Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Hi everyone, back from the hellidays. I apologize in advance for anything duplicated!

Ford CEO Alan Mulally officially takes himself out of Microsoft CEO race ( NeoWin 2014-01-07 )

Ford chief Allan Mulally pulls out of Microsoft CEO race ( TechSpot 2014-01-08 )

Report: Mulally considered Microsoft CEO gig before Ballmer's announcement ( NeoWin 2014-01-09 )

Mulally never confirmed nor denied that Microsoft was considering him for its CEO. However, today's report claims that Mulally decided to pull out of the process for a few reasons. One was that he thought Microsoft was leaking information about the search process; another was that he was concerned about Ballmer and chairman Bill Gates remaining on Microsoft's board of directors.

Or maybe he is just too professional for the Microsoft clown circus. So now that the Ford dude is completely out of the picture, the coast is clear for the NeoKids to pull out the long knives and make a night out of it. They had no choice but to wait for this since had he been chosen they would have found themselves necessarily rooting for him on occasion, especially if he turned Microsoft around. But now with him out of the running he can be sliced and diced at will for being an old guy with no tech know-how. Seeing how the NeoKids quickly turned on Elop it is certainly no surprise.

Are Gates and Ballmer scaring off potential CEO candidates at Microsoft? ( TechSpot 2014-01-04 )

Report: Bill Gates to be 'much more involved' in Microsoft with new CEO ( NeoWin 2014-01-08 )

Rumor: Ericsson's head man Hans Vestberg new Microsoft CEO candidate ( NeoWin 2014-01-16 )

According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, current board members may be scaring off potential candidates. And it makes sense when you stop and think about it. Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer were re-elected to the board for a one-year term back in November with the option to resign sooner if they wished.

[...]

The report says some external executives that have discussed the CEO job with Microsoft have expressed concerns about being limited in their decision-making abilities if both men remain on the board. At the same time, however, it can be advantageous to have those guys around as a sounding board or as elder statesmen.

Well, that's certainly one possibility ( scaring them off ). However, I still think that because of the high profile nature of this CEO search done in the media with elements of personal campaigning, they have inexplicably allowed a carnival atmosphere which itself will lead to a +/- feedback when the CEO is announced by buoying or sinking MSFT on the street. They have actually found a way to mismanage expectations of the one single thing that was entirely in their control - selection of their own CEO. UPDATE: that last story suggests they have a new candidate on the list.

Microsoft quietly ends support for Windows 7 dynamic themes ( NeoWin 2014-01-05 )

However, and with no advanced warning, Microsoft has now stopped offering and supporting their Dynamic Themes. None of them are available for download at Microsoft's Windows website, and clicking on the individual links to each of those themes now shows a message that they have been "retired."

[...]

While dynamic themes are no longer available from Microsoft, Windows 7 and 8 users can still get a new desktop background delivered to them every day by downloading and installing the company's Bing Desktop program.

Microsoft with its advanced and massive cloud infrastructure and associated software cannot find the wherewithal to serve up images for Windows 7 themers. Oh wait, they still do as long as you use Bing. Yeah sure. Download and install Bing spyware which will almost assuredly hijack your search engine and homepage, and naturally add a service or two and autoupdate at will, just to get the same wallpapers that previously came through a benign theme engine. Sounds like a wonderful idea. Not.

Meanwhile, have a look at the official crap wallpapers just officially released by Microsoft here ...

Microsoft reveals new Windows 8.1 themes as part of Open Call project ( NeoWin 2014-01-12 ) ... Seriously?

Windows 8.1 spring update expected to arrive in April ( NeoWin 2014-01-07 )

Rumor: Windows 9 'Threshold' expected in April 2015 ( TechSpot 2014-01-12 )

Windows 9 'Threshold' reportedly coming in April 2015 ( NeoWin 2014-01-11 )

Microsoft Reportedly Prepping Windows 9 Announcement ( Maximum PC 2014-01-13 )

Microsoft's April 2015 "Threshold" Release May Be Windows 9 ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-14 )

According to a report by Win8China, the spring update will be completed in March and possibly either be announced or released at the company's BUILD conference the following month an online translation of the site isn't clear about the timing.

The source notes that the update will be minor and not result in a version bump for the platform. In other words, this is not Windows 8.2, so dont expect any major new features to be included.

More indications that Microsoft will NOT move swiftly and repair the damage done to Windows but will instead work at Windows Phone style snail's pace with incremental fixes. Good idea. Not. From that last link ...

Paul Thurrott, known for revealing information about Microsoft products, has published on his website, SuperSite for Windows, a detailed roadmap leading to the Windows 9 release in April 2015. In order to distance itself from the bad reputation of Windows 8 with the masses, Microsoft is reportedly planning to move on to the Windows 9 moniker with the next major release.

According to earlier reports, "Threshold" was believed to be an update to Windows 8 following "Blue", however, the new report suggests that it will be a different release altogether. According to Thurrott's report, Microsoft is readying "Metro 2.0," to advance the Modern UI further to be more mature and usable with the next release.

Poor Paul takes a beating from the very fanboys who normally love his shilling. I guess there is some kind of sweet, ironic justice in all this.

Microsoft releases automatic Surface 2 update to fix BitLocker issue ( NeoWin 2014-01-06 )

Finally the patch to fix that Surface megabug. Sorry, not so fast ...

Well this update appears to have bricked my Surface 2. Worthless piece of junk.

Umm WTF?! I've had this problem before but the update has actually triggered it again on restart.

Such are the dangers of Microsoft jumping into the hardware biz. They had it real easy in the days of being the OS software supplier to OEM manufacturers because they offloaded every problem, hardware and even their own OS software to those OEM manufacturers. Now they get the phone calls!

Oh, I just have to mention this thing again ...

Specs revealed for Panasonic's Performance version of Windows 8.1 20-inch 4K tablet ( NeoWin 2014-01-08 )

We've already revealed that the standard version of the long awaited 20-inch 4K tablet from Panasonic, running Windows 8.1, will finally start shipping in February. However, the company is also working on what they call a Performance model of the massive Toughpad tablet and this week at CES 2014 it revealed the upgraded hardware specs for that version.

Recall this infographic I made way back before the Windows 8 launch ...

Now have a look at this thing ...

( Source: Panasonic )

Ding, Ding, Ding. We have an absolute winner for least possible value for most amount of money. Even Apple couldn't gouge this much. Hey Panasonic, what is wrong with you? You should be making plasma computer displays!

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Windows XP FUD ...

Windows XP support ends in 90 days, Microsoft remains firm on deadline ( NeoWin 2014-01-08 )

Support for Microsoft Security Essentials on Windows XP ends April 8th (Update) ( NeoWin 2014-01-09 )

Kaspersky Will Protect Windows XP After Microsoft's Deadline ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-15 )

Windows XP and Office 2003 were great software releases more than a decade ago, but technology has evolved along with the needs and expectations of your customers and partners that have already adopted modern platforms and devices. Companies still on Windows XP are also missing out on tangible benefits of modernizing their IT investments from dramatically enhanced security, broad device choice to meet the needs of a mobile workforce, higher user productivity, and lower total cost of ownership by future-proofing their IT investments. A 12-year-old operating system can no longer address todays business and technology needs nor security threats.

An official statement from Microsoft that rests completely on a lie. So how old is Skype then? 11 years old, right? Not to mention that little event in September 2001 which is central to the big story of the past 7 months. Hence that official Microsoft statement might be re-written to say this ...

Windows XP and Office 2003 were great software releases in the pre-9/11 era, but national security technology has evolved along with the needs and expectations of your government and its primary partners like us at Microsoft. In short, we need to know what you are up to 24/7 and who you are communicating with. People still on Windows XP are missing out on the tangible benefits of bugging their IT investments with eavesdropping technology and dramatically reduced privacy to meet the needs of an all-knowing all-seeing government by liberty-proofing their IT investments. A 12-year-old operating system can not address todays national security needs nor our push advertising spam bisness models. Privacy is bad, mkay.

It is par for the course though. NeoWin and The Verge Tribe forums have the highest concentration of government boot-lickers, sheeple who sigh and shrug over each and every breaking spy story. They are enablers, and children, blinded by their narrow narcissism and prone to missing all clues before it is too late.

Oh, check out this exchange of FUD between NeoKnuckleheads ...

The issue is the bad guys are stock piling XP Exploits only to release them once support runs out. They don't want to use them now and give Microsoft time to fix them.

and this is bad? cyber-obliteration for xp users is the only way to get them off it. I'm cheering the bad guys in this case.

Its bad because outside of our / this little tech bubble nobody has any kind of clue. After support ends in 90 days their computer will keep working just fine. Thus they will keep using it.

Yep, true enablers of the worst possible kind. This idi0t is allied with both the spook spies and with malicious hackers. His declared enemies are naturally Google, Apple and Windows XP users. There should be no doubt that the Microsoft fanboy contingent that arrived sometime after the Vista fiasco are sicker and more dangerous than any of the alleged Apple sycophants of the past and even the Linux community.

But the story continues on ...

Mixed Signals: Microsoft extends Windows XP Security Essentials support to July 2015 ( NeoWin 2014-01-15 )

Most antivirus programs to support Windows XP well past its own end date ( NeoWin 2014-01-16 )

Microsoft Reverses Course, Vows to Update MSE for Windows XP Until July 14, 2015 ( Maximum PC 2014-01-16 )

Microsoft to extend Windows XP anti-malware support through mid-2015 ( TechSpot 2014-01-16 )

Microsoft Extends Windows XP Anti-Malware Updates 1 Year ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-16 )

Microsoft decides against dropping "support" ( whatever that is ) with its antivirus, matching what other companies have also done. The fanboys are not pleased. More Windows XP FUD follows with all kinds of displays of hatred including deathwishes for one of Microsoft's most successful products ever.

Microsoft: You will still need to activate Windows XP after April 8th with a fresh install ( NeoWin 2014-01-14 )

So the 14 year-old question has finally been answered - the activation servers will remain! If they had shut them down they would have been screwed for messing with paying customers, a lot of them. If they pushed out a patch to disable WPA they would have opened the door for many more Windows XP fresh installs. So they split the difference and will run the servers forever. That's amazing. Can you imagine just how much money it has cost them to run such a huge amount of servers for so long! They have probably managed to turn a profit into red ink over the last 14 years due to this WPA activation experiment.

Naturally there is much FUD in all these Windows XP articles withso much vitriol that you need to read them to believe them. Let me put it like this, the people who hate "Windows" the most ( I mean "Windows" in the classic sense which does NOT include Microsoft Tiles for retards ), the biggest enemy classic "Windows" has is NOT Apple'tards, and it is NOT Linux'tards, no, it is our very own contingent of MicroZealots and MetroTards. Congratulations Microsoft, you have finally surpassed Apple in one market after all ( and Linux too ) because you have spawned a kook contingent that has no peer. They actively wish death on your most famous and useful product, even Apple'tards didn't waste their time talking this way about Windows XP. Congratulations Steven ( site owner "NeoBond" at NeoWin ) for attracting these dingleberries hanging off the arse-end of the technology world to your site ( that goes for The Verge Tribe too ). If you put brownshirts and swastikas on them and held a large gathering at a Microsoft product release you would have them yelling Sieg Heil in no time flat. The Cult Of Personality is a very powerful thing indeed.

