Topics

51

Living Room / U.S. Government Records/Stores Every Phone Call and Email

« on: May 07, 2013, 07:21 PM »

Don't freak out, but the government records and stores every phone call and email
05.06.2013 12:45 PM
A former FBI agent says that the government has the power to go back and listen to every phone call you make.
From the transcripts:
CLEMENTE: …We certainly have ways in national security investigations to find out exactly what was said in that conversation. It's not necessarily something that the FBI is going to want to present in court, but it may help lead the investigation and/or lead to questioning of her. We certainly can find that out.

BURNETT: So they can actually get that? We can know what people are saying, that is incredible.

CLEMENTE: …Welcome to America. All of that stuff is being captured as we speak whether we know it or like it or not.

http://tinyurl.com/c9wo6by

52

Living Room / Windows 8 Vulnerable

« on: May 05, 2013, 07:44 PM »

Windows 8's complexity leaves it vulnerable, Kaspersky says

05.05.2013 9:25 AM

The complexity of the Windows 8 operating system has increased its vulnerability, according to a Kasperky Lab security specialist.

http://www.pcworld.c...-explorer-eight.html

53

Living Room / IE 8 Zero-Day Bug

« on: May 05, 2013, 07:42 PM »

  They suggest you use another browser until this bug is patched....

Microsoft pledges patch for zero-day bug in Internet Explorer 8

05.05.2013 8:07 AM

IE8 is the most widely-used of Microsoft's five supported browsers -- IE6 through IE10.

http://www.pcworld.c...-explorer-eight.html

54

Living Room / EFF - Who Has Your Back?

« on: May 01, 2013, 06:17 PM »

  EFF: Trust Twitter--but not Apple or Verizon--to protect your privacy

  Twitter and Internet service provider Sonic.net scored a perfect six in the third annual Electronic Frontier Foundation "Who Has Your Back?" report.

When you use the Internet, companies ask you to trust them with your private data: from personal messages, to search terms, to photos, and much more. But government officials increasingly ask companies to hand that data over, a fact highlighted by the recent battle over CISPA.

https://www.eff.org/...-2013?support_whyb=1

55

Living Room / Adobe Reader Tracking

« on: April 29, 2013, 07:08 PM »

  Just sounds like Adobe is doing some tracking to me....

McAfee spots Adobe Reader PDF-tracking vulnerability

McAfee said it has found a vulnerability in Adobe Systems' Reader program that reveals when and where a PDF document is opened.

http://www.pcworld.c...dftracking-flaw.html

56

Living Room / Broadcast Treaty Crushing Innovation

« on: April 27, 2013, 06:37 PM »

The Only Thing the Broadcasting Treaty Is Good For Is Crushing Innovation
For those of us following the continuing saga of the unnecessary and harmful WIPO Broadcasting Treaty, its latest manifestation is starting to have the feel of a tired movie franchise. Every few years, as soon as Hollywood thinks it can squeeze a few more dollars out of a new installment, the same bad idea gets rehashed with the same cast of characters, and still no substance.

https://www.eff.org/...-crushing-innovation

57

Living Room / Do Not Track Ripped

« on: April 25, 2013, 05:58 PM »

  What in the hell did they think would happen when you let the fox guard the henhouse?

Senator rips self-regulatory do-not-track efforts
The U.S. online advertising industry has not lived up to a promise to stop the online tracking of Internet users who ask advertisers to do so, a senior U.S. senator said Wednesday.

http://www.pcworld.c...ottrack-efforts.html

58

Living Room / You Want Targeted Ads!

« on: April 20, 2013, 08:05 PM »

  Yeah, we're going to believe the fox that wants to guard the henhouse. We've seen how the marketers play dirty tricks to spy on us in the past and present. Send ads, that's ok, just quit tracking my movements online and trying to serve up what YOU think I'm interested in.....

