There is no safe browser...

September 2006 According to Symantec's twice−yearly Internet Security Threat Report, hackers found 47 bugs in Mozilla's open−source browsers and 38 bugs in Internet Explorer (IE) during the first six months of this year. That's up significantly from the 17 Mozilla and 25 IE bugs found in the previous six months. While Internet Explorer remained the most popular choice of attackers, no one is invulnerable. According to the report, 31 percent of attacks during the period targeted more than one browser, and 20 percent took aim at Mozilla's Firefox. "There is no safe browser," said Vincent Weafer, senior director with Symantec Security Response. "If you've got a browser, make sure you're configuring it correctly," he added. "That's a far better strategy than running some browser just because you haven't heard of it." Browser bugs are also relatively easy to find and exploit, said Marc Maiffret, chief technology officer with eEye Digital Security.

"Everyone has realized that targeting the applications on the desktop is a better way to break into businesses and consumers and steal things than server flaws," he said.
Symantec's report: http://eval.veritas.com/mktginfo/enterprise/white_papers/ent
−whitepaper_symantec_internet_security_threat_report_x_09_20 06.en−us.pdf
Source: http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/09/25/HNbrowserbugssurge _1.html

Kaspersky Lab, ok...

September 2006 Kaspersky Lab presents its half−yearly report on malware evolution. Kaspersky Lab has announced the publication of the Kaspersky Security Bulletin, a half−yearly analytical report on malware. The report, written by Kaspersky Lab virus analysts,looks back at trends in malware evolution over the last six months and makes predictions for the future evolution of malicious code. Among the findings: a) The number of new malicious programs (including modifications) each month increased by an average of 8 percent compared to the same period in 2005; b) Trojan programs are developing faster than any other class of malicious code; c) Viruses and worms have, as a class, been experiencing a steady decline for more than a year. The number of new modifications has fallen across the class, from viruses, to e−mail and other worms. This decline is caused by simple economics; it is less expensive to develop a primitive Trojan program than to create self−replicating malicious code such as a worm.

Source: http://www.viruslist.com/en/analysis?pubid=198968167

Google - YouTube - MySpace

This process also applies for Youtube, MySpace and most streaming video.
Okay, it is just not fun to play video online with slow Internet connection - to have smooth video playback, the best way it is still downloading the whole clip locally and playback. However Google Video does not provide a link for one to download. The movie is played by Google Video Player, which is Online Flash FLV player.

New Method: The easiest method now to download google video is to use online video download service to expose the real URL.

Old Method:
Good news is that Felipe Cepriano over at FelipeCN has found a quick way to download Google Video. The key is to unescape the parameter of the Google Player URL by using a javascript function. In simple instruction:

* Go to Google Video and find a video.
* View the page source code and search for the keyword ‘googleplayer‘
* Copy and paste the videoUrl parameter (all of the characters after the keyword ‘videoUrl=’)
* Press Ctrl-L to go to URL location bar. Type Javascript:unescape(”videoUrl”) where videoUrl should be the last parameter you have copied into the clipboard.
* It should output the actual URL on the broswer, copy and paste that URL onto your browser location bar again to download the FLV movie.
* Play it with a FLV Player.
Source: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/WEB-Design/Flash/FLV-Player.shtml
Thanks L. Ho

R&R Links:
http://feelingtea.com/decode/google/index.php

After I realised that www.downloadgooglevideos.com got shutdown by google, and all the embedded google videos were not working anymore, I decided to come with a new way to put it on your website. I found one, but it’s not that easy as before, but it’s working. I’ll try to explain here how to do it. If anyone finds a better way to do it, please, let me know!



The old code I showed in this page wasn’t working on IE, so I re-wrote this to a better way to embed google videos on your website. Any problem let me know! :)



First you open the page where is the video you want embed at http://video.google.com, then in Firefox you just click on “View Page Info” under the menu of the right-button of the mouse.



Then you go to “Media” tab and copy the link to the flash file, as you can see in the image below:



The URL will look something like this:
“http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2
Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3D25036f0c0ef9bf52%26begin%3D0%26len%3D7160%2
6itag%3D5%26urlcreated%3D1134654406%26docid%3D5651279610882414164%26urlcreated
%3D1134654406%26sigh%3Dj-smBnlHLu4CSvFmXYUrfzgZEn4&autoPlay=true”



Now that we have the address of the video file, we have to set a flash code and replace “YOUR CODE HERE” with the one we got before:



If you want that the movie starts paused, you have to change the last option of the link from “autoPlay=true” to “autoPlay=”


I figured out how to make the full screen work

30/12/05



So, to make the full screen mode works, you need to add the following code before the head:



script src="http://video.google.com/jslib/misc.js type="text/javascript">script src="http://ovelha.org/pasteler0/files/videoplay.js type="text/javascript">


I would advice you to download the videoplay.js and save it in another path, because someday I may delete the file. Then you just need to chenge the

with the new path.



