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Microsoft talks about family safety on Windows 8 |
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Written by Wayne
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Tuesday, 15 May 2012 20:30 |
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In a new Building Windows 8 blog post, Microsoft has today revealed that is has plans to make Windows 8 safer than ever before with new family safety features. One of those features include new "children" specific accounts, which allow you to set time limits and restrictions easily. The new child accounts allow parents to have full control over what their children are doing on the internet. For example, parents can set time limits and turn on web filtering for their kids, which would restrict them to a certain amount of time and block them from censored websites. Not only that, but you can also receive a Family Safety report, which lists the child account's downloaded apps, visited websites, most used apps and more. "With Windows 8, you can monitor what your kids are doing, no matter where they use their PC. All you have to do is create a Windows user account for each child, check the box to turn on Family Safety, and then review weekly reports that describe your children’s PC use."..Read more and view more images on Our Forum. |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 May 2012 20:36 |
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Adobe Patches Critical Flaw in Flash Player |
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Written by Wayne
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Saturday, 05 May 2012 04:14 |
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Adobe released an emergency update to patch a critical security flaw in Flash Player. Attacks are already exploiting the vulnerability in the wild, according to the company. The bug exists in all editions of the Flash Player, but attackers are currently targeting only Internet Explorer users, Adobe said in an advisory released May 4. Adobe flagged the update with a priority rating of "1," which means users should install the patch within 72 hours. Triggering the "object confusion vulnerability" bug can cause the application "to crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system," Adobe said. The company did not provide any information about the exploit itself beyond saying it was part of a "targeted" attack. That would imply a small number of victims as the attackers went after specific individuals or companies. "There are reports that the vulnerability is being exploited in the wild in active targeted attacks designed to trick the user into clicking on a malicious file delivered in an email message," Adobe said...Learn more on Our Forum. |
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Internet speeds drop around the world |
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Written by Wayne
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Wednesday, 02 May 2012 05:26 |
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According to Akamai‘s latest State of the Internet report, the average Internet connection speed around the world was 2.3 Mbps by the end of 2011. That’s down about 14% from the previous quarter. In the U.S., which ranks thirteenth in this report, the average connection speed in the last quarter of 2011 dropped 5.3% to 5.8 Mbps. In total, eight out of the top 10 countries in Akamai’s report saw their average connection speed decline compared to Q3 2011. Worldwide, speeds declined in 93 of the countries included in this report and only increased in 41 countries. It’s not clear what is driving these numbers down. My first theory was that the growth in mobile Internet access could be responsible for this. Mobile connections, after all, tend to be slower than wired connections. Akamai, however, says that it has removed mobile network data from this data set. Akamai itself also doesn’t offer any explanation and there is nothing else in the report that would. It’s worth noting, though, that the long-term trends look significantly better. Compared to a year ago, the average global connection speed increased by 19%. Year-over-year, most countries made significant strides...Read more on Our Forum. |
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MIT develops fog resistant glass |
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 30 April 2012 04:14 |
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It sounds like it's not just us that spend half our sweet time with lint-free cloth in hand. Researchers at MIT have developed a new type of glass that "virtually eliminates" reflections, and is also water-repellent. By using techniques from the semiconductor industry, conical nano-textures etched into the layered surface that give the wonder-glass its fog, glare and self-cleaning properties. The hope is that the technology will find its way into our many daily screens and even windows. It's not all about gadget vanity though; solar panels lose efficiency over time through residual surface build up, and using the new glass could go some way to eliminate that issue. If they can just remember where they put the ultra-clear test sample that is. One of the most instantly recognizable features of glass is the way it reflects light. But a new way of creating surface textures on glass, developed by researchers at MIT, virtually eliminates reflections, producing glass that is almost unrecognizable because of its absence of glare — and whose surface |
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Last Updated on Monday, 30 April 2012 04:25 |
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FBI Seizes Anonymizing Email Service Server |
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Written by Administrator
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Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:48 |
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Privacy activists criticize the FBI's anonymous remailer server takedown that resulted from a bomb threat investigation. Did an FBI server seizure go too far? FBI agents investigating a University of Pittsburgh bomb threat Thursday seized a server, apparently because it was being used to host an anonymous remailer service that had been used to send bomb threats. But the takedown, which was backed by a search warrant, has drawn condemnation from activist groups, who have characterized the seizure as an "attack on anonymous speech." Service provider May First/People Link said the FBI seized the server--used by European Counter Network, an Italian service provider--because it hosts an anonymous remailer service called MixMaster, which was allegedly used to send the bomb threats. The server was also used by ECN to host numerous newsletters and several websites, all of which were knocked offline after the takedown. Members of May First/People Link, which bills itself as a cooperative, progressively run Internet service provider that counts many organizers and activists as members, told the FBI that they believed an outsider had hacked into the ECN service and used it to send the messages, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first |
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Last Updated on Friday, 27 April 2012 05:49 |
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The Most Popular Screen Resolution |
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 13 April 2012 05:31 |
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According to the latest data from StatCounter, 1366×768 screens just surpassed 1024×768 as the most popular screen resolution used by the visitors to StatCounter’s global network of sites. Three years ago, 1024×768 still accounted for almost 42% of all visitors to the roughly three million sites that use StatCounter. Today, that number has fallen to 18.6% and 1366×768 screens now account for 19.28%, up from just 0.68% in May 2009. It’s worth noting that these are global numbers. In Europe, the higher-resolution screens already overtook their predecessors late last year and in the U.S., 1024×768 still holds on to the top spot (but just barely). Another resolution that is slowly declining in usage is 1280×800. This used to be an especially popular resolution on laptops, but most modern machines now offer higher resolutions...There is more on Our Forum. |
