*HOT* Tech News And Downloads, I Would Read This Thread And Post Any Good Info

10 Unknown Windows Freeware Applications You Should Know About

There are dozens of well known freeware applications out there. From web browsers to word processors to anti-viruses, there is freeware everywhere. Take a look at these 10 great Windows freeware applications you have probably either never heard of or never fully looked into.



Most of the freeware apps listed are for Windows. Linux users have no need to worry because a list for Linux will be published soon.

1. Circumventor

This freeware will turn any Windows XP or 2000 PC with an Internet connection into a CGI proxy you can use at work to bypass web filters. Sure, regular web proxies will do the same thing, but isn't it cooler to have your own personal proxy that is ad free?

2. Belarc Advisor

This handy tool will search a computer for installed software and license keys and generate results as a HTML file. It's handy for recovering lost software licenses and Windows license keys.

3. Xpize

Windows XP GUI enhancer. It changes Window's normal, boring icons into something worth looking at.

4. ISO Recorder

ISO Recorder is a light weight power toy for Windows XP, Server 2003, and Vista that let lets you easily mount ISO images to CDs and DVDs. With ISO recorder, mounting an ISO file is as easy as right clicking and choosing "Copy image to CD." A 64-bit version of this program is available.

5 IrfanView

Compact and fast image viewer and basic editor that works with most versions of Windows. It offers features that will please both novice users and geeks, including support for just about any file format out there, mutli language support, playing multimedia files, cutting and cropping, basic photo enhancement options, and more.

6. Windows Unattended Edition

This Windows modification makes an admin's job easier. With the program, you can create a customized Windows CD that already has many updates, optimizations, and useful software on it. Though it's in Spanish, it's easy enough to figure out how it works. Click here for a translated version of the information page in English, courtesy of Google Translator.

7.Hamachi

Hamachi lets you create your own virtual network of computers without actually having to network them together. It basically creates a LAN with other computers over the Internet. Hamachi is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac.


8. BeamFile

With this freeware application, you can easily send files up to 5 GB in size to friends and family.

9. CamStudio

CamStudio is a feature-full program that lets you record videos of applications on your computer. It's great for making demonstration videos and even lets you add screen captions, include yourself in the video, and convert the AVI files it generates into smaller SWF (flash) files!

10. Abiword

Many people know about this tiny little word processor, but its other open source brother, Open Office, takes the spotlight too often. Abiword is very small and light, making it perfect for systems that can't handle the bloatedness of Open Office. Abiword is available for many operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Mac.

posted by Dmitry at 7:34 AM

go here to get the downloads
http://mylittlebussiness.blogspot.com/2006/09/10-unknown-windows-freeware.html

 

Apple to launch movie downloads site and player?


Posted by Dan Bell on 11 September 2006 - 14:49 - Source: The Register

GristyMcFisty used our news submit to tell us that we may be seeing another outlet for downloaded movie titles, this time from Apple...

Apple will debut a new video download service tomorrow, if the rumours currently spooling around the industry proves correct. An invitation to the latest Apple conference was sent out to a select bunch in the media with the tagline “It’s Showtime”.

Speculation is rife that Apple could also launch a new iPod with a wider screen for movie fans wanting to watch videos downloaded from the Apple movie store. Steve Jobs is the biggest stockholder at the Walt Disney Company, after acquiring Pixar Animation Studios Inc earlier this year. Business Week reports that this “connection provides a natural toehold for Disney to be among the first to sign a distribution deal.”

According to the report at the Register, other Hollywood studios are apparently in discussion with Apple for movie download deals as well.
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13933

 

Video of a beer-pouring robot


September 11, 2006 4:00 AM PDT
http://news.com.com/2061-11200_3-6114043.html?part=rss&tag=6114043&subj=news
Whether it's a self-cooling can or an external temperature-regulating device, evidence abounds that beer and technology make a natural marriage.

In Japan, known for its love of both subjects, Asahi has apparently come up with a robot that pours beer, as shown in this YouTube clip. As much as we applaud the ingenuity, however, we must point out a couple of important bugs.

The robot overpoured significantly, wasting a goodly amount of precious commodity. Second, and most egregious, the slothful bot took more than 2 minutes to complete the task.

We don't know about you, but that kind of inexcusable lag is a deal-breaker for us.
Posted by Mike Yamamoto


GO HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tXm...om/2006/09/asahi-beer-pouring-robot-on-video/

 

Half a century of hard drives

By Michael Kanellos
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
September 11, 2006 4:00 AM PDT

Hard drives radically changed the way the world stores data. And for a brief period, at least one was a tourist attraction as well.

