Klingon gets Binged

Lt. Commander Worf

Star Trek Into Darkness officially premiers in theaters on my birthday May 16th (Thank You JJ) and coincidentally Microsoft’s Bing has teamed up with Paramount to celebrate with a very cool feature.

Now anyone can use Bing’s Translator to translate text and whole websites into Klingon, the alien language spoken by the always angry "turtle headed" alien warrior race. (For instance, majQa’ means “well done!,” which is exactly what I have to say when using this new tool.)








Bing has added Klingon to our earth bound languages in it's Language Translator.

You can access the Klingon translations via the Bing Translator website or through the Windows Phone Bing Translator app. Yes - Windows Phone finally has an app that Apple and Android does not!

The translations are done using the Klingon alphabet Kronos (see screenshot above) or a direct translation using the English alphabet. For example I was able to find out what it would sound like if Lt. Commander Worf wished me a happy birthday. If you are curious it would sound something like "Quch mann neb qoS".

  

2 Spocks!



Ok I admit this article only strives to do one thing. And that is to make me happy. Today Audi premiered their new commercial which includes not one but two (yes 2) Spocks. This is quite possibly the best Spock commercial ever, and not just because there are 2 of them. I never ever thought I would here Mr. Spock reciting from "The Hobbit" but here you do. Thank You Audi. If I could afford to buy one - I would, just because you gave me 2 Mr. Spocks.

 

U.S Senate Moves Towards Taxing Online Shoppers

Tax Laws Are Catching Up To The Internet

Shopping on the internet is about to get a little more expensive. For years many states did not charge taxes when shoppers made purchases on the internet. I saw the writing on the wall that this was really going to end when last September internet giant Amazon.com began charging PA sales tax for shoppers in our state.

I saw another sign of this when a retailer we do business with contacted me a few weeks ago stating that we would be receiving an invoice in respect to the tax that we "should have been charged" on a purchase.

Another shoe dropped late yesterday evening when the U.S. Senate passed legislation to force Internet retailers to collect sales taxes for state and local governments.

The vote was 69-to-27 in favor, and included senators from both major parties which demonstartes support on both sides of the aisle.  The vote sends the issue to the House of Representatives, where it must be passed in the same form before it can be presented to the president to be signed into law.

The Marketplace Fairness Act, allows U.S. states to force online retailers with more than $1 million in annual out-of-state sales to collect sales taxes from customers and remit them back to state and local governments.

The actual bill, introduced in the Senate ss S.743 and you can read it here. The House version is named H.R.684 and you can read that one here.

Get To Know DNS

Did you ever wonder how you can type www.startrek.com into your web browser and it instantly transports you to the official website for Star Trek. Our how you can shop at amazon.com by simply entering www.amazon.com into your browser? This magic is all made possible by something known as the Domain Name System, or DNS.

You can think of DNS as the phone book of the internet, which is really what it was intended to be.

DNS was born way back in 1983 as part of the emerging internet. DNS is critical because without it reaching destinations on the internet would be a much more complex task.

It is DNS that converts www.startrek.com into 72.34.239.185 which is the real internet address of the official home of Star Trek. Give it a try by typing in 72.34.239.185 into your browser and see where you end up. Very simply DNS converts the real numeric internet addresses into friendly hostnames that we can easily remember.

There is a lot of stuff going on when you browse the web.

 

I am discussing this because we are fast approaching the 30^th anniversary of DNS. This is an amazing technology that we use every day on the internet. What is so amazing about this is that the translation into the “friendly hostname” is made so quickly and with so little effort (on our part) that many do not even know this translation is occurring.

How does this happen on my home computer? There are several public DNS servers that provide this service. Your computer normally uses the public DNS servers which are pre-configured in the router you have at home. So what happens at home is that when you type a web address into your browser, lets say www.startrek.com you PC talks to your router, then your router go to the Public DNS server it is setup for and translates it back to your browser. This is all done in a blink of an eye. Amazing.

DNS is an example of what I call “invisible technology”. Something that everyone relies on and the majority are unaware of its existence.

You can look at a list of some public DNS servers here.

WC Technology Newsletter - Spring 2013 Issue

The monthly "West Chester Technology" newsletter which has been dorment since January has been re-configured as a quarterly publication. I simply did not have the time to issue this monthly. However I did not want to give up on it entirely so quarertly issues it is. 

The Spring 2013 Issue

The Spring 2013 issue is here and many of the articles on it do not appear in the technology blog so be sure to check it out.

You can download the issue here as well as on the right side panel of this fine blog.



Boost Your Wireless Signal

I recently noticed a big decrease in my wireless signal strength at home recently. It seemed that only last summer I could sit out in my back yard, removed from society for a few moments and able to stream my favorite music on my wireless network. Well this spring the signal had really degraded and I had some work to do. I was able to increase my signal strength. 

