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I think one of the problems is that HP got their start by making high end, very expensive test equipment (and they still do).  One of the running jokes was that HP stood for high priced.  It was a low volume manufacturing process with very high profit margins.  Then they got into the PC business which is a high volume manufacturing process with low profit margins.  I'm not sure they ever completely adjusted to the difference.

A string of CEO's that know nothing about hardware didn't help either.  Carly Fiorina lead Lucent to ruin, then was hired to take the helm at HP.  Did the same to HP, Big Surprise!

Quote

8429.38MHz is the NEW CPU Frequency World RECORD claimed by a near-production desktop version of AMD’s FX Bulldozer CPU! Overclockers.com witnessed the event first hand in Austin, TX at AMD Headquarters on August 31st during an AMD FX pre-launch briefing, and the record is set to be confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records and HWBot.org. The new AMD FX record smashes AMD’s previous best of 7378.25MHz set with a PHENOM II 955 Black Edition.

Microsoft has TAKEN the WRAPS off the next GENERATION of its Windows operating system.

Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14908568

Video LAN in Paris
Quote

Invitation to VDD11
2011-08-15

VideoLAN would like to invite you to join us at the VideoLAN Dev DAYS 2011.
This technical conference about open source multimedia, will see developers from VLC, libav, FFmpeg, x264, PHONON, DVBlast, PulseAudio, KDE, Gnome and other projects GATHER to discuss about open source development for multimedia projects.
It will be held in Paris, France, on September 3rd and 4th, 2011.
See more info, on ... http://www.videolan.org/news.html

Are you giving away airline passes ? ?

Quote

Ailing Apple Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs said he is unable to continue at the helm of the technology giant and will step down, handing the reins of one of the world's most VALUABLE companies to Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook.

JJ, will you apply for his job?

Can I use you as a reference?

Yeah, I'm gonna put an application in.

Can I use you as a reference?

Sure thing! Can you get me an i Phone if you get the job?

Tell ya what, if I get the job I'll get you a bushel basket of  'em.

Quote

Are Internet Explorer users dumb?
July 29, 2011|By Doug Gross, CNN

A survey used tests offered through Web searches or in online ads to measure the IQ of browser users.

Are users of other Web browsers smarter than the people who use Microsoft's Internet Explorer?

A new survey doesn't quite say so. But it sure as heck suggests it.

The survey by AptiQuant, a Vancouver-based Web CONSULTING company, gave more than 100,000 participants an IQ test, while monitoring which browser they used to take the test.

The result? Internet Explorer users scored lower than average, while Chrome, Firefox and Safari users were slightly above average.

Users of Opera, the Norway-based browser, scored the highest at well over 120. (What AptiQuant called its complete results included a bar graph showing the scores, but didn't appear to have text giving the EXACT numbers.)

And, Lastly:

BBC: Internet Explorer story was bogus

Next... Are CNN reporters dumb and BBC people smart?

A number of media organisations, including the BBC, reported on the research, put out by Canadian firm ApTiquant.

Next...isn't this Topic Dumb ? ? ?

And, Lastly:

BBC: Internet Explorer story was bogus

The results of the iq test make sence to me.

People who use computers more often in their daily lives are usually smarter than people who dont.

The people that have to use computers more often find the need for a quality browser while the peoplewho dont just live with what is preinstalled.

I am sure you would see a difference inresults if windows didnt ship with a web browser.

The following is a direct cut and paste of a post by Grinler, the owner and admin of Bleeping Computer. I think it's important enough to reproduce here:

