Wednesday, August 25, 2010

So what has been going on with iTunes and PayPal?

"Users' experience suggests that there is some account cracking going on at the iTunes Store. But why, who and how?"

So what has been going on with iTunes and PayPal?


How to choose a secure password for your accounts
GRC Ultra High Security Password Generator

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Test Drive: Nissan Leaf

Devin Coldewey just had the opportunity to test-drive the new Nissan Leaf here in sunny Seattle, and had enough time with the car to garner some first impressions, take some pictures, and shoot a little video.

The Leaf, as you are probably aware, is Nissan’s new plug-in electric vehicle, and the first of the new generation of consumer EVs to be released here in the States. Sure, you’ve got the Tesla, and even the more family-oriented Model S, but they’re beyond the reach of the average city-dweller. Priced at just under $33K ($25K including the government rebate), the car is really competing with Accords and Legacys and the like. While it’s easy to suggest that it also competes with the Volt, the pricing and technology really set the two apart; all they’ve got in common is an electric motor.

Continue Reading Test Drive: Nissan Leaf

Monday, August 2, 2010

Microsoft quashed & diluted IE8's privacy features to appease advertisers inside and outside the company

The online habits of most people who use the world's dominant Web browser are an open book to advertisers. That wasn't the plan at first.

In early 2008, Microsoft Corp.'s product planners for the Internet Explorer 8.0 browser intended to give users a simple, effective way to avoid being tracked online (InPrivate Filtering). They wanted to design the software to automatically thwart common tracking tools, unless a user deliberately switched to settings affording less privacy.

That triggered heated debate inside Microsoft. As the leading maker of Web browsers, the gateway software to the Internet, Microsoft must balance conflicting interests: helping people surf the Web with its browser to keep their mouse clicks private, and helping advertisers who want to see those clicks.

In the end, the product planners lost a key part of the debate. The winners: executives who argued that giving automatic privacy to consumers would make it tougher for Microsoft to profit from selling online ads. Microsoft built its browser so that users must deliberately turn on privacy settings every time they start up the software.

Read the full story at the Wall Street Journal by NICK WINGFIELD