Crown Zellerbach, at one time a major paper producer in San Francisco, was the first company to install a RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and Control) machine, the first IBM computer with a then-newfangled piece of storage technology called a hard drive, according to Jim Porter, president of analysis firm Disk/Trend. The RAMAC--officially announced on Sept. 13, 1956--weighed 1 ton and stored 5MB of data on 50 spinning platters, 24 inches in diameter.

Porter worked at Crown, which got the RAMAC because the company delivered a lot of computer card stock to IBM.

"Any time we had a business guest, they wanted to see it, so I'd take them three levels below Market Street to the computer room. You could see the head assembly moving back and forth. It put on a good show," Porter recalled. "I showed it off dozens of times."

A lot has changed in the last 50 years. Manufacturers now sell drives that hold 750GB, or 150,000 times more data than the RAMAC, but they weigh only a few ounces and measure just 3.5 inches across. Drives that can hold a terabyte will be announced late this year or early next year.

Hard drive hall of fame

Here's a brief look at some notable hard drives in history.
Year Drive
1956 IBM 350. Consists of 50 disks, each 24 inches in diameter.
1962 IBM comes up a storage system based on packs of six 14-inch disks. Each pack holds 2MB. Commercially, this is when drives take off.
1979 IBM develops an 8-inch drive.
1980 The 5.25-inch "Winchester" drive makes its debut. Its design plays a key role in the development of the PC market.
1983 Rodine issues a 10MB 3.25-inch drive. It's still the standard form factor for desktops.
1988 PrairieTek releases its 2.5-inch 20MB drive, the size of which remains the mainstay in notebooks.
1991 Integrated Peripherals debuts its 1.8-inch drive. Drives this size aren't destined to go mainstream until the debut of Apple Computer's first iPod, more than 10 years later.
1992 Hewlett-Packard produces a 1.3-inch drive. It doesn't make a major bang, though drive manufacturers are now thinking about bringing it back.
1999 IBM releases a 1-inch microdrive with 340MB of capacity. That capacity has since expanded to 8GB.
2004 Toshiba shrinks the drive to 0.85 inches in diameter. Many believe that this is the smallest size drive that will be mass-made.


GO HERE TO READ THE TOTAL ARTICLE
http://news.com.com/2009-1015_3-6112782.html?part=rss&tag=6112782&subj=news

 

NET TOOLS (2)..........153 net tools in one package. Cutting-edge security and network monitoring software for the Internet and Local Area Networks, providing clients with the ability and confidence to meet the challenges of tomorrow's technology. Keeping pace with the industry trends, we offer professional tools that support the latest standards, protocols, software, and hardware for both wired and wireless networks. The main goal is the creation of high quality software. Net Tools is a very strong combination of network scanning, security, file, system, and administrator tools useful in diagnosing networks and monitoring your PC and computer's network connections for system administrators. Next to the essential core tools it includes a lot of extra valuable features. It’s a Swiss Army knife for everyone interested in a set of powerful network tools for everyday use. This all-in-one toolkit includes also a lot of handy file and system utilities next to the huge amount of network tools. The menus are fully configurable, so in this way you won’t get lost in the extremely large amount of essential tools. All the additional features will make this application a must have for all system administrators. There are numerous constructive and valuable applications included in Net Tools that can be used for a great amount of purposes. The latest version of Net Tools is hybrid; it means that it’s capable of working together with applications that are made and designed for Net Tools, so in this way more flexibility and user-friendliness is obtained. This software is designed for the Microsoft Windows OS (Windows 98, NT, 2000, 2003, XP, Vista). It’s entirely compatible and has thoroughly been tested on Windows XP. With the 150+ tools it is a great collection of useful tools for network users. The size of Net Tools 4.5.74 is approximately 25 Mb .....(free).....GO THERE!
http://users.pandora.be/ahmadi/nettools.htm

The Creation

Net Tools is cutting-edge security and network monitoring software for the Internet and Local Area Networks, providing clients with the ability and confidence to meet the challenges of tomorrow's technology. Keeping pace with the industry trends, we offer professional tools that support the latest standards, protocols, software, and hardware for both wired and wireless networks. The main goal is the creation of high quality software. Net Tools is a very strong combination of network scanning, security, file, system, and administrator tools useful in diagnosing networks and monitoring your PC and computer's network connections for system administrators. Next to the essential core tools it includes a lot of extra valuable features. It’s a Swiss Army knife for everyone interested in a set of powerful network tools for everyday use. This all-in-one toolkit includes also a lot of handy file and system utilities next to the huge amount of network tools. The menus are fully configurable, so in this way you won’t get lost in the extremely large amount of essential tools. All the additional features will make this application a must have for all system administrators. There are numerous constructive and valuable applications included in Net Tools that can be used for a great amount of purposes. The latest version of Net Tools is hybrid; it means that it’s capable of working together with applications that are made and designed for Net Tools, so in this way more flexibility and user-friendliness is obtained. This software is designed for the Microsoft Windows OS (Windows 98, NT, 2000, 2003, XP, Vista). It’s entirely compatible and has thoroughly been tested on Windows XP. With the 150+ tools it is a great collection of useful tools for network users. The size of Net Tools 4.5.74 is approximately 25 Mb.

