Websites On Strike to Protest SOPA and PIPA


The entire purpose the internet was created was to share information.  There are litterally thousands of technologies and services that would not exist right now if it was not for the inherant sharing ability of the internet.  Here is a just a sample of the websites that are going black today in protest of a bill that could cencor the internet in a way never before possible:

Comcast Scares Customers to Promote Business


Today I received a “Security Notice” from Comcast (aka Xfinity).  They claimed to have detected that I MAY have been infected…  That’s right, they didn’t say that my computers ARE infected, they are basically just guessing.

Now, normally I would just take this as polite advice to check my security systems… But, then it dawned on me that the general public is not like me, many people may read this notice from Comcast and become quite panicked.

Of course I realize what they are up to when I see the link they provide to offer you “help” brings you right into a sales webpage obviously promoting their new “XFINITY SIGNATURE SUPPORT”.  This is a scare tactic, plain and simple.  And it’s a shame that Comcast has resorted to this as a way to boost it’s sales.

Still, erring on the side of caution, I ran a full security scan of my home network and all my computers.  Everything came up 100% clean with multiple tools from various vendors.

I then started to do some Google searches on the wording used in the Comcast email itself and found numerous others who have expressed what is basically the same gut feeling that I had, this is nothing more than a pathetic scare tactic on the part of Comcast.

Be warned

Comcast has not suddenly grown a conscience while changing their name to Xfinity, they are not trying to help all of us, they just want our money as per the usual.

If you are still worried that the threat may in fact be real, feel free to contact me through my company website and I will check your system out for one fifth the cost that Xfintiy Signature Support would charge you.

Or, you could always just scan your own system with up-to-date antivirus software, run all your Windows updates, then maybe run a final scan with Malwarebytes, it’s free and very reliable in cleaning things that antivirus can miss.  Just don’t throw your money away by giving more of it to Comcast.

Here is the actual notice from Comcast / Xfinity

Dear XFINITY Customer,

Constant Guard from XFINITY identified that one or more of your computers may be infected with a bot. A bot is a malicious form of software that is used to send spam, host a phishing site, or steal your identity by monitoring your keystrokes without your knowledge. It may be possible you are unaware that your computer is infected with a bot.
We strongly recommend you visit XFINITY.com/BotAssistance (http://www.xfinity.com/botassistance/?CMP=EMC-Email1&utm_source=Notification&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Email1) for important information on how to remove malicious software from your computer(s).

We appreciate your prompt attention to this important security notice.

Sincerely,

Constant Guard from XFINITY

Only 1 More Year of Support for Vista


That’s right, if you are one of the few Windows Vista users out there that are still running a “home” version of the product, you will not get mainstream support anymore for Windows Vista after April 10th of 2012.  According to Microsoft’s Product Lifecycle, all mainstream support for Windows Vista “Home” will end in about a year.  Although, extended support for the “Business” and “Enterprise” versions will not end for an additional five years.

Top Real Estate Website Battle Continues


There are a few changes going on right now with some of the top ranked real estate websites that list available properties for sale to the general public.  Back in 2006 there seemed to be a flood of new websites trying to build a better mouse trap than the most well known real estate listing website; Realtor.com. Over the last 4 years or so, the top sites that seem to stay consistently ranked well in this area are Realtor.com, Yahoo! Real Estate, Zillow.com, and Trulia.com.   All but one of these websites are about to change or combine their powers into new partnerships and acquisitions.

Google Honors PAC-MAN’s 30th Birthday


I opened my browser today and went to www.Google.com for some searching just as usual, but what I found there on Google’s homepage was not usual at all…

I am familiar with Google’s tradition of creating short-term logos or “doodles” for various events and holidays, so at first I didn’t pay much thought to why Google’s logo was now displayed as a PAC-MAN game board. That is, until I heard the game’s iconic 80’s arcade style theme music start to play and the “Ghosts” on it started moving!