Tech News Blog
3.11.05
Say It Isn’t So
PC World is reporting that Mozilla will stop developing the Mozilla browser suite and concentrate on their Firefox and Thunderbird applications. Mozilla is our favorite browser and I had been testing beta versions of Mozilla 1.8.x/. Bummer!

Why VoIP Won’t Work Here, Reason Related to Late Post Today
I have broadband Internet service provided by Comcast and while it has been reliable for the most part, the service was down for seven hours this morning and that is a long stretch to last without the Internet; to be without a phone during that same stretch would not work in this household. Yes, we have cell phones that seem to be far less reliable than our cable company, so they wouldn’t be much help a backup to VoIP. The price and options are attractive, but the dependability is still suspect given the limitations of broadband.

Multiple Platforms Tip of the Week Will Return Next Week
Help, I’m running out of original ideas for these daily tips; do you have a great tip you would like to share? I will gladly provide you with attribution if you so desire. Send your tip to contactus@multipleplatforms.com/.

More On Pop Under Ads
MacDailyNews is including pop under ads when you access their web site. I just wanted to clarify that issue leftover from last week’s news. I don’t like this new tactic, do you? I think I’ll unsubscribe their web site from my RSS reader, NetNewsWire.

Leo Laporte, Digital Deity
Listen to the Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on KFI this and every weekend from 11 am to 2 pm PST live in the Los Angeles are on AM640 or catch Leo’s show via the Internet feed by clicking on the KFI logo.

What is a LAN Party?
Hey it is Friday and the perfect day to provide a definition from Wikipedia for LAN Party, “A LAN party is a temporary, sometimes spontaneous gathering of people together with their computers, which they connect together in a local area network (LAN) primarily for the purpose of playing multiplayer computer games.

These LANs come in various sizes, from the very small (2 people) to the very large (4000+ people). Small parties can form spontaneously, but large ones usually require a fair amount of planning and preparation on the part of the organizing team.

Many parties offer various tournaments, competing in such games as Quake III, Warcraft III, Counter-strike, Unreal Tournament, and the Doom series, sometimes awarding prizes to the winners, as well as counting for standings in national and international gaming leagues, such as the WWCL. There are regular events, such as Quakecon, in which the very best players from around the world compete against one another, much like in popular sports.

The duration of the event is not standardized; many organized parties last for a weekend, while there have also been longer and shorter parties. In particular, small, spontaneous parties often last for only minutes to hours.

Big LAN parties often offer a quiet place to sleep, showers, catering, alternative entertainment (such as music) and a dedicated support crew, as well as a professionally managed network including a connection to the Internet.

Gaming clans, groups of gamers that often play in team games such as Counter-Strike, often use these gatherings to meet one another, since they typically play together over the Internet between parties with little real-world contact. Their goal is often to win tournaments.

While being in the minority, and usually discouraged or forbidden by the party organization, some attendees also use these parties for the purpose of copyright infringement (often trading copies of software, music, and movies). It also provides a forum to show off case mods, and other technical wizardry.

There are also other kinds of parties where temporary LANs are built, but which are not commonly referred to as a "LAN party" alone; amongst these are demo parties such as Assembly, hacker conventions such as DEF CON, and freestyle events such as the Burning Man.”

Tech News Blog
3.10.05
More Sensitive Information Compromised
Last week we learned that ChoicePoint had failed miserably in their duties to protect the public from unscrupulous attacks by phishers posing as legitimate businesses, and now PC World is reporting that another breach of trust has occurred. LexisNexis has announced (with regret) that 32,000 people may have had their sensitive information compromised after crackers infiltrated the company’s database. The company is in the process of notifying affected customers.

Spinning Your Wheels
Every Mac owner has experienced it at least once, the dreaded spinning wheel and that sinking feeling that your Apple is now doing its’ PC imitation; to help you avoid that issue in the future MacFixIt has a tutorial available on different strategies to prevent the wheel of misfortune. Some of the remedies include increasing your RAM, decreasing the clutter on your hard drive, and removing troublesome .plist files using a cool tool called Preferential Treatment. I tested the latter and found one corrupt .plist file that could have been causing conflicts with Internet connectivity (a recurring issue that has affected all my browsers).

Free Firewalls
PC World has the links to ZoneAlarm Free 5.5 and Sygate Personal Firewall v4.01/. I have not yet tried the latter, but I am currently using the former. Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on KFI recommends the Sygate Personal Firewall. The best protection you can provide for you and your computer is a router, it provides you with NAT protection although they are not free, the are well worth the money.

