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Saturday the 9th of January 2010

Welcome to the Helpforce Daily Briefing, on Saturday the 9th of January 2010

1. Virus Warnings
2. Daily Technology News
3. Latest Shareware and Freeware
4. FAQ for the day
5. Advice of the day
6. Internet Advice

This is a free service provided by Helpforce.com, to unsubscribe please visit http://www.helpforce.com
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1. Latest Virus Alerts From Sophos
---------------------------------------
W32/Palevo-J on 9 January 2010 05:00:31 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/w32palevoj.html?_log_from=rss
Mal/Hiloti-A on 9 January 2010 01:10:04 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/malhilotia.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Agent-MCX on 9 January 2010 01:10:04 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojagentmcx.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Dloadr-CYI on 9 January 2010 01:10:04 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojdloadrcyi.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/FakeAV-AOP on 9 January 2010 01:10:04 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojfakeavaop.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/FakeAV-AOQ on 9 January 2010 01:10:04 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojfakeavaoq.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Agent-MCV on 8 January 2010 23:12:32 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojagentmcv.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Akspy-A on 8 January 2010 23:12:32 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojakspya.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/ByteVer-E on 8 January 2010 23:12:32 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojbytevere.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/FakeAV-AON on 8 January 2010 23:12:32 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojfakeavaon.html?_log_from=rss