Survey: Internet users like targeted ads, free content

Internet users overwhelmingly enjoy free Web content supported by advertising, and they'd rather see advertisements targeted toward their interests than random ads, according to a survey released this week by the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA).

http://www.pcworld.c...ds-free-content.html

59

Living Room / Java 8 Delayed

« on: April 19, 2013, 08:18 PM »

Java 8 release delayed until next year
The new version of standard Java was due this September, but the need for more work on security issues and Project Lambda have pushed the release date back to the first quarter of 2014.

http://www.pcworld.c...until-next-year.html

60

Found Deals and Discounts / SmartDeblur - Review - Freeware

« on: April 19, 2013, 07:48 PM »

  I came across this today.  It's a review with links for this FREE software.  I'm not associated with this software in any way.  In fact, I haven't even downloaded it yet.  Looks like something useful, so I'm posting it.

SmartDeblur restores blurred images, indulges CSI fantasies
Cellphone cameras make amateur photographers out of all of us. We can relate to making blurred photos, which we normally then delete and forget about. But sometimes those blurry photos contain important information that we must retrieve. In these instances, it might be worth firing up the free SmartDeblur to see if it can work its magic on the picture. Note: The "Download Now" button on the Product Information page takes you to the vendor's site, where you can download the latest version of the software.

http://www.pcworld.c...s-csi-fantasies.html

61

Found Deals and Discounts / Glarysoft Giveaway of the Day

« on: April 18, 2013, 07:54 PM »

  Todays giveaway on Glarysoft:

FreeTunes 3.0
freeTunes enables you to convert your purchased CDs, DVDs, music- and video files legally into more compatible formats (which can still be played tomorrow). In addition to audio CDs and video DVDs (for ripping the sound tracks) also music files, audio books, podcasts and video clips are supported. For output you can select between MP3, AAC, OGG, WMA & WAV and even create ring tones for the iPhone! 

http://giveaway.glarysoft.com/

62

Living Room / Internet Freedom Bill

« on: April 12, 2013, 07:10 PM »

  Personally, I think by the time both sides are done hacking this bill, it won't be worth the paper it's printed on and be full of loopholes the government can conveniently abuse....

Congressional panel approves Internet freedom bill
A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee has voted to approve a bill that would make it official U.S. policy to promote an Internet "free from government control," with promises that the Republican majority would work with critics of the bill's wording.

http://www.pcworld.c...et-freedom-bill.html

Critics question wording of Internet freedom bill
Legislation that would make it official U.S. policy to promote a global Internet “free from government control” could restrict the U.S. Federal Communications Commission from using its authority and prevent law enforcement agencies from taking action against cybercriminals, some critics have said.

http://www.pcworld.c...et-freedom-bill.html

63

Living Room / Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)

« on: April 05, 2013, 08:06 PM »

  A copy of an email I received from the IDL, to which I'm a member, about another bad proposal from our politicians:

We need to beat back a bad proposal to expand the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) -- in a hurry.  So we're asking the Internet Defense League to snap into action on Monday and Tuesday of next week.  (April 8th and 9th.)

Our friends at Demand Progress have created code for an embeddable contact-Congress widget. Read more and grab the code here. Internet Defense League code will be available soon:

http://www.fixthecfaa.com/

You'll be joining Fight for the Future, Demand Progress, EFF, Boing Boing, Reddit, and other great groups and sites as we stand together against this awful proposal.

As many of you probably know, our friend (and friend to many of you) Aaron Swartz committed suicide earlier this year, while he was being prosecuted for downloading too many academic articles from the JSTOR cataloguing site.  Prosecutors were hanging four decades in prison over his head!

Aaron was charged under the CFAA, a law that passed in the mid-80s, before more than a handful of Americans even had personal computers -- let alone Internet access.