Some Office 2004 Users Can’t Update
According to MacFixIt, some Apple-ites haven’t been able to download and install the latest update from Microsoft, Office 2004 11.1.1/. If the update goes south, a “verification failed” message is displayed or a “Gathering Information” window appears before the computer freezes. Some users are reporting that using the “Check for Updates” option available in the Help menu of Office 2003 will remedy this malady.

Open Source Updates
Secunia announced that SuSE (HIGHLY CRITICAL) and Fedora have security of update bulletins available.

Multiple Platforms Tip of the Day: External Hard Drives
The easiest way to back up you computer is with an external hard drive. I am using a Maxtor 200 GB One Touch Firewire/ USB 2.0 and it has been a lifesaver more than once this week. I back up my iMacs and iBook and sync the computers using the external hard drive and RsyncX. To find the right external hard drive for your needs read the reviews from CNET, MacWorld and PC World. You should definitely opt for Firewire if you have that capability built-in to your computer. You can also build an external hard drive using a hard drive enclosure and I hope to bring you a how-to article on that issue when finances allow. If you do not have an external hard drive, back up your computer to CDs or a DVD.

What is a Mini-ITX?
Wikipedia has this definition for Mini-ITX, “Mini-ITX is a form factor for computer cases and motherboards developed by VIA Technologies. Mini-ITX is compatible with ATX and Mini-ATX but significantly smaller, as the motherboard dimensions are only 170mm by 170mm. Most of the commercially available motherboards in this form factor use considerably less power than most normal computer systems. Processors for Mini-ITX motherboards are often embedded, unlike other motherboards, which provide a socket for a separately sold processor. In some cases, the heat generated by these systems can be mitigated through passive cooling, such that a fan is not necessary. Systems like these are often ideal for the use in home theater systems, where the noise generated by a computer (in particular, the cooling fans) can detract from the cinema experience.

In March 2001, VIA released the reference design for the ITX motherboard, with dimensions of 215mm x 191mm. However, the ITX specification did not catch on, as manufacturers leaned towards the FlexATX design, about 15mm longer in length. In October, VIA announce their decision to create a new motherboard division. In order to remain competitive over the FlexATX design, they decided to focus on low-cost, embedded systems. The result was the November release of the Mini-ITX reference design.

Today, Mini-ITX is used by hobbyists to build not only embedded computers, but also to build computers in nearly any object that will house it. Hollowed out vintage computers, humidors, toys, electronics, a guitar, and even a 1960s-era toaster have become homes to relatively quiet, or even silent Mini-ITX systems, capable of many of the tasks of a modern desktop PC. Facade Computer is an example of a company founded on this concept.

The design and form factor of the Mac mini seem to derive in large part from the Mini-ITX concept.”

Tech News Blog
3.09.05
MSN Messenger Users Targeted by New Worm
A new worm is targeting MSN Messenger users according to a report from PC World. The worm is named Bropia and is infecting computers using the instant messaging application from Microsoft. The message with the new virus reads: "lol! see it! u'll like it," and has a link to a file called "omg.pif".

More On Hot iMacs
MacFixIt has received more reports on G5 iMacs and overheating issues. The web site is reporting more than a dozen confirmations of heat related problems for new iMac owners.

Open Source Updates
Secunia has released the following bulletins for open source systems: Debian, Fedora (HIGHLY CRITICAL), and Conectiva.

Multiple Platforms Tip of the Day: Backup Tools
I am constantly reminding you to backup you systems and the Multiple Platforms tip of the day includes links to free applications to help you backup your computers. A great tool for Mac-heads is RsyncX available at MacUpdate. I’ve used this tool daily to backup and sync my iMacs and iBook. PC users can use a free tool recommended by PC World, SyncBack v3.2.4/. I’m in the process of trying the application currently, but the review in the February PC World is positive for this free program.

Backups Can Save The Day
I wrote the Multiple Platforms tip of the day for a reason; the same reason the tech news is somewhat brief, in my zeal to test new applications available I inadvertently cleansed my main iMac too much using an application named OnyX. This is not meant to be a slam against the aforementioned tool, but exercise caution when using the cleaning function. I’m still not sure which option I shouldn’t have used, but the result was an iMac that wouldn’t start. I was able to boot up to my external hard drive within minutes, but restoring the iMac was not as swift and I’m still not back, to where I was last night. Remember, before toying with new applications have a backup of your system ready; and test that readiness by booting up to that backup!

What is a Graphic Card?
According to Wikipedia, “A graphics card or video card is a component of a computer which is designed to convert a logical representation of an image stored in memory to a signal that can be used as input for a display medium, most often a monitor utilising a variety of display standards. Typically, it also provides functionality to manipulate the logical image in memory.