2. Latest Technology News From Slashdot
-----------------------------------------------

-- Politicians Worldwide Asking Questions About ACTA
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/cIFTGnxt5aU/Politicians-Worldwide-Asking-Questions-About-ACTA)
An anonymous reader writes "Legislators around the world are demanding more information on the secret Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. US Senator Ron Wyden demanded answers in a letter to the USTR (PDF) this week, ACTA arose in the UK House of Commons yesterday, and French Deputy Nicolas Dupont-Aignan raised ACTA questions in the National Assembly late last year. All of this comes on top of earlier efforts from Swedish Member of the European Parliament Jens Holm, as well as New Zealand MP Clare Curran, who has repeatedly raised concerns about ACTA, and NDP MP Charlie Angus, who posed questions about ACTA in the Canadian House of Commons late last year."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Duke Nukem Forever Not Dead? (Yes, This Again)
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/4bA7kgRisLs/emDuke-Nukem-Foreverem-Not-Dead-Yes-This-Again)
kaychoro writes "There may be hope for Duke Nukem Forever (again). 'Jon St. John, better known as the voice of Duke Nukem, said some interesting words during a panel discussion at the Music and Games Festival (MAGFest) that took place January 1 – 4 in Alexandria, Virginia, according to Pixel Enemy. Answering a question from the crowd regarding DNF, St. John said: "... let me go ahead and tell you right now that I'm not allowed to talk about Duke Nukem Forever. No, no, don't be disappointed, read between the lines — why am I not allowed to talk about it?"'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- NIST Investigating Mass Flash Drive Vulnerability
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/dsS4WbQEiUo/NIST-Investigating-Mass-Flash-Drive-Vulnerability)
Lucas123 writes with a followup to news we discussed earlier this week that the encryption on NIST-certified flash drives was cracked. "A number of leading manufacturers of encrypted flash drives have warned their customers of a security flaw uncovered by a German company. The devices in question use the AES 256-bit encryption algorithm and have been certified using the FIPS 140-2, but the flaw appears to circumvent the certification process by uncovering the password authentication code on host systems. The National Institute of Standards and Technology said it's investigating whether it needs to modify its standards to include password authentication software on host systems. Security specialist Bruce Schneier was blunt in his characterization of the flaw: 'It's a stupid crypto mistake and they screwed up and they should be rightfully embarrassed for making it.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Blizzard Authenticators May Become Mandatory
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/YgnpTJ_suuc/Blizzard-Authenticators-May-Become-Mandatory)
An anonymous reader writes "WoW.com is reporting that a trusted source has informed them that Blizzard is giving serious consideration to making authenticators mandatory on all World of Warcraft accounts. The authenticators function the same as ones provided by most banks — in order to log in, you must generate a number on the external device. Blizzard already provides a free iPhone app that functions as an authenticator. The source stated, 'it is a virtually forgone conclusion that it will happen.' This comes after large spates of compromised accounts left Bizzard game masters severely backlogged by restoration requests."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- China Luring Scientists Back Home
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/QKTp6jofSaE/China-Luring-Scientists-Back-Home)
blee37 writes "The NY Times reports that China is increasing incentives for Chinese students earning PhDs in the US to return home. One example is a prestigious Princeton microbiologist who returned to become a dean at Tsinghua, the Chinese MIT. In my experience as a grad student, Chinese students were often torn about returning home. The best science and the most intellectually stimulating jobs are in the US. Yet, surely they miss their families and their hometown. As alluded in the article, Chinese science remains far behind, especially because of rampant cronyism in academia as well as government. But, if more Chinese students go back, it could damage the US's technology lead. A large percentage of PhD students in the US are from China. Also, the typical PhD student has their tuition paid for and receives a salary. Does it make sense to invest in their training if they will do their major work elsewhere?"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Golden Ratio Discovered In a Quantum World
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/Dv0mSYdH9wE/Golden-Ratio-Discovered-In-a-Quantum-World)
FiReaNGeL writes "Scientists have for the first time observed a nanoscale symmetry hidden in solid state matter. 'In order to study these nanoscale quantum effects, the researchers have focused on the magnetic material cobalt niobate. It consists of linked magnetic atoms, which form chains just like a very thin bar magnet, but only one atom wide.' By artificially introducing more quantum uncertainty, the researchers observed that the chain acts like a nanoscale guitar string. The first two notes show a perfect relationship with each other. Their frequencies (pitch) are in the ratio of 1.618, which is the golden ratio famous from art and architecture. The observed resonant states in cobalt niobate are a dramatic laboratory illustration of the way in which mathematical theories developed for particle physics may find application in nanoscale science and ultimately in future technology."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Recession Turning Software Auditors Into Greedy Traffic Cops
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/QxjvEZyTOiY/Recession-Turning-Software-Auditors-Into-Greedy-Traffic-Cops)
judgecorp writes "As the recession bites, software auditors are cracking down, and some are simply exploiting loopholes and technicalities to meet their targets, according to analyst Forrester. They may be within their rights, but they aren't endearing themselves to users; Steve Ballmer faced weary customers in London last year, and admitted Windows licenses have deliberate 'gotchas.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- NASA To Cryogenically Freeze Satellite Mirrors
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/PcPIu2lPlYA/NASA-To-Cryogenically-Freeze-Satellite-Mirrors)
coondoggie writes "NASA said it will soon move some of the larger (46 lb) mirror segments of its future James Webb Space Telescope into a cryogenic test facility that will freeze the mirrors to -414 degrees Fahrenheit (~25 K). Specifically, NASA will freeze six of the 18 Webb telescope mirror segments at the X-ray and Cryogenic Facility, or XRCF, at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in a test to ensure the critical mirrors can withstand the extreme space environments. All 18 segments will eventually be tested at the site. The test chamber takes approximately five days to cool a mirror segment to cryogenic temperatures."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Google Faces Deluge of Nexus One Complaints
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/gAnGA7kqXyU/Google-Faces-Deluge-of-Nexus-One-Complaints)
