Well, it looks like I am going to have to backtrack on my tirade on the cell carriers "claiming" to have 4G service. In my defense, they are playing "Calvin ball" with the technology. They changed the rules in the middle of the game. ...... Thomas
Via The Washington Post, Business & Technology.
....
But many people may not know that the iPhone 4S is capable of running on AT&T’s HSPA+ network — a technology that AT&T and T-Mobile both use to advertise their “4G” devices. HSPA+ is essentially 3G technology that’s been enhanced to run speeds close to those of 4G networks, but still runs slower than either LTE or WiMax.
The new label likely raised questions for AT&T customers who were affected by the carrier’s latest tweaks to its unlimited plan. The changes stipulate that 4G LTE customers will have their data speeds slowed down after they hit a 5 GB limit for the month; all other customers will see slower speeds after 3 GB per month.
AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel confirmed in an e-mail that the iPhone 4S falls into the second category.
There’s actually a lot of debate as to what, exactly constitutes 4G since the International Telecommunications Union relaxed its definition in Dec. 2010. Before then, none of the technologies in the United States — LTE, WiMax or HSPA+ — were considered fourth-generation cell networks. Now, they are.
Friday, March 9, 2012
DNS Changer Virus info.....
Run "ipconfig /all" in a DOS or CMD window, look at the IP on the DNS lines. You can have two or more DNS IPs listed.
If any have the IPs listed below, you have been infected with the DNS Changer Virus. The FBI and European law enforcement agencies will be shuting the bad DNS servers down on July 8th of 2012. If you have been infected, you will no longer be able to browse the internet or use your e-mail.
The odds are you haven't been infected. It only takes a minute to see and resolve the problem. The site at the bottom of this post has a download tool to remove the virus and fix your DNS IPs.
Thomas
----------------------------------------------
Are you safe?
http://dcwg.org/checkup.html
If your computers' DNS settings use the follow ranges, then you likely have been affected by the DNS Changer viruses.
Between this IP-----and this IP
77.67.83.1----------77.67.83.254
85.255.112.1--------85.255.127.254
67.210.0.1----------67.210.15.254
93.188.160.1--------93.188.167.254
213.109.64.1--------213.109.79.254
64.28.176.1---------64.28.191.254
------------------------------------------------
Tool available for those affected by the DNS-Changer
http://www.avira.com/en/support-for-home-knowledgebase-detail/kbid/1199
The malware family of the DNS-changer manipulates the Windows network settings.
The DNS server entries are changed on the respective network adapter to achieve this. In the event of an infection, this will divert requests from web sites to malicious sites that are maintained by criminals.
The operators of those DNS servers have been arrested in November 2011 by the FBI and European law enforcement authorities. Additionally, the servers have been replaced with correctly working DNS-servers.
However, those servers will be shut down as of March 8th, 2012. [ Changed to July 8, 2012 recently.... 3/9/2012 TH ]
Computers that have been affected and did not apply the recommended changes within the settings, will not able to use the internet anymore, since the users are unable to dissolve domain names now without having access to the DNS.
Avira provides a tool for this purpose that will reset the entries to Windows standard.
Note:
The tool doesn't send any data through the internet. An installation of the tool is not required.
However, a restart of Windows will be necessary after the execution of the tool and a successful repair.
Download Avira DNS Repair-Tool
http://www.avira.com/files/support/FAQ_KB_Download_Files/EN/AviraDNSRepairEN.exe
If any have the IPs listed below, you have been infected with the DNS Changer Virus. The FBI and European law enforcement agencies will be shuting the bad DNS servers down on July 8th of 2012. If you have been infected, you will no longer be able to browse the internet or use your e-mail.
The odds are you haven't been infected. It only takes a minute to see and resolve the problem. The site at the bottom of this post has a download tool to remove the virus and fix your DNS IPs.
Thomas
----------------------------------------------
Are you safe?
http://dcwg.org/checkup.html
If your computers' DNS settings use the follow ranges, then you likely have been affected by the DNS Changer viruses.
Between this IP-----and this IP
77.67.83.1----------77.67.83.254
85.255.112.1--------85.255.127.254
67.210.0.1----------67.210.15.254
93.188.160.1--------93.188.167.254
213.109.64.1--------213.109.79.254
64.28.176.1---------64.28.191.254
------------------------------------------------
Tool available for those affected by the DNS-Changer
http://www.avira.com/en/support-for-home-knowledgebase-detail/kbid/1199
The malware family of the DNS-changer manipulates the Windows network settings.
The DNS server entries are changed on the respective network adapter to achieve this. In the event of an infection, this will divert requests from web sites to malicious sites that are maintained by criminals.
The operators of those DNS servers have been arrested in November 2011 by the FBI and European law enforcement authorities. Additionally, the servers have been replaced with correctly working DNS-servers.