As was in the past, many graphics cards are separate devices, attached to a PC motherboard via the ISA, PCI, VESA, or AGP buses, with recently-introduced PCI Express expected to be prominent in the future.

Increasingly, however, the graphics card is no longer a "card" in the strictest sense, but is an integrated section of the motherboard dedicated to the same purpose. Integrated-graphics- y.displays usually have inferior 3D performance compared with dedicated graphics cards (due to using cheaper chipsets and sharing system memory rather than using dedicated memory); those who require high performance still prefer non-integrated solutions. Integrated graphics displays have gradually become more common since the mid 1990s as advancing technology makes them more practical. Anyone using their computer for office tasks, web browsing, email and such things will be fine with an integrated graphics chip.

The most powerful graphics hardware, usually geared towards 3D graphics for games, is still card-based. Their processing engines are sometimes called GPUs (graphics processing units). The longterm goal of graphics cards manufacturers (and game developers) appears to be real-time photorealistic rendering. New products and technologies are often touted to provide "Hollywood quality" - 3dfx used claims of movie-quality effects to promote their Voodoo 5 cards with T-Buffer technology, allowing motion blur, depth of field and full screen anti-aliasing effects. nVidia talked about "The dawn of cinematic computing" when introducing its GeForce FX chip with the Dawn technology demo. Others use the new technology for more impressive, but unrealistic rendering, such as cel shading.

Conversely, sometimes 3D-graphics capabilities are not relevant to the choice of high-performance graphics card; 2D graphics and fine visual-quality fill specialized niches in areas such as medical imaging.”

Tech News Blog
3.08.05
New Act Would Put the Bite on Phishers
A bill introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy would put the bite on phishers if the act were passed as currently drafted. The Anti-Phishing Act of 2005 would send phishers to prison for up to five years and hook the scammers for $250,000 according to a story carried by PC World. This bill will give those charged with enforcing the law the ability to prosecute phishers for intent to defraud and further defines criminal conduct associated with phishing attempts.

Power Supply Problems for iMac G5
A troubling report from MacFixIt, some iMac G5 owners have reported power supply problems and in at least one incident the overheating power supply of a sleeping iMac failed to shut down. There is no information from Apple regarding this latest report; we will keep monitoring the situation carefully.

Office 2004 for Mac Update Available
Microsoft has released an update for Office 2004 for Mac. The release is version 11.1.1 and you can get the update from Microsoft. You must have Service Pack 1 for Office 2004 installed, if you don’t download the update here.

Change in the Weather
Now if you want to know about a change in the weather, you can Google it; the Internet search giant has added the weather forecast to the information you can now access from Google. To Google your weather just enter, “weather: your zip code” and you will get the current conditions and a 72 hour forecast. A CNET article states that you just need to type in weather and the location, but I did not receive definitive results using their suggestions, just links to other weather information providers.

More Googling
Do you need directions to or from an address? Just Google the address (with zip code to insure accuracy) and then select which map service you would like directions from: Google, Yahoo, or Mapquest. With the Google option, you can easily get directions to or from your chosen location.

Dead Heads Rejoice
If you have been wondering what ever became of Sweet Jane or for the matter, any of the live recordings of Jerry, Bobby, Phil, and the rest of the Grateful Dead at the iTunes Music Store (iTMS), the time for rejoicing has arrived. You can stop trying to transfer those old bootleg cassettes you made back in 1978 and download songs from the Grateful Dead via the iTMS according to CNET. The iTMS now has 33 volumes of live performances known as “Dick’s Picks” available for Dead Heads and several others from the band’s vault of live recordings. CNET reports that many of the bands' tunes are available for free and legal downloading at Live Music Archive.

Open Source Updates
Open source users have these updates available according to Secunia: Gentoo (1, 2, 3, 4), Debian, and Mandrake (1).

Multiple Platforms Tip of the Day: Use iTunes for Macs or Windows
Every Tuesday Apple offers a free song and the only way you can take advantage of this offer is to use Apple’s free iTunes application. If you use iTunes and download the free song every week, you can save 52 dollars over the course of a year and get some great music from new and established artists. Check out the free download of the week or download iTunes for Mac and Windows using the logos on the left side of this page. You can help support the web site by purchasing your music from the iTunes Music Store using the link to the left.

What is a Computer Chassis?
Following a theme of casemods, Wikipedia supplies this definition for computer chassis, “In computers, the chassis refers to the rigid framework onto which the assembly-worker mounts the motherboard, memory, disk drives and other equipment. It also supports the shell-like case: the housing that protects all of the vital internal equipment from dust, moisture, and tampering. The term "case modding" refers to the artistic styling of otherwise rather functional and plain computer encasings. Main article: computer case.”