Contents

Net Tools 4.5 (build 74) contains a whole variety of network tools. Here is a list of the most important tools:

1) IP Address Scanner
2) IP Calculator
3) IP Converter
4) Port Listener
5) Port Scanner
6) Ping
7) NetStat (2 ways)
8) Trace Route (2 ways)
9) TCP/IP Configuration
10) Online - Offline Checker
11) Resolve Host & IP
12) Time Sync
13) Whois & MX Lookup
14) Connect0r
15) Connection Analysator and protector
16) Net Sender
17) E-mail seeker
18) Net Pager
19) Active and Passive port scanner
20) Spoofer
21) Hack Trapper
22) HTTP flooder (DoS)
23) Mass Website Visiter
24) Advanced Port Scanner
25) Trojan Hunter (Multi IP)
26) Port Connecter Tool
27) Advanced Spoofer
28) Advanced Anonymous E-mailer
29) Simple Anonymous E-mailer
30) Anonymous E-mailer with Attachment Support
31) Mass E-mailer
32) E-mail Bomber
33) E-mail Spoofer
34) Simple Port Scanner (fast)
35) Advanced Netstat Monitoring
36) X Pinger
37) Web Page Scanner
38) Fast Port Scanner
39) Deep Port Scanner
40) Fastest Host Scanner (UDP)
41) Get Header
42) Open Port Scanner
43) Multi Port Scanner
44) HTTP scanner (Open port 80 subnet scanner)
45) Multi Ping for Cisco Routers
46) TCP Packet Sniffer
47) UDP flooder
48) Resolve and Ping
49) Multi IP ping
50) File Dependency Sniffer
51) EXE-joiner (bind 2 files)
52) Encrypter
53) Advanced Encryption
54) File Difference Engine
55) File Comparasion
56) Mass File Renamer
57) Add Bytes to EXE
58) Variable Encryption
59) Simple File Encryption
60) ASCII to Binary (and Binary to ASCII)
61) Enigma
62) Password Unmasker
63) Credit Card Number Validate and Generate
64) Create Local HTTP Server
65) eXtreme UDP Flooder
66) Web Server Scanner
67) Force Reboot
68) Webpage Info Seeker
69) Bouncer
70) Advanced Packet Sniffer
71) IRC server creater
72) Connection Tester
73) Fake Mail Sender
74) Bandwidth Monitor
75) Remote Desktop Protocol Scanner
76) MX Query
77) Messenger Packet Sniffer
78) API Spy
79) DHCP Restart
80) File Merger
81) E-mail Extractor (crawler / harvester bot)
82) Open FTP Scanner
83) Advanced System Locker
84) Advanced System Information
85) CPU Monitor
86) Windows Startup Manager
87) Process Checker
88) IP String Collecter
89) Mass Auto-Emailer (Database mailer; Spammer)
90) Central Server (Base Server; Echo Server; Time Server; Telnet Server; HTTP Server; FTP Server)
91) Fishing Port Scanner (with named ports)
92) Mouse Record / Play Automation (Macro Tool)
93) Internet / LAN Messenger Chat (Server + Client)
94) Timer Shutdown/Restart/Log Off/Hibernate/Suspend/ Control
95) Hash MD5 Checker
96) Port Connect - Listen tool
97) Internet MAC Address Scanner (Multiple IP)
98) Connection Manager / Monitor
99) Direct Peer Connecter (Send/Receive files + chat)
100) Force Application Termination (against Viruses and Spyware)
101) Easy and Fast Screenshot Maker (also Web Hex Color Picker)
102) COM Detect and Test
103) Create Virtual Drives
104) URL Encoder
105) WEP/WPA Key Generator
106) Sniffer.NET
107) File Shredder
108) Local Access Enumerater
109) Steganographer (Art of hiding secret data in pictures)
110) Subnet Calculater
111) Domain to IP (DNS)
112) Get SNMP Variables
113) Internet Explorer Password Revealer
114) Advanced Multi Port Scanner
115) Port Identification List (+port scanner)
116) Get Quick Net Info
117) Get Remote MAC Address
118) Share Add
119) Net Wanderer
120) WhoIs Console
121) Cookies Analyser
122) Hide Secret Data In Files
123) Packet Generator
124) Secure File Splitting
125) My File Protection (Password Protect Files, File Injections)
126) Dynamic Switch Port Mapper
127) Internet Logger (Log URL)
128) Get Whois Servers
129) File Split&Merge
130) Hide Drive
131) Extract E-mails from Documents
132) Net Tools Mini (Client/Server, Scan, ICMP, Net Statistics, Interactive, Raw Packets, DNS, Whois, ARP, Computer's IP, Wake On LAN)
133) Hook Spy
134) Software Uninstaller
135) Tweak & Clean XP
136) Steganographic Random Byte Encryption
137) NetTools Notepad (encrypt your sensitive data)
138) File Encrypter/Decrypter
139) Quick Proxy Server
140) Connection Redirector (HTTP, IRC, ... All protocols supported)
141) Local E-mail Extractor
142) Recursive E-mail Extractor
143) Outlook Express E-mail Extractor
144) Telnet Client
145) Fast Ip Catcher
146) Monitor Host IP
147) FreeMAC (MAC Address Editor)
148) QuickFTP Server (+user accounts support)
149) NetTools Macro Recorder/Player (Keybord and Mouse Hook)
150) Network Protocol Analyzer
151) Steganographic Tools (Picture, Sounds, ZIP Compression and Misc Methods)
152) WebMirror (Website Ripper)
153) Extra Tools (nmap console & win32 version)
154) ...

