computer

You thought you were safe didn't you? Being ever so careful not to enter a site you couldn't trust, scanning every email before you opened it. It was all so perfect...until that banner ad. Late last week it was reported that hackers had found a ... remarkably sophisticated way to break into the average computer. Several trusted websites found malicious software hidden within banner ads on their web pages. Companies affected included The Economist.com, Canada.com, and MLB.com. (Source: cbc.ca ) The amazing part about the scam was that you only had to visit the site and see the infected page for ... (view more)

Shut Your Computer In One Click Really simple, and this will work under Windows XP and 2003. http://www.intelliadmin.com/ Test Website Speed Enter a URL to see what time it takes to download. http://tools.itscales.com/cgi-bin/pma-dl (view more)

In 1995, Microsoft attempted to fend off their ever-increasing rival companies by adding a free web browser to their brand new operating system, Windows 95. This effort was effectively blocked by several court rulings and the subject was never ... spoken of again. Over a decade later, Microsoft is giving the strategy one more try by offering free software that connects their current brand new operating system, Windows Vista, to software services delivered over the Internet. (Source: nytimes.com ) This practice is not uncommon in the technological world and is often referred to as "cloud" ... (view more)

North Americans usually assume a moral obligation when conserving energy. An individual will likely turn off the lights in an empty room or shut off the water when brushing their teeth. But, if this energy-conscious person is one of the many ... millions of computer users who leave their PC sitting idle, they are actually contributing to over a days worth of wasted energy in just one hour of computer use. Industry analysts are now reporting that a standard desktop PC, with its many cooling fans and whirring disk drives, uses enough energy to illuminate up to three 100-watt light bulbs, more if ... (view more)

Dell and Lenovo, two of the largest personal computer manufacturers in the world, have announced plans to launch the first batch of mainstream laptop computers that come equipped with Wireless USB (Universal Serial Bus) technology. The latest in ... Wi-Fi allows electronics, such as a personal computer and a printer, to communicate without the use of cables. Wireless technology uses radio waves that send bits of data through the air. The concept is not foreign in the technological world. Internationally-recognized brands like Bluetooth, WiFi and WiMax essentially all do the same thing. (Source: ... (view more)

Researchers in Edmonton, Alberta have launched a simple computer program that claims to have "solved" the game of checkers. Apparently "Chinook", the checker-playing computer program, cannot lose in a game that has been played by young and old for ... hundreds of years. Tests have shown the very best a player can do while playing against the computer is a draw. While Chinook is unlikely to start a technological revolution, the steps that were taken to overcome such an improbable obstacle is most interesting. In the past, game-playing programs had used a common sense approach in making all ... (view more)

In Computer Science -- more specifically, in the creation of software programs -- there are efficient ways of achieving a result, and there are not-so-efficient ways of doing the same thing. In fact, many refer to Microsoft Windows as bloatware: ... software that "is so overloaded with functionality that its performance suffers." (Source: techweb.com ) Unfortunately, Microsoft isn't the only one to blame. In the race for profit, many software developers are guilty of adding useless and abundant features to their programs for nothing more than a marketing tactic. (Source: wikipedia.org ... (view more)

Flashback to late January 2007 -- Microsoft releases Windows Vista consumer versions of their "latest and greatest" new operating system (OS) with the marketing hype of "the wow is now". The Vista web site even offers 100 reasons you'll be ... speechless. The top reason? "It makes using your pc a breeze" (provided your computer runs once you've installed Vista). Your chances of effectively using Vista improve if you purchase a new computer with the finicky operating system already loaded. Upgrading older computers is a waste of time and money. Unfortunately for Microsoft, their marketing tactics ... (view more)

Talk about deja vu. A Finnish security researcher recently discovered that the same problems affecting Windows XP and recovery disks were inherited by Windows Vista. If you have a Vista install DVD, you can gain administrative level access to the ... hard drive without needing a password. Detailed documentation, including possible workarounds, can be found at Kimmo Rousku's web site . The potential hack was discovered on February 8, 2007 during a Windows Vista training session. It was immediately reported to Microsoft Finland who confirmed it two days later. Apparently, the Command Prompt tool in ... (view more)

The launch of Windows Vista earlier this year may have helped fuel Mac sales according to research conducted by Gartner Research. Mac sales were up 35 percent in the first quarter compared to a year ago. Comparatively, PC sales were up by 9 percent. ... (Source: Kansascity.com ) A lot of technology companies appear to have expectations that computer sales would get a bigger boost with the release of Vista, which requires a lot more computing power than earlier versions of Windows. That expectation may be leaving tech companies with higher inventories and more production capacity than necessary. ... (view more)