Author Archives: Barbara Eastom Bates

About Barbara Eastom Bates

Barbara Eastom Bates is a freelance writer and self-professed computer geek living in southern California.

Best of the Web Round-Up, Monday 2/5/07

Here is what’s happening around the web this week. YouTube Superbowl Commercials In case you missed it, the Colts defeated the Bears, but who watches the Super Bowl for the sport of it anyway? Beginner’s Guide: Run Linux like any other program in Windows Ever wanted to increase your geekiness quotient by trying Linux, but unsure about scrapping Windows entirely? This LifeHack.org guide details how to install any version of Linux to run inside Windows. Hint: it won’t be as quick and clean as a regular Linux install, but like a live boot CD, it’s a great option for evaluating … Continue reading →

Verizon Said No to iPhone Two Years Ago

USA Today reported that Verizon Wireless said no thanks to Steve Jobs offer to be the exclusive distributor for the Apple iPhone almost two years ago, deciding the five year sales agreement wasn’t worth the many strings that came attached. Vice-President Jim Gerace remarked, “We said no. We have nothing bad to say about the Apple iPhone. We just couldn’t reach a deal that was mutually beneficial.” At issue were Apple’s demands to retain exclusive control over distribution of the iPhone and relationships with iPhone customers. While Apple and Verizon stores would have carried the device, reports say Wal-Mart, Best … Continue reading →

Free 60 Day Trial of Office 2007

For the last year, I have been beta testing pre-releases of what would eventually become the latest version of Office. Office 2007 is a substantial upgrade on previous versions, and right now, you can try it for free for 60 days. What can you expect from Microsoft’s latest offering? Forget the tired old interface you’re used to. This isn’t the usual minor face lift with a few program tweaks. Office 2007 has been completely redesigned from the ground up to be “results-oriented,” and looks like nothing you’ve seen before. Menus and toolbars are gone, and in their place is a … Continue reading →

MSN Malware Steals Passwords

Rumors of an official release of Windows Live Messenger 8.1 are circulating, but early adapters beware! Last week, the anti-virus company Sophos identified the existence of Troj/Msnfake-M, aka, MSN Live Password Stealer–a trojan horse that masquerades as the new release but in reality, is destructive. Trojan horses are malware that pose as something beneficial (i.e., the latest release of Windows Live Messenger) to trick users into installing them. Once on your system, trojans can provide the attacker with remote “back door” access to the users system, return sensitive data like passwords or financial information, record keystrokes, and delete or destroy … Continue reading →

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Beta Review

My gaming friends and I have been waiting for the release of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes for what feels like forever. Last month, I got in on beta four testing and, now that the non-disclosure agreement has been lifted, can tell you I’m a bit disappointed. Having played Everquest, Everquest II, and World of Warcraft, I was hoping this much hyped new MMORPG would have something different to offer. While the game has just opened in public beta and will likely continue to improve, right now it plays like just another remix of the aforementioned. The user interface is nearly … Continue reading →

Poll: Americans Think Piracy is No Big Deal

A Toronto-based company polled 2,600 Americans to find the majority of citizens view illegal downloading and distribution of Hollywood movies “on par with minor parking offenses.” A mere 40 percent of those polled by Solutions Research Group agreed that movie piracy was a “very serious offense,” compared to 78 percent who felt that way about shoplifting media from a local video store. According to the Digital Life America survey, 59 percent of Americans polled perceived “parking in a fire lane” as a more serious offense than illegal downloading. Kaan Yigit, study director at Solutions Research Group remarked, “There is a … Continue reading →

MySpace Sued. Again.

You can’t turn on the news these days without hearing about yet another lawsuit being filed against MySpace. Four families of underage daughters who were sexually abused by individuals met on the social networking giant filed suit against News Corp, the parent company of MySpace, at Los Angeles Superior Court on January 17. The charges allege fraud, negligence, recklessness, and negligent representation. At issue is whether or not MySpace did enough to prevent abuses to minors from occurring. The cases involve a 15-year old Pennsylvania female, kidnapped and sexually assaulted; a 15-year old Texas female, drugged and sexually assaulted; a … Continue reading →

Free Legal Music Downloads for Students

While the RIAA folks continue to do battle with P2P file sharing services, Ruckus Networks, Inc., has a better idea. The legal downloading service announced on January 22, they would provide free, advertising supported media for all college students nationwide. Through licensing agreements with major international record labels, as well as thousands of independent labels and artists, Ruckus users have access to “more than 2.1 million high fidelity, virus-free music tracks,” read the company press release. Premium features include the ability to download unlimited movies and television shows for a monthly fee, and “Ruckus-To-Go,” for transferring to portable devices of … Continue reading →

Meebo Instant Messenger

If you’re like most people, you’re probably using multiple instant messaging programs to keep up with friends. Doing so, however, isn’t always the best idea for keeping an optimally running system. Memory intensive programs requiring extensive system resources can slow your computer down and hinder performance. Trillian, Gaim, and related multi-protocol applications were the first to make combining multiple accounts all into one program easier. Now there is Meebo. Similar to ICQ2Go or Yahoo Web Messenger, Meebo is an in-browser instant messaging application that supports multiple services including Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live Messenger (formerly MSN Messenger), AIM, ICQ, Google Talk … Continue reading →

Oboe Music Locker

I’m somewhat of an audiophile and have been searching months for a good service that would allow me to backup and remotely access my extensive digital media collection. While a number of services have been available, the storage offerings have always been too small (or the prices for more storage too high), or just haven’t worked well enough to be worth the trouble. I think, however, the Oboe Music Locker and I are going to make beautiful music together. The MP3Tunes.com team offers 1 GB storage (up to 1,000 songs) and synching for your digital music—“no catch, no credit card, … Continue reading →