HiWEB-Interactive Show Log –
029– 091808
-Opening Comments
“Welcome to HiWEB-Interactive, bringing you information from the edge of technology”
*This is a summary
of recent news and technology highlights.
HiWEB-Interactive – Show #29 – From September 18th 2008
Airing weekly Thursdays at 9p (PST) – And available on LIVE.HIWEB.NET as well as archived
*NEW SHOW TIME 9p (PST) – Summer Hours
-Hot News Topics this week
(*Prepped 24 Hours Prior)
1 -
Microsoft to Announce Jerry Seinfeld Ads Canceled
2 -
Palin's Yahoo mail reportedly published on Wikileaks
3 -
Android to officially debut on HTC Dream next week
4 -
Best Buy eyes Apple, Microsoft with Napster purchase
5 -
Samsung set to launch its first netbook in October
6 -
HTC Touch HD handled, pre-release style
*Youtube viewers make sure to see HiWEB.NET for the live streaming, also this entire show and other past shows.
<<<CUT FOR YOUTUBE POSTS>>> IE: Stop Recording/Start Recording
-Review of Hot Topics
(*Elaborate on Hot Topics)
*SEE PRINTED
NOTES…..
1 -
Microsoft to Announce Jerry Seinfeld Ads Canceled -
Remember those
awful Microsoft ads with Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates?
Well, now you can forget them. Microsoft flacks are desperately dialing
reporters to spin them about "phase two" of the ad campaign — a phase, due to be
announced tomorrow, which will drop the aging comic altogether. Microsoft's
version of the story: Redmond had always planned to drop Seinfeld. The awkward
reality: The ads only reminded us how out of touch with consumers Microsoft is —
and that Bill Gates's company has millions of dollars to waste on hiring a
has-been funnyman to keep him company. Update: In a phone call, Waggener
Edstrom flack Frank Shaw confirms that Microsoft is not going on with Seinfeld,
and echoes his underlings' spin that the move was planned. There is the
"potential to do other things" with Seinfeld, which Shaw says is still
"possible." He adds: "People would have been happier if everyone loved the ads,
but this was not unexpected."
http://valleywag.com/5051455/microsoft-to-announce-jerry-seinfeld-ads-cancelled-tomorrow
<Change Slide>
2 -
Palin's Yahoo mail reportedly published on Wikileaks -
Hackers say they have gained access to U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah
Palin's Yahoo account and
published some of its contents
on the Wikileaks Web site.
On Wednesday, Wikileaks published several screen shots of Yahoo e-mail messages,
e-mail addresses of Palin family members and associates, and other data that
hackers claim to have obtained from Palin's private Yahoo account.
One e-mail message appears to be from Alaska Lieutenant Governor Sean
Parnell, complaining to Palin about an interview by Alaska radio show host Dan
Fagan. "Arghhh! He is so inconsistent and purposefully misleading," Palin
apparently writes in response. A
hacking group known as Anonymous gained access to Palin's gov.palin@yahoo.com
account late Tuesday night and sent the information to Wikileaks, which acts as
an anonymous clearinghouse for leaked documents.
What does the Sarah Palin e-mail hack say about Yahoo?
"Governor Palin has come under criticism for using private email accounts to
conduct government business and in the process avoid transparency laws,"
Wikileaks wrote in a note accompanying the material. "The list of
correspondence, together with the account name, appears to re-enforce the
criticism."
Palin is the governor of Alaska. She was named John McCain's vice-presidential
running mate on Aug. 29.
Neither the McCain-Palin campaign nor Yahoo could immediately confirm whether
Palin's account had actually been hacked.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/091708-palins-yahoo-mail-reportedly-published.html?hpg1=bn
http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin_Yahoo_inbox_2008
<Change Slide>
3 -
Android to officially debut on HTC Dream next week -
Google's Android will be unveiled to the world on its first officially-supported
device, the HTC Dream, on September 23. T-Mobile, third-largest mobile carrier
in the US and Google's launch partner, sent out invites Tuesday to next week's
press conference in New York. T-Mobile plans to demo the device and OS to
reporters then and there, although the Android-enabled Dream isn't expected to
land in stores until October.