 

MRTG..........You have a router, you want to know what it does all day long? Then MRTG is for you. It will monitor SNMP network devices and draw pretty pictures showing how much traffic has passed through each interface .....(free).....GO THERE!
http://oss.oetiker.ch/mrtg/

 

EMI goes after The Beachles



p2pnet.net News:- "Copyright is supposed to protect expression and encourage creativity," says Cory Doctorow on Boing Boing. "EMI is using copyright to suppress both. They are censors and thugs."

He's absolutely correct. But as we all know, Money Rulz and EMI, together with Warner Music, Sony BMG and Vivendi Universal, the other members of the Big Four Organized Music gang, will therefore continue with impunity to terrorize and victimize the people who have made them so very, very rich, and who keep them that way.

Doctorow is complaining about EMI's, "indiscriminate censorship of people who do to the Beatles what the Beatles did to the artists who inspired them," and he goes on:

"First EMI tried to crush DJ Danger Mouse's incredible 'Grey Album' (the White Album plus Jay-Z's Black Album), then they took down djBC's Beastles (The Beatles plus the Beastie Boys)".

And now they're coming after Clayton Counts' Sgt Petsound's Lonely Hearts Club Band, "a noise-album that mashes up the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds with the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".

Interesting. And there's an equally interesting item in The Wall Street Journal which says:

As fashion models hit New York runways this week, they won't just be showing off spring 2007 designs aimed at high-end retailers. They'll also be providing a wealth of ideas for apparel manufacturers that copy runway looks - usually with less-expensive fabrics, in foreign assembly plants - for purchase by the masses.

Hoping to change that by following Europe's lead, prominent fashion designers in the U.S. are pushing for federal legislation that would offer three years of copyright-like protection for designs ranging from dresses and shoes to belts and eyeglass frames."

It goes on:

The central question is whether fashion design is an art worthy of protection or a craft whose practitioners can and should freely copy one another. In an industry where many designers come out with similar looks each season - and where inspiration is said to be "in the air" - designers and the thriving knockoff industry are hotly debating the issue.

Another key question: whether knockoffs, somewhat counterintuitively, actually benefit the industry as a whole. Copying, some argue, propels the fashion cycle forward by creating popular trends that spur designers to move on to the next big idea. In what they dub the "piracy paradox," law professors Kal Raustiala of the University of California, Los Angeles, and Christopher Sprigman of the University of Virginia argue that copying makes trends saturate the market quickly, driving the fashion cognoscenti to search out newer looks. 'If copying were illegal, the fashion cycle would occur very slowly, if at all,' they write in an article to be published in the Virginia Law Review.

