Monroe

I came across this article relating to Robin Williams and decided to add it to your post. It's about a gorilla who met R Williams in 2001 ... he made her laugh and they became friends ... when told of his death she became very sad. Gorilla 'Close to Tears' Following News of Robin Williams' Death 13 August 2014 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2723584/She-extremely-sad-Sign-language-gorilla-Koko-close-tears-following-news-Robin-Williams-death-13-years-video-captured-two-fast-friends.html 'She became extremely sad': Carers for the world's most intelligent gorilla claim she was 'close to tears' following news of Robin Williams' death - 13 years after video captured the two becoming fast friends. News of Robin Williams' untimely death hit particularly close to home for famed sign language gorilla Koko, who handlers say was moved nearly to tears by the somber mood shared by all at her Northern California home. Staff at the Gorilla Foundation were, like much of America, in mourning after hearing the news Monday. Williams visited their center in 2001 and quickly befriended Koko, making her laugh for the first time in six months. So when they explained to Koko, who is fluent in American Sign Language, that a dear friend of the center had died, she soon became sad and is pictured sitting hunched over with a quivering lip. Koko even signed the words 'cry lip' -- lip being her word for woman -- as she watched staff reacting to the news. 'She became extremely sad,' Koko's caretaker Dr. Penny Patterson wrote on Koko.org. Footage from the day Koko and Williams met is as uplifting as his suicide is tragic. ... more at the link with pictures and video of the meeting. I will just add ... too bad he didn't pay a return visit, maybe she might have cheered him up a little this time around. Who knows ... ...

Thanks jaclaz for all the elephant research ... interesting reading. I just came across this article about another Indian elephant from last month (July) ... don't know the outcome and if people were able to find and help the elephant. Treatment Eludes Injured Tusker in Odisha Forest (India) http://savetheelephants.org/elephant-news-service/treatment-eludes-injured-tusker-in-odisha-forest-india/ July 10th 2014 Odisha Channel Bureau Angul, July 10: An injured tusker in a bad condition is wandering in Bolanga forest areas on the boarders of Angul and Satkosia forest divison for the last one month. If not treated properly it will succumb to the injury like one in Rodanga jungle under Kamakhyanagar range areas under Dhenkanal forest Division two months ago. The female elephant there who got multiple injuries finally died without peoper medicare and sheer negligence by forest officials amid tug of war between keonjhar and Dhenkanal forest disvisons on their jurisdiction. According to forest department sources, the injured tusker, aged about 30 years, is having deep wound on the front left leg for over a month. But it still is moving in that area for which no proper treatment can be given to it. Animal lovers suspect it as an act of poachers who fired shots at the tusker. The bullets instead of hitting head missed the target and injured the elephant on its leg, they feel. Ruling out any gun shot wound official sources, however, said that the tusker may have sustained injuries due to fight with another tusker who also got injured in his back leg but was cured by now. So far, there has been no proper treatment of the badly inured trusker that is becoming weak day by day and it is feared that in the rainy days the wound be compounded beyond cure. On Tuesday, according forest department information, a team of veterinary doctors from Angul and Nandankanan reached the spot and traced the inured animal. They also administered some sort of treatments to it but refrained from tranquilising. It kept on running when doctors attempted to give injections from a distance. “We are keeping a watch on the movement of the injured animal and treatment is being given to it. Proper treatment can not be given to it as its is moving away when there is an attmept to inject medicine to it. Still some antibiotics and other medicines have been given to it,” said Pandab Behera, Regional Chief Conservator of Forest (RCCF) of Angul circle. “Now we fear that rainy days have come and unless it is properly treated then he may succumb. The animal has a wound on his front leg presumably by fight with another tusker. We are ruling out any poaching attempt by gunshot as the poachers might have fired to his head instead of leg,” he added. ...

Now this is sad ... going all the way back to Humphrey Bogart in the 1940s and 50s. Found this but lost the link ... She’s one of the last of Hollywood’s golden-age stars—the girl who stole Humphrey Bogart’s heart at age 19. Lauren Bacall, Sultry Movie Star, Dies at 89 August 12, 2014 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/13/movies/lauren-bacall-sultry-movie-star-dies-at-89.html?ref=obituaries&_r=0 ...

I suppose seaweed, twigs or swamp grass might not taste too bad if it's "roasted" correctly ... probably not ! I guess grinding coffee beans yourself is the way to go. ...