Google and T-Mobile began
cozying up
around April of this year as the carrier became the first to plan an Android
launch, scheduled for the second half of 2008. Since then,
rumors cropped up about a possible Android delay,
with various handset manufacturers and carriers complaining of holdups in
development that could push them into 2009. However, buzz about the launch
started up again last month
when insiders who were briefed on T-Mobile's plans said that all three
companies—Google, HTC, and T-Mobile—planned to announce the device in September.
In fact, the HTC Dream is only expected to be the first of several
Android-enabled devices from T-Mobile, although it has also been hailed as one
of the most impressive so far. A video of the device being used with Android
software
popped up on YouTube
in August, but it's not as if HTC's involvement with Google was ever a huge
secret. The Android-capable HTC Dream, with its large touchscreen and slide-out
keyboard, was even
demoed at the Google I/O conference
earlier this year.
Google has insisted all along that everything's still on track for a late 2008
launch, and it looks like that will end up being true. The HTC Dream will
undoubtedly be hailed as a major step for Android, and hopefully the straggling
carriers will be able to follow up with their own Android toys shortly after
T-Mobile's launch. And, assuming the Android launch goes as smoothly as Google
would like, more carriers around the world may soon be able to offer a device
with mass appeal similar to that of the iPhone.
The soon-to-be announced, first-ever Google Android phone will be priced at $200
with a two-year contract, according to a blog post on
TechCrunch.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10044570-94.html?tag=mncol
<Change Slide>
4 -
Best Buy eyes Apple, Microsoft with Napster purchase –
Rumors have been circulating for some time that Napster, which has been losing
money for years, had placed itself on the market in the hope of attracting a
buyer. Today, electronics retailer Best Buy announced that it would buy Napster
for a total of $121 million, a significant premium over the company's value
based on either stock price or assets. Napster had hoped to trade on its brand
recognition in any sale and it appears to have succeeded: Best Buy put a $54
million value on the name.
Napster shot to prominence as one of the first P2P music file-sharing services
but never seemed to have a strong business plan, a problem exacerbated when
lawsuits eventually forced it to get out of the P2P business. The company has
tried to stay in the music field, primarily by offering a subscription service
both to individual users and to college campuses. Its executives swore that
Napster's leftover brand recognition would help it find a following, but the
business itself—a subscription-based music service—proved to be both highly
competitive and less popular than purchased music. As a result, the company has
been hemorrhaging money for years.
With the record labels coming around to the idea of selling unprotected
downloads, Napster saw another option for moving music and opened its own
MP3 download store.
The à la carte music market is also highly competitive, one that Apple dominates
despite its mostly DRMed music and where Amazon brings significant brand
recognition to its DRM-free store. Napster's success with the new venture was
anything but guaranteed, but it appears that offering the MP3 store may have
been key to finding a buyer.
Best Buy makes its money by moving hardware, and it isn't particular about who
makes that hardware. In fact, its home page features a banner ad for the iPhone
3G, made by one of Napster's competitors. DRM-free MP3 files have the advantage
of working with any music player out there, and so may have seemed like a good
match for Best Buy.
Still, it appears that, like Napster itself, the retailer is hoping that the
name recognition hangover from the P2P days will be worth something. Best Buy
actually offers MP3 downloads currently, but the fact has barely registered in
the marketplace. A clear indication comes on the company's download web page,
which now offers a prominent link to eMusic and the page where Best Buy sells
iTunes gift cards. That could change, however, if the company decides that
the Napster brand gives it an opportunity. Best Buy's extensive retail presence
and marketing budget would give it an opportunity to push the Napster brand in a
way that the formerly-independent company could only dream of and make a run at
other players in the online music business.