But how?


It is important to know that these days, there are more demands on wireless networks than ever.
 
With the influx of mobile phones, tablets and laptops, fewer devices are tethered to network cables, especially at home. But as we all know, the strength of wireless signals can vary greatly.

Here are several ways you can help boost wireless access and speeds across your home or office.

Location, Location Location - Make sure that your access point is in a central location to all the users who will need wireless access. Your basement is almost always the very worst place.

Material's Matter - Keep the router away from metal objects. The can interfer with the signal.

Use the Antenna - The antenna that came on the router? Yes. It actuall works. Find the position that works best for reaching user's devices. If you are still having issues try upgrading to a new antenna. This is cheaper than purchasing a new router.

Avoid Overload - Check to see how many devices are connect on your wireless network from time to time. Add more routers or access points if it gets to crowded.

Upgrade Regulary - The signal is only as strong and secure as the firmware behind it. Make sure you keep it up to date.

Changing Channels - Your router broadcasts on "channels". You can change these as well if your are troubleshooting.

Malware Trouble for Bing?

When you search the web did you know that there is a possibility of the results including malware? Sadly this has recently been found to be true. A recent study of this problem found that while Google rarely turned up malware, Microsoft’s Bing had five times the number of malware hits as Google.  There is no need to panic because even with this the percentage of these malware hits was very low. But you should always remember the following, regardless of which search engine you like to use:

Avoid sponsored links. These are the links highlighted on the top of the search results. These were paid for and are not necessarily the ones you want.

Trust, but verify. You are usually safe trusting Google & Bing but these search engines do not guarantee safety.

Stay on topic. Avoid searching for gossip and celebrity news. It is a popular hiding place for malware.

Protect Your Data

As part of a continuing theme in this technology blog is re-enforcing the need to keep your data protected, both at work and at home. Be aware that there are many ways in which you can lose your data. I believe it is important to know the various ways in which such a loss can happen so that you can be well prepared in case they occur.

Here are the most common ways in which you can lose data:

1. Virus attacks – malwares, bugs and Trojans can attack the computer system causing it to malfunction, and or distort data.

2. Theft – thieves may decide to take a person’s computer therefore taking with them a person’s files and data.

3. Disaster – floods and hurricanes as well as fires may cause damage to a computer system thus making it impossible to access files in it.

4. Own accidental mistake – This one is actually very common – so beware! You can accidentally delete a file or some data by giving a wrong command if you are distracted or you not really understand the command.

5. A hard drive can suddenly crush causing everything to come to a standstill. This is also all too common.

6. Malicious tampering with the data from a person with an evil agenda.

7. Power surges.

These as well as many other less common reasons make it necessary to find ways to protect yourself from losing important data.

Below are 5 ways to protect yourself from losing your data.

1. Back up files on an external hard drive. The external hard disk is kept at a different place from where the main computer is unless when transferring files into it. This helps when someone is trying to tamper with information and does not know that the files are saved elsewhere. The information is protected when a computer has been damaged by viruses. This is the most common way used to protect oneself from long data.

2. Have an antivirus application and constantly update it. This obviously helps to keep the viruses in check. These applications if running properly will well scan and destroy any bug that may attach itself onto files. Catching the bugs in good time protects the system from executing wrong commands which cause data to be distorted, deleted or makes the computer hard disk to crush.

3. Back files up on an offsite facility or use cloud services. There are many consumer solutions out there such as Corbomite and Mozy.

4. Print hard copies. Data that is complete when printed can be saved on hard copies. This is helpful when the said data needs to be kept for a long period of time and the soft (electronic) copy of it has been damaged or deleted.

5. Keep the computer in a good environment and service it when necessary. This means blowing dust off of it, repairing it and generally keeping the environment around the computer clean and without clutter. You should also avoid placing food and drinks near the computer because accidental spills can cause damage.

Creating ISO Images

Ok - so in the previous article we talked about some ways you can live without a physical optical drive in your new computer. However there are still some tasks that require a little trickery on your part. This is an example of when a human being must out think a mere computer. What do you do if the task you are trying to accomplish, such as installing an application wants a real - honest to goodness disc?   

The Solution is Creating ISO Images

You might think that software on a disc could be copied straight away. The disc contains the software, right?

Not exactly. Discs contain an installer, which isn’t the same as the software itself. To make matters even worse, some software installed from a disc will need the disc inserted to function. That will be a problem if the software is installed on a PC with no optical drive.

The solution is known as a disc image (or .ISO) file. It’s a single file containing everything that was on a disc and packed up so that it acts exactly like a disc when opened by the appropriate software.

Windows doesn’t have the ability to make and use .ISO files on its own, so you’ll need to download third-party software. There are some great free options available like ISODisk (to create .ISO files) and VirtualCloneDrive (to mount them). These utilities will help you make the .ISO and then mount it into a “virtual drive,” which tricks your computer into thinking the .ISO file is a disc in an optical drive.

