Virtual: IT resources in the cloud can be assembled with drag and drop ease. Employing virtualization, cloud service providers let you assemble software stacks of databases, Web servers, operating systems, storage, and networking, then manage them as virtual servers.

On demand: In the cloud, you can add and subtract resources, including number and type of processors, amount of memory, network bandwidth, gigabytes of storage, and 32-bit or 64-bit architectures. You can dial up when you need more, and dial down when you need less.

Subscription style: These tend to be month to month deals, often payable by credit card, rather than annual contacts. Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) charges in intervals of 10 cents per hour for EC2.

Shared: For economies of scale (that’s what cloud computing is all about), many service providers use a multitenant architecture to squeeze workloads from multiple customers onto the same physical machines. It’s just one of the things that distinguish cloud computing from outsourcing and from hosted data centers.

Simple: Many of the cloud services providers—whether they specialize in application hosting, storage, or compute cycles—let you sign up and configure resources in a few minutes, using an interface that you don’t have to be a system administrator to understand.

Web based: Others might make this characteristic #1, but I put it last to make the point that there’s more to cloud computing than the Web. That said, it does involve browser access to hosted data and resources.

Definition: Cloud computing is on-demand access to virtualized IT resources that are housed outside of your own data center, shared by others, simple to use, paid for via subscription, and accessed over the Web.

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The phone, which is reportedly being called the M8800 with a codename of Pixon, looks darn pretty. According to GSM Arena, it will sport a 3.2-inch touch screen with 240 by 400 resolution. No word on what OS it’ll run - probably a homegrown one - but the camera should be the main draw.

The camera will have auto focus, face recognition that has smile detection and blink detection, as well as advanced shake reduction. The phone will have a GPS chip so you can geo-tag photos, and you should be able to record video up to 30 frames per second. Samsung has also set up a teaser Web site where you can view a few pictures of the phone.

Additionally, a promo video is making its rounds around the Internet, and you can view it below.

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Just a day after it released Firefox 3.0.2 to fix 11 vulnerabilities, Mozilla Corp. said that an overlooked password bug requires a fast-track update which it hopes to launch next week.

Late Wednesday, Mike Beltzner, Mozilla’s director of Firefox, said that

the bug, which prevents some users from accessing their browser-saved passwords, means another update is necessary. “While this doesn’t affect all Firefox users, it is a significant regression and has triggered a fast-release Firefox 3.0.3 which will contain a single fix,”

Beltzner said in a message to the mozilla.dev.planning group.

The bug popped up in Firefox 3.0.2, which Mozilla released Tuesday, after developers added a fix to make the browser’s password manager work on international domain name (IDN) sites. IDN sites are those that have non-ASCII characters in their URLs, such as addresses with Arabic, Hebrew or Chinese characters, or ones with non-English diacritical marks.

According to Beltzner, users who have saved passwords on IDN sites or some non-English domains will be unable to access those passwords or save any new passwords after updating to Firefox 3.0.2.

“There is no permanent data loss, the saved data is just inaccessible,”

Beltzner noted.

Regression bugs aren’t unknown to Mozilla or Firefox. Last November, the company rushed a release out the door to fix five bugs it had introduced in the previous version of the browser, which had been posted for download about a week before.

A fix for the password regression bug has been crafted and is being tested, Beltzner added.

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A former agent, who worked at the FBI for 27 years, said the Russian and Italian Mafia were using data from public sites to launch attacks against businesses and individuals.

“People put too much information on social media sites like Facebook and MySpace,”

he said.

Users on these sites may include their work details in personal profiles, allowing organized gangs to identify them and their company.

People who put their CVs online may also be at risk, as this could identify that they work, or have worked at targeted companies.

Reports say, Russian and Italian Mafia have also targeted computer systems, threatening to launch a denial of service attack to lock-up servers unless a large sum of money is handed over.

