How-To Geek
Week in Geek: AT&T Customers’ Facebook Data Went Through China
This week we learned how to fix 10 common Photoshop frustrations in five minutes, make Ubuntu Linux look like Windows 7, make Photoshop easier to use with the How-To Geek Photoshop CS5 cheat sheet, get started with using AutoHotkey Scripts, add flair to our documents and files using handwriting style fonts, and more.
Photo by Nur Hussein.
Weekly News Links
Photo by Blyon.com.
- Facebook detour through China: Accident or not?
A funny thing happened to some traffic heading to Facebook this past week. It ended up going out of the way through China. - U.S. warns of more SCADA software holes
Flaws in SCADA software, used to monitor and control sensors and operations at utilities and other critical infrastructure facilities, seem to keep coming out of the woodwork. - SSL meltdown: a cyber war attack?
Comodo has released further information on the intrusion into its Certificate Authority (CA) that enabled unknown attackers to obtain SSL certificates for existing web sites. - Password service locks out hackers
Password service Lastpass simply blocks the IP addresses of users who test the site’s security measures in a move which may very well cause collateral damage. - Survey: Millions risk ID theft via social networks
Leaving personal information public and allowing practically anyone to view your profile is a dangerous prospect, Harris Interactive observed. The company said that the basic information found in a social profile can help “build the dossiers [that criminals] need to beat challenge questions and other security measures on financial accounts.” - Google accuses China of meddling with Gmail
Gmail customers in China have complained during the past month of experiencing problems with the e-mail service, including difficulty sending e-mails and marking them as unread, in addition to other issues. - Chinese firms embroiled in mobile app scam
Chinese antivirus software company NetQin has been accused of being in cahoots with mobile software firm, Feiliu, to deliberately infect smartphones with malware before charging users to clean up the virus, according to reports. - US senator pushes for mobile privacy reform
Draft legislation would provide new privacy protections for Americans by requiring police to obtain search warrants to track the locations of cars and cell phones. - German court rules Google Street View is legal
A Berlin court has ruled, according to Deutsche Welle, that it’s legal for Google to take the street-level pictures, striking down a lawsuit brought on by a German woman who sued Google over Street View and cited privacy and property rights. - Browser communication boost back on track
After a security problem derailed it last year, a technology to open a high-speed browser communications link is getting back on track again. (WebSocket) - Corporate Web sites to ‘outlive Facebook’
Companies turning to Facebook for consumer interactions and commercial transactions will not spell the end of corporate Web sites, say industry watchers. Rather, organizations face security and loss of identity risks if they yield their unique digital outposts to the social media site, they cautioned. - Google working to reverse Chrome bloat
When Chrome got its start, the browser was svelte and fast-loading if limited. Now, it’s got plenty of features, but two years later, it’s nearly three times bigger. And Google, deciding that’s not a good thing, has set up a task force to curtail Chrome bloat. - Google not ready to share Honeycomb source code
Though it prides itself on Android being an “open” mobile operating system, Google says it’s being extra-protective of the tablet version of its OS before releasing it to the world. - EA free-to-play exec: $60 games are ‘exploitative’
All the consumers who complain about paying $60 for a video game have an important ally in their corner. Ben Cousins, general manager of Electronic Arts’ Easy Studios, told Rock, Paper, Shotgun it’s simply awful that consumers must shell out $60 for a game they may or may not like. - Digital medical records provide critical backup
The wide-scale destruction caused by the recent north Japan earthquake and tsunami has highlighted the importance of electronic health records (EHR), with industry watchers urging for countries to digitize healthcare data.
Random TinyHacker Links
- Staying safe on Facebook – Can it be done?
A very interesting article about how to stay safe on Facebook – far from the spam, malware, useless applications… - BitDefender Safego – Great security app for Facebook
Do you need a free application which helps you stay safe on Facebook, and actively notifies you and your friends of malware being posted on walls? - How #FollowFriday is supposed to work
For all Twitter users – The Oatmeal demonstrates how Follow Fridays are supposed to work. - What Does Your State Do Best ? (50 States)
An infographic detailing what each of the 50 U.S. states do best.
Super User Questions
See the great answers to these questions from Super User.
- Windows 7 : need to leave desktop up and running 24×7
- How to troubleshoot a problem when one has no idea where to start?
- Unexpected disk space decrease?
- How can I set Windows 7 up to use three monitors?
- Can I legally downgrade from Win 7 64 bits to Win 7 32 bits?
How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap
Here are our five hottest HTG articles from this past week.
- Turn Your Home Router Into a Super-Powered Router with DD-WRT
- HTG Explains: What’s the Difference Between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7?
- Firefox 4 Finally Released, and it Looks Like Opera [Screenshot Tour]
- How to Boost Your Wi-Fi Network Signal and Increase Range with DD-WRT
- HTG Explains: Learn How UEFI Will Replace Your PC’s BIOS
Geeky Goodness from the ETC Side
Enjoy looking through our ten most popular ETC posts from this past week.
- Customize Firefox 4.0′s UI to Create a Unique, Personalized Browser for Your System
- DIY Hard Drive Dock Is a Lightweight and Speedy Docking Alternative
- Cracking the Credit Card Code [Infographic]
- Free Download: The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft in eBook Format
- Why Is Glass Transparent? [Science]
- A History of the World in 100 Seconds [Video]
- Understanding Radiation Exposure [Infographic]
- What Mario Would Look Like as a First Person Shooter Style Game [Video]
- Vintage Cutaway Drawings Offer a Peek into Nuclear Reactors of Yesteryear
- A Totally Hot and Fiery Mozilla Firefox [Wallpaper]
One Year Ago on How-To Geek
Go totally retro with our latest batch of articles from one year ago.
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Akemi Iwaya (Asian Angel) is our very own Firefox Fangirl who enjoys working with multiple browsers and loves 'old school' role-playing games. Visit her on Twitter and Google+.
- Published 03/27/11