Some reading for coffee drinkers ... Your Ground Coffee May Contain Soybeans, Corn - Even Twigs http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/08/12/your-coffee-may-not-be-just-coffee/?intcmp=latestnews August 12, 2014 With world coffee prices on the rise, producers may be adding fillers to your pre-ground coffee to maximize profits. Along with water and coffee, you might also be drinking wheat, corn, soybeans, rye, ground acai seeds and even brown sugar in your morning brew, according to the American Chemical Society. While not harmful, these unwanted fillers may affect the taste and quality of coffee. Drought and a detrimental fungus have been ravaging coffee farms, leading to an unexpected rise in impurities, such as wood, twigs, leaves or other matter from the coffee plant, found in coffee grounds. “With a lower supply of coffee in the market, prices rise, and that favors fraud because of the economic gain,” says Suzana Lucy Nixdorf, Ph.D., a Brazilian scientist who is working to combat the filler problem. Nixdorf and her team of researchers have developed a new test that detects unwanted additives through the use of liquid chromatography and statistical tools. Traditional methods for testing coffee impurities involve examining grounds under a microscope and even tasting the compounds—a subjective process with a lot of room for error, according to Nixdorf. “With our test, it is now possible to know with 95 percent accuracy if coffee is pure or has been tampered with, either with corn, barley, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, acai seed, brown sugar or starch syrup,” she said in a statement to the American Chemical Society. World coffee supplies are estimated to drop by about 70 percent by 2080 due to conditions related to climate change, according to a 2012 study from the U.K.’s Royal Botanic Gardens and the Environment. In Brazil, 55 million bags of coffee are typically produced each year but estimates project the country will likely produce only 45 million by the end of 2014. While detecting grains and other fillers in your grounds might help keep your morning joe pure, once the coffee is brewed with water, detection of these elements is difficult. The team plans to use the test on product before it hits the shelves. ...

Thanks JorgeA for this information ... so did this breach really happen or is the whole thing a "scam" to make money? This looks more and more shady ... no companies sending their customers alerts to change passwords ... everything has been unusually quiet. I did not see this news posted anywhere myself ... perhaps tomorrow or soon there will be more chatter about what actually did happen. ...

jaclaz ... I see that they make things very clear about that component cable : Do Not Buy This Cable !!! I want to make a possible correction to my other posts in this topic. I first posted to inform anyone else that might be like me ... not paying too much attention to Blu-ray developments over the last few years. So if they needed an older Blu-ray player for some reason, then they could start checking things out. Also, I thought others might post more information on the subject and perhaps "correct" me on some things ... so I may have to correct myself. I am not 100% sure but I may have a part of my earlier posts wrong. I said that newer Blu-ray models may no longer have composite and component type outputs on the back of the unit. This because of the "analog sunset" rule of any model made after 01/01/2011. I looked at newer models and I'm not seeing these outputs there anymore but I found some things posted in various Blu-ray forums and the way I read some of what's posted ... these outputs may still be on some newer models but it just can't be HD output anymore or it has to be a degraded picture ... no 1080i or p picture, just 480i. Maybe I am wrong that these composite and component outputs no longer exist on models after 2011, I don't know. Here's a few things I found at some forums: That looks like it'll do the trick, upto 1080i via component so long as you don't connect a HDMI cable as well. I don't know if certain discs may stop you getting any 1080i output over component (ie it'll drop to 480i), but that might be answered quicker if you ask on the BluRay section of these forums. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Been there. Done that. Doesn't work. There is some sort of restriction on current Blu Ray players such that they will not play a Blu Ray disk through component outputs at more than 480i. Download the manual for any current player and see for yourself. The manual of the Blu Ray player I purchased (Samsung BD6500) said it would play "non-protected media" through component outputs at 1080i, but "protected media" would only be output at 480i. Same with an LG, a Panasonic, a Sony and a Pioneer that I looked at. My understanding is that there are some older players that don't have this restriction ... and will play Blu Ray disks at 1080i through component outputs. Once I find out about a model that can supposedly do this, I will download the manual, verify the info and then try to purchase a used one. I'd love to have a better, more modern player, but at this time I'd rather have the HD picture than the other modern features. Thanks! Bruce -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You need to buy a used or refurbished player. According to the "analog sunset" any model made after 01/01/2011 will not pass a HD signal over component. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have found a solution that worked for me! I purchased a refurb Samsung BD-C6500. It puts out 1080i through component just fine. I've tested the only 4 Blu Ray disks I own (purchased when I got the BD-D6500) and all 4 worked just fine. If anyone really knows their electronics and Blu-ray players ... maybe they can clear this up about the older outputs on newer models. thanks ...

Yes, you are correct ... the Samsung players have both composite and component connections, I just used the term RCA jacks ... I could have gone into more detail ... Red,Blue,Green and Yellow, Red, White. Another thing about the Samsung BD-C6500 from this review: The BD-C6500 is also one of the few players to also keep 7.1 analog audio outputs, which is a bonus for anyone with an older non-HDMI AV receiver. I'm not sure if I'll make use of those outputs, but they are there. Samsung BD-C6500 http://www.cnet.com/products/samsung-bd-c6500/

I don't pretend to have a lot of knowledge dealing with Blu-ray players, just what I more or less picked up in the last month. I don't remember if I saw a converter for around $50 ... I was probably afraid to spend the money and find out it didn't really work. When I started finding out about the older BRay players from 2010 and that there were still some on eBay in possible good shape and not too expensive (yet!) as the supply still seems to be there ... I just decided to try to find a player for $50 / $60 and have the whole working unit ... now if those players were all in the $200 range, then I suppose I would have went with a converter. The Samsung BD-C5500 does not have Wi-Fi built in for video streaming ... you have to buy a Samsung Wi-Fi adapter that is very expensive ... the BD-C6500 has Wi-Fi built in, nothing else to buy. I didn't buy it for streaming but someday I may want to try Netflix or someone for that. I will be taking very good care of the units ... one is packed away and and one is being used for now. If I decide one day to sell them and they still work, then I should be able to get my money back or more ... if the units are still in demand. The unit being used is covered when not being used ... no dust and the remote is wrapped in clear thin plastic ... no dust again. I always wrap all my remotes in plastic ... they always look brand new but no dirt, dust or liquids can screw them up. Remotes can be expensive if you have to replace the "original" remote. ...

