BRUCEB NEWS
The Controversy Over Apple’s Child Security Proposals
If you were paying attention during the last lecture, then you know Apple announced two proposals to scan iPhones for photos involving sexual abuse and exploitation of children. First: before photos are uploaded to iCloud, they will be scanned on the phone to look for...
MALWAREBYTES
Computers are dropping like flies. I’ve seen too many dead and dying computers taken down by malware in the last few weeks. Almost all of the bad stuff lately is a variation on...
FOLLOWUP
Gadgets and services are flooding onto the market so quickly! It’s easy to find a “review” of a new product that recites its features from a press release. It’s much harder to...
OUTLOOK MAIL FORWARDING
If you use Outlook, you might want to send a copy of each incoming message to a different email address. Some people forward messages to a GMail or Windows Live address when they...
WINDOWS 7 UPGRADES
There was some confusion when I wrote about Windows 7 upgrades a couple of months ago, so let me try to be completely clear about how you should plan to get Windows 7 later this...
BAN THE CHECK
I started to install an update to Java tonight. (Java is up to version 6, update 15. Sometimes it feels like Java updates are issued two or three times a day. It’s okay to...
NETFLIX FFFT ZZZT
Another glimpse behind the scenes, this time by a reporter who was allowed to visit a Netflix distribution center. If you subscribe to the DVD-rental service, the Netflix...
HARDWARE CHANGES AHEAD
When Windows 7 arrives in a few months, it will be accompanied by new hardware that is just now coming into focus. You might find yourself buying more computers than you expect...
Amazon Love
It seems appropriate to say something nice about online shopping, after last week’s rant about Buy.com. I buy everything from Amazon.com. That’s why I have the Amazon search box...
Buy.Com And “Customer Loyalty”
This is a cautionary tale to make you careful online shoppers. It strikes close to home for me because it involves Buy.com, a favorite of mine at one time, but the scam is also...
COMCAST POSTSCRIPT
Ace consultant Brian Dent of CompuDent Systems points out an interesting corollary to the speed increases from Comcast: Just one caveat I’ve run into. A lot of the existing...
COMCAST SPEED INCREASE
Comcast Internet subscribers in the North Bay are getting a free speed increase, and some new choices for even faster Internet connections. Here’s today’s press release. The...
iPHONES AND CARRIERS
I ran across an interesting article about the effect Apple is having on the wireless business. The conventional wisdom has been that AT&T and Verizon are abusing their market...
FIREFOX, CHROME UPDATES
Lots of people have installed Firefox to do their Internet browsing. Sometimes, out of curiosity, I ask people why they use it instead of Internet Explorer. There are people who...
DISABLE INTERNET EXPLORER SECURITY WARNING
There’s some new wording on a security warning in Internet Explorer 8 that nearly drove me nuts. If you don’t like it either, instructions to disable it are below. All too often...
VISTA VS. WINDOWS 7
I’m frequently asked whether to buy a computer now or wait until Windows 7 is available in late October. If you buy a Vista computer now that has the hardware I recommend, you...