Month: December 2005

If you are VERY cool (and maybe VERY rich) you MAY have 1 gig of memory in your PC! (Not your hard drive, now… your RAM! I trust you already have a larger than 1 gig hard drive!) But consider this… there is now an 8 gig DIMM! That’s 8 gig of RAM on one stick! Dewd!

8 Gig DIMM from Samsung

“OEMs that use Samsung’s high-density memory can increase the amount of installed memory and keep slots in reserve for future upgrades. Samsung memory such as the new 8GB FB-DIMM is ideal for space-constrained applications in blade and 1U servers.” Now, we’re talkin’!

OK, folks, never let it be said that the Doctor is unfair. I gripe and the time about Microsoft’s problems… now it is Firefox’s turn! Now, don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE Firefox, but a flaw has been found in the new version 1.5 that can cause Firefox to crash, and so far, it has not been patched. (Though I am sure it will be soon!)

Firefox Flaw Found

So, be aware of this problem, and watch this space for an announcement of the patch!

OK, history buffs, if someone asked you, “Who ‘invented’ the World Wide Web?” Would you say, “Al Gore?” No? OK, who REALLY invented it? Why Tim Berners Lee, of course! In 1992, the web was a “product” of the Mr. Berners Lee (now, of course, SIR Tim!) as part of his Masters Degree work. Of course, the Internet existed for MANY years before this… we are talking only about the WEB… got it? (Yes, Virginia, there is a difference!)

Anyway, Sir Tim archived the VERY first web page ever:

First Web Page

OK, pretty boring… but what do you expect? It was the FIRST! Still, very cool history!

Rootkits – They are very evil! The Wikipedia definition for “rootkit” is: “A rootkit is a set of software tools frequently used by a third party (usually an intruder) after gaining access to a computer system. These tools are intended to conceal running processes, files or system data, which helps an intruder maintain access to a system without the user’s knowledge. Rootkits are known to exist for a variety of operating systems such as Linux, Solaris and versions of Microsoft Windows. A computer with a rootkit on it is called a rooted computer.”

It seems that the majority of rootkit “infections” these days are coming from Ad-ware and Spyware!

Where Do Rootkits Come From?

This makes it all the more important to STOP ad-ware and spyware BEFORE they install themselves! See my earlier Blog entry on this week’s “Geek Software of the Week”… using ClamWin and WinPooch! You must stop the ad-ware/spyware evil! Don’t get “rooted!”

I like Firefox a lot! And the new Firefox 1.5 rocks! I also like some of the Firefox themes and add-ons! I told you previously about “FasterFox” and it amazed me… well, here’s what I would do if I were you. (And, what I did do, because I am me!) Riiiight! Anyway, install Fasterfox from here:

FasterFox

Then install the Noia 2.0 eXtreme theme from here:

Noia 2.0 eXtreme Theme

Whoa! Very cool! I like the look! Now, add in your local weather report, by clicking here:

ForecastFox

Set it up with the wizard provided when your re-start Firefox, and you are surfin’ like the Doctor! Allright!

Whoa! This might eat into Uncle Bill’s bubble gum money!

Microsoft Fined in South Korea!

“Less than a month after it reached a $30 million settlement with South Korean Internet portal Daum, Microsoft has been fined another $32 million by the country’s Fair Trade Commission. The Korean FTC has also ordered Microsoft to unbundle its instant messaging client and media player from Windows, and link to competing software.”

Microsoft has been “naughty!” And, for once, somebody is holding them to it!

As you know, I am a big supporter of Open Source as a concept. Well, here’s an unusual Open Source project…

Open Source Clip Art!

Totally royalty-free, advertisement free Clip Art! Very handy!