Mac Attacks

Apple has released a bunch of security updates.

Heartland Security Hacked

Why should this concern me?

Check out this list of banks/credit unions known to have customers' records accessed.

Itchin' for a Plasma TV?

It might be time to commit to getting one. Pioneer, with its expensive Kuro and Kuro Elite (Both Supreme Geekchoices) has decided to exit the market. So has Vizio. Panasonic is now the default Geekchoice champ.

Adobe Reader 9 and Acrobat 9 hacked!

To refresh memories, Reader and Acrobat are used to read the very common .pdf files (although Adobe Photoshop can as well).

Adobe reports thst both 9s have been hacked; read about it here. Apparently the vulnerability spilled over to V7 and v8 of both, but this isn't stated.

Hey Rusty! Have you heard of anyone having trouble with Google Chrome? A couple of days ago, we couldn't bring it up. The screen would sort of flash, like it was trying to bring it up, but it just wouldn't do it. We had to switch over to Firefox. Thanks
Jim

There's a new release out today. There have been a few security flaws; the worst of those were fixed last year.

I haven't heard of issues like you're having.

Hopefully, you're also running antivirus and anti-malware programs (such as Ad-Aware, Spybot Search and Destroy, and/or Spyware Blaster), as well as a firewall (Zone Alarm).

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:
Itchin' for a Plasma TV?

It might be time to commit to getting one. Pioneer, with its expensive Kuro and Kuro Elite (Both Supreme Geekchoices) has decided to exit the market. So has Vizio. Panasonic is now the default Geekchoice champ.

I just finished putting a 19" Vizio in the bedroom, love it, the best thing is the tuner, very sensitive and will pull in digital channels my other boxes don't see! (same antenna) Probably will upgrade the front to a 26" or 32" later this summer.

3-12-09
DUH! I just realized that the post was about plasma TVs, the Vizio I put in the bedroom is a LCD model.

I can't say I recommend plasma TV's since they don't do well at altitude. Many of them aren't even suited for elevations above 6000' and we are around 6300' here in Colorado Springs, CO. We have two fairly new TV's, a 65" Mitsubishi that was nice until we upgraded to blu-ray and then it became just plain awesome. The TV in the Stagecoach is a 26" Sharp Aquos with a stand alone up-converting DVD player. While we don't have a blu-ray hooked up to the Aquos, it has a stunning picture. Actually, I pulled it out of the coach back in December to replace the TV in the spare bedroom. My ulterior motive is to move up to a 32" for the coach, most likely another Aquos. I like the features they have and, as I stated, the picture is stunning.

I want to stress that when buying a TV for a coach, pay particular attention to the sound as well as the picture. The Aquos does NOT do well when it comes to sound. If the generator is running or you're inthe middle of a hail storm, it is difficult to hear even at max volume. It does well in the family room as long as it isn't moving down the road. I was warned about this by the sales associate at Ultimate Electronics but, since we have our stereo system in the coach tied in with the TV and DVD player, sound was not an issue and I picked the Aquos over other TV's I looked at based on the picture and other features such as automatic adjustment for light.

I also would NOT recommend a TV/DVD combo. The DVD players in these sets are very low tech and they break more often. They are also more expensive to work on when they do break. I highly recommend staying with a stand alone DVD player that you can upgrade as you see fit. TV/DVD combos probably will not have external connections for a DVD player if the internal component fails. We have a TV/DVD/VHS combo in the basement and it only has connections for audio. Another factor to consider is the money you will save buying a stand alone upconverting DVD player and the same TV without an internal DVD player. It isn't much but you will end up with a better picture and something you can upgrade without replacing the TV as well.

The Stagecoach has a Pioneer tuner hooked up to a 10 speaker system (8 front/2 bedroom) and a subwoofer along with a fairly powerful amp. This is why the lackluster sound of the Aquos was not an issue.

I agree - more importantly, they seem a bit fragile compared to LCD. In any event the emergence of OLED (Organic LED) screens has been tabled due to the costs involved in building fabs; virtually nothing of LED fabs can do OLEDS.

BARGAIN ALERT!

If one has been following this thread, one would note I very much like iolo's System Mechanic, which I've used since v1.0. Of the cleansing and maintenance apps, SM has always been safe and effective. SM 8 is available at Wal-Mart for about $22 (for 3 PCs), and which will automatically update to v8.5; it also comes with iolo's antivirus, about which I can't comment, since I use Avast!.

Haven't Used Norton-Anything Since 2003

(And this is nothing new...)

Symantec, owner now of the Norton name, has a history (at least with me) of shovelware and shady practices.

If you're using Norton's security software, this is a bit ominous.

In any event, if you are, do a file search for pift.exe, and exterminate it.

Adobe has released the patch for Reaader 9 (upgrades to v9.1). Reader 7 and 8 patches to be released 3/18.

Internet Explorer 8 has been released. Read about it here.

Wow Rusty, I'm surprised you use IE when you so smartly chose Avast over the Devil Incarnate - Norton!! Firefox is my choice, extremely basic and fast.

I just got my parents their first ever computer, a Compaq laptop for $399. Man they're getting down there in price. My first job, as always, is to delete Norton before it gets its tentacles into the OS. I kinda think of this as Exorcism!! In goes Avast, voila, its Zen-like!!

By the way - McAfee still owes me $60 from a never seen rebate from 1990s. Last time I was in San Jose I had to hold myself back from putting a rock through one of their pretty gold plated windows!!!!

Corey

I use IE7, usually. Chrome has been declared the Speed King of browsers, but I don't like the layout. And at a recent Black Hat convention, ALL the browsers were hacked within minutes...

Security comes not necessarily from the browsers, but by running Spybot Search and Destroy and its attendant Tea-Timer, Zone Alarm, and System Mechanic's Registry Mechanic. Those prevent unwanted changes to the system, especially the registry.