In a further reason to be skeptical of the deal, Reuters
is reporting
that the existing Napster management, which never managed to do much with the
company, have all signed on to work with Best Buy. Best Buy's purchase price of
$2.65 a share is nearly double Napster's Friday trading price, making the deal a
rare bit of good news in today's troubled financial markets.
<Change Slide>
5 -
Samsung set to launch its first netbook in October –
With the economy around the world having seen better days, especially in
America, it will come as no surprise than many computer manufacturers are
looking to low-cost systems to keep profits up. In fact, IDC reported today that
low-cost netbooks—like the Asus Eee—are helping the PC industry keep growing
shipments despite the economy.
With the popularity of the netbook, virtually every PC maker is getting in on
the craze. Samsung is getting ready to launch its own netbook offering with a
system that is yet to receive an official name. According to UK web site
WhatLaptop, the
Samsung netbook
is due to be available at the end of October.
Samsung isn’t offering much in the way of specifications at this time, but we do
know a bit about the system. The Samsung netbook will reportedly have a
10.2-inch screen and be offered in white, black, and blue colors.
Tiny keyboards are a big complaint when it comes to the typical netbook. To
address that complaint Samsung has opted to do away with extraneous keys—like
media control keys—to get the main keyboard as large as possible. Another common
complaint is very small track pads—the Samsung unit also appears to have a
nicely sized track pad and two nice mouse buttons.
Connectivity options on the machine include VGA-out, Ethernet, and three USB
ports. When it comes to internal components, Samsung is mum. What Notebook
rightly figures the machine will come with an Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM
and either an 80GB or 120GB HDD. Considering how heavy into flash storage
Samsung is, I wouldn't be surprised to see the netbook come with an SSD option
as well.
The battery is reported to be a 6-cell unit good for five hours of use. Pricing
has not been officially announced, but Samsung claims it will be in line with
other offerings on the market. That would put the price of the machine somewhere
in the $500 range most likely. Let's just hope Samsung's offering is better than
the
Sylvania G netbook.
<Change Slide>
6 -
HTC Touch HD handled, pre-release style -
Okay, so this "review" of HTC's beastly new
Touch HD
isn't much of a review, but it offers up a few important snippets of insight --
and perhaps more importantly for the visual stimulation-starved among us, a
plethora of photography. The reviewer notes that the 800 x 480 display is
positively gorgeous, the cam is decent (though autofocus is a tad on the slow
side), the latest iteration of TouchFLO 3D running here chugs along with
virtually no slowdown, and despite the display and the heavy-duty spec sheet,
the darned thing is essentially the same size as an iPhone 3G. Oh, and there's
also a true 3.5mm headphone jack lurking on here, too, which we dare you to find
on that HTC in your pocket right now. Makes it all that much harder to hear that
it's launching in the fourth quarter without global HSDPA, doesn't it?
http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/17/htc-touch-hd-handled-pre-release-style/
<Change Slide>
- Viewer Questions
(*Troubleshooting, New Tech,
Etc.)
How can I Spoof my MAC Address?
Why would I want to do this, to get around MAC address filter on a router or
firewall. Trick a router thinking a
wireless router is actually a computer.
IE: Some networks scan for wireless access points by MAC address and
disable those port. Do this and the
scan will think your router is a PC Network Interface.
To start see you systems MAC address on Windows via ‘ipconfig /all’ command.
On a LinkSys router for example:
On most Linksys routers,
all you need to do is go to the config page, click
on "MAC
Address Clone" (http://192.168.1.1/WanMAC.htm),
and enter your required MAC
address in here.
On a NetGear router for example:
On most NetGear routers,
all you need to do is go to the start page, (http://192.168.2.1/start.htm)
click
on Basic Setting and goto
"Router MAC
Address" select Use Computer MAC
Address or Use this MAC Address and enter your required
MAC
address here.