Security researcher Xylitol recently wrote an article   about a new malware that performs some tricks to make you think your   computer is running normally, when it is in fact infected with a variety   of malware. Typically when a brand new computer infection is released,   your antivirus program is hard-pressed to update its malware database   fast enough to protect you from it. Even if the malware is installed   before your antivirus can detect it, the hopes are that once the malware   is added to the security software's virus database, it will then be   detected and removed.
What is a malware to do then to protect   itself from this tactic? Most malware  will terminate known antivirus   programs and other security programs when they are started. This,   though, can quickly become suspicious when various programs you try to   run are immediately terminated. This new malware offers a sneakier   solution; simply uninstall the antivirus software installed on the   computer and then run a malware that pretends to be it. This is exactly   what Xylitol found when researching a new Trojan that has been labeled   Trojan.FakeAV.LVT.
Xylitol reports that the Trojan.FakeAV.LVT arrives on the system as the filename flash-player.exe.   The file is probably named this way to trick people into thinking it is   related to Adobe Flash. Once run, it will perform a network test by   connecting to a variety of sites such as youtube.com, wikipedia.org, etc   to see if you have a Internet connection. It will then download further   files and the will search your computer for specific antivirus programs   that may be installed. If it detects a antivirus program it will then   reboot your computer into safe mode where it uninstalls your CURRENT the   antivirus program. When it is done uninstalling your antivirus software   it will reboot back into normal Windows mode and display alerts that   appear to be from your security software so that you think it is STILL   installed and working properly.
Xylitol reports that it currently detects and uninstalls the following antivirus programs:
      Agava FirewallAvastMicrosoft Security EssentialsKaspersky Internet Security 7Kaspersky Internet Security 2009Kaspersky Internet Security 2010Kaspersky Internet Security 2011Kaspersky Anti-virus 7Kaspersky Anti-virus 2009Kaspersky Anti-virus 2010Kaspersky Anti-virus 2011AVG Anti-VirusAnvira AntiVirComodoMcAfeeMicrosoft DefenderESET NOD32 AntivirusESET Smart SecurityDr. WebNorton AntivirusOutpost FirewallPanda Antivirus      When I was testing a sample of this malware,   I installed a copy of Microsoft Security Essentials and then ran the   computer infection. Once the malware started, it quickly displayed an   alert with the message "System error! Access denied.",   which it is assumed was meant to trick the computer user into thinking   that there was a problem running the flash-player.exe program.
    After some time, the computer was rebooted   and started in Windows Safe Mode. While in safe mode it proceeded to   uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials and then rebooted back normal   mode. Once the computer was rebooted and I was logged in, it displayed   an icon ()   in the Windows taskbar that was the same, if not similar, to the icon   for the antivirus software that was previously installed. When I clicked   on the icon it displayed the following image and text:
  Microsoft Security Essentials
      Enhanced Protection Mode
      Attention!
      Microsoft Security Essentials operates under enhanced protection   mode. This is a temporary measure necessary for immediate response to   the threat from virus.
      No action is required from you.  To further trick you into thinking   that your antivirus program is running normally, it will also randomly   display fake update messages stating that your program was updated. The   text of this message will be similar to:  Microsoft Security Essentials
      Release date of the anti-virus databases:
    03/08/11 1:11:29PM
    Your system is protected.When examining the files that this malware installed I see that it installed three different legitimate Bitcoin Miners called Phoenix, RPC, and UFA.   Bitcoins are an online currency that currently has a monetary value of   13 USD per Bitcoin. Though these programs are legitimate, they are being   used by the malware developer to generate, or mine, Bitcoins for the   developer while using your computer's CPU processing power. The program   that pretends to be your antivirus software was installed as C:\WINDOWS\update.tray-14-0\svchost.exe,   though this path may change per installation. This program also   downloads a variety of other malware such as the ZeroAccess rootkit.   Last, but not least, the downloader also generates a variety of files in   the C:\Windows folder that include:

• Various malware files - Named sysdriver32_.exe, sysdriver32.exe, and l1rezerv.exe. It also generated hidden folders named C:\Windows\update. that contain more malware 
• unrar.exe - A legitimate unrar program for extracting the Bitcoin miners. 
• phoenix.rar - A legitimate Bitcoing miner. 
• ufa.rar - A legitimate Bitcoing miner.   
• rpcminer.rar - A legitimate Bitcoing miner. 
• geoiplist - A list that can be used to determine an infected computers geographic location based on its IP address.
• proc_list1.log - A list of processes running on their computer and their associated process IDs. 
• iplist.txt   - Xylitol states that this is a list of IP addresses for other infected   computers. There were 766 IP addresses listed in this text file.

This malware is using email as the vector

Sadly, I have never experienced the advent of DOS and 16-bit machines in my life.

You missed nothing.

I know it is NOT an O/S but you have not experienced the high of sheer ecstasy unless you input data to a computer in Fortran on teletype punch tape. truenorth

Transfusion - As you have missed this just get yourself the Instruction Manual...

http://uk.ebid.net/for-sale/user-guide-to-windows-msdos-6-manual-9069879.htm?from=googlebase

Here is a photo:

Yeah, it is an ARM with Linux embedded.
Quote

The trend to shrink the already miniaturized continues with the DreamPlug — a PC that is crammed inside of a plug that's even smaller than the tiny four-inch Xi3.
Globalscale Technologies claims their DreamPlug PC can save up to 96% on energy costs alone thanks to its five watts of power draw.
For $150, what do you get? A 1.2GHz Marvell Sheeva ARM processor, 512MB of DDR-2-800MHz RAM, 1GB of microSD storage for system files, two gigabit ethernet ports, two USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA 2.0 port, SD card slot, Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth and a headphone jack.
You might be satisfied with those specs, but just one thing: where is the GPU? The DreamPlug doesn't have one. Globalscale Technologies suggests the best use of the DreamPlug is for cloud computing, high end audio systems, home automation, network storage/monitoring and security/surveillance. So it looks like, unless your computing needs fall under a similar category, the DreamPlug is really just a dream PC.
http://dvice.com/archives/2011/02/tiny-dreamplug.php

This space left intentionally blank.