Now here you can see a sample video of “Ultra-OverClocking your CPU with Liquid Nitrogen”, from tomshardware.com
Thanks pasteler0 and D. Andrade

All this seems like a real waste of time. You configure your browser once and resolve the problem quicker thereafter.

Setup
1) Surf with Firefox.
3) Install Adblock plugin
3) Set the file formats to prompt you how to handle them in the file settings:

Tools>> Options >> Downloads >> View and edit Actions (button)>> Select file type(s) as necessary >> Change Action (button)..Select “download to my computer”

Thereafter
1) You surf to a Google page, Adblock puts a tab above the video.
2)Click the tab.
3) Cut the url address for the video, shockwave file or whatever
4) Cancel the adblock window
5) Paste the url you cut into the url field of the browser & press enter
6) Firefox allows you to then save it. (You can have it got to your desktop or have firefox prompt you as to the folder)

That may seen longer, but it isn’t. It gives you instant visibility to the url of many obscured files. You just have to be careful that you don’t block the movie with adblock. That’s why you cut and then cancel the adblock confirmation window.
Thanks MOTAR the imperious

If you have Firefox, the most simple, most flexible way is the following greasemonkey user script.

It adds a “download video” link to the right hand side description of each video page.

(Just click on the link, then click install)
http://userscripts.org/scripts/source/2084.user.js

Shortcuts & Tips 4 PCs & MACs

4 PCs:

In the instructions below you will see, for example; (ctrl + V)
This means press and hold the Ctrl key then press and release the V while still holding down Ctrl.

Netscape Web Browser tips

To save any image you're viewing from Netscape,
use your [RIGHT] mouse button and click on the image
(on a Mac click and hold)
select save image as (note other choices)
choose (and remember) a folder to save the file to
click save

You can cut and paste text from a Web site to your favorite word processor

(This will allow you to print the text without printing any pictures
or objects on the Web page)

Put the mouse pointer to the left of the uppermost line of text you want to copy
Click and hold the left mouse button ( feel free to practice here!)
drag down to select the text you want
release the mouse button
press Ctrl + C (copy)
open your favorite word processor and start a new document
Click inside the document
press Ctrl +V (paste)
Alt +Tab will return you to other open programs

Moving around in a text editor.

Some of these tips apply to most but not all text editors.
Examples: Word, Wordpad, Notepad, some Email and HTML editors etc.
They do not necessarily apply to Macs.

To go to the:
beginning of a document: Ctrl + home
end of a document Ctrl + end
beginning of a line Home key
end of a line End key
next lower or higher line down arrow or up arrow
move across a line of text one word at a time: Ctrl + left or right arrow key

To select:
a single word double click word with mouse (Go ahead, practice here)
entire document ctrl +A
entire sentence triple click sentence with mouse
from insertion point to end of document Ctrl+shift +end key
From insertion point to beginning of document Ctrl +shift+home key

To search within an open document Ctrl + F

To undo last change Ctrl + Z

To print a document Ctrl + P

To copy selected text or objects Ctrl + C

To cut selected text Ctrl + X (this removes text from the source but copies it to the clipboard)

To paste text that was cut or copied Ctrl + V

To make the Start button and task bar appear if they're not already: Ctrl + Esc


To close programs or Windows quickly: Alt + F4

To print what's on your screen:

hit print screen key (this copies your screen to the clipboard)
open MS Paint ( it should be in Programs /Accessories area of Start menu)
type Ctrl + V (paste from clipboard)
hit Ctrl + P (print)


To switch between open programs in Windows
push and hold Alt key
press the Tab key once or more to step through the open programs.
release the Alt key to bring the selected program to the top
(This will only work if you have more than one program open.)

I hope you have found these tips useful. If you apply some of these tips you may find
you're getting things done on the PC a bit quicker. Remember, the keyboard is your friend, the mouse is an animal!

4 MACs:

Mac has a couple of keys that PCs might not, including the

command key and the option key.

2. Cutting and Pasting text from a Website to a word Processor:
Hold down the mouse button at the start of the text you desire, and
scroll the mouse to the end. Press command and C simultaneously. Open up
a blank Document and press command and V simultaneously.

