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Tech News Update
Between job interviews, research, teaching, and a close-up and personal visit between my dogs and a Mephitis mephitis (striped skunk), the tech news has been on hold for the last several weeks.
Before the tech news let me attempt to dispel some old myths. Tomato juice is not an effective remedy for removing the odor of skunk from Rover. If it is the only defense you have to combat the odor, it may help temporarily, but do not let it fool you into believing that you can let the skunked one in your house or vehicle. We tried several brands of scent removal products and none of them was able to break the aromatic bonds that are created by this striped kitty. Your best bet is to use one quart of hydrogen peroxide mixed with one-fourth cup of baking soda blended with two teaspoons of Dawn liquid dishwashing soap. Because we have large dogs, it was not possible to bathe them in the solution so I used micro-towels and applied the mixture copiously on the dogs. This will alleviate the odor, but it cannot completely eliminate the horrific odor that is emitted by this most vile creature. Two weeks and one day have passed since that visit from Pepe LePeeyou and the smell still lingers on our silly dogs.

ADV: Exploring Spyware and Adware Risk Assessment
“Explore new quantitative methods for measuring the impact of spyware and adware and learn about a pragmatic, user-defined model for determining risk levels. Learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of the various methods that are used to mitigate the risks of these harmful programs.” PC Mag: John C. Dvorak 11/2/05 2:18 PM

Mac OS X 10.4.3 (#3): More on increased fan activity; Motion sensor on some PowerBooks/iBooks no longer recognized; more
“More on increased fan activity Users continue to report problems with increased fan activity after installation of Mac OS X 10.4.3. In most cases, these issues can be resolved by either…” MacFixIt 11/2/05 8:00 AM

Safari is first browser to pass Acid2 test
“Apple's Safari Web browser became the first browser to pass the Acid2 test. Acid2 is a test page...” MacNN 11/2/05 11:00 AM

Study: IM threats zooming up
“Messaging security company says its data shows a 1,500 percent increase in worms, viruses and other pests targeting IM networks.” CNET News.com - Security 11/2/05 12:07 PM

Tiger's Improved Firewall (and How to Use It)
“Among Tiger's many enhancements, Apple introduced a whole new firewall called ipfw2. It works just the like the old firewall, but has new features that allow greater flexibility and more control. In this article, Peter Hickman shows you some of the new features and how you can use them to more easily manage your firewall.” O'Reilly MacDevCenter.com 11/1/05 4:54 P