However, those servers will be shut down as of March 8th, 2012. [ Changed to July 8, 2012 recently.... 3/9/2012 TH ]
Computers that have been affected and did not apply the recommended changes within the settings, will not able to use the internet anymore, since the users are unable to dissolve domain names now without having access to the DNS.
Avira provides a tool for this purpose that will reset the entries to Windows standard.
Note:
The tool doesn't send any data through the internet. An installation of the tool is not required.
However, a restart of Windows will be necessary after the execution of the tool and a successful repair.
Download Avira DNS Repair-Tool
http://www.avira.com/files/support/FAQ_KB_Download_Files/EN/AviraDNSRepairEN.exe
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
"Google should not be your top privacy worry...."
From InformationWeek Security commentary online, a discussion of real privacy concerns....Thomas:
http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/privacy/232601954?cid=nl_IW_daily_2012-03-05_html&elq=4d42c17caeeb43daa3978f79d6ed1541
The outcry is both appropriate and ridiculous.
The author, Thomas Claburn, also states:
"That doesn't mean privacy isn't worthwhile. It's just complicated. We should expect and demand that companies are straightforward about how they're using information. Here Google and other businesses need to do more, to be more specific about how they leverage data. ...."
One of my favorite new TV shows is "Person of Interest", which could have a sub-title of "Big Data in Action". It is about a computer system that analyzes information about us and determines when some one is in trouble. The sources of information about us are almost limitless. Who or what has access to it and how they use it will always merit watching. Do you have an FBI file ?
http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/privacy/232601954?cid=nl_IW_daily_2012-03-05_html&elq=4d42c17caeeb43daa3978f79d6ed1541
The outcry is both appropriate and ridiculous.
Worries about online privacy are appropriate because online privacy is terrible. Remember Facebook's Beacon ad targeting system, which caused similar controversy in 2007? Well, read Google's new privacy policy, the part about pixel tags.
Google explains, "A pixel tag is a type of technology placed on a website or within the body of an email for the purpose of tracking activity on websites, or when emails are opened or accessed, and is often used in combination with cookies."
That's basically what Facebook's Beacon system did. But it's not just Google doing this, it's pretty much every online ad company and major Internet service."
....
"...worries about online privacy are ridiculous because we don't really want privacy. We want to feel like we're in control, whether or not we are or can be. We want a property right in the information we generate and passively express. You'd better hope that we never get that far because there won't be any information economy after that.
....
"...worries about online privacy are ridiculous because we don't really want privacy. We want to feel like we're in control, whether or not we are or can be. We want a property right in the information we generate and passively express. You'd better hope that we never get that far because there won't be any information economy after that.
Privacy doesn't sell, at least beyond those in the market for tin foil hats."
....
"Though Google consolidated its privacy policies to allow it to generate more ad revenue by delivering more relevant ads, it also is offering what it believes is a better experience. So before you take up arms against Google, which is mainly trying to make enough money to pay for all those videos you're uploading and watching on YouTube,
here, in no particular order, are a few privacy violators to worry about."
....
"Though Google consolidated its privacy policies to allow it to generate more ad revenue by delivering more relevant ads, it also is offering what it believes is a better experience. So before you take up arms against Google, which is mainly trying to make enough money to pay for all those videos you're uploading and watching on YouTube,
here, in no particular order, are a few privacy violators to worry about."
"
1. Shoulder surfers 2. Hackers 3. Other people 4. Governments 5. Credit bureaus 6. Information vendors 7. Your employer 8. You
"
....
"The list could go on. Insurers, retailers, ISPs, developers, telecom companies, electric utilities, grocery stores, and anyone rifling through your garbage might know more about you than you realize. Frankly, if Google's tracking is your major concern, you probably have very little to worry about."
....
"Trust as much as you have to, verify what you care about, block where necessary, and try to find your own personal comfort zone in the information economy."
1. Shoulder surfers 2. Hackers 3. Other people 4. Governments 5. Credit bureaus 6. Information vendors 7. Your employer 8. You
"
....
"The list could go on. Insurers, retailers, ISPs, developers, telecom companies, electric utilities, grocery stores, and anyone rifling through your garbage might know more about you than you realize. Frankly, if Google's tracking is your major concern, you probably have very little to worry about."
....
"Trust as much as you have to, verify what you care about, block where necessary, and try to find your own personal comfort zone in the information economy."
--------------------------------------------------- Me: ----------------------------------------------------------
The bottom line is how do we pay for a "free", as in $ not freedom, Internet ? I, for one would rather have targeted marketing so the ads are relevant to me. When you use store cards for discounts you are being paid for information about you so the store may better target your buying preferences. Is that bad ?