I won't stop you from exercising your natural right to display your stupidity.

    July 5, 2011 02:36pm EST
Netflix and Texas Instruments said Tuesday that Netflix has granted TI's OMAP 4 platform Netflix HD certification, meaning that OMAP 4-based phones will ship with the capability to stream high-definition Netflix movies.

Those phones should INCLUDE the LG Thrill 4G, and LG Optimus 3D; the upcoming Droid 3 supposedly includes an OMAP 4 chip, although that has yet to be confirmed. (The original Motorola Droid included an OMAP 3 chip, meaning that Motorola and TI have already forged a relationship.)

Officially, TI would say only that "devices with the OMAP 4 processor-driven Netflix application pre-installed will be launched in the near future." The OMAP 4 platform supports up to Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" today.
more.. .http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388090,00.asp

The pint of this thread was a bout dubious devices,

How is a device "dubious"? Unreliable? In what way? Some very early Wall-wart machines were known to have heat dissipation problems, but those issues have since been worked out. If you mean of dubious value, well, you might not think they are useful, but clearly some people do, otherwise there would be no market for them.

dubious: Definition, Synonyms from Answers.com
 IN BRIEF: Causing or feeling doubt or uncertainty; questionable in value, quality or origin. Jim was feeling dubious about his ability to pass the science exam.
www.answers.com/topic/dubious

NEC develops memory that stores data without using power

Full Story...If this is economical, and can be mass produced Then:
1. Flash memory will bite the dust.
2. The Hard Drive makers will go crazy
3. You may never reboot your computer again.
4. Everything with change all over again.

This is big news. Others are picking it up.

      

That's what i posted....EXCEPT yours is a Forum link...clik mine for the article.Sorry, I had a DNS problem I revised my post.
That was a really great find, Patio.No problem...Wow! In addition to all the other great advantages this innovation would bring. For me personally it would allow me to once again leave a computer running all the time without concern for "time of day" hydro charges being a consideration. Since it was introduced in my Province my wife and i have dramatically altered our computer usage to conform to economic considerations. Hopefully it can be accomplished with a retrofit or add-on. truenorthThis development is a big change.
Years ago persistent memory was possible, but rather expensive. I recall playing with some RTC chips unmade by EPSON. The chip was a clock that was powered by ccells that mounted on top of the chip package. Int contains a 4000 byte memory that you could use. It could keep data for a couple of years just on the c little batteries. But it was static memory, not dynamic RAM. It was very expensive to make large megabyte arrays with static RAM. The idea never WENT beyond just a small am mount of CMOS memory.

The article in Patios link is about a type of memory that does not need any power to hold data values. Hard to grasp the concept. No power at all. Just power we you use it.

Time will tell if this new development can be WIDELY used. It will bring in a new way of using computers. When you are done, just turn off your computer. Or in will turn off by itself in you wait ten seconds. Maybe less. You will double the battery time of a laptop. If we still have laptops then.

Wow!!! *whispers* Lets go steal RAM out of computers.
Seriously? so i just take RAM out of someone's PC, then put it into my PC, then i have access to his bank account? Better with computers with more than one stick of RAM! Patio, You did a great search. That is good. Thanks.This is not RAM, it is CAM.

Random Access Memory

VS

Content Addressable Memory

Just had to add that...Well it is RAM, really. NEC just decided to call it something else.My old Itronix has persistent RAM, 16MB.  It will hold contents for days with no power. TAM modules are proprietary.  It was a $6000 laptop in 1994, bought it used for $40.  Chassis (case) is magnesium.interesting. seems this technology would be more useful in flash drives and SSDs though. thanks for the link. Quote from: Linux711 on August 04, 2011, 08:57:21 AM

interesting. seems this technology would be more useful in flash drives and SSDs though. thanks for the link.

Problems solved by clearing RAM by power-cycling may not be fixed with CAM instead of RAM.

Quote

Brian Roberts, CEO of Comcast, at the NCTA's Cable Show 2011.

CHICAGO - Comcast showed off 1 gigabit per second downloads and a cloud-based computing in its TV service here THURSDAY as it demonstrated features for its next generation broadband and TV services.

CEO Brian Roberts took to the stage at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association's Cable Show where he showed how the COMPANY's hybrid-coaxial infrastructure is capable of delivering a 1 GB connection to the home. Using an 11-mile demonstration cable network, he showed how an entire season of the hit show 30 Rock in HD could be downloaded in just 1 MINUTE and 39 seconds. Roberts commented that with slower, older connections this download could have taken hours.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20071658-266/comcast-shows-off-next-generation-broadband-tv/#ixzz1PSvzZ9G8

Interesting to see where this leads.

http://www.newsfirst5.com/news/ftc-lets-microsoft-proceed-with-purchase-of-skype/Hopefully NOT to MORE MEDIA concentration.truenorthMS isn't buying it because they want it...they are buying it to keep google from buying it...I think their idea is to integrate the node-based VOIP that  skype uses into either MSN messenger/Live or possibly also the XBOX Kinect.


