Archive for July, 2010

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Internet Access and the Need for Speed

Friday, July 30th, 2010

Sometimes we like to get back to basics and go over exactly why high speed internet is such a big deal.  We found this great article about the need for internet speed and the basics of broadband, and we thought we’d share its insights with you.

If you don’t know or remember what sounds dial-up modems make as you’re waiting, hoping to be connected, check out this YouTube clip. 

Broadband is the always-on gateway to internet-based services delivered at lightning-fast speeds to homes and businesses. Think of it as a pipe — many times bigger than a dial-up connection — that carries information to your home or office. A bigger pipe means that you can receive lots of information quickly — enabling fast downloads, streaming audio/video, fast uploads of large files (e.g. pictures) and more.

Broadband also offers a fast-growing number of entertainment choices:

• Online games that marry cutting-edge technology to the magic of movies, animation and audio
• On-demand news and other information that is tailored to your interests and needs
• Audio sound that is as sharp as any CD
• Digitized video images that are crystal clear
• Interaction lies at the heart of the Internet — interaction with friends, family and work through e-mail, Web surfing, audio, video, online games, you name it. Broadband gives you the power to make that interaction faster, richer and easier to use.

Speed comparison chart

File Size

High-Speed Internet

Dial-up

Downloading 10 MP3 music files 

 30MB

1 minute

 

   1.6 hours

Uploading 30 digital photos            

80MB

9 minutes

 

10 hours

 

Downloading one DVD movie       

 20GB**

12.5 hours

 

   48 days

 

Uploading 100 web pages           

  3MB

19 seconds

 

   22 minutes

 

*Typical DSL/average cable speed = 4Mbps, High-Speed Internet upload speed = 1.3Mbps (DSL), speeds are rounded.
**Typical DVDs run 20-30GB.

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Posted in DSL Speeds, Download Speed, connection speed | 1 Comment »

First Kindle Million Seller

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

You may have already heard of Stieg Larsson, the author of the international bestsellers known as the  Millennium Trilogy, which is comprised of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” “The Girl Who Played with Fire” and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest”. The author who delivered the manuscripts shortly before his death in 2004 has now become the first to sell over 1 million Kindle books, with the convenience of internet speed.

Amazon has created a new “Kindle Million Club” (with a current membership of 1) to recognize future authors whose entire body of work has sold over 1 million copies in the Kindle Store.

“Larsson’s books have captivated millions of readers around the world and ignited a voracious interest in the lives of its main characters Lisbeth Salander and Michael Blomqvist,” said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President of Kindle Content. “It’s been exciting to have been a part of introducing so many people to these great books.”

The books are crime mystery thrillers in which Lisbeth is an intelligent, eccentric woman in her twenties with a photographic memory and poor social skills. Blomkvist is an investigative journalist, and a celebrity in his own right (with a history not totally dissimilar to Larsson’s own.)

According to Wikipedia, Larsson was the second best-selling author in the world in 2008, behind Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. By March 2010 his Millennium trilogy had sold 27 million copies in more than 40 countries. They’re still New York Times and international bestsellers. Larsson, who lived in Sweden, was the editor in chief of the magazine Expo and a leading expert on antidemocratic right-wing extremist organizations.

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When you Like to Like

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Facebook’s “Like” feature has seemingly taken over the web.  A month or so ago, Mashable reported that the Typepad bloggers who installed the widgets on their sidebars got a 50% boost in traffic. As of that time, 1,500 TypePad bloggers had installed the “Like” buttons on their blogs in the first month. Then Typepad made it possible to add the Like button to each post. 2,400 bloggers added that version of the feature, and Typepad says they got a 200% boost. 

Then the Like feature was available for any website. Mashable says, “They were on 50,000+ websites within one week after launch, on 100,000+ sites in less than a month, and are now on 350,000+ sites.” But for people who like to Like sites to share with their Facebook friends, it can be frustrating that not all pages have the button.  They can relax now though, because there’s an extension called “Facebook Like” from Greasemonkey that places a “Like” bar on the top of any webpage you visit (with the exception of Facebook.com itself). It was built by Facebook Engineer Matt Kelly as a personal project during a company Hackathon. (Companies have Hackathons?)

Facebook Like works with Firefox as long as you have the Greasemonkey add-on installed, and allows you to Like, make Recommendations and add Activity Feed features on any Firefox page you visit. It also works with Google Chrome, since includes native support for Greasemonkey scripts, while Safari requires GreaseKit.

So get it, and then utilize internet speed to zip along the information superhighway in a hot rod with the top down and wind in your virtual hair, singing new lyrics to an old tune: “Oooooh…Like to Like You, Baby!”

