This week we learned how to install non-market apps on an Android device, use and master the notoriously difficult pen tool in Photoshop, what Logical Volume Management is and how to enable it in Ubuntu, decorated our desktops with a medieval theme customization set, and had fun squashing the rebellion in Battle Critters – Prison Planet.

Photo by Profound Whatever.

Weekly News Links

Photo by Ars Technica.

• Facebook thinks twice on giving dev access to phone, address data
  Facebook has put off its plan to allow developers access to users’ phone numbers and home addresses.
• Ubuntu to open up to Qt toolkit
  Future versions of Ubuntu will include the cross-platform Qt interface libraries and could come preloaded with Qt applications based on the framework, according to Mark Shuttleworth.
• Mozilla blocks Skype add-on: caused 33k Firefox crashes in a week
  Mozilla announced yesterday that it will block the Skype Toolbar add-on for Firefox and remotely disable it for existing users. Mozilla was forced to take this extraordinary measure after discovering that severe bugs in the add-on are crippling the browser’s performance and stability.
• Google defends its dropping of H.264, announces WebM plug-ins for IE and Safari
  If you were worried about not being able to watch YouTube in your IE or Safari browsers, don’t worry: Google will release WebM plug-ins for browsers that don’t natively support it.
• Microsoft blames Windows Phone 7 data usage issue on unnamed 3rd party
  Microsoft has issued a vague response to say that they have determined the cause of excessive Windows Phone 7 data use issues. The company says that the configuration of a “third-party solution” is causing the operating system to transfer many tens of megabytes of data each day.
• Online banking trojan developing fast
  Trojan construction kit Carberp, which first emerged in the autumn, appears to be undergoing rapid development, according to reports from sources that include security services provider Seculert.
• Trojan bypasses cloud-based anti-virus
  Microsoft’s Malware Protection Center is reporting that Bohu, a trojan largely confined to China, is able to bypass anti-virus solutions which assess the risk posed by files by querying a server in the cloud.
• A keygen with a twist
  Programs for cracking commercial software are, sadly, not unpopular. They have also caught the attention of malware writers, who prepared a couple of surprises for those who don’t mind a free ride every now and then.
• Malware toolkits guarded with stolen DRM
  Malware writers are pinching anti-pirate technology embedded into some of the world’s most popular software to protect their own, according to Symantec.
• Stuxnet not such a masterpiece after all?
  Some security specialists are now questioning whether Stuxnet is really as much of a masterpiece of malware programming as it has been made out to be.
• Report: Stolen data sold over online black market
  Cybercriminals buy and sell stolen information using a vast network of online stores, forums, and even social-networking accounts, according to a report released by PandaLabs.
• Report finds smart-grid security lacking
  Echoing concerns of security experts, a new report from the Government Accountability Office warns that smart-grid systems are being deployed without built-in security features.
• Verizon fires legal shot against Net neutrality rules
  Verizon Communications has fired the first shot in the legal war to dismantle the Federal Communications Commission’s new Net neutrality rules.
• Schmidt: ‘Adult supervision’ at Google no longer needed
  Modern CEOs live on airplanes. But in stepping down from the CEO role to become executive chairman, Eric Schmidt’s travel schedule is about to go into overdrive.
• Google ready for action against content farms
  Google is ready to fire a shot across the bow of the so-called content farms, willing to acknowledge recent criticism of the quality of its search results but still not quite ready to detail specific remedies.

Random TinyHacker Links

• Explaining What’s VoIP
  A beginner’s guide to what VoIP is and how it works.
• Review: What’s New & Improved in Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0?
  Even though Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 has been launched for a while, there are not that many reviews available. If you want read a good & comprehensive review…check this one out.
• Oh, it’s cold where you are? (Video)
  Watch as boiling water is thrown into the air and evaporates (turns into fog) on a -30 Celsius winter day in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada.
• Peel is a Great App to Search What’s on TV (Apple devices)
  Free from the App Store or on iTunes. Just sort according to interest and Peel will list available shows with easy to read tiles.
• Crisis, what crisis?
  An infographic that looks at ten purchases that may indicate a mid-life crisis.

Super User Questions

See the great answers to these popular questions from Super User.

• What is ‘Run as Administrator’ in Windows 7?
• How to extract a tar file (.tgz) in windows?
• I want to virtualize my workstation (Tier 1) but I’m not sure how to do it.
• Why do LCD screens need a backlight? (seriously)
• Why are modern CPUs “underclocked”?

How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap

Feel the heat with our five hottest articles from this past week.

• HTG Explains: What Are the Differences Between All Those Audio Formats?
• How Do You Block Annoying Text Message (SMS) Spam?
• How to Organize Your Android Home Screen for Optimal Productivity
• How To Use Layer Masks and Vector Masks to Remove Complex Backgrounds in Photoshop
• Ask How-To Geek: Learning the Office Ribbon, Booting to USB with an Old BIOS, and Snapping Windows

One Year Ago on How-To Geek

Enjoy reading through this batch of retro geeky goodness that focuses on helping you make the most of your media resources.

• Share and Stream Digital Media Between Windows 7 Machines On Your Home Network
• Learning Windows 7: Setup Live TV in Windows Media Center
• Watch TV Programming Without a TV Tuner In Window 7 Media Center
• Learning Windows 7: Manage Your Music with Windows Media Player
• Listen To XM Radio with Windows Media Center in Windows 7

The Geek Note

That is all we have for you this week, so get outside and enjoy the rest of the weekend if you get the chance! Got a great tip? Send it in to us at tips@howtogeek.com.

Photo by _Nezemnaya_.