BRUCEB NEWS
The Great Russia Hack 5: What Are They Doing To Our Nice Networks?
Quiet, isn’t it? We learned a couple of months ago that the Russians are embedded in almost every network that matters in our country, and nobody is talking about it. My guess is that tens of thousands of IT and security experts are crying themselves to sleep every...
VERIZON CEO GIVES LESSON IN ALIENATING CUSTOMERS
Ivan Seidenberg, CEO of Verizon, gave an interview to the SF Chronicle yesterday. In a shocking and unexpected development, he was critical of San Francisco's interest in...
GOOGLE & PACKAGE TRACKING
This isn't new, but it was another Google feature that I had overlooked. If you enter a package tracking number into Google - nothing else, just the number - you'll be taken to...
UPDATE FOR OUTLOOK 2003 JUNK E-MAIL FILTER
There is an update available for the junk mail filter in Outlook 2003. The direct link is this page, but the recommended way to get the update is through the Office Update page,...
EASYTREE REBORN
Music downloaders alert: for the moment, EasyTree has returned at a new web address, after being shut down by legal threats last week.
REBATES: THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO GET THEM
Here's a good article about the rebate game. Whether you believe in rebates or disdain them, never forget that they don't want you to get them. The process is intentionally...
R.I.P. EASYTREE
EasyTree was a well-known site for downloading live recordings of popular bands. It was scrupulously careful never to list anything that had ever been commercially released in...
MICROSOFT ANTISPYWARE
Whenever you go online, you are at risk of having adware and spyware installed on your system. Well-funded companies are seeking to invade your computer without your knowledge or...
GOOGLE ADDS SATELLITE IMAGES TO MAPS
Google Maps has quietly been updated to include satellite images. It's pretty extraordinary - click on the word "satellite" to switch from traditional maps to satellite photos...
NEWSGROUP AND BITTORRENT GUIDES
Many of the best-known file-sharing programs are unappealing now. Kazaa installs so much adware/spyware that it can only be described as a threat. Some of the other peer-to-peer...
MGM v. GROKSTER
Oral arguments are set in the US Supreme Court on Tuesday in MGM v. Grokster, a case with potentially huge consequences. File sharing programs are used for downloading music and...
COMCAST SPEED INCREASE
Comcast has just about finished rolling out speed increases to its broadband customers nationwide. Most Comcast connections in the Bay Area got the increase in the last couple of...
DRM OUTRAGE
Here's an article asking a reasonable question - how long will it take for consumers to become angry at the limitations and cost of downloaded music encumbered by "digital rights...
FIREFOX AND SECURITY
Firefox is a perfectly nice piece of software, but it's getting more hype than it deserves. It's not the panacea that will keep you safe; it has its own security issues and it...
FILE SHARING HEADED FOR SUPREME COURT
The US Supreme Court will hear arguments on March 29 in MGM v. Grokster, potentially leading to a ruling that could stifle new Internet-based services that have nothing to do...
DESKTOP SEARCH
In the last few months several companies have introduced programs to index your files and your Outlook folders and let you find e-mail messages, contacts, or file attachments as...