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Watch Out for New Virus Attack

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

A security company called Eset reported that there are two new types of malicious software to look out for, and try to protect yourself against. PC World explained via Yahoo news that both of them “exploit a vulnerability in the way Windows processes .link files, used to provide shortcuts to other files on the system.”

The first targets computers made by Siemens that run a specific type of software: industrial control system management software. First exploited by the Stuxnet worm, which was discovered on computer systems in Iran last month, the worm steals supervisory control and data acquisition project files. I guess you’d know it if you had such files. We’re told that “Siemens issued a Security Update for its customers on Thursday, but Microsoft has yet to patch the Windows bug that permits the worm to spread.” Still, the newer version looks simpler. Almost as though it had been copied by what the article calls “a bottom feeder” who seeks to record keystrokes in order to steal people’s passwords.

“The other variant could be used to install one of several different pieces of malicious software. As each new variant of the attack pops up, it adds pressure on Microsoft to patch the underlying vulnerability. Microsoft’s next set of security patches is due Aug. 10, but if enough customers get infected, the company may be forced to rush out an emergency patch for the issue. Microsoft has already posted a temporary workaround to the problem and says it is working on a patch.”

Eset has a list of suggested security precautions, that you can take with internet speed, on their website at www.Eset.eu.

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First Person Online Games

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

We talked about MMORPGs in our earlier post, but there are also online games that are played in the first person. Instead of having you role play with an avatar representing you, the adventure unfolds from your own point of view. On the large end of the scale you’ll find MMOFPS or Massively Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter games. If you don’t want to play against twenty or more people at a time, there are smaller combat groups as well, like six versus six or “6v6”.   

GameBattles.com is one place to find opponents who want the same kind of experience that you do. Their website explains:

“GameBattles is the largest online destination for competitive console and PC gaming. Featuring tournaments, ladders, forums and more for all the latest and hot titles, GameBattles is home to over 3 million gamers worldwide, and over 800,000 teams looking to compete in their favorite Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and Sony PSP games. Recognized as a world leader in online gaming competition, GameBattles also hosts over 500,000 gamer profiles, heavily trafficked forums with over 22 million posts, video game news, reviews, previews and media with a focus on online multi-player games and community based content.”

A site called MMO Hut.com has a bunch of free games and offered up a list of  the Top 10 Best MMOFPS Shooters.

So there you have it!  If you want to shoot imaginary people with your friends in other locations connected with internet speed, we’ve given you just enough information to get started!

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Massively Multiplayer Online Games

Monday, July 19th, 2010

Actually, the title “Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games” would have been more accurate, but it just seemed like too many words.  Of course they’re also called MMORPGs, which is shorter but makes less sense. As you may have already figured out, they involve lots and lots of players, playing roles in games played not just on your game system, but against people all over world via the magic of the internet. 

Wikipedia explains, “As in all RPGs, players assume the role of a character (often in a fantasy world) and take control over many of that character’s actions. MMORPGs are distinguished from single-player or small multi-player RPGs by the number of players, and by the game’s persistent world, usually hosted by the game’s publisher, which continues to exist and evolve while the player is away from the game.” 

Searching for the minimum requirements for internet speed seems to have stopped being an issue for most people now that broadband connections are readily available.

Wikipedia tells us that Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft dominates as the largest pay-to-play MMORPG (where players must pay to maintain a playing account), alongside earlier such titles like Final Fantasy XI and Phantasy Star Online, though an additional market exists for free-to-play MMORPGs (also known as F2P or FTP) which are supported by advertising and purchases of in-game items.

They’re growing in popularity to the point that YouTube has video clips of games in progress. There are even comedy spoofs like the very popular Leeroy Jenkins that’s been viewed over 18 million times. Not only that, the spoof has been spoofed too, and even included as a question on the game show Jeopardy! Now that’s popularity!

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The Social Networking Habits of Women

Friday, July 16th, 2010

A survey from Oxygen Media Insights Group interviewed more than 1,600 social media users 18-54, and discovered the profound impact social media has, especially on young women. Radio Business Report says, “The findings have revealed greater information about how young women – and in comparison their male counterparts – are using social media to power their “Live Out Loud” lifestyles. The study revealed they are using it to gather hard news, share information with friends and vent about happenings in their lives at a breakneck pace.” That’s what we like to call living with internet speed. Here are some of the more interesting findings:

On staying connected…
•   34% women 18-34 say checking Facebook is the first thing they do when waking up in the morning
•   26% women 18-34 get up in the middle of the night to read text messages
•   37% women 18-34 have fallen asleep with their PDA in their hands
•   56% of women 18-34 consider texting their main form of communication

On what’s appropriate…
•   63% of women 18-34 use Facebook for career networking, but 42% think drunken photos are OK…
•   37% of women 18-34 admit they’ve accidentally texted something embarrassing to the wrong person
•   32% think posting photos of themselves or others on Facebook making obscene gestures is appropriate…
•   Only 44% of women 18-34 trust Facebook with their private information, but 56% of Twitter users think its okay to Tweet their current location.
•   89% of women 18-24 agree you should never put anything on Facebook that you don’t want your parents to see.

