Dec 24, 2009 | Computer technology, Entertainment
The holiday season is upon us, which means a good deal of you are probably in the mood for some holiday themed?wallpaper. Looking below, you’ll notice that we’ve listed an assortment of desktop treats.
If you see something that catches your eye, click on one of the pictures, which will bring you to the page featuring that particular wallpaper.
Once there, you can right-click on the wallpaper, bringing up a menu from which you’re able to set it as your desktop background.
Over here at Geek Choice,? we’ll be closed for Christmas Day, but we’d like to wish all of you a Happy Holiday.
Dec 15, 2009 | Entertainment, News, Software
Of critical importance to any of you who use social networking sites such as Facebook and the various applications to which you can subscribe while using them (think Mafia Wars, etc.) is the recent news of the RockYou Database being compromised by hackers.
Occurring on December 4th, the RockYou Database was infiltrated by the nefarious types who scour the internet for penetrable networks from which sensitive information can be retrieved and used for criminal purposes. Username and passwords were stolen, along with any other information that the RockYou application retrieves upon your use of it.
If it?s any consolation to those of you who might have fallen prey to this theft, none of the usernames and passwords have been published, but there?s nothing stopping the thieves from making them publically available ? or selling them, even — when they?re so inclined.
The company behind the RockYou app is largely to blame, carelessly storing the information in an insecure text format. In addition to Facebook, other social networking sites that use the application have seen their users? information hijacked, including Myspace and email services such as Gmail.
If you use any of these social networking sites, we strongly suggest that you change your password immediately, particularly if you?re someone who uses the same password for every site on which you?re a member.
Geek Choice works hard to stay on top of the latest security issues to help keep your computers safe. If you have any questions about the RockYou hack and how it affects you, or if you’re concerned that your web accounts or computer may have been compromised, give us a call at 1-800-GEEK-HELP (433-5435) and our techs can help.
Sources:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/12/14/rockyou-hacked/
http://www.securitywatch.co.uk/2009/12/14/security-problems-with-social-networking-persist/
http://digital.venturebeat.com/2009/12/15/rockyou-hacked-32-million-account-passwords/
http://www.eweekeurope.co.uk/news/personal-data-at-risk-after-sql-flaw-discovered-2750
Dec 9, 2009 | Computer technology, Entertainment, News
When using social networks such as MySpace or Facebook, privacy is of paramount concern, with the details of your private life sensitive enough that you might want to restrict the availability of that information to those people you trust.
Today, Facebook unveiled a revamped privacy interface, affording its users even more control over how their information is filtered to those viewing their pages. With over 350 million users, making it the world?s largest social network, Facebook is hoping this gives its users more flexibility over how they?re able to manage what they share amongst the community.
Per Facebook, the new changes include:
- They?ve removed regional networks, finding that the various communities have become so large as to make its initial purpose inapplicable. Instead, users will be able to share information to friends, family, or publically.
- Users will have a tool that assists in setting up their privacy, though the default settings will automatically block that information which is particularly sensitive.
- No matter what the item you?re sharing, you will now be able to control who sees it, whether it?s loved ones or the public.
If you?re curious about what this means for your account, Facebook explains the changes in more detail here.
Dec 3, 2009 | Computer technology, Entertainment, News
Despite its standing as the most popular video streaming site on the internet, hosting? an untold number of user-generated? content, Youtube has come under recent fire for performance issues that would seem to affect slower machines and netbooks (those quasi-laptops that offer some of the same functionality in a leaner version).
While the issues are understandable, considering the amount of bandwidth streaming these videos necessitates, one would think that the company would offer a version of their site that?s more accommodating to those with systems that find all that bandwidth a chore to process.
Well, they appear to be doing just that.
Stripped down to just the basics, Youtube Feather is a recently unveiled beta that takes the fundamental model of this service ? streaming videos ? and delivers it in a considerably leaner and less onerous form. All that this ?lite? version consists of are the videos, with the superfluous clutter we normally find on your standard Youtube page all but peeled away.
Initial reports are very promising, with impressions all leaning towards it being noticeably faster on those slower systems. ?Even High Definition videos are included. The beta is open to the public, but you must opt-in to use it. Doing so is easy, requiring that you only press a link to begin using it. If you find that you?d rather opt-out, pressing the same link will return you to the normal Youtube model. ?
If you?re someone who loves using this service but often finds the videos are frustratingly choppy, this might be an option through which your Youtube needs are met.
You can join the beta here.
Nov 25, 2009 | Computer technology, Entertainment, News
A recent blog of mine touched upon Google?s impressive search engine capabilities, one of which is perfectly tailored to those movie buffs who love to spend an evening taking to the town for the latest feature. From a simple search of the movie (at www.google.com/movies ), you?re able to not only show those movies playing in your area, but find the nearest showings in your zipcode.
This feature has now gone mobile, with Google offering the very same functionality to those users who?re constantly on the move but always up for the occasional film.
As you would with your computer, visit www.google.com with the web browser you use on your phone (iPhone, Palm WebOS, or Android-enabled device), run a query for ?movies,? and select the ?More movies? link. Upon that selection, you?re able to view a list of movies or hit the ?Theaters? button those theaters showing movies in your area.
If viewing the list of films on your phone, you?re now able to view the trailers accompanying them, see how they?ve been reviewed, look at showtimes, and even take a peek at the movie posters; on the last feature, when clicking on a movie poster, Google offers an informative synopsis of the film ? without spoilers, of course ? that comes with everything from cast and crew to pictures from the set.
If browsing by theater, you?re given a map of those locations in your immediate vicinity, with an opportunity to select any of the theaters and see exactly what?s showing on their screen and when. If you?re someone who?s well aware of what you?re looking to see, not requiring a list of available films, you can run a search for that specific film ? or theater, if you so choose.
Whether it?s when you?re lounging at home or during those times you?re pounding the pavement of your city, Google is there, on computer or phone. This company continues to pioneer how we use the internet, making helpful information instantly available at our fingertips ? ultimately, making our lives that much easier.
Nov 23, 2009 | Computer technology, Entertainment, News
With digital music available for our listening ears on everything from a blackberry to an iphone, we’ve become a society that’s almost perpetually tuned into our favorite music, equipping ourselves with walking jukeboxes that store hundreds of songs from bands of all types.
While listening to our bands in digital format is?a satisfying musical accompaniment that our lives have become dependent upon, there’s no denying that experiencing the music live offers an unmatched joy that truly draws you into the artists’ music.
A little known application that taps you into the touring schedule of all your bands is Upcoming, which was recently purchased by Yahoo. ?This week, they?ve added a new function that informs you when your favorite bands are playing, all according to your digital playlist ? assuming you?re using iTunes, Pandora, or Last.FM
After Upcoming loads your favorite artists, it keeps fans updated by storing the names of their artists and alerting them with an email whenever those musicians are slated to perform in their area. This is a great means of staying on top of the tour dates for those bands you?ve always wanted to see a live performance from. No matter who it is, obscure indie act or widely known commercial superstar, Upcoming makes sure fans of those artists ? assuming they?re using Pandora, Last.fm, or iTunes ? know when the band?s in town.