Yet law enforcement interprets this statute so broadly that it claims it criminalizes all sorts of mundane Internet use: potentially even breaking a website's fine print terms of service agreement.  Don't set up a Myspace page for your cat.  Don't fudge your height on a dating site.  Don't share your Facebook password with anybody, ever.  You could be committing a federal crime.

We've been pushing to change this, and have made some progress: Reps and Senators are pulling together a proposal called "Aaron's Law".

But... then last week members of the House Judiciary Committee floated an audacious proposal that would actually expand and harshen certain parts of the CFAA.  Think of it as the opposite of Aaron's Law.  And we're hearing that it could come up for a vote as soon as next week.

We need your helping beating back this awful proposal and to build momentum for Aaron's Law.

Please click here to read more and grab Demand Progress' code for our embeddable widgets (IDL code coming soon):

http://www.fixthecfaa.com/


Reforming the CFAA is a real chance for the US Congress to make laws governing the Internet better and fairer.  And it's a chance for the coalition that came together around SOPA to actually pass positive reform.  If all of us take action next week, it won't just kill a bad bill, it will help us build real momentum to passing positive change in the wake of Aaron's death.


Thanks!

Holmes Wilson

Internet Defense League

64

Living Room / Data Disclosure

« on: April 03, 2013, 07:25 PM »

[ California got this one right....]

California Considers Pushing Data Disclosure Envelope Again
California, which set the standard for data breach notifications nationwide, is again seeking to set a precedent by becoming the first state in the nation to require companies upon request disclose to California consumers the data they've collected and to whom it was shared during the past year. They would be required to respond within 30 days and provide the report for free.

http://threatpost.co...nvelope-again-040213

65

Found Deals and Discounts / RoboSizer Now Free

« on: April 02, 2013, 08:53 PM »

Automatically resize images on the fly with Robosizer

If you send images over the Internet, you know how much of a pain it is to have to keep shrinking them, especially in email. Robosizer is a free app that sits in your Windows tray and automatically resizes images to your pre-set specifications as they are being sent.

http://www.pcworld.c...-with-robosizer.html

66

Living Room / Beautiful Pictures From Herschel

« on: April 02, 2013, 08:24 PM »

[ Amazing and beautiful pictures...]

A galactic star gazer takes a final look before bowing out (pictures)

The Herschel Space Observatory is about to run out of fuel. But its nearly four-year mission has produced a wealth of new knowledge about our universe.

http://www.techrepub.../6410613#photopaging

67

Living Room / Security Review For Chinese Tech Purchases

« on: March 29, 2013, 06:33 PM »

It's about frickin' time: U.S. gov requires security review for Chinese tech purchases

We have been letting the fox guard the hen house for far too long, and it's high time the U.S. government did something about it.
If you look out the window, you might notice that the moon is blue. If you check the Weather Channel, reports are that hell has indeed frozen over. As unlikely as it may seem, our politicians have apparently done something right.

http://www.zdnet.com...purchases-7000013284

68

Living Room / Worlds Largest Cyberattack Slows Internet

« on: March 29, 2013, 06:30 PM »

[  This is why the internet has been so slow the last couple of weeks.....]

How the world's largest cyberattack slows down your Internet use

A fight between anti-spam group Spamhaus and a Dutch web-hosting company has escalated into a large-scale DDoS attack that is causing widespread web congestion.

http://www.pcworld.c...ur-internet-use.html

69

Living Room / Ad Industry Attacks Firefox

« on: March 27, 2013, 05:09 PM »

Ad industry threatens Firefox users with more ads if Mozilla moves on tracking plans

03.25.2013 12:00 PM

The online ad industry attacked Mozilla over its decision to block third-party cookies in a future release of Firefox, calling the move "dangerous and highly disturbing," and claiming that it will result in more ads shown to users.

http://www.pcworld.c...-tracking-plans.html

70

Living Room / Philosophy

« on: March 24, 2013, 07:25 PM »

East Texas Front Porch Philosophy:

• Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco.

• Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.

