Article: Upgrading vs. Buying a New Computer

Excerpt from the article: "As computers get older, it becomes more and more difficult to get them to run the latest and greatest hardware and software. The newest games are notoriously bad about not running on older hardware. They generally require the fastest CPU, video card, and a ton of RAM in order just to run properly. 

Sometimes older computers just don't appear to be running as fast as they use to, or they just stop meeting your needs. When this happens you're faced with the choice of upgrading it, or just replacing it all together.

Before replacing your computer with a new one, there might be a few things that you can do to extend the life of the existing hardware. You might be able to optimize your computer to run more efficiently, or replace/add some new components to meet your needs and get a few more years out of it." (read the rest of the article)

Hardware: Diagnosing Noises from your Hard Drive

A few months back I gave my son my previous computer.  It's not that much slower then the newer machine I built to replace it.  Recently all of a sudden it became unusable as far as performance, it was slow to start, basically bogged down when you try to use it.

When I checked into the problem, I noticed that the hard drive was making a clicking noise.  I hate to say it, generally when hard drives start making any noise, other then the typical quiet whine when it spins its bad news.


To see if I can figure out what was going wrong, I checked the SMART (hard drive diagnostic counters, and it was not showing anything wrong).  I also tried booting from a live Linux CD to see what was happening and I was still having problems accessing the data on the drive.


So if your hard drive starts making any noises, the first thing you should do is backup any important data if the device will allow you.  If you can't back it up and there is important data on it that you need, then you will have a send the drive to a data recovery service like DriveSavers.  

Its important to note that any hard drive data recovery services are very expensive, so backing up your important data is basically cheap insurance against data lost.  Any of these recovery services has a take a multi-step approach to pull data off the drive.  


First they may try to use software that is specially designed to extract data from damaged drives. If the software doesn't work, they will try to repair the drive if possible or sometimes they will pull the platters out of the drive and put into another working drive.  


Its also important to understand that this is a great deal more complex and time consuming then I am explain it.

More Information on S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology)

• CrystalDiskInfo - Can read the  S.M.A.R.T. counters on your hard drive
• Wikipedia Article - Tells just about everything you need to know to understand the S.M.A.R.T. counters
• Failing Hard Drive Founds - If you want to possibly try to identify the type of sounds (e.g. heads, spindle, bearings, etc.) your hard drive is making.  Find the drive manufacturer in the list, then press the play button to listen to the sound for that type of problem.  You can also click the link to learn more about the different type of common problems these hard drives can experience.

Software: DNSCrypt for Windows is now Available

OpenDNS created a service called DNSCrypt to address a widely known problem with Internet security and enhanced your privacy. When you use public Wi-Fi that is available in coffee shops, airports, hotels and other places you can be vulnerable to a weaknesses in DNS.

DNS traffic is sent unencrypted, so it can be intercepted by criminals, ISPs, and other organizations. They can potentially see where you're going online, spoof or conduct man-in-the-middle attacks.

Note: The software is currently in Preview Release, which means it still can have bugs in it.

Microsoft Flight (Free Flight Simulator)

Microsoft has a long history of creating flight simulators.  I remember playing the first version of Microsoft Flight Simulator on an Apple II+.  It was crude by today's standards, but it was state of the art back in the 80's.  Flight simulators now seem second only to the real thing.

If you love flight simulators, check out Microsoft Flight.  I need to note that there are two versions.  The  free version includes basic content you need to get started.  There's also a premium version that has expanded content.

All Hail IPv6 as King, IPv4 is dead...

For decades IPv4 was king because it was the dominate networking protocol for Internet and corporate Intranet communications.  Although its rein has come to an end as the pool of publicly available IPv4 addresses (the numeric addresses assigned to every device on the Internet) was officially depleted as of February, 2011.

Its been known for a long time that the publicly available IPv4 address space would be completely depleted so in 1998 they started drafting a next-generation networking technology known as IPv6 to replace it.

For years several ISPs and Internet companies have been testing and deploying their networks to be able to carry both IPv6 and IPv4 traffic. They have also offer "tunneling services" that allow IPv6 customers to access IPv4 sites. 

