Sunday, September 30, 2012
An Option to Deal with Adverse Fiscal Condition
Smartphone App Listens for Highly-Endangered Cicada
The app that listens for the mating call of the insect will use crowdsourcing to help researchers determine if it has become extinct or not.
Puzzle me this!: GeekDad Puzzle of the Week Answer: Suburban Mix ?n? Match
Android Central International round-up - September 29, 2012
The smartphone silly season continues, and now that we're about done with major announcements, it's time for the reviews and hands-on coverage to start rolling in. This past week we've published our review of the Motorola RAZR i, the first Intel-powered phone from a major manufacturer. And we've also got our grubby hands on the Galaxy Note 2, and delivered our hands-on walkthrough -- stay tuned for the full review!
Other major stories this week surround the launch of Sony's new flagship smartphone, the Xperia T, and rumors surrounding the HTC One X+, which is said to be a spec-bumped version of the earlier HTC flagship. And in Galaxy Note 2 launch news, we learned that the phone will be available a day early -- tomorrow, Sept. 30, in fact -- at Samsung's leading brand store in Stratford, London. Lucky consumers in South Korea have already had the chance to buy their version of the phone, which launched earlier in the week.
And in update news, the international Galaxy S3 finally started to get its Android 4.1 Jelly Bean updates, a little later than we expected. The S3 becomes the first non-Nexus device to receive Jelly Bean, though we're expecting more than a few new phones to ship with Android 4.1 out of the box over the coming month.
Next week promises to be busier than ever. Keep it locked to AC for more hands-on coverage, reviews and news!
Special features:
News:
- Nikon Coolpix S800c ships in US and Canada
- Samsung Galaxy Camera and Galaxy Note make Indian debut
- Motorola RAZR i to ship in the UK from Oct. 1
- Orange and Tmo UK customers being transferred to new EE network
- HTC One X+ images leak out
- Samsung Galaxy Music appears in leaked pics ahead of October launch
- Sony Xperia T arries at Three and O2 in the UK
- First tentative UK Galaxy Camera pricing appears
- Galaxy Note 2 launches in South Korea across all three networks
- Sony Xperia T now available online, SIM-free in the UK
- Water-resistant Xperia V tipped for December launch
- Samsung Galaxy Note 2 due in UK on Oct. 1
- 'Martian pink' Galaxy S3 for Korea is official
- Nexus 7 and Google Play Books launch in Japan
- Galaxy Note 2 on-contract prices for UK emerge
- Galaxy S3 gets Jelly Bean in Poland, other countries to follow
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Stock exchange's backup: Twitter, Facebook
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has said that it plans to use Twitter and Facebook for finding buyers and sellers to close daily trading, following a technical glitch that saw its usual method of e-mail fail.
At the end of trading last week an e-mail notification was meant to alert investors to a stock with an outsize number of unfilled buy orders, according to The Wall Street Journal. However, this e-mail was delayed by seven minutes.
Such delays at close could have caused the stock to leap higher or drop lower than its final trading level. This led to NYSE sending traders a notification on Thursday, which said that if e-mail alerts fail again it will use social media distribution channels to help address buy and sell imbalances.
The move reflects a growing trend where traditional exchanges are being forced to embrace digital technologies.
NYSE recently announced Jon Robson, a former Thomson Rueters chief, as its new head of NYSE Technologies. The position had been left vacant since Stanley Young left NYSE for a role at Bloomberg In May.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Guide to Risk Management and Emergency Insurance Planning
How can investors achieve diversification today? Asset concentration into large managers not the way
Apple Brings Facebook to Mountain Lion
Features and Benefits of Gold Investment
Arnold Schwarzenegger: 'I Inflicted Tremendous Pain' on Maria Shriver
Pretty Cities: Google Maps Improves Aerial Images
The Week in Design, From Reykjavik to Williamsburg
We're on the move, with Petz in Brooklyn and Lloyd in Iceland
Friday, September 28, 2012
Qualcomm Unveils New Quad-Core Snapdragon S4 Play Processors for Entry Level Smartphones
The neat thing about the fast pace of technology is that yesterday's high-end hardware eventually (and usually pretty quickly) trickles down into budget territory, a point Qualcomm's new Snapdragon S4 Play processors underscore. New to the Snapdragon S4 Play lineup are a pair of quad-core chips for entry-level smartphones: MSM8225Q and ...