Yes, I looked into cables and converters but so many people said they didn't work ... I looked at several "HDMI to RCA jacks" cables and almost everyone said they were a waste of money. The converters were not cheap if I remember ... I was able to get the Samsung BD-C6500 model for under $60 with shipping and the BD-C5500 model was in better "cosmetic" shape and under $70 with shipping. I also like these two models because they play media files ... .avi, .mp4, .mkv, .flv and more from USB or DVD. So far all the files I have seem to play OK. I got this from a review: Samsung BD-C5500 model It plays avchd, mkv, avi, mp4, h264, divx and many more video codecs and dts, ac3, aac (max - 2 channel stereo), wma, pcm. It supports subtitles with all the audio/video codes. ... but there may be many other models that also play media files, didn't check too many other models. 5-Feet HDMI to 3 RCA Cable http://www.amazon.com/eForCity-435232-5-Feet-HDMI-Cable/dp/B006I0IMF6/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1407437398&sr=1-3&keywords=hdmi+to+rca If you read the reviews ... not good. ...

*** I want to add ... I am not sure if this applies only to US Blu-ray players or if it is world wide ... players no longer having RCA-jacks. I will also add that most people probably have a modern TV with the HDMI connection, so they would have no interest in an older Blu-ray player ... so what I posted below will be of little interest to them. Over the last few weeks (July) I made an interesting discovery about Blu-ray players ... as of Jan 01, 2011 all new players were no longer to have the RCA jacks on the back of the unit. I did not know all the developments with Blu-ray players ... really had no plans to purchase Blu-ray discs, I was satisfied with my DVD collection. However, I now own 3 Blu-ray discs ... many now come with the regular DVDs and Blu-ray discs together. I've also noticed that that if you like "Special Features" they may only be on the Blu-ray disc or there will will be more "extras" on the Blu-ray disc. All this being done by the studios to get you to buy the more expensive Blu-ray discs. As I said earlier, I only own 3 Blu-ray films and have no plans to buy more. These were all discs that came with the DVD also. These were 3 films that I like and I wanted the " extras" ... making of the film, commentaries, alternate endings and such. I made all these discoveries in July ... I will go into more detail but first I want to stray a little and mention this about rental DVDs. I rent every so often from Netflix for a month, maybe three times a year. I build up a list of films and sign up for a month or two. Well, I used to get a DVD that would have "extras" on it with the movie ... but lately I have been getting only films, no extras ... went to Google and found out that all the studios now only supply Netflix and and other rental companies with a movie DVD only ... no more extras ... the studios want you to buy the DVD ... if you want the extras. Most people probably don't care and only watch the film but some maybe like to know more about the making of the film. I think 20th Century Fox was the first studio to do so and the others have followed. Fox To Strip Extras From Rental DVDs http://www.cnet.com/news/fox-to-strip-extras-from-rental-dvds/ With DVD sales declining, Fox is trying to encourage more purchases by creating bare-bone rental DVDs without special features and audio commentaries. ... so I was not aware that this has been going on since 2009, when Fox started doing it. Any older DVDs from rental companies (before 2010) should have some extras, if they did supply any and also not all the studios jumped on board in 2009. Now getting back to older Blu-ray players ... I have a newer TV but not with the HDMI connection ... just the older RCA Jacks ... Blue, Red, Green or Yellow with Red and White for audio. I have no plans to purchase a "newer" TV anytime soon, with my current one not being that old. However, since I now have three BRay discs, I decided to shop around for a low priced BRay player only to discover there really wasn't anyway for me to hook a newer player up. In July I bought one from Walmart and when I got it home, I discovered there were no RCA jacks on the back of the unit. I took it back after researching around on Google and reading that the newer players don't or are not allowed to have the RCA jacks anymore. "Any new Blu-ray player announced after January 1st 2011 will only output HD via HDMI -- players that started shipping last year can still be sold until the end of this year though. If you just love component video, you might figure you'll be able to get a player today and continue to enjoy it for years to come, but maybe not. You see the studios also have the Image Constraint Token (ICT) which when set on a title will tell every and all Blu-ray players to down convert analog output to 540p. The only reprieve is that if its set on a title, it must be marked on the box, and of course it can't be retroactively set (any title you own now will continue to play exactly the same way it does on your existing players). We're waiting for final confirmation, but apparently the ICT hasn't been an option to studios until now so start looking for the icon on your latest purchases. The final stage in the sunset is 2013 when analog outputs will be removed from Blu-ray players completely, but we suspect we'll have better things to worry about by then like ultra HD or digital distribution." Walmart had about 10 BRay players but not with the RCA jacks, only HDMI. I got behind on all these developments ... I remember in 2010 that I did see RCA jacks on BRay players but I had no interest since I didn't own any Blu-ray discs and didn't plan on buying any. So I researched on Google and found other people wanting to buy an older Blu-ray player with RCA jacks ... there were several models but it had to be 2010 models. Samsung had two models ... in that year Samsung BD-C5500 and Samsung BD-C6500, possibility others, with the RCA jacks, Sony had some and Phillips also ... probably all the models still had RCA jacks. There seem to be a lot of interest in those two Samsung models ... went to eBay and got lucky finding one of each model at a very reasonable price ... one was like new and the other (C6500) had some scuff markings ... those Samsung models have a lousy glossy finish and mark up easy. Both play well and had the original remote like new. Some of the Samsung players for sale don't have the original remote or the seller has supplied an "universal" remote ... however, I read where people were saying the universal remote won't work all the features on the BRay player ... so the original remote is needed. Well, I just posted this as a "heads up" on older versus newer Blu-ray players ... I will also say that I see no difference between a DVD or Blu-ray disc when playing ... they both look good, crystal clear sharp to me ... it's just that the Blu-ray disc had some extra features. If you think you might want or need an older 2010 model or one with RCA jacks, then you better start looking while there are some around in "decent" condition. I just discovered all this in the last three weeks ... I also want to add, I don't know if this applies to other countries or just the US. Just found this ... perhaps the RCA jacks could still exist on some new models but the picture would be "degraded" ... maybe others know more about this. As of January 1, 2011, Blu-ray manufacturers are no longer allowed to output an HD signal from the analog component video output (older Blu-ray players could output 720p/1080i high-definition through component video). If you own a Blu-ray player produced after this date, then it will only pass a maximum resolution of 480p from the Blu-ray player to the TV through component video. You can still watch high-def Blu-ray discs, but they will be downconverted to a lower resolution. The same is true if you use the basic yellow composite video output; it will only pass a standard-definition 480i signal from the player to your TV. http://hometheaterreview.com/five-tips-to-successfully-set-up-your-blu-ray-player/ ...

