Computer users have been on the hunt for the most secure and stable apps and operating systems out there, and the shocking truth about which Apps and Operating Systems are actually the most stable may surprise you.
As far as operating systems go, sorry all you MAC lovers, the award for the most vulnerabilities no longer goes to Microsoft, but to Apple Mac OS X, followed by Apple iOS and then Linux kernel. The numbers to date show Mac OS X had 147 vulnerabilities - 64 being rated as high severity. Numbers also show there were 127 in iOS - 32 of those rated as high. And lastly, Linux kernel had 119 security vulnerabilities - 24 being rated as high severity.
As far as Apps go, Microsoft cannot gloat too much about being the most secure, as Internet Explorer had nearly twice as many flaws as the second most flawed app on the list ? which was Chrome. This comes as a shocking truth, as many people have viewed Chrome as the most stable and secure App. Internet explorer had 242 security flaws - 220 of those being high severity. Chrome had 124 total bugs with 86 of those rated as high.
So, as you can see users need to be aware, and choose carefully when installing Apps and Operating Systems on their computers. There are always going to be bugs out there, because nothing out there will ever be ?perfect?, but if you run into some trouble with your computer, know Computer Geeks is always there to help. Some good news is that that the percentage of vulnerabilities rated as ?high severity? dropped to 24% in 2014. So at least there is some hope going forward!
Since the 1920s, the Radio Shack franchise has led the way in technology and tech based products. Today, that era is all but over as Radio Shack goes bankrupt.
Radio Shack filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Thursday, February 5, 2014. Part of the deal is they will sell up to 2,400 of their stores, as many as 60% of their physical shops to Standard General and many of these shops will be run by telecom giant Sprint Corporation. The bankruptcy has been months, if not years in the making. In 2014, there was talk of closing 1,100 stores (imagine the potential job loss), but lenders stopped that from happening. In December 2014, Radio Shack warned lenders if it didn’t get more support, it would be forced to file bankruptcy. In the past year, they lost over 66% of their stock.
Radio Shack was founded in 1921 as a mail order and small retail business specializing in radio equipment to the shipping community. It was founded in Boston, MA. In the decades that followed, it became one of the first franchises to sell many things technology. For instance, in 1947, they had the first showroom to sell speakers and turntables and other new items for the times. In 1959, they began selling CB radios, radios that weren’t really popular until the mid 1970s. In 1977, they sold their first personal computer, backed by BASIC operating systems, created by a young, little known techie named Bill Gates. It began selling cellular phones in 1984. The year before that, they sold and introduced the first laptop in history. So what I’m getting at is Radio Shack has been on the cutting edge of technology again and again. But ironically, it’s cutting edge technology that’s putting Radio Shack into bankruptcy. With the rise of Apple and Microsoft stores, online shopping, and other technology franchises, not too many people have the need for this long running franchise anymore. What will become of Radio Shack now?
In the past year or so, Uber has been through some trials: resistant cab companies and drivers, new and crazy regulations, and customer complaints to name a few. Now they could face their biggest trial yet: one of their biggest investors!
It looks to be Uber vs Google in an upcoming taxi sharing struggle. Keep in mind Google invested over a quarter a billion dollars in Uber back in the summer of 2013. Now it seems Google is creating it’s own ride sharing service. According to an unnamed source, David Drummond, Google Vice-President of corporate development and CLO (chief legal officer), informed the Uber board this could happen. Also keep in mind Mr. Drummond is on Uber’s board of directors. The anonymous source believes Google employees are already testing a Google owned ride-sharing app. For a while, Google has worked diligently perfecting the self-driving car. ?Now, Uber is partnering with Carnegie Mellon University to work on robotics auto based technology, in hopes to one day build their own self-driving vehicle. But as far as the rumors of Google building their own ride sharing service, of course Uber leaders and employees are getting concerned.
This is for several reasons. One, Google is perhaps the most prosperous corporation today, if not all time. Their pockets are extremely deep, so is their talent/labor pool. So Uber knows if Google is really serious about putting their own ride-sharing app together, they can do it so quickly and so efficiently. Plus, Google was the company that helped build Uber. Now they want to compete against them? Maybe I’m reading this all wrong, but I pick up a sense of betrayal. Let’s say a two friends invest in your company. Your company goes on to be successful, ?despite controversy on all sides. One of your friends is on your board of directors. One day you find out your friends, who have way more money, power and talent than you, are competing against you, and sparing no expense to do it? Wouldn’t you feel betrayed? Or am I reading too much into this?
The Super Bowl is a week away. For non-football fans, that means the greatest ad night of the year. But some corporations have little to celebrate.
America Online, better known as AOL, is restructuring. That means AOL job cuts, and plenty of them. There will be some hiring, but only in the business sector. It’s unclear how many will be laid off and how many will be hired, but old worries and new resumes are reported to be flooding AOL New York City headquarters. Why is this happening? Because the advertising landscape is changing. Programmatic advertising is now the big thing in firms across the globe. That means they’re letting machines and big data buy ad space, not people negotiating for it.Programmatic advertising currently makes of 40% of all their advertising department, a number that will only increase as time goes on. Could this mean entire AOL teams will merge into a big one? If that’s the case, then how many jobs will be lost here?