Reboot Your Telecommute With Suitable?s $16K Robo ? Er, Beam
Well, Whaddya Know -- RIM's Subscriber Base Isn't in Decline
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
How to encrypt your cloud storage for free
If you want something done right, you need to do it yourself. That may sound like a trite cliche, but the maxim rings true when it comes to securing files that you've stored online: A handful of recent incidents?including breaches of Dropbox and iCloud?underscores the fact that even with built-in encryption and SSL transfers, cloud storage providers can't perfectly ensure the sanctity of your data.
Luckily, however, you can take cloud security into your own hands.
A few different tools can help safeguard the privacy of your data when you store it on a remote server. One of our favorites is�BoxCryptor, an easy-to-use encryption program that works with all the popular cloud services, is free to use (though you can pay for upgrades), and can help keep your data safe.
BoxCryptor is basically a virtual hard disk that encrypts files on the fly using 256-bit AES encryption. Unlike TrueCrypt, another popular on-the-fly encryption tool, BoxCryptor encrypts individual files, not an entire volume or container. That means that your BoxCryptor-encrypted files sync with your cloud storage service immediately after you save them, whereas with TrueCrypt syncing occurs only after you finish encrypting an entire volume.
BoxCryptor works by encrypting and decrypting your files locally, and doesn't transmit your password to any third parties. In other words, your files will remain unreadable to outsiders even if hackers manage to steal your password, or otherwise breach the defenses of your cloud storage provider.
Setting up BoxCryptor is fairly painless, but the service does have a few nuances that could throw you for a loop. I'll get into those after discussing the differences between the various BoxCryptor offerings and showing how to get the encryption software up and running.
Which version of BoxCryptor is right for you?
BoxCryptor comes in three versions: one that's free, an Unlimited Personal version that costs $40 and an Unlimited Business version that costs $100. Free Android and iPhone apps are also available.
The free version should work just fine for many people. It lets you operate a single virtual hard disk for encrypting/decrypting files (more on how to do that later). Upgrading to the Unlimited Personal version enables multiple virtual drives that allow you to access several encrypted folders simultaneously; it also lets you encrypt file names, not just file contents. The Business license is the same as the Unlimited Personal license, but includes a legal clause that allows you to use it in the workplace.
Installing BoxCryptor
The first step in setting up BoxCryptor is simply figuring out how to download the right program�from the BoxCryptor website. The row of gray icons at the top of the download page looks like a simple informative image, but you'll actually need to click on the icon of your operating system to snag the installation file.
Once you have it, you'll need to double-click the file to start the installation wizard, then choose Create a new BoxCryptor folder. The next screen will ask you to choose a location for the encrypted folder. The destination can be an offline local folder, but the big draw for BoxCryptor is that it works with any cloud storage service that creates a local directory on your PC, such as the desktop clients for Dropbox, Google Drive, SkyDrive or Sugar Sync. Most cloud storage services create a local directory in C:/Users/*UserName by default. After you choose the destination folder, enter a name for the BoxCryptor folder that you're creating.
Next, you'll need to choose a drive letter designation for the virtual disk. Be sure to pick one that isn't already being used. (I chose S: for SkyDrive.) Finally, create a password, and you're good to go. I strongly recommended creating a backup of your BoxCryptor configuration file when prompted, since you'll lose the ability to descramble your data if you accidentally delete the config file and don't have a spare handy.
Reboot your PC after closing the wizard to complete the installation process. The virtual drive will appear alongside your physical drives when the computer restarts.