3. Moving around in a text editor (works on ClarisWorks and most others,
not necessarily on WinTels)
Scroll to top of document: Home
Scroll to end: End
Beginning of a line: Cmd left arrow
End of a line: Cmd right arrow
Next lower or higher line:Up or down arrow
Move across a line of text one word at a time: Option and desired arrow
(left or right)
Beginning of a paragraph: Option up arrow
End of a paragraph: Option down arrow
Scroll up a page: Page Up
Scroll down a page: Page Down
Select word: the same
Entire document: Cmd A
Entire sentence: the same
Entire paragraph: quadruple click
Undo: Cmd Z
Print Document: Cmd P
Copy Selected Text: Cmd C
Cut Selected Text: Cmd X
Paste copied Text: Cmd V

To print what's on your screen:
Same, only Cmd instead of Cntrl.
Thanks C. Brown

Make DV look like 35mm film

You've just shot some footage and are playing it back on your TV or PC and you notice something just doesn't look right with the picture. But you can't put your finger on what it is. It doesn't look like a film that you would watch on DVD or the cinema. There's something "funny" about it. Basically you think it looks like crap. But why?

The reason your footage looks nothing like a film you would see in a cinema or on DVD is because - unless you are super-rich - you didn't shoot the footage using actual film. The majority of blockbusters in cinemas use 35mm film to record all the images whereas most amateur film-makers, at most, can afford a expensive video camcorder.

35mm film costs a fortune to buy and a fortune to run (we're talking hundreds of thousands of pounds/dollars). The reason they are so expensive? Because they are some damned good!

Film processes the picture information in a completely different way to video. It works in the same way as 35mm cameras (before the dawn of digital megapixel bollocks) except instead of capturing just one picture, it captures many, many pictures every second.

Film has a naturally sharp yet somehow smooth appearance to it. It has a natural "grain" effect and other such "blemishes" which actually make the picture look rather quite nice.

However, video on the other hand - everything is digital these days. Images are compressed onto tapes, the image is sharp but lacks any detail. Cheaper camcorders offer really crap colour reproduction, poor performance in low light and so on. In short, they will never match 35mm film. Sure new high-definition camcorders are appearing on the market (at a price!) which are slowly closing the barrier between video and 35mm, but we're still a long way away.

There are a number of things you can do to your project to make it look more like film but please don't fool yourself into believing your cheap miniDV camcorder is any contest for 35mm film or else you will be sorely disappointed.

1. Use lighting creatively in your project. By this I don't mean just turn on a lamp. When you've seen any film on the big-screen you will notice that lighting is used effectively to create a mood. e.g. lighting under a characters face to make them appear menacing. This is one of the major things cinema-goers subconsciously look at which tells them they are watching a film. Poorly lit projects will tell your audience straight away that it is the work of amateurs.

2. Use movie-like camera moves. Okay, that's a bit vague. By this I mean hold-off the zoom button during a shot. In fact unless you require a "snap-zoom" for a particular effect within your shot, don't touch the zoom button. It looks cheap. It looks shit. Never use it unless it is to frame your shot. Hollywood blockbusters rarely use zooms. Go watch your favourite movie on DVD and count the number of times you see them zoom in. I bet you it's less than three times at most.

Other than the zoom button, learn about panning and tracking shots. For example to open a shot you might want to follow a person's feet and move up the body to reveal them rather than just sticking a camera in their face. It's the little touches like this that make the difference.

3. Learn about those camcorder settings that frighten you: Exposure (iris), focus and white balance - they are amongst some of the most important settings on your camcorder and you need to know how to use them. Failure to adjust these settings according to your shot will again sound the sirens of "amateur".

In a nutshell, the iris controls the amount of light getting into the camcorder (so if it is a really bright day you'd want to turn it down or else everything will be drowned out in white!). This is also known as exposure.

Focus, well you should really know what that is, but what you choose to focus on will make the difference between the amateur and professional. It's all a question of creativity. And by the way, you should really turn OFF the auto focus.

And finally the white balance is an image control which helps your camera decide what colour white actually is. This might seem strange, but in all that technical wizard gadgetry, to get the best colour reproduction from your video camcorder you need to help it get on its feet. Usually all you need do is mess around with settings within the menu to point it in the right direction. Better camcorders allow you to point your camera at a white object and click a button - far more accurate and far more professional. Of course you don't have to change the white balance but then don't be surprised in that yellow flower you've been filming all day looks a different colour.