Quote from: patio on June 19, 2011, 10:39:23 AM

MS isn't buying it because they want it...they are buying it to keep google from buying it...

"I prefer to get my Apple products fixed here. It's very troublesome GOING to the real Apple store in Lujiazui because not only do you have to pay to get repairs, but you have to make an appointment to see the SALES specialist," said Xavier, a 30-something expatriate who declined to give his last name.
"The prices are the same as the real store but the service is better here," he added, before whipping out his two iPads to TINKER with.

Funny that the "fake" would be better than the original, given the loudness that Apple advocates proclaim Apple's superior user experience.

The volume of spam in mail traffic increased slightly compared to May and averaged 83.3%. The most popular TOPICS were Osama bin Laden’s death, the last Harry Potter movie the anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death.
New phishing targets

The amount of phishing emails remained unchanged and accounted for 0.02% of all mail traffic. However, there was a considerable increase in the amount of phishing attacks on social networks Habbo and Facebook, increasing by 6.25 and 4.07 percentage points respectively, pushing the sites up to third and fourth places in the list of organizations attacked most. The experts at Kaspersky Lab also predict a surge in spam linked to Google+ after recent signs that spammers have begun exploiting the growing interest in the new social NETWORK.
...
http://www.kaspersky.com/about/news/spam/2011/Spam_in_June_Phishing_Attacks_on_Facebook_and_Habbo_Intensify

It is not clear what ht 83% is., Maybe a typo.

For some time now, spam has been accounting for upwards of 90 percent of all email messages.

With a share of 96.4 percent of the total email volume, however, spam remains at record levels. The top spam originators in July 2010 were the US, followed by Brazil and India. Germany dropped to seventh place.

Spam – 72.9% in June (a decrease of 2.9 percentage points since May 2011

Thank you for the explanation. I miss-understood.

So then, for every 10 n Emails that are sent to me, [...] about 8 out of ten, will be some kind of unsolicited mail

But does that not put a burden on the internet traffic system?

Quote
    But does that not put a burden on the internet traffic system?
Yes.

So who pays for this? It must cost something to have unwanted traffic on the system. Right? And there is nothing we can do  - Right?

Worldwide, spam will cost us all $130 billion; in the U.S. alone, $42 billion. That’s a 30% increase over our 2007 estimates, which themselves were a 100% increase over our 2005 figures.

The contribution of each cost component to the total is roughly:

User productivity cost (deleting spam, looking for false positives, etc.): 85%
 
Help DESK cost (IT helping end users deal with spam): 10%

Spam control software/hardware/service (licensing fees, amortized capital costs, etc.): 5%

Los Angles Times and AP
Quote

By Jessica Guynn and Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times
June 25, 2011
Reporting from San Francisco and Washington—
Running the world's most popular search engine has brought Google Inc. wealth, market share and now antitrust scrutiny.

Foundem is a small shopping comparison site that's become a big thorn in Google's side. The British company's complaints to the European Commission helped ...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/25/BUDG1K29R9.DTL

...   Don't most governments have something more serious to worry about?

There are at least a dozen general search sites available and hundreds of specialized search site also available.  Why the big deal about Google?  Don't most governments have something more serious to worry about?

Is this true? Judge for yourself.
The STORY is now ten days old. My PC still works. Yours?
Quote

By Christopher Williams, Technology Correspondent
7:00AM BST 01 Jul 2011
The botnet, called TDL-4, is being expanded via rogue websites that offer pornography, pirated content, and file storage.

The website operators recieve between $20 and $200 from the criminals behind TDL-4 for every 1,000 new machines they infect according to Kaspersky Labs. The botnet exploits Windows vulnerabilites including one first discovered last year following the Stuxnet cyber attack on Iran's nuclear programme.  ...
 

The story is now ten days old. My PC still works. Yours?

Is this true? Judge for yourself.
The story is now ten days old. My PC still works. Yours?http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8609309/Indestructible-botnet-snares-4.5-million-computers.html

Might well be the CIA in disguise, who knows?

Article ID: 883081 - Last Review: July 2, 2010 - Revision: 3.0
How to configure an AOL e-mail account in Outlook Express
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/883081
Quote

This article describes how to configure Microsoft Outlook Express to connect to an AMERICA Online (AOL) e-mail account.
Until recently, AOL’s e-mail technology was not compatible with Outlook Express. AOL has now made it possible to configure later versions of Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, and Microsoft Entourage to use AOL e-mail accounts.
....

