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Riding Shotgun with Rick

A Pigeon is faster than the Internet

Zaajil
photo credit: Bu Yousef

I count this as sort of a misleading article, but it is fun none the less. A homing pigeon with a 4GB flash drive took off from a location 80 miles away from its destination. A download of the same amount of data was started at the destination at the same time the pigeon was released. The bird landed with the 4GB of information in just over 2 hours. The computer had only downloaded 5% of the 4GB file in the same 2 hours.

4 GB is a lot of data (1000 songs, or 3000 photos, or a 2 hour movie), but it does wound pretty pathetic that a pigeon can move that information faster than a high speed Internet connection. However, the story also illustrates howRead More »A Pigeon is faster than the Internet

System Engineer fed up with Windows vulnerabilities

Interesting article from a ZDNet author, Christopher Dawson,  who also works full-time as a school district computer engineer. Despite locking down Windows computers with security software, tweaking firewalls, and making sure all Windows updates are up to snuff, threats still sneak into their computers. I understand the frustration he exhibits in the article regarding the time and effort spent fighting… Read More »System Engineer fed up with Windows vulnerabilities

Rick Answers his Email Videocast – 057

A bunch of questions this week about removing fake security software. For folks with similar problems, please refer to this article I posted earlier this year regarding removing these nasty infections and this article to help prevent the problem. Other questions this week included recommendations for website creation, a stubborn restarting computer, Palm handheld question and a problem with the… Read More »Rick Answers his Email Videocast – 057

Google Strikes Deal with Sony

The Financial Times reported that Google and Sony agreed on a deal that will result in Google’s Chrome browser (barely a year old) being installed on new Sony computers sold in the United States. Google hopes to add more similar deals with other manufacturers. FT.com / Technology – Sony to distribute Google browser.

Rick Answers his Email Videocast – 056

This week I answered questions from Amy, Ralph, Jorge, Elizabeth, Diana, Bob, Ernie, Anne, John, Walt, Tracy, Amy, Steve and Tim. They asked qustions about Skype, Windows 7 networking, spyware toolbars, upgrading an old PD, a local wireless Internet provider, email security, Internet Explorer 8, sharing PowerPoint, uploading Flip Video to a blog, burning DVDs with iDVD on a Mac… Read More »Rick Answers his Email Videocast – 056

Gmail Address Picker – Video Tip

Google very quietly added a new funcion to Gmail yesterday. Many emailers who convert to Gmail wondered why this function wasn’t there from the beginning, but now it is…an address picker. I can’t remember an email program not having an address picker before, but I quickly adapted to the way Gmail did addresses when I switched three or so years… Read More »Gmail Address Picker – Video Tip

Wikipedia to start reviewing article changes

600px-Wikipedia-logo.svgWikipedia started in 2001 as an online encyclopedia that anyone can edit. It drew a lot of attention then for its ambitious goal of gathering all information in the world and making it searchable and accessible. Today, it continues to draw millions of visitors per month and boasts more than 3 million articles, 75,000 contributors and has articles in 260 languages.

This week, Wikipedia made the news by making some changes to their article editing process. It used to be all one had to do was to create an account on the site and you could then make edits to any article that you had information to contribute. There has always been oversite and editing, but starting soon, manyRead More »Wikipedia to start reviewing article changes

Rick Answers his Email Videocast -055

This week’s questions from Kim, Walter, Charles, Gene, Frank, Robert, Jon, Theresa, Bonnie, Terry, Debbie and Kay covered some interesting Linux/Ubuntu related topics, downloading CCleaner, speaker interference, inserting photos into email, Apple update questions and more. Have a look and a listen!

Cleaning and removing Antivirus 2009, PAV and others from your computer,

Cleaning
Photo by Jim Grandy

Preventing your computer from becoming infected is infinitely easier and less stressful than cleaning up after an infection.

Search my site for tons of information on setting up your computer for security and techniques to avoid scams. However, if you are already bit by one of the most recent nasty forms of software, Antivirus 2008, Antivirus 2009, Personal Antivirus, Internet Security 2009 among others (software I call extortionware that installs itself on your computer and then poses asRead More »Cleaning and removing Antivirus 2009, PAV and others from your computer,