This week we learned how to make hundreds of complex photo edits in seconds with Photoshop actions, use an Android Phone as a modem with no rooting required, install a wireless card in Linux using Windows drivers, change Ubuntu’s window borders with Emerald, how noise reducing headphones work, and more.

Photo by Julian Fong.

Weekly News Links

Photo by Google.

• Why did Google ask for kids’ Social Security numbers?
  Sometimes, one really wonders what’s behind Google’s doodling. Recently, if your kids were entering the company’s popular Doodle-4-Google competition, Google insisted on knowing a little about you.
• Online banking hit by thieves
  A new Trojan dubbed “OddJob” is stealing people’s money by taking over their online banking sessions after they think they’ve logged off.
• Online banking trojan attacks Windows Mobile smartphones
  According to reports from F-Secure and Kaspersky, fraudsters are using a special trojan for smartphones to target users who use mTANs for online banking.
• Security vulnerabilities galore in social networks
  A new web site, socialnetworksecurity.org, has been set up to publish details of security vulnerabilities in social networks.
• Legitimate Web links haven for cybercrime
  Malware threats are getting more sophisticated, with 90 percent of them embedded in legitimate sites that Web users visited every day last year, according to a study by Blue Coat Systems.
• Microsoft fixes hole in its antivirus engine
  Microsoft has plugged a hole in its antivirus and antispyware software that could allow an attacker authenticated on the local system to gain LocalSystem privileges.
• W3C: Microsoft anti-tracking idea worth exploring
  The World Wide Web Consortium has approved and published a new browser privacy feature from Microsoft, according to a new IE blog post, opening up for discussion and debate whether the feature should become a Web standard.
• US agents seek new ways to bypass encryption
  When agents at the Drug Enforcement Administration learned a suspect was using PGP to encrypt documents, they persuaded a judge to let them sneak into an office complex and install a keystroke logger that recorded the passphrase as it was typed in.
• FTC looking into Apple’s in-app purchasing policy
  The Federal Trade Commission will review how Apple markets games with in-app purchases, but not for the reason you may think.
• Google to content farms: It’s war
  Google has set in motion the changes that it announced recently to combat “content farms”–companies that produce large amounts of inexpensive, search-engine-optimized content that have been frequently decried for their low quality.
• Canonical & Banshee Agree to Disagree
  Canonical has spoken with the developers of Banshee and announced a “compromise” on how to handle Banshee’s revenue from its built-in Amazon Store connection. Banshee’s programmers are not happy.
• Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7: When bad things happen to good phones
  Microsoft’s first update for the Windows Phone 7 has gotten it off to a rocky start.
• E-mail innovator pitches self-deleting e-mails
  Joshua Baer has proposed a standard that would let e-mail messages carry with them the date of their own irrelevance.
• How not to use Facebook as a burglary tool
  It might not be wise to post a picture of yourself, stolen goods in hand, on the Facebook page of your victim’s son.
• Man uses GPS on Droid to refute speeding ticket
  A Motorola Droid cell phone app called Google MyTracks helped Sahas Katta beat a traffic ticket in court.

Random TinyHacker Links

• Buttersafe – 2/22/2011
  Another comic we really, really like.
• Disassembly
  In this case a Pentax camera. Visit Todd’s site for more stills and video on this amazing project.
• What Higher Crude Prices Might Look Like in US$
  An infographic depicting Crude Oil’s effect on U.S. consumers.
• The Oscars (iOS)
  The Academy Awards will be presented Sunday, February 27th. Make your predictions, share with friends and even scan the entire database of past Oscar winners. A truly handy app, free for iPods, iPads and iPhones.

Super User Questions

See the great answers to these questions from Super User.

• Reliable Backup Solution for Linux for Complete System Restoration?
• Slipstream Windows 7 + Service Pack 1
• What factors should be taken into consideration by someone building a custom PC?
• I go to www.facebook.com, but a completely different site appears.
• How can I combine 30,000 images into a time-lapse movie?

How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap

Dig into some hot reading with our most popular articles from this past week.

• Windows 7 Service Pack 1 is Released: But Should You Install It?
• Should You Delete Windows 7 Service Pack Backup Files to Save Space?
• HTG Explains: What Are Computer Algorithms and How Do They Work?
• What Can Super Mario Teach Us About Graphics Technology?
• How to Get AirVideo Features in Android for Free

Geeky Goodness from the ETC Side

We have this past week’s top ten posts from our ETC section all lined up and ready for your viewing pleasure.

• Never Call Me at Work [Humorous Star Wars Video]
• Lucky Kid Gets Playable Angry Birds Cake [Video]
• How Star Wars Changed the World [Infographic]
• See the Lord of the Rings Epic from the Perspective of Mordor [eBook]
• Compare Your Internet Cost and Speed to Global Averages [Infographic]
• Enhance GIMP’s Image Editing Power with Gimp Paint Studio
• Use a Crayon to Enhance Engraved Lettering on Electronics
• Remastered King’s Quest Games Offer Classic Gaming on Modern Machines
• Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles – An Awesome Game for Linux and Windows
• E.T. II – Extinction [Fake Movie Sequel Video]

One Year Ago on How-To Geek

Enjoy reading through our latest batch of retro geeky goodness.

• Check Extension Compatibility for Upcoming Firefox Releases
• Add a Remember The Milk Task Pane to Gmail in Chrome
• How to Create a Windows ISO from a Disc Using ImgBurn
• Install KDE 4.4 RC 2 on Ubuntu 9.10
• How To Personalize Windows 7 Starter