me still.]

Today’s free software:  IObit  PCtransfer

“To find a best solution to safely and thoroughly transfer data for XP users, IObit newly releases PCtransfer. It is a free, light, and portable data transfer tool that provides users with an easy and secure way to backup and restore data with one click. PCtransfer especially supports bookmarks and favorites backup on Internet Explorer 6 and 7, and also allows user to quickly select and backup the third-party programs and settings. PCtransfer not only helps user to transfer data from Windows XP system to new systems but also provide assistance to users for moving data to a new PC.”

Today’s quote: “The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do.” ~ B. F. Skinner

(I think he meant “humans”, or “people”, but..)

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.)

MS Office now available for iPads + More

Perhaps.. maybe.. iPads might be a little more useful now..

* Microsoft Office for iPad sets the gold standard for tablet productivity

“It took four years, but Microsoft has finally released full-featured Office apps for the iPad. As expected, the new Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps are free to install but require an Office 365 subscription to unlock the full set of features. Here’s what you can expect.” Read more..

But, things ain’t all roses..

* Office for iPad is free, but it’ll cost you

“More and more large software vendors (like Microsoft and Intuit) are making their iPad apps exclusive to subscribers of their SaaS offerings. I don’t like subscription software and it’s a troubling trend.” Read more..

[it is a trend I won’t be buying into, and will not recommend. Remember the Adobe break in? But, yes, the handwriting is on the wall..]

More tech: 10 tech things we didn’t know a week ago

“Behind on the news and hungry for more? Here’s what we learned this week — including the ‘easter eggs’ in early Microsoft code, and how the U.S. will treat Bitcoin.” See slideshow

[the comments are worth a look as well.]

Sunday Beauty a day early:

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

“Amazing Sky” by Kyrre Gjerstad, courtesy of Flickr Commons

Today’s quote: “What ever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” ~ Napoleon Hill

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.)

Today’s Must Read (And a bit about Bitcoins)

For Those Thinkers Out There.

Folks, a quick reading reco: Privacy concerns about data collection may lead to dumbing down smart devices

“A new wave of smart devices sensors and Internet of Things collecting data will make it hard to remain anonymous offline. Will the public wake up to the risks all of that data poses to their privacy?” Read more..

Keyword there is “offline”.

(And people can hope.. as the article says.. Ahem.)

I highly recommend you read that whole article.

News: Apparent Theft at Mt. Gox Shakes Bitcoin World

“The most prominent Bitcoin exchange appeared to be on the verge of collapse late Monday, raising questions about the future of a volatile marketplace.” Read more..

(I think that’s kind of funny.. What’ya expect from an unregulated, ‘virtual’ [meaning non-existant artificiality] currency?)

Today’s bonus: Cyberattacks fallout could cost the global economy $3 trillion by 2020

“The global economy has yet to mount an adequate defense against the rise of cyberattacks, according to new research. The impact could be $3 trillion in lost productivity and growth.” Read more..

Bah. Peanuts! (And, it probably already has. But no one can/will say so.)

Today’s quote: “War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.” ~ George Orwell, 1984

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.

A Little of This, and a Bit of That

For your consideration..

* How to find out if your password has been stolen

“There are many public databases of breached accounts, the largest breach being that of Adobe.com, but no way to search across all of them. Until now.” Read more..

* Hackers access plain text info on nearly 500K JPMorgan Chase cardholders

“Banking and financial services holding company JPMorgan Chase is alerting 465,000 prepaid cash cardholders that their personal information may have been compromised by hackers.” Read more..

* 3 Big Misconceptions About Bitcoin

“Not long ago, most people were dismissing Bitcoin as merely a passing fad or a hobby for crypto-geeks, if they knew about it at all. Its quixotic nature was taken as a given, as was its ultimate fate: failure to change the status quo, followed by irrelevance. It wasn’t until Bitcoin’s exchange value topped $200 in April 2013 that most mainstream media outlets first took notice.” Read more..

And how about a pretty picture? (aka Sunday Beauty #143)

Click on image to see more by this artist

Today’s quote: “Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.” ~ Earl Nightingale

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.

Pre-Halloween Mishmash

Here’s a few Items of Interest for you.

* World’s first bitcoin ATM opens in Vancouver

“Bitcoiniacs’s kiosk dispenses digital currency from Waves Coffee House” Read more..

* Weaponized Antivirus: When Good Software Does Bad Things

“The 8th International Conference on Malicious and Unwanted Software is aimed at bringing forward the latest scholarly research in security, in an atmosphere that allows direct and candid interaction between all attendees. This year’s conference (Malware 2013 for short) launched with a keynote by Dennis Batchelder, director of Microsoft Malware Protection Center, pointing out the hard problems that face the antimalware industry.” Read more..

[note: this one’s kinda important to know.. ]

* 6 Ridiculous Science Myths You Learned in Kindergarten

“Right around the time we learn to start questioning the ways of this wonderful world around us, our parents start packing us onto school buses every morning, because who the hell has time for all those obnoxious questions? Let the professionals address the budding curiosity of our children; we’ve got America’s Next Top Model to watch. Teachers are better equipped to deal with those questions anyway, right? Right!” Read more..

* Here’s something scary .. Boo!

* Also scary.. Adobe Confesses to Bigger Password Hack

“Early this month, digital media solutions provider Adobe reported a security breach which compromised password information and credit card data for around 3 million customers…” Read more..

BTW Blackberry’s BBM is now available for iGadgets and android devices.

And in case I don’t speak with you before then, please have a safe and a happy Halloween.

Today’s quote: “There is a real danger that computers will develop intelligence and take over. We urgently need to develop direct connections to the brain so that computers can add to human intelligence rather than be in opposition.” ~ Stephen Hawking

(Now that’s scary..!)

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.

Amazon’s New Coins – the latest E-currency?

Today I received an email from Amazon telling me they had given me 500 free “Coins”  as a ‘thank you’ for being a Kindle Fire owner. (A $5 value!)

Useful when you spend your time in the land of Elves..?

That was new to me.. I had never heard of “Amazon Coins”.. Is this the next Bitcoin?

So, I read the blurb.

“What is Amazon Coins?
Amazon Coins is a new way to buy and enjoy Kindle Fire apps, games, and in-app items for less. Save up to 10% on apps and games by purchasing Amazon Coins.“

Ah. “Buy”.
Why purchase Coins? (Besides “saving up to 10%”)

“Where can I spend Coins?
You can spend Amazon Coins on your Kindle Fire or on Amazon.com. Explore great Kindle Fire apps and games on the Amazon Appstore for Android.”

(To see the Amazon product page, click here.)

Oh, how super-neato keen.

I can’t wait to buy a whole huge stockpile of Amazon Pennies!!!  Um, I meant “Coins”.

Is it just me, or is this just giftcards for timewaster games for kids (the overwhelming majority of Android “apps”)?

Yippee yahoo.

While I guess I am pleased with a free $5 giftcard ( now I can buy Angry Birds Star Wars Edition!!! ) … I still have to wonder whose idea was this, anyway? Did they go to college to learn to come up with ideas marketing strategies like this? ( I kinda suspect this will sail about as far as the Titanic did.. but has the advantage of costing a lot more. )

.. I mean.. nobody pays for apps any more. Right? (Everything on the Internet is free.. right? Just “download it”?) Could this be a way to artificially boost “sales” and “clicks” statistics? Nah. But Amazon just “sold” one more Angry Birds Star Wars Edition…
Right?
(Actually, I wouldn’t be caught with an Angry Birds. I’m not 9.)

Today’s quote: “Things are never so bad they can’t be made worse.” ~ From The African Queen

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.