Officially published in 1993, the MP3 format was created by the Moving Picture Experts Group as part of its MPEG-1 standard. Officially known as MPEG Audio Layer 3, the full name was “MPEG-1 Part 3″ which resulted in the more widely known name of MP3.

The MP3 standard uses a “lossy” data compression method which means that in order for the file size to be reduced, some of the bits are discarded.  In practice, an audio file can be compressd by a factor of 10 without any perceptable loss of quality. These high compression rates make MP3 files ideal for audio storage as it reduces the bandwidth required for playback and transfer.

An MP3 file not only contains the information needed to play the audio content, but also contains metadata that is used to identify the content.  This information is known as an “ID3 Tag”  The ID3 tag contains information such as artist, album, genre, etc. There is no standard for the ID3 portion of the MP3 file, but the industry has developed several formats such as ID3v1 and ID3v2 and, more recently, APEv2.

• The technical underpinnings of an mp3 file can be viewed here:
  http://www.mpgedit.org/mpgedit/mpeg_format/MP3Format.html

There are several ways in which a virus can infect your system.  Infected email attachments is the most common source of infection. These attachement may be an image, a document or just about any other type of file that can be attached to an email. Infections are also spread through internet file sharing and download sites.

Types of Threats

• Worm – a self-replicating program which uses the system to send copies itself to other systems with no user intervention
• Spyware – a program that becomes installed on a system which collects small bits of information about the system or user without their knowledge
• Adware – a program that displays or downloads advertisements to a PC.  The ads may appear as a popup, or may appear in a portion of the web browser
• Malware – a broad term for a wide range of malicious software whose intent is to disrupt your system, gather information about the system or gain access to system resources. Malware is not necessarily the virus but is often the method of transmittal
• Trojan Horse – a program that masquerades as a safe application yet contains malicious code that will cause an infection.
• Rogue Software – decieving or misleading programs that trick users into paying for an unnecessary or fake security software

Antivirus Software

Programs that are designed to detect and remove or neutralize viruses are referred to as Antivirus Software.  They work by periodically scanning your system for known viruses and also by monitoring all new files being added to your system.

How Can You Tell If Your PC Is Infected

The existence of one or more of the following may be an indication that your system is infected:

• Random pop-ups- Unknown files or icons appearing on your desktop or other places when you did not install them
• Files or icons disappearing from your system without you having uninstalled or moved them
• Unusual error messages
• Hardware devices (hard drives, CD Drives, etc) can no longer be accessed
• Applications crash unexpectedly, run slowly or don’t start up at all
• Your system becomes unstable and freezes or crashes frequently
• Your system will not boot up at all

Virus Prevention

Prevention is the best approach to maintaining a healthy system.  Installing a reputable Antivirus program is your first priority.  The program you install must update itself frequently with files that contain lists and characteristics of the most recent viruses that are circlating.  In addition to the Antivirus program, maintain healthy habits with regard to your online and email activities.- Never download attachments from email accounts that you do not know.

• Only download files from trusted sites
• ensure that you have a good firewall between your network and the internet
• update your PC with the latest updates as they are released

A recent forecast estimates that shipments of netbooks will decline about 18% to about 27 to 28 million units in 2011.  The reason for this sobering outlook is the fact that tablets are “cannibalizing” the entry-level computer segment in the $550 to $650 range in developed markets. While the netbook still has a cost/performance advantage, it is believed that the netbook will primarily depend on emerging markets to see growth.

• Read More

For Windows PC (Apple Support):

• Step by Step

For Mac and Windows (from cnet):

• Slide Show Tutorial
• Step by Step Video

Microsoft Sign

In a break from tradition, a recent Microsoft updated removed, or deprecated, code in older Windows platforms that had to do with the Indeo Video Codec. Microsoft chose to disable the utilization of this codec instead of patching it to fix some recently discovered security vulnerabilities.

Last year, Microsoft took a similar measure regarding a flaw that was discovered in its Windows 2000 Server’s implementation of TCP/IP, but in that case, Microsoft simply chose to do nothing, which leaves these systems vulnerable.

These actions are siginificant in that Microsoft has always tried to patch the holes that were found in its software and make everything work together. They have always chosen to make their products backwards compatible with older versions of software, but these actions may signal that the software company may be softening this policy.