Appealing to the windows XP users, I guess. AOL = Automatically Off Line.

Reset the IMAP settings on your email program  (AOL)

For instructions on how to reset the IMAP settings on your email program, click the appropriate link below:

    Microsoft Outlook 2002/2003
    Outlook Express or Outlook 2000
    Thunderbird for Windows
    Thunderbird for Mac

Go ahead. Laugh if it makes you feel good.
Seriously, The Big Guns,  ALO, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are now actually trying to help their e-mail users. This is Breaking News folks!

Seriously, The Big Guns,  ALO, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are now actually trying to help their e-mail users. This is Breaking News folks!

SeaMonkey 2.2 FINAL Reoleased.

The Sea Monkey project is very close to the FireFox and Thurnderbird programs in one compact package. It can be loaded on a USB drive and run on another Windows PC without need for installation.

But I  have yet to try it. Have you? 

http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/SeaMonkey-Download-27236.htmlThe article GIVES me the impression they've copied a lot from Opera. Quote from: soybean on July 08, 2011, 08:10:13 PM

The article gives me the impression they've copied a lot from Opera.

The article gives me the impression they've copied a lot from Opera.

I received that notification today.  Don't accept the install of Ask toolbar & remainder will "install".  After reboot, there is no Ask toolbar present.  Makes you wonder how well Avira AntiVir functions?  May have to return to AVG Free.

Do you really think this is a problem? Maybe it is the best thing that ever happened to them. Few things are really free. At some point in time all the free products have to bring in some revenue or equivalent value. (Excluding GPL)

Well feel free to use this toolbar to get our Webguard function for free. Because of infected webservers it is strongly recommend to use such pre-scanning technology like our Webguard.

If you don't want to use this toolbar no Webguard will be installed and you'll not nagged again. This toolbar works with MS IE and Mozilla Firefox. If you use Chrome as default browser you won't see a toolbar but Webguard will work in the background.

Do you really think this is a problem? Maybe it is the best thing that ever happened to them. Few things are really free. At some point in time all the free products have to bring in some revenue or equivalent value. (Excluding GPL)

Now my Avira says i am "Guard=active however the webguard=unknown

... with the Opera upgrade a small rotation of the mouse wheel would move me up say one item on a CH forum view. Now it will go at least 3 -4 on the slightest wheel rotation. Somewhat annoying as i generally overshoot where i want to go to.

Jason, Don't know your browser so the effect of the Avira "webguard" installation could be different on the "Ask" toolbar

AT&T to buy T-Mobile USA for $39 billion (AP)
Quote

AP - AT&T Inc. said Sunday it will buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom AG in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $39 billion that would make it the largest cellphone company in the U.S.

List of Major Cell Phone Companies in the US

    * AT&T
    * T-MOBILE
    * VERIZON WIRELESS
    * SPRINT

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_is_a_listing_of_all_cell_phone_companies#ixzz1HHIx4I00

The sale will go thru...

AT&T to buy T-Mobile

Could mean rural broadband access for Mississippi
By JB Clark
News Reporter
Published: Friday, June 17, 2011 11:09 AM CDT
The latest talk in telecommunications centers around the purchase of T-Mobile USA by AT&T, a merger that could mean STATEWIDE mobile broadband access for Mississippians.

The purchase of T-Mobile USA is a result of a looming spectrum crunch in which mobile broadband USE in America exceeds the capacity of mobile broadband providers' networks.

The spectrum is the range of airwave frequencies that enable everything from broadcast television to cell phones and mobile broadband.

Since the introduction of the smart phone, AT&T's mobile data use grew by 8,000 percent and it is expected to be eight times higher by 2015.

*
"What if traffic on I-55 went up 8,000 percent?" Mayo Flynt, AT&T Mississippi president, asked. "How would the transportation department deal with that. That's what we're trying to do right now."

The Federal Communications Commission expects that crunch to happen by 2013.

AT&T has a plan to provide 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) to 80 percent of Mississippi and with the increased amount of spectrum provided by the T-Mobile merger, the company is now planning to provide the mobile broadband access to 97 percent of the state.

Hi there, I'm planning to upgrade my PROCESSOR & I've noticed that there are new in the market. There's INTEL Core i3, i4, I5 & i heard there's even i7. what's the difference?That is old news. Last year.
Here is the latest from Intel
Quote

May 2, 2011
Intel Announces Revolutionary 3D Transistors, 50%+ More Energy ...
Intel had a big announcement to make today. They've CREATED a 3D transistor ...
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/05/intel-announces-revolutionary-3d-transistors-50-percent-more-energy-efficient-22nm.php

Yep, they did.  Get the full scoop at http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/05/microsoft-buys-skype-for-85-billion-.htmlLuckily I don't use Skype, so I don't have to worry about what HORRIFYING things Microsoft are going to do with it :]How much of that 8.5 Billion is needed for salary, benefits, and pensions?
Would any of that go to outstanding corporate debts as well?

