10 tech tasks you should be able to do in your sleep – In the tech field, there are certain tasks that you do more than any other. There are go-to tasks you almost always do, regardless of the situation. And there are certain essential tasks that can save your skin onsite. These are tasks you should be able to do on autopilot.
Adobe Releases Patch for Flash Zero Day Hole in Reader, Acrobat – Adobe has released patches for its Reader and Acrobat products to plug a hole in the Flash Player that was first reported in March and is being used in attacks on the Internet.
Take control of the Windows XP pagefile – The pagefile can become fragmented and hinder your computer’s performance. Here are a few techniques you can use to better manage this beast.
Delete Any Toolbar From Any Browser – In this article, we will review a very small and lightweight freeware tool called the “Toolbar Cleaner” which is a small all-in-one toolbar cleaner. Not only it supports many Internet browsers at one time, but also it lists all the toolbars detected in these browsers and you can remove them all at the same time in a single click. (submitted by Dar)
Report: Application Security Still Mostly Sucks – The third State of Software Security (SOSS) report finds that software developers are still doing a poor job of making applications secure. Application testing firm Veracode, which compiled the report, found that 58% of almost 5,000 applications failing a security audit on the first pass – about the same level as prior SOSS reports. Problems such as SQL injection and cross site scripting vulnerabilities still tripping up many applications that Veracode tested.
How to See the Secret Tracking Data in Your iPhone – Your iPhone is tracking your every move. We take a look and tell you what you can do about it.
10 Tips to Tighten Smartphone Security – You don’t need an IT staff or complex implementation to enjoy basic, common-sense data protection on your smartphone. Follow these 10 DIY tips for better smartphone security.
Carder pleads guilty to hacking and selling stolen card numbers – When the authorities searched his home after the arrest, they found over 675,000 stolen credit card numbers in his possession. He was selling the numbers for $20-$25 a piece, and over the years he earned himself more than $70,000 this way. He also managed to collect $80,000 via Western Union money orders placed by collaborators by using the stolen card numbers.
Company News:
Samsung Countersues Apple for Patent Infringement – Samsung this week countersued Apple for infringing on five patents relating to wireless networking technology.
Second Major Sandy Bridge Launch Chip? Impressive! – Offering performance similar to its bigger brother and similarly outpacing almost every other mainstream desktop CPU, the Intel Core i5-2500K chip is a true winner and a terrific value.
Cisco Unveils Cloud-Based, Green Data Center – Cisco Systems opened its newest data center, a facility that will serve multiple purposes, from helping the networking giant consolidate its IT infrastructure and create a cloud-computing environment to being a showcase for Cisco’s growing data center technologies and saving on power and energy costs.
Microsoft’s Office 365 Beta Launches Worldwide – Microsoft has introduced the public beta of its Office 365, the company’s cloud-productivity offering and current best chance for driving back the threat presented by Google Apps and similar platforms.
Off Topic (Sort of):
Turn a Webcam into a Security Camera with Email Notifications – This DIY project takes an old webcam and converts it into a motion sensitive CCTV camera, complete with email and growl/prowl push notifications.
New browser war, same old dirty tricks? – Have you heard? There’s a new browser war, with a suddenly re-energized Microsoft out to maintain its dominant share against upstarts like Google Chrome.
How to Jump Ship from GoDaddy to a Better Web Host and Registrar – Regardless of your feelings about GoDaddy’s moral standing, their service is frustrating and restrictive. If you’re sick of paying for crappy hosting and want to jump ship, here’s how to leave GoDaddy behind for one of many better web hosts on the net.
The 3D scam: Reject and repeat – The entertainment industry keeps trying to push 3D on consumers. A lot of smart people have already caught on to the fact that it’s scam, and it’s time for more consumers to join the boycott.
2D Glasses – 2D Glasses allow any RealD 3D movie to be viewed as if it is a normal two-dimensional movie. I created them so my wife could come see 3D movies with me without getting a headache. Soon, I realized that we weren’t the only people with this problem, so I decided to make them available online. (submitted by Michael F.)
Today’s Quote:
“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”
– Thomas Jefferson
Today’s Free Downloads:
Belarc Advisor – The Belarc Advisor builds a detailed profile of your installed software and hardware and displays the results in your Web browser. All of your PC profile information is kept private on your PC and is not sent to any web server.
NextPVR – NextPVR is a mature, robust, full-featured Personal Video Recorder (PVR) or Media Center which runs on Microsoft Windows. It’s main function is scheduling tv recording and watching live tv, but it can also playback a wide variety of media types across music, videos and photos. The application is made even more useful with a wide range of plugins available, providing features like weather, music jukeboxes, netflix etc.
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