“Most people will pay the first time, but this is a mistake because the Mafia will just come back,” It’s recommended companies contact the authorities the first time it happens.

Managing a security crisis

Security breaches are inevitable

Warned Carlos Solaris, vice president of security at Bell Labs. “Despite all our best efforts, security incidents do happen.”

Solaris, a former head of network security at the White House, said,

“Chief executive officers need to have an emergency response team in place, which has been tested in advance to tackle security breaches.”

During any security issue, Solaris recommended that the business have in place its legal counsel, security experts, spokespeople and brand experts, ready in advance to tackle a crisis.

So, next time you’re filling in your Profile details on Social Networks ask yourself “What information would you consider threatening?”. If in doubt, leave it blank! After all Social Networking is a place to relax, interact and meet others. There is no need to broadcast your personal information to millions of strangers. If you’re posting more than Your Name, Nick Name, IM or Email address, then you could be opening up yourself for an attack.

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Win+R = Apply to open Run dialog box

Win+M = Apply to minimize all opened windows

Win+Shift+M = Apply to maximize all opened windows

Win+L = Press keys to lock keyboard in windows XP

Win+E = Press keys to open My Computer

Win+F = Apply to open search options

Win+U = Apply keys to open Utility Manager

Win+D = To view desktop/minimize all windows

Win+F1 = To view the detail windows help page

Win+Pause = To view the System Properties dialog box

Win+Tab = Move through taskbar programs

Win+F+Ctrl = Apply to open search for computers

Alt+Tab = Move through opened windows programs

Alt+F4 = Press keys to close active windows program

Alt+Enter = Apply to open properties of selected item

Alt+ SPACEBAR = Open the system menu of active window

Alt+ SPACEBAR +N = Press keys to minimize the active program

Alt+ SPACEBAR +R = Press keys to restore the active program

Alt+ SPACEBAR+C = Press keys to close the active program

Alt+ SPACEBAR+X = Press keys to maximize the active program

Alt+ SPACEBAR+M = Press keys to move the active program

Ctrl+Alt+Delete = Apply to open windows task manager

Ctrl+Shift+Esc = Apply to open windows task manager

Ctrl+Esc = Press keys to open start menu

Shift = Shift key to prevent CD from automatically playing

Shift+Delete = To delete items permanently

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You can enter any string of characters in an address bar and then press Ctrl+Enter, Shift+Enter or Ctrl+Shift+Enter depending on the Suffixes. Windows will then automatically add “www” and “.com”, “.net” or “.org” and then search for the page on the Internet.

Example #1, if we type:

yahoo

in an address bar and then press Ctrl+Enter, Windows will take us to Yahoo’s Web Site at www.yahoo.com.

Example #2, if we type:

tek-media

in an address bar and then press Shift+Enter, Windows will take us to Tek-Media’s Web Site at www.tek-media.net

Example #3, if we type

pcmechs

in an address bar and then press Ctrl+Shift+Enter, Windows will take us to PCMechs Web Site at www.pcmechs.org

Quick Overview

Ctrl+Enter = “.com”
Shift+Enter = “.net”
Ctrl+Shift+Enter =”.org”

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First you will need to create a printer shortcut on your desktop. To do this, click Start then Printers and Faxes. If for some reason Printers and Faxes aren’t showing in your Start Menu, then it’s easy to add:

• Right-click the Start button and choose Properties from the pop-up menu.

• On the Start Menu tab, make sure the first (non-classic) Start Menu option is selected and click Customize.

• Click the Advanced tab.

• In the Start Menu Items list approx 3/4 of the way down you will see Printers and Faxes. You will need to check this option.

• Click OK twice to exit the dialogs.

Now click Start then Printers and Faxes ( your printer must be proplerly installed for this to work). When the Printers and Faxes window opens, hold down Ctrl and drag the printer icon to  your system desktop.

Now locate the document you wish to print and drag and drop it into the printer icon that you just created on your desktop. This will allow you to print documents w/out ever opening them.