Back at Counts' site, "Demand is accordingly made," says a clip from the EMI C&D letter, "that you immediately and permanently:

(a) cease and desist from the manufacture, sale, offering for sale, offering for download/streaming, and/or other reproduction and distribution of the Beachles Mash-Up Recordings and the Other Mash-Up Recordings as well as any other unauthorized uses of the Capitol Recordings and/or other sound recordings owned and/or controlled by Capitol;

(b) cease and desist from the manufacture, sale, offering for sale, offering for download, and/or other reproduction and distribution of the Infringing Artwork as well as any other unauthorized uses of the Beatles Artwork, the Beach Boys Artwork, and/or other artwork owned and/or controlled by Capitol;

(c) provide Capitol with information regarding downloading and/or streaming of the Beachles Mash-Up Recordings and the Other Mash-Up Recordings to date, including but not limited to: (i) the dates on which those recordings were streamed and/or downloaded; (ii) the number of times those recordings were streamed and/or downloaded; and (iii) any and all available information regarding persons who streamed and/or downloaded those recordings ...

In an update, "I have been informed by my friendly neighborhood sysadmin that records of IPs only stay on our server for three days," say The Beachles, continuing:

Since much of this Internet stuff is lost on me, there was no way for me to comply with EMI’s preposterous request to turn over the information and preserve the data. However - and it is a big however - the data may still exist on the network, and if EMI are scummy enough to subpoena records from my ISP, they may well be able to hunt you people down like the undeserving animals they think you are. I would hope they have more sense.

EMI can take my little website away if they like, but six more will pop up in its place. I will see to it personally. They can tell me what and what not to make, but in so doing they are challenging me to outdo myself. They can sue me, but I will succeed in making a case for fair use. Copyright law in the United States is meant to protect extant material. The Beachles never existed before I created them. Inasmuch, they are in no way intended as an explicit infringement of EMI’s copyright. I created this record as a work of satire. It is a semi-sadistic commentary on the mash-up phenomenon, and a meager tribute to two of the greatest pop bands of the 20th century. And what’s wrong with that, really?

Also, I’m not going to spend too much longer on this, but there seem to be a few crybabies who still don’t understand why this record sounds the way it does. Let me clear this up. Being out of tune and sloppy is the last thing one would expect from a Beatles and Beach Boys mash-up. Any sane human would expect it to be melodic and perfectly in time. We would expect it to be crafted meticulously, over the course of years, by Brian Eno and Ray Kurzweil in a secret underground laboratory.

Contradistinctively, the last thing we would expect is for it to be carelessly hobbled together by some hillbilly schmuck with a laptop, just like every other mash-up in existence. It is, simply, a playful demonstration of how well these songs complement one another, in spite of their many differences. If you didn’t like the Beachles, I suggest that you listen to the Shaggs, who Frank Zappa once said were better than the Beatles. Get a bit of perspective. If you did enjoy yourself, however, I will gladly high-five you at my earliest convenience.

Power to the people!

Click here to send an email to EMI US Legal, adds the post. " Or, you can simply write EMI / Capitol an appurtenant letter: mEMI Group plc, 27 Wrights Lane, London W8 5SW

Meanwhile, here's the line-up of tracks.

* Wouldnt Sgt Petsound Be Nice.mp3
* You Still Believe in My Friends.mp3
* Thats Not Lucy.mp3
* Dont Talk (Get Better).mp3
* Im Fixing It, Dayhole.mp3
* Shes Going Away for Awhile.mp3
* Being for the Benefit of Sloop John B.mp3
* God Only Knows What Id Be Within You.mp3
* I Know Therere Sixty Four Answers.mp3
* Today, Rita.mp3
* I Just Wasnt Made for Good Mornings.mp3
* Sgt Petsounds Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprieve).mp3
* A Day in the Life of Caroline.mp3
* Runout Groove.mp3

And back at the World of Fashion, under the proposed changes to the US legislation, "designers for the first time could register clothing designs with the U.S. Copyright Office," says the WSJ. "Registrations would cover the overall appearance of the item in question, barring even those made with inferior fabrics. But designers couldn't protect commonplace designs already in the public domain, like jeans, T-shirts, wrap dresses or trench coats, or anything before the law was passed, such as styles from previous seasons."

"It's going to be crazy," it has Steven Feinstein, president of Eci, saying, "there are going to be a lot of lawsuits flying around that have no merit."

Look familiar, does it?

Stay tuned.

Also See:
Boing Boing - EMI wants millions and your IP address in revenge for Beachles, September 8, 2006

p2pnet newsfeeds for your site.
rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss
Mobile - http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.php

(Monday 11th September 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/9828?PHPSESSID=0a593a4e018b4215931ee5df03d7f3c3

 

MS06-049 Causing Silent Data Corruption


Posted by Hemos on Monday September 11, @10:30AM
from the oh-who-wants-encryption-anyway dept.
Security Windows IT
Uncle Mike writes "It looks like there is a problem with the recently released MS06-049 / KB920958 patch. If you have compression activated on any folder, then the compressed data is at risk from corruption. New files that are close to a multiple of 4K in size will have their last 4,000 bytes or so overwritten with 0xDF. Although this problem has been reported to Microsoft, as yet there appears to have been no official announcement. "




Countless Windows 2000 (Pro and Server) users in the UK and US have reported
that KB920958 is causing permanent loss of disk data, if the "compress"
attribute is set for folders.