June 6, 2012 was designated as "World Launch Day" for IPv6.  Several major ISPs and Internet companies permanently enabled IPv6 on their public Internet sites.

The IPv4 and IPv6 are majorly different network protocol, but have been designed to interoperate with each other so that they can co-exist on the same network.  


One of the first fundamental differences between the two protocols is the size of the address space (e.g. the amount of device that are supported).  The IPv4 protocol supports a maximum number of over 4 billion (4,294,967,296) public IP addresses.   The  IPv6 protocol supports a maximum number of over 340 undecillion (340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456) unique addresses. 

The following Microsoft operating systems include full support for IPv6: Windows Vista, 7, 8 and Windows Server 2008 and above.

Note: Windows XP does have support for IPv6 but its not native to the OS.

Brief Note: IPv6 to IPv4 Tunneling
For older IPv4 networks that don't currently support IPv6, there are a few different protocol transition technologies.  For example, there is "6to4 Tunneling" which is able to encapsulate IPv6 packets within IPv4.  Basically what this technology does is take one type of network data (e.g. IPv6) and translates it into another type (e.g. IPv4) then broadcasts it over the network.


IPv6 Checklist
Below is a checklist of items that you have to have in order to use IPv6 on your computer and network.

• An operating system and applications can that supports IPv6 (Note: applications have to be specifically updated to support the IPv6 protocol)
• The most current versions of Windows (Vista and above), Linux or Mac OS X.
• A router appliance (commercial or consumer) that supports IPv6.
• Most modern routers  support IPv6, older models may require firmware update if available (check hardware manufacture's web site for more information).
• An ISP with IPv6 protocol and DNS support.
• IPv6 readiness will vary between companies.  Contact your ISP to find out the type of IPv6 support they offer.
• If you're ISP doesn't support IPv6 you can use an IPv6 Tunnel Broker like Hurricane Electric to allow your computer to access the IPv6 Internet.

Testing Your IPv6 Readiness
Want to check out your networks IPv6 readiness?  Run the following test (http://test-ipv6.com/) from your browser and it will tell you whether its IPv6 network is ready or not. If you  already have an IPv6 network running, this site offers a good way to test if you have any problems or other issues.

Other was to test if IPv6 is working properly on your network, run the following two search queries on Google and they will show you your publicly available IPv4 and IPv6 address.

• IPv6 Test (requires an IPv6 network)
• IPv4 Test (requires an IPv4 network)

Learning More
Want to learn more about IPv6, read the following article, "Introduction to IPv6".  Also check out a site called Hurricane Electric (H.E.).  H.E. also offers an unofficial IPv6 certification.

Windows Defender Offline (Offline Virus Scanner)

Everyone should have an up-to-date real-time anti-malware application running on their system at all times.  These programs won't guarantee that you will never get infected by a rouge application (e.g. virus, Trojan-horse, worm, root-kit, etc.), but it provides better protection then not having this software running at all.

If your computer starts acting strangely, you might want a second opinion to see if your system is actually infected.  This is why there are offline virus scanners for checking your system for malicious software.

There are several vendors that offer this type of software, but one of the newest is from Microsoft and called the Windows Defender Offline.  Below is excerpt from the site: "Sometimes, malicious and other potentially unwanted software, including rootkits, try to install themselves on your PC. This can happen when you connect to the Internet or install some programs from a CD, DVD, or other media. Once on your PC, this software might run immediately, or it might run at unexpected times. Windows Defender Offline can help remove such hard to find malicious and potentially unwanted programs using definitions that recognize threats. Definitions are files that provide an encyclopedia of potential software threats. Because new threats appear daily, it's important to always have the most up-to-date definitions installed in Windows Defender Offline. Armed with definition files, Windows Defender Offline can detect malicious and potentially unwanted software, and then notify you of the risks."

Fun With Text

Emojicons 
Tired of the boring old simily face emoticon ;-)?  Check out a site called Emojicons, it gives you access to a new batch of emoticons to express your emotions with text.