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In today’s Daily Tip, I will explain how to make a couple of simple adjustments that will give you better mouse performance.

Open your Mouse Properties in the Control Panel ( Start, Control Panel and then Mouse ).

Note: I currently use a Microsoft Laser Mouse 5000, so my Mouse Properties may differ from your current displayed Mouse Settings.

Under Buttons ( In my case the Double Click Speed Settings are located under Activities ) , you can adjust the double-click speed to your preference. Just slide the Speed setting left or right to adjust.

Note: Once you make your adjustment you can test your new settings by double clicking the folder located in the Test Area.

On the Pointer Options tab, under Motion , drag the slider to make the mouse faster or slower.

Note: Typically a Laser Mouse is more responsive than the typical Optical Mouse so therefore an Optical Mouse may need the pointer speed set a little faster to achieve the performance you’re looking for.

While you’re in Mouse Properties, look around at the other settings that might be available to personalize your mousing experience.

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Rating Breakdown                            

 Ease of Use
 Effectiveness
 Updates
 Feature Set
 Installation
 Help/Support

Overall Rating

ESET’s NOD32 is rapidly becoming one of the best pieces of antivirus software on the market today.ESET’s NOD32 once again has delivered an excellent product that is highly effective, and now, easy to use. The strength and beauty of this software is its light footprint, relatively fast scanning and superior ThreatSense® Technology that detects malicious software before it has been reported. Its interface is intuitive and easy to

use for the average home user, but can be configured and tweaked by the advanced user.

Standout Features

• Effective antivirus protection (98%)

• Light footprint on your computer (34M)

• Excellent scanning speed

• Excellent proactive protection

• Is one of the few companies still offering products for legacy O/S’s such as DOS and Windows 95, Windows 98, etc.

Ease of Use:

ESET’s NOD32 is simple to use right out of the box (figuratively speaking … it’s a download) and requires little or no configuring for the average user. Yes, it’s an “install and forget program! The interface is clean and simple with enable/disable toggles and a configure option for those who are into tweaking their antivirus software. Unlike Kaspersky, which allows you to tailor their software based upon the perceived threat and the level of protection desired, advanced configuring NOD32 requires a bit more knowledge of your system. Fortunately, NOD32 works as it should in its default configuration and most users will never have to do anything but simply install this excellent software.

Effectiveness:

ESET’s NOD 32 is among the most effective antivirus software products on the market today. Independent tests show that NOD32 removed about 98% of the virus threats it faced, putting it on par with BitDefender, “Tek-Media Gold Award” winner, and Kaspersky, “Tek-Media Silver Award” winner. In addition, NOD32 is certified by all the major independent testing laboratories the world over. Of the major antivirus software packages tested, NOD32 interfered less with our other computer operations than any of the other products reviewed. Its spyware protection is a little weaker than one might like, putting it on the same level as Kaspersky’s 92%. Where NOD32 stands head and shoulders above its competitors is in its proactive detection and protection.

Most of the reputable antivirus software developers now include a heuristic engine that attempts to detect malware before it has been reported. Some refer to this as “Day Zero” detection because it is able to detect threats before their signatures is has been identified. The idea here is that when the software finds some code that looks malicious, it executes the software in the background to determine if it’s a threat to your machine. ESET has refined this technique like no other antivirus software developer with their ThreatSense® Technology.

This ThreatSense® Technology delivers an excellent detection rate while offering a very fast scan rate. Other antivirus packages offer similar detection rates, such as BitDefender and Kaspersky, but in both of those cases, the penalty you pay are slow scan rates. NOD32 is the only software package reviewed and tested that offered both high detection rates AND fast scan rates, indicating these folks know how to write efficient and effective code (according to the company, NOD32 is written in assembly language, a very efficient, low-level language). ESET could be the sleeper antivirus company ready to take this market by storm in coming years.