I don't KNOW much about accounting or business.Since MS owns Skype now they assume all debts and obligations that Skype had.  I'd be surprised if Skype had any pension plans.  I know all about iron workers pension plans and that's just not common in internet companies.  They want stock options more than pension plans.

I've read several articles about MSs plans for Skype and a common theme in the articles was MS bought it so Google couldn't have it. Quote from: rthompson80819 on May 27, 2011, 04:43:21 PM

Since MS owns Skype now they assume all debts and obligations that Skype had.  I'd be surprised if Skype had any pension plans.  I know all about iron workers pension plans and that's just not common in internet companies.  They want stock options more than pension plans.

I've read several articles about MSs plans for Skype and a common them in the articles was MS bought it so Google couldn't have it.

Skype, which Microsoft recently announced it would acquire for $8.5 billion, recently suffered some downtime, with users worldwide reporting issues accessing the service.

this link was in one of my newsletters about a month ago.

Why is Microsoft buying Skype.

I don't know, if Micro$oft touched it already

Just published on Forbes
Quote

Tom Coughlin
Storage Bytes
Why Government Regulators Should Approve Hard Disk Drive Company Consolidation
May. 31 2011 - 3:33 pm | 857 views
By TOM COUGHLIN

The author makes a case why upcoming HDD company mergers are important to maintain the health of the HDD companies that remain as well as to continue to deliver the enormous value that HDDs have given their customers.  Furthermore, HDDs face intense competition from solid state storage devices and new investments in R&D and capital equipment will be needed to maintain the cost per byte advantage of HDDs and thus ensure their continued unit shipment and storage capacity growth.  More stable and even somewhat higher HDD prices, resulting from the Western Digital/Hitachi GST and Seagate/Samsung mergers will assist in this technology transition and enable even greater storage values for customers in years to come.....

The only businesses that are ever threatened by improved technologies are those that need to be left behind.

In TODAY's life, "office environmental protectionism" has become a low carbon environmental fashionable concept. Asus A53SV laptop computer using the LATEST Intel processor and Sandy Bridge platform .

Based on Sandy Bridge ARCHITECTURE,the processor also fuses the HD video little 3,000 core, strengthened the interactive Graphics and processor core capabilities, thereby effectively reduce power consumption, and meanwhile improve the notebook battery life ABILITY.

Rumors were circulating about a new possible eight-core variant, but now we have proof. An overzealous third party is looking to sell off its preview CHIP, and the image you’re looking at here is for an eight-core Sandy Bridge part that is branded “E” for “Enthusiast”.

Netflix Press Release May 12.
Quote

...free app available for download from Android Market. The Market download will initially be available only on select phones that currently have the requisite playback support. We expect to quickly add to the number ...

Could this mean a shift away from Microsoft Silverlight?

What does silverlight even have to do with any of this?

Netflix Defends Silverlight Streaming
By Lincoln Spector, thestandard.com    Mar 5, 2009 6:28 am
Netflix is defending the Silverlight-based PLAYER it uses to stream movies and other video content to PCs, saying that it's "more stable" than other streaming technologies.
Some CUSTOMERS have expressed frustration with Silverlight streaming ...

Oh, so you mean that it could mean that netflix will be shifting from SilverLight.

Sorry if that was not clear. Linux users complain that they can not use SilverLight because it is tied to Windows. So Ubuntu users have to make a VM Box and put XP in it just to watch Netflix while inside Ubuntu. Some  Linux users refuse to reboot and work inside of Windows.

Netflix is going after the mobile market. The image quality on mobile device is lower and the bandwidth is often higher. So a high performance native code thing like SilverLight is not needed. Apparently.

Now if Netflix were to build a portable player that works as well as SilverLight, they just might drop Silverlight so that they wold have one player that would adapt to any platform. But that is the question. Would they want to do that?  Am I barking at the wrong tree?

Is the really News?  :
Or just more Market Hype? 
You can read and it yourself. 
http://www.everythingusb.com/Here we go again... Quote from: Geek-9pm on May 04, 2011, 10:53:50 AM

Is the really News?  :

Or just more Market Hype? 

it describes what they specialize in reporting on.

I'm surprised he allows himself to use a computer that hasn't got any vacuum tubes inside.

Are you sure he doesn't have vacuum tubes inside?