Depth Of Field is also a major factor in getting that "film-look"

4. Don't use the camcorders "digital effects": If you have a lower-end camcorder you will have noticed that you can add fancy effects to your footage like mosaic or spiral, or any number of tacky transitions. Don't use any of them. They all look really bad and would look more at place in an awful wedding video. The only transitions you'll ever tend to find in most movies is either a fade or a cross-dissolve (yes Star Wars had some different types but hey, that's Star Wars!). Never use built in effects as you can't change it later. If you must alter the image in any way, do it later on the PC so you can "undo" it if it turns out bad.

5. Shoot using a PAL camcorder: Okay, this is where we get a bit more technical about the look of film. Video footage is made up of a number of still images all thrown together to make it appear that the images are moving. PAL camcorders (Europe predominantly) shoot 25 images a second and NTSC camcorders (US predominantly) shoot at just over 30 images a second. Yes it is far more complicated than this but you really don't need know much more. 35mm on the other hand shoots at 24 frames (images) a second.

You may be thinking why does the number of frames/second effect the overall image - surely more is better? Well, no. Not if you want it to look like film. Billions of people across the planet are now accustomed to seeing movies shot at 24 frames/second and so the motion on screen is embedded in their subconscious. It is all about the "feel" of film. A different frame rate and the audience know something is up but they can't say what.

So the closest you can get to shooting 35mm 24 frames/second film is PAL 25 frames/second. There are some high-end camcorders that can shoot 24 frames/second so if you can afford one, buy it - but only if you are intending for your film to one day end up on the big screen.

6. Use Film-Look Software: I saved this one until last as doing all the stuff above will make a bigger difference than just using this type of software alone.

Film-look Software (mainly Magic Bullet, FilmFX and Cinelook) is software that takes your footage and tweaks around with the colour, contrast, grain etc. to make it look more like film. Changing of the image in this way is also known as grading and it can really make your video footage look much, much better.

Feature movies use grading all the time. Think "The Matrix" - a very dark, atmospheric film. Do you think it looked like that on set? Bollocks did it. Yeah sure the lighting was done but tweaking the image to make the blacks really black and giving everything a sort of green tint - that was the work of grading.

Your film-look software works in the same way (Magic Bullet even has a Matrix setting) and so it takes your footage and gives it a desired "tone". Some of the software can even remove digital artifacts caused by miniDV to help clean the image. And on the polar opposite, you can add film artifacts like scratching, rolling and dust if you want you video to look like battered film.

Film Look Software:
> Magic Bullet
> FilmFX
> Cinelook

CONCLUSION

If you can be happy with the fact that your digital camcorder will never look like true-film, then you can have some fun experimenting with the image to make it seem more professional. As long as you follow the five steps above (and step six if you can afford it) then you have no reason not to be happy with your footage. After all, you did saved alot on the camcorder!
Thanks stormforcepictures.com

Mac Mini Accessories

So you've finally made the plunge and gotten a Mac Mini? While the compact Mac is a great little computer, and beautifully designed, too, it tends to be a bit thin on a few essentials, and there are very few extras. Once you've gotten settled in, here are a few things you may want to add to your Mini!

Belkin F5U507 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and FireWire 6-port Hub
www.belkin.com
$50

One of the big shortfalls with the Mac Mini is its lack of ports: only two USB and one FireWire. This Belkin hub, which slips under the Mini like a mini pedestal, has four USB 2.0 and two FireWire 400 ports, with one of each on the front. It even has a small power light in the same place as the Mini!
Plasticsmith MiniShack:glo
www.plasticsmith.com
$70

If you're a big USB 2.0 fan, the Plasticsmith's MiniShack is a Mac Mini-sized enclosure that sits under your Mini and tucks a seven-port USB 2.0 hub inside the casing. The MiniShack:glo adds a small blue LED light, which makes the bottom of the MiniShack glo! The hub doesn't take up all of the open space, so you can tuck in some of the USB cable, if you so desire.
Griffin AirClick USB
www.griffintechnology.com
$40

Like other new Macs, the Mini comes with iLife pre-installed, which means you've got iTunes and iDVD at your disposal. The AirClick USB is a clip-on remote control that you can use to adjust your Mac's volume, and change tracks. Even better: you can also use it in other applications, like PowerPoint, Keynote, Quicktime, and more. It uses RF, so you don't even have to be in the same room to use it!
Waterfield Mac Mini SleeveCase
www.sfbags.com
$39 ($47 with shoulder strap)

The Mac Mini is so small you might be tempted to carry it with you from home to work, and use it in both locations as your main computer. Before you start carting it back and forth, though, you might want to protect it. The Mac Mini SleeveCase from Waterfield fits the Mini like a glove, protecting it from scuffs and dings when it's in your backpack, briefcase, etc. There's also a version with a shoulder strap, if you want to sling it while walking or cycling to work.
Seagate 400GB External Hard drive
www.seagate.com
$400