Updates:

Unlike Kaspersky and BitDefender, ESET’s NOD32 only updates its virus signatures once a day. That’s probably a short enough interval considering that ESET has the power to “push” updates to your computer in the instance of attack. Also, with ESET’s highly effective heuristic, proactive engine, it is very likely that NOD32 will recognize malicious code before the signature is available. These two features make us more comfortable with the slightly longer update intervals than some of its competitors have.

Feature Set:

ESET’s NOD32 is all about effectiveness AND speed. This software uses fewer resources than any of the packages tested and this is a thing of beauty. NOD32 is a breath of fresh air in a world of bloated software in that its code is efficiently written. From the perspective of the average user, this means this software has a light footprint and fast scans, both very good things. Its ThreatSense® Technology’s proactive defense is among the best heuristic programs on the market.

NOD32 offers several layers of protection including real time email scanning, antivirus protection, antispyware protection and rootkit scanner. The email scanner integrates easily and directly into MS Outlook or any other standard POP3 email client. Disappointingly, NOD32 did not have a Parental Control option where parents can block and control what sites their children are able to access online.

NOD32 is among the few antivirus products that still supports such legacy operating systems as DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, etc. as well as Windows XP and Vista.

Ease of Installation:

Installation was prompt and easy. The package is just 34M making it among the lightest antivirus packages we have ever seen. We were disappointed, though, that ESET did not automatically remove the existing antivirus software on our system. Instead, NOD32 prompts you to remove any existing antivirus on your computer before installation.

ESET has made some excellent and necessary improvements in their interface with version 3, making the software far easier and more intuitive to use. Anticipating that the vast majority of people don’t want to spend time messing with their antivirus software, but instead just want it to work, ESET crafted NOD32’s interface to be clean and simple. Most people can simply “install and forget” this software. The left-hand column features Protection Status, Computer Scan, Update, Setup, Tools and Help. The right windowpane is reserved for the active feature in use.

Although the features have an enable/disable toggle, the advanced user can simply click on “configure” in any of the features and find all of the advanced tweaks that anyone could ask for. Should you need to remove NOD32 from your computer, there is an uninstall option. After a reboot we found almost no evidence of the product on the machine.

Help/Support:

ESET’s NOD32 provides extensive, context-sensitive help files similar to Kaspersky and this feature by both firms should be applauded. It’s about time the other software developers include similar help files. It’s simple and quick for the user and doesn’t require much development cost for the software publisher. Online, ESET provides a fairly thorough 32-page PDF file manual for download, plus online FAQs for NOD32, links to an active user forum dedicated to the software, and a web form for contacting ESET customer support. While there is live telephone support offered, the call is not toll free and is available only during business hours, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday.

Summary:

ESET’s NOD32 offers the antivirus software buyer one more excellent choice. Its sets itself apart from the competition with its scanning speed and light footprint on your computer resources. Its proactive approach to virus and other malware detection is among the best in the world, its virus detection is excellent, and now with an easy to use interface, this software ranks among the best available. There is no hesitation in Tek-Media recommending ESET’s NOD32 to our community. Tek-Media proudly protects there workstations in the work place with Nod32 and would not recommend it to our clients if we didn’t trust it enough to use ourselves.

Visit ESET For More Information:

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Well, here’s a quick solution for you Windows XP users:

Click on Start, select Control Panel, click on Mouse. In the resulting window, click on the Pointer Options tab.

In the Visibility section, I would recommend un-checking “Hide pointer while typing” so your mouse cursor doesn’t disappear that often. Then check “Show location of pointer when I press the CTRL key.” This will activate a bulls eye target to appear around the mouse cursor when you press the Ctrl key.

(Your mouse control panel may look different and have fewer features, so don’t be surprised if it is not the same as what you see here.)

And don’t worry, it won’t interfere with keyboard shortcuts using the Ctrl key. Once you’ve made your selections, click Apply and then OK and you’ll have a mouse that doesn’t scurry away quite as much!

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