Tech tool of the week

I found a very handy tool that will help solve a lot of problems for the average pc user with limitted or even advanced computer skills. After personally reviewing multiple tools, I came across one that can fix several glitches on your pc without having to go thorugh your anoying tech guy. And best of all, its free.

This tool is Dial-a-fix.

This is a multipurpose utility that repairs all sorts of PC problems. For instance, the program deals with Windows Update woes, corrects installer errors, restores missing Registry entries, and fixes Secure Sockets Layer glitches. If Windows' Defragger, System Restore, or even Internet Explorer stops running, Dial-a-fix can reinstall it. Behind the scenes, the utility massages the Registry to make it run more efficiently. Dial-a-fix is free, but the authors request a $5 donation if you find it useful--and you will.

Source:

tech.msn.com

MySpace Hacked!!!!!

Visiting Alicia Keys' Page And Others exposes the visitor to an exploit that installs malware unless the user is fully patched against the most recent security vulnerabilities.

By Thomas Claburn
InformationWeek
November 8, 2007 07:40 PM

Avoid Alicia Keys' Web page on MySpace. It's been hacked.

Roger Thompson, CTO at Exploit Prevention Labs, has found multiple hacked MySpace pages, including the page for Alicia Keys, the social networking site's fourth most popular music artist.

In keeping with what appears to be a new trend among security researchers, Thompson has released a video depicting the hack on YouTube. He has also posted details on his blog.

Visiting the page exposes the visitor to an exploit that installs malware unless the user is fully patched against the most recent security vulnerabilities. "They're using an exploit to install software in the background," Thompson explains in the video.

Even those with patched systems are vulnerable. The hackers have found a way to associate their malicious URL with what would normally be a non-clickable background area on the Web page. The result is that clicks outside specific clickable controls get captured and interpreted as a click on the malicious URL.

"If you click anywhere outside a given control, [the malicious URL] will be the default control that it goes to," Thompson explains. "It's a really interesting technique and it's going to catch a lot of people."

"What's not clear at this point is how they're doing it, and how widespread it is," Thompson says on his blog. "Neither Google (NSDQ: GOOG) nor MySpace seems to be indexing the critical bit of HTML. If you search for the exploit site (co8vd.cn), the only results seem to be victims, or people talking about victims."

In a conversation via instant message, Thompson said that social networking sites are increasingly become vectors of attack. "The whole point of browser stuff is that it bypasses the firewall," he explained.

A spokesperson for MySpace was not immediately available to comment on the attack.

My Christmas Story

It amazes me to see how the holidays are celebrated in the US. Its not even Thanksgiving and we already have all the Christmas stuff coming out in stores. Increible!!!! There was a time when I was back in my country of origin where Christmas was all about being together with your family. Making big dinners, dancing with your family, friends and neighbors and eating apples (yeah, apples). We used to pay $12.00 (pesos) for 1 apple that most of the time was already looking like it was used to play catch. I mean, this apples had holes on them from people touching them so hard trying to find the ones that could be eaten. At the same time, they were destroying what little the apple had left. Still, for us, those apples were everything. I mean, just having them on the table was worth the 12 bucks. It was part of our yearly traditions.

Those were the times. How I miss those days! My family was still a family back them. Now we are just relatives. I talk to my mom about 2-4 times a week and to one of my 12 siblings I talk to almost everyday. The others, I sometimes go months without talking to them. Its not that I don't want to, its just that there is never any time. When there is time, they are not available to talk. So, it goes on and on.

Back in my old house, we used to have a roasted pig every year on Christmas' Eve. In addition, we had rice, beans, platanos (plantains), yuca (casaba),tostones, bananas, avocados and a lot more. Food was all over the table, and the entire family was together to welcome Christmas day. We used to sleep in the floor with all my other nephews, nieces and cousins. All the grown ups took all the beds, but we didn't care. It was actually fun. The next day was the other part of the tradition, abichuelas con dulce (sort of an extract of beans mixed with condensed milk, evaporated milk, cinnamon and other things).

Probably the most surprising thing about this whole Christmas day celebrations back in my town was actually the fact that no body was giving out gifts to each other. No that we didn't want to, we just couldn't. However; I don't remember ever needing them. We had so much fun with one another that we just didn't think about them. We also didn't expect them. The best gift, my mother always said, was each other's presence in the house. It was kind of like a rule. Every member of the family had to be there for Christmas or else my mother will chew them up when she saw them again. Those were the holidays back in my town.

Then, I arrived to the US. Here things are totally different. I actually kind of hate the holidays now. The only thing that people actually look forward to is the gifts. My wife starts shopping around and spending money right when the Christmas stuff comes out to stores. I can't go to my mother in law's house without having a gift on my hands for each and every member of the family. Or else, I'll be the black sheep for the rest of the holidays. The more I think about it, the more I dislike the holidays. I'm I weird? Sometimes I question my self about that. Anyway, I just don't see a real understanding about what Christmas is all about in this country. I don't see any traditions, except the gifts swapping of course. I guess some people still do get together and still see Christmas as just what its suppose to be. A week of harmony where you share time with your family and make some hot coco and laugh at the jokes and all this things that make the holidays so special. The days that Jesus Christ came to earth. I mean, I'm not too much into religion, but I don't go against the things that make our lives better. Things that unite us with our family. Things and days like Christmas!!

I think this year, I'm going to have a Christmas without gifts. A Christmas where there is no interest and no reason for me to see family. Just one reason and one reason only. That is to have some abichuela con dulce like we used to. Eat some roasted pig like we used to and enjoy the time lost all these years of not seeing each other as frequent as we used to.

I suggest you do the same, you'll see how good it feels. You will also see who really want to see you and who just want to come to your house because of the gift they are expecting. You'll be surprised!! Go and visit your family just to visit them, no to expect things from them.

iPhone Named 'Invention Of The Year'

I don't know what to make of this article. I don't completly agree with it, yet, it does add a new spice to the future of mobile computing. Read the full article at InformationWeek's website by clicking here.