Screenshot of ISODisk in action.

 

You’ll also need to use .ISO if you want to reinstall Windows. You can do this by using one of the above tools to make an .ISO of your Windows install disc, and then, using the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, mount that file on a USB drive. Note that you must use the tool; simply dragging the .ISO file into the USB drive’s storage won’t work.

A Note about Storage Space

When you buy a new computer that lacks a disc drive you are forcing all of your data to your computer’s hard disk. This may or may not be a problem, depending on the size of your existing media and software collection.

An average Ultrabook on sale today comes with a 500GB hard drive. That’s a lot of space, but it can also go quickly. A drive of this size can handle just 60 uncompressed DVDs. Think about the size of your physical media collection and whether you want to rip all of it, or just some. An external hard drive will be necessary if your collection is large, and that adds another $60 to $180 (depending on capacity) to your tab.

Some computers come with small, fast solid-state drives. These score well in our reviews because of their incredible performance, but are hampered by limited capacity. If you purchase a new PC with such a drive, you should plan on also buying an external optical drive, an external hard drive, or both.

Conclusion

Ditching the optical drive is not for everyone. Consumers who don’t have and can’t access fast Internet will find them annoying, and budget buyers will find the necessary extras – like an external hard drive – irritating.

There are many advantages to going digital, but don’t forget the disadvantages. It’s important to not feel pressured to move away from discs because they’re considered outdated. Ditching the disc has hidden costs and can take more effort than some users find worthwhile.

Hey, There's No CD in There!

If you have purchased a new laptop recently, especially a notebook, ultrabook or even a good sized tablet you probably realized right away, "Hey there is no CD drive in there!"  CD drives are in fact starting to become less relevant as consumers demand smaller and lighter form factors from their computing devices. This desire for small devices in conjunction with fast and dependable network/internet connections makes this all expected and logical.

Physical Discs are in the process of becoming extinct.

Computers without a disc drive aren’t so different. Let's talk about why all of this is no big deal.

First. Can you really download everything? The answer is yes … if your Internet connection is up to the challenge. This is the first item to check before turning your back on physical media.

Let’s imagine that you want to watch a movie on a new Ultrabook. Since you have no disc drive, you decide to buy the movie from iTunes or Amazon. You opt for the HD version, so the file size is about 4GB.

If you’re on a 10 megabit per second (Mbps) connection, and the actual speed of the connection is close to what was advertised, the file will take about an hour to download. If you speed at home is 20 Mbps your download time will be reduced by half. The faster your internet speed the faster the download will be. That is not bad.

Reduce the speed to 6 Mbps, however, and the download will be closer to two hours. A connection of 2 Mbps extends the download to over four hours, and a person on a 0.5 Mbps line could start the download before leaving for work, only to find it not yet complete when he returns home.

Solving the Internet issue is an important step, but it doesn’t address the other big problem: What should you do with your DVD collection?

Second. Buy an external optical drive. Optical drives are boring commodity hardware and inexpensive. Before picking one up make sure that it supports "read and write". Also make sure the drive supports Blu-ray if you want to watch HD movies from a disc. These external drives connect via a USB connection and just about all of these computing devices still come with these connections, except of course for Apple's iPAD.

The second way to deal with physical CDs and DVDs is to create digital copies, or ISO images. This is a little more complicated so I will cover that procedure in a future article. 

To Be Continued...

CitySourced is Coming Soon!

Coming Soon......



It's about to get a whole lot more interactive around here!

There are some very exciting interactive and engaging tools just around the corner for the community in the Borough of West Chester.

IPad or Surface - Early Considerations

With the release of Windows 8 tablets the already crowded market for your tablet money just became a lot more confusing. So if you are thinking about investing in a new tablet should your choice be Apple’s iPad or something else? Well that is a good question and to make the decision even harder for you here are my thoughts regarding reasons to buty an iPad and reasons why not to.

An iPad or Surface? Tough Choices.

 Reasons You May Want an iPad

1.  I personally have never read an entire book on my iPad but I do read magazines with the Zinio app. I also read the daily newspapers with Press Reader app. Both of these work great on the iPad.

2. Gaming. The iPhone became a surprise hit among gamers, or at least expanded the market to include lots of previous non-gamers. The iPad is obviously optimized for the gaming experience.

3. The iPad makes it easy to share media. With Apple TV streaming movies and music to your television is seemless. It is also just the right size for sharing up-close and the lack of a keyboard makes the iPad easier to handle than a notebook.

4. Applications.  No one has more "apps" available then Apple. It seems eveyone has an IPad or iPhone app these days so if you like the simplicity of these apps the iPad will work for you.

5. The iPad is an obvious winner and one of the biggest success stories in the technology world, so it is not going anywhere.

