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<When I update a Zentech page, I post a tweet at twitter.com/ddhart
You don't have to join Twitter to read it
You can also search for the tag #Zentech at twitter>

<This show was a pledge drive and contained little related to technology. But there was an IMPORTANT WARNING about a virus. Though Paul said it was for Internet Explorer version 8, I think this is the one first involving IE6 and Windows XP. So don't assume it's just for IE8>

As with previous pledge drives, there was an offer, for 4 pledges at the $120 level, to do a computer cleanup to make your computer run faster. This is for people in the general area around Nevada City.
You can pledge at kvmr.org (check out the thank you gifts) or call…
Locally: (530)-265-9555
or 800-355-5865 (800-355-KVMR)

There is a warning about a rootkit attack.
Microsoft has issued an "out of band" update (one that doesn't follow their regular schedule) to IE8 for a "non-intervention" exploit. That's an infection that occurs just by visiting a malicious web site. Paul said he's seen it bypass both AVG & Symantec Anti-Virus Corporate Edition. The symptom is your searches go where you don't expect them. Ultimately, your keystrokes may be monitored and passwords and other information can be stolen. Though the search results, at Google for instance, may seem normal and the links may be indicated as safe, when you click on one of these links, you may be taken to a malicious site because the virus on your computer directs the browser.
– If you're using FireFox, make sure it's the current version (3.6). Though that by itself won't help if you already have the virus.
– If you have the virus, first update to FireFox 3.6 then manually update Windows.
– This virus can also attack by pretending to be an update to an anti-virus program you've never seen before. Become familiar with how your anti-virus program looks and works so a bogus update won't fool you.

<There's more about rootkits from a previous show here.>

Last updated 7:18 PM 1/25/2010 

Additional notes

 Editor's comments delimited by < >

<When I update a Zentech page, I post a tweet at twitter.com/ddhart.
You don't have to join Twitter to read itl
You can also search for the tag #Zentech at twitter.>

Director Denise Zmekhol, who also did the film "Children Of The Amazon", now has a film called "Trading Bows And Arrows For Laptops". It's about how some tribes in the Amazon are embracing the internet.
Will be shown at the Wild And Scenic Film Festival.
You can find clips at green21.org as well as at childrenoftheamazon.com.

Glenn talked about Windows 7. He had a chance to work with it a bit. He said it boots up fast and, unlike Vista, it shuts down without annoying questions to confirm your intention. He said it's a culture shock for XP users who'll have to adjust to it.

Mikail talked about the new open source Google Nexus One cell phone.
Though it's not an iPhone killer, it has been hacked, can do tethering and already has some apps.
Google does tech support for the Nexus One but only by email, it appears.
Support at T-Mobile & HTC, the manufacturer, refer people to Google.
A version is expected to be available on the Verizon network by mid-year.
Rumor also has it that Apple has chosen a Qualcomm chip to allow the iPhone to be used on the Verizon network and should eventually be available on that network.
Apple has called for a press conference on Jan 26 to possibly announce their tablet computer.

Glenn expressed concern that tablet computers don't have a keyboard.
Mikail mentioned that he has an app for his jailbroken iPhone that allows him to use his wireless Apple keyboard, via Bluetooth, on his iPhone. It's found on Cydia and soon on RockApp. We'll have to wait and see if the Apple tablet will have an option for a keyboard.

Though the Nexus One uses T-Mobile, you can use it with AT&T <I heard you can use the 2G but not 3G network on AT&T, so check this out before you buy>.
To get it to work with AT&T, take the back off, take out the battery and put in the SIM card for an AT&T account.

Glenn asked Mikail to ponder why you can only use your finger to input into an iPhone, why can't you use a stylus? <They didn't come back to this question>

Myra called. She's looking for a new cell phone to use in the Bay Area. She's a Mac user and she's thinking of going to Sprint because she also has a Palm. She's also concerned with AT&T coverage.
– Glenn thought the Palm Pre is available for the AT&T network, so you're not limited to Sprint.
– Mikail said Sprint coverage is poor in the Nevada City area and that he's had good coverage with AT&T. He later said that he's never had AT&T coverage problems in the Bay Area though others have complained.
– Glenn said he's heard from people in the Bay Area that AT&T coverage is spotty.
– Most companies allow you a trial period to make sure their phone will work for you.

