Year: 2005

Categories
People Programming and Podcasts

Becky Worley’s Holiday Gift Guide 2005 on Good Morning America Weekend THIS SATURDAY!

In answering a question posted to the comments to Becky Worley’s interview yesterday here: [ http://www.techtvforever.net/?p=313#comments ], Becky also let me know that she’s be on Good Morning America Weekend this saturday with all the holiday gift suggestions she’s picked up over the past few weeks and reccomendations she has for what you should put under the tree this year!

While she didn’t give anything away, she did clue me in to the fact that she’ll have an item that costs $16 for the cheapies on the list, and for those of us with a ton of cash to blow, another item raking up $65,000 that should get you drooling. Make sure to tune in, and check your local listings for your local ABC affiliate and air time! Happy Holidays!

Categories
Sites and Downloads TechNews Bytes Tips and Tricks

Microsoft Unveils Windows Live Safety Center

For those of us who have used TrendMicro’s HouseCall in the past to scan for viruses (and more recently, thanks to their upgrade, for spyware and trojans) here:

[ http://housecall.trendmicro.com/ ]

Microsoft has their answer to the pressing needs of their users, who have doubtlessly turned to them for help. They’ve unveiled the Windows Live Safety Center, a one stop shop that will allow you to scan your Windows PC for viruses, spyware, improve performance by cleaning up junk files, and help you get a little more power from your PC. It looks really good so far, give it a shot and see if you like it:

[ http://safety.live.com/site/en-US/default.htm ]

Categories
Programming and Podcasts

New Podcast: Inside the Net with Amber MacArthur! // Episode 1

True to his word, Leo has posted the first in a new series of podcasts called Inside the Net that he’ll be hosting with the lovely Amber MacArthur, of Call for Help [ http://www.callforhelptv.com/ ] and Command-N [ http://www.commandn.tv/ ] fame! (PS, Amber also did an interview with us not too long ago, it’s available here: [ http://www.techtvforever.net/?p=278 ]

Back to point, this week on Inside the Net, we get familiar with the hosts, Leo and Amber, and get us into some of the topics we’ll be hearing about on Inside the Net, including Web 2.0, net applications, and lots of guests and guest hosts. This week Leo and Amber chat with Mike Shaver and Mike Beltzner of Mozilla about the release of Firefox 1.5 and what they think are the most notable new features and changes. Looking good guys!

Inside the Net Episode 1 // November 29, 2005 – [ episode notes | download ]

Categories
Tips and Tricks

10 Things Every New Mac User Should Know

This post has been making the blog circuits lately, and rightfully so-if you’ll be lucky enough to grab a new Macintosh in one form or another this holiday season, or even if you’re just new to the Mac or to OS X and interesting in learning about it, these are some basic tips and tricks that everyone should know. The author explains that you’ll never have to defrag an OS X volume (a popular misconception), and shows you how to use the Dock and force quit unresponsive programs. You’ll also learn how important Expose is and how to use it, arguably one of the best features in Mac OS X. It doesn’t stop there though, it’s definitely an all around good article for beginners, and well, even us veterans could use tips like this. Enjoy!

[ http://www.paulstamatiou.com/2005/11/29/10-things-every-new-mac-owner-should-know/ ]

Categories
Sites and Downloads Tips and Tricks

The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities

Now this is an impressive list! Full of awesome downloads and tools you can use to pretty much do just about anything! From the best free web browser (firefox, of course!) to the best free firewall, this list is pretty full and comprehensive. The best free spyware removal tools, the best free rootkit scanner, the best free anti-virus software, it’s all in there. But it’s not all about common applications-I just found out while reading it that one of my favorite programs, EditPad Lite, is the best free Notepad replacement! The list is chock full of great tips and downloads, and ripe with explanations for why each of the programs selected were chosen. Check it out-I’m sure you’ll find the perfect tool for whatever you need to do!

[ http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm ]

Categories
Programming and Podcasts Sites and Downloads

Lab Rats Gets a New Look!

The Lab Rats website over at [ http://www.labrats.tv/ ] just finished a redesign and it looks great! It’s a much better portal to all the great content over at Lab Rats than the previous page was, and it’s definitely an improvement. Don’t worry about the redesign, all the links to the old shows still work and look better than ever. Head on over and check out the new site design, and don’t forget to stop by the Lab Rats blog at [ http://www.labrats.tv/blog/ ] while you’re at it!

Categories
Programming and Podcasts

Digital Life TV // Episode 17 and back

Digital Life TV returns this week with a new episode, heralding the birthday of Pong and the birth of video games as a popular medium, the mad rush for XBox 360s last week, and rumors about the next Mac Mini gunning to be a home theatre and media box, with an Intel processor, and due around mid-2006 (all rumors, of course). Robert and Patrick discuss a media player we all know and love (or should know and love), VLC Media Player, [ http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ ] which can play just about anything, and of course, viewer questions! Definitely a winner to come back from the break with. Enjoy!