Another article since the first news broke ... I just went around changing passwords last month, so it should be done again? What are some of you members doing right now ... changing passwords or waiting till some of the dust settles ??? I am now using that program that I mentioned in my last post to make more difficult passwords ... Secure Password Generator. I have been using it since last year for new passwords but just last month I decided to start changing older passwords. That company should be publishing all the names of web sites that were breached so people can be aware of the sites that may need a new password with or should people just go crazy changing "every" password till the next breach, and then everything all over again and again and again ... or pull the plug on entering secure sites for banking and shopping? Staggering Data Breach of 1.2 B User Names and Passwords Could Worsen: Expert August 06, 2014 http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/08/06/staggering-data-breach-could-worsen-expert/?intcmp=latestnews The massive data breach revealed this week could be even worse than initially feared, warns a cybersecurity expert. Citing records discovered by security specialist Hold Security, The New York Times reported on Tuesday that a Russian crime ring has managed to gain access to more than a billion stolen Internet credentials. The stolen credentials include 1.2 billion password and username combinations and more than 500 million email addresses, according to Hold Security, which describes the breach as potentially the largest ever. This, however, could be just the tip of the iceberg, according to Richard Martinez, a Minneapolis-based cybersecurity and privacy attorney with Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi. “The potential target zone of companies that are affected by this is much larger than the ones initially impacted by the breach,” he told FoxNews.com. Martinez explained that, with many consumers re-using their passwords, hackers could potentially access data from even more companies and organizations. “As staggering as the scale of this is right now, it may well be much larger.” Hold Security identified 1.2 billion “unique” stolen credentials consisting of both a username and a password. However, the Milwaukee-based security specialist says that the gang amassed a total of 4.5 billion records, stolen from more than 420,000 web and File Transfer Protocol (FTP) sites. Hold Security, in a statement on its website, explained: “4.5 billion credentials seems like an impossible number, but just think of how many sites require you to register your email address and, let’s face it, almost everyone re-uses their passwords.” “The sheer number of credentials can potentially open a door to many systems and accounts,” the statement reads. Citing nondisclosure agreements and a reluctance to identify companies still at risk, Hold Security has not named the victims of the hack, or revealed the number of organizations affected. However, the breach is wide-ranging, according to the security specialist. “With hundreds of thousands sites affected, the list includes many leaders in virtually all industries across the world, as well as a multitude of small or even personal websites,” it said. Hold Security has an impressive track record targeting hackers, most notably when it identified 153 million credentials stolen from Adobe Systems last year. The latest discovery followed more than seven months of research. Hold Security dubbed the gang, which did not have a name, “CyberVor” after “vor” the Russian word for thief. Martinez described the heist as “another alarm going off” for consumers still reeling from high-profile data breaches at the likes of Target and StubHub. Consumers, he added, need to think seriously about password security. “Refreshing the passwords is critical, not relying on the same passwords across sites is critical,” he said. “At a minimum, the sites that you rank as critical such as your bank, your bills, need unique and distinct passwords.” Government and law enforcement should also take notice, according to the lawyer. “They have a critical role in this -- they need to redouble their efforts to shut down the criminal networks that are both hackers and creating a marketplace for these credentials,” he explained. “Ultimately, our economic stability is dependent on security within digital networks.” Hold Security was not available for comment on this story. ...

