Quick Tips and news items – a hodgepodge!

Folks, only time today for a few “items of interest”.

* Cisco To Partners: Use Social Media — You Can Bet Your Competitors Are

“Social media sites are no longer just ways to kill time online — they are marketing powerhouses that must be embraced by partners if they hope to stay competitive, Cisco said this week.” Read more..

[ Just one teensy-weensy, little, miniscule problem: doesn’t actually produce sales.. Does it? But it’s proven they sure do waste time..! ]

* Quick Tip: Make Windows 8 File Explorer launch in Computer view

“With the right code you can change the default settings of Windows 8 File Explorer.” Read more..

* Screenshots: Five alternatives to QuickBooks

“Jack Wallen suggests several options that offer a near feature-for-feature comparison to the popular QuickBooks.” View on site..

* Bing Delivers Five Times as Many Malicious Websites as Google

“Searches on Bing returned five times more links to malicious websites than Google searches, according to an 18-month study from German independent testing lab AV-Test. Though search engines have worked to suppress malicious results, the study concluded that malware infested websites still appear in their top results.” Read more..

Come on.. tell me you knew that hackers plant poison websites on the web, and trick Google/Bing/Yahoo into Ranking them in the Top 10.. Please tell me you knew.

* 200+ useful Keyboard Shortcuts for Word 2010. – ShortcutWorld

“225 time-saving Keyboard Shortcuts for Word 2010. Extensive up-to-date reference lists of Keyboard Shortcuts/Hotkeys for Windows, Mac, and …” Learn more..

* I learn something new everyday when I surf the web. For example, I didn’t know there was such a thing as “reptile carpet”.. or that anyone offered a cleaning service..

A valuable skill..

* WordPress, Joomla Sites Under Brute-Force Password Attack

“Thousands of WordPress and Joomla sites are currently under attack by a large botnet brute-forcing passwords. Administrators need to make sure they have strong passwords and unique usernames for their WordPress and Joomla installations.” Read more..

[ “Joomla”?? Who makes up these words! ]

And the hits, they just keep on playing…

* Spammers Piggyback on Boston Attack

“Cybercriminals don’t hesitate when they see an opportunity to spread malware. Not even when it means exploiting as horrific an event as the Boston Marathon bombing.” Read more..

Today’s quote: “There comes a time in every rightly constructed boy’s life that he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure.” ~ Mark Twain

[ Can you believe? I had forgotten that.. so long ago. ]

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

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

Tuesday Tidbits #21

Some items of interest for your consideration. (Also, yesterday’s article has been updated.)

* DropSmack: Using Dropbox to steal files and deliver malware

“Michael P. Kassner interviews a digital forensic scientist who uses Dropbox to compromise targeted networks — something the bad guys probably figured out as well.” Read more..

* WordPress hit by massive botnet: Worse to come, experts warn

“A massive botnet of tens of thousands of machines is attempting to hack in to weak password protected “admin” accounts of the popular blogging platform.” Read more..

[ note: this is of concern to even non-bloggers. ]

Good news? * Oracle to release 128 security patches, hundreds of products affected

“The software technology giant will release today fixes for “hundreds” of its products, including Java, that led to high profile corporate hacking earlier this year.” Read more..

Still true * 7 Reasons Computer Glitches Won’t Go Away (Ever)

“People have been complaining about computer glitches since the punch card days. Honestly, it’s 2010. Why don’t we have simple stuff like drivers and software compatibility fixed yet? Can we blame it all on Bill Gates?” Read more..

[ note: To be “hip” and “trendy” {appeal to a younger set} the author uses a few rather salty words. But, he’s right on target. ]

source: cracked.com

Bah. All the headlines are discouraging.

* Analysts start to sweat Apple’s Q2, outlook

“Apple analysts have quickly stopped yapping about $1 trillion market caps and $1,000 stock prices and now sweat iPhone volumes and the outlook for the June quarter.” Read more..

* California case another three-part tragedy of rape, cyber bullying and suicide

“Three boys accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old California girl who took her own life after pictures of the attack were posted online are due in court this week, as authorities ramp up their investigation into the latest case involving rape and cyber bullying.” Read more..

I used to think that they needed to tear down the entire Internet and rebuild it from the ground up — this time with security in mind. But now I’m starting to think they can (should?) just skip the rebuilding part… But, there’s kewel things like foursquare, so.. (see, The Future of Tech – “Intuitive” Phones [ scroll down a bit.. ]) maybe I’m wrong about that latter part.

More on the future of Tech: 10 things about Google Glass: Could this be Google’s iPad?

“Here are 10 things to know about the Google Glass program for developers, consumers, businesses and everyone interested in the search giant’s next big thing.” Read more..

Today’s quote: “Living in memories is an empty gesture.” ~ Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

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

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

Additional Android Adventures…

I have been using my HTC “android” smart phone for a while now, and I can report to you, Dear Reader, that I have not experienced “buyer’s remorse”, nor a case of “the honeymoon’s over” – but, in fact, can say my little ‘droid has “grown on me”. I appreciate it a little more each day. (For those interested, I wrote a 3-part series; which starts here: My First Look At Android, part 1)

I have also a better sense, now, of what I do not like so much (though that has remained fairly consistent). Those things are:
1) bigger screen, please.
2) better battery life (yes, I understand phone maker’s are not responsible for battery technology. And I understand those two requests are counter — a bigger screen drains the battery faster.).
3) Made in America. (Yes. I would pay more.)