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Top 3 Ways that Sexting Can Get You into Trouble

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Sexting combines the act of sending text messages with sexual content…that can now include photos. While it may seem fun to give one chosen person a peek into your secret, intimate world, it can easily backfire on you.  Here are some consequences to consider next time you’re tempted, (and the same rules apply to any images or words shared with internet speed).

1. You might accidentally send it to the wrong person

A recent poll found that 20% of people in Britain have sent racy texts to an unintended recipient, (imagine it – your boss, minister, a child…all bad) and 10% have been caught in the act, according to a report from Reuters news.

2.  You might forget to erase it from your phone’s memory

People upgrade their cell phones more and more often, and if you don’t completely wipe the phone’s memory, strangers may get to enjoy and use those texts and photos however they see fit. SellMyMobile.com in the UK commissioned a survey (mentioned in the Reuters article above) that found that one out of every five people forget to erase personal information from their phones “such as contacts, messages and pictures before selling, giving away or recycling their mobiles”. Plus, with internet connectivity, they may go global.

3. It might be illegal in your area

Laws vary from state to state, but the most dangerous existing laws that are being applied to sexting involve teens, who can be arrested for child pornography.  These laws are incredibly harsh and can ruin lives if the person is sent to jail, or had their name included in sex offenders databases. 

Remember, whatever you send out can come back to haunt you. You have no control over where they’ve gone, how others have saved them, or where they may turn up.

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Spotting and Avoiding a Hack

Monday, July 12th, 2010

In an article called The Anatomy of an E-mail Hack, ABC News  investigated how e-mail viruses spread and how we can protect ourselves. “Most of us have received the horrified e-mail: ‘My e-mail was hacked!!! I’m so sorry!’ Some of us have even sent one ourselves. But how exactly do e-mail viruses spread? And what should you do if one ensnares you?”

We know that they spread with internet speed.

Many of us have gotten used to not opening suspicious attachments, because so often malicious computer code is embedded within it, and is only installed after the attachment is opened. But more and more the code is installed when an unsuspecting victim clicks on a web link recommended seemingly by a trusted friend, and is directed to an infected site.

Beyond simply sending annoying ads to everyone on your list, they warn, “Some hackers could sell or rent time with your computer, others might install code that logs keystrokes and steals passwords so that when you go to your online banking site, it learns how to sign in as you to siphon money out of your account.”

So here’s how to avoid the mess:

- Make sure your anti-virus software is active and up-to-date.
- Watch for suspicious e-mails such as bounce backs for e-mails you didn’t send, alerts about package deliveries you didn’t order, unsolicited job applications and offers in links.
- If something doesn’t seem right, it’s best to check with the sender to make sure it really came from who you think sent it.  Better safe than sorry!

For more, read Anatomy of an E-mail Hack from ABC News.

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Watching YouTube on the Go

Friday, July 9th, 2010

YouTube is, as you probably know, owned by Google, whose data indicates that people watch lots of  YouTube videos from their mobile devices. I know I have—when you’re out and a video comes up in conversation, it’s great to be able to pull out your phone and play it right there and then.  It only takes a few minutes and then you can all enjoy the moment together, whether you use your mobile 3G/4G connection or Wi-Fi internet speed.

Google says that mobile viewing numbers went up 160% in 2009 and that these days, YouTube gets over 100 million mobile views each day.  That’s a lot of eyeballs, and more are expected. That’s why they’ve made it even easier for people to watch from mobile devices by making the delivery faster and the interface more user-friendly. Yahoo news tells us, “The new mobile YouTube also mirrors features and functions from the .com site, including search query suggestions, playlist creations, and the chance to favorite, like or unlike videos from a smartphone. The new site works with iPhone and Android browsers.”

They do this all through the magic of HTML5.  According to InfoWorld , “HTML5 will change many aspects of life on the Web. It will not displace Flash or Shockwave: One glance at the games on Miniclip.com, such as Jet Ski Racer, shows how much ground the HTML5 committee must cover. But HTML5 will still remake the Web and enable basic Websites to do much more — from tracking our location to storing more of our data in the cloud. HTML5 tags will displace plug-ins for simpler jobs, at least some of the time, and it will open up advanced capabilities to a larger audience. It might even make the Web more secure, more efficient, and more adaptable.”

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