• There are two theories to arguing with a woman. Neither works.

• Never miss a good chance to shut up.

• Always drink upstream from the herd.

• If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

• The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back into your pocket.

• There are three kinds of men:
1. The ones that learn by reading.
2. The few who learn by observation.
3. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.

• Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

• If you're riding ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.

• Letting the cat out of the bag is a whole lot easier than putting it back.

• After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

************************************************
EDITOR’S NOTE: Life Behind the Pine Curtain is a series of anecdotes collected and edited by Herald-Press Publisher Gary Connor.

71

Living Room / Facebook's Walled Garden

« on: March 23, 2013, 06:39 PM »

[ A very small 1 line entry in this story, FaceCrooks scan your computers, whether you want them to or not.....]

Facebook, their Walled Garden, and McAfee Anti-Virus – What Really Happened
On Sunday, a number of Facebook users reported being locked out of the system. When they attempted to log in they were presented instead with the a series of screens, informing them that their computer was infected, and providing a link to a free scanning service by McAfee antivirus software....

http://www.cauce.org...really-happened.html

72

Living Room / Anti-Drone Technology

« on: March 22, 2013, 06:59 PM »

Protect your home from drones (in the U.S.)
A startup plans to sell anti-drone technology to those who want to defend themselves from the thousands of commercial drones that are expected to one day troll the U.S. skies.

http://www.smartplan...ones-in-the-us/15619

73

Living Room / Cheaper Pharmaceutical Drugs

« on: March 22, 2013, 06:48 PM »

  Seriously, do they have to ask the question "Should it be illegal"?  My god, even a 12 year old can tell you it should be illegal.....

Are cheaper pharmaceutical drugs on the way?
By Charlie Osborne | March 22, 2013, 5:08 AM PDT

The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday concerning the patent disputes and “pay for delay” tactics.

Often, large pharmaceutical firms are embroiled within patent disputes that not only cause a delay in treatment and sometimes testing, but can keep new drugs off the market longer than necessary. Also, in order to make sure prices stay high, another practice is common. According to U.S. and state regulators, pharmaceutical firms make deals with rivals to keep cheaper products away from consumers.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has branded these deals “pay for delay,” in order to generate additional revenue for drug companies, and they cost consumers, insurers and government bodies billions of dollars annually.

Having fought pharmaceutical firms in court for over a decade, the FTC’s case has now landed in front of the Supreme Court. The question is whether such deals are anti-competitive or illegal, something both U.S. and European authorities have debated. In a brief, the FTC commented:

“The continuing stream of monopoly profits is large enough to pay the generic competitors more than they could hope to earn if they entered the market at competitive prices.”

A decision is expected this year.

http://www.smartplan...ugs-on-the-way/15695

74

Found Deals and Discounts / Digiarty WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe - FREE

« on: March 21, 2013, 07:32 PM »

Convert video files for free with WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe

03.20.2013 12:04 PM

Normally $49.95, Digiarty Software's utility can be yours free of charge, no strings attached.
For a limited time, as part of an Easter promotion, Digiarty Software is offering its WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe absolutely free.
The program is designed to convert just about any kind of video file to just about any other kind of video format. Thus, you can turn an AVI into an MPEG, a Windows Media Video into an iPhone video, and so on.

http://www.pcworld.c...onverter-deluxe.html

NOTE:  I've never used this software, just found the deal while surfing....

75

Living Room / Researcher's Illegal Botnet to Scan Internet

« on: March 21, 2013, 04:49 PM »

Exposed Devices Used as Botnet to Scan Internet

A controversial Internet scanning project has come under fire for illegally accessing and running code on remote machines. The Internet Census 2012 project, revealed Sunday in a post to Seclists.org, discovered 420,000 embedded devices accessible using default credentials. The unnamed researcher behind the project then used the devices as a botnet to scan most of the IPv4 address space.

http://threatpost.co...scan-internet-032013