New files that are close to a multiple of 4K in size will have their last
4,000 bytes or so overwritten with 0xDF (looks like a 'B'). The problem is
not immediately apparent due to lazy caching. However, after a few hours,
once the data has expired from the cache, the damage to the file is visible.

It has been confirmed that either turning off the compression attribute
(disk space permitting) OR uninstalling KB920958 will prevent further loss of
data.

The problem HAS been reported to Product Support but so far I have yet to
see a pro-active announcement by Microsoft warning customers that use the
compression attribute that they will lose disk data permanently.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/co...net-filesvcs&lang=en&cr=US&sloc=en-us&m=1&p=1

 

German police seize TOR servers
Anonymising service flushed out
By John Oates → More by this author
Published Monday 11th September 2006 16:43 GMT

Prosecutors in Germany have seized 10 servers which hosted the anonymising service TOR.

The action has raised fears of a wider clampdown against the service, which provides a way for people to browse the internet anonymously. The seized machines are assumed to be TOR exit nodes.

But according to at least one blogger, the police seized the machines as part of a child porn investigation.

It seems the IP numbers of the machines were found during an investigation into a chatroom where images were being traded.

One of the volunteers who run the servers, and had his machine seized, told a newsgroup that prosecutors told him he was allowed to run TOR in Germany. The prosecutor apparently asked the administrator whether it was possible that the machine had been hacked.

GO HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/11/anon_servers_seized/

 

Samsung touts 'first of its kind' memory device
[Print][Mobile]
By Dan Ilett [More by this author]
11th September 2006 14:08 GMT

Samsung has developed a 40-nanometer memory device, which it today claimed is the first of its kind.

The 32Gb NAND flash memory can be used in memory cards with densities of up to 64GB. One 64GB card can store over 64 hours of DVD resolution movies (about 40 movies) or 16,000 MP3 files (1,340 hours).

GO HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/11/samsung_charge_trap_flash/

 

Greenpeace issues toxic sex toy warning
'Crystal Jelly Double Dong' off the menu
By Lester Haines → More by this author
Published Monday 11th September 2006 13:33 GMT

Greenpeace Netherlands has issued a statement warning sex toy lovers not to shove the "Spectra Gel Anal Plug" or the "Crystal Jelly Double Dong" where the sun don't shine, according to an eye-watering report on Expatica.

The reason behind the shock advisory is not the possible risk of ending up in hospital with a dildo stuck firmly up your jacksie and having to endure the humiliating laughter of medical staff who avail themselves of the opportunity of grabbing a few X-rays for later dissemination on the internet, but rather that sex toys apparently contain "extremely high concentrations of phthalate plasticisers which allegedly pose a risk to human health and the environment".

GO HERE TO READ THE TOTAL ARTICLE
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/11/phthalate_warning/

 

One Million Ways to Die

By Ryan Singel| Also by this reporter
02:00 AM Sep, 11, 2006

Sept. 11, 2001 was undoubtedly one of the darkest and deadliest days in United States history. Al-Qaida's attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center killed 2,976 people, and the country recoiled in horror as we witnessed the death of thousands of Americans when the towers fell.

In the five years since that shattering day, the government has spent billions on anti-terrorism projects, instituted a color-coded alert system that has never been green, banned fingernail clippers and water bottles from airplanes, launched a pre-emptive war on false pretenses, and advised citizens to stock up on duct tape and plastic sheeting.

But despite the never-ending litany of warnings and endless stories of half-baked plots foiled, how likely are you, statistically speaking, to die from a terrorist attack?

Comparing official mortality data with the number of Americans who have been killed inside the United States by terrorism since the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma reveals that scores of threats are far more likely to kill an American than any terrorist -- at least, statistically speaking.

In fact, your appendix is more likely to kill you than al-Qaida is.

With that in mind, here's a handy ranking of the various dangers confronting America, based on the number of mortalities in each category throughout the 11-year period spanning 1995 through 2005 (extrapolated from best available data).