As much as I like my little ‘droid, I have not had the time to really explore the universe of “customizations” available that separates the Android operating system apart from the competitors. But I am intrigued, and may even – one day – “root” my phone and take total control. But for now I am just perusing articles such as today’s reading reco: 4 methods to customize Android phones and tablets

“One of the strengths of the Android platform is the level of customization that owners can use to tailor the user experience in every way. Here are my top customizations for Android devices.“

Related: For those thinking of upgrading phones – now that 4G is here .. 4G Wireless Speed Tests: Which Is Really the Fastest?

“By now you’ve seen all the ads pitching wireless companies’ new 4G mobile broadband services and devices. But beyond all the buzzwords and hype, which companies can reliably provide next-generation speed? We decided to find out by testing each of the four major national carriers–AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon–in 260 locations spread among 13 U.S. cities.“

Related (sorta): I am still looking at tablets. But I have decided to hold off, and see how the current fierce competition shakes out (as well as let the prices drop), but I pretty much decided that a 7″ size is my ‘sweet spot’. And, that Android will be my OS.

The weekend’s here. Yay!

Today’s free download: For those of you who like to download Flash games, or YouTube videos, Orbit (a download manager) will simplify your tasks. From site: “It is a free all-in-one downloader which can download streaming media, social music or video from anywhere include youtube, myspace, imeem, pandora, etc. It is famous for its super light, great speed and rapidshare supported.” (Today’s link also includes the review [and video] on C/Net.)

News: WordPress hacked

Security Incident

“Tough note to communicate today: Automattic had a low-level (root) break-in to several of our servers, and potentially anything on those servers could have been revealed.

We have been diligently reviewing logs and records about the break-in to determine the extent of the information exposed, and re-securing avenues used to gain access. We presume our source code was exposed and copied. While much of our code is Open Source, there are sensitive bits of our and our partners’ code. Beyond that, however, it appears information disclosed was limited.

Based on what we’ve found, we don’t have any specific suggestions for our users beyond reiterating these security fundamentals…”

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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Internet Outages

The Internet has been acting very strange for me today, starting with a brief, but weird Gmail glitch.. later on, WordPress (which hosts this blog) went into “read only mode” and I could not post anything online all afternoon. Then Netflix went totally offline. I suspect there’s some “hacker” shenanigans afoot (aka Denial of Service attacks [DoS]) causing these outages.

Netflix suffers hour-long outage, fans complain via Twitter

CNET (blog) – Greg Sandoval – ‎1 hour ago‎

Netflix managers were investigating the cause of an hour-long outage that has left millions of subscribers without access to their queue or the ability to stream movies. Visitors to Netflix this evening were greeted by a note that notified …

Regardless of what the article states, my Netflix is still “unavailable”. A friend on the Right Coast says his services are normal and the Internet is okay.. so maybe it’s a Lefty Coast thing..

Related: A DDoS attack took WordPress offline just a week or so ago..

WordPress Outage Today: Taken Down By DDoS Attack
Product Reviews – Peter Chubb – ‎Mar 3, 2011‎

“A huge percentage of blogs were shocked to learn that there was a WordPress outage today, as it was taken down by a DDoS attack. Although WordPress managed to get things under control, there are fears that it could happen again..”

Ah. The joys of cloud computing..

[update: as of 7:45pm Pacific, both Netflix and WordPress have returned to service.]

How To Remove Your Name From Search Engines and Social Networking Sites

Your Private Information Made Public

Folks, sometimes it is best to not reinvent the wheel; so today I am going to refer you to three excellent resources for the methods you need to know about if you are concerned about your personal information, and how websites (and the Gov’t) are collecting – and posting – it on the Internet.

If you are serious about protecting your identity and personal security, you should take actions now to block your personal information from public viewing.

Remove Your information from People Search Databases, Social Networks, and Search Engine Results— JessicaM

“Do you know what kind of personal information about you can be found from Internet? Do you know how to remove your name, address, phone number, pictures, bad comments and negative reviews from Google and other search engine results? Do you know how to delete your personal information from online people search database records?“

I am putting this one first as it is comprehensive and well researched. It is four pages long, and packed with good info.

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How To Permanently Delete Your Account on Popular Websites — Cameron Chapman

“What we often don’t realize when signing up for all these accounts, though, is how difficult it can be to permanently delete our accounts when we’ve had enough. Some require complicated, multi-step processes that can stretch over the course of days (or weeks). Others take less time, but still require multiple steps by the user.“

This article outlines the steps for removing your account/profile on:
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, Google, Ebay, Wikipedia, Flickr/Yahoo!, Windows Live, StumbleUpon, WordPress, Amazon, YouTube, and PayPal.

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If you want to stay inconspicuous while online, here are some products, services, and best practices to put to use.
How to Stay Anonymous Online — Erik Griffith

“Some might say that the Internet was built on anonymity. Without it, the Internet might not have become what it is today—a place where free speech reigns supreme (maybe to a fault). However, as social networks prevail—and über-companies like Google do all they can to market to you more effectively—your privacy on the Web comes into question. The good news is that you can take back control of what others see and know of you online. Here’s how.“

Subtopics: Safe Surfing, Anonymous E-mail, Social (Network) Security

The article contains links to programs and tools you may be interested in.. if your privacy is a concern to you.

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Update: Here is another resource, brought to my attention by Rick Robinette:

“I came across a really cool site that, if anything, is a real education about online accounts and profiling. The site is called AccountKiller.

AccountKiller – Do you care about your personal data? We provide instructions to remove your account or public profile on most popular websites, including Skype, Facebook, Windows Live, Hotmail / Live, Twitter, MSN / Messenger, Google and many more. Want to create an account somewhere? Check our Blacklist first to see if it’s even possible to remove your profile!

What AccountKiller specializes in is collecting direct links and deleting instructions to make account termination an easier process.” Read more..

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Bonus: additional recommended reading: Does a Blogger’s Opinion Really Matter?

Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved. post to jaanix.

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