95% of ATM machines still use Windows XP, and will be exposed to vulnerabilities after April 8 ( NeoWin 2014-01-16 )

This is quite possibly the stupidest example of FUD yet seen on planet Earth. I kid you not. The entire article is written with the implication that ATM's are connected to the internet like a laptop on Wi-Fi. No really! ...

The world's ATM machines will soon face a major issue on April 8th: The end of support for their operating system. According to BusinessWeek, 95 percent of active ATMs in the world, or nearly all of the 420,000 currently operating in the United States, run on Windows XP - a system which Microsoft is officially ending support for in under 90 days.

[...]

Hopefully ATM operators will heed these warnings and upgrade as soon as possible: The malware infection rate for Windows XP is already almost six times higher than Windows 8 systems, and despite pleas from the Chinese government for Microsoft to continue support, and a warning to the Indian banking industry that details 'major risks' if they don't switch operating systems, those less than tech-savvy operators may still see their ATMs face a significant threat.

Simply incredible! Great job with your NeoWin site Steven! You have published the most incredibly embarrassing piece of trash ever. It literally outdoes satire sites like the Onion, except for that it is not satire, your NeoKid is totally serious.

The second commenter sets him straight ...

Actually you can be reassured, since no ATMs use normal WinXP, they use XP embedded. XP Embedded is designed to be a set and forget OS that may never receive updates. The support and security of these highly customized is controlled by the vendor, not Microsoft. This is a misleading article and possibly an intentional effort at scaremongering.

Just unbelievable!

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

The MicroNokia Edition ...

Nokia mocks Samsung's Michael Bay CES presentation ( NeoWin 2014-01-07 )

Movie director Michael Bay had some issues with a teleprompter at Samsung's CES press conference yesterday, culminating with him walking offstage. It was clearly a low point in Samsung's event, and now Nokia's taking the incident and turning it into social media fodder.

In a tweet referencing the incident, Nokia recommended using Microsoft's OneNote app for Windows Phone in the event of a teleprompter failure. An image attached to the tweet specifically references Bay's ill-fated decision to "wing it" before he gave up and walked off stage.

Oh Dear. Here is another sign of the sickness in Redmond matriculating down to its extremities. What happened here is that a Hollywood producer messed up at a CES presentation for Samsung ( this explains the unexpected animosity towards him from MicroZealot fanboys and Nokia ). Then the company formally of highly regarded quality and reputation, Nokia, once again steps into the waters of childish Scroogle-like unprofessionalism, a trait it has entirely picked up since its association with Microsoft, and released this twitter message. The tweet extoles the virtues of Microsoft's OneNote but what NeoWin didn't mention is that the tweet unfortunately has its own problem ...

( original photo from here )

Seriously, you can't make this stuff up! I haven't checked back yet but I would expect them to change the image without comment.

Rumor: Microsoft thought about letting buyers pick Windows Phone or Android for their phone ( NeoWin 2014-01-06 )

Nokia's Android phone UI comes in to the light, too bad you can't buy it ( NeoWin 2014-01-08 )

Image of Nokia's Android phone prototype Normandy leaked (Update with Android skin UI) ( NeoWin 2014-01-13 )

Microsoft reportedly entertained a proposal that, if it had gone through, might have allowed consumers to pick which mobile OS they would like to have installed on their smartphone.The Information reports that it received confidential documents from an unnamed "potential Windows Phone partner" that went over this plan.

[...]

However, the story says the idea was dropped by Microsoft. Apparently, there were simply too many problems that would have to be solved before such a plan could take place, including pure technical issues for OEMs along with marketing concerns for wireless carriers.

More like "marketing concerns" for MicroNokia I would think. It's amazing that in every one of these stories the NeoKids insist Android was a bad idea. They seriously believe that 3% marketshare with Windows Phone is better than 10% or 20% or 30% or more marketshare with Android. They cannot fathom that people would just love to have that Lumia 1020 without being enslaved to WP and the Microsoft walled garden and all the crap that goes along with it.

Microsoft: Windows Phone 8 devices can be upgraded to Windows Phone 8.1 ( NeoWin 2014-01-09 )

Many people who currently own Windows Phone 8 smartphones have been worried that when Windows Phone 8.1 comes out, their handsets won't be upgraded to the new OS. This week, Microsoft confirmed that won't be the case.

Many people who bought Windows Phone 7 and 7.5 devices are still upset at Microsoft when it was announced those smartphones would not get an update to Windows 8. However, Computerworld reports that in a chat with Windows Phone director of public relations Greg Sullivan, "We will not have the same experience as we had when Windows Phone 7 was upgraded to Windows Phone 8."

Lots and lots of sighs of relief that Microsoft might not be screwing them over again. Such cognitive dissonance deserves its own field of psychiatry. The very fact that they welcome this alleged promise indicates that they were standing on the precipice of NuMicrosoft planned obsolescence looking down the cliff and expecting to be shoved off at any moment save for this last minute reprieve. Let's call them MicroLemmings.

Nokia launches Lumia Black update worldwide, comes with folders and lots of new features ( NeoWin 2014-01-09 )

Another major addition is App Folders. Yes, Lumia owners will be able to group their favorite apps inside folders on the start screen. Thats a great feature, one that many people have been asking for. Its rather surprising that this comes via Nokia rather than Microsoft. Small update here folks: it seems like this feature won't be immediately available after update. Nokia promised to further detail how folders will work in a future blog post.

Ummm, if you mean quasi-folders, then yeah, here you go. What they actually look like is a container app that holds other apps. Hey, we used to call these windows and they came to prominence way back in Windows 3.x, and that is exactly what this implementation looks like to me. Apparently Metro is now evolving now from Windows 2.x to 3.x equivalence. Hot dog! In two to five more years we can expect real folders and multitasking, perhaps even a customizable interface. Yay.

This is how you get folders on your Nokia Lumia ( NeoWin 2014-01-09 )

Earlier today, Nokia released its Black update for many of its Windows Phones. With that update, Nokia promised that folders would be coming with the update but did not say exactly how the feature would be implemented since it was not part of the core OS.

Well, we now have our answer. To add folders to your Windows Phone, you have to download the Nokia folders app, which can be found here.

The app states that it is exclusively for Lumia devices, which puts other phones, such as the HTC 8X, out in the cold. Considering that Lumia phones make up the vast majority of Windows Phones that are out in the wild, this shouldn't be a major issue.

Not so fast Brad Sams, there's a word for that ... fragmentation ... you know, the very thing that MicroZealots and MetroTards like yourself and the other NeoKids like to rag on Android for. Cognitive dissonance once again. Anyway, this appears to confirm that these are not folders in any real way except for appearance. They are much more comparable to the limited program groups implementation seen in Win3x. And that is ironically appropriate.

Nokia officially shuts the doors on Symbian and MeeGo app support ( TechSpot 2014-01-02 )

Nokia has now officially put Symbian and MeeGo to rest as expected. Today the company took to its Symbian Signed Team twitter account to announce the termination of all Symbian and MeeGo support moving forward.

"That was it; we are officially closed. Thank you all for the past years!" the Symbian Signed team posted on Twitter today.

[...]

Now that the MeeGo and Symbian app store has been suspended, the company will set its focus on Windows Phone and its Asha product line, while hoping that its developers will make the transition with them.

"With the growing business opportunities available on the Asha and Windows Phone platforms, we have been reviewing our developer content programs to see how we can maximize our support to you, our developers," Nokia said back in October. The company continued by saying that as "a result of this review," it has decided to focus both its "support and investment" toward Windows Phone and its Asha line, which many feel is crucial to the company's growth in developing markets.

They seriously hope and pray ( and beg ) that Symbian and MeeGo aficionados will jump ship to Windows Phone eh? Begin holding your breath now.

ProKASE for Surface Pro adds USB ports, card readers ( NeoWin 2014-01-04 )

In addition to protecting the device, it has a few tricks up its sleeve. The most obvious is that the ProKASE allows the display to be tilted at different angles, the keyboard is tilted up, and the sturdier base may improve the ability to use the Surface on your lap.

Additionally, the device has some technical improvements, including a built-in USB hub that adds a few more USB3 ports as well as an SD and CF card reader. The extra ports aren't automatically active though: Users have to connect a built-in cable to the USB port on the Surface Pro itself.

Now that would seem like a pretty interesting and useful accessory, right? Yes, but not to the kids at NeoWin who pounce upon this non-Microsoft add-on like Muslims insulted by infidels drawing images of their prophet. It's hard to figure out why they feel this way, perhaps they believe Microsoft got it perfect already? Maybe they resent someone other than Microsoft making a few dollars off a Microsoft product? Most likely it is just that they are simply insulted that someone even thinks that Surface requires any improvement whatsoever. Making it worse is that they would now need to go and spend a few bucks themselves with this 3rd party just to keep up with the Jones's and maintain feature parity. The ongoing war on freedom and choice illustrated once again. MicroSheep are all-in on uniformity dictated by their prophet of choice and God help anyone that gets in their way.

Late addition ...

Microsoft allegedly investing over $2 billion on Windows Phone makers in 2014 ( NeoWin 2014-01-15 )

Microsoft: We're doing cross-promotions, not paying OEMs $2.6 billion ( NeoWin 2014-01-16 )

Are they or aren't they dumping another pile of cash into the Microsoft Tiles cesspool, that is the question.

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Xbone ... just can't catch a break ...

Some Comcast customers can't connect their Xbox One to the Internet via Wi-Fi ( NeoWin 2014-01-02 )

Microsoft thought about removing disc drive from Xbox One as late as mid-2013 ( NeoWin 2014-01-02 )

Report: PS4 outsold Xbox One during 2013 in UK ( NeoWin 2014-01-02 )

Major Nelson responds to Xbox One criticism, points to future improvements ( NeoWin 2014-01-04 )

Microsoft announces 3 million Xbox One consoles sold ( NeoWin 2014-01-06 )

Microsoft: Missing 8 of Xbox One's planned markets was the worst part of launch ( NeoWin 2014-01-06 )

Xbox One has a Kinect problem, but can 'Cortana' fix that? ( NeoWin 2014-01-06 )

Microsoft spokesman promises Xbox One's Halo will be released in 2014 ( NeoWin 2014-01-07 )

Sony: 4.2 million PlayStation 4 consoles sold as of Dec. 28 ( NeoWin 2014-01-07 )

Sony earns early victory in next generation console war ( TechSpot 2014-01-08 )

Sony unveils Playstation Now cloud-based gaming service at CES ( TechSpot 2014-01-08 )

Sony announced Tuesday a new cloud-based gaming service at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Dubbed Playstation Now, the service will allow gamers to stream classic Playstation titles to a range of devices including PS4, PS3, PS Vita, smartphones, tablets, and supported Bravia TVs.

Playing your favorite PS3 game on your television will become a reality, SCE chief Andrew House told audience members. At present, only the 2014 Bravia TVs launched in the US will be supported.

I would point out that this Sony move to embrace classic "legacy" games is yet another kneecapping of Microsoft and others who favor planned obsolescence. And it will leave the MicroZealots babbling unintelligently once again.

Oh, this one is really funny! ...

Xbox One users view less porn than those on the PS4 ( NeoWin 2014-01-03 )

Why do you think PS4 owners are watching so much more porn than their Xbox One counterparts? Regardless, none of this should come as any surprise.