Just an update on my first post of this topic. I see those "cheap" flash drives are no longer for sale at Amazon ... the first one no longer has a page listing and the other says ... Currently Unavailable. Now the SanDisk flash drive ... SanDisk Cruzer Blade 8GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive. That was $4.99 at Amazon when I started this topic but today I see the price is now $5.95. Walmart still has them for $4.97 for a few more weeks. I remember last year when they took away all the school stuff bins as you walk in the door, the $4.97 price also goes away. They sell for $9.97 in the Camera Department when the "Back to School Sale" is over, at least that's what happened last year. Last year, even though the price is $9.97 in the camera area, the drives still scanned for $4.97 but that price was never advertised in that area, only at the school bin area ... so if the Flash Drive School Bin is empty or sold out, scan the SanDisk Cruzer Blade 8GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive back in the Camera department, it may be $4.97 for a few more weeks. ...

A followup on Raju and being at his new home ... his first real family ever after 50 years in chains. Several pictures of a happy elephant. Raju the crying elephant meets new family at animal sanctuary After 50 years of captivity, the elephant has been taken to a sanctuary in northern India where he is in the company of five female elephants, collectively dubbed the ‘Herd of Hope’ after all being rescued from abuse. BY Lee Moran NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Wednesday, August 6, 2014 http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/raju-crying-elephant-new-home-article-1.1893552 After 50 brutal years of being used as a "beggar's prop," Raju finally has a family of his own. The tortured elephant who made headlines in July for crying upon his release from captivity has joined five striking female pachyderms at his new home in India. Tear-jerking video shows the gentle giant being welcomed to the Wildlife SOS’s Elephant Conservation and Care Center refuge in Mathura by his new companions. Raju — believed to have been snatched from his mom as a young calf and to have been traded among 27 owners over the course of five grueling decades — joined new pals Laxmi, Chanchal, Sai Geeta, Phoolkali and Maya the sanctuary. The female pachyderms flapped their ears, trumpeted greetings and touched Raju with their trunks — all signs of joy. His new family members, collectively dubbed the "Herd of Hope," were all rescued by the Wildlife SOS charity, which also saved Raju from a life of "hell" during a nighttime raid early July. ... more at the link with pictures

I hear you ... these days the internet isn't all that much fun anymore, not like it was when I got my first computer in 1998. It was an exciting learning experience ... sending an e-mail from the US to Australia in 2 seconds or less ... being able to shop or do banking any time of the day ... and then the scumbag crooks started showing up in greater numbers. In reference to the above article in my first post there was a side article which said this: "How do I know if my personal information was stolen? Assume it is. The latest breach is huge, and similar attacks and smaller thefts are happening all the time. Hold Security is creating an online tool to allow consumers to see whether their records have been stolen, but they are not certain when it will be ready. At this point, it is wisest to improve your online security immediately." ... so the little sentence: "Hold Security is creating an online tool to allow consumers to see whether their records have been stolen, but they are not certain when it will be ready." I don't know how that is going to work for everyone that has many passwords and accounts. If anyone reads that this tool is ready to use or available ... post the information ... I may miss the news myself. How to Keep Data Out of Hackers’ Hands http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/08/05/technology/what-you-need-to-know-with-russian-hack.html By MOLLY WOOD AUG. 5, 2014 The numbers sound abstract: Hundreds of millions of email addresses and other types of personal identification found in the hands of Russian hackers. For people worried that they are caught in the mix, however, the discovery by Hold Security of a huge database of stolen data is very personal. But personal doesn’t mean helpless. There are common sense steps everyone can take to keep the impact of hackers to a minimum. How do I know if my personal information was stolen? Assume it is. The latest breach is huge, and similar attacks and smaller thefts are happening all the time. Hold Security is creating an online tool to allow consumers to see whether their records have been stolen, but they are not certain when it will be ready. At this point, it is wisest to improve your online security immediately. Should I change my password? The first step, as always, is to change passwords for sites that contain sensitive information like financial, health or credit card data. Do not use the same password across multiple sites. ... Also from the article is this free password program ... Password Safe http://passwordsafe.sourceforge.net/ I have also been using this free password generator (Secure Password Generator) that you download and use on your computer ... you are not sending or receiving any generated passwords online ... everything secure on your computer. From the web site description: "Also being an offline tool makes it easy to use anytime anywhere without internet connectivity." I like this program ... very flexible ... if I remember it may try to connect to the internet when first installed or used ... I just set the firewall to ignore the request in the future, if there are anymore attempts ... to check for updates or whatever. It seems to be OK. Secure Password Generator v2.5 http://www.securityxploded.com/secure-password-generator.php Secure Password Generator is is a free desktop based tool to quickly generate strong & secure password. With a growing incidents of web server hacking and database compromises, these days there is a greater need to use strong password. This will prevent your password from being decrypted if your password hash falls into the wrong hands. Secure Password Generator helps you to create strong password using one or more of the following character sets * Uppercase Letters (A-Z) * Lowercase Letters (a-z) * Numbers (0-9) * Special Symbols ($,#, ?, *, & etc) It is very easy to use with a nice GUI interface. You can generate password of length ranging from 5 to 500 characters. Also being a offline tool makes it easy to use anytime anywhere without internet connectivity. It is fully portable tool and includes Installer also. It works on both 32 bit & 64 bit platforms starting from Windows XP to Windows 8. ... Forgot to add ... when you download and unzip Secure Password Generator ... inside the main folder there is a folder named Portable, so you can either install it or use the Portable version ... I always like portable and fooling with the registry as little as possible. ...

