Now I may have missed something but I was under the impression one of the selling points of Windows Vista, Microsoft's newest incarnation of its operating system, was it's security suite.

A privilege escalation bug was discovered by eEye Digital Security. The bug, similar to a buffer overflow problem allows users to elevate their privileges from normal user to whatever virus wrecking havoc level of user that they want.

The security flaw was found on January 9th, and reported to Microsoft on the 19th. Vista was released for retail at the end of January. Of course even if Microsoft admitted their was a security flaw, it was probably too late to change it in the copies that were shipped out.

A spokesman for Microsoft said that they are investigating the vulnerability.

Here Endeth the Lesson

The phenomenon that is MySpace is nothing new.
Humans are extremely social creatures. I'm certain that back when my ancestors were Cro-Magnons there were social groups devoted to cave paintings. Course there was probably a social network that hated cave paintings as well. As we progressed we developed more complex social groups, from Catholicism to the Freemasons.

So is it any surprise that we would transplant our social natures into the virtual world? As we go about our lives we want to be a part of something more. As a community we have more power than we would as individuals.

I've been looking into Second Life recently because the concept of creating a virtual world has always been intriguing to me. I love the books by William Gibson and Neal Stephenson; and if you think the Wachowski Brothers came up with all the stuff in the Matrix on their own, you need schooling in a subject I like to call Neuromancer 101.

I'm getting off topic though..

What I'd like to create in Second Life would take a team of developers, so it looks like I need to work on creating some social networks of my own.

Here Endeth the Lesson

I had to laugh at the new Mac commercial.

If you haven't seen it yet, check it out.
You need QuickTime installed to watch this ad.


Here Endeth the Lesson

According to a recent article from EETimes.com the cost of flash memory is set to plummet this year due to manufacturers flooding the market in 2006.

Joseph Unsworth, an analyst with Gartner Inc. (Stamford, Conn.) stated "Technically, you still have to buy it from vendors. It's certainly more affordable." In one scenario, the analyst said he heard of a 256-Mbit, USB-based flash drive that sells for $35 each--with a $35 rebate from the manufacturer. "In Asia, entry-level MP3 players with 1 Gbyte of storage can go as low as $25"

I'll believe it when I see it.

I did a little research on Newegg, Circuit City and Best Buy and found that while 256-Mbit flash memory was a downright steal, the higher cards were still somewhat expensive.

A SanDisk 1Gb Ultra® II CompactFlash® Card was retailing for $19.99. This is a pretty cool deal. However the SanDisk 2Gb Ultra® II CompactFlash® Card was retailing for $79.99.

Huh?

Now there may be some hidden perks of the 2Gb card that I'm not aware of (maybe read and write speed), but wouldn't it make more sense to use 2-1Gb cards instead of 1-2Gb card?

The SanDisk 4Gb Ultra® II CompactFlash® Card is retailing for $139.99. The SanDisk 8Gb Ultra® II CompactFlash® Card is retailing for $279.99.

All of these prices are after rebates, etc.

I really don't understand the pricing of these cards.

Hopefully Mr. Unsworth is correct and the prices of these cards drop significantly. My thoughts are that the 8Gb card should be retailing around $160.00.

For more on the EETimes article:


Here Endeth the Lesson

Several states have distracted driving laws that make it illegal to drive a vehicle and talk on the phone (unless handsfree), eat, etc. However a new law being proposed in NY would make it illegal to walk across a street while using electronic devices.

State Sen. Carl Kruger's bill would actually ban the use of any electronic device in a crosswalk. So besides iPod users, the proposal also would target people talking on mobile phones, using BlackBerries, or playing a portable console like a PSP.

So I guess if you step into a crosswalk and get killed because you were so distracted you didn't realize it wasn't clear to walk you'll also get a ticket.

Kruger was spurred into action by the deaths of three pedestrians who started crossing the street while distracted by an electronic device, according to the Reuters news agency. "Government has an obligation to protect its citizenry," Kruger told Reuters. "This electronic gadgetry is reaching the point where it's becoming not only endemic, but it's creating an atmosphere where we have a major public safety crisis at hand."

Doesn't Kruger have something better to do than introduce stupid legislation? Kruger if you are that bored why don't you try running against Hillary Clinton?

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Here Endeth the Lesson