Reasons You May NOT Want an iPad

1. The wrong screen. It’s not clear why Apple didn’t choose a 16:9 aspect ratio, the standard for widescreen entertainment, but not doing so makes the iPad much less interesting for watching movies. The Microsoft Surface as well as many Android tablets have much better displays.

2. It’s not much of a work machine. The Microsoft Surface is incredibly superior here. Maybe it isn’t even fair to ask a device so well-tuned for entertainment, like the iPad to work at the office too. The Surface Pro has the ability to run any Windows application inclusing of course Microsoft Office.

3. If you are primarily looking for an e-book reader and you do not need all the other features, a Kindle or Nook offer better battery life for e-reading.

4. The iPad is a “tweener,” in the best sense of the word. It is not a computer, laptop nor is it an ultrabook. The iPad lacks the functionality of a notebook and the convenience of smartphone. The iPad may be just one more thing to haul around if you already carry a notebook, which it doesn’t come close to replacing. Once again this is another area where Microsoft’s Surface shines. Earlier this year I was able to travel with only my Surface tablet. No laptop had to go with me for the first time in at least a decade.

There are many more reasons, both pro and con, regarding an iPad purchase but the best one may be the simplest: What do you want to do with your tablet? If it is basically for recreational use including basic functions such as email and internet surfing the iPad is probably a good choice. If you have bigger plans such as professional work, a Windows 8 tablet, especially Microsoft’s Surface may be the best consideration.

Cost Considerations

The iPad with Retina Display (128 GB) retails for $799 while the Microsoft Surface Pro with 128 GB goes for $999. Therefore is the extra $200 worth it to you? It all depends on you and what you are looking for from your tablet. 

Cyber Criminals Looks Towards Mobile

Worms Like Mobile Too.

Symantec’s 18th annual Internet Security Threat Report is was issued yesterday. The report reveals that cyber criminals are increasingly scouring the Web for personal details in order to target their attacks. Armed with your information they can exploit security gaps in social networks and other sites to infect your system or steal your details.

It is no longer just your PC that’s at risk either; the report shows an alarming 58 percent increase in attacks on mobile devices with just under a third of these aimed at stealing data without the user’s knowledge. Android is the most targeted mobile platform as its open source nature makes it easier to hide malware in apps. Apple users receives a bas news as well because the report notes more than 600,000 Mac systems were infected by a single attack last April.

When it comes to the types of threat, the growth of ransomware continues with infections becoming more aggressive and harder to undo. I have written articles many times regarding ransomware threats and sadly I believe this trend will continue.

Another very scary statistic is that 61 percent of malicious sites are actually legitimate websites that have been compromised so you may be at risk even if you think you’re practising safe surfing.

Another alarming piece of information is the news this week issued by Microsoft that they believe 24 percent of all PCs are not protected by virus software today. This is bad for everyone because users who do not protect their PCs are the first ones to get infected and often complicate and threaten even PCs that are protected. I have written several articles in the past regarding free anti virus solutions so there is really no excuse for this.  You can learn about Microsoft's free anti-virus solution in my early article dated October 3, 2012.

Boston Malware Alert

In an unbelievable turn of events and another example of just how far some cyber criminals will go to inflict misery on our computers it has been discovered that cybercriminals have exploited interest in the breaking news story of the explosions at the Boston Marathon by spreading malware.

 

Messages spammed out by attackers claim to contain a link to video footage of Monday's terrorist activity in Boston, with subject lines such as "2 Explosions at Boston Marathon".

 

 

 

Other subject lines used in the campaign include:

 

Aftermath to explosion at Boston Marathon

Boston Explosion Caught on Video

Video of Explosion at the Boston Marathon 2013

If you make the mistake of clicking on the link, however, you are taken to a website which - while showing you genuine YouTube videos of the horrific incident - attempts to infect your computer with a Windows Trojan horse that Sophos products detect as Troj/Tepfer-Q.

If installed, the malware makes changes to the Registry and installs the following files, allowing hackers to gain remote access to infected computers:

 

<System>\drivers\npf.sys
<System>\Packet.dll
<System>\wpcap.dll

 

The file NPF.sys is registered as a new service named "NPF", with a display name of "WinPcap Packet Driver (NPF)".

Clearly, there are no depths to which cybercriminals are not prepared to stoop in their hunt for victims.

 

The sick truth is that malware authors and malicious hackers lose no sleep about exploiting the deaths of innocent people in their attempt to infect computers for the purposes of stealing money, resources and identities.

 

Remember to be on your guard against such tactics. Maybe it's time to get your news from legitimate news websites rather than an unsolicited email which arrives in your inbox?

 

If you would like to watch videos from the Boston tragedy you should go to a respected news source directly such as ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX or CNN. Do not click on unsolicted links in your email.