S E V E R E
Driving off the road: 254,419
Falling: 146,542
Accidental poisoning: 140,327


H I G H
Dying from work: 59,730
Walking down the street: 52,000.
Accidentally drowning: 38,302


E L E V A T E D
Killed by the flu: 19,415
Dying from a hernia: 16,742


G U A R D E D
Accidental firing of a gun: 8,536
Electrocution: 5,171


L O W
Being shot by law enforcement: 3,949
Terrorism: 3147
Carbon monoxide in products: 1,554

Sources: National Highway and Safety Agency (.pdf), National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 50, No. 15 (09/16/2002) (.pdf), US Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Insurance Information Institute.



http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,71743-0.html?tw=rss.index

 

Amazon Unbox loads on boot, calls home & films cost as DVD


Posted by Seán Byrne on 12 September 2006 - 00:45 - Source: c|net Reviews

After reading this particular c|net review, it looks like Amazon's Unbox movie/TV show service is going to be a disaster unless some major changes are made to its software or service. For a start, in order to play Unbox content, one must first download and install the Unbox playback software. To make matters worse, the software automatically launches upon boot-up and there is no preference option to prevent it doing so. Once the software launches, it makes an online connection to its base, although it is unclear what tries checking or transferring during this process. Finally, in order to uninstall the application, it appears like that the user must go online to allow the software make one final contact back home before it allows the uninstallation to take place.

Apparently when a user tried blocking the Unbox software service from accessing the Internet, it kept prompting for a login and would fail the installation unless these details were provided.

GO HERE TO READ THE TOTAL ARTICLE
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13937

 

Free Streaming Video Software


Posted by: Digital Dave on September 11, 2006 4:33 PM
For free??? Read what this baby does and I'm sure you're going to want to grab a copy/

CamStudio is able to record all screen and audio activity on your computer and create industry-standard AVI video files and using its built-in SWF Producer can turn those AVIs into lean, mean, bandwidth-friendly Streaming Flash videos (SWFs)

- Camstudio.org

GO HERE
http://www.camstudio.org/

What is it?

CamStudio is able to record all screen and audio activity on your computer and create industry-standard AVI video files and using its built-in SWF Producer can turn those AVIs into lean, mean, bandwidth-friendly Streaming Flash videos (SWFs)

Here are just a few ways you can use this software:

* You can use it to create demonstration videos for any software program
* Or how about creating a set of videos answering your most frequently asked questions?
* You can create video tutorials for school or college class
* You can use it to record a recurring problem with your computer so you can show technical support people
* You can use it to create video-based information products you can sell
* You can even use it to record new tricks and techniques you discover on your favourite software program, before you forget them



Don't like the sound of your voice? No problem.

CamStudio can also add high-quality, anti-aliased (no jagged edges) screen captions to your recordings in seconds and with the unique Video Annotation feature you can even personalise your videos by including a webcam movie of yourself "picture-in-picture" over your desktop.

And if all that wasn't enough, CamStudio also comes with its own Lossless Codec that produces crystal clear results with a much smaller filesize compared with other more popular codecs, like Microsoft Video 1.

You have total control over the output of your video: you can choose to use custom cursors, to record the whole screen or just a section of it and can reduce or increase the quality of the recording depending on if you want smaller videos (for emailing to people, for instance) or you can have "best quality" ones for burning onto CD/DVD.

But all of these features would be worthless if CamStudio wasn't easy to use ... fortunately that's not the case. CamStudio can be learned in a matter of minutes and comes with a comprehensive built-in helpfile, so if you do manage to get stuck, you can simply hit "Help" and get the answers you need.



So where can I get it and how much does it cost?

You can download and use it completely free - yep - completely 100% free for your personal and commercial projects as CamStudio and the Codec are released under the GPL (for more details on this license, click here.)

There are no royalties or any monies to pay - although if you do use it for a commercial product, I wouldn't say no to a copy of whatever you produce

Here is the project page on SourceForge where you can download the files:

CamStudio on SourceForge: http://sourceforge.net/projects/camstudio/

Not sure how to download CamStudio from Sourceforge? Click here to watch a video or you can download the video from here.

Close the new window to return to this page.

You'll always find the latest version of the CamStudio program, the Lossless codec and the source code on SourceForge. If for some reason the above link isn't working use the links below to download the executables:

 

Get the Vista Sidebar on Your Windows XP Machine
Posted by: Digital Dave on September 11, 2006 4:17 PM
All packaged and ready for install.

I thought to myself, "I need to make this easy for the average Joe that wants to install this," so I decided to package all the files into one file, that automatically extracts all the necessary files to your computer and executes the patch for you all you have to do is click on patch and run the sidebar application. Thanks to all those who posted these files online for everyone to download. Follow the link to the guide, it's a 1 pager....enjoy!

- homedns.org

GO HERE TO GET IT
http://mstn.homedns.org/mstn/asp/news/news_detail.asp?id=3520

 

MS DRM spells WOE for Sky

p2pnet.net News:- Microsoft DRM has forced UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB to suspend its broadband movie service.