Mikail gave a list of costs for the various phones & plans:
– Nexus One with T-Mobile: $529 with no contract, $179 with 2yr a contract ($80/mo for 450min).
– Droid with Verizon: $559.99 unlocked with no contract, $199.99 with 2yr a contract ($100/mo for 450min).
– iPhone $599.99 with no contract, $200 with contract ($89.99/mo). You can get a refurb 16gig iPhone 3GS for about $50 from AT&T, if they still have them.
– Palm Pre with Sprint: $549.99 with no contract, $150 with 2yr contract ($69.99/mo for 450min, unlimited text messages and 5gig of data).

While Mikail was taking, Glenn checked with AT&T and said it doesn't look like they carry the Palm any more.
Glenn also said that the iPhone will not interface with her Palm desktop software. He's had issues synching his iPhone with Outlook on his latest laptop — not everything would come thru.
Mikail said both Verizon & AT&T will be carrying the Palm Pre Plus and the Palm Pixie, but not until the end of Jan (the 25th), Expect it on Verizon first.

Myra went on to say she's been using iSynch to do her synchronizing, but Mikail says he's been using iTunes (which then calls on iSynch to do the job).

While Glenn was on the AT&T web site, he noticed that an Android smartphone is coming soon.

Mark called to say he's also had good coverage with his iPhone.
He also got a Mac Book Pro and was wondering about doing backups to a service on the internet using TimeMachine (a program that comes with the Mac). He wants to be able to backup and restore the entire Mac <presumably the OS too>
– TimeMachine will work with MobileMe, but it's limited to 20gig
– Get an external hard drive. There are some that are fireproof and waterproof.
– As an aside, Mikail said there is an iPhone app that lets him synch his messages to Google's Gmail. It's called reMail.

Ellen called to say she has Palm Centro. When her Palm Pilot died, she couldn't get to her backedup data on her Mac without getting another Palm unit.
Mikail explained to Ellen that the Palm company kept trying to develop a way to synch music with the

iTunes store but Apple kept defeating them by issuing new updates. Eventually, Apple won in court.
Apple & Nokia are also battling in court.

Ellen then asked if it will ever be possible to transfer the Palm data to an iPhone.
– The calendar & contacts can be migrated, even now. On a Mac you'd first bring it into the address book & iCal. Try googling "iCal Palm Centro synch".

Ellen went on to say that she once broke the display on her Palm and recommended that people check to see how fragile the display is before buying a PDA/phone.
  – Mikail says the iPhone is very robust in that respect and he's heard that the Droid is too.
– There are screen protectors available.

Ken called to say that Consumer Reports Jan 2010 is has an article about the best & worst cell phone deals.

Last updated 8:35 PM 1/11/2010 

Additional Notes

Editor's comments delimited by < >

<When I update a Zentech page, I post a tweet at twitter.com/ddhart
You don't have to join Twitter to read it
You can also search for the tag #Zentech at twitter>

When traveling across time zones, change the time zone setting in your computer, not the clock time.

Also, when changing the time zone, it's not enough to pick the correct GMT offset. You need to pick the country (with that particular offset) that also has the rules for changing to/from daylight savings time that you want to use.

Zentech radio show is about 10 years old. It started at the end of 1999

Analog phones started to disappear about 10 years ago and were replaced GSM, a digital system. That allowed for more channels and security. Now, GSM has been hacked by a German group. But it's not easily done, requiring a 2Tbyte download of a keyspace file. See the above link.

Paul mentioned someone building a homemade blimp. See the above link.

Facebook has changed its privacy policy. Paul set his permissions to a minimum and used a different machine (one where no one has logged into Facebook) to see what information is available to the public. It's now possible to change who sees each individual post. See the above link, followed by a link to Paul's Facebook page.

