Computer viruses took a turn for the worse over the holidays with the discovery of a new type of virus that can be embedded in image files. You still have to open a malicious image to infect your computer, but this new virus-type is a lot harder to spot than the usual "click on this zip file to see naked pictures of Anna Kournikova" routine. Potentially you could infect your computer by clicking on the wrong web site image, or by opening an attached picture file in an e-mail. The same program that opens the picture activates the virus, taking advantage of a flaw in Windows.
There hasn’t been much in the way of damage reported, but experts fear that the malicious code is too easily modified and too easily spread by dodging firewalls and antivirus programs.
Microsoft released a patch to fix the flaw last week, but in a way the damage has been done because hackers have found a way to spread viruses without using executable programs. It’s only a matter of time before another vulnerability is discovered and exploited.
At times like these I’m glad I bought an eMac – the new virus infects Windows computers only, while Apples are once again in the clear.
Virtually CES
Every January the city of Las Vegas hosts the Consumer Electronics Show, which is arguably the biggest geekfest on planet earth.
CES is where most high-tech companies preview their new gadgets, new product lines, new software, new games, new accessories and new strategies for 2006 and beyond. Keynote speakers include luminaries like Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Sony’s Sir Howard Stringer, Intel’s Paul Otellini, and Google’s Larry Page.
For that reason the show also attracts a lot of tech news media from around the world.
One good place to find out what went on at CES this year is the CES website, www.cesweb.org . You can find copies of all the keynote speeches, as well as a kind of daily newsletter reporting from the convention floors.
I also like the coverage at online tech site Engadget ( www.engadget.com ) for the simple reason that Engadget is less interested in what Michael Dell has to say than in Sharp’s new 57-inch LCD television or how Google’s new music and video download service will work.
Another good place for CES-related coverage and announcements is C/Net at www.cnet.com . Their reporters are always looking out for the stories that will still mean something a few months down the road – like the launch of new holographic memory cards with 300-800 gigabytes of storage space.
CNN has also been running regular coverage of CES announcements at http://edition.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ , as has The Globe and Mail Technology site, www.globetechnology.com .
Spam retribution
Everybody hates spam, to the point where anyone who stood up at a party and told everyone they were in the spam business would probably get dragged outside and beaten to a bloody pulp.
Turns out the courts feel the same way. James McCalla, a Florida-based spammer, has been ordered to pay $11.2 billion in damages to a small Iowa-based internet service provider named CIS. CIS’s servers were reportedly used by McCalla to send over 280 million unsolicited e-mails selling debt consolidation and mortgage services.
Of course McCalla doesn’t have that kind of money and CIS doesn’t really expect to see even a fraction of the $11.2 billion awarded, but the lawsuit was really about setting a precedent. McCalla, who is now out of the spam business for good, will also be banned from using computers for the next three years.
This is not the first time CIS has sued a spammer and won. In 2003 CIS won $1 billion from another group of spam companies, effectively shutting them down as well.
"This ruling sets a new standard," CIS owner Robert Kramer told reporters. "Gross abusers of e-mail risk exposure to public ridicule as well as the economic death penalty."
Year of the HDTV
If CES is any indication, this is the year when HDTV – high-definition television – finally comes into its own.
All three next generation consoles from Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are high-definition capable, to the highest standard available.
Both Toshiba’s HD DVD and Sony’s Blu-ray disk will also hit market this spring, offering movies and other content with stunning high definition picture and sound.
The next generation of TiVo and home recording clones will also be high definition.
Most importantly of all, the price of high definition televisions is set to come down even more as the price of manufacturing drops and market competition continues to increase. Some plasma, LCD, rear-projection and front-projection LCD sets have decreased in price by two-thirds in the last year alone, and even better deals are on the way as whole factories are converted to churn out HDTVs.
When is it a good time to buy? And what specs should you be looking for?
You should probably do some research, starting with an article on HDTV myths at PC World ( www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,122629,00.asp – a lot to type, but worth it) an article at Short Media ( www.short-media.com/review.php?r=245 ), and an article at About ( http://tv.about.com/od/hdtv/a/HDTVfaq.htm ).
Once you have a general idea of what you’re looking for, visit all the big HDTV websites, like Sony ( www.sony.com ), Panasonic ( www.panasonic.com ), Samsung ( www.samsung.com ), Sharp ( www.sharp.com ), Toshiba ( www.toshiba.com ), LG ( www.lge.com ), and Pioneer ( www.pioneer.com ) to familiarize yourself with their product lines and specs. Other makers include BenQ, Kosch, Magnavox, Astar, Insignia — the list goes on, which is good for consumers.
After that it’s time to compare specs and prices – start with the big guys like Futures Shop ( www.futureshop.ca ) and Best Buy ( www.bestbuy.ca ), but keep in mind you can always find exclusive deals at local stores and by shopping online.
Then you might want to invest a few dollars in a beer fridge – if you’re the first guy on your block to get a big screen HD television, you can expect a lot of visitors.
