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Microsoft + Skype + What's Next?

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         Keeping up with the latest news Jim Hamm fills us in with this,  "Here's an interesting article about Microsoft's Ballmer by Pogue of the New York Times. I happen to agree with Pogue's assessment. I don't think Ballmer has been good for Microsoft. And that's sad because Microsoft has been (and still could be) a great company with the proper visionary leader.

        "A similar fate could befall Apple as well. I think Tim Cook made a great COO. He's good at organizational functions -- production, inventory levels, timely deliveries, etc -- but I don't think he's a visionary. I really don't have a good inside grasp on Apple's management team, but based on what I've read Jony Ive seems to be a visionary at Apple. Others may be as well. Time will tell.
        "As a side note -- talking about Microsoft -- since Microsoft bought Skype the performance of Skype has deteriorated. It is difficult now to maintain a video connection on Skype. I don't know if somehow Microsoft has caused this, but something has happened. I've quit using Skype and now use Google+Hangouts. One can stay connected on a video chat -- much better than Skype. 

        And here's Jim's last comment, delivered with his trademarked grin, "I guess I'll just blame Skype's deterioration on Ballmer too."
       Try this link:  http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com
      

A Star Party Invitation

        John Carter, the PMUG Web Host Admin, sends you this invitation to Star Party events.  September 7 from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. at Vista Park in Prescott will feature astronomer guides with their binoculars and telescopes showing the public the wonders of the solar system, the Milky Way and deep space.   http://prescottastronomyclub.org
        John almost always does some kind of presentation at the public star parties when the wind doesn't blow the projector screen down. He says, "Otherwise, I'm at my 8" telescope and giving the public mini lectures on stars and deep sky objects (clusters, nebulae, galaxies) and of course answering any question about Astronomy.

        "On Sept 21 I'm doing a presentation at the Highland center on 'A Walk Through The Stars.' The public is invited, and a Star Party follows."
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Wi-Fi for Hotel Room Internet

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         "If you travel,"  is how Jim Hamm begins.  And he does travel!  He goes on,  "and would like to share a connection to the Internet in your hotel room, here is an article on how to go about setting it up." How to Share a Hotel Room’s Internet Connection Over Wi-Fi http://mac.tutsplus.com/tutorials/networking/how-to-share-a-hotel-rooms-internet-connection-over-wi-fi/

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No, Your Data Isn't Secure in the Cloud

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          John Carter wants to share his viewpoint on security in the Cloud.  "You do understand that it's the government that is insisting on an open book for all personal information, yet they also insist on not telling us anything they don't want us to know about - like what really happened at Roswell and other places.

        "I really don't care how deep the government is looking into my personal affairs. In fact, I want them to be able to pry into the private life of any citizen planning on running for a public office at every level of government from our local supervisor and councilman to the President. 
        "The ONLY way to have access to my passwords across all devices without using the cloud is to carry a thumb drive —and it won't connect to my iPhone, iPod, or iPad. That makes no sense. 
        "So, using iCloud or Dropbox to store my passwords is my only sure way of being able to access them when I need them from any device. And with 128 bit encryption, that is secure enough to prevent Joe the Plumber (and even my high-tech buddies) from getting at them. I'm safe from the hackers, and that's all that really concerns me.
        "Now, if one of those hackers works for the government and is nefarious enough to steal encrypted data for personal gain, I can't stop that. No one can. It would take an act of Congress to prevent even the government from accessing encrypted files, and then only foreign governments would be able to access my personal files. Right back where I started from."  
        And thanks to John for adding to this discussion.  
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FREE and Reduced-price eBooks

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        Again Jim Hamm keeps us posted on FREE and inexpensive stuff!  "eReaderIQ is back, and now offers one free eBook and several reduced-price eBooks from Amazon. If interested, you might take a look and perhaps subscribe to their offerings."
http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=ed09bb8384b4b40c482babf93&id=1d37388ea9&e=3e18e2b6bf
Here's this:  http://www.ereaderiq.com

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Storage Security?

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          Yes, we're still concerned about storage security.  Jim Hamm writes, "For your possible interest, here is an article about storage security -- or lack thereof -- in the cloud. For reasons mentioned in the article, I don't, and wouldn't, store passwords in the cloud. I wouldn't even use a Password Manager to store passwords in the cloud."
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9241553/No_your_data_isn_t_secure_in_the_cloud?taxonomyId=223&pageNumber=1

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Do NOT Install MacKeeper

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        Here's an important notice from John Carter:  "It was just brought to my attention by Betsy Barnes that MacKeeper is one of the apps that you do not want to install on your Mac.

        "The reasons are various. It has been described as highly invasive malware, but this is probably because it pops up in your face every time you drag an application to the trash (the preferred method is to use AppCleaner to delete an application), and then often after dragging anything to the trash. 
        "Malware is anything that is hostile, intrusive, or annoying. So if being reminded that MacKeeper can clean up your computer is annoying, then MacKeeper is malware. By this logic, Apple's Notification Center can be annoying and therefor it is malware.
        "MacKeeper does this as a way of 'helping' you keep your computer running lean and fast. Does it really? 
        "A simple query in Safari returns dozens of complaints about MacKeeper. For one user who bought a MacBook Pro and then installed MacKeeper, he started having freezes and crashes. A scan of the logs clearly showed MacKeeper as involved in every crash and freeze (See the full report here.)
        "Additionally, one user has attempted to get a refund and is still waiting for it after being told three times he will get it."
        John concludes, "For what it's worth, I am no longer even suggesting that MacKeeper be used on a Mac. Use AppCleaner to remove apps and the rest can be trusted to just dumping it into the Trash.
        For further reading, see this article on "Do not install MacKeeper."
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OS X Mavericks: Hands-On

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        "Here is an article from MacWorld with comments about their hands-on experience with OS X Mavericks, to be released this fall. With various recent articles commenting on password security -- or lack thereof -- in browsers, read the section about a new feature: iCloud Keychain," Jim Hamm informs us.  Scroll down about half way for that password security feature. 

The Future of Storage?

         A storage chip the size of a postage stamp able to pack a terabyte worth of data?  Who’s dreaming?  You’ll want to read about RRAM,  the resistive RAM, and its amazing possibilities. Thanks to Jim Hamm, this article is quite a find! 
        "Here is an interesting article on where memory technology may be leading us. Will be exciting to see how/if/when this technology may become commercially feasible."
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/resistive-ram-how-it-could-change-storage-forever/?utm_source=Digital+Trends+Newsletter&utm_campaign=dc87702225-RSS_DAILY_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a5ea9c36a5-dc87702225-367338441

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More on Chrome & Passwords

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        Here's more from Jim Hamm on Chrome and Passwords adding to what was posted here below.  "Recently I wrote how Chrome stores passwords entered via the browser in plain text, even without asking if you want them stored or not. As a follow-up, here is an article that explains how this was known some years ago and yet Chrome has become a very popular browser.  

        "Unfortunately, I didn't realize this and have entered passwords in Chrome and, yes, they're stored there in plain text. Google has clearly stated they have no intention of changing this policy, or even alerting users that Chrome does this." 
        So, Jim, what to do?   "Of course, you could discontinue using Chrome. However, I like Chrome and plan to occasionally keep using it, but will no longer use it when I need to log in to a secure website with a password. I'll use another browser. 
        "Also, I will go into Chrome and delete all the passwords stored there. Do this by entering  chrome://settings/passwords in the browser."