Using BoxCryptor
Here's the tricky part: You can't just drag files into the BoxCryptor.bc folder that the software creates in your cloud storage directory. If you do that, the files won't be encrypted. Instead, you'll need to deposit your files directly into BoxCryptor's virtual drive?S: in my case. Doing so will also make them appear in your cloud storage folder in encrypted form.
Similarly, the only way to unencrypt your files is to withdraw them via the same virtual drive. If you try to snag your files directly through the BoxCryptor.bc folder they'll still be encrypted and you won't be able to read them.
This regimen makes accessing your files on the road a bit of a hassle, but even the free version of BoxCryptor allows users to access cloud-stored encrypted folders, assuming you have both BoxCryptor and your cloud service's desktop client installed on your PC. BoxCryptor also offers an Android app that lets you access your encrypted SkyDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox files after you enter your BoxCryptor password. An iOS app is available, but it works only with Dropbox.
Since all the encryption and decryption action happens on BoxCryptor's virtual drive, you'll likely have no reason ever to wander into the BoxCryptor.bc folder stored in your cloud drive. If you do, however, be very, very careful not to move or delete the encfs6.xml file. That's the configuration key needed to decrypt your files. If you move or delete it, you will be unable to decrypt your files.
Maintaining multiple encrypted drives for free
Anyone who purchases BoxCryptor Unlimited has the ability to run multiple BoxCryptor virtual drives simultaneously, but free users are limited to a single virtual drive. Does that mean you can encrypt or decrypt files at only a single cloud storage service or offline location? Not at all. It simply means that you can have only a single virtual drive operating at a given time. Basically, you can create several encrypted folders, but you can encrypt or decrypt files for only one at a time.
To create another encrypted folder in a second location, right-click on the BoxCryptor icon in your system tray and select Preferences. Next, enter Advanced Mode?ignoring the warning displayed by the program?and click on the icon for your encrypted virtual disk. The Remove option will turn red and become active; click on it. Poof! Your drive disappears from the list. Don't worry, the actual files (and their encryption key) weren't deleted.
Now, click on the New icon. The installation wizard will pop back up. This time, create another encrypted folder for a different cloud service or offline folder than you did originally. For example, I created an encrypted folder in my Dropbox account to complement the BoxCryptor folder I'd already created in my SkyDrive one. Finish up the creation process as you did before, creating a password and selecting a virtual drive designation. Advanced options will pop up during the process, but you don't have to worry about those unless you're curious about the software's niche uses. Bonus: You don't have to reboot the second (or third, or fourth, or?x) time you create a BoxCryptor folder.
When you're done, a BoxCryptor.bc folder appears in the new location, and a BoxCryptor virtual drive appears on your computer, just as before. Utilize this second encrypted folder the same way you did your first one, by adding and removing files via the virtual drive, not the BoxCryptor.bc folder itself.
But what if you need to access or add a file in the encrypted folder you created the first time around? That virtual drive?but not the folder itself?disappeared when you removed it from the BoxCryptor list to create your second encrypted folder. Fear not: It's easy to connect back to your previously created BoxCryptor folders.
First, Remove your current virtual drive in the Advanced Mode as you did before, but this time, click Add rather than New when you're done. You'll be asked to choose the location of a BoxCryptor folder; select your originally created BoxCryptor.bc destination. (In SkyDrive, in my case.) Next, choose a letter for the virtual drive you're creating, ignore the advanced options, and enter your password for the encrypted folder when prompted. Bam! A virtual drive connected to your original BoxCryptor folder appears on your computer, allowing you to encrypt and decrypt your files to your heart's content.
Deselecting and reactivating virtual drives in order to jump between multiple encrypted folders gets the job done, but running through the reactivation process over and over again gets very tedious if you bounce between multiple services on a regular basis. If you want to maintain several encrypted folders and plan on using them often, I highly recommend upgrading to the $40 Unlimited Personal license?both to cut back on the headache and to support the developers of this excellent piece of software.