Russian Gang Amasses Over a Billion Internet Passwords By NICOLE PERLROTH and DAVID GELLES AUG. 5, 2014 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/06/technology/russian-gang-said-to-amass-more-than-a-billion-stolen-internet-credentials.html?_r=0 A Russian crime ring has amassed the largest known collection of stolen Internet credentials, including 1.2 billion username and password combinations and more than 500 million email addresses, security researchers say. The records, discovered by Hold Security, a firm in Milwaukee, include confidential material gathered from 420,000 websites, ranging from household names to small Internet sites. Hold Security has a history of uncovering significant hacks, including the theft last year of tens of millions of records from Adobe Systems. Hold Security would not name the victims, citing nondisclosure agreements and a reluctance to name companies whose sites remained vulnerable. At the request of The New York Times, a security expert not affiliated with Hold Security analyzed the database of stolen credentials and confirmed it was authentic. Another computer crime expert who had reviewed the data, but was not allowed to discuss it publicly, said some big companies were aware that their records were among the stolen information. “Hackers did not just target U.S. companies, they targeted any website they could get, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to very small websites,” said Alex Holden, the founder and chief information security officer of Hold Security. “And most of these sites are still vulnerable.” There is worry among some in the security community that keeping personal information out of the hands of thieves is increasingly a losing battle. In December, 40 million credit card numbers and 70 million addresses, phone numbers and additional pieces of personal information were stolen from the retail giant Target by hackers in Eastern Europe. And in October, federal prosecutors said an identity theft service in Vietnam managed to obtain as many as 200 million personal records, including Social Security numbers, credit card data and bank account information from Court Ventures, a company now owned by the data brokerage firm Experian. But the discovery by Hold Security dwarfs those incidents, and the size of the latest discovery has prompted security experts to call for improved identity protection on the web. .... more at the link

The "Giveaway of the Day" today (Aug 05) is a Windows cleaner of sorts ... may be good, may not be ... I usually look for what others post about similar free programs. There are several alternative programs mentioned today but this one may be of interest to some members. *** This program has been updated several times since I first posted about it ... it is now Junkware Removal Tool 6.3.1 as of 06 October 2014 ... found a better link. http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/junkware_removal_tool.html It doesn't have to be installed ... Junkware Removal Tool v6.1.4 "Since this tool is launched in a Command Prompt dialog, it is not necessary to install it. You can run it from any location on the computer, as well as save it to a USB flash disk, memory card or similar device, in order to use it on any adware-cluttered workstation with minimum effort." Junkware Removal Tool v6.1.4 April 7th, 2014 Windows XP / Vista / Vista 64 bit / 7 / 7 64 bit / 8 / 8 64 bit http://www.softpedia.com/get/Security/Security-Related/Junkware-Removal-Tool.shtml Softpedia Editor's Review for Junkware Removal Tool A command-line utility that searches and removes common adware, toolbars and potentially unwanted programs, without user intervention Written by Elena Opris Junkware Removal Tool is a command-line utility that scans your computer and removes toolbars, common adware, and potentially unwanted programs. It offers support for MyWebSearch, IncrediBar, Ask, Babylon, Coupon Printer, and other products. Since this tool is launched in a Command Prompt dialog, it is not necessary to install it. You can run it from any location on the computer, as well as save it to a USB flash disk, memory card or similar device, in order to use it on any adware-cluttered workstation with minimum effort. What's more, the Windows registry does not get new entries, and leftover files are not kept on the hard disk after removing the program. Before proceeding with the scan-and-remove job, Junkware Removal Tool informs you that web browsers and Windows Explorer instances shall be closed for evaluation. The tool uses Erunt to backup the registry. It verifies startup entries, modules, processes, services, files, folders, the registry, and installed web browsers. At the end of the task, Junkware Removal Tool automatically creates a plain text document with the log details, and saves it to the same location as the program. The log file shows the OS version, scan start and end time, along with fixed or deleted items. Junkware Removal Tool takes a reasonable amount of time to finish a task, while using a very low quantity of CPU and RAM. It successfully eliminates unwanted items, without causing Windows to hang, crash or pop up error dialogs. Since it fully automatizes the scan-and-remove procedure, it does not require user assistance, making Junkware Removal Tool ideal for novices. ... also the Giveaway of the Day - WinSettings 8.1 web page ... as I said earlier, there several other free programs mentioned that might be of interest. http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/winsettings/ The page is there for 24 hrs ... don't know if it completely goes away after that. ...

