Saturday, December 21, 2013

LCD vs. LED PC Monitors

I have a rather old 22" flat screen PC Monitor used on my desktop PC. I love it. However, this past week it seemed to have died. I have been looking to replace it and to get a24" model while I am at it. In looking at monitors online I find there are two types: LCD and LED. I wanted to know the difference and which would be better. I found lots of answers online, but this one was best I thought. I am not sure this guy really knows, but it sounds to me like he has some knowledge about them.

"Q. I spend a lot of time at my computer, so I need a monitor that's easy on my eyes, but monitor shopping is confusing. What is the difference between an LED and an LCD monitor?

A. LED (light emitting diode) and LCD (liquid crystal display) monitors are based on the same basic technology, but differ in the kind of backlighting used. Technically, LEDs are a type of LCD monitor.

Unlike older CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors that generated their own light, LCD displays rely on an external source to manipulate light passing through polarized liquid crystals. Backlighting significantly affects picture quality, the result being that LEDs offer superior picture quality to LCDs.

LEDs also provide truer color quality, meaning blacker blacks and whiter whites, with just a hint of lemony freshness. Due to the configuration of the backlighting, LEDs are typically much slimmer than conventional LCDs.

LED monitors require less power -- up to 40 percent less than conventional LCD monitors. They are also more environmentally friendly because mercury is not used in their production.

LED monitors are definitely easier on the eyes than LCD monitors which make them popular choices for people who work long hours at the computer. Not surprising, I spend a lot of time at the computer and though I have a number of monitors, both LCDs and LEDs, for my primary system I use a Samsung LED. It is noticeably easier on my aging eyes."

I found one man's opinion at http://www.azfamily.com/news/technology/Monitor-shopping-LED-vs-LCD-monitors-170744276.html

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Cryptolocker Ransomware Being Described As ‘The Perfect Crime’

Be very careful out there. "Just because you are not paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you"!

By Chief Correspondent Joe Shortsleeve, WBZ-TV

"BOSTON (CBS) — It is being called the perfect crime and it has law enforcement around the globe baffled.

It all starts with a simple email.

“They are scared and they are angry. It is a real terrible experience for them.”

Joe Ruthaford is talking about computer users who mistakenly launched a potent internet phishing scheme.

He recently saw one of those ravaged computers in his Beacon Hill repair shop.

“It is extremely damaging. It is one of the worst ones.”

It’s called cryptolocker ransomware.

Kevin Swindon is with the FBI in Boston.

“I would think about this particular type of malware as what would happen if your computer was destroyed,” Swindon said.

In the past 90 days, thousands of people worldwide have opened a seemingly innocuous link to track a holiday package. Suddenly, all the files on their computer are encrypted.

Joan Goodchild is the editor of “CSO,” Chief Security Officer magazine based in Framingham.

“This is a criminal operation. They are holding your folders and files ransom. We call this ransomware because that is exactly what it is. You need to pay in order to have access to them once again.”
 
And that is exactly what happened last month at the Swansea Police Department.

Cryptolocker ransomware took over the department’s entire computer system and the police were forced to pay a $750 ransom to get back control.

As the ransomware takes over your computer, a countdown clock appears and shows victims how long they have to pay up. That means purchasing a key, or software, to reverse the process. And victims must do that using the online virtual currency known as bitcoins.

“Once you have purchased a bitcoin, then the transaction that you use that bitcoin in is encrypted, and therefore you cannot trace it,” explained Goodchild.

Swindon says it appears to be the perfect crime.

The FBI tells WBZ-TV they are very worried about this spreading in 2014.

The scheme could be the work of organized gangs overseas. So far, no one has been caught."