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Hacking Your Automobile

Wed, 09/01/2010 - 18:22 — webmaster

Security researchers found they could remotely gain access a vehicle's computer using Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).  (This is the system that monitors tire pressure in all the tires in your car. TPMS was optional on vehicles prior to 2008 and mandatory on vehicles from 2008 and newer.)

PrezNotes - September 2010

Wed, 09/01/2010 - 00:00 — JimDinkey

 This month’s subject is: potpourri. 

There are lots of tricks that can help a lot with the operation of your computer. They’re all documented – somewhere. The trick is finding them.
 
So, rather than just listing 50 useful shortcuts, here is a reminder of some of the ones that might be really useful:

PrezNotes - August 2010

Sun, 08/01/2010 - 00:00 — JimDinkey

If you are in the market for a Windows PC right now, here are the main Operating System choices I see you having to consider:

  • Windows 7, the OS version currently being pushed by Microsoft. It’s new, and, therefore, still buggy. My usual recommendation applies here—If you can, wait for MS to release Service Pack 1 (SP1), and then wait a few more months. If it holds to the usual Microsoft pattern, I expect it will be about two years before the bugs are down to a level I can tolerate.
  •  Windows XP has been out for several years. It’s known and stable and at the Service Pack 3 stage. XP is my recommended choice, if you can find it. Also, if you can find it, expect to pay a premium price, currently about $180, to have this proven performer on your PC. Be aware that Microsoft will stop selling or supporting XP on new netbooks on Oct 22, 2010...
  •  Windows 8 is in the offing, still perhaps two years away from initial release for sale. The hot feature in Windows 8 is said to be 3D capability, which should make it desirable for gamers and movie fans. The 3D capability means that Windows 8 will likely require hardware that is different in some ways from that required by Windows 7 or XP.

PrezNotes - July 2010

Wed, 06/30/2010 - 08:39 — JimDinkey

It is interesting to note that System 7 is being pushed so hard by Microsoft, but as Hank Skawinski reviewed at the June SPAUG meeting, industry is not even budging to move to System 7.

 Why should they? XP works! Industry is not in the research and debugging business for Microsoft – you are by default.
 
Microsoft is desirous of having as many people test their products as possible and, of course, your feedback has to help debug the product. 
 
Now we get to the coercion of the Company wanting to have more money because they had their first year of loss recently. 

PrezNotes - June 2010

Thu, 05/20/2010 - 23:16 — JimDinkey

My recent classes on how to maintain your computer’s software were a learning experience for me. I learned that there was, indeed, a need for the class, as about 20 people actually wanted to learn the material presented. These students should have fewer problems with their computers. Even more important, they will have less need to come to the Clinic.

Office 2010 is about to Launch

Wed, 05/19/2010 - 17:04 — kevin

I demonstrated the  new Microsoft Office 2010 Suite on May 12 to CompuSIR and SPAUG groups in Los Altos. Don Heinsen connected his notebook over the local wireless link to his Windows Home Server, logged into his home computer, brought up Outlook 2010 and demonstrated the new features.
I will show Office 2010 again at my Windows User Group on June 14, but Don can not connect to his WHS over MicroCenter's wireless, due to site and port filtering limits at the store.

PrezNotes - May 2010

Sat, 05/01/2010 - 23:34 — JimDinkey

 

SPAUG has a new service to its members that seems to be welcomed with enthusiasm.
 
I’m referring to the Saturday scheduled sessions where up to six persons attend a 1.5-hour session that reviews the actions necessary for them to maintain their computers at home.
 
The origin of the classes stems from the fact that six months after having fixed several computers to run well and to have malware and excessive files under control, the computers were coming back with the same problems because the correcting programs had never been run in the interim.
 
The programs were all in one place, generally on the right side of the screen in the “Maintenance Department” but unused by the owner.
 
So I tried the idea that up to 6 persons could attend a 1.5-hour session on Saturday morning dedicated to the concept that attendees would learn what to DO with those items in the “Maintenances Department”, thereby keeping their own computers healthy and malware free.

 

PrezNotes - April 2010

Thu, 04/01/2010 - 23:06 — JimDinkey

Planning SPAUG Programs

The Planning Committee spends a lot of time putting together programs that are of interest to you – or so we hope. We would like to receive from you specific suggestions about what subjects to be sure we will cover and (where possible) a suggestion of the speaker. We will take it from there as you desire.

In the spirit of exposing each of you to what you can do with your computer, we are continuing to bring to you some of the peripheral uses of computers that are being espoused by our associate group SVCS.

One of the Planning Committee feels that SPAUG should be also looking at things like Blue Tooth, Netbooks, and some of the newer personal Digital Assistants. What do you think? Do you want to hear about the iPods in SPAUG?

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