Kane’s Computing World

WordPress is all updated!  Posting will continue now.

I will be upgrading WordPress (my blogging software) on my server tonight and tomorrow, so posting will be light.

The articles are excerpted from Home Network Security Simplified by Jim Doherty and Neil Anderson.  The various parts excerpted to date come in part from DarkReading.com and CommsDesign.com.  Here are the links: Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V There are some concepts not discussed in the articles such as MAC filtering, [...]

From WindowsSecrets.com: Pop-up ads can land you in jail If you find yourself the victim of pop-up ads on a computer, with children in the vicinity, you could face decades in prison. I wish that I was exaggerating or being sensationalistic, but for Julie Amero this is far too real. Meet Julie Amero, substitute teacher [...]

From a column by Ray Everett-Church… Vista’s Faux Security […] For nearly a decade, most of the things that have passed for “privacy” features in a wide variety of applications, especially web browsers, have made those applications virtually unusable without choosing the equivalent of “allow” every time you’re asked. Be it the firewall under Windows [...]

Frank Aherns over at the WaPo seems to feel the same skepticism I do about this merger (if it ever happens): XM-Sirius Merger: Why? […] What I don’t understand is the following: Why is a merger good for me or any other XM or Sirius subscriber? Personally, I care about music and baseball. That’s why [...]

From a review in The Register, here’s the money quote: Vista security overview: too little too late So, what have we got here? An adequately secure version of Windows, finally? I think not. We have got, instead, a slightly more secure version than XP SP2. There are good features, and there are good ideas, but [...]

From InformationWeek: Used Hard Drives Offer Treasure Trove Of Private Information Forensic experts analyzed used hard drives and found porn, driver’s license numbers, medical information, and even one man’s last will and testament. Is your company trying to make a little money by selling off its used computers? Or is it trying to do a [...]

Video Gamers Make Better Surgeons? A new study published in the February issue of Archives of Surgery suggests a correlation between a surgeon’s video game competence and skills at performing laparoscopic surgery. Laparoscopic procedures involve small instruments inserted via body openings or small incisions, where the physician conducts procedures by watching a video feed on [...]

Laptop users beware!  If you need help or tips in securing your wireless laptop, please contact us!  Also see my previous blog post on wireless security! Don’t Fall Victim to the ‘Free Wi-Fi’ Scam The next time you’re at an airport looking for a wireless hot spot, and you see one called “Free Wi-Fi” or a [...]

Be sure to update to latest version or make sure your current version is set to automatically receive updates. Firefox Flaw Could Let Attackers Change Cookies A bug was recently uncovered in Firefox that could allow a malicious Web site to appear authentic. The bug affects the way Firefox handles writing to the “location.hostname” DOM [...]

Co-inventor of TV remote has died “Hit the mute button for a moment of silence: The co-inventor of the TV remote has died.” That’s how the Associated Press begins its obituary for Robert Adler, an engineer who earned 180 patents during a 60-year career with Zenith Electronics Corp. He was 93 when his heart failed [...]

Just heard this on the news on the way home tonight:  XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio have agreed to merge.  No word on what the new company will be called. XM and Sirius to merge The two warring satellite subscription services, XM Satellite Radio and No. 2 Sirius Satellite Radio, announced Monday they [...]

From ECommerce Times: Advertising on your mobile phone? Yes, and soon. Already, ads are creeping onto cell phones around the globe. At this rate, experts say, it won’t be long before the world’s 2.2 billion mobile phone users think it natural to tune into a 15-second spot before watching a video, sending a message or [...]

From CnetNews.com Broadband adoption passes halfway mark in U.S. U.S. residential broadband penetration is expected to exceed 50 percent in 2007–and the U.K. isn’t far behind. By the end of 2007, more than 60 million U.S. households will be connected–around 55 percent–according to market researcher Parks Associates. During 2006, broadband subscriptions grew by more than [...]

Via Slashdot IBM Sued for Firing Alleged Internet Addict globring sent us a link to a CNN article covering a trial with a unique defense. James Pacenza, a 58 year old Alabama man, has been fired from his position at IBM for visiting adult sites during working hours. The man is now suing the company [...]

From CRN: Partners Report 10 Annoying Vista Problems As Conflicts Dampen Debut  According to various solution providers contacted by CRN, here are the 10 biggest problems faced by early adopters of Vista out of the gate: 1. Lack of available drivers from ISVs causing application conflicts; 2. Lack of available drivers for existing and new peripherals [...]

From an interview with Symantec (Makers of Norton Antivirus and other consumer and business levelsecurity products) CEO John Thompson in CnetNews.com: Q: Have you installed Vista? Thompson: No, I have not. I see no need for it for what I do online today. The machine that I use is the one provided by our company, and we have not made a commitment to migrate to Vista and therefore there is no reason for me to [...]

So says Lance Ulanoff at PC Magazine: So what’s the deal with Home Basic? I do notice that it’s about $60 cheaper than the more multimedia-capable Premium Edition. And that’s the answer, isn’t it? This is for OEMs who want to trim a few bucks off the price of a PC while still appearing to [...]

From Alex Eckelberry’s blog (he’s the CEO of Sunbelt Software, maker of Counterspy). We’ve been Sunbelt resellers for awhile now and have been generally pleased with Counterspy.  There’s at least one review in PC World (and that of a beta version) suggesting it protects threats from getting onto a computer better than it removes threats already [...]