When I was a kid, I was always told that in the future, not only would I be competing with other people for jobs, but with machines and computers as well. I didn’t believe it because that was a world I couldn’t comprehend. I think we’re all comprehending it now. Over the years, how many manual jobs and how much labor has been lost because the computer can do things better? This isn’t a case of good ol’ day syndrome; but this is a reminder that things aren’t what they use to be. America Online is not unique in it’s predicament. These changes are being made in boardrooms around the world. This is why in this century, computer skills are critical, no matter what profession one is entering. It’s better to have a back up skill too just in case a machine takes over your career.
Whether it’s Conflickr or a new fake anti-spyware program, it seems like spyware and viruses are inescapable for any computer connected to the Internet. It’s estimated that the amount spent annually on security software in the United States has risen to over $800 million in recent years, but computers are still getting infected daily. Why aren’t we virus free yet?
The answer lies in the nature of malicious programming. Computer viruses don’t spring up out of nowhere, they’re designed by programmers who either have nothing better to do and think it will be interesting, or professionals who make money by abusing your computer. Whenever anti-virus vendors are made aware of a new virus, they create a new definition for their anti-virus software to help isolate and remove that virus if it is downloaded onto your computer. Once the new definition is widespread enough that a significant percentage of computers are safe against that virus, a new one is created by the malicious programmers and the cycle begins again. Nearly two thousand new viruses were identified every day in 2007, and the problem isn’t going away any time soon. This is why you need to allow your anti-virus software to download new virus definitions so often.
Frustrated hackers tired of the rapid turnover of “regular” viruses have graduated to attacking your computer’s defences directly: your anti-virus software. Many new viruses include programming that either hides itself specifically from several popular anti-virus programs, prevents them from downloading new virus definitions, or shuts them down entirely. Even when these new viruses are identified quickly, many computers will already be infected and the software on the machines will be unable to remove the virus. In cases where one virus shuts down the anti-virus software entirely, other viruses will often infect the machine and can render it inoperable in a matter of hours if not minutes. Still other nasty viruses employ tricks to avoid removal techniques, and will re-infect a machine after an anti-virus program or a user tries to delete them.
The fight against computer viruses is non-stop, but you can do something to help protect your system. Installing a good anti-virus program and allowing it to update frequently is just the first step, but beware of fake anti-virus programs you may find online (many of these are viruses themselves). The fake anti-virus programs normally go by the names: Antivirus 2010 Pro, Windows Pro Police, System Guard? 2009, Personal Antivirus, Antispyware XP 2009, and many more. You can see a pattern in how they name themselves. Never download anything from a person or website you don’t trust, never open a suspicious email (you don’t always have to open the attachments to get infected), and don’t go to websites with a poor reputation. If you take these steps and your computer still gets infected, have a trained professional remove the virus for you instead of trying to remove it yourself. Modern viruses can be very difficult to isolate and remove, and it’s very easy to damage your system accidentally while trying to remove one.
If you’ve got a slow computer and think you’re infected, call Computer Geeks today. Our techs have the tools needed for proper virus removal and have access to fast breaking news about new types of viruses and their removal. Computer Geeks is a nationwide on-site computer service and repair company.? If your computer has any of the following problems, we can help: Slow computer, Virus or Spyware, Computer startup problems, Printer not printing, Not connecting to the Internet, Scanner not working, or the “blue screen of death”. We also offer other technical support services, including: New pc setup, Data Backup or Recovery, Wireless network setup, Business Network Firewall setup, Upgrading memory, cpu, hard drives, video cards, and more. You can pick up the phone at any time and call us at 1-800-GEEK HELP (433-5435).
I was not able to go to this year?s CES but I have been following it with much anticipation and I have found one thing that I wanted to blog about today. There have been many different news sources covering CES and tons of great information. One thing that stood out to me that I have been very interested in is 3D printing. Awhile back I saw a program about 3D printing foods.
Well at CES 2015 the XYZprinting Company which was founded only in 2013 is bringing the future of food to us now! The food printer which is actually set to release in 2015 for around $2000-$3000 is able to print all types of food and even in different shapes!
From the reports I have seen the printer made candy and cookies made in shapes of dinosaurs. Even pizza made in the shape of a heart! Now all of these items will still need to be cooked but the fact that it can make this is amazing.
The printer has 3 chambers for the printing. They have an extensive amount of items that can be put into the chamber to create some awesome items. From the looks of it now however only baked goods will be able to be created on this device. So cookies, cake decorations and pizza are the biggest items that were shown off at the printing booth. They also showed printing designs on items like cakes and even toast with the chocolate dispenser cartridge in the printer.
With cars that will be powered by hydrogen and drive themselves it is not a surprise that we would be able to print our own food. I am just excited to see what these printers will mean for the food industry most of all bakeries. To be able to take something could take days to craft and sculpture for a cake could not just take hours with these printers. I look forward to see them on the market at the end of this year who is purchasing them. Enjoy the clip below as it will give you some more insight on how the 3D printer was shown off at the CES 2015 booth.