Digital Life TV Episode 17 // November 29, 2005 – [ episode notes and download links ]

I knew 17 was a little high, so it turns out I missed a few! I thought they were just skipping numbers, but I couldn’t have been more wrong!

Episode 16 was an HDTV special, where collected clips and info were combined to help answer some of your most pressing HDTV questions and concerns:

Digital Life TV Episode 16 // November 22, 2005 – [ episode notes and download links ]

Episode 15 was also aired on the 22nd of November, which was all about the XBox 360, the glory of duct tape, and more:

Digital Life TV Episode 15 // November 22, 2005 – [ episode notes and download links ]

And since I don’t remember, Episode 14 was about the new Dragon Quest video game, Sony’s lawsuit fallout over the rootkit DRM scandal, and AMD’s high end CPUs. Whew! That should do it and get us back up to date in case I forgot any. Sorry!

Digital Life TV Episode 14 // November 10, 2005 – [ episode notes and download links ]

Categories
Programming and Podcasts

Weezy and The Swish // Episode 25

This week’s Weezy and The Swish features guest host Blair Butler from X-Play, and she chats up games and the holiday season; whether you should run out and pick up an XBox 360 or a Nintendo DS, and then gets into more geekery by discussing comic books and other delicious tidbits about life at X-Play. All this, the usual, and a little bit extra on this week’s Weezy and The Swish!

Weezy and The Swish Episode 25 // November 28, 2005 – [ episode notes | download ]

Categories
Programming and Podcasts

Lab Rats // Episode 6

A New Lab Rats is out and making the rounds! This week Sean and Andy show you how to set up a basic home network. If you haven’t done this already, it’s definitely a good time to learn, and save money when the cable or DSL installers offer to do it for you. They take you through the motions of looking at the differences between different internet connection types (Cable, DSL, etc) and through some wired and wireless routers as well to help you figure out what tool you need at the heart of your home network. Also, more kitty action!

Lab Rats Episode 6 // November 28, 2005 – [ episode notes and download links ]

Categories
Programming and Podcasts TWIT Archive

This Week In Tech [TWIT] // Episode 32

This week’s This Week In Tech is hosted by Leo Laporte, Patrick Norton, Steve Gibson, Alex Lindsay, and John C. Dvorak, which shows us we’re getting back to normal. The crew is chatting via Skype, all from their various home bases around the country. Complaints of the new XBox 360 overheating are showing up here and there, but Dvorak says it’s all baloney. The crew discuss the story we mentioned last week about web browser makers agreeing to security standards and trusted certificates, and Microsoft taking yet another loss on each XBox 360 sold, trying to make up for it in game licensing and volume sales. Firefox 1.5 is due any day now, so get ready for the marketing, and of course the story everyone’s been mentioning-Apple being among the top 10 music retailers in the world. Kazaa is down the tubes, TiVO stikes a deal that will allow you to watch video on your iPod and your PSP, and CBS is in talks with Yahoo! and Google to get their video archives on the web also. According to Dvorak, IPTV is big everywhere but the United States-wonder why? All this and much more on this week’s TWIT!

This Week In Tech [TWIT] Episode 32 // November 27, 2005 – [ episode notes | download ]

Categories
Programming and Podcasts

Command-N // Episode 24

This week’s Command-N has Amber and Mikey marvelling over the new XBox 360, the brat who runs SmashMyXbox, and more XBox chatter. The two mull over a possible deal between CBS and either Google or Yahoo! to deliver television content on the internet, and show off the “Ultimate List of Google Services,” [ http://www.tipmonkies.com/2005/11/17/the-penultimate-guide-to-google-services ] a project way too late in coming, but we’re all glad is here. The group mention that Apple and iTunes are among the top 10 music retailers in the world, and show you ways to protect your iPod. Also, the Ultimate Geek Gift buying guide! Web picks, tech tips, and more, on this week’s Command-N!

Command-N Episode 24 // November 28, 2005 – [ episode notes and download links ]

Categories
Programming and Podcasts

DiggNation // Episode 22

This week’s DiggNation is a holiday special that you absolutely have to see the video for, according to the website. (those of us not subscribers, we’ll have to wait until later in the week) In the meantime, the audio is up and ready for everyone. The show is a recap episode, bringing back up some of the cast and crew’s favorite DiggNation moments over the past 21 episodes, including best stories, best anecdotes, and favorite moments. Check it out!

DiggNation Episode 22 // November 24, 2005 – [ episode notes | download links ]

Categories
Programming and Podcasts

Security Now! // Episode 15

This week on Security Now! Leo and Steve discuss the topic of VPNs and private networks, and more importantly how they can provide you with a more secure environment when computing away from home or the office, or in general. Steve begins his search for a free, secure, reliable VPN server that we can all use for our net communications, especially when we’re at places like wifi hotspots, internet cafes, hotels, and the like. They get things rolling by discussing SSH, the good old secure terminal method, and chat about anonymous surfing services like Anonymizer [ http://anonymizer.com/ ] and the like. Enjoy!