On a windows PC:
Step 1:
Click on Start, then Control
Panel, then Network Connections,
and right-click on the network connection you want to change the MAC address for
and selectProperties. It will
normally either be Local Area
Connection or Wireless Network
Connection.
If you are using Windows Vista, you have to go to Control
Panel, then Network and
Internet, then Network and
Sharing Center, and then Manage
Network
Connections.
Step 2:
On the General tab, click the Configure button
Step 3:
Now click on the Advanced tab and click on the “Locally
Administered Address” property or the “Network
Address” property.
By default, the “Not Present” value is selected. Go ahead and click on the Valueradio
button and enter in a new MAC address. The MAC address is a combination of 6
pairs of numbers and characters, i.e. 40-A2-D9-82-9F-F2. You should enter the
MAC address without the dashes.
You can check that the MAC address has been changed by going to the command
prompt and typing in IPCONFIG /ALL.
Go ahead and restart the computer in order for the changes to take effect.
Change MAC Address on OS X:
Retrieving your current MAC address
First, you’re going to want your current wireless MAC address so you can set it
back without rebooting. Launch the Terminal and type the following command:
ifconfig
en1 | grep ether
You’ll know see something like:
ether
00:12:cb:c6:24:e2
And the values after ‘ether’ makeup your current MAC address. Write this down
somewhere so you don’t forget it. If you do, it’s not the end of the world,
you’ll just have to reboot to reset it from a change.
Spoofing a MAC address
To spoof your MAC address, you simply set that value returned from ifconfig to
another hex value in the format of aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff
For this example, we will set our wireless MAC address to 00:e2:e3:e4:e5:e6 by
issuing the following command:
sudo
ifconfig en1 ether 00:e2:e3:e4:e5:e6
The sudo command will require that you enter your root password to make the
change.
Verifying the Spoofed MAC address worked
If you want to check that the spoof worked, type the same command as earlier:
ifconfig
en1 | grep ether
Now
you will see:
ether
00:e2:e3:e4:e5:e6
Meaning
your MAC address is now the value you set it to. If you want to further verify
the spoof, simply login to your wireless router and look at the ‘available
devices’ (or attached devices) list, and your spoofed MAC address will be part
of that list.
If you want to set your MAC address back to its real value, simply issue the
above ifconfig commands with the MAC address that you retrieved in step 1. You
can also reboot your Mac.
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<Video Cut /
Resume>
-New Technology to keep an
Eye On
(Auto
Tech, Alt. Fuel, Environment, Hacking, High Tech, etc…)
1 -
Bill Gates Invests
in Algae Fuel –
Arguably the world's most famous billionaire dork, Bill Gates, has just plopped
some cash down on one of EcoGeek's favorite technologies...algae fuel.
Sapphire Energy,
which hopes to create fuel for cars from algae, is undergoing series B
financing, and Gates and several other large investment companies brought up
Sapphire's total invested capital to $100 M.
That's a pretty good hunk of change, but when you're trying to replace a
trillion dollar industry, it's not so impressive.
Algae is especially good at creating fats using only the energy in the sun and
carbon dioxide from the air. Some aglaes have been engineered to actually be
more fat than algae (sounds like a pretty American idea.) The fat can then be
refined into biodiesel with a much smaller footprint than current crops like
soy, corn or rape.
Tons of new startups
are working on this particular solution to our problems, and so far I like what
I'm seeing.
Sapphire wants to refine the fats directly into gasoline that could be used in
today's vehicles. That possibility is very enticing for investors, as it could
go to market immediately. But the best-case estimates predict that Sappire's
"Green Crude" won't be on the market for three to five years.
http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/2136/70/
<Change Slide>
2 -
Army Sponsoring Bat-Like, 6-inch, Solar Spy Plane -
Imagine a six-inch spy plane that sends back visual and chemical data in real
time, runs on vibrations as well as sun and wind power - and looks like a bat!
