The Great Geek Manual

It seems as though the assimilation of American consumers is inevitable and resistance is futile. But do you really need to find the nearest all-night software vendor, or is there good reason to wait before upgrading? If you’re not certain, join the club. The good news is that while you’re making up your mind, APC Magazine has already drawn up a list of pros and a list of cons.

10 reasons not to get Vista

1. You don’t actually need it
2. Cost $$
3. On that note, it’s outrageously overpriced
4. Upgrading hardware
5. Driver support
6. Applications that don’t work
7. It’s a big fat target
8. UAC (User Account Control)
9. DRM (Digital Rights Management)
10. The draconian license
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Last week, I posted a list of the Top 10 Rejected Names for Indiana Jones Part IV. In response, some people posted or sent in rejected titles of their own. In fact, so many people responded, that I decided to compile them into a whole new list.

10. Texas Jones and the Endless War
… wait a sec, wrong list …

10. Indiana Jones and the Trouble with Tribbles

09. Indiana Jones and the Half-Blood Prince

08. Indiana Jones and the Grail of Fire

07. Indiana Jones and the Unnecessary Sequel

06. Indiana Jones and the The Amish Barn of Doom
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Every since J.K. Rowlings revealed the title of the seventh and final installment in the Harry Potter series, speculation over how the series will end has been flying thick and fast. However, I predict that, like many other twists in the series, you won’t see the end coming.

7. Voldemort finally reveals the truth to Harry, “Dumbledore told you I killed your father. He lied! I, Voldemort, am your father!” Hermione later turns out to be Harry’s long lost twin sister.

6. Harry retrieves the final five Hoarcruxes, only to enter into an amicable agreement with Voldemort whereby they postpone their showdown for seven more books.

5. Dumbledore returns, cloaked in robes of white, at which point the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien intervenes and the rest of the book is withheld by a court ordered injunction.
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On this day in 1986, the first virus for the IBM PC, dubbed “the Brain,” appeared, infecting the boot sector of 360 Kb floppy disks. Twenty-one years later, we’re still grappling with viruses. In fact, sometimes it feels like keeping your computer safe is turning into a full-time job.

Below, are listed the most helpful and credible free anti-adware and anti-virus utilities available. Of course, there is not a magic bullet for protecting yourself from malware when you’re surfing online, but installing the downloads I have listed here, using one of the online scanning services I’ve listed, and always using Firefox rather than Internet Explorer to browse the Internet should be a great start towards safeguarding your computer.

Single File Online Virus Scanners
AVAST – A free online virus scanner that allows you to check one file at a time with a size not exceeding 512Kb.

Avert(r) Labs WebImmune – This service from McAfee requires registration, but is otherwise free. “The service markets itself as the world’s first Internet virus security scanner that resides on the web.” WebImmune allows you to submit potentially infected files analysis. It returns information about your files, including solutions and real-time fixes, if available.

ClamAv – Allows you to upload binaries, zip-files, or complete e-mails of up to 500Kb.
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From Yahoo News:

As Japan’s population gets older, there are fewer young people to take care of the older people. The money to be made in this situation is talking dolls, designed to sleep next to seniors and tell them that they love them. Talking toys have become such a hit that some elderly people have embraced them as substitutes for the children who have grown up and deserted entire neighborhoods in the rapidly greying country.

Moral of the Story? No matter how alone you think you are, there’s always someone in Japan who spends their days talking to a doll all day who is lonelier still.

George Lucas announced earlier this month that filming of the long-awaited “Indiana Jones” sequel will begin in later this year. And Harrison Ford will be filling the starring role yet again. Interestingly enough, Lucas didn’t mention what the title of the film would be. So, I thought I would come up with a few suggestions of my own. After all, how fussy can the guy who green-lighted Jar-Jar really be?

10. Texas Jones and the Endless War
… wait a sec, wrong list …

10. Indiana Jones! Now with 25% new story! footage! audio commentary!

09. Indiana Jones and the Second Wind

08. Indiana Jones and the well-rendered CG Stunt Double

07. Indiana Jones and the The Phantom Menace

06. Indiana Jones and the Diminishing Box Office Returns
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