Says at least one MetroTard ... "XBOX is for families and PS4 is for dungens." ... Oh really? The ony problem with that is the fact that Microsoft is currently helmed by a bunch of wannabe hipsters angling for street cred. This leads to incredulous decision making, like this ...

Xbox One owners can get an early preview of FX's new TV show Chozen ( NeoWin 2014-01-04 )

As far as Chozen is concerned, Microsoft offers up a description that makes it clear this animated series is not for kids:

"Chozen is an animated comedy about the title character, a gay white rapper fresh out of prison. Armed with a new message, Chozen is on a quest for redemption and to claim his rightful position as the world's top rap artist. With a new world view shaped by his time in prison, Chozen's music and lyrics take aim at the stereotypes of machismo and misogyny that are synonymous with rap music."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh9p8m7nRNA

Wait, what? Families indeed! And talk about a narrow demographic, gay white ex-con gang bangers? Good job Microsoft, you're really good at this publicity thing! Disclaimer: this is NOT to disparage gay white ex-con gang bangers ( they need love too I guess ), just pointing out the very strange decision making coming out of Redmond. They have an infinite capacity for shooting themselves in the foot, and I can't wait to see how this one unravels before their eyes. Will the rap guy cartoon be using an iPhone? A PlayStation? Get your popcorn ready for it to backfire!.

Late additions ...

Microsoft exec: The cloud won't replace local hardware for next Xbox console ( NeoWin 2014-01-13 )

... Microsoft Studios head Phil Spencer believes that the successor to the Xbox One will still need a lot of local hardware in order to work. In a Twitter exchange with a fan this weekend, who asked if the Xbox One will be the last such console "as we know it",

[...]

The bottom line: Spencer thinks the Xbox One won't be Microsoft's last dedicated game console and that cloud gaming won't be a replacement for a powerful local processor and graphics chip anytime soon.

Much to the disappointment of the NeoKids of course, well not yet, the thread just started so give it some time. Fanboys are always eager to embrace restrictions I mean change, and walled gardens I mean playgrounds, as long as Microsoft is their dictator I mean parental figure.

Microsoft's head of Xbox media licensing departs company, citing reorganization (Update) ( NeoWin 2014-01-15 )

The executive in charge of Xbox media licensing at Microsoft has left the company, citing Microsoft's recent reorganization as the reason for his exit.

[...]

"As the reorganization has unfolded, it has become clear to me that the organization is moving in a direction that does not fit either my expertise or skill sets," said Westlake, a former Universal Television chairman. "Therefore, I have made the decision to leave Microsoft."

Well I know nothing of this guy but I sense some kind of controversy here. Check out the vitriolic comment from one commenter ...

LMFAO!!! Blair said, "As the reorganization has unfolded, it has become clear to me that the organization is moving in a direction that does not fit either my expertise or skill sets,". Yes Blair, they no longer need to pay a senior executive as a f'ing news clipping service! Blair was not like by anyone and if they say they liked Blair, it's because they had sold their soul to help protect him and he would do the same for them. Blair, never personally crafted, built, planned, or executed on a single thing within the company or before at Universal. Blair was a politician that decided to do his business inside a company and not have to deal with constituents. He regularly chased after people that didn't like him or that made him look bad because they actually got sh*t done. Blair never had any positive impact on Microsoft and everything that was accomplished in any division he was in never came from his head, hands, or work. On top of all of this, the mans ego was bigger than the Hollywood stars he use to ignore in his big office in the sky at Universal. He never created anything there either. In fact, before he was fired from there, Mr. Segrams himself asked Blair WTF he actually did for the company? He was later fired by accounts of...people that were in the room. Good ridden Blair, on to the next idiots that need someone to read daily variety and scan the articles before emailing them to the entire company 50 times per day. Please allow the door to strike your a** and knock your a** off the planet.

Wow, the kid has some kinda huge chip on his shoulder. Sounds personal too. That particular commenter uses the handle FMRMSFT ( probably meaning "former Microsoft" ) so I wonder what the heck this is all about.

Microsoft: Xbox One led December's U.S. console hardware sales with 908,000 units ( NeoWin 2014-01-16 )

NPD numbers: Xbox One leads in December ( Microsoft 2014-01-16 )

Microsoft has announced that the Xbox One was the best selling console in December in the U.S. The company revealed that, according to figures from the NPD Group, the Xbox One sold 908,000 units in the U.S. during the last month of 2013.

December NPD Group figures released Thursday revealed Xbox One was the No. 1 selling console in the market in the U.S., selling 908,000 units in December. Additionally, Xbox 360 continued to see strong momentum with 643,000 units sold in December, putting it in the No. 3 spot overall, and lead for last-generation hardware. Together, Xbox One and Xbox 360 held 46 percent of the hardware market share in the U.S. and showed a 10 percent year over year growth from December 2012.

Maybe so, but strangely neither NeoWin or Microsoft provide a link to these figures at all, and I cannot find them at the NPD website either. Sorry, I cannot take their word for anything. That other bit: "Together, Xbox One and Xbox 360 held 46 percent of the hardware market share in the U.S." doesn't exactly impress me either since it means that their two biggest products in the sector don't even make up a majority of the USA market! 54% of the USA market is non-Xbox. That is stunning to me.

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Computer and Cloud (In)Security ...

Target: An additional 70 million people may be affected by recent security breaches ( NeoWin 2014-01-10 )

Target Hackers Took Personal Info Too ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-10 )

Target data breach update says up to 70 million customers affected ( TechSpot 2014-01-10 )

Malware Was Used in December's Target Hack. Malware including RAM scrapers were used in the Target attack. ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-13 )

Malware on point-of-sale terminals behind Target hack, at least three other well-known US retailers hit using similar methods ( TechSpot 2014-01-13 )

Target Hackers Wrote Partly in Russian, Displayed High Skill, Report Finds. Hacking Campaign Appears Broad, Sophisticated and Against Many Retailers ( wall Street Journal 2014-01-16 )

Target, the popular US retailer is under heavy fire once again as it discloses further security breaches that have exposed its customers credit cards and personal information.

You might remember that just before the end of last year, Target disclosed that it had been hacked and up to 40 million credit cards had been compromised by the breach. Things could only get better from there, right? Wrong. The retailer has now disclosed than an addition 70 million folks may have had their personal information stolen from the companys database.

While there is some overlap with the original 40 million credit cards that were exposed, this latest disclosure shows that there are a lot more people at risk than originally thought. These 70 million individuals may have had their e-mail addresses, names, mailing addresses and phone numbers stolen.

Any comment necessary? Note that those later updates are shifting the story now towards a large-scale organized set of attacks on multiple retailers. It seems that international criminals are looking at the online world just in the same way as our government protectors do, we are sheeple, ready for fleecing. In a twisted sort of way all these attacks are calling the bluff of our government protectors, exposing them as the ineffectual and unfocused boobs they are. How is it remotely possible for any hackers to get away clean given what we now know? It makes no sense. Actual terrorists will be heartened seeing the ease with which the hackers are getting away with attack after attack, crime after crime. Something has gotta give.

Hackers steal card data from high-end retail chain Neiman Marcus ( TechSpot 2014-01-11 )

Target is not alone: Neiman Marcus and others hacked ( NeoWin 2014-01-11 )

Luxury Retailer Neiman Marcus Hacked, Three Others ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-13 )

Early Saturday morning, the Chicago Tribune reported that high-end retailer Neiman Marcus was breached and that customer credit and debit card information was stolen. There are no specific details on the number of stolen records, or whether the same attack that was used against Target was used in this case, but it was confirmed that the attacks occured in December and were identified on January 1st by an independent forensics team.

Even more scary? The Chicago Tribune has posted word that at least three other retailers have also been breached but information has not formally been released to the public. While sources have not provided much information, they believe the same group that attacked Target was involved. All of the unannounced retailers allegedly have outlets in malls, meaning Target's competitors such as WalMart and K-Mart are probably not involved.

What me worry? I'm sure the spooks are on the case and will shortly make everyone safe again.

Skype's Twitter, Facebook and blog sites compromised by Syrian Electronic Army (Update) ( NeoWin 2014-01-01 )

Skype blogs still down a day after defacement by hackers ( NeoWin 2014-01-02 )

Skypes social media accounts hacked by Syrian Electronic Army ( TechSpot 2014-01-02 )

Skype blog back online after defacement last week ( NeoWin 2014-01-06 )

Syrian Electronic Army threatens more cyber attacks on Microsoft ( NeoWin 2014-01-15 )

The year 2014 is starting out on a sour note for the Skype team at Microsoft. Their official Twitter account was compromised by the group that calls itself the Syrian Electronic Army, with a message that seems to allege that the VoIP service spies on its many users.

The Twitter account, which has over 3 million followers, was broken into earlier this afternoon with two messages from the group. The first asks Skype to "stop spying on people", while the other simply posted the symbol of the group with the message "Syrian Electronic Army Was Here". The SEA claims to be a supporter of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad but it's unknown if the group has any official ties with the Syrian government.

That was the earlier story. But more arrived a week later ...

Microsoft Twitter accounts hacked by SEA ( NeoWin 2014-01-12 )

Microsoft's official Xbox support Twitter and the official Microsoft news Twitter accounts have been hacked today by the Syrian Electronic Army, marking the most recent in a long line of attacks against social media accounts by the organization.

[...]

Ten days ago the blog, Twitter, and Instagram of Skype - another division of Microsoft - were all hacked and defaced, with the SEA claiming responsibility and asking Skype to 'stop spying on people'. And only 11 days into 2014, the collective may only get more bold as the year goes on.

You know what's funny? It's not like the SEA will post any messages more damaging or embarrassing to Microsoft than their very own employees have.

Facebook sued for allegedly reading private messages and selling data to advertisers ( TechSpot 2014-01-03 )

Two Facebook users have filed a lawsuit against the social networking giant claiming the site violates the Electronic Communications Privacy Act in addition to California privacy and unfair competition laws by reading private messages sent between users and sharing key data with advertisers, marketers and other data aggregators.

I'm sure this will get traction. Not. But we can keep our fingers crossed.

Starbucks storing mobile passwords in clear text ( WTOP 2014-01-16 )

Starbucks executives confirm the coffee chain's mobile payment app has been storing usernames, email addresses and passwords in clear text -- not encrypted, according to a Computerworld report.

[...]

"What you've described is fair, at a high level," Starbucks CIO Curt Garner said. "From a design perspective, this could have potentially happened."

[...]

"We were aware," said Chief Digital Officer Adam Brotman. "This was not something that was news to us."

The dummyfication of the app world is well underway. With it, dummyfication of app development tools yielding dummified apps to be used and enjoyed by dummified sheeple. I wonder if Starbucks reads the newspaper and has heard of Target. If not, they will be educated on this in very short order.

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Computer and Cloud (In)Security ... continued ...

Some Yahoo visitors hit with ad-based malware this week ( NeoWin 2014-01-05 )

Yahoo's advertising network hit with massive malware infection ( TechSpot 2014-01-06 )

Yahoo malware turns computers into bitminer slaves ( NeoWin 2014-01-09 )

A security firm in the Netherlands says theyve found a malicious exploit kit hidden within Yahoos advertising network. The malware would redirect users to websites laced with exploits designed to take advantage of vulnerabilities in Java that would in turn install even more malware on the computers of unsuspecting victims.

