Friday, January 6, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
MVPS HOSTS File for January 2012
The subject file is available now.
Those of you keeping up with this important security assist will find what you need below. If anyone has any questions, write me at pcdoc@brpcdoc.com.
The MVPS HOSTS file was recently updated [January-05-2012]
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm
Download: hosts.zip (146 kb)
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.zip
How To: Download and Extract the HOSTS filehttp://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts2.htm
HOSTS File - Frequently Asked Questions
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hostsfaq.htm
Note: the "text" version makes a great resource for determining possible unwanted connections ...
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.txt (594 kb)
Get notified when the MVPS HOSTS file is updated
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/updates.htm
Those of you keeping up with this important security assist will find what you need below. If anyone has any questions, write me at pcdoc@brpcdoc.com.
The MVPS HOSTS file was recently updated [January-05-2012]
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm
Download: hosts.zip (146 kb)
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.zip
How To: Download and Extract the HOSTS filehttp://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts2.htm
HOSTS File - Frequently Asked Questions
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hostsfaq.htm
Note: the "text" version makes a great resource for determining possible unwanted connections ...
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.txt (594 kb)
Get notified when the MVPS HOSTS file is updated
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/updates.htm
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Consumers turn to do-not-track software to maintain privacy
A friend sent me a link to this article, and I found it most interesting. I have always used Ad Block Plus as a Firefox extension. I always just let it run and never checked its logs, if it has any, as to what it had blocked. So the idea of a blocker like Do Not Track Plus and Ghostery, that actually show you, on a real-time basis, what has been blocked, was fascinating to me.
My friend had installed Do Not Track Plus and was quite pleased with it. I decided to try Ghostery instead mostly so we would have 2 opinions on this type of FREE software and perhaps compare notes.
I had Ghostery downloaded and installed in a matter of minutes. In my first hour I was amazed at how many different companies were tracking my every move, Ad Block Plus notwithstanding. The photo below gives you an idea of how it works. When you go to a web site Ghosteryy will display, in a small purple box, for a few seconds, all of the companies that are trying to track your moves and, I hope, blocks them all successfully. It is quite amazing to see so many. A few minutes after I went to the web site pictured below and captured the screen, I went to the AARP web site and saw 12 companies listed as wanting to track me! Wow! Who knew?
My friend had installed Do Not Track Plus and was quite pleased with it. I decided to try Ghostery instead mostly so we would have 2 opinions on this type of FREE software and perhaps compare notes.
I had Ghostery downloaded and installed in a matter of minutes. In my first hour I was amazed at how many different companies were tracking my every move, Ad Block Plus notwithstanding. The photo below gives you an idea of how it works. When you go to a web site Ghosteryy will display, in a small purple box, for a few seconds, all of the companies that are trying to track your moves and, I hope, blocks them all successfully. It is quite amazing to see so many. A few minutes after I went to the web site pictured below and captured the screen, I went to the AARP web site and saw 12 companies listed as wanting to track me! Wow! Who knew?
These Firefox extensions are very easy to install, and, in spite of some warnings, I still have both Ad Block Plus and Ghostery installed. I have not experienced any problems.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Users desert Windows XP in near-record numbers
The first sentence says it all for me: "Exodus accelerates over last four months as users move to Windows 7".
Well, golly, who'd guess that our old XP iron is getting tired, new PCs are amazingly affordable, Christmas was somewhere in that last 4 months, and so many people have outgrown their machine bought back some years ago with an XP that was a mere shadow of what it is today.
Anyway, that is my opinion. I am down to one XP machine, and it too is getting tired. It shows this with issues or problems that I have never seen before. Fortunately for me, I am experienced enough to figure these out and to keep "old faithful" running. I realize that for many/most of you the easiest way out is to buy one of the new inexpensive machines and to move on to Windows 7. Some have even abandoned their XP machine in favor of a smartphone and/or a tablet.
As for me, I am getting to be a tightwad in my old age, and I plan to try to stick it out with my IBM desktop PC, running XP, as my primary device. Of course, there's always my MacBook Pro laptop, running some strange and completely different operating system, that I use most every day!
Well, golly, who'd guess that our old XP iron is getting tired, new PCs are amazingly affordable, Christmas was somewhere in that last 4 months, and so many people have outgrown their machine bought back some years ago with an XP that was a mere shadow of what it is today.
Anyway, that is my opinion. I am down to one XP machine, and it too is getting tired. It shows this with issues or problems that I have never seen before. Fortunately for me, I am experienced enough to figure these out and to keep "old faithful" running. I realize that for many/most of you the easiest way out is to buy one of the new inexpensive machines and to move on to Windows 7. Some have even abandoned their XP machine in favor of a smartphone and/or a tablet.