One of the casualties of the Mac Mini's ultra-compact design was the hard drive: as it uses a notebook-sized drive, even if you upgraded the Mini's drive yourself, the maximum you could add at present is 100 or 120 gigabytes. Better to go the external route, and Seagate's lineup of external FireWire/USB 2.0 drives are coincidentally about the same size and shape as the Mac Mini, and a protective rubber ring on one side of the drive makes it easy for you to stack your drive, a hub, and the Mini, all in a tiny tower! The one I got a chance to look at was 400GB, but a new 500GB drive is on the way, as well as one that will handle FireWire 800 connections. And hey, guess what: you can use this one with your PC, too.
Thanks S. Carruthers and www.globalhermit.com

Mozilla Firefox Patches

September 2006, IDG News Service — New Firefox fix patches security bugs.
Mozilla developers have released an updated version of their Firefox browser
that fixes a number of security issues, four of them rated critical.
The update was released late Thursday, September 14, and Firefox users
should receive the 1.5.0.7 patches via the browser's automatic update system
over the next few days, according to Mozilla. Research firm Secunia rates the
flaws as "highly critical," saying that they can be exploited to "conduct
man−in−the−middle, spoofing and cross−site scripting attacks,
and potentially compromise a user's system," according to an alert.
Secunia's alert: http://secunia.com/advisories/21906
Source: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2006/091506firefoxpatch.html

DHS & Cyber Storm

September 2006 Department of Homeland Security — DHS releases Cyber Storm Public Exercise Report.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Wednesday, September 13, the release of the Cyber Storm Public Exercise Report. The report details key findings from Cyber Storm which was the largest and most complex multi−national, government−led cyber exercise to examine response, coordination, and recovery mechanisms to a simulated cyber event within international, federal, state, and local governments and in conjunction with the private sector.
Report: http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/prep_cyberstormrepo rt_sep06.pdf
Fact Sheet: http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/press_release/press_re lease_0993.xml
Source: http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=5827

To setup a Wi-Fi Network @ home...

1) You'll need a wireless router that costs about US$60.

2) On the computer end you'll need either a cable for a wired connection or a wireless card for a PC or Mac. Most laptops come with built in wireless capability. You'll need to ensure that it is switched on.

3) Connect your DSL modem or cable modem to th WAN port. If its cable it will self configure usually, unless your cable company gives to a fixed IP number (unlikely). For DSL the connection will require some configuration. You'll need to go into the router and find the WAN setting and configure PPPoE. This will require a User ID and password from your DSL provider.

4) It's important to change the default user ID and password in the router. You can access the router configuration type opening your web browser in a computer wired to the device and typing the router's IP address. This IP address will be something like 192.168.x.1 where x is 0, 1 or 2. On some routers this IP address is 10.0.0.1 or some other 192.168.x.x number. Sonic Wall products for example is192.168.168.168. You will have top type in the default user ID and password provided in the router's manual.

5) Once inside the router its important to go into the Wireless section and change the SSID from what's there to something unique.

6) Wireless connection requires that you right click in Windows XP on the wireless icon in the system tray and choose the router's SSID, which is a name that the router broadcasts. Choose it and click Connect.

7) Windows takes care of the networking side of things. If you have trouble...open the Control Panel and choose networking and then Create a New Connection and select Connect to a Home or Small Network and follow the wizard.

Source: Thanks Andy Walker and Call for Helptv

Blu-ray Disc or HD-DVD, you decide...

Industry Support:
Blu-ray
Apple; Dell Inc.; Hewlett Packard Company*; Hitachi, Ltd.; LG Electronics Inc.; Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; Panasonic (Matsushita Electric); Pioneer Corporation; Royal Philips Electronics; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Sharp Corporation; Sony Corporation; TDK Corporation; Thomson; Twentieth Century Fox; and Walt Disney Pictures and Television, Warner Bros.*

HD-DVD
Toshiba, NEC*, Memory-Tech,
Microsoft, Intel, Sanyo*, HP*


Studio support:
Blu-ray
Lion’s Gate, MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures and Television, (including Walt Disney Home Entertainment, Hollywood Pictures Home Video, Touchstone Home Entertainment, Miramax Home Entertainment, Dimension Home Video and Disney DVD) Warner Bros. (including New Line Cinema and HBO Video) have publicly announced their support for the Blu-ray Disc format.