Text-Image.com 
Back in the early days of computer before graphics there was ASCII art.  People and programs would convert images into text based images.  A site called Text-Image.com will convert your photos or graphics into ASCII.

Software: 0 A.D. - A free, real-time strategy (RTS) game of ancient warfare

Description from the website: "0 A.D. (pronounced "zero ey-dee") is a free, open-source, cross-platform real-time strategy (RTS) game of ancient warfare. In short, it is a historically-based war/economy game that allows players to relive or rewrite the history of Western civilizations, focusing on the years between 500 B.C. and 500 A.D. The project is highly ambitious, involving state-of-the-art 3D graphics, detailed artwork, sound, and a flexible and powerful custom-built game engine." (download the game)

Video: Updates for Firefox 13

Video Description: "The latest Firefox has some great updates to make getting to your next task faster and easier than ever!


The New Tab page now opens whenever you click on the '+' sign, allowing you to see thumbnails of your most recently and frequently visited sites. You can customize the New Tab page by adding or removing thumbnails based on where you go most.


The Home Page now includes icons at the bottom of the page to give you easy access to bookmarks, history, settings, add-ons, downloads and sync preferences with one-click shortcuts"

Download the latest version of Firefox or get more information.

ASUS Taichi - dual screen Windows 8 notebook - Computex 2012

This is one of the more interesting Ultrabook/tablet hybrid designs that I have seen so far.



Video Description: "At first glance, the Taichi passes for just another ultrabook, but upon closer review, the lid yields a reflective surface, that is in fact, a touchscreen. The touchscreen is a beautiful Full HD IPS display with a 1920x1080 resolution that offers crisp visuals, even from extreme angles, so it's great for sharing with friends."

Not to be outdone, there are also other ultrabook/tablet hybrid designs, which include:

The Asus Tablet 810, demonstrated at Computex in Taipei.



The Acer Iconia W510, demonstrated at Computex in Taipei.



Back at CES 2012 in Las Vegas in January, Lenovo introduced the IdeaPad Yoga.

Privacy: Visually See How You're Tracked When Browsing (Firefox Add-on)

A new Firefox add-on called "Collusion" visually depicts the sites that are tracking your web surfing.  Online behavior profiling is big business, the revenues from the top online tracking companies is over $39 billion.

Collusion displays a dot matrix diagram composed of grey dots (sites you've visited) connected to red dots (sites that your browser passed tracking data that is used to monitor your online browsing).

For more inforemation or to download the add-on, check out the Collusion web site.

TED Video: Gary Kovacs: Tracking the trackers

Video Description: "As you surf the Web, information is being collected about you. Web tracking is not 100% evil -- personal data can make your browsing more efficient; cookies can help your favorite websites stay in business. But, says Gary Kovacs, it's your right to know what data is being collected about you and how it affects your online life. He unveils a Firefox add-on to do just that."

Article: Internet Backup Solutions (An Introduction to Cloud Backup Services)

Here is an excerpt from an article that provides a brief introduction cloud backup services: "Backing up data on your computer has always been critical. A long time ago floppies were used to backup your data, later it was CDs and then DVDs. Today there is no affordable external removable media capable of keeping up with modern multi-terabyte drives.

Even if you have an external drive or NAS (network attached storage), it can be damaged, lost, stolen or suffer data corruption. If you don't have an off-site backup, and your local backups are in-tact they can be damaged by fire, earthquake, or other natural disasters." (read the rest of the article)

Leap - Motion Control Gestures

Leap appears to be a very cool technology that supports accurate motion control that allows you to interact with your computer in three dimensions with natural hand and finger movements.  Its currently only in pre-order availability (US$69), but its supposed to be available in a few month for the Window 7/8, and Mac OS/X.

Setup is supposed to be easy. Just plugin the device to a USB port, load the Leap Motion software, and do a quick wave to calibrate it.

Personally I want to try it with Windows 8, it might be a great alternative to having touchscreens for a mouse for the new OS, for me the technology seems worth trying out.  I will post an update if I like it.

Photo tours in Google Maps

Google Maps offers a new feature called "Photo Tours" that allows you to experience landmarks from all around the world in 3D.  This site requires that the MapsGL feature be enabled in your browser.