Fox IT said the malware may have been delivered to up to 300,000 users per hour. Given the typical infection rate of nine percent, this would result in around 27,000 infections each hour. The rate has since slowed as of writing which suggests Yahoo is making progress in rectifying the issue.

Yahoo has confirmed that from Dec. 31 to Jan. 3, its European website "served some advertisements that did not meet our editorial guidelines" by spreading malware. As many as 2 million users may have been infected.

The malware users could potentially have obtained include the Zeus Trojan, software relating to the Andromeda botnet and other advertising-associated malware. Once installed, the malware turned infected computers into machines used for mining for bitcoins. Other than operating slower than normal, a computer doesn't show any telltale signs that it may have been enslaved into the "bitnet." Users who clicked on the malware-infected ads were redirected to a wide variety of domains, all reporting to a Netherlands-based IP address.

Some experts estimate that the networks could be generating as much as $100,000 (£60,000) each day.

Every get the feeling it's you against the world? Well it's pretty much true now. Everyone ... hackers, government spooks, Big Technology and Big Data megacorps, advertisers, spammers ... they all have declared open season on the sheeple. They plan to shear us clean down to the last follicle and then cook us up for lamb chops. What a great thing this Internet is, eh?

Blizzard warns of harmful information-stealing Trojan affecting WoW players ( TechSpot 2014-01-06 )

Blizzard recently added a compromised accounts posting to its Battle.net forums that better explains what the Trojan is and how you can eradicate it from your system and authenticator. It is important to understand that this is not just another simple piece of Malware and it shouldn't be ignored. If the virus is currently affecting your machine and you attempt to login to your account, hackers may gain access to your login information and any applicable passwords associated with your account.

The virus works by allowing hackers to collect real-time data as your enter it. If you regularly have the client remember your username then hackers may have only collected your password but will not have access to the name associated with it. If you believe that you may have been a victim of this hacking for any reason it is definitely a good idea to immediately change your password.

Is there any difference in this problem and the spook hacking? White hats, black hats, gray hats, no hats.

Snapchat Data Breach: What Went Wrong and What to Do ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-02 )

Snapchat updates its mobile apps, apologizes for exposed accounts ( NeoWin 2014-01-09 )

Snapchat patches security exploits, issues apology for the first time ( TechSpot 2014-01-09 )

Last week, popular private-messaging service Snapchat was publicly warned that its app contained two critical security vulnerabilities, but the company did little to fix the flaws and dismissed the warning as "theoretical."

Yesterday (Jan. 1), someone used the vulnerabilities to collect more than 4.6 million user accounts and cellphone numbers from Snapchat's database.

If your username and cellphone number were exposed in this data breach, then all other online accounts that use the same username are also at risk. Change your passwords and the usernames, if you can on those other accounts.

While these updates are no doubt welcome, there are many who feel its a bit too late. The original exploit had been reported to the company months in advance by security researchers, but Snapchat failed to take any action and downplayed the threat.

The company, thats valued between $3 and $4 billion, has a lot to answer for and today's post will likely not be enough to appease its critics.

And the hit parade continues.

Dropbox: Recent downtime caused by routine maintenance error, not hackers ( TechSpot 2014-01-13 )

Cause Of The Dropbox Outage: Hacker Or System Update? ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-14 )

Cloud storage provider Dropbox went offline for several hours on Friday. Those claiming to be members of the loose knit hacking collective Anonymous were quick to claim responsibility for the downtime but Dropbox officials have since confirmed that a routine maintenance task gone wrong, not a hacking attempt, was to blame.

Well I feel much better now, it wasn't hackers at all. ( /SARC ) Hey, I got an idea, let's create a fragile service where a single mistake or programming error can bring the whole thing down. Then let's trust our files to it and hope for the best.

LinkedIn files lawsuit to stop unknown group from using bots to steal profile data ( TechSpot 2014-01-08 )

LinkedIn has filed a lawsuit aimed at stopping competitors from using bots to collect information from hundreds of thousands of user profiles. The company wants the group of John Does to stop the activity and make them pay for violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

[...]

As Gigaom points out, its unclear really if LinkedIn has a solid leg to stand on since it isnt exactly illegal to copy information from a website. In addition to the aforementioned laws, the company also says the unknown users are violating their own terms of service.

The funny thing is, they really only are worried that someone else might milk their "customers" for more than they do. Any complaints we see from these outfits like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc, are self-serving.

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Spooks and Spying ...

N.S.A. Devises Radio Pathway Into Computers ( New York Times 2014-01-14 )

The NSA monitors 100,000 offline computers using radio transmitters ( TechSpot 2014-01-15 )

NSA Uses Radio Waves to Spy on Offline PCs ( Maximum PC 2014-01-15 )

Latest leak suggests NSA can spy on offline computers ( NeoWin 2014-01-15 )

WASHINGTON The National Security Agency has implanted software in nearly 100,000 computers around the world that allows the United States to conduct surveillance on those machines and can also create a digital highway for launching cyberattacks.

While most of the software is inserted by gaining access to computer networks, the N.S.A. has increasingly made use of a secret technology that enables it to enter and alter data in computers even if they are not connected to the Internet, according to N.S.A. documents, computer experts and American officials.

More details on the non-existent black bag division of No Such Agency. Click the spoiler to see the design outline. It's a simple and effective procedure. USB connectors/dongles ( even in cable ends or flashdrives or anything really ) containing microscopic transceivers good for a few miles on classified ( probably variable oscillating ) frequencies that securely connect with portable spook stations. The USB device contains enough logic to hijack the computer through the firmware pre-Windows bootstrap. The spook logic can also be present on other devices, not just USB, perhaps everything from expansion cards to maybe even Ethernet cables or other connectors. In short, anything that can interface with the computer bootstrap process, and that means anything at all if the BIOS has been modified way back in the development process to secretly initialize hardware that we never even imagined were initialize-able.

So let's just cut to the chase. Every possible technological feat seen on the post 9/11 TV spy thrillers and were not only completely possible and already underway, but they may have even been understating it. I guess it is no surprise that it was just announced that is returning for at least a half season ( 12 hours ) this spring. I wonder what kind of possible material they will explore this time around?

Spy court judge slams proposed privacy advocate ( My Way 2014-01-14 )

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. judiciary told Congress on Tuesday it opposes the idea of having an independent privacy advocate on the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, while members of Congress lauded the idea at a Capitol Hill hearing.

Speaking for the entire U.S. judiciary, U.S. District Judge John D. Bates sent a letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee saying that appointing an independent advocate to the secret surveillance court is unnecessary and possibly counterproductive, and he slammed other key reforms as adding too heavy a caseload to the secret court's work. In FISA court hearings, judges only hear from the government seeking a spy warrant.

[...]

Bates, the former FISA chief judge, also rejected the panel's recommendation that the government seek court approval every time it wants to obtain information in cases of national security, known as a national security letter. Roughly 20,000 such letters are issued every year. Bates said it would create too much work for the court, even if staff were added to handle the caseload.

Bates was speaking for the judiciary in his current role as the administrative judge of the United States courts. In his letter, Bates said a public advocate would not be able to provide an independent factual investigation because of the court's "operational security reasons." But he did not detail any constitutional impediments.

Absolute proof of a thoroughly rigged system, for the government and against the citizens, that this FISA court really is. The friggin judge "Speaking for the entire U.S. judiciary" is "the former FISA chief judge". He is commenting on the recent recommendations from the White House. Now we just need some idi0ts in Congress to voice their approval to have a hat-trick of all three branches united against the very people that they allegedly serve.

NSA collects millions of text messages daily in 'untargeted' global sweep ( UK Guardian 2014-01-16 )

The National Security Agency has collected almost 200 million text messages a day from across the globe, using them to extract data including location, contact networks and credit card details, according to top-secret documents.

The untargeted collection and storage of SMS messages including their contacts is revealed in a joint investigation between the Guardian and the UKs Channel 4 News based on material provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

One of the latest Snowden leaks via the Guardian. It seems that our government protectors are attempting what was previously considered impossible. Vacuuming up anything and everything. Bag it, tag it, and analyze it later.

Former Top NSA Official: We Are Now In A Police State ( Washington Post Blog 2013-12-18 )

DEA agents use NSA intercepts to investigate Americans report ( RT 2013-08-05 )

Very VERY important one month-old and five month-old articles, the first quoting Bill "Binney, a 32-year veteran of the agency, was instrumental in the creation of the NSAs surveillance program for digital information. He also served as the NSAs senior technical director."

The main use of the collection from these [NSA spying] programs [is] for law enforcement. [see the 2 slides below].

These slides give the policy of the DOJ/FBI/DEA etc. on how to use the NSA data. In fact, they instruct that none of the NSA data is referred to in courts cause it has been acquired without a warrant.

So, they have to do a Parallel Construction and not tell the courts or prosecution or defense the original data used to arrest people. This I call: a planned programed perjury policy directed by US law enforcement.

See: Slide-1, Slide-2

What these articles show is that even the foundational theory for all the spying is a lie and is violating core American principles each and every day. National Security my arse. It is an all-seeing all-knowing high-tech police state that Goebbels and Stalin could only dream about. The product of the spying is being applied to exactly what it should not be applied to - the citizens. They even have a documented "parallel" tract to coverup the actual sources, a conspiracy that dwarfs whatever Nixon actually did. Can anyone now doubt that the powers-that-be have all the tools necessary to blackmail anyone they choose to? Moreover, the attorney general and the DoJ is right in the middle of this! We here in the USA have a thoroughly corrupt capitol city, DC ( District of Criminals ) that have taken the stereotypes of J. Edgar Hoover and LBJ and Nixon and the plumbers and made them all look like amateur hour rookies. No wonder they are angered at Snowden ...

Americas Spies Want Edward Snowden Dead ( BuzzFeed 2014-01-17 )

I would love to put a bullet in his head, one Pentagon official, a former special forces officer, said bluntly. I do not take pleasure in taking another human beings life, having to do it in uniform, but he is single-handedly the greatest traitor in American history.

Oh really? Who's the effin' traitor you federal bureaucrat? You are. If you read the oath you should have taken you'd know that YOU are violating the Constitution!

One Army intelligence officer even offered BuzzFeed a chillingly detailed fantasy.

I think if we had the chance, we would end it very quickly, he said. Just casually walking on the streets of Moscow, coming back from buying his groceries. Going back to his flat and he is casually poked by a passerby. He thinks nothing of it at the time starts to feel a little woozy and thinks its a parasite from the local water. He goes home very innocently and next thing you know he dies in the shower.

Not every one of our soldiers are honorable though most are, but this idi0t is a case in point. Now I do happen to know exactly what oath he took and this dirtbag would do well to re-read it.

His name is cursed every day over here, a defense contractor told BuzzFeed, speaking from an overseas intelligence collections base. Most everyone I talk to says he needs to be tried and hung, forget the trial and just hang him.