HD-DVD
Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Studios (including New Line Cinema)


Game support:
Blu-ray
EA, Vivendi Universal Games and PlayStation 3 (PS3 will have an integrated Blu-ray Disc drive

HD-DVD
Microsoft (Xbox 360 will have a peripheral add-on drive)


Music support:
Blu-ray
Universal Music Group, Sony BMG

HD-DVD
None announced at this time


Planned formats:
Blu-ray
BD-ROM - read-only format for software, games and movie distribution.
BD-R – write-once recordable format for HDTV recording and PC data storage.
BD-RE - rewritable format for HDTV recording and PC data storage.
Hybrid Disc (single sided, triple layer disc. Can hold 25 GB Blu-ray content and 8.5 GB standard def content all on one side of a disc). 50 GB Blu-ray and 8.5 GB hybrid disc currently in the works.

HD-DVD
HD-DVD ROM – read only
HD-DVD-R – recordable
HD-DVD- Rewritable – recordable – format not complete
Hybrid Disc (two sided disc – must be flipped over -- 30 GB HD-DVD on one side, 8.5 GB standard def content on other side). Plus single-sided with 4.7GB and 15GB layers only


Storage capacity:
Blu-ray
Single-layer can hold 25GB
Dual-layer versions of the discs that can hold 50GB.
Capacity could be increased as additional layers are added – there have been announcements of 100 GB (4 layer) discs and Sony has been conducting laboratory work with a 200 GB disc.
This added capacity makes more customer features and benefits possible in the future, which shows that Blu-ray is the format for the long term.

HD-DVD
15 GB on a single sided, single layer disc
30 GB on a single sided, dual layer disc.
45 GB single sided, triple layer disc


Backward compatible with CD and DVD:
Blu-ray
YES

HD-DVD
YES

** The Blu-ray Disc Association has over 170 members
* Supporting both formats
Source: http://www.blu-raydisc.com

Mac OS Hints

Introducing the Apple menu
No matter what application you’re in, a small blue apple sits at the top left corner of your screen. More than just a reminder that you’re using an Apple computer, this icon contains a menu with a number of useful commands. Here’s a brief summary of what you’ll find in the Apple menu:

About This Mac Choose this menu item to see a window of information about your machine, including the version of OS X that you’re running, as well as RAM and CPU information. Click on the More Info button to run the System Profiler, which will give you a full report about the hardware and software on your machine. All this information is handy during a tech-support call.

Software Update Choose this menu item to launch Software Update and search for updates to the system itself, as well as Apple applications.

Mac OS X Software This menu item opens your Web browser to a page on Apple’s site that lists a huge collection of downloadable OS X programs.

System Preferences Select this item to open the System Preferences application. From here, you can control most of the high-level settings on your Mac: for example, the date and time or your network settings. For you Windows expatriates out there, System Preferences is equivalent to Windows’ Control Panel.

Dock Quickly access many aspects of the Dock’s behavior from here. Use the submenus to hide or show the Dock, turn its zoom effect on or off, or move the Dock to a different part of your screen.

Location If you frequently take your Mac from one spot to another, the Location menu lets you choose a predefined location, which lets you control settings for the Ethernet port, modem port, and AirPort card. (The Automatic setting works well for most people.)

Recent Items Forgot where you put a file? This menu item reveals a list of recently used applications, documents, and (in Tiger) servers. Control the length of each list by opening the Appearance preference pane and changing the settings under the Number Of Recent Items section.

Force Quit If an application seems “stuck,” switch to a responsive application and select this menu item. You’ll see a dialog box that lets you force the troublesome program to quit. If you hold down the shift key when you access the menu, the item will change to Force Quit Program Name, with the name of the current program.

Sleep Select this item to put your system directly to sleep (without having to confirm your decision in a dialog box).

Restart Choose this item to restart your Mac. To skip the confirmation dialog box that appears by default and restart immediately, hold down the option key and then choose the menu item. (Notice that the ellipsis disappears from the menu item’s full name—Restart . . . —when you hold down the option key).

Shut Down Choose this option to shut down your Mac. As with the Restart item, press option and then choose this item to shut down instantly.

Log Out Select this item to log out from your account. As with the previous two commands, hold down the option key and then choose this menu item to skip the confirmation dialog box. Or for a superfast way to log out, use the keyboard shortcut that displays in the menu when you hold down the option key: Command-shift-option-Q.

Make your login window informative
When you log in to—or start up—your Mac, you usually see its name below the large silver Apple logo, along with the words Mac OS X. But when Apple updated OS X to version 10.4.3, it quietly made this information line much more useful.