There is a story that a national store, with the information gleaned from their store cards, sent a young lady ads on pregnancy products through the USPS mail. When the parents saw the ads they were furious that the store was promoting unacceptable sexual conduct for their teenage daughter. Turns out the teenager was already pregnant and buying auxiliary products to take care of herself. The story goes that the store now mixes in unrelated products with the targeted products; kind of backing out of the original goal of targeted marketing. The moral being that we are all learning this new, more open environment and how to manage it.
The bottom line is how do we pay for a "free", as in $ not freedom, Internet ? I, for one would rather have targeted marketing so the ads are relevant to me. When you use store cards for discounts you are being paid for information about you so the store may better target your buying preferences. Is that bad ?
There is a story that a national store, with the information gleaned from their store cards, sent a young lady ads on pregnancy products through the USPS mail. When the parents saw the ads they were furious that the store was promoting unacceptable sexual conduct for their teenage daughter. Turns out the teenager was already pregnant and buying auxiliary products to take care of herself. The story goes that the store now mixes in unrelated products with the targeted products; kind of backing out of the original goal of targeted marketing. The moral being that we are all learning this new, more open environment and how to manage it.
The author, Thomas Claburn, also states:
"That doesn't mean privacy isn't worthwhile. It's just complicated. We should expect and demand that companies are straightforward about how they're using information. Here Google and other businesses need to do more, to be more specific about how they leverage data. ...."
One of my favorite new TV shows is "Person of Interest", which could have a sub-title of "Big Data in Action". It is about a computer system that analyzes information about us and determines when some one is in trouble. The sources of information about us are almost limitless. Who or what has access to it and how they use it will always merit watching. Do you have an FBI file ?
Monday, March 5, 2012
Yet another acronym, MOOC, yet really cool.....
Via The New York Times (NYT):
"Massive Open Online Courses — known as MOOCs — a tool for democratizing higher education."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/education/moocs-large-courses-open-to-all-topple-campus-walls.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha26
--------------------------------------------------------
Me:
Several major universities are forging into this amazing future of education. While they are looking for ways to capitalize in it, the courses are free. If you get a certification of completion, you may pay. If a company is looking for certain skills in a certain area, they may need to pay the university for a list of potentials. Great, make the capitalists pay for the availability of the skills they need. Works for me.
I am eyeing the upcoming Computer Security course at Stanford. Don't be looking for intro courses from these providers, but the practice should trickle down over time.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Some of the major universities involved at this early stage:
Stanford:
http://www.cs101-class.org/hub.php
MIT info article:
http://www.wiredacademic.com/2011/12/mit-announces-mitx-expanding-its-opencourseware-project/
Georgia Institute of Technology:
http://gtmooc.com/
“What we found was that in a MOOC, instead of the classroom being the center, it becomes just one node of the network of social interactions.”
"Massive Open Online Courses — known as MOOCs — a tool for democratizing higher education."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/education/moocs-large-courses-open-to-all-topple-campus-walls.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha26
--------------------------------------------------------
Me:
Several major universities are forging into this amazing future of education. While they are looking for ways to capitalize in it, the courses are free. If you get a certification of completion, you may pay. If a company is looking for certain skills in a certain area, they may need to pay the university for a list of potentials. Great, make the capitalists pay for the availability of the skills they need. Works for me.
I am eyeing the upcoming Computer Security course at Stanford. Don't be looking for intro courses from these providers, but the practice should trickle down over time.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Some of the major universities involved at this early stage:
Stanford:
http://www.cs101-class.org/hub.php
MIT info article:
http://www.wiredacademic.com/2011/12/mit-announces-mitx-expanding-its-opencourseware-project/
Georgia Institute of Technology:
http://gtmooc.com/
“What we found was that in a MOOC, instead of the classroom being the center, it becomes just one node of the network of social interactions.”
Sunday, March 4, 2012
How to use images on the web....
Apparently there are best ways to embed images to hold attention. Apparently I didn't know the best practices.
http://blog.kissmetrics.com/shocking-truth-about-graphics/
Summary:
Caption below image,
Story below caption,
Keep left margin straight and stable.
Thanks to Guy Kawasaki on Google+ for the heads up.
Cheers.
http://blog.kissmetrics.com/shocking-truth-about-graphics/
Summary:
Caption below image,
Story below caption,
Keep left margin straight and stable.
Thanks to Guy Kawasaki on Google+ for the heads up.
Cheers.
Amazing story, great photos, missing bugs....
The rock this story occurs on is amazing, jutting out of the South Pacific east of Australia. Talk about some tenacious bugs, how did they survive, and how did they get there ?
http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2012/02/24/147367644/six-legged-giant-finds-secret-hideaway-hides-for-80-years
Enjoy.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2012/02/24/147367644/six-legged-giant-finds-secret-hideaway-hides-for-80-years
Enjoy.
Greetings....
Bear with me while I learn this environment. I am looking forward to getting my favorite pics and some relevant comments posted. Right now I am playing with the page template....
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