"Delicious.com, the leading SOCIAL bookmarking SERVICE, has been acquired by the founders of YouTube, Chad Hurley and Steve Chen. As creators of the LARGEST online video platform, they have firsthand experience enabling millions of users to share their experiences with the world. Their vision for Delicious is to continue to PROVIDE the same great service users love and to make the site even easier and more fun to save, share, and discover the web’s “tastiest” content. Delicious will become part of AVOS, a new Internet COMPANY."

http://www.avos.com/delicious-press-release/

Quote

KAREN's Power Tools Newsletter April 25, 2011

Dear FRIENDS,

I suspect that many of you have noticed that the last issue of Karen©s Power Tools Newsletter was dated March 17, 2010, and you may have been anxiously awaiting another. It is with great sadness that I WRITE to tell you of Karen©s death on April 12, 2011, after a long struggle with several debilitations, including diabetes.

I know that Karen touched many of you with her kindness, wit, creativity and encouragement. She was a loving daughter, sister, aunt and friend. And she was a pretty darned good programmer, too. We are deeply grieving her loss.

For now, Karen©s server is still running, the programs she has written can still be downloaded, and donations can still be made through the website. We are also working to fill all CD orders that have been submitted or mailed. It is difficult to make business decisions while grieving. So, at this point, I cannot say what will be the future of KarenWare.com, except to say that we will certainly continue Karen©s commitment to safeguard your privacy as shown at the Privacy link of KarenWare.com.

Many of you have already written many kinds words of condolence and comfort. Please know that we greatly appreciate you. If you care to make a contribution in her honor, she was a long-time supporter of The Dohnavur Fellowship, a special children©s ministry in southern India. You can learn more about them at www.DohnavurFellowship.org.

All we ask is that you remember her whenever you take the case off of your computer, contemplate removing entries from your Windows Registry, listen to Bob Wills or Riders in the Sky, or wave and say ©Hi!© to anyone on the ©net.

May God richly bless you, as He has all those who knew Karen.

Very, very sad news indeed....

Full story from AP
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110427/ap_on_hi_te/us_apple_iphone_trackingYour car's GPS also stores your location data.Just because you're paranoid does not mean they aren't out to get you... Quote from: patio on April 27, 2011, 12:12:51 PM

Just because you're paranoid does not mean they aren't out to get you...

I'd be lying if I told you I couldn't fail to disagree less.

Therefore... can I make this my new signature? What size?

Where your are? What kind of illiterate chump wrote that?

We know where
youse' guys are!

And I don't care if my cell phone stores my location(s) or if someone can access that.

...... it seems more like it's "much ado about nothing" really.

privacy-conscious smartphone users

Quote

The KIDNAPPED son of SOFTWARE multimillionaire Yevgeny Kaspersky has been returned to his family UNHARMED, media reported over the WEEKEND, though reports differed on whether he was let go for ransom or rescued by police.

Quote

Koobface - the computer worm that TARGETS users of the social networking WEBSITES such as FACEBOOK, MySpace, Twitter and others ...
POSTED on 11.04.2011
http://www.net-security.org/malware_news.php?id=1690

Medical Doctors to use iPad devices.
Well, that is not the real TITLE, but I had to get your attention.
The real title is:
iPad-style GUI coming to industrial displays, says Anders
Quote

"We see a definite trend for industrial, medical and other non-consumer applications to require the look-and-feel and intuitive usability that users have come to expect from mobile phones, tablet PCs and other consumer products,” said Rob Anders, CEO, Anders Electronics.
Full Story..

That's hardly anything new.  May years ago, my next door neighbor was chief of staff at a VA hospital and he implemented tablets for all the doctors 15 to 20 years ago.

So you actually lied to us to get us to read your Topic ? ?

Well, that is not the real title, but I had to get your attention.`

Also, if you thought the content of the topic was so dull that you needed to lie about it to get to people to even read it, then why bother posting it in the first place?

....current BlackBerry USERS are looking to make the leap to these newer devices. Recent Nielsen surveys show that BlackBerry users covet iPhones and Androids. These new devices are the most desired smartphones for every demographic group that Nielsen studied.
Apple vs. Phone.  ZDNet

Serious news ? ?
OK...

... an interview late Friday with the Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg, the Sony chief was talking about earthquake damage to 15 of the Sony’s factories in Japan, and inadvertently mentioned that a camera SENSOR made in one of those plants is on its way to Apple, and that sensor would be delayed because of the quake...

Quote

INTRODUCING UPGRADED ADOBE ACROBAT READER
 
DEAR Customers,
 
Adobe is pleased to announce new version upgrades for Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Download Now To Try Us Out
 

 
Advanced features include:

- Collaborate across borders
- Create rich, polished PDF files from any application that prints
- Ensure visual fidelity
- Encrypt and share PDF files more securely
- Use the standard for document archival and exchange
 
To upgrade and enhance your work productivity today, go to:

Adobe Acrobat Reader Upgrade Center
 

 
Start downloading the UPDATE right now and let us know what you think about it.

We're working on making Adobe Acrobat Reader better all the time !
 
