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Hacker Conference Coming

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        "Hackers Reveal Nasty New Car Attacks -- "  is how the title begins.  The story is to appear in the August 12, 2013 issue of Forbes.  See the article posted here http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/07/24/hackers-reveal-nasty-new-car-attacks-with-me-behind-the-wheel-video/

        Using the car’s "OnStar-like cellular connection, Bluetooth bugs, a rogue Android app that synched with the car’s network from the driver’s smartphone or even a malicious audio file on a CD in the car’s stereo system" a lot of real trouble is possible.  Read what's up as the Defcon hacker conference is coming in Las Vegas next month. 
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Happy Computer = Happy You

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        Hope it doesn't happen to you!  The latest posting at Tech Tails gives you some remedies for food/water accidental damages. It's a Small Dog Electronics newsletter  http://blog.smalldog.com/techtails/tt879  
         And while you're in the vicinity check out another of their weekly newsletters http://blog.smalldog.com/kibbles/  .  Here's their phrase:  “that spinning data depository in your Mac could suddenly become little more than a good doorstop,”  speaking of your hard drive inside your computer.  Read about the Time Capsule that's on sale.   

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FBI E-Scam

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        Jim Hamm passes along a warning,  "There have been reports of a recent email scam, presumably from the FBI, that threatens to lock up your computer unless you pay a 'ransom.' You can read more about this scam here. The malware comes from a website to your browser via Javascript, and can infect both a Mac and a PC (ie., OS X and Windows).

        "If you're using Safari, you can get rid of this scam by quitting Safari, and hold the shift key down when reopening Safari — this will prevent previous windows or tabs from reopening." 
        Jim winds up this warning to us with this:  "On the FBI website you'll note there is a link wherein one can report email spam: spam@uce.gov. This goes to the Federal trade Commission. Wonder what they will do with it? You don't suppose they enjoy reading spam, do you?...(grin)."

Gmail Full-Screen

        "If you use Gmail on their website -- as I do --" says Jim Hamm,   "soon there will be a change to the 'Compose' format: it will go full-screen. Take a read here. This will be a welcome change. 

        "If you download Gmail emails into your computer's email program, you probably won't notice any change as the formatting will be specific to that particular program, such as Mail, or Thunderbird, or whatever." 
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Adobe Flash Caution

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        This is just in from Jim Hamm,  "FWIW, a few moments ago I got an alert on a web page (a music-listening site) that I needed to update to Flash 12 immediately -- important!  I looked at the website for this notice and it said -- as I recall -- "Quixter", or something like that. Anyway, I didn't click the update link but instead went to Adobe's website and had them check the Flash I had installed on the browser I was using at the time (Opera Next). Flash was up to date.

        "Interesting how creatively the hackers use Adobe Flash to try and get a hook into one's computer. I don't ever click any update link that comes in a pop-up in the browser -- I always go directly to the website."  Jim 
        ( OK, did you know what FWIW means?  Look up www.InternetSlang.com/ )   
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Protect Your Mobile Phone

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       "Protect your mobile phone from an accidental dunking in water? Take a look at this video. https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=10152954190850201
A demo on how to water-protect the iPhone is towards the end of the video. Although conceptually intriguing, I wouldn't want to use this product, say, on my clothes. How would you wash them? I don't think NeverWet is something I'd want to use. How about you?" asks Jim Hamm.  

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More on Malware

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        "Here's an article on yet another way malware is attempting to infect our computers," says Jim Hamm.  And that gets our attention.
        " The original article was in French, and Google was used to translate it to English. And here is an article from F-Secure Lab (also originally in French) providing further details.

        "I haven't read of any alerts here in the U.S. about this specific malware, so this is just for info and something to be aware of."

More About Price Fixing

        "If you were a bit fuzzy about Apple's role in the recent Ebook price fixing suit, and the decision in the U.S. District Court against Apple -- as I was -- here is an article that helps to clarify the situation," writes Jim Hamm.  He goes on, " Also, within the article is another link to an article by CNNMoney that gives an update on the story, which you may want to read also.

        "Of course, Apple appealed the decision. Will be interesting to learn what the appeals court has to say about this, and what logic Apple uses to state that Judge Cote's decision was fallacious."
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OLPC Coming to Walmart

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         David Passell passes along comments with this info,  "Since i have two of the first of the little beasts circa 2008, I thought someone might like to see this."  He's referring to the One Laptop Per Child project.  He goes on to say, "Another small competitor to the iPad? They run Linux. I never used them much cause i'm not a little kid with tiny fingers:).
        "A deal with Walmart gives OLPC a shot at bring educational technology to the poor in the U.S. and potentially more scale for emerging markets."   Read more here:  http://www.zdnet.com/one-laptop-per-child-launches-xo-tablet-via-walmart-7000018175/ 

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Printed Magazines Going Digital

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        We can picture Jim Hamm with this conversation,  "Today I received the August issue of PC World. With magazine in one hand and my libation of the day in the other, I settled comfortably in my easy chair to read the latest tips and tricks on PCs that  I should be using. Then, I noticed on the cover, 'This is Your Last Issue.' What?  My subscription isn't nearly over yet.

        "A Sign of the Times. I read further: printed magazines of PC World are being dropped and going digital. For my 'enhanced enjoyment.' blah, blah. The September issue will be digital only.
         "Well, I recognize that digital is certainly more user-interactive — I can click links, watch videos, etc. — but there's something viscerally calming about sitting in my easy chair, and slowly turning the pages of a magazine.  That's why I still read book books instead of digital books — I like the feel of paper in my hand.
        "That said, the first shoe has dropped. I subscribe to other computer magazines. I'm now waiting for the other shoe to drop."  And here we picture Jim's knowledgeable grin.  
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Finder Tip

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        John Carter shares a tip to save time and frustration:  "When copying files off of a camera and onto the computer, it's not likely that you'll remember to first create a new folder to put them into. Or maybe you're just trying to reorganize the files in your computer. Did you know that you can create a new folder containing selected files?

        "So here's another scenario. I was collecting a series of screenshots of an involved process to save for a presentation. All of the screenshots are saved in the Pictures folder. After saving the screenshots, I wanted to put them all in a new folder. Now I could have created the folder and then moved the files into the new folder. But a simpler approach was to first select all the files, then in the Menu Bar click on File->New Folder with Selection. Or, right click on the selection and click on New Folder with Selection. What's interesting is that you will also see in parentheses the number of files that are selected. 
When you select that, a new folder in the current folder is created like this:  
It's your job to rename the folder."

How Strong is Your Password?

        "Did you ever wonder how long it might take a program to crack your passwords?"  Jim Hamm gets our attention.  "Intel has a site wherein one can enter a password and it will tell you how long it would take. I checked two theoretical passwords I just made up, and here are the results:

                                    jc*12#.....7.25 seconds
                     135791113151.... .007 seconds
        "You'll note using upper and lower case symbols, letters and numbers took longer than a string of just numbers that is twice as long. But both were cracked mighty quickly.
        "Don't use your real passwords, but you might check some passwords similar in style to your real ones to see how long a program might take to crack them.
        "As a last test I contrived a password that looked mighty tough to me. Here's how long it took to crack it:
                        *q#$T23%$jim ....132 years! 
        And here's Jim's assessment,  "Now, that last password would discourage all but the most dedicated cracker...(grin)."