Paul has a netbook computer that weights about 3 pounds and runs for 6 hours per charge. It also has a webcam, WinXP, wireless, & 2gig of memory. He says he can do "everthing" on it, including creating a video and uploading it to YouTube.

Paul also added 2 pieces of copyrighted music and got a warning from Google (owners of YouTube) saying that the music was copyrighted. But the warning was not particularly threatening — no requirement to remove the music, though that may still happen.

There was mention of Windows 7 and the listeners were invited to call in and give their views of it. Paul put it on his sister's computer and it seems to be trouble-free. He said it requires fewer resources than Vista but more than XP; he got it running in three-quarters gig of memory where Vista required 1gig.

One thing to look out for is to use hardware that's new enough to have Win7 drivers are available.

Glenn wondered who's responsibility it is to create the drivers. Paul said that, typically, Microsoft charges the manufacturer for the development kit and certification. Some manufacturers don't bother to get the certification because it costs them every time a driver is updated.

Paul said he couldn't think why anyone with properly running XP should switch to Win7. He also said he couldn't find how to switch to the "classic" mode for the Start Menu. The classic mode is what Win98 had.

Glenn mentioned that he can synch his iPhone to only one computer at a time.
– If you're an Apple user, you can use the MobileMe service at $99/year.
– Listeners were invited to make suggestions.

Paul said 98% of the UK has mobile coverage. That's unlike the US where more area is not covered than is, due to the low density of the population. He also said that access in the UK costs about $25/month (with no contract) for a 3G SIM card that gives him unlimited internet access thru a cell phone plus Skype, 500 text messages and 300 phone minutes. He was also able to get a 3G phone for about $35 that would cost over $100 in the US. All this is due in part to the competitiveness in the cell phone market

Bernie called and said that one of his networked computers slowed to a crawl when saving a file or using the My Computer resource (the Explorer). Eventually 3 machines were displaying the same behavior.
– Read the Knowledge Base article KB320138 called "How To Disable Automatic Search For Network Printers And Folders In Windows XP". The bug is called "The Endless Network Search Timeout".
– Disabling the network itself does not cure the problem.

James called. He's using FireFox and tried to search for Huffington Post and got side tracked to Integrity Online, which said you can't go here.
– Use the search box (to the right of the address bar) rather than the address bar to do your search.
– Generally, beware of being redirected to a site you didn't ask for or you may end up with malware.
– Once you find the link, add it to your bookmarks list.
– AVG Anti-Virus adds plugins into FireFox, which can divert your searches.
– Go to Tools -> Addons in FireFox to see if you have any search filters installed.

Caller Dave said every time he right-clicks on a folder, his screen refreshes and he gets dumped back to the desktop. Right-clicking on the desktop itself or a file is no problem.
– Explorer is what shows you the files & folders. The symptom is caused by Explorer reloading and can be caused third party shell extensions like archivers (like Winzip) which add functions to the property tab of a folder.
– In fact, Dave said he just installed Winzip. He was advised to remove it to see what happens.
– Instead of Winzip you can use izarc at izarc.org.
– See the above link that explains reasons Explorer can crash.
– <XP doesn't really need a program to handle .zip files. You can double click on a .zip file and it will be opened as if it were a folder (sort of).>

George called to say the new Yahoo doesn't accept his old browser — Internet Explorer that came with his Mac (with OS 10.0).
– That Explorer is version 5.1, the last one made for the Mac.
– Easiest solution is to try FireFox 2.0, the latest that will work in this case.
– You should be able to upgrade the OS to 10.4 and use later versions of FireFox. Some current software won't run in 10.0 anyway, so this will address compatibility problems too.
– Use a different machine, go to Yahoo and switch to the older classic mode of operation.
– You can try m.yahoo.com if you have a slow connection, which is a stripped down version of Yahoo.

Mark called to ask about voice recognition software.
– You need a lot of horsepower to do it.
He was looking at Dregon Naturally Speaking.
– That's a good one and can be bought for $99. Mark said he saw it on sale for $49. More expensive versions can deal with specialized vocabularies <medical or legal, I suppose>.