Copyright 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Adobe Systems Incorporated
343 Preston Street
Ottawa, ON K1S 1N4
Canada   

"The new Commodore 64, which will begin shipping at the end of the month, has been souped up for the modern age. It comes with a 1.8 gigahertz dual-core processor, an optional Blu-ray player and built-in ETHERNET and HDMI ports. It runs the Linux OPERATING system but the company SAYS you can install WINDOWS if you like."

The full article is at http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/the-new-commodore-64-updated-with-its-old-exterior/?ref=technology.Amiga, too.
http://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_Home.aspx

Virus definition UPDATE 110411-1 contained an error that resulted in a  good number of innocent sites being flagged as infected. Generally, all  sites with a script in a specific format were affected.
 Our virus lab staff discovered the PROBLEM quickly after releasing  the bogus update and immediately started working on a fix. The fix was  released about 45 minutes after the problematic update and has version  number 110411-2. Anyone who still has this problem is kindly asked to  manually update the definitions to the latest version, e.g. by  right-clicking the avast taskbar icon (the orange (a) BALL), and  selecting Update -> Engine and Virus Definitions.
 
 We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. As this typically only  affected REMOTE sites (and not local files), simply updating to the  latest definitions should completely solve the issue (no local files  have been quarantined).

The avalanche of copyright INFRINGEMENT LAWSUITS in the United States, mainly against BitTorrent users, are about to hit a dubious milestone. In total 99,924 DEFENDANTS have been sued in the last 12 months, and new cases are being filed at a rapid rate. Adult companies in PARTICULAR have embraced the profitable pay-up-or-else scheme where tens of millions of dollars are at stake.........

HTTP://torrentfreak.com/100000-p2p-users-sued-in-us-mass-lawsuits-110130/

A fast-moving Twitter worm is in circulation, using Google's goo.gl redirection service to push unsuspecting users to a notorious scareware (fake anti-virus) MALWARE campaign.

At 8:45 a.m EST today, this Twitter search shows thousands of Twitter messages continuing to spread the worm.

According to malware hunters tracking the threat, the worm's redirection chain pushes users to a Web page serving up the “Security Shield” Rogue AV. The page is using obfuscation techniques that include an implementation of RSA cryptography in JavaScript to obfuscate the page code.

Kaspersky Lab malware researcher Nicolas Brulez said the original "goo.gl" links in the Twitter messages are redirecting users to DIFFERENT domains with a “m28sx.html” page. That page then redirects to a static domain with a Ukrainian top level address.

As if it was not enough, this domain redirects the user to another IP address which has been linked in the past to fake anti-virus distributions. "This IP address will then do the final redirection job, which leads to the actual Fake AV site," Brulez explained.

Once a user's browser session is redirected to the malicious site, a warning message claims the COMPUTER is running suspicious applications and the user is encouraged to run a scan. As usual, the result is that the machine is infected with malicious threats and the scam is to TRICK the user into downloading a fake disinfection tool.

Has it REALLY been that LONG ? ?

FULL STORY

This is a very serious issue: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Targeted-nature-of-email-apf-754015157.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=main&asset=&ccode=  Anyone with online financial accounts should be aware of this. Quote from: soybean on April 04, 2011, 05:47:33 PM

This is a very serious issue: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Targeted-nature-of-email-apf-754015157.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=main&asset=&ccode=  Anyone with online financial accounts should be aware of this.

Anybody who breathes must  read the article you linked.

Clearly not as it only mentions people living in the US.

Article can be read at http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2380782,00.asp

This is VERSION 6.0.  They've added a new feature called WebRep.  You can elect not to ENABLE it during installation; it can be INSTALLED later if so desired.  The purpose of WebRep is, as I understand it, similar to the website Web of Trust.  Also, on Windows 7 systems, the new version of avast! PUTS a gadget on the desktop.  Of course, this can easily be removed if not wanted. I just manually updated a WIN7 64-bit machine to version 6.0.1000 from version 5.1.889 through the GUI, no apparent problems.

Be advised: this update requires a machine restart.This new version also features a built-in sandbox.

I'm downloading the ISO now.  It's a whopper!  2GB!

http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/A/F/0AFB5316-3062-494A-AB78-7FB0D4461357/windows6.1-KB976932-X64.exe

it's ~903MB direct from MS. Not sure what you're downloading...

I went to the link posted by Allan and clicked on the download link near the bottom of that page.  It reads Windows SP1 ISO download (x86 and x64) – Microsoft download center.

I just noticed that a few minutes ago. Still wonder why it's so much larger. I want to say maybe the smaller ones are web installers.

Looks like the Microsoft Server website is busy today..... "We are sorry, the page you requested cannot be found."
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/default.aspx

It has appeared in Windows Updates. I am going to do an image backup and then wait a day or two to see if there are going to be anything that will impact my current set up. I have memories of XP Service Packs 1 2 & 3.