GeekDad Review: Sensu Portable Artist Brush & Stylus for Touchscreen Devices
Monday, September 24, 2012
The most excellent VA Home Mortgage Rates
Hiring Pensions & Investment Consultants
Forex Managed Account Helping You Grab a Huge Share of Profit
From the Editor's Desk: So long, Seoul
What do you do if you're a company with some good products, but pretty much zero mind share? If you're LG, you pack up a handful of journalists and bring 'em to Seoul for a week-long media tour. That's where I was last week -- Seoul, South Korea, where LG hosted a number of us for the launch of the Optimus G, some closed-door meetings, a little bit of sightseeing, a lot of great food, and a new understanding of how this crazy smartphone business works in general, and for LG in particular.
Meanwhile, the world went crazy for the iPhone 5. Bat-shit crazy.
It's been a little while since we last chatted. Let's make this one count, shall we?
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The TV Watch: Cable Television Rules the Emmys
One World Trade Center. Rising.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Halloween Crafts for the Kitchen: Deathly Decanters, Scary Spice Jars, Creepy Chip Clips
A Brief Discussion about the Gold Price Today
Game on!: Martian Dice: A Simple Family Casual Game
Microsoft fixes Windows 8 Flash bugs
Microsoft on Friday updated Flash on Windows 8 to protect IE10 users from attacks that may have started months ago.
More than a week before, Microsoft had backed away from an earlier position that held it would not patch Flash until late October. Instead, the company promised to update the media player "shortly."
Microsoft, not Adobe, is responsible for patching Flash Player in Windows 8 because the company mimicked Google's Chrome by building the software into IE10, the new operating system's browser. Microsoft announced that move in late May, when its top IE executive, Dean Hachamovitch, said, "By updating Flash through Windows Update, like IE, we make security more convenient for customers."
But the Redmond, Washington developer ran into trouble from the get-go. Although Adobe shipped a pair of security updates in August that patched eight vulnerabilities, Windows 8 RTM, the finished code that began reaching users that same month, lacked those fixes.
One of the eight Flash bugs has been exploited by hackers, perhaps for months. An elite hacker gang known for finding and leveraging unpatched vulnerabilities has been among those hijacking Windows PCs with the flaw.
Cyber attackers target energy companies
Hackers using a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) named Mirage have been engaged in a systematic cyber espionage campaign against a Canadian energy company, a large oil firm in the Philippines and several other entities since at least this April, Dell's SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit says.
The campaign is the second one targeted at oil companies to be discovered by SecureWorks this year. In February, researchers at the firm discovered attackers using remote access tools similar to Mirage to target several oil companies in Vietnam. That campaign also targeted government agencies in several countries, an embassy, a nuclear safety agency and multiple business groups, according to SecureWorks.
The domains for three of the command and control (C&C) servers used to control Mirage and for several of the C&C servers used in the February campaign, appear to belong to the same individual or group of individuals, SecureWorks said.
Also noteworthy is the fact that the IP addresses for the command and control servers used for Mirage and in the February campaign belong to China's Beijing Province Network. The same network was also implicated in last year's attacks on security vendor RSA that resulted in the theft of confidential information related to the company's SecurID two-factor authentication technology.
Command and control servers associated with the 2009 GhostNet campaignthat targeted government computers in more than 100 companies also used IP addresses in the same network. The evidence suggests that the same group of people is behind the sweeping cyber espionage campaigns, SecureWorks researchers Joe Stewart said today.
The latest Mirage campaign has so far impacted companies in Canada, the Philippines, a military organization in Taiwan and several unidentified entities in Nigeria, Egypt, Brazil and Israel, Stewart said.
The Mirage malware program itself is very crafty and is designed to evade easy detection, according to SecureWorks. All of its communications with its command and control servers are disguised to appear like the URL traffic pattern associated with Google searches. (See also "Malicious web apps: How to spot them, how to beat them.").