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Last Updated on Friday, 13 April 2012 05:34 |
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Microsoft Issues 23 Fixes In Big Patch Tuesday Release |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 09 May 2012 06:55 |
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Microsoft's May Patch Tuesday update is now available, with seven security bulletins (three rated Critical) that deliver 23 fixes across Windows, Office, Silverlight, and the Microsoft .NET Framework. At the top of the list is MS12-034, a combined security update for Microsoft Office, Windows, .NET Framework, and Silverlight. It's an update that addresses vulnerabilities first brought to light by the Duqu malware that surfaced in 2011. Microsoft first patched for Duqu in December 2011. With today's update, Microsoft is addressing multiple "Sons of Duqu" vulnerabilities by patching copies of the code that were found elsewhere in the Microsoft code base. "This is by far one of the largest security bulletins Microsoft has ever released," said Jason Miller, manager of research and development for VMware, in an email statement to eSecurity Planet...We have a discription along with download links of the updates and more posted on Our Forum. |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 09 May 2012 07:00 |
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Windows Media Center to be a paid upgrade in Windows 8 |
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 04 May 2012 06:00 |
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Microsoft has announced its plans for Windows Media Center in Windows 8. Media Center is a full-screen interface for accessing media on a Windows computer. It includes built-in tools for watching and recording live TV broadcasts, assuming your PC has a TV tuner, as well as menus for watching videos, viewing pictures, listening to music, and even watching Netflix videos with a plugin. The software made its first appearance when Microsoft offered a special Windows XP Media Center Edition operating system in 2005. Starting with Windows Vista, the software was included with most versions of Windows. But when Windows 8 launches later this year, that will change. The company hasn’t yet revealed how much the upgrades will cost, which isn’t surprising. Microsoft hasn’t even announced how much the Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro operating systems will cost either. There are a few reasons Microsoft is going this route… and it’s hard to argue with them...More details can be found on Our Forum. |
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Last Updated on Friday, 04 May 2012 06:07 |
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Don't Let Google Intercept Your Wireless Data |
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 01 May 2012 04:39 |
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Google Street View cars surreptitiously intercepted wireless network data for years. Simple security measures can prevent your data from being snooped. Google has been in some hot water for a couple years now regarding revelations that its Street View cars traveling the highways and back streets around the world were collecting more than Street View images. Google also intercepted wireless network data, but the reality is that Google only captured wireless data that wasn’t properly protected in the first place. Google has changed its story a number of times since the report first broke. First it claimed it only collected SSIDs and MAC addresses. Then it conceded that actual data was intercepted, but that a rogue Google engineer was responsible. New information illustrates that Google was aware that data was being collected for years before the activity was uncovered...Learn how to avoid the "Evil Doings of Google" on Our Forum. |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 02 May 2012 04:56 |
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Ubuntu 12.04 LTS now available |
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Written by Wayne
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Friday, 27 April 2012 05:35 |
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Windows 8 is due out later this year, and that makes it a good time to check out one of the most popular Linux-based operating systems. Ubuntu 12.04 LTS is now available for download. It’s a long-term-support release, which means the company behind Ubuntu will support this version for the next few years, even though Ubuntu 12.10 will be out in another 6 months. What does this have to do with Windows 8? Not much, really. But while Windows 8 looks like it will be Microsoft’s best operating system to date for tablets, the new user interface might be a little off-putting for desktop and notebook users — so now’s as good a time as any to check out your other options. Ubuntu has a few things going for it. It’s free. You can try it out without installing it, simply by burning the ISO to a disc or USB flash drive and booting from it. And Ubuntu 12.04 will probably run pretty well on your computer if you’ve got a PC that’s less than half a dozen years old. Read more and follow the download link posted on Our Forum. |
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Written by Wayne
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Thursday, 19 April 2012 19:18 |
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The next version of the Fedora Linux operating system is due out on May 22nd. But the developers released a public beta this week which has all the features you can expect to find in the full version. The only changes expected in the next month will be bug fixes and security updates. You can download Fedora 17 beta from the Fedora pre-release page. The latest version of the popular Linux distribution includes a number of changes, including: Linux Kernel 3.3, GNOME 3.4 desktop environment with improved themes and new search functions, GIMP 2.8 image editor with a single-window view, GNOME-boxes virtual machine app, Graphics support for GMA 500 Paulsbo chips just to mention a few. While the default desktop environment is GNOME 3.4, Fedora 17 beta also supports the KDE 4.8 desktop environment...Learn more and follow links to download this latest beta release and for more screenshots of this upcoming Linux Distro on Our Form. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 19 April 2012 19:22 |
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New 802.11ac WiFi standard coming |
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Written by Wayne
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Wednesday, 11 April 2012 05:56 |
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A new Wi-Fi standard that is being co-defined by Broadcom and Qualcomm Atheros is preparing to take wireless speeds to the next level. 802.11ac will replace the existing 802.11n standard as the next step in mainstream wireless networking by the end of this year or early 2013, as reported by PC World. 502.11ac will operate strictly on the 5GHz band, whereas –n functions on either 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequency bands. 2.4GHz offers better range but there are a multitude of devices already on that frequency that can cause interference including things like microwaves and Bluetooth headsets. To contend with the shorter range of the 5GHz band, developers are making beam-forming technology mandatory in the new standard. This technology allows transmitters and receivers to develop an awareness to each other so beams can be focused directly toward each device...Read the rest on Our Forum. |
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