I'll wager most of the complaints are from outside contractors or low grade unionized federal bureaucrats, with a vested interest in maintaining their situation sucking cash out of the taxpayer funded black budget, without any concern for the Constitution especially when money is involved. These fools are p*ssed that they got caught violating the Constitution and that's it. They're worried they will be forced to shutdown and get laid off. They're all keyboard warriors who are an insult to real field spies and soldiers who put their actual lives on the line rather than sit behind keyboards stealing data from far-away targets through taxpayer funded pipes illegally attached to private industry and citizen private property. In a just world we would be hanging each and every one of them that violated their oath and the Constitution without speaking up and resigning instead.

NSA Data Have No Impact on Terrorism: Report ( Bloomberg 2014-01-13 )

Study claims NSA phone data collection is useless in preventing terrorist attacks ( TechSpot 2014-01-13 )

Our investigation found that bulk collection of American phone metadata has had no discernible impact on preventing acts of terrorism and only the most marginal of impacts on preventing terrorist-related activity, such as fundraising for a terrorist group, Peter Bergen, director of the foundations national security program, said in a statement.

But but it's for the children and you know, keeps us secure. If even one live is saved, one child rescued, one unicorn spared from extinction, it is all worth it. ( /SARC )

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Spooks and Spying ... continued ...

What It's Like When The FBI Asks You To Backdoor Your Software ( PC Magazine 2014-01-08 )

At a recent RSA Security Conference, Nico Sell was on stage announcing that her companyWickrwas making drastic changes to ensure its users' security. She said that the company would switch from RSA encryption to elliptic curve encryption, and that the service wouldn't have a backdoor for anyone.

As she left the stage, before she'd even had a chance to take her microphone off, a man approached her and introduced himself as an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He then proceeded to "casually" ask if she'd be willing to install a backdoor into Wickr that would allow the FBI to retrieve information.

This encounter, and the agent's casual demeanor, is apparently business as usual as intelligence and law enforcement agencies seek to gain greater access into protected communication systems. Since her encounter with the agent at RSA, Sell says it's a story she's heard again and again. "It sounds like that's how they do it now," she told SecurityWatch. "Always casual, testing, because most people would say yes."

How about that? Do read the story for more insight. It's like I said, the governments of the world are making their moves now on pacifying their uppity citizenry, the Internet and all p2p correspondence. In fact we can retro-project our current understanding of all the spying right back to the old days before the Internet and now be completely sure that snail mail and telephones and telegrams and everything else were also compromised completely. It will take nothing short of citizen revolutions, overthrowing our protectors, and opening up of the deepest darkest records and secrets to completely understand the scope of government spying.

NSA seeks to build quantum computer that could crack most types of encryption ( Washington Post 2014-01-02 )

NSA building quantum computer capable of cracking most forms of encryption ( TechSpot 2014-01-03 )

A quantum computer is a machine that is much faster than traditional computers. While a traditional computer works with binary bits, either zeros or ones, a quantum computer works with quantum bits or qubits, which are simultaneously zero and one.

Such a computer can decide to avoid calculations that are unnecessary to solving a problem. This gives quantum computer the ability to quickly solve very difficult problems like breaking a complex encryption.

nice image ( TechSpot )

Not too long ago I'd have laughed this off. For some reason I'm not laughing this time.

Per Snowden NSA Leaks, Dell PowerEdge Server BIOS Hacked ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-03 )

Although it is somewhat old news, given that the report was created in 2007 for the ANT (Advanced or Access Network Technology) product catalog, the DEITYBOUNCE hack describes an exploit specifically designed for Dell PowerEdge servers.

The requirement for operating the hack reads a bit like the requirements section for many normal software applications:

"This technique supports multi-processor systems with RAID hardware and Microsoft Windows 2000, 2003, and XP. It currently targets Dell PowerEdge 1850/2850/1950/2950 RAID servers, using BIOS version A02, A05, A06, 1.1.0, 1.2.0, 1.3.7."

It was very inexpensive with a Unit Cost of $0 and at the time of the report, its status was "Ready for Immediate Delivery."

The hack was "accomplished by non-technical operation through use of a USB thumb drive" and was "configurable and will occur when the target machine powers on."

The DEITYBOUNCE hack is one of many that were part of an NSA Toolbox mentioned in a story originally reported by Der Spiegel. This particular hack would likely not be possible today.

This sounds like it fits squarely into the post-9/11 timeframe when Windows 2000 and then Windows XP were penetrating both the business and consumer space. IMHO, it was too late to completely compromise these OS releases without built-in backdoors hence the attacks on weak points like the BIOS firmware and with relatively new things like USB. Does anyone still doubt that the Longhorn/Vista cycle was targeted for penetration before release and the delay was more than coincidental?

Apple denies involvement in NSA eavesdropping on iPhone users ( NeoWin 2014-01-02 )

According to the information gathered from leaked NSA documents, the program which allows the agency to access the personal data on iPhones has a 100 percent success rate when implanting into the device, which is a major security concern if true. In its reply, Apple has reaffirmed that, they will "continue to use our resources to stay ahead of malicious hackers and defend our customers from security attacks, regardless of who's behind them."

I'd say that the probability that Apple stood up to and successfully resisted the government spooks is exactly zero. And now after five generations of either backdoors or reverse engineering I cannot imagine any scenario now where an iPhone could present any challenge to the spooks.

Teenager reported to police after reporting vulnerability in government website ( NeoWin 2014-01-11 )

Rogers contacted the site but after two weeks he had still not received a response so he reported the problem to The Age. When the newspaper contacted the department of transportation the site reported Rogers to the authorities.

Knock, knock. Who's there? We're from the government. We're here to help. Let us in please.

Websense: Is Windows Watson Leaking Info to Hackers? ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-02 )

Windows crash reports may help hackers claims research ( NeoWin 2014-01-05 )

In a recent blog post, the computer and internet security company which investigates computer-based security risks that occur in commonly used applications and services, identified Windows Error Reporting (a.k.a. "Watson") as a way for hackers and other snoopers to gain valuable insight into possible vulnerabilities lurking in your PC. The report stated that error logs, which may be created automatically for some applications, might be sent to Microsoft without prompting the user.

[...]

The number of networked PCs that could be phoning home is estimated at more than one billion. According to the report, not only is the information related to the OS and application but also includes common system events, such as plugging in a USB device, failed application updates, and TCP Timeouts between computers on a network.

Much of this information is sent in HTTP clear text although, according to Microsoft, "all data that could include personally identifiable information is encrypted (HTTPS) during transmission. The 'crash signature,' which includes such information as the application name and version, module name and version, and offset (location) is not encrypted."

Just the tip of the iceberg, as all Windows veterans know full well. It is quite amazing that the concept of "phone home" without notification was ever allowed to take root in a free society ( and a quick one-time EULA does not mitigate this fact ). Long ago I suggested that each and every outgoing communication be treated as theft, like if a burglar broke in an used your phone for his personal long distance calls, and most importantly that this phoning home be quantified so that the owner of the computer/telephone/broadband be allowed to directly collect from the guilty party. The same concept could be applied to bloatware/malware and other software that uses the CPU ( and thereby electricity ) without explicit permission. Phoning home without notification and using CPU and power without permission are cases of theft and never should have become normalized.

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Spooks and Spying ... Pushback Edition ...

Some codes and notes about the backdoor listening on TCP-32764 in linksys WAG200G. ( GitHub approx 2014-01-01 )

Find out if your router is listening on backdoor port 32764 ( GHacks 2014-01-06 )

Some routers found to be listening on undocumented port ( NeoWin 2014-01-06 )

A few days ago, a known hacker named Eloi Vanderbeken posted up a note on GitHub. He wrote about his discovery that his Linksys WAG200G wireless DSL gateway was listening on the undocumented TCP port 32764. He later found that the port was open on a number of other routers from Linksys, Netgear, Cisco and others. While some of these products have the port open just on their local network, several of them are exposed when connected to the Internet.

So why do so many of these routers have this previously unknown port? It's not currently known, but the GHacks.net website offers up several ways to find out if a home or work router has this undocumented port active.

See the links for the ( likely incomplete ) list of affected routers. Naturally we have no idea what this is all about yet. And with the spook stories about compromised firmware from cooperating manufacturers and/or spooks planting bugs before you even get your device how can we ever be sure of anything.

The Pirate Bay developing tool to free users from censorship ( NeoWin 2014-01-06 )

The Pirate Bay to introduce decentralization in attempts to beat censorship for good ( TechSpot 2014-01-07 )

"The goal is to create a browser-like client to circumvent censorship, including domain blocking, domain confiscation, IP-blocking. This will be accomplished by sharing all of a sites indexed data as P2P downloadable packages, that are then browsed/rendered locally."

It is understood that the technology used will be based on BitTorrent, which would enable downloading the website from "seeds" and rendering locally. A website will get incremental updates regularly over the P2P network so the clients would always have the latest content without having to re-download the entire site. As with all P2P-based technologies, a centrally located IP address won't be available but will rather be spread out over all the clients, which would allow the data to be available even if the site gets blocked.

Every site will be assigned a unique verified key to populate the fake DNS system. Site owners can register for Bitcoin-authenticated "domain" names on a first-come, first-serve basis once the project is close to public release.

The Pirate Bay is said to be using open source technologies such as Libtorrent, Webkit, SQLite v3 and node-jsplans to develop the project. The standalone tool will be available in the near future with plugins for Firefox and Chrome in development as well.

One bright spot in a sea of madness.

Blackphone promises to be the first privacy-centric smartphone to offer secure communications for users ( TechSpot 2014-01-15 )

Blackphone announced; claims to offer more security and privacy ( NeoWin 2014-01-15 )

Encrypted communications company Silent Circle and Firefox OS device developer Geeksphone, have teamed up to create a new device called Blackphone that "comes preinstalled with all the tools you need to move throughout the world, conduct business, and stay in touch, while shielding you from prying eyes."

Silent Circle is headed up by Phil Zimmerman, who became well known as the creator of an early email encryption standard called PGP. Geeksphone is a Spanish start-up known for its work with Mozilla's Firefox OS developers devices, Peak and Keon.

Blackphone's security focused version of Android called PrivatOS, will allow users to place and receive calls (including video calls), send texts and access file storage securely, while keeping activity anonymous through the use of a VPN.

And another bit of sanity. Like I said, this will be a growth industry.

Firefox Aiming to be Free from NSA's Gaze. Possibility of a browser free from NSA surveillence ( Maximum PC 2014-01-14 )

Mozilla: Firefox Has No Government Backdoors ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-14 )

... many governments and their agencies might force service operators to allow surveillance, pointing to the Lavabit case as an example of this predicament. Governments could not only force services to enable surveillance, but issue a gag order preventing these services from informing their users.

As a solution to this problem, Eich offers that Firefoxs open-source nature gives it a critical advantage over other browser vendors because security researchers are able to compare and vary its executable bits with the official distribution.

Because of this advantage, Eich went on to provide several actions that, if enforced by security researchers and organizations, could prevent anyone from injecting undetected surveillance code into Firefox. According to Eich they will need to, Regularly audit Mozilla source and verified builds by all effective means, establish automated systems to verify official Mozilla builds from source, and raise an alert if the verified bits differ from official bits.

Interesting. I hadn't thought about just how hard it is to verify if something is untampered with once it leaves a "trusted" party. They could post CRC and other file fingerprint data and users could verify files on their end, or maybe use a distributed authenticator, but as we now see so many avenues are compromised. Maybe we will soon see a "Verified Authentic" in the ABOUT box updated each time the program is launched. We need to try to imagine the methods the spooks will use to counter this and other ideas.