Also, Mark wondered if he needed to get a higher quality microphone than the one that comes with it.
– Presumably what's included should be adequate. But you can look for a mic that can cancel surrounding noise or a directional one. Try the one that comes in the package first.

Mark goes on to ask about his MSN home page. The search default was changed to Bing and he wants to change it back to Google. <This is presumably in his browser which is assumed to be Internet Explorer (IE8)>
– Do a search using: change bing google ie8

The next show (11jan10) will have Mikail Graham back in the studio and will be focused on the Mac.

Last updated 8:39 PM 12/28/2009 

Editor's comments delimited by < >

<When I update a Zentech page, I post a tweet at twitter.com/ddhart
You don't have to join Twitter to read it
You can also search for the tag #Zentech at twitter>

Mikail hosted the show while Paul & Glenn are on the road and call in later

There is software for many platforms that reminds you to take a break from your computing. <Or you can just use a program that sounds an alarm periodically>

With newer UPS units there's usually a warranty as to how much it will protect and how much <money> you'll get back if it fails to protect your equipment from a electrical surge. Remember to keep your receipts. Home owner's or renter's insurance may also cover some damage.

Google is coming out with its own mobile phone, the Nexus One. It's manufactured by HTC and runs on the Android 2.1 operating system.
It runs on various hardware (like the new Droid smart phone) and takes advantage of the different Google services like maps. Android is compatible with both GSM and CDMA. The phone makers like the fact that Android is free so they don't have to pay royalty.
Android has a large part of the Linux operating system that's heavily tweaked to run on a limited platform.
There's some speculation that T-Mobile will be the first to offer the Google phone.

Paul recently got a netbook PC from Best Buy that has an LED display. Such a display helps get more battery life per charge.

Paul said, from his conversations with Apple personnel, that the Mac Book (vs. the Mac Book Pro) is coming to an end.

Mikail said it's rumored that Apple is coming out with a tablet computer in 2010.

The Mac Book Pro's battery is not user replaceable and there's is a $149 service charge to replace it.

Mac users can check their battery life if you go to 'about this Mac' under 'profile'. With Snow Leopard you can check other things like your wireless connection.
Paul mentioned that Snow Leopard only runs on Intel Macs (those with the Intel CPU).
Mikail said that Snow Leopard might not run some older applications, so check before you upgrade. But he recommended that people, if they can, upgrade to Leopard at least.

Mikail said he's heard, from local users, some good things about the Verizon <3G internet> service for about $50 or $60 per month.

Glenn finally got the Digital Path service he talked about on the last show. So, he now has high speed wireless internet. <His audio became distorted and I didn't hear all he had to say>

Thor called and said that, though he likes some things about the Droid phone, it just misses the mark for him.
– It's not easy to switch to use the phone when multitasking.
– The 3G coverage is not real good for him.
– You can't use the Verizon CDMA network to talk on the phone and also use the wireless connection, though you can do so using the wi-fi connection.
– He couldn't set the screen brightness low enough without a separate app.
– When he tethered it and tried to send a file via FTP, the file was corrupted.

A caller with a Dell laptop said his screen is cracked under the surface.
– You can replace the screen for about $100. Just go to Ebay. But, depending on the particular machine, it may involve a bit of work and you might break the laptop.
– You may plug in an external display. There are 19" & 24" displays for under $200. Check buy.com, frys.com or newegg.com. Go to amazon.com for reviews.

A caller has mp3 files that were converted to an iTunes format and he prefers them to be in the mp3 format.
– The settings in iTunes need to be changed from Apple's AAC. Under options select the setting 'create mp3 version'. But under 'preferences' and 'import settings' you can choose which converter to use. Mikail uses the mp3 setting at anywhere from 192 to 320.
– The current music from iTunes does not have copy protection.

The same caller wondered, if the music he bought from iTunes was lost, can he get new copies.
– Yes, if you have a current account at iTunes Apple has a record of your purchase and will be able to send you replacements.

A caller said his wife bought him a computer recently from Costco and that they automatically extended the warranty from 1 to 2 years.