Those behind the espionage have used phishing emails to trick mid-level to senior executives at the targeted companies to click on attachments containing malware for installing Mirage on their systems. One of the e-mails used in the campaign for instance, contained a pdf of a news story about Yemeni women being eligible to participate in that country's elections.
Over the past few months, researchers at SecureWorks discovered several customized variants of Mirage designed to evade detection by anti-virus and anti-malware programs
"One of the variants was seen in a subset of samples that had been modified specifically for the environment targeted by the threat actors," SecureWorks analyst Silas Cutler wrote in the alert. "These samples had been configured with default credentials for the targeted environment's web proxy servers," he noted.
Jaikumar Vijayan covers data security and privacy issues, financial services security and e-voting for Computerworld. Follow Jaikumar on Twitter at @jaivijayan or subscribe to Jaikumar's RSS feed His e-mail address is jvijayan@computerworld.com.
See more by Jaikumar Vijayan on Computerworld.com.
Read more about cybercrime and hacking in Computerworld's Cybercrime and Hacking Topic Center.
Financing your Equipment
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Out & About
La La Anthony celebrated her birthday with close friends and X-Rated Fusion Liqueur specialty cocktails at Bagatelle in LA.
Pauly "DJ Pauly D" DelVecchio was RTD, or "Ready To Drink," while celebrating the launch of his cocktail line, REMIX, and his 32nd birthday at Harrah's Resort in Atlantic City, N.J.
Charlie Sheen roasted Axl Rose during his speech for Slash at the guitarist's star ceremony on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
Emily Maynard wore Stella & Dot boutique-style jewelry on The Bachelorette.
Stacy Keibler looked stunning as usual at Nintendo's Wii U Preview Event in NYC, just a quick trip from her Lake Como summer vacay spot with George Clooney!
Lady Gaga bought GinnyBakes cookies at the Whole Foods Market Gold Coast in Chicago on July 16. She chose the Double Chocolate Happiness and Chocolate Oatmeal Bliss.
Vanessa Lachey couldn't stop gushing about Elizabeth Grant's pregnancy-safe Organics Concentrate to pals in LA.
Terrell Owens picked up a box of Camacho Cigars at the Chapstick Malibu Beach House party for Maria Menounos.
iPad Mini Leak Looks Legit
Chris Browns friends terrorized people at Subway today
Kellen Winslow on Patriots preparation: ?That?s why they win Super Bowls?
Libyan Protesters Besiege Militant Group in Benghazi
Lombardi on D&C: Cardinals' Horton 'comical'
NFL Network analyst Mike Lombardi made his weekly appearance on the Dennis & Callahan show Friday morning to talk about the Patriots and news from around the league.
Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton said after Sunday's 20-18 Arizona victory that the Patriots were tipping their plays, helping his defense keep the potent New England offense in check. Lombardi laughed off Horton's comments.
Tutorial: Fall Centerpiece with Wine Corks
Reese Witherspoon Enjoys A Cool Treat
Friday, September 21, 2012
Make Jack-O-Lantern Soda Bottles
Welcome to the Sovereign Independent. Ireland?s only Truth Newspaper!
Elisabetta Canalis Is All Smiles In Milan
Useful Information on How to Buy Stocks
Kristen Stewart Shops for Engagement Rings
After four years and four blockbuster films, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are ready to take their relationship to the next level.
In Touch has learned that Kristen went shopping at Neil Lane in West Hollywood with a friend in early June and stunned eyewitnesses when she headed straight for the engagement rings!
?She was trying on gold rings with various colored diamonds ? nothing traditional,? one excited onlooker tells In Touch of the 22-year-old Twilight actress.
Kristen used to be in favor of taking ?baby steps,? but a friend of the couple tells In Touch, ?She loves Rob, and she?s finally ready ? an engagement is a logical next step.?
They?ve been building toward it, adds the friend: ?In the past year, they?ve really heated up ? moving in together, traveling together, introducing each other to friends.?