Internet sets February 11th as day of protest against mass surveillance ( NeoWin 2014-01-10 )

The protest itself will take a similar form to the anti-SOPA/PIPA protests that managed to bring down those legislative proposals. Interested folks can join in at Thedaywefightback.org. Banners and widgets will be strewn across the web in an effort to spread the word and show everyone that the Internet will not take this lying down.

Well it's a start I guess.

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

The Competition ... Barbarians at the Gates ...

Acer Gives Touchscreen Chromebook a Moonstone White Makeover ( Maximum PC 2014-01-03 )

Acer Announces DA2223 HQL and TA272 HUL All-in-One Android PCs. It's an all-in-one with Android inside. ( Maximum PC 2014-01-03 )

Acer Smells Blood in Low-Cost Tablet Category, Rolls Out Two New Models Starting at $130 ( Maximum PC 2014-01-03 )

Acer unveils new 7- and 7.9-inch Iconia tablets, starting at $130 ( TechSpot 2014-01-06 )

Lenovo Introduces Its First Android PC ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-05 )

Meizu Announces MX3 Android is Coming to North America ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-07 )

Brought to you by Microsoft ( Image Sources: 1,2,3,4 )

It seems like forever ago when the only Android tablets on the market were the ones trying to compete with Apple's iPad line at the $499 price point and above. Fast forward to today and affordable Android tablets are fairly common, though not quite ubiquitous. Might that change this year? Well, we're off to a good start with Acer announcing two new Iconia slates starting at just $130.

Following in the footsteps of earlier strategic geniuses such as Napoleon and Hitler in Russia, the French at Dien Bien Phu and our own Alamo, Microsoft has surrounded themselves with their enemy and has got them right where they want them. Actually that comparison is a bit unfair to Napoleon et al, because none of them first shot their own troops before engaging the enemy. So perhaps we should add Stalin's decapitation of his officer ranks. This makes for a wonderful strategy ... if your goal was to leave yourself surrounded, and defenseless. Good job boys! I'd say it's about time for Microsoft to come clean and name the geniuses that suggested attacking Windows and other classic brands that defined the company leading to nearly complete AWOL support from the previously loyal troops.

BTW, here's a link to a good article mentioned at TechBroil from a Softie describing the situation from the inside ... Trust, Users and The Developer Division -- A follow up to what went wrong

What does the peanut gallery have to say about all this ...

Lenovo to release multiple Chromebook configurations this summer ( TechSpot 2014-01-09 )

Toshiba Chromebook inbound, Microsoft probably not happy about it ( NeoWin 2014-01-06 )

While Lenovo already offers Chromebooks for the education sector, Parker said at this year's CES that the company feels it is a market that "will accelerate greatly in the next 12 months." Based on numbers from IDC, Lenovo is the world's largest PC vendor, so no doubt its involvement in Chromebooks could speed things up considerably.

Of course, Microsoft is surely not pleased about the onset of Chromebooks and has even started to do a bit of negative advertising against the product. Sure, you could write off Chromebooks as not being a serious competitor to Windows, but you can bet that Google will continue to push the platform which means Microsoft better pay attention.

In case you forgot, the last time a competitor entered a computing market and Microsoft wrote them off to quickly was with the iPhone. That oversight has caused a massive headache for Microsoft, as it has found itself well behind the competitor in terms of market share in the mobile segment. So, with Chromebooks, you can bet that Microsoft is looking to avoid the mistakes of last time and is surely taking Googles OS quite seriously.

Only time will tell if Chromebooks are able to carve out a niche in the market or if they will turn into another iteration of the netbook. But, for those of you who are interested in trying out the platform, you now have another low-cost option on the table.

Brad Sams wondering about carving a niche? There is some kind of force field around NeoWin, or maybe tinfoil, but whatever it is it sure is effective at keeping out the scope of the epic fail their MicroGod has brought upon itself.

Android apps on a Windows PC is an OEM gimmick, waste of time ( NeoWin 2014-01-10 )

And here we have Brad Sams yet again, rallying the troops I mean NeoKids as usual. You see, they sense that Android and/or some other variation(s) of Linux are preparing to invade the desktop and thanks to the vulnerabilities created by multiple Microsoft fiascos ( Windows 8 hatred, Surface backstabbing the OEM's ) there is real unprecedented risk of inroads being made. It's a shame that the code word "Normandy" has already been taken, ironically by Nokia for its prospective Android phone release, because that code word might be the most perfect one ever chosen for all these competitors.

Brad tries to make sense of this but as usual misses the point ...

So are Android apps really going to help combat this decline and push vendors to sell more PCs? Probably not, because they are not addressing the fundamental reason consumers are not buying a PC.

[...]

What I am saying is, Android on a PC with Windows is nothing more than a cheap marketing gimmick that OEMs hope will boost sales. The practicality of the feature, minus the dual-boot scenarios on a tablet that kind-of make sense in an off-handed way, is not there. At this point, OEMs are throwing anything with a buzzword into their machines to help move them rather than focusing on quality, innovative products... but thats nothing new.

... and as usual blaming the OEM's for everything, even alleged declining PC sales. These same NeoKids just finished a full year of blaming not Microsoft, but OEM's for the hatred of Windows 8 devices. These same NeoKids also are united in their own love for mobile apps on a desktop computer, as long as the OS is Microsoft Tiles. Merging, unification, consolidation, "One Windows" they say. But change that OS to anything else and their brains meltdown and the babbling begins. What Brad and the NeoKids are avoiding facing is the fact that just like on the northern coast of France, a beach-head needs to be established before the invading troops conquer your territory.

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

The Competition ... Deserting Troops ...

Dual OS support in Intel processors confirmed ( NeoWin 2014-01-07 )

AMD to offer virtual Android enviroment on Windows desktop via Bluestacks ( NeoWin 2014-01-07 )

During Intel's own press conference, the company's CEO showcased the ease of use of running Windows and Android simultaneously. Intel has tried to make the transition seamless and one which requires just the push of a button. Built-in device protection is expected to prevent security breach while switching between the OSes or using the setup.

Android apps will be able to run in a window or full screen on the Windows desktop with the new BlueStacks software, according to AMD. It added:

"As native software running under Windows on the PC, BlueStacks takes full advantage of AMD APUs, beginning with the 4th generation AMD APU codename Kaveri power savings options, OpenGL driver, and every other advantage the AMD APU-based system can offer. There are no extra development challenges in terms of drivers--BlueStacks is built and optimized to run within Windows on AMD APUs."

So it's not just sour grapes from OEM device builders offended by Surface. The exodus is touching everyone in the entire Microverse right down to the chip makers. And chip makers are working overtime to save themselves ...

Nvidia unveils Tegra K1 SoC with 192 CUDA cores, Kepler architecture ( TechSpot 2014-01-06 )

CES 2014: Nvidia Announces "Super Chip" Tegra K1 CPU ( Maximum PC 2014-01-06 )

NVIDIA officially announces Tegra K1, its Kepler-based mobile chip ( NeoWin 2014-01-06 )

Early benchmarks suggest Nvidia's new Tegra K1 SoC is a winner ( TechSpot 2014-01-13 )

Early benchmarks show NVIDIA's Tegra K1 outperforming Apple, Qualcomm chips ( NeoWin 2014-01-13 )

Not too long ago I questioned why we hadnt seen Nvidias Tegra 4 processor show up in many mobile devices this past year considering the previous iteration powered the majority of Android devices on the market at the time. Perhaps the companys new 192-core Tegra K1 mobile chips are to blame.

Nvidia recently unveiled the impossibly advanced chip during its CES press conference in Las Vegas. And no, that isnt an error 192 CUDA cores based on the Kepler GPU architecture, the same one used in discrete desktop graphics cards. This level of graphics power is roughly the same as a low-end GeForce GT 630 or 635 desktop cards from last year but in a mobile package.

Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang called the Android platform the most disruptive force in computing in 20 years and attributed Androids success to its open source design. Huang said he believes that Android is going to be in the next generation of consoles and that its not a matter of if this will happen, but when. As a result, the company seems extremely keen on going gung-ho with Android and the Tegra K1 CPU will be a 64-bit ARM-based Android OS. Tegra K1 will be based on Nvidias GPU Kepler architecture and support a whopping 192 cuda cores. As a result, Huang believes it to be a radical leap over Tegra 4 and that it would be disingenuous to simply call it Tegra 5.

Huang also revealed that Epic Games will support the Tegra K1 with the upcoming Unreal Engine 4. You can see some very impressive tech demos of the Tegra K1 in action along with more pictures from the event below.

In Futuremarks 3DMark test, the Tegra K1 dominated the competition nothing else really even came close. Its a trend that carried over in GFXBench as well with the only victory (a narrow one at that) coming in AnTuTu where the Tegra 4 barely edged out the K1.

Its also worth noting that the chip in the Thinkvision 28 was only clocked at 2GHz, not the 2.3GHz that Nvidia claims the K1 can operate at. As such, the GPUs clock rate was probably lower than normal as well although polling its clock rate was inconclusive.

Other benchmarks out of China even suggest the K1 is capable of beating an Intel Haswell laptop with integrated graphics despite the fact that the notebook requires significantly more power. We have no way to validate these tests but at the very least, Id say the results from Toms Hardware are legit.

This is the last thing Microsoft needs. Huge advancements in ARM performance will speed acceptance of Android on the desktop and elsewhere and elevate it from a toy OS and chipset to something else entirely. Couple that with a concerted effort by the chip makers to free themselves from the MicroMonopoly and opening up sales everywhere and you have the makings of a total disaster. Of course tis isn't great news for x86 at all, and for that we again need to blame the geniuses in Redmond who kill golden geese for fun.

The Competition ... Steam Edition! ...

