Future Shock

The Atlantic Online | July 1982 | Living With a Computer | James Fallows: "The process works this way. When I sit down to write a letter or start the first draft of an article, I simply type on the keyboard and the words appear on the screen'"

After James Fallows reminds you of what things were like, at the dawn of the age of the personal computer, when the internet was just a rumor about how great CompuServe was, and word-processing software ran in 48KB of memory, and printed out on a converted typewriter, read the next article:

Charlie's Diary: Unpacking the Zeitgeist

Being unable to stand on a soap box using a megaphone to yell "buy our gold!" one particular gold farming company decided that to get their message across, they'd create hundreds of new characters in the game — all gnomes, all identically outfitted — place them at precise locations, and drop them from a very great height, so that their splattered corpses would spell out the address of the firm's shop front on the internet.

Rootkits on the rise, McAfee reports | TG Daily

Rootkits on the rise, McAfee reports | TG Daily: "In the first quarter of 2006, the number of rootkits increased by 700% over the year-ago period, according to McAfee. Meanwhile, the number of Windows-based stealth components dominate the landscape, with an increase of 2300 percent from 2001 to 2005.
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BetaNews | Windows 98, Me Support to End in July

BetaNews | Windows 98, Me Support to End in July: "Microsoft has officially begun requesting that users running Windows 98, 98 SE and Millennium Edition (Me) upgrade their operating system as soon as possible. The Redmond company will cease all public and technical support for the products on July 11, 2006, including all security updates."

Panda discovers rootkit functions in new Bagle worm variants | TG Daily

Panda discovers rootkit functions in new Bagle worm variants | TG Daily: "Anti-virus specialist Panda Software today said that newly found versions of the Bagle worm use rootkits to hide its activities on an infected computer. The firm expects that rootkits may become a widely used tool for cyber criminals in the near future."


I don't know whether to be sad, or, perversely and selfishly glad.

Universal opts not to downscale HD content; ICT dead on arrival?

Universal opts not to downscale HD content; ICT dead on arrival?: "The original plan was simple: if a TV lacked a secure HD input (i.e., HDMI or something else supporting HDCP), studios could instruct next-generation disc players to reduce the quality of the video output to something less than 720p. This has been billed as an anti-piracy measure, inasmuch as it is designed to keep the pristine, full digital HD signal away from anything that's not locked down. Consumer advocates have attacked the plan, however, saying that the only thing it is likely to stop is honest people from enjoying their discs' full HD potential."

This is good news, but is unlikely to be the last episode in the continuing struggle over these issues. Big Media wants to disable your computer, and they own the Congress, so they just might be able to do it. But, for the moment, business sense appears to be prevailing.

Ars System Guide: Ultimate Budget Box : Page 1

Ars System Guide: Ultimate Budget Box : Page 1: "Ultimate Budget Box"

The spec on this most basic of computers seems exactly right, to me. If you want to build your own, this is a reliable guide to what to budget and what to buy.

Realistically, though, you can buy an equivalent Dell or HP for about the same money, or, maybe, a little less.

Nick's Computer Security | SpyFalcon Removal

Nick's Computer Security | SpyFalcon Removal: "SpyFalcon Removal"

The procedure described appears to be reasonably effective.

Now, why aren't the Spy Falcon people in jail?

U.S. Envoy Warns of Danger to Iraq

As Violence Ebbs, U.S. Envoy Warns of Danger to Iraq's Future - New York Times: "Iraq is in danger"

Iraq was lost a while back, when Bush followed an unnecessary war with an badly planned, corrupt "reconstruction". Consequences flow, and the Storm Comes.

Lenovo goes after Dell

Lenovo moves to stake its claim in the American market: "Thursday morning will mark the unveiling of Lenovo's new 3000 Series computers. In a departure from their IBM heritage, these new models will be priced very aggressively, starting at US$349 for a desktop and US$599 for a notebook. What's more, they will proudly bear the Lenovo name."

For those, who do not recognize the name, Lenovo is the Chinese giant, which acquired IBM's PC operations at the end of 2004.

Microsoft Antispyware v. Norton AV

Security Fix - Brian Krebs on Computer and Internet Security - (washingtonpost.com): "customers running Symantec Antivirus (SAV) Corporate Edition versions 7, 8, 9 or 10 or Symantec Client Security (SCS) versions 1, 2 or 3 in combination with Windows AntiSpyware Beta 1" may be in trouble. Click on the link.

Western Union Stops Sending Telegrams

LiveScience.com - Era Ends: Western Union Stops Sending Telegrams: " 'Effective January 27, 2006, Western Union will discontinue all Telegram and Commercial Messaging services. We regret any inconvenience this may cause you, and we thank you for your loyal patronage. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact a customer service representative.' . . .

"The world's first telegram was sent on May 24, 1844 by inventor Samuel Morse. The message, "What hath God wrought," was transmitted from Washington to Baltimore."