Spoiler Alert: The Bachelorette's Shocking Finale Twist Revealed!
It?s the most shocking Bachelorette finale ever!
In Touch can exclusively reveal that the man who proposes to Emily Maynard on the season finale, airing on July 22, was not her first choice. ?He won by default,? an insider on the ABC show spills in the new issue of In Touch, on newsstands now.
In fact, the insider reveals that the man who captured Emily?s heart rejected her at the penultimate hour. According to the insider, in an emotional scene filmed for the finale, Emily was enjoying a final date with one of her final two candidates ? race car driver Arie Luyendyk Jr., 30, and entrepreneur Jef Holm, 27 ? when he got a sudden case of cold feet. ?He said, ?I don?t think we know each other nearly enough to even be entertaining this; I don?t think we should get engaged,?? says the insider.
?She was crying and begging him to reconsider,? says the insider, who says she even blurted out, ?You?re the one I want to pick!? Despite this bombshell revelation, and her tearful pleas, Emily?s dream man walked off the show ? and out of her life.
Whether viewers will get to watch this shocking twist play out on air, is still uncertain. But one thing?s for sure; despite being ditched by her dream man, Emily is now happily engaged and living with the other top contender. An insider, who recently spoke with Emily?s fianc�, said, ?He told me, ?We?re gonna get married, and we?re gonna have kids.??
?Skyfall? has a new trailer
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Colorado Prosecutors End Bid to See Holmes?s Notebook
Hot New Trailer: Emma Thompson In ?Beautiful Creatures?
HP Unveils New Windows 8 Consumer and Business PCs
Hot on the heels of the introduction of a new quartet of all-in-ones, HP announced several new consumer and business PCs designed for Windows 8. For consumers. there’s the HP Pavilion Sleekbook 14 and 15 notebooks, which feature 14- and 15.6-inch HD screens (respectively) and boast storage capacity of up to 1TB, HP TrueVision HS webcams,...
Audio Time Machine: Aldo Leopold?s Birds, Circa 1940
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Make a Super Bubble Station with Kara?s Party Ideas
Want a super party activity that will WOW your guests? This activity is a homemade "super bubble" that party guests can stand inside of! It's the perfect idea for a superhero party, a bubble party, a water party, or just an outdoor summer party.
This activity is from the new book Kara's Party Ideas by our friend Kara from Kara's Party Ideas.com. The book comes out ...
Deion Branch on why he stayed in New England: ?First and foremost, my family?
Bank Check Joggers: A Useful Sidekick to Administered Imaging Technologies
The Wise Walker WL-25 is A Better Backpack for Back-to-School
Top 10 Tech Stories This Week: Killer Kitties, Clever Collars for Sheep, Going Open Source for a Year, and More
The hottest stories in Technology from the last week. Catch up quick!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Why Preapproved Car Loans Make Sense
Why Number plates are a good investment
Maddon surprised Crawford didn't work out
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Speaking before his team's series-opening game against the Red Sox, Rays manager Joe Maddon expressed his surprise that Carl Crawford's stay in Boston didn't work out.
Belichick: Doctors 'still looking' at Hernandez
FOXBORO -- Bill Belichick did not have an update Monday on the status of his injured star tight end Aaron Hernandez. The valuable piece of the Patriots offense suffered a high right ankle sprain when William Gay tackled Julian Edelman on a short crossing route. The two fell to the ground and rolled up on the right foot of Hernandez.
"I don't really have any update on his status yet," Belichick said. "I think they're still looking at him."
Lindsay is outraged that celebrities get away with crime
Selena Gomez Catches Some Rays
if Mitt Romney wins the White House?
A) What Mitt Romney imagines when preparing to campaign in Alabama.
B) Prince William and Kate Middleton in the Solomon Islands today as part of their Diamond Jubilee Tour of South East Asia.
The answer is “B” of course. You can tell because if it really was Alabama, [...]