Thanks to a five-year $10-million grant from the Army the University of Michigan
College of Engineering will be making this Batman wet dream a reality. The
renewable robot will be developed at U-M’s newly created Center for Objective
Microelectronics and Biomimetic Advanced Technology a mouthful also
appropriately known as COM-BAT. The University of Michigan will work with the
University of California at Berkley as well as the University of New Mexico to
create different aspects of the technology.
Miniaturizing the various systems of “the
bat”
and making them more energy efficient are big challenges for the groups working
on COM-BAT. The tiny plane must be able to collect large amounts of surveillance
data and travel great distances while running on 1 W of power. But COM-BAT is
ambitious and they fully anticipate being able to shrink all the systems. For
example “They expect their autonomous navigation system, which would allow the
robot to direct its own movements, to be 1,000 times smaller and more energy
efficient than systems being used now.”
The potential applications of this condensed technology are virtually limitless,
"Throughout this research, we expect to make technological breakthroughs and
have a much wider range of applications for other types of engineering problems,
from medical to industrial," Kamal Sarabandi, the COM-BAT director and a
professor in the U-M Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/2137/85/
<Change Slide>
3 -
Firewinder: A Wind-Powered Outdoor Light
–
As a kid, British inventor Tom Lawton heard the sounds of wind whistling and
howling outside his window and wondered how he could transform the wind into
light.
The
Firewinder
is the end result. There's no fire involved, but the outdoor lamp utilizes the
principles of electromagnetic induction combined into a single vertical axis
wind turbine. There's no winding up either.
The Firewinder's LEDs are powered by a contact-less generator which enables it
to harness a light breeze (from wind speeds of 3 mph.) The design manages to
harness the wind in every direction. The faster it blows, the brighter the
Firewinder (which is, of course, made out of recyclable materials) shines. The
outdoor light uses no batteries but relies on 14 LEDs and helical wings to
maximum the harnessing of wind.
The Firewinder is available now for pre-order for £99.
http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/2129/86/
<Change Slide>
-Weekly Picture
My First Computer – TRS-80
Color Computer with 16k RAM
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronm3/2345968795/
-Tech Tip / Demo
Encrypt your USB Memory Stick
today…
I know, you’ll never lose your USB flash drive, and you take particular care to
ensure it won’t be stolen. But does loss, or theft, of a USB stick happen? Yes
it does!
-
Privacyrights.org
recently reported that in the last two years, personal information on over 244
million Americans has being stolen, or exposed in other ways.
To reduce or eliminate the security threat to your sensitive data, the most
prudent course for you to follow is to encrypt your data. If you’re unfamiliar
with data encryption; simply put, it is a process by which bits of data are
mathematically jumbled with a password-key. The process makes the data
unreadable unless, or until, decrypted by you.
EncryptOnClick
EncryptOnClick is a free program that lets you securely encrypt and decrypt
files. The program is very simple to use, and features military grade 256-bit
AES encryption.
After you have launched the application, simply select the target file/folder
you want to encrypt. Following the easy interface, type a password for that
file/folder which will then be encrypted. To open the encrypted file/folder at a
later date, you must type the correct password.
Quick facts:
A very secure encryption and decryption method is used (256-bit AES encryption)
Files are both compressed & encrypted, which results in a smaller file
Password protected
Will encrypt single files or all files in a folder
Very simple to use interface
Can be used on a USB key
Fully Unicode enabled so filenames in any language can be encrypted
Will encrypt, decrypt, compress, and uncompress files which can also be opened
and decrypted using third party programs like WinZip 9 - provided the correct
password is used
Will detect if you’re decrypting a file that is in a temporary folder, and if
so, will prompt you to see if you would like to decrypt it into a different
folder
Command line parameters can be used
Complete help file
Free technical support, online forums, knowledge base, and FAQs at
2BrightSparks
Tip:
Use on a USB key by copying the files EncryptOnClick.exe, EncryptOnClick.exe
manifest, ExceedZip.dll to a named folder on the USB key.