Sad story with a happy ending ... I still marvel at how a dog or cat can travel miles to get back home and this poor dog had arthritis to boot ... she got lucky this time with a new home. Dog That Walked 30 Miles To Get Rejected By Owner Now Getting 5-Star Treatment And New Home http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/03/dog-walks-30-miles_n_5641670.html 08-04-2014 Ma Kettle is an arthritic senior Lab who walked 30 miles to try to get home -- only to be rejected by her former family once she arrived. The dog had seen a country song's amount of sadness already. Ma Kettle's previous owner -- who called her Lady -- died in 2012, leaving her homeless. She was adopted out of the Chautauqua County Animal Shelter, in Kansas, but then given away again for not getting along with a new puppy. She escaped her third home, and walked back to the family with the puppy, but the journey ended with her being sent back to the shelter. Her life has since become a fairy tale. Ma Kettle's story went viral, catching the attention of an animal-loving heiress -- who has now whisked the dog off in a private plane to Odessa, Florida -- about half an hour from Tampa -- where she'll live in an 11,000 square foot home on 100-odd acres, with a whole menagerie of furry rescue companions. The doggie's name is now Lady again, and her new owner is Helen Rosburg, also known as the author Helen Rich, a tattooed, art-collecting legatee to the Wrigley chewing gum fortune, and who according to TBO.com dispatched an assistant to collect the pup: The story resonated online and with Rosburg, who had recently lost her senior black Labrador, Granny, said her assistant, Barbara DiCioccio. Rosburg, 65, contacted her staff to rescue the dog from the Chautauqua County Animal Shelter in Sedan, Kansas. At 4 p.m. Thursday, her assistants Chet Ragsdale and Barbara DiCioccio boarded a jet to Kansas to pick up the dog; they returned about 10 p.m. “We don’t mess around here,” DiCioccio said. “We get things done.” We've reached out to see how Lady is enjoying the new surroundings; meantime, we gather from this Facebook post that Rosburg is pretty darn excited to have her: Post by Helen Rich. A volunteer at the animal shelter, who asked us not to use his name, told HuffPost that this grey-faced girl -- whose last long trek toward family ended so badly -- seemed enthusiastic, still, about her new journey. "She got on the jet without problems," he said. "She just walked up, wagging her tail fast and happy." ... another link: Odessa heiress elevates dog from pound to palace http://tbo.com/lifestyle/odessa-heiress-elevates-dog-from-pound-to-palace-20140731/ TAMPA — Facebook is full of stories about pets with troubles - cats that need a home, dogs facing euthanasia. Some end with a new family or a heartfelt reunion; many don’t. This story has a happy ending, thanks to an animal-loving heiress from Odessa. Helen Rich, formerly Helen Rosburg until earlier this year, heir to the Wrigley chewing gum fortune, was away in Hawaii when she saw a Facebook post about Lady, a black Labrador retriever facing old age who couldn’t find a permanent home in Kansas. The Pet Rescue Examiner, a publication that features stories about animals that need rescuing, posted a story by freelance writer Cheryl Hanna about Lady. According to Hanna’s story, Lady’s owner died in 2012 and a family in Sedan, Kansas, adopted her. But when the family took on smaller dogs and Lady couldn’t adjust, she was placed in a shelter. A woman from Independence, Kansas, adopted the dog. But Lady escaped from her new home and walked 30 miles to her former family with the small dogs - who declined to take her back, according to the Pet Rescue Examiner. The story resonated online and with Rich, who had recently lost her senior black Labrador, Granny, said her assistant, Barbara DiCioccio. Rich, 65, contacted her staff to rescue the dog from the Chautauqua County Animal Shelter in Sedan, Kansas. At 4 p.m. Thursday, her assistants Chet Ragsdale and Barbara DiCioccio boarded a jet to Kansas to pick up the dog; they returned about 10 p.m.. “We don’t mess around here,” DiCioccio said. “We get things done.” Lady will have a spot in Rosburg’s 11,000-square-foot, three-story Odessa home with five other dogs and a number of cats, DiCioccio said. “The dog will be right there where she is,” DiCioccio said. “We already have a bed for her.” Rich, the great-granddaughter of William J. Wrigley, founder of the famous chewing gum company in 1891, has a history of helping animals in need. She’s the founder of On the Wings of Angels Rescue and has 70 rescue dogs, cats, cattle, horses, goats, rabbits, pigs and exotic birds in custom-designed quarters on a large tract of land in Odessa. “That’s the reason I like working for her,” DiCioccio said. “I see all the good she does.” ...

jaclaz ... I appreciate you helping out the "needy" ... just what my notebook screen needs ... and my windows also. Several cleaners available but the "hxxxp" one would work for me !

I got the "bug problem" figured out ... I had to put Proxomitron on Bypass. I usually surf around the internet with Proxomitron running or active but it must have been temporary on Bypass when I found that link on Google ... so it was working at that time. All is well ...