• Steam Machine hands-on part two: the Steam Controller, Civilization V and StarCraft 2 ( PC Gamer 2014-01-01 )
• Steam Machines from over a dozen partners to be showcased at CES ( TechSpot 2014-01-06 )
• Digital Storm announces liquid cooled, 4K TV ready Bolt II Steam Machine ( PC Gamer 2014-01-06 )
• Digital Storm Unveils Bolt II, World's First Liquid Cooled Steam Machine ( Maximum PC 2014-01-06 )
• Digital Storm Unveils Hybrid PC-Steam Machine ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-06 )
• CyberPowerPC Announces Steam Machine Configurations Starting at $499. Sylish Steam Machine configurations are slated for the second half of 2014. ( Maximum PC 2014-01-06 )
• Cyberpower's Steam Machine in Both Intel and AMD Flavors ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-06 )
• CyberPowerPC reveals its $500 Steam Machine ( PC Gamer 2014-01-06 )
• Digital Storm, CyberPowerPC unveil Steam Machines at dramatically different price points ( TechSpot 2014-01-06 )
• Origin PC Preps Single and Dual GPU Steam Machine "Chronos" Rigs ( Maximum PC 2014-01-06 )
• Valve announces Steam Machine manufacturers, open to making its own ( PC Gamer 2014-01-06 )
• Valve Unveils First Generation of Steam Machines at CES 2014 ( Maximum PC 2014-01-06 )
• Alienware SteamBox Hands-on: PC Gaming Invades Your Living Room ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-06 )
• Steam Machines Pictures and Specs ( Maximum PC 2014-01-07 )
• Valve Officially Reveals List of Steam Machine Partners ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-07 )
• Valve shows off 13 Steam Machines covering all shapes, sizes and price points ( TechSpot 2014-01-07 )
• Hands-on with Steam Controller at CES 2014 ( PC Gamer 2014-01-07 )
• Steam Machines are expensive, ugly, but full of potential ( PC Gamer 2014-01-07 )
• 14 companies will offer Steam Machines in 2014; many will dual boot Windows ( NeoWin 2014-01-07 )
• Zotac: "We were the first company" making Steam Machines ( PC Gamer 2014-01-08 )
• Valve confirms third-party Steam Controllers in the "longer term" at CES 2014 ( PC Gamer 2014-01-08 )
• Valve: Streaming-only box would be "awesome," but native SteamOS support is priority ( PC Gamer 2014-01-08 )
• Valve looks to lead the charge in creating a standardized VR controller interface ( TechSpot 2014-01-09 )
• Valve 'days away' from releasing virtual reality software development kits ( NeoWin 2014-01-09 )
• Interview: ORIGIN PC and Falcon Northwest chat about their Steam Machine plans ( NeoWin 2014-01-09 )
• Valve Releasing VR SDK Next Week ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-10 )
• Free-For-All: How Valve Is Building a New Way to Play Games ( TechSpot 2014-01-10 )
• Microsoft Xbox exec is 'not sweating it' when it comes to Steam Machines ( NeoWin 2014-01-10 )
• SteamOS now supports Intel and AMD graphics (Updated) ( TechSpot 2014-01-10 )
• Valve Releases SteamVR Beta, Will Work With Oculus Rift ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-14 )
• Valve launch Steam VR beta ahead of their Dev Days event ( PC Gamer 2014-01-14 )
• Valve updates Steam Controller with new buttons, drops touchscreen ( PC Gamer 2014-01-15 )
• Valve Wants Movies, Music on SteamOS, Controller Changed ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-16 )
• Steam Machines Will Be as Open as Possible ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-17 )
• Valve Lends Oculus Rift a Hand in Driving VR Technology Forward ( Maximum PC 2014-01-17 )

NOTE: all those articles are from just a couple of sites in just two weeks. Pretty amazing accomplishment IMHO.

According to the report, a list of more than twelve companies are set to be early supporters of Valves SteamOS platform. To date, only iBuyPower and Digital Storm were known affiliates, but now Alienware, Falcon Northwest, CyberPowerPC, Origin PC, Gigabyte, Materiel.net, Webhallen, Alternate, Next, Zotac and Scan Computers are joining the ranks and will be showing their designs at the popular tech conference.

The list comprises mostly boutique or PC gaming focused shops. Thats good in the sense that these are specialty brands and know the market pretty well, but it may not be the best way to reach the masses seeing how theyre relatively unknown to mainstream buyers and those that do know them often prefer the self built route.

In any case, Engadget says it's possible there are other third parties signed on for Steam Machines, so perhaps more mainstream players aside from Dell (Alienware) and Gigabyte will join the party. Seeing how many traditional Windows partners are picking up Chrome OS as a means to diversify their offerings in the face of a stale market, Steam Machines can offer another avenue to diversify their portfolio.

Here's an infographic showing 12 of them here. That quote was from before CES which is now complete. The stories are just getting written and posted now but it is pretty clear to me that Valve is in this for real. And what has really surprised me is the speed with which 3rd parties have gotten onboard here. It is amazing. I don't understand the nay-saying from some commenters though. I think some people are so brow-beaten by the lack of progress from Linux over the years that they are acting like whipped puppies, conditioned to beatings and resigned to their fate. However, this Valve initiative looks to me like the long game, which pays off in 5 and 10 years. The thing to remember is that at the end of the day SteamOS and Steam Machines will not add any users in the Microsoft column, and indeed it will subtract some, perhaps many. And it will erode Microsoft's influence in their previous position of dictatorial authority and will open up avenues for game developers. No big announcements yet of game companies writing SteamOS native games ( that I can find ), but these baby steps will lay the groundwork for those announcements. They will all notice this unprecedentedly fast adoption of SteamOS by 3rd party OEM system builders and later from SteamOS for existing systems and make a decision most likely to get some games written for native SteamOS. Remember that DirectX did not catch on overnight either and it was a real lame mess at first. Microsoft is either going to have to recommit to a massive defense of their non-console Windows game platform or they will lose it in time. And the main reason they will lose it is because of the missing Microsoft Tax of $50 to $100 per device that the OEM gets to pocket. Once enough machines are out there, 3rd party Steam Machines or SteamOS added on PC's, then that total number will become the factor that draws over development. But anyone that expected some overnight victory hasn't really thought this through.

This is yet another front in a war that Microsoft never saw coming. They have set themselves up in a circular firing squad surrounded by multiple enemies with guns trained and ready to shoot anyone left standing.

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Kickin' it old school ...

If you're like me and need a break from the retardification of all things computer, then these articles might help. Standing in stark contrast to all the mobile stuff and the Microsoft Tiles fiasco dumbing down of Windows, there is plenty of light on the PC performance side. Here is a small sampling of stuff from CES for those that might be getting bored or aggravated by goings-on over the past couple of years ...

• CES 2014: Gigabyte Suite Tour (Video) ( Maximum PC 2014-01-08 )
• CES 2014: MSI Suite Tour (Video) ( Maximum PC 2014-01-08 )
• CES 2014: Asus Suite Tour (Video) ( Maximum PC 2014-01-08 )
• CES 2014: Asus Throws Down the Gauntlet, Unveils a 28-inch 4K Gaming Monitor for $799 (Video) ( Maximum PC 2014-01-08 )
• CES 2014: Cooler Master Shows Off HAF Stacker Case and Mechanical Keyboards (Video) ( Maximum PC 2014-01-08 )
• CES 2014: A Tour of MSI's Gaming Laptops, Steel Series Engine, and All-in-One PCs (Video) ( Maximum PC 2014-01-08 )
• CyberPowerPC Sinks Its Fang Gaming PC into a Battle Box ( Maximum PC 2014-01-08 )
• CES 2014: Oculus Rift Tour (Video) ( Maximum PC 2014-01-09 )
• CES 2014: AMD Suite Tour (Video) ( Maximum PC 2014-01-09 )
• CES 2014: Gaming at 12K with Nvidia! (Video) ( Maximum PC 2014-01-09 )
• CES 2014: Getting Better Acquainted with Razer's Project Christine (Video) ( Maximum PC 2014-01-09 )
• CES 2014: Enermax Suite Tour (Video) ( Maximum PC 2014-01-09 )
• CES 2014: Zalman Suite Tour (Video) ( Maximum PC 2014-01-10 )
• CES 2014: Origin PC's Millennium and Genesis Cases (Video) ( Maximum PC 2014-01-10 )
• 10 Coolest Things We Saw at CES 2014 ( Maximum PC 2014-01-13 )
• Corning's Optical Cables for Big Data Transfers First Look <--- Watch this video! ( Maximum PC 2014-01-14 )

NOTE: See the very cool video at that last link from a Corning presentation at CES of its fiber cables ( self-contained connector to connector fiber, beyond the cable ends they are electrically normal ). They also are using a brand new Mac Pro with multiple GPUs and a 4k monitor. Vey cool, high-end stuff.

• LG Launches 5 OLED TVs, One with 4K Resolution ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-02 )
• Sharp Claims New TVs Achieve Resolution Between HD and 4K ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-06 )
• Samsung: 4K Ultra HD television adoption will happen faster than anticipated ( TechSpot 2014-01-11 )

These last three articles is about advancing video technology and I just wanted to point out a useful infographic detailing various video modes and screen size, mirrored here ...

Miscellaneous ...

Walt Mossberg, Kara Swisher say goodbye to All Things D, launch new site ( TechSpot 2014-01-01 )

Prominent technology website All Things Digital shut down shop on December 31. The site, which became an extension of the D conference first held more than a decade ago, launched in April 2007 and has played host to nearly 40,000 posts since.

On January 2, the journalists will launch a brand new site with a whole new suite of conferences. Tentatively known as Re/code with the tagline Re/fresh, Re/think, Re/imagine, the site will be run as an independent company with its own set of investors and partners.

The new site is here ... http://recode.net/welcome/

Researchers hit the web to search for evidence of time travelers ( TechSpot 2014-01-04 )

The team thought they found some solid evidence via Google as some sites contained seemingly prescient information but upon further inspection, they were wrong. One reason for this, the researchers said, was the appearance of recent advertisements on older news stories.

Moving forward, the two turned their attention to Twitter due to its inability to backdate tweets. But just like on Google, no solid evidence turned up. Either our future time travelers arent into social media or perhaps they were smart enough not to blab about it online (or maybe if they did, theyd just go back in time again and erase any evidence of it).

Although the study didnt turn up any evidence of time travel, the researchers say it is by no means proof that those from the future dont exist.

Well they certainly couldn't have looked too carefully, if they had they would have found tons of evidence of prophecy right here at MSFN Deeper Impressions where we nailed all these Microsoft and Windows 8 and many other things in advance. : I was going to index some of our accurate predictions but there are just so many. Maybe sometime in the future.

Speaking of time travel and prophecy, sometimes you don't need a crystal ball or Delorean to see danger ahead. from the Department of Bad Ideas that anyone should be able to understand ...

• Samsung lays groundwork for connected homes with Smart Home platform ( TechSpot 2014-01-05 )
• Discovery iQ Oven Is Android-Powered, Internet Connected ( Tom's Hardware 2014-01-06 )
• Google announces partnership with major automakers to integrate Android ( NeoWin 2014-01-06 )
• Google crafts Open Automotive Alliance to bring the Android ecosystem in-car ( TechSpot 2014-01-06 )
• Google's reach expands into your home more via $3.2 billion Nest acquisition ( ZDNet 2014-01-13 )
• Google acquires Nest Labs for $3.2 billion in cash ( TechSpot 2014-01-13 )
• Google Acquires Nest Labs for $3.2 Billion ( Maximum PC 2014-01-13 )
• Google to acquire Nest Labs for $3.2 billion ( NeoWin 2014-01-13 )
• Why Nest will be bigger for Google than Android ( Quartz 2014-01-14 )

The burglars and thieves must be drooling over all these wonderful new gift-horse avenues of theft of homes and cars, hackers laughing at endless unprecedented possibilities for creating random carnage and mayhem, and terrorists giddy with anticipation of even more creative remote controlled weapons, and of course our benevolent government protectors are rejoicing as the private sector builds the espionage infrastructure that they would normally have to build for themselves. In fact, everyone except for the sheeple I mean private citizen is celebrating this "progress".

That new Google story is especially worrying because I expect that logo will appear on everything from your thermostat to your toaster, each time implying your tacit approval of whatever EULA they have posted currently. It's a Brave New World. Gotta give props to Dot MetroTard here for saying: "Your temperature will display after a quick message from our sponsor...". Indeed.

UPDATE: just a few days later comes this: For The First Time, Hackers Have Used A Refrigerator To Attack Businesses (Business Insider) with more early examples from our seemingly inevitable future ...

