08.28.12
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A new security risk, and how you can protect yourself.

JavaA serious security risk has been found that uses the Java plugin of your browser to give hackers access to the computers of unsuspecting web surfers.

Tech news site The Register reports:

A new browser-based exploit for a Java vulnerability that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on client systems has been spotted in the wild – and because of Oracle’s Java patch schedule, it may be some time before a fix becomes widely available.

What this means is that hackers can exploit this vulnerability by creating a  web page that can force your computer to download and run a program without your knowledge – including keyloggers or other types of malware. Continue reading →

08.24.12
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Apple’s legal victory over Samsung – and consumers

Rotten apple by _Tawcan, on FlickrApple was awarded over $1 billion in damages today in a landmark legal decision that was an almost complete loss for Samsung that could leave the company struggling to survive. And though the case could mean the end for Samsung, it will likely leave consumers as the real losers.

A federal jury in San Jose, California, ruled that Samsung infringed on several Apple patents and awarded the iDevice maker over $1 billion in damages. According to USA Today, the ruling is the largest surviving verdict in patent history. (Two larger verdicts were reversed, according to Stanford University law professor Mark Lemley).

Continue reading →

07.20.12
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Google being crafty to push Google Plus

You have to give the folks over at Google credit. They might have been slow out of the blocks launching their social media site Google+, but they’re doing everything they can to make sure it takes off now – and not everyone is pleased about it.

On Thursday Google CEO Larry Page laid out his company’s earnings picture, and at the same time bragged that Google+ has more than 90 million registered users. That’s more than twice the 40 million users Google reported in October.

“We’re very excited about the growth we’ve had, and we’ve certainly seen a tremendous number of people added every day,” Page said during the presentation.

It took Facebook almost four years to reach the 90 million user mark, but at the same time Facebook now boasts over 800 regular users. So Google Plus has a long way to go to catch up – which is where the creative tactics come in. Continue reading →

05.10.12
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Google+ ‘Circles’ its killer new feature?

Google+ CirclesAside from a cleaner interface with no games and ads, the differences between Facebook and Google+ are not all that significant. Except for Google’s ‘circles’.

Google+ is set up so that when you add ‘friends’ you also assign them to one or more ‘circles’. That means you can categorize people into friends, family, colleagues, people you don’t know but still want to follow and so on. Continue reading →

12.19.11
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Hockey is more than a game

Writing about anything more personal than my take on new technology isn’t something I’m real comfortable with. I tend to avoid anything more personal than bragging about my kids – or complaining about them, as the case may be.

But something touched my life last summer that stuck with me, changed my perspective, and inspired me to try be a better father, husband and coach.

A good friend of mine passed away while on holidays with his family at age 40. The story was covered in the media a few times, in part because Jason Turner was a hockey coach, and an overwhelming number of his hockey family came out to remember him.

But what those stories didn’t capture was just what an amazing person he was. Continue reading →