Now you can click on your machine’s name, and the OS X version number will appear. Click on it again, and you’ll see the OS X build number. Keep clicking, and you’ll see your Mac’s serial number, the Mac’s IP address, the status of any network account (directory services), and, finally, the current date and time. (See a brief movie of what this looks like.) All of this information is especially useful when you—or tech support—are trying to troubleshoot a system.

But what if you’d like to change the piece of information that shows first? I, for one, prefer to see the date rather than my computer’s name. Change the display to Date, however, and the next time you log in, it will be back to the machine’s name. As with so many things, all it takes is a little work in Terminal (/Applications/Utilities) to make a permanent change.

Open Terminal and type this command, or copy it (please note that the following is one long line with no breaks):

defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow AdminHostInfo

Do not press return yet. Instead, press the space bar after AdminHostInfo , and then type one of these words:

• HostName , to show the default display

• SystemVersion , to show the OS X version number

• SystemBuild , to show the OS X build number

• SerialNumber , to show the OS X serial number

• IPAddress , to show the Mac’s IP address

• DSStatus , to show the networked account info

• Time , to show the date and time

After adding the word for the data you wish to display, press return. To show the date and time by default, for instance, here’s the full command:

defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow AdminHostInfo Time

The next time your login window appears, your newly chosen default will be the first thing you see.

Thanks Rob Griffiths and the Mac OS X Hints Web site
Source: http://www.macosxhints.com/

Federal Trade Commission

September 20006, Federal Trade Commission — FTC shuts down spyware operation. An operation that placed spyware on consumers’ computers in violation of federal laws will give up more than $2 million to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges. The FTC said Wednesday, September 6, that it has obtained a settlement order against Enternet Media Inc., Conspy & Co. Inc., Lida Rohbani, Nima Hakimi, and Baback Hakimi, all based in California.

The defendents distributed software called Search Miracle, Miracle Search, EM Toolbar, EliteBar, and Elite Toolbar. According to the FTC’s complaint, the Websites of the defendants and their affiliates caused “installation boxes” to pop up on consumers’ computer screens. In one variation of the scheme, the boxes offered a variety of “freeware,” including music files, cell phone ring tones, photographs, wallpaper, and song lyrics. In another, the boxes warned that consumers’ Internet browsers were defective, and offered free browser upgrades or security patches. Consumers who downloaded the supposed freeware or security upgrades did not receive what they were promised; instead, their computers were infected with spyware that interferes with the functioning of the computer and is difficult for consumers to uninstall or remove.
Source: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/09/enternet.htm

Even when using Mozilla...

September 06, Security Focus — Mozilla Firefox, SeaMonkey, Camino, and Thunderbird multiple remote vulnerabilities. The Mozilla Foundation has released thirteen security advisories specifying security vulnerabilities in Mozilla Firefox, SeaMonkey, Camino, and Thunderbird. These vulnerabilities allow attackers to: execute arbitrary machine code in the context of the vulnerable application; crash affected applications; runjava_script code with elevated privileges, potentially allowing the remote execution of machine code; gain access to potentially sensitive information.

For a complete list of vulnerable products: http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/18228/info
Solution: New versions of Firefox, SeaMonkey, Camino, and Thunderbird are available to address these issues. Most Mozilla applications have self_updating features that may be used to download and install fixes. Please see the referenced advisories for information on obtaining and applying fixes: http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/18228/references
Source: http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/18228/discuss

PolyMorphism...

September 2006, Security Focus — Latest polymorphism hides viruses better. A virus that infects AMD64−based Windows systems uses some tricky techniques to make defensive reverse engineering more difficult, security firm Symantec said this week. The virus, dubbed W64.Bounds, is not spreading in the wild, but was submitted as a proof of concept to antivirus researchers. The program is not easy to detect because it encrypts itself using a new algorithm and exploits a Windows feature available only on AMD64 systems to control execution, Peter Ferrie, senior antivirus researcher for Symantec, said in a post on the company's research blog.

"The AMD64 virus is both polymorphic and entrypoint obscuring," Ferrie stated in a second blog post. "The result is that it is not a simple matter to find the true start of the decryptor and to emulate from the wrong place can result in incorrect decryption."

Ferrie's blog postings:
http://www.symantec.com/enterprise/security_response/
weblog/2006/08/virus_qa_w3264bounds.html

http://www.symantec.com/enterprise/security_response/
weblog/2006/08/polymorphism_comes_to_the_amd6.html

Source: http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/292

Windows under attack????