However, even with the stronger than expected showing in unit sales, overall market value fell based on unprecedented decline in average PC selling price.  Even though the report doesn’t quite say it, this decline in market value is due to the strong showing of the new netbooks or “mini-notebooks”.  Since the sales of desktop PCs fell 9% from last year, the laptop segment, augmented by the popularity of the netbooks, has driven the sales increases.

• NetbookBoards.com has more details about how the new segment is driving sales

E-Book Reader

The first commercially successful E-book reader (E-Reader) was launched in 2007. The Amazon Kindle sold out in just over 5 hours and had only limited availability for the next 5 months. The market continues to be strong, and this holiday season looks to be very successful for these devices.

Other than for testing, I have yet to use a dedicated reader, but my iPod Touch works amazingly well. I read a couple of books a month and I do most of my reading in bed after the lights are out, but you won’t hear any page turning, and the amount of light that the iPod gives off doesn’t seem to bother my wife. I initially thought that the small format and page size would make it difficult to use, but I don’t notice those things at all while reading.

I would recommend that if you are considering buying a E-Reader, that you test out many different models since the features and overall feel can be very different.

Here’s a rundown on some of the current devices as well as a couple that are in the works:

• Kindle – 6″ diag display, available through Amazon for $259
• Kindle DX – 9.7″ diag display, available through Amazon for $489
• Nook – 6″ diag display with 3.5″ touch screen color control display, will be available through Barnes and Noble for $259 in November
• Kindle for iPhone and iPod Touch – Free application available through the Apple App store that turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into E-Readers
• Plastic Logic Que – overall size 8.5″x11″ and just 1/3″ thick. Price not announced for a projected January availability
• Spring Design Alex – Dual screen, based on the new Google Android operating system, but no other specs are available.
• iRex DR800SG – 8″ diag display, available in November for $399
• Sony Reader Daily – 7″ diag display, available in December for $399
• Sony Reader Touch – 6″ diag display, available for $299
• Sony Reader Pocket – 5″ diag display, available for $199

Computer makers MSI and ASUS also have E-Readers in the works.

Technologizer.com has a very good breakdown on E-Readers and this article provides links to additional information.

Wikipedia has a good list of pros and cons about E-Readers, and I’ve summarized the major points here:

Advantages:

• An e-book can be purchased, downloaded and used immediately.
• More than 2 million free books available for download as of August 2009.
• Educational text books (e-textbooks) can be distributed at a lower cost than print versions per student.
• Second generation e-books (and color e-readers) have motion capability.
• E-Books can be printed for less than the price of traditional new books using new on demand book printers.
• Text can be searched automatically and cross-referenced using hyperlinks.
• A single E-Reader containing several books is easier to carry around (less weight and volume) than the same books (or sometimes even a single book) in printed form. Even hundreds or thousands of books may be stored on the same device. Using removable media even more can be carried around easily.
• E-books can allow non-permanent highlighting and annotation.
• Font size and font face can be adjusted.
• E-books may allow animated images or multimedia clips to be embedded.
• E-books allow for greater fidelity in color reproduction compared to CMYK color printing (although most e-book readers have only monochrome displays).
• Depending on the device an e-book may be readable in low light or even total darkness. For devices for which this applies, energy consumption for reading without daylight is less than that of a lamp needed for reading a printed book.
• An e-book can automatically open at the last read page.
• While an e-book reader costs much more than one book, the electronic texts are generally cheaper. Moreover, a great share of books are available free of charge. For example, all fiction from before the year 1900 is in the public domain.
• Text-to-speech software can be used to read the text. However, the voice will be auto-generated, thus the quality worse than audiobooks.
• An e-book can be offered indefinitely, without ever going “out of print”.
• Depending on possible digital rights management, it may be easy and cheap to produce a back-up for the case that the e-book is lost or damaged, and/or it may be possible to get a free new copy if that happens.
• It is easier for authors to self-publish e-books.
• The production of e-books does not consume paper, ink, etc. Printed books use 3 times more raw materials and 78 times more water to produce.

