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Microsoft has warned that several older versions of Excel contain a bug that could be exploited by hackers. It affects both Windows and Macintosh users. The bug could make it possible to execute code remotely. That means a hacker would be able to ... gain some degree of access to a user's computer, with the potential to steal personal information. The problem affects versions of Excel (including the stand-alone viewer) dated up to and including 2004. However, if the user has downloaded Office Service Pack 3, the bug will have been removed. Those versions dated 2007 or 2008 do not have the bug. To ... (view more)

Whenever the term "artificial intelligence" comes up, it tends to make some people nervous. It reminds them of the wayward computer, HAL, in the movie "2001 Space Odyssey" or cars that tell you in an annoying tone that your door is open. But, little ... by little, artificial intelligence is creeping into our day-to-day lives. Soon it will be on your desktop. A new product called "Smart Desktop" will shortly be released from Seattle-based Pi Corporation. Designed to work with Microsoft Windows, Smart Desktop will aid the user by attempting to "understand" what they are working ... (view more)

Who's been naughty this year? Microsoft's Santa Claus IM bot, that's who. PC World and Metro UK have recently reported that a program designed to respond to children via Windows Live Messenger could be easily duped into responding to lude and ... suggestive dialogue. (Source: metro.co.uk ) The error was first discovered in an exchange that went something like this: User: eat it Santa: No thank you. I don't eat things! User: eat it Santa: See if you can get someone else to eat it! User: eat it. Santa: You want me to eat what?!? It's fun to talk about oral sex, but I want to chat about something ... (view more)

Facebook users and privacy groups have criticised a new advertising scheme from the social networking site. Designed to net Facebook more ad dollars, the program plays Big Brother with the site's loyal (and growing) membership. The 'Beacon' system ... is a partnership between Facebook and 44 other sites. Whenever a user visits one of these sites while logged in to Facebook, their activities are monitored. Certain events are then automatically posted on their Facebook news feed which can be seen by all of their online friends. The events which are reported include online purchases, movie rentals, ... (view more)

The Hunt For Red October Great older video game released to the public for free. Published by Hi-Tech Expressions, Inc. and developed by Beam Software Pty., Ltd., this underwater side-scroller was released in 1990, and based on the movie of the same ... name. http://www.dotnes.com/the-hunt-for-red-october.html User Agent Switcher The User Agent Switcher extension adds a menu and a toolbar button to switch the user agent of the browser. It is designed for Firefox, Flock, Mozilla and Seamonkey, and will run on any platform that these browsers support including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. http:// ... (view more)

We've noted in the past how easy Windows Vista makes it to track your computing habits and all the information it maintains. Joe Wilcox from Microsoft Watch has a disturbing article that shows how dangerous the Windows Vista registry can be. After ... searching his Windows Vista registry he found some disturbing personal information such as his name, address and phone number, online account user names, software registration codes and some information that identified some of his online accounts. Needless to say, coming across that information didn't give him a warm and fuzzy feeling. This time, ... (view more)

Disk Heal Disk Heal is a useful tool that lets you restore the condition of your storage device after it has been infected with a virus. Even though most Anti-Virus programs are capable of getting rid of the virus, they may not restore the condition ... of your storage device. http://www.geocities.com/diskheal/ User Agent Switcher The User Agent Switcher extension adds a menu and a toolbar button to switch the user agent of the browser. It is designed for Firefox, Flock, Mozilla and Seamonkey, and will run on any platform that these browsers support including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. http:// ... (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)

As wireless, hands-free headsets continue to flood the cell phone market in smaller models, it's becoming tougher to determine if people are speaking into thin air (and are completely off their rocker). Motorola, one of America's largest ... multinational communications companies, has just released a new headset that boasts being the smallest currently available in the world. The Motorola H9 Miniblue headset, for use with cell phones equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology, is so small that it resembles a large hearing aid. The technology is said to be so compact, that the entire headset can ... (view more)

... continued from Part 1 (of 3). Recently, I laid out some of the reasons why Microsoft's marketing offensive for Windows Vista has overextended the supply lines of reality. Although it looks great and might have potential, there are only a handful ... of reasons to upgrade now. So, what are those flashy features being pushed by Microsoft? Let's take a look at some of the new tools that the company believes make purchasing Vista worthwhile. BitLocker BitLocker is a security enhancement and works by encrypting the data on your hard drive using a hardware key and pass phrase -- but is only ... (view more)