PC & IT 02 (Nov 08 - Mar 10)

[blid2def]

Songbird: The Open Music Player

http://getsongbird.com/

[kennynah]

we say bird talk...this s/w plays bird songs....hahahahaha....

[blid2def]

Hehhe... some of the channels on Shoutcast are really good. If you like New Age, the topmost popular one has a nice selection.

[winston]

It's Good to Know: If Found, Please Return to...

Flash (or thumb) drives give you a cheap and easy way to transport large amounts of computer data, like videos, music files, documents, and more. But their small size makes them easy to lose... along with anything important you have uploaded.

Of course, you should always have a backup for any data you load on a flash drive. Still, there is something you can do to increase your chances of retrieving one if it's lost. Simply add a text file, clearly named something like "If Found Please Return to..." In the file, include your contact information - phone number, address, e-mail, etc.

With any luck, a Good Samaritan will pick it up and return it to you.

(Source: Lifehacker)

[blid2def]

Firefox users:

Here's a powerful and convenient (well, for me) search system for folks who want to do research on a (US) stock. Basically, highlight a stock symbol with mouse, right click, select search engine of choice... presto. One hand operated search.

Download and install the preferred search plugins from here: http://wookup.com/finance/tools

After that, install this addon, to allow you to use the right-click functionality I described earlier (i.e. context search):
Context Search: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/240

Additional info:
Installing the various search plugins adds the various "search engines" into the list of search engine options you can choose from, when you type stuff into the Firefox search box in the top right corner (or wherever you put it). In other words, you can search the various sites even if you don't use Context Search, by simply typing in the stock symbol, choosing the search engine, and hitting return or clicking the search icon (the magnifying glass icon).

[winston]

Fears mount as computer worm continues to spread

A nasty worm has wriggled into millions of computers and continues to spread, leaving security experts wondering whether the attack is a harbinger of evil deeds to come.

US software protection firm F-Secure says the worm, known as ''Conficker'' or ''Downadup,'' had infected more than nine million computers and was spreading at a rate of one million machines daily.

The malicious software had yet to do any noticeable damage, prompting a debate as to whether it is impotent, waiting to detonate, or a test run by cybercriminals intent on profiting from the weakness in the future.

''This is enormous; possibly the biggest virus we have ever seen,'' said software security specialist David Perry of Trend Micro.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

[winston]

It's Good to Know: How to Extend the Life of Your Laptop Battery

Business road warriors know all too well that laptop battery life is a precious thing, especially when working on a plane, in an airport, or anywhere else without readily accessible electrical outlets.

One way to extend the life of your battery is to change the power settings. In Windows, double-click on the "battery" icon on the lower right-hand side of the screen. You'll find several power-saving options. One major drain on laptop battery juice, for example, is the screen. So making it less bright will significantly extend battery life.

(Source: Lifehacker)

[iam802]

Beware if you use pirated software.

====

Mac Trojan Horse OSX.Trojan.iServices.A Found in Pirated Apple iWork 09

http://www.intego.com/news/ism0901.asp

[winston]

Internet audience tops 1 billionNashville Business Journal

Online spending heavy but misses holiday mark
Facebook dethrones MySpace
Internet audience tops 1 billion
Online holiday shopping heavy but misses mark
The global Internet audience topped 1 billion for the first time in December, according to Reston, Va.-based ComScore Inc., which tracks Internet traffic.

The Asia-Pacific region now accounts for 41 percent of all Internet users, with China ranked as the largest Internet population in the world, says ComScore. China now has 180 million Internet users, or about 18 percent of the worldwide cyberspace audience. The United States ranks second at 16.2 percent, followed by Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom.

“Surpassing 1 billion global users is a significant landmark in the history of the Internet,” says ComScore CEO Magid Abraham. “The second billion will be online before we know it, and the third billion will arrive even faster than that.”

The most popular site in the world was Google, with 777.9 million visitors. Google was followed by Microsoft sites (647 million visitors) and Yahoo! sites (563 million visitors).

Facebook has grown by 127 percent in the past year to 222 million visitors, according to ComScore, ranking Facebook as the top social networking site and the seventh most popular property overall.

ComScore (Nasdaq: SCOR) said its numbers include Internet users ages 15 or older, from home or work computers. They do not include traffic from public computers, like Internet cafes, or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

[winston]

Nine-year old whiz-kid writes iPhone application


SINGAPORE, Feb 5 (Reuters) - While most children his age sketch on paper with crayons, nine-year old Lim Ding Wen from Singapore, has a very different canvas -- his iPhone.

Lim, who is in fourth grade, writes applications for Apple's popular iPhone. His latest, a painting program called Doodle Kids, has been downloaded over 4,000 times from Apple's iTunes store in two weeks, the New Paper reported on Thursday.

The program lets iPhone users draw with their fingers by touching the iPhone's touchscreen and then clear the screen by shaking the phone.

"I wrote the program for my younger sisters, who like to draw," Lim said. His sisters are aged 3 and 5.

Lim, who is fluent in six programming languages, started using the computer at the age of 2. He has since completed about 20 programming projects.

His father, Lim Thye Chean, a chief technology officer at a local technology firm, also writes iPhone applications.

"Every evening we check the statistics emailed to us (by iTunes) to see who has more downloads," the older Lim said.

The boy, who enjoys reading books on programming, is in the process of writing another iPhone application -- a science fiction game called "Invader Wars".