Thanks dencorso, if you were able to fix it. The bug no longer moves on my screen. It was fully functional this morning and also after I posted the message ... I checked the link and all was OK. Later in the day, no longer any movement. I don't know what could have changed ... the image you posted also doesn't move for me but maybe it works OK for others. I would never have posted about the avatar with no movement. I will also add, it was still dark early this morning when I was at the link ... so just a small notebook screen was lit and then this bug was suddenly moving around ... as I said earlier, it fooled me for about four seconds.

I was reading the replies at this link and not looking at the little pictures that people post with their ID name ... It fooled me for 3 or 4 seconds, when I saw the movement ... I thought there was a bug behind my screen, right away I'm thinking ... "How am I going to get that thing out of my computer?" ... until I looked closer and focused on it. It fooled me ... so I am posting the link ... about 9 replies down, first time I ever saw that, pretty neat ! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r18751962-Zone-Alarm-4.5.594.000-still-safe-to-use- ... Well, when I posted this earlier, the bug was moving around ... now when I check the avatar, it doesn't seem to move anymore. So I don't know. ...

jaclaz to the rescue ! ... thanks, I did not realize I had not posted the link.

If this theory is possible ... the early Earth was a really wild place. They talk about asteroids over 100 miles wide. You would think the Earth would break into pieces ... imagine the impact. They also mention some asteroids being up to 2,500 miles in diameter ... how could a heavenly body not be blasted apart? ... boggles the mind! "Marchi and his collaborators found that their model matched these observations if the Earth encountered dozens of projectiles larger than 100 miles wide during its first billion years of existence. What’s more, these impactors could have ranged up to 2,500 miles in diameter — more than twice the size of the largest body in the Main Asteroid Belt today." Rain of asteroids melted early Earth, boiled its oceans, study shows By Julia Rosen July 30, 2014 Astronomy and Astrophysics When you look up at the moon’s pockmarked face, you’re actually staring at Earth’s early history. The rain of asteroids that pummeled the lunar surface hit our planet too — it’s just that erosion and plate tectonics blotted out the evidence. In fact, no rocks anywhere in the world survived to tell the story of the first 500 million years of Earth’s 4.5-billion-year existence, a tumultuous period of frequent impacts known darkly as the Hadean. ...

*** Not sure what is going on with this topic. I had no intention or desire to reopen this topic, it's pretty old. However, someone posted a reply yesterday, which is now gone or removed, and I added an update reply to the topic. There was also a reply posted "after" my reply which is also gone or removed. So my reply update is the only one left standing ... why, have no clue? In summary ... I did not revive this topic. ...... Well, when I started that topic last year ... Facebook seem to be getting a lot of "negative" press and the stock wasn't all that hot ... after the rough start. However ... months later he (CEO Mark Zuckerberg) has become very rich ... good or bad, Facebook has made a lot of money for him and others. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is world 16th richest man: Surpassed Google co-founders and Amazon chairman http://www.techtimes.com/articles/11311/20140726/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-is-world-16th-richest-man-surpassed-google-co-founders-and-amazon-chairman.htm Vamien McKalin, Tech Times | July 26, 2014 Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is now richer than both Google founders and Amazon's chairman. On Thursday, Zuckerberg's net worth rose to $33.3 billion, which makes the hoodie-wearing CEO number 16 on the Bloomberg Billionaire Index. On the Bloomberg Billionaire Index, Google's co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin ranks number 17 and number 18 respectively, with a net worth of around $33.1 billion and $32.8 billion. Furthermore, Zuckerberg has also grown richer than Amazon's chairman, Jeff Bezos, whose net worth is somewhere around $32.6 billion, which makes him the 20th richest person in the world. The reason why Zuckerberg has surpassed the Google co-founders and Amazon's chairman is mainly because Facebook closed at a new record on Thursday. The social network managed to report second-quarter sales at around $2.91 billion, which exceeds the $2.81 billion estimated by analysts. This jump in profits added around $1.6 billion to Mark Zuckerberg's personal coffers. At the moment, Zuckerberg is 30 and already the 16th richest person in the world. However, he has a lot of grounds to cover if he's interested in surpassing the richest man in the world, Bill Gates. As of now, Gates net worth is somewhere around $84.7 billion, and as long as he owns shares in Microsoft, it may take a long time before Gates slips from the top. Though, it would depend on how well the software company performs in the coming years. Bill Gates isn't the only ahead of Mark Zuckerberg, obviously. He sits behind number 2 richest man in the world, Carlos Slim, who has a net worth of $78.8 billion. Slim made his billions by being a telecommunication tycoon. Furthermore, there's also Spain's Amancio Ortega, who is the majority owner of the Inditex, the world's largest clothing retailer. Ortega currently has a net worth of around $63.9 billion. We can't talk about the billionaire party boys without including Warren Buffet, the 4th richest man in the world with a net worth of $63 billion. With increased competition from Google+ and Pinterest, Facebook's future growth might not be enough to kick Zuckerberg's profits to Gates-like worth. Already, we're seen that social network users tend to prefer Pinterest and Google+ over Facebook, according to a recent report. ...