The latest versions of Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer browsers are supposed to support the MapsGL feature.  I was only able to get it to work properly in Google Chrome after I downloaded the MapsGL extension.

(More information about MapGL)

Article: Living in the Clouds (an Introduction Cloud Services and Storage)

Here is an excerpt from an article that provides a brief introduction cloud services and storage: "The term "cloud" has been over-hyped by many different businesses trying to distinguish their products or services in the market or from their competition. The word Cloud refers to products or services that requires an Internet connection to utilize it, often requiring a web browser." (read the rest of the article)

Windows 7: Creating a Recurring Alarm

You don't need a special program like Microsoft Outlook to have a recurring alarm that reminds you of regular events (such as: exercise, lessons, etc.).  You can create one with the Windows Task Scheduler.

• Click the Start button in the Search field, type "task scheduler" and press Enter
• In the right Actions panel, click Create Task...
• In the General tab, type a name for the task, such as "Reminder: Attend Lecture"
• Click the Triggers tab, and press the New button
• In the “Begin the task” dropdown menu select "On a schedule" 
• Under Settings select the appropriate interval that (e.g. daily, weekly, etc.) that is applicable.  Also select the appropriate Advanced Settings, such as "Repeat task every X hours".  Check the Enabled checkbox, then press the OK button.
• Click the Actions tab to select what actions you want to happen to alert you (such as: running a program, sending an email or displaying a message on the screen).
• Press the OK button when done.

Microsoft SkyDrive (Free Cloud Storage, with Local File Access/Syncing)

Microsoft offers a cloud storage service called SkyDrive.  If you already have a SkyDrive account you had 25GB of free storage space, but you better "opt-in" to keep it, otherwise you will lose it.  For new users who didn't already have an account will get 7GB free storage, and can opt to buy more space if needed.

Microsoft recently added a new feature to this service allows you to use Windows Explorer to access the file in your SkyDrive account on your local computer. You need to install the SkyDrive client on your machine and it will create a folder (located in the Users\<your user name>\SkyDrive path) on your PC that is automatically synced with the SkyDrive service in the cloud.

Free Photo Morphing Tool

Looking for a tool that transforms your photos into another one? Check out a tool called Fotomorph.  Make sure view the sample projects to see how it works, just use the play button at the bottom to see the morph in action.  

Here is an except from a CNet review: Digital imaging and graphic design software is often the victim of one of two problems: either it's too advanced for everyone but expert users, or it's too basic to do anything very useful. FotoMorph is one of the rare programs that manage to deliver impressive results with very little know-how. This fun application lets users create animations that morph one photo into another, no experience required."

Software: Skype Auto Recorder

Skype is a great tool for making calls over the Internet, using either computer-to-computer or from PC to mobile phones and landlines. Sometimes you want to have an audio recording of a conversation things for archival reference reasons. Podcasters also sometimes us programs like this to make audio podcasts with remote guests.

Skype Auto Recorder is a free open-source application that allows you to automatic record Skype conversations into MP3 files. It also provides the ability to filter who is recorded and the destination file location based on the contact name, and improve the output sound quality.

NOTE: Make sure to check the laws in your jurisdiction regarding the recording of telephone calls and electronic communications.

Optting Out of Behavioral Advertising

Are you concerned about your privacy in relationship to Internet advertising? The Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) offers a tool that allows you "opt out of behavioral advertising" that is utilized by its members.

This is not all an encompassing tool, there are a lot of caveats, but it does offer some control over your online privacy. It doesn't allow you to opt out of web advertising, it only allows you to "opt out" of the behavioral advertising delivered by its member companies.

Behavioral advertising is used to precisely target Internet advertising at you based on your surfing habits. These companies track you by placing their ads on web sites and using their cookies to track where you're surfing.

To opt out of an NAI member's behavioral advertising program, go to the tool,  check the box that corresponds to the company (or press the button labeled "Select All"), then press the the "Submit" button. The Tool will replace the specified advertising cookie(s) and show your opt-out status.

More information:

• Network Advertising Initiative