wkurzius writes "It seems Google is going through some growing pains as far as customer service is concerned. Since their new phone, the Nexus One, can be bought unlocked, many people are turning to Google themselves for help, but not getting what they're used to from traditional mobile carriers. T-Mobile and HTC are also getting hammered, with many customers being bounced back and forth between the two companies' service lines." It seems they're also taking flak from Android developers who are unhappy that no SDK has yet been released for Android 2.1, which runs on the Nexus One.Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Acer Recalls 22,000 Notebooks Due To Burn Hazard
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/mMIknrP-h5o/Acer-Recalls-22000-Notebooks-Due-To-Burn-Hazard)
An anonymous reader writes "The US Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Acer, today announced a voluntary recall of 22,000 notebook computers. Acer has received three reports of computers short circuiting, resulting in slight melting of the external casing. No incidents occurred in the United States. No injuries have been reported."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Air Canada Ordered To Provide Nut-Free Zone
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/k1s67oC7grw/Air-Canada-Ordered-To-Provide-Nut-Free-Zone)
JamJam writes "Air Canada has been told to create a special 'buffer zone' on flights for people who are allergic to nuts. The Canadian Transportation Agency has ruled that passengers who have nut allergies should be considered disabled and accommodated by the airline. Air Canada has a month to come up with an appropriate section of seats where passengers with nut allergies would be seated. The ruling involved a complaint from Sophia Huyer, who has a severe nut allergy and travels frequently. Ms. Huyer once spent 40 minutes in the washroom during a flight while snacks were being served."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Palm Opens Dev Program, Offers $1M For Top App
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/89i2gS8Wrkg/Palm-Opens-Dev-Program-Offers-1M-For-Top-App)
CWmike writes "Palm opened up its webOS developer program to the public this week in a bid to close the gap with the number of iPhone and Android apps. Palm will also open up its application distribution channel to developers and Web sites, giving them access to detailed information about applications and statistics, such as the number of downloads. This will allow them to build their own application directories and application ranking mechanisms, Palm's Katie Mitic said. 'As an incentive to developers interested in building their own directories, Palm is offering $1 million to the developer with the most downloads of free and paid applications between February and May, Mitic said. Palm also announced a plug-in development kit for WebOS that allows developers to extend the OS's capabilities using code written in C and C++. Over time, these plug-ins will be incorporated into the software development kit, she said. The plug-in development kit will be released at the Game Developers Conference in March, but a handful of game developers have already put the kit to use. EA Mobile, Laminar Research, Gameloft and Glu all released games that were developed using plug-ins. Those games include 3D titles, such as EA Mobile Need for Speed Undercover, and are now available.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Scientists Turn Wood Into Bone
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/ESBvFbBOS7A/Scientists-Turn-Wood-Into-Bone)
Bob the Super Hamster writes "The BBC is reporting that scientists in Italy have developed a method to convert rattan wood into a bone-like substance. The bone replacement is currently being tested in sheep, where, when inserted into the area of a fracture, it joins with the existing bone and eventually fuses. Unlike other bone replacements, this one actually has load-bearing ability and also naturally fuses with the existing bone. Additionally, since it is porous like real bone, nerves and blood vessels can pass through it."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Why You Should Use OpenGL and Not DirectX
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/owKGzaahTRA/Why-You-Should-Use-OpenGL-and-Not-DirectX)
stickyboot writes "The independent games developer Wolfire describes why they decided to use OpenGL instead of DirectX. The article mainly discusses the marketing strategies behind DirectX and how the API became so popular. It also goes over why a developer would choose OpenGL over DirectX and what this decision means for the gamer. 'Back in 1997, the situation was similar to how it is now. Microsoft was running a massive marketing campaign for Direct3D, and soon everyone "just knew" that it was faster and better than OpenGL. This started to change when Chris Hecker published his open letter denouncing DirectX. Soon after that, John Carmack posted his famous OpenGL rant, and put his money where his mouth was by implementing all of Id Software's games in OpenGL, proving once and for all that DirectX was unnecessary for high-end 3D gaming. This lesson appears to have been forgotten over the last few years. Most game developers have fallen under the spell of DirectX marketing, or into the whirlpool of vicious cycles and network advantages.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Court Unfriendly To FCC's Internet Slap At Comcast
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/ViYp6E7xenw/Court-Unfriendly-To-FCCs-Internet-Slap-At-Comcast)
Several sources are reporting that federal judges have been harsh in their examination of the FCC's action against Comcast in 2008 for the throttling of Internet traffic from high-bandwidth file-sharing services. "'You can't get an unbridled, roving commission to go about doing good,' said US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Chief Judge David Sentelle during an oral argument. The three-judge panel grilled FCC General Counsel Austin Schlick on the parts of communications law it could cite to justify the Comcast punishment. The FCC argues that it was enforcing an open Internet policy implicit in the law. Judge A. Raymond Randolph repeatedly said the legal provisions cited by the FCC were mere policy statements that by themselves can't justify the commission's action. 'You have yet to identify a specific statute,' he said. The judges' decision in the case could throw into question the FCC's authority to impose open Internet rules."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

3. Latest Shareware from Planet-Shareware
-----------------------------------------------

4. FAQ of the day from Helpforce
-----------------------------------------------

-- How can I obtain Netscape 4.76?
(http://www.helpforce.com)

Question: Hi: I have just purchased a new computer with Xp which came with Internet Explorer. I wish to download a version of Netscape as well and I would prefer to have the older version Netscape 4.76. However from my research on the net , it appears that this older version is not compatible with XP. Please correct me if I am wrong. Yours truly: campbeld

Answer: Hi Duane:NS 4.76 will work, but.....I ended up getting rid of it as it locked quite frequently.I didn't like the other NS offerings and ended up with IE 6.x like everyone else.NS 7.2 seems to work, but it has changed so much from my 4.7 that I refuse to use it.Stick with IE or go to NS 7.2 and save yourself some hassle.Good LuckGeorge

5. Advice of the Day from ask-leo
-----------------------------------------------

6. Internet Advice
-----------------------------------------------

-- The 2010 About.com Reader's Choice Awards(http://netforbeginners.about.com/b/a/258274.htm)

It's time for the About.com 2010 Reader's Choice Awards! From now until February 1, we are taking reader nominations for the best products in several dozen categories: the Best Parenting...

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