System Requirements:
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
Download at:
Download.com
TrueCrypt
TrueCrypt is an outstanding free open source software system, (one I have using
for the last several years) for establishing and maintaining an
on-the-fly-encrypted volume.
On-the-fly encryption simply means that data are automatically encrypted or
decrypted just before they are loaded or saved, without any user intervention.
No data stored on an encrypted volume can be read (decrypted) without using the
correct password/correct encryption keys.
TrueCrypt uses 11 algorithms for encrypting private files in a
password-protected volume. You can store your encrypted data in files,
partitions, or a portable storage device such as a USB flash drive.
Once your encrypted files are mounted to a local drive with your password or
key, you can manipulate those files, i.e. you can open, copy, delete, or modify
them. When you have completed working on those files, you then dismount the
volume and the files are then safely secured from unauthorized access.
Quick Facts:
Creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real disk
Encrypts an entire hard disk partition or a storage device such as USB flash
drive
Encryption is automatic, real-time (on-the-fly) and transparent
Provides two levels of plausible deniability, in case an adversary forces you to
reveal the password - Hidden volume - No TrueCrypt volume can be identified -
volumes cannot be distinguished from random data
Encryption algorithms: AES-256, Serpent, and Twofish. Mode of operation: XTS
Ability to encrypt a system partition/drive (i.e. a partition/drive where
Windows is installed) with pre-boot authentication (anyone who wants to gain
access and use the system, read and write files, etc., needs to enter the
correct password each time before the system starts
System Requirements:
Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista
Download at:
Download.com
For those of you who are more interested in protecting files, or folders, on
your home computer the two applications above will do the job nicely. Choice is
good of course, so here is an additional free program that you might be
interested in.
My Lockbox
My Lockbox is a freeware software application that allows you to do just that,
and then password protect those files on your computer.
Other users will not have access to these files, nor will they be able to
accidentally, or otherwise, view them or manipulate them in any way.
The protected folder (lockbox) is hidden from all other users and applications
on your computer; including the Administrator and the System. The lockbox
(protected folder), is impossible to access not only from the local computer,
but also from the Internet.
Following the on-screen instructions makes this program extremely easy to setup
and use. The lockbox location, password, and parameters are configured during
the easy setup procedure.
After the setup is completed, the lockbox will be hidden and locked until you,
as the user, enter the valid password. My Lockbox Control Panel allows you
easily change basic lockbox parameters: lockbox location, protection status, and
password.
The program is effective, easy to use and best of all - it’s free.
Quick facts:
Very easy to use
Almost any folder on your computer can be password protected
Instant protection - no file scrambling
Lockbox folder is inaccessible even by the system administrators
Lockbox folder is inaccessible both locally and remotely
Lockbox folder can be protected in Windows safe mode
Hotkeys support - you can popup the Control Panel with a keystroke
Skinned user interface
Freeware
System Requirements:
Windows 2000, XP, 2003 Server, Vista
Download at:
Download.com
-General Talk/Discussions
1-Viewers see giveaway link on HiWEB.NET for more details. Next Giveaway Soon, Remember the eligibility requirements. Subscribe to Youtube, Register and Comment on Blog – *And then stay Tuned for Hot Giveaways
2- Future segments will include music production segments, hardware reviews and demos
3- We are currently engaging SME to produce custom segments away from live show –
4- Viewers can send show Tips / Recommendations to live@hiweb.net
5- HiWEB-Interactive Past Shows on http://www.hiweb.net/pastshows.html (past shows)
6- Talkshoe at
Phone Number:
(724) 444-7444
@
Call ID:
13364
-Closing Comments
This was HiWEB-Interactive – Show #29
Remember tune in anytime at live.hiweb.net and Thursdays at 9p (PST) *Summer Hours -for the HiWEB-Interactive Tech Show
“Thank You for participating in HiWEB-Interactive, we look forward to bringing you more information from the edge of technology” Until next time have Fun with your technology – GottaJiboo!