In this case, hackers broke into more than 100,000 everyday consumer gadgets, such as home-networking routers, connected multi-media centers, televisions, and at least one refrigerator, Proofpoint says. They then used those objects to send more than 750,000 malicious emails to enterprises and individuals worldwide.

In the press release, Proofpoint explains:

- The hack happened between December 23, 2013 and January 6, 2014, and featured waves of malicious email, typically sent in bursts of 100,000, three times per day, targeting enterprises and individuals worldwide.

- About three-quarters of the emails were sent by regular computers, but the rest, slightly more than one-quarter, were sent by hacked home appliances.

- Hackers didn't have to be amazingly smart when breaking into home appliances. Many times they gained access because the home owners didn't set them up correctly, or used the default password that came with the device.

Most homes are not yet a part of the Internet of Things, and looks like hackers will already be there to greet them when they arrive.

Yay progress!

Believe it or not there is a direct tie-in to the Microsoft fiascos in the next few articles ...

DirecTV pulls The Weather Channel from lineup over reality TV (and money) dispute ( TechSpot 2014-01-14 )

Many people have probably heard about this, but not many know the full story. TWC ( The "Weather" Channel ) had its bluff called and was dropped. They were asking for more money of course to be carried on DirecTV. This is similar to the ongoing disputes on Cable with media companies that own channels extorting the Cable carrier to pay more which then jacks up our bill. The Cable/Sat company always caves, prices rise, and then the channel owners come back again next year for more. With TWC there are some other facts in play though. They had multiple controversies in play here for years, and what has happened was a multi-front war with many different people, kind of like Microsoft finds itself in, and they proceeded blindly on their stubborn path deaf to all criticism and find themselves with no support. And now dead.

A few years The Weather Channel started to drift from being a "Weather Channel" at all and injected themselves with controversial characters that used the space between forecasts for global warming propaganda. Then they gradually adopted alarmism as their main product with ambulance chasing every storm and drought and heatwave as a crisis becoming an electronic tabloid. Not content with this radical departure they added volumes of realty TV style shows ( with a couple fairly good ones too ). This was enough to get many people up in arms, particularly those of us who don't want to be lectured to and are just looking for the facts, facts like the wind, temp, pressure, radar without the 24/7 crisis approach ( a simple task, this was normally sourced from the closest airport, the forecast pulled from the NWS ). Getting these facts became harder and harder as they shortened the "Local On The 8's", making the displayed boards quicker and almost impossible to digest just so they could get back to their fear mongering and realty shows and commercials. In fact they used to always keep the local stuff on a permanent quasi-Chyron on the bottom even during commercials ( like a news or stock ticker ) and that eventually vanished. Sometimes they have no "Local On The 8's" at all, and other times it is a hybrid version squished into a small box. Lately they have another variation where it is squished down into the scroll area! They changed everything for no good reason ( now who does that remind you of? ). Then they got bought by a huge network, NBC. They started integrating fat Al Roker and other nonsense from that network and became just another commercial station, a platform for ads with little resemblance to how it started long ago. By this point there was very little reason to even go to TWC because almost nothing remained worth waiting for ( and you never really had to wait before ).

Now if that all is not enough, the most recent disaster should sound very familiar - a wholesale "redesign" of the graphics. Yes, they went "modern" because some idi0t(s) in the organization thought it would be just grand to change everything! They went to horrific color selections, illegible fonts, stupid little icons, and worst of all: desaturated maps of mostly black and white and GRAY ( in fact if you click that link you will see the old style topographic color maps derived from satellites to compare with the unbelievable current crap ). On the new maps they use blue for water and white for land! Also, white is for clouds. And for Snow! They also use some variations of light gray for a wonderful clusterf*ck of modern madness. Seriously, what they did here was turn the TV channel into a webpage or phone app. They also have all kinds of bugs, for example when the bottom scroll area updates it literally overlaps the previous text for a second and this has been ongoing for quite a while. I just checked the "Local On The 8's" and found national blurbs, Dakotas, Carolinas, California. Not a single thing is functional unless you are some kind of TabletTard. But this is no tablet! It is a giant TV! Idi0ts.

Also similar to Microsoft is how they are presently airing some propaganda about their dropping from DirecTV, alleging overwhelming outpouring of support from the public ( i.e., NeoKids, MetroTards, etc ), but that is not even close to the truth since DirecTV has replaced them with "The Weather Network", a new channel they own and I am reading pretty good comments about it ( I don't have it myself ). Most ridiculous is their contention that they are a critical contention for public safety and thus lives are at risk by being dropped. If that were true they wouldn't have butchered the channel in the first place. It is so bad that the founder of TWC has swore off any connection with his baby. We have seen this destruction of graphics over and over in computer software, a crazy trend toward ugly minimalism just as the hardware has become capable of the most incredible output. Every one of these knuckleheads will be paying the price once their particular competition wises up and capitalizes on it leaving them and their crappy graphics looking like 3rd grade refrigerator artwork.

Now check out this very interesting story ...

Did Black and Decker lose a nut with its modernist redesign? ( Quartz 2014-01-14 )

... especially the childish use of text ( as if a blind man selected the fonts and kerning ). Also see the new packaging that someone correctly describes as now looking like a crappy unofficial box from a counterfeit product. It is positively insane! This is what happens folks when people stop being critical of mistakes and failure, be it parents, teachers, bosses, programmers, whatever. A judgment-free consequence-free society will ultimately begin a race to the bottom. But the good news is that someone will always notice branding suicide, and capitalize on the disaster leaving them in the dust. And we get to rub their noses in it. :

[jaclaz]

Now check out this very interesting story ...

Did Black and Decker lose a nut with its modernist redesign? ( Quartz 2014-01-14 )

... especially the childish use of text ( as if a blind man selected the fonts and kerning ). Also see the new packaging that someone correctly describes as now looking like a crappy unofficial box from a counterfeit product. It is positively insane! This is what happens folks when people stop being critical of mistakes and failure, be it parents, teachers, bosses, programmers, whatever. A judgment-free consequence-free society will ultimately begin a race to the bottom. But the good news is that someone will always notice branding suicide, and capitalize on the disaster leaving them in the dust. And we get to rub their noses in it. :

Actually (personal opinion) I do like the new design (of the tools) the new packaging is hideous, but who cares?

The real problem is with the changing of & with +.

Do a quick test, ask 10 people at random to write an ampersand on a piece of paper.

I would be surprised if you get more than 6 written correctly.

Humanity is doomed.

jaclaz

Edited January 18, 2014 by jaclaz

[Formfiller]

Microsoft: You will still need to activate Windows XP after April 8th with a fresh install ( NeoWin 2014-01-14 )

So the 14 year-old question has finally been answered - the activation servers will remain! If they had shut them down they would have been screwed for messing with paying customers, a lot of them. If they pushed out a patch to disable WPA they would have opened the door for many more Windows XP fresh installs. So they split the difference and will run the servers forever. That's amazing. Can you imagine just how much money it has cost them to run such a huge amount of servers for so long! They have probably managed to turn a profit into red ink over the last 14 years due to this WPA activation experiment.

I don't think the there is a cost-issue with the the XP activation servers.

My guess is that that there are no "Windows XP servers" a such, their activation servers probably activate all MS products and are not grouped by specific products (adding new products to them is most likely just a software update).

Edited January 18, 2014 by Formfiller

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Now check out this very interesting story ...

Did Black and Decker lose a nut with its modernist redesign? ( Quartz 2014-01-14 )

... especially the childish use of text ( as if a blind man selected the fonts and kerning ). Also see the new packaging that someone correctly describes as now looking like a crappy unofficial box from a counterfeit product. It is positively insane! This is what happens folks when people stop being critical of mistakes and failure, be it parents, teachers, bosses, programmers, whatever. A judgment-free consequence-free society will ultimately begin a race to the bottom. But the good news is that someone will always notice branding suicide, and capitalize on the disaster leaving them in the dust. And we get to rub their noses in it. :

Actually (personal opinion) I do like the new design (of the tools) the new packaging is hideous, but who cares?

The real problem is with the changing of & with +.

Do a quick test, ask 10 people at random to write an ampersand on a piece of paper.

I would be surprised if you get more than 6 written correctly.

Humanity is doomed.

jaclaz

Agree on the packaging naturally, it does not instill confidence at the point of sale that the box contains anything except modern garbage destined to self-destruct immediately after the 90-day or less warranty expires. And as that one commenter mentioned, it looks like a box that contains counterfeit goods.

To me, this is another example of product devolution. Being picky? Perhaps, but it is the latest in an ongoing race to the bottom. Three strikes ...

(1) First came the breaking of the traditional lifetime warranty from Craftsman ( and IIRC also B&D and some others ).

(2) Then came the outsourcing I mean free trade shuffle to the lowest bidder ( India and China ) converting these famous brands essentially to imports. Unsurprisingly prices didn't drop to match the falling quality and shorter warranty.

(3) Now we see the final handiwork of marketing gurus who are a dishonest group even on a good day, but now chasing every fad rather than using their brains to find talented artists and designers ...

( Image Sources: 1,2 )

Yeah, the ampersand removal is utterly ridiculous, that is a good example of brand suicide and logo changes are a trap that companies continue to step right into. And B&D certainly stepped into it here since they literally scrapped a instantly recognizable trademark. Dumb as can be.

But it's even more than that ( again, it may sound picky but I don't care, to a student the teacher is picky, to a driver the cop sounds picky, etc ). That color is the worst orange I can imagine. That one lends itself to looking like a toy more than any other color IMHO. Naturally I would choose the traditional blood red, or instead a bright fluorescent yellow for safety and easy spotting in the field.

Notice the attempt at fanciness in the trigger area too. To me it is stunningly repulsive even though I can't say why, maybe the jaggedness not fitting the overall shape. The net result is a more toyish overall look to the product. Remember the old "Price is Right" TV show? Looking at the above image wouldn't it be fair to say the one on the left would price at +$50 to +$100 versus the one on the right? Or simply put, which model looks like it costs more? But anyway, it's their product, they can kill it if they want. It's their funeral.

What is interesting to me is the lack of logic behind all these moves, like we see with Microsoft and others. A sane person would calculate the probability of whether your changes that scrap familiarity and recognition in exchange for a modern fad will either net more customers by adding new ones while keeping the previous ones, or, subtract more existing ones than new additions resulting in a net loss. Now if I owned the one on the left and went to buy another and the only available one was that one on the right, I would immediately start looking at other brands. That's my opinion naturally, but my reasoning is that I see what looks like a less quality model and I am very quick to punish dumb mistakes. Even on the small chance that only the looks have changed and the quality is identical, they still lose the sale on the sake appearance because the actual quality and lifespan of the device cannot be determined at the point of sale.

So, the variable I sense is that all these companies are taking their existing customers for granted ( if they don't like it tough - they can buy something else ) and chasing every fad that promises to attract new ones ( which almost always just cosmetic ). Without "lifetime warranty" and other assurances they have stripped away every possible reason to buy the thing in the first place.

I imagine these marketing geniuses are the type of people that purchase every new fishing lure kit on late night TV and wonder why the old-timers laugh at them while they reel in their usual haul. I'll bet their fish stories around the water cooler Monday morning on Madison Avenue are as pathological as the commentary seen at NeoWin.