As for me, I am getting to be a tightwad in my old age, and I plan to try to stick it out with my IBM desktop PC, running XP, as my primary device. Of course, there's always my MacBook Pro laptop, running some strange and completely different operating system, that I use most every day!
Exodus accelerates over last four months as users move to Windows 7
Monday, January 2, 2012
Sudoku Puzzle Solved
A voice out of my past, an old friend named Ron from Vermont and a former IBM co-worker, saw my Sudoku plea and came to my rescue. I don't think Ron and I have seen each other or even made contact in over 25 years!
The key to moving forward and also to directly solving the puzzle was determining that the last box in row 3 had to be an 8. Once that box was filled with the 8, the rest fell in place easily.
I have learned something. I need to either learn to think deeper than I usually do, or I need to print the tough ones off and use pencil and paper to determine the "possibilities" for each box and proceed from there. However, even then I still need to learn to look at these puzzles a little differently and look ahead more than I had to do with the EASY puzzles.
Thanks Ron!
The key to moving forward and also to directly solving the puzzle was determining that the last box in row 3 had to be an 8. Once that box was filled with the 8, the rest fell in place easily.
I have learned something. I need to either learn to think deeper than I usually do, or I need to print the tough ones off and use pencil and paper to determine the "possibilities" for each box and proceed from there. However, even then I still need to learn to look at these puzzles a little differently and look ahead more than I had to do with the EASY puzzles.
Thanks Ron!
Sudoku - help needed!
I love Sudoku puzzles. I read a few years ago that doing Sudoku puzzles might help keep my brain active and delay the onset of dementia or other memory issues that we senior citizens seem to suffer. At this point I hope that is true but really don't care too much. I have become a Sudoku fan and really enjoy doing the puzzles.
I use http://www.websudoku.com/ for its free puzzles, and for a year or so I have been doing the EASY puzzles. I got to the point where I could do all easy puzzles and got my time down to around 8 minutes. I think the web site says the average time for their easy puzzles is around 6 minutes. Okay, I never said I was fast! I can just complete them all successfully.
Lately I have been trying the MEDIUM difficulty puzzles, and after a while I have run into a stone wall. I can do most of them, and it takes me 20 minutes now to do the medium puzzles. BUT, I have run into two MEDIUM puzzles so far that have me stymied.
I would like someone who can solve this puzzle to please give me a hint. One possibility would be to give me the next move and to explain the logic and how the answer was determined. Another would be to just explain the logic necessary to determine the next move, and I would be perfectly happy with that. Anyone?
I should mention that since I have been doing all of these online that I do not have a pencil and paper to use. Some people suggest writing the "possibilities" for the boxes inside the boxes with a pencil in a small font. Then, examining all the possibilities would help determine the next move. That may be true and may indeed be what I have to do, that is, get me a pad and start filling in possibilities. If that is the way to proceed, fine, but I am hoping there is yet (at least) one more trick I have not learned. Anyone?
Please write me at pcdoc@brpcdoc.com if you can help.
And thank you!
Here is where I have run into a wall. It's kinda neat that all 3 incomplete rows contain the same numbers. I have not run into anything like this so far. The numbers in blue are the ones I have entered so far.
I use http://www.websudoku.com/ for its free puzzles, and for a year or so I have been doing the EASY puzzles. I got to the point where I could do all easy puzzles and got my time down to around 8 minutes. I think the web site says the average time for their easy puzzles is around 6 minutes. Okay, I never said I was fast! I can just complete them all successfully.
Lately I have been trying the MEDIUM difficulty puzzles, and after a while I have run into a stone wall. I can do most of them, and it takes me 20 minutes now to do the medium puzzles. BUT, I have run into two MEDIUM puzzles so far that have me stymied.
I would like someone who can solve this puzzle to please give me a hint. One possibility would be to give me the next move and to explain the logic and how the answer was determined. Another would be to just explain the logic necessary to determine the next move, and I would be perfectly happy with that. Anyone?
I should mention that since I have been doing all of these online that I do not have a pencil and paper to use. Some people suggest writing the "possibilities" for the boxes inside the boxes with a pencil in a small font. Then, examining all the possibilities would help determine the next move. That may be true and may indeed be what I have to do, that is, get me a pad and start filling in possibilities. If that is the way to proceed, fine, but I am hoping there is yet (at least) one more trick I have not learned. Anyone?
Please write me at pcdoc@brpcdoc.com if you can help.
And thank you!
Here is where I have run into a wall. It's kinda neat that all 3 incomplete rows contain the same numbers. I have not run into anything like this so far. The numbers in blue are the ones I have entered so far.
Happy New Year!
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