"The move came last week when Microsoft discovered that hacking software called FreeUse4WM could affect its DRM capabilities, potentially making protected content available to pirates," says C21Media, going on:

"The suspension of the Sky by Broadband movie service, launched earlier this year, also affects some of the sports video the company has been offering online. Sky is waiting on Microsoft to resolve the issue before resuming the service, which is separate to its new broadband access offer."

go here to read the article
http://p2pnet.net/story/9832?PHPSESSID=354bed77cc3afb664fd89c40e2b93a20

 

The CDCoaster kit in words and pictures.

The following pictures and text illustrate what you get in the CDCoaster Kit, and just how easily you can convert those unwanted CDs into useful, decorative coasters with our new CDCoaster Kit.

go here
http://www.thecdcoaster.com/products.php

 

Microsoft fixes only three flaws for Patch Tuesday
September 12, 2006 11:19 AM PDT
Microsoft has released its September 2006 security bulletin, which includes only three updates: One is listed as critical, one as important, and one as moderate. The critical update this month is specific to Microsoft Office Publisher. Missing is a patch for the recently announced vulnerablity in Microsoft Office Word 2000. Users of Windows 98 and Windows Me will notice that Microsoft no longer offers technical support for these two operating systems. To keep your Windows 98 and Me systems secure, see our roundup of compatible third-party security applications. All Microsoft security patches for Windows and Office software are available via Microsoft Update or via the individual bulletins detailed below.

MS06-052: Important
Entitled "Vulnerability in Pragmatic General Multicast (PGM) Could Allow Remote Code Execution (919007)," this bulletin affects users of Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP x64, and Windows Server 2003 (SP1, SP2, and x64 editions). Successful exploitation could lead to remote code execution.

MS06-053: Moderate
Entitled "Vulnerability in Indexing Service Could Allow Cross-Site Scripting (920685)," this bulltin affects users of Windows 2000, Windows XP (SP1, SP2, and x64 editions), and Windows Server 2003 (SP1, SP2, and x64 editions). Successful exploitation could lead to private information disclosure.
MS06-053: Critical
Entitled "Vulnerability in Microsoft Publisher Could Allow Remote Code Execution (910729)," this bulletin affects users of Microsoft Office 2000, Office 2002, and Office 2003. Successful exploitation could lead to remote code execution.
Posted by Robert Vamosi

 

Largest DRM-free music download store eMusic launches in EU
Posted by Seán Byrne on 13 September 2006 - 00:46 - Source: BBC News - Technology

eMusic, the 2nd most successful music download service after iTunes and the world's largest retailer of independent music has just launched to the European market, making music available from around 8,500 independent music labels. The music service has a fairly strong competitive advantage over DRM based music services in that its music is delivered free of restrictive DRM, thus allowing playback on virtually every MP3 player on the market, including Apple's iPod series.

The service is available in a choice of three subscriptions; offering up to 40, 65 or 90 downloads per month. Any further music can be purchased for 25p per song or just under 1/3 that of an iTunes single. Unlike the subscription services offered by other music services such as Napster, music downloaded as part of the eMusic subscription will not expire and may be written to CD or transferred to any equipment capable of playing MP3s.

While the European president of eMusic, Steve McCauley is not against DRM, they are actually against technology that restricts what customers can do with their music. Thanks to GristyMcFisty for letting us know about this news:

eMusic is the second most successful download site in the US after Apple's iTunes Music Store, and will sell tracks from 8,500 independent labels.

The subscription-based site will offer MP3 recordings that work on all digital music players, including Apple's iPod.

But eMusic has not struck deals with major record labels, who say their music must carry digital restrictions.

eMusic plans to sell music across Europe, and has employed music journalists to help confused customers navigate their way through its varied collection.

Unfortunately, while eMusic is taking the right approach by not treating its customers as criminals, it is a pity no major record labels are willing to strike a deal with eMusic despite already having 8,500 independent labels and running successfully for over five years in the US.

Feel free to discuss about eMusic and other online music services on our forum.



go here to suck eMusic up
http://www.emusic.com/?fref=700057&refsrc=spire

 

A 15-foot iceberg for your pool
September 13, 2006 6:00 AM PDT

Summer may be ending, but there's still time to enjoy this king of all pool toys.

The Inflatable Iceberg sits a proud 15 feet above the water with climbing grips in various degrees of difficulty on three sides--and, if you scale the summit, you're rewarded with a water slide on the fourth.

It would be the perfect water toy in every way, except for the price tag: $8,860.

see it here
http://blog.scifi.com/tech/archives/2006/09/11/inflatable_iceb.html