September 2006, CNET News — Uptick in Windows attacks reported. Several security experts are warning of increased cyberattacks targeting Windows PCs. The SANS Internet Storm Center, Symantec, McAfee and several other security companies are warning of a new worm that wriggles into Windows PCs by way of a security flaw for which Microsoft issued a patch with security bulletin MS06−040 on August 8. On Thursday, August 31, Symantec raised its ThreatCon to Level 2, which means an outbreak is expected. In an alert to customers, the company said it is seeing "ongoing and frequent attacks" that utilize the MS06−040 flaw. There are now six variants of malicious code that exploit the vulnerability, Symantec said. The SANS
Inernet Storm Center noted on its Website that several people had reported increased malicious activity. Microsoft, however, has not seen an increase in malicious activity associated with MS06−040.

Source: http://news.com.com/Uptick+in+Windows+attacks+reported/2100−7349_3−6111583.html?tag=cd.top

Hey Rick, What camera should I buy?

Rick Schmidt, the author of "Feature Filmmaking at Used Car Prices" and "DV Extreme"
replies...

"Anyone who has ever cracked a moviemaking magazine can appreciate your dilemma. I approach the problem by budget. If you only have $1,000 to spend for a DV camera, will you be satisfied going the 1-chip, new-camera route or heading to Ebay.com, where used 3-chip Sony cameras like the DCR-TRV900 come up periodically (winning bids run $1,000 - $1,200 for this exceptionally well-constructed, extremely compact, now discontinued camera). If buying a used unit doesn’t scare you off, the TRV900 can supply you with the “broadcast quality” you’re after (see www.bealecorner.com/trv900 for a thorough camera overview).

I checked out B&H in New York and found the 1/4” 1-chip PAL Panasonic NV-MD9000EN “PAL” Professional 1/4” Min- DV camcorder for $1,249, which must be what you’re considering, given that no other PAL camera comes close in price. Seems like a lot of camera for the cost. And with the PAL 25 fps, it would serve you well if a blow-up to 35mm is a consideration (25 fps generally make for a better DV-to-24fps film conversion). Regarding the Micromv format, I just don’t think it’s up to Mini-DV standards, isn’t Mac-friendly (not compatible with Final Cut Pro) and “con” reviews at Amazon are convincing. So I wouldn’t go there.

When budget isn’t the issue, the challenge is to get a solid, well-performing unit, that can deliver consistent quality under adverse conditions. For around $2,000 you might try the Canon GL-2 Mini-DV. University of California, Santa Cruz students and I shot a three-week feature using the earlier Canon GL-1, which delivered great images without much technical fuss beyond setting exposure and focus. I’ve heard from friends who use them that Sony’s VX2000 and the discontinued DSR- PD100a are also great units for the price. At the $3,000- $4,000 price range, you could consider the Sony DSR-PD150, which has garnered top reviews from my director friend William Farley. He’s cautioned me, though, to watch out for sound problems on discounted units. Give him an e-mail to hear more (Farleyfilm@aol.com).

With a $6,000 budget you can go Pro-DVCAM, with something like Sony’s DSR 200, that my DP/director son Morgan Schmidt-Feng has used on several of our Feature Workshops shoots, such as the “no-artificial-lights” Chetzemoka’s Curse (Dogme # 10). He has certainly tested the unit’s endurance, having taken it on location to extreme climates like Guyana (see www.filmsight.com for images from Midas Curse). E-mail him if you have questions (morgan@filmsight.com), or need info on the higher-end 24p HD cameras he’s mastered while working for LucasFilm and TechTV". Thanks Rick & MM: www.moviemaker.com

Exploited Explorer

September 2006, Security Focus — Multiple Microsoft vulnerabilities reported. A vulnerability has been discovered in Microsoft Internet Explorer that is prone to a memory corruption vulnerability. Analysis: This issue may be exploited when an attacker use a malicious Webpage to execute arbitrary code in the context of the currently logged in user. Exploitation attempts may lead to a denial−of−service condition as well. Attacker may also employ HTML e−mail to carry out an attack.
For further detail: http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/19570/discuss

Microsoft Internet Explorer is prone to a denial−of−service vulnerability that occurs when instantiating Visual Studio COM objects. Analysis: This vulnerability arises due to the way Internet Explorer tries to instantiate certain COM objects as ActiveX controls, resulting in denial−of−service conditions. Remote code execution may be possible, but have not been confirmed.

For further detail: http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/19572/discuss

Microsoft Windows DHCP Client fails to properly bounds check user supplied input before copying it to an insufficiently memory buffer, which leaves it prone to a remote code execution vulnerability. Analysis: This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary machine code with SYSTEM−level privileges on affected computers. This facilitates the complete compromise. Please see source for further detail.

Source: http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/18923/discuss