Security Now! Episode 15 // November 24, 2005 – [ episode notes | homepage | download ]

Categories
TechNews Bytes

Browser Makers Agree to Standards

Aimed at making it easier to protect yourself while surfing the web, and specifically to help you fight back against phishing sites and scammers online, the makers of the most popular browsers, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, and the Konqueror, met to discuss ways they can commonly impliment standards in all of their browsers to make their users a little safer. Between being able to identify trusted sites, scammers, and defnitely trusted sites in browser based on the color of the address bar, and a slew of other features, it looks like the next generation of popular web browsers will definitely have security in mind from the getgo.

[ http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,123689,tk,dn112305X,00.asp ]

Categories
Gear and Gadgets Tips and Tricks

Wired’s Ultimate Geek Gift Guide!

Just in time to help you get a good start to your holiday shopping, Wired has produced their “Ultimate Geek Gift Guide,” which promises to help you find the perfect gift for the geek in your life. But I hope you love that geek in your life a lot, because Wired’s selection of gifts, with the exception of the DVD sets they reccomend, are all pretty pricey, but that’s probably because they’re reccomending things like HDTVs, satellite radios, and home theater components that do it all. The list is definitely good though, and full of quality products, so head on over and check it out-just don’t break the bank, eh?

[ http://www.wired.com/news/technology/giftguide2005/0,2926,69647,00.html ]

Categories
Programming and Podcasts

Lab Rats // Episode 5

On this week’s Lab Rats, Andy and Sean give us a walkthrough on how to add a hard drive to a computer. The instructions vary depending on the computer you have, but it’s pretty straightforward and standard enough that anyone can follow it! The duo discuss the difference between Serial ATA (SATA) and IDE and discuss external hard drives and how to connect them to your computer. And there’s pizza! Head on over and download it!

Lab Rats Episode 5 // November 22, 2005 – [ episode notes and download links ]

Categories
Programming and Podcasts

Weezy and the Swish // Episode 24

Another Weezy and the Swish to make your Tuesday worth living through! This week, film critic Cecily Knobler gives us her opinion on the new Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [ harrypotter.warnerbros.com/ ] and the Johnny Cash biopic with Joaquin Phoenix, Walk The Line [ http://www.walkthelinethemovie.com/ ]. Also, Alan Wenkus, from PremiereRadio Networks joins Laura and Louise in the studio, and the group get into all manner of hilarity, from random singing to office politics. For all the Swish fanboys out there, she reportedly gets rather…heated in this episode too, so enjoy!

Weezy and The Swish Episode 24 // November 20, 2005 – [ episode notes | download ]

Categories
Programming and Podcasts TWIT Archive

This Week In Tech [TWIT] // Episode 31

A brand new TWIT this week, but featuring a skeleton crew since everyone is all over the place this week. Tune in for this episode and you can expect to hear Leo Laporte, Steve Gibson, and John C. Dvorak only, discussing this week’s technology news and information, ripe with commentary. The trio discuss where everyone else is briefly and what they’re up to, and then dive right into the details, like who had the best booth at the Podcast Expo last week, and they give the aware to iLounge. We get Dvorak’s take on the whole Sony rootkit DRM nightmare, and thw crew discuss it a bit more, including the question on everyone’s minds-why didn’t anti-spyware and anti-virus companies and publishers protect us against things like this? Also, the group discuss Microsoft’s staged shortages of XBox 360s in stores around the country to try and limit supply while stoking demand for this week’s Tuesday launch, and why it might just blow up in their faces. They discuss ways of presenting information visually, and Leo explains why he loves KeyNote so much. They talk about Google Base and wonder exactly what it’s supposed to do (but whatever it is, the press says it’s revolutionary!) ICANN retains control over internet addressing, and possible Intel portables in January? We’ll see!

This Week In Tech [TWIT] Episode 31 // November 20, 2005 – [ episode notes | download ]

Categories
Programming and Podcasts

DiggNation // Episode 21

On this fine 21st epside of DiggNation, Alex and Kevin discuss the iPod Nano hack that allows it to do video, cracking the XBox 360, a documented case of a man who supposedly had HIV but somehow was cured, the iStone iPod dock, and the mashup of every playboy centerfold overlapping in one picture (that’s kinda freaky). Don’t worry, if it sounds straightforward, it’s not-the show is packed with the jokes and anecdotes and commentary you’ve come to love from Kevin and Alex. Enjoy!

DiggNation Episode 21 // November 17, 2005 – [ episode notes | download links ]

Categories
Programming and Podcasts

Command-N // Episode 23

This week on Command-N, Amber and Mikey get the scoop on what’s going to be in the next version of Microsoft Office, specifically Microsoft Excel, and talk about changes to Yahoo! shopping, Google Base, changes at Amazon, Google Analytics, blogging hacks, and much more! Of course, Amber and Mikey also give us their web picks of the week, but to find out what they are, you’ll have to watch! Enjoy!

Command-N Episode 23 // November 21, 2005 – [ episode notes and download links ]