This week we learned how to optimize Manga and Comic collections for Kindles, make use of more tools & techniques to remove image backgrounds in Photoshop, asked and found out what your geek hobbies are, made out like bandits with this week’s Geek Deals, and more.

Photo by puuikibeach.

Weekly News Links

Photo by Official Google Blog.

• A new kind of computer: Chromebook
  This past Wednesday Google made an announcement about the first Chromebooks that will be available from their partners Samsung and Acer.
• Companies trying, not buying, Office alternatives
  Companies are actively looking for Microsoft Office alternatives such as Google Apps, but so far their interest hasn’t dented the productivity suite’s dominance, a Forrester Research study released today said.
• Ubuntu shifts to OpenStack for cloud
  Future versions of Ubuntu Cloud will be based around the OpenStack cloud project, relegating Eucalyptus, the previous lynchpin.
• Facebook admits running campaign against Google
  Social networking giant Facebook has owned up to hiring a public relations consultancy to expose supposed flaws in Google’s privacy practices, in a move that seems to indicate the company is fearful of its strongest competitors, notes an industry marketeer.
• Ralph Langner on Stuxnet, copycat threats (Q&A)
  A year ago, Ralph Langner was plugging away in relative obscurity, doing security consulting work for the industrial control system industry in his Hamburg headquarters. Then along came Stuxnet, the first malware targeting not consumer financial data like so many viruses these days but the very systems he knows so well–software used to control processes in manufacturing and utility plants.
• Don’t fall for ‘First Exposure: iPhone 5′ Facebook scam
  Facebook users are being duped into unwittingly spreading spam by clicking on what looks like a link to news entitled “First Exposure: iPhone 5.”
• ZeuS source code freely available on the net
  An archive has appeared in various places on the internet whose contents turn out to be the source code of ZeuS (version 2.0.8.9).
• French researchers demo attack on Chrome
  French security firm Vupen said this past Monday its team had figured out a way to bypass security measures in Chrome and offered a video demo it says is a successful attack against the browser running on a Windows machine.
• Serious hole in critical-infrastructure software, says U.S.
  The U.S. government is warning critical-infrastructure operators of a serious hole in software used in oil and gas; water; electric utilities; and manufacturing plants around the world.
• Facebook Applications Accidentally Leaking Access to Third Parties
  Third parties, in particular advertisers, have accidentally had access to Facebook users’ accounts including profiles, photographs, chat, and also had the ability to post messages and mine personal information.
• Identity theft with OpenID
  The OpenID Foundation has warned that flawed implementations of the Attribute Exchange (AX) OpenID extension allow potential attackers to assume other users’ identities on certain web sites.
• No Consumer Safe Haven from Cybercriminals, Not Even Social Networks
  There’s no safe haven for consumers to shield them from cybercriminals, not even social networks. In fact, Microsoft reveals that with online attacks increasingly targeting consumers, it has recorded a significant rise in social networking phishing, adware and rogue security software.
• Google doodle takes you to scareware sites
  It’s not unusual for links to scareware to turn up in Google search results. But it is rare for a click on a prominently positioned Google doodle to take you to links for fake virus scans.
• Backwards Unicode names hides malware and viruses
  AV vendor Norman has discovered malware that camouflages its file name via special Unicode characters. For instance, they may show up as exe.importantdocument.doc in the email client or in Windows Explorer.
• Researcher: WebGL poses security threat
  A security firm says it’s found a vulnerability in the WebGL technology for building accelerated 3D graphics into the Web, a problem that could enable attacks through code executed on a computer’s graphics chip.

Random TinyHacker Links

• Timelapse – The City Limits
  Remarkable time lapse photography from New York, Quebec City, Chicago, Toronto and Montreal. Maximize your screen and enjoy.
• Live Stream of the Decorah (Iowa) Eagles
  95 million page views and counting, these once tiny birds are growing by leaps and bounds and have become the most viewed stream in Ustream history, no small feat.
• Happy Mother’s Day!
  A fascinating infographic filled with all kinds of information and statistics about mothers.

Super User Questions

Have a question that you need answered? Then the folks over at Super User have the answers you need.

• Can zipping a file break it?
• Change Ubuntu 11 scrollbars back to the old style
• How does a hacker in a public WIFI actually view your computer?
• My desktop has started overheating — how hot is hot?
• Restoring performance and estimating life of a used SSD drive?

How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap

Round out your weekend reading with our hottest articles of the week from HTG Main.

• How to Pick the Right Motherboard for Your Custom-Built PC
• Ask HTG: Boosting Your Wi-Fi Range, Resetting HDD Permissions, and Remembering Folder Positions
• Connect to Your Home Network From Anywhere with OpenVPN and Tomato
• How To Repair Scratched and Damaged Photographs or Scans
• Desktop Fun: Handwriting Style Fonts Collection Series 2

Geeky Goodness from the ETC Side

Add some fun to your weekend with our most popular ETC posts of the week.

• Sitting Is Killing You [Infographic]
• The Hard Knock Life of an Internet Troll [Fun Graphic]
• Fire in the Evening Sky [Wallpaper]
• The Road Through the Sunlit Pine Forest [Wallpaper]
• IKEA Manuals for Famous Sci-Fi Devices
• Trillian 5 Released; Nearly All Premium Features Now Free
• The Colors of Spring [Wallpaper]
• Play Angry Birds in Your Favorite Browser (Web App, Website, and a Game Hack)
• Easy Laptop Ergonomics; A Video Reminder
• Monitor Your Home Power Usage by Building a DIY Power Meter Reader

One Year Ago on How-To Geek

Go retro with these great geeky articles from one year ago.

• Complete Guide to Symbolic Links (symlinks) on Windows or Linux
• Remove Programs from the Open With Menu in Explorer
• Create Keyboard Shortcuts to Applications in Windows
• Move Files from a Failing PC with an Ubuntu Live CD
• Diagnose PC Hardware Problems with an Ubuntu Live CD

How-To Geek Comics Weekly Roundup

• Don’t Vacuum Your PC
• Portal 2 Experience
• Meaning
• Expense Reports
• Social Media