Disadvantages

• Reading e-books requires an electronic device and software. Even in the case of reading it on a personal computer one already has, it may require additional software.
• A small paperback is easier to carry around than a typical e-book reader.
• E-book readers require electrical power; in the case of mobile use, the battery can get exhausted.
• E-book readers are more susceptible to drop damage.
• E-book readers can malfunction and e-books can be damaged due to faults in hardware or software.
• E-book readers are more likely to be stolen than paper books.
• Depending on the device an e-book may be difficult to read in bright sunlight.
• Most publishers don’t produce the e-book equivalent of their printed books. In other cases the product quality is lower or it is released later.
• E-books can be easily hacked through the use of hardware or software modifications and widely disseminated on the Internet and/or other e-book readers, without approval from the author or publisher. This ease of piracy is a significant drawback for publishers.
• If an e-book device is stolen, lost, or broken beyond repair, all e-books stored on the device may be lost (Although this may be avoided by backups either on another device or by the e-book provider).
• There is a loss of tactility and aesthetics of book-bindings. Also lost is the ability to very quickly riffle through the pages to search for a particular section or to get a sense of the book merely by sight.
• Screen resolution of reading devices is currently lower than actual paper.
• Due to the digital rights management, customers cannot resell or loan their e-books to other readers.
• Some books available as e-book cannot be read on some e-book readers because they are not supplied in a format those readers allow.
• While printed books remain readable for ages, changing technologies and less durable electronic storage media require e-books to be copied to a new carrier after some years.
• E-book readers require various substances to produce, and are an environmental hazard as they’re non-biodegradable.
• Physical discomfort for some users, including eye strain.
• More expensive, compared to used books.
• One will never read thousands of books really well or over a short period of time, so the high amount held on an ebook reader becomes irrelevant (Though it might be useful if the ebook is used as a reference library).
• A book is safe from electromagnetic pulses and overloads.

I stopped using this account after I signed up for Gmail, and it had some really old contacts in it. At one point a while back, and after not logging in for over a year, Yahoo sent me an email saying that the account was going to be deactivated. So I logged back in, deleted old messages, contacts, etc, and moved on.

But apparently, those old contacts were not actually deleted. They must have remained somehow linked to the old account, and available to anyone that would be able to hijack it. When whoever or whatever hijacked the account, they were able to send an email to all the contacts linked to the account and make it appear that it was sent by me. The email contained a hyperlink to a program that could be harmful to your PC.

I’m still trying to contact the folks that may have received the malicious email and make sure they are OK, and so far it doesn’t look like anyone was hurt.

Here is a summary of what this episode teaches us. I think it applies to everyone.

• Just as in the real world, you are never 100% safe. You always need to be on guard.
• Old accounts that you no longer use may still contain data that could be useful to hackers.
• Make sure that the passwords you choose for ALL online email accounts are the strongest possible. They should contain at least 8 characters, have no dictionary words or other recognizable patterns and be a mix of alpha, numeric and symbol characters.
• Make sure your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs are working and contain the most recent updates.

For more information on good password selection, Thoughtpick.com has a very good article on creating strong passwords.

Recently, an anonymous user posted 10,000 usernames and passwords that had been lifted from Windows Live Hotmail accounts. An online internet security company analyzed these passwords and found some very distressing trends.

• The most common password was ’123456′
• The second most common password was ’123456789′
• Many passwords were people’s names
• Only 6% used strong passwords which contain a combination of alpha, numeric and other characters

With the requirement for so many passwords, how do you keep track of them?

Security experts say that passwords should use a combination of letters, numbers and other characters and shouldn’t include names, dates or dictionary words. They also say that you should change your password frequently. It’s no wonder that people feel they have to write them down.

Here are some simple rules and tips to help you with coming up with secure passwords and then remembering them when you do:

• Make Passwords Hard to Guess but Easy to Remember
  When establishing passwords, think of a short phrase that only you would remember and make an acronym. For example, “I Love The Rain” would yield ‘iltr’.  Now, capitalize one or more of the characters and you have ‘iLtr’.  Using this method, you will come up with virtually unguessable passwords.
• Develop Several ‘Core’ Passwords
  The previous tip will result is a ‘core’ password. Adding at least two numbers and a special character will result in a very strong password. The numbers you use can be from a phone number, address or date. Varying where you put the numbers and special characters will make the password even more secure.
• Never Compromise Your Password
  Make it hard for hackers and never write your password down. If you sign up for a service that sends you an email confirmation with your password printed in plain text, change it immediately. Never give your password away.  If your password is out of your control, so is your personal information.
• For Low Security Sites, Use the Same Password
  Sites that don’t store any personal information don’t pose much of a security risk. If you find that you may need to enter personal information later, change your password to make it more secure.
• Use Extra Security for Financial Passwords
  Each financial site should ALWAYS have its own password. These sites can result in the most risk if your account is compromised. Select the most secure password you can and change it monthly.

/Steve