Google Chrome 41.0.2272.118 – Download or update from within the program.
Firefox 37:
Download (Windows, EN-US)
Download other languages and operating systems
Monday News
“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” (wiki)
There is so much Bravo Sierra floating around the internet in the never-ending OS and browser wars. This quite often takes the form of ill-informed “reporters” creating click-bait headlines. This past week, Secunia published a report called the Secunia Vulnerability Review 2015. Now look at the name again. Does it say “least secure”, “most insecure”, or “most vulnerable”? No, and no where in that report does it mention that either. Yet many hysterical sites proclaimed Chrome as the least secure browser based on their incorrect interpretation of that report. Most Geeks know there is a difference between reported vulnerabilities and the actual security of a product. Phil Muncaster at Infosecurity Magazine quotes Secunia’s director of research and security, Kasper Lindgaard:
Google Chrome came top of the ‘20 core products’ with the most vulnerabilities, with a whopping 504 discovered last year – ahead of Solaris (483), Gentoo Linux (350) and Internet Explorer (289).
However, this is not a direct reflection on how secure or insecure Chrome is, said Lindgaard.
“It is a reflection on how aware Google as a vendor is, regarding the security of Google Chrome,” he argued.
“A large part of vulnerabilities recorded in Google Chrome are discovered, fixed, and disclosed by Google themselves – they put in a lot of resources into identifying the vulnerabilities before hackers do.”
Anywho, take your grain of salt for the day. Or better yet, get it off the rim of a Margarita!
Speaking Of Stats…
Ed Bott fought his way through a mound of government stats to find Six surprising facts about who’s winning the operating system and browser wars in the U.S.
I dunno, Windows 7 and iPhones dominating aren’t surprising. The stats do backup the argument that the desktop is far from dead.
Audacity 2.1.0
Audacity got a nifty update including improved noise removal and real-time preview for effects.
Reader Emails
Q – Is that Winamp on your multi-media screen?
A – Yep, lots of Q’s on this. I will have a write-up this week.
Responses so far to looking for laptop post (summarized):
1 – There are several Lenovo’s that fit your specs.
2 – Check Costco, great warranties.
3 – I own and recommend the Alienware 15.
4 – Not quite to your specs but the Dell XPS 13 is nice.
5 – “Eric we really need to get you into a Mac.”
my response: :rotfl:
Looking For A Laptop
I’m looking to buy a laptop within the next 3 months (not in a hurry but before July 1).
I would appreciate any incite, recommendations, deal news etc. Give me a shout if you have any. Thanks!
Here are the specs I’m looking for:
Size = 15 inch max 13 inch min.
CPU = Intel i7 (4th or 5th gen.)
Memory = 8GB minimum, 16GB preferred (don’t mind upgrading myself)
Storage = SSD. I really prefer 2 drives. (don’t mind upgrading myself)
Graphics = Prefer Nvidia or AMD with min 2GB GDDR5.
Screen = 1920 x 1080 min. I do not care about touch and certainly won’t pay more for it.
Price = Best deal I can get but no more than $1,500.
FYI – I used to have this laptop and I really liked it.
Suggested so far (summarized):
– There are several Lenovo’s that fit your specs.
– Check Costco, great warranties.
– I own and recommend the Alienware 15.
– Not quite to your specs but the Dell XPS 13 is nice.
– “Eric we really need to get you into a Mac.”
my response: :rotfl:
– Asus ROG
– Dell Precision M4800 Mobile Workstation
– I don’t know if you are still looking around for a laptop but if you are check out this site: http://www.xoticpc.com/
My wife and I are avid pc gamers and I had purchased 2 laptops for us from this site. I found it to be really great because you can customize the type of laptop that you choose from them. I also found their customer service to be excellent.
Microsoft Image Composite Editor
A few weeks ago I was looking for a free panoramic image creator. I stumbled on the Microsoft Image Composite Editor which I had never heard of before.
I thought some of you might find it useful, I did!
Download & Info
What is Image Composite Editor?
Image Composite Editor (ICE) is an advanced panoramic image stitcher created by the Microsoft Research Computational Photography Group. Given a set of overlapping photographs of a scene shot from a single camera location, the app creates a high-resolution panorama that seamlessly combines the original images. ICE can also create a panorama from a panning video, including stop-motion action overlaid on the background. Finished panoramas can be shared with friends and viewed in 3D by uploading them to the Photosynth web site. Panoramas can also be saved in a wide variety of image formats, including JPEG, TIFF, and Photoshop’s PSD/PSB format, as well as the multiresolution tiled format used by HD View and Deep Zoom.
Wednesday Random Stuff…
SSD Stuff
Intel says, “The next revolution in solid-state drives is coming…”
[H]ard|OCP has a new SSD guy and his first article is up: Where the SSD Market is Headed in 2015
Software
CCleaner 5.04
Etc.
Paul Thurrott asks, “Why Didn’t the FTC Charge Google with Antitrust Violations?”
I’ll give this one a shot. Try these 2 links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Schmidt#President_Barack_Obama
http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/25/8287961/google-ftc-white-house-lobbying
Off Topic
Jordan’s Journey (warning, may be disturbing if you’re human)
The Hole
This is my computer room and setup. It is known as “The Hole” to family and friends.
Long time readers will notice a dramatic shift in the way I’m setup. The entire reason for me building these high-powered I7 machines with ridiculous amounts of RAM was to stop the multi-booting and shift to Virtual Machines (VM). [Read more…] about The Hole
The Latest Windows 10 FUD
FUD Headlines:
Windows 10 to make the Secure Boot alt-OS lock out a reality
Windows 10 to lock out Linux with non-disableable Secure Boot
Linux’s worst-case scenario: Windows 10 makes Secure Boot mandatory, locks out other operating systems
Point 1 – “Win10 Desktop: It’s OEM option whether to allow end user to turn off Secure Boot”
Ponit 2 – Every major Linux distro supports secure boot; Ubuntu (Mint too), Fedora, openSUSE, etc.
Friday Random Stuff…
Software Updates
Chrome 41.0.2272.101 – Download or update from within the program.
Firefox 36.0.3 – Download (Windows, EN-US) Download other languages and operating systems
Random
BEST Music Videos EVER!
Wednesday Morning News
Nvidia GeForce 347.88 WHQL Drivers
Download
Release Notes
Speaking of Nvidia…
The Newest $1000 Video Card Reviews Are Out
Anandtech
[H]ard|OCP
Legit Reviews
Software
VirtualBox 4.3.26
Windows 10 Reads
Windows 10 Launching This Summer in 190 Countries and 111 Languages
Way to narrow that date down :rolleyes:
How Windows 10 achieves its compact footprint
Interesting Reads
Naked HDD Activity Indicator
9 Quirky Linux Commands You Need to Know (And Will Love)
What Happens To Enforcers When Hockey Uses Them Up?
openSUSE – Unlocking KWallet and Google Integration
I wanted to add Google Calendar to KOrganizer but it kept pestering me for a password at every sign-in. A quick Google search and a little configuring got it to work.
[Read more…] about openSUSE – Unlocking KWallet and Google Integration