A caller with a Mac Book Pro asked whether it's best to leave it on all the time and use the sleep mode, or is it best to turn it off.
– At least once a week restart the machine.
– Take it off the AC and let the battery run down at least once a month. That will recondition the battery. After the battery runs down, leave it off for 3 or 4 hours and then recharge (with the machine off).

A caller mentioned that, though Costco has a good return policy, the computers are covered for only 90 days.

He also asks that, if he buys a computer with Windows 7, will his XP software work on it.
– Some things will work, some not. Check before you buy.
– Though some programs will work, they may not be supported.

Last updated 8:31 PM 12/14/2009

Additional notes

Editor's comments delimited by < >

<When I update a Zentech page, I post a tweet at twitter.com/ddhart
You don't have to join Twitter to read it
You can also search for the tag #Zentech>

etsy.com is like Ebay but for arts & crafts and everything on there is not mass produced, it's one-off or craft work. On there, you can search for locally produced crafts. See the above link.

Glenn said many web sites can now approximate your geographical location by the servers you use for your internet connection. But accuracy is less if you're using, for instance, AT&T DSL where, for this region, they'll only be able to tell that you're using the peer point in Sacramento. For a satellite connection, the accuracy can be even less.

Mentioned again, for an average $60/mo there are USB devices from Verizon & AT&T which will give you an internet connection thru their 3G network. <mentioned before here>

Glenn's landlord is getting Digital Path's service for him <Digital Path mentioned before here>.

Luci Wilson joined the show to talk more about etsy.com. She said that part of your agreement to sell on the site is that your product be handmade or vintage. She said her specialty is knitting & spinning.

Luci also talked about ravelry.com (link above). It's a social network site with additional features, for knitter, spinner & crocheters. It also allows you to keep track of your own projects & patterns and those of others in your network.
Contact Luci at:
luciw@earthlink.net

Glenn is working on a G4 Mac. While trying to install the operating system it's coming up with a question mark when booting from a CD/DVD.
– Paul said that, from he's experience, PCs or Macs older than about 3 years have subpar optical drives. They may be ok for playing media but have trouble installing an operating system.
– Find the disks that came with the machine. One of them is a test disk. If you boot from that it will try to analyze what's wrong.
– Get a distribution of Linux (maybe Ubuntu) that's been compiled to use on a G4. If it runs ok, that's an indication that the drive is ok.
– Burned disks tend to have more problems than manufactured disks.

Paul said that it took 10 years for the patent office to grant a patent to Steve Jobs (of Apple).

Glenn mentioned that Mac World is coming up in January.
<try to google for "free Mac World passes">

Paul said he got an iMac G5 for some work he'd done and was trying to attach a 2nd monitor to work in the "extended" mode. That's where the cursor tracks from one monitor to the other. That's different than one screen duplicating what's on the other. He had to do find a discussion forum that steered him to software that modified the firmware, before he was successful. This may not work on the Intel Macs.

Betsy got a new iMac and is trying to use her HP LaserJet 6MP. She had been using the printer with an older Mac thru an Asanti box <I'm not sure I heard the name correctly>. This is a device that turns a printer into an Apple Share device. She was told she'd have to do something different to get it working with Snow Leopard on the new Mac.
– Try it with Snow Leopard anyway, it just might work.
– Go on Ebay and search for "Centronix print server" <I'd also search for Centronics (spelled differently)> and also "Centronix print server bonjour".

Peter just bought a flat screen monitor and said he doesn't see the proper setting, in the control panel, for the pixel rating of the monitor, which is 1920X1080.
– Try some other setting
– The video card doesn't have enough memory that the monitor likes.

– Go into the BIOS and increase how much video memory is allocated to 8meg or 16meg. Also try unchecking the check box that says "only show recommended modes".
– A better option is to go to Ebay and get a DVI video card with at least 16meg of memory for about $15 and get a DVI cable. You'll have to know if the video slot in your computer is AGP or PCI Express.

Glenn briefly explained some of the different DSL subscription plans.
One of the plans, if you're a new to DSL, costs $10/mo from AT&T but it doesn't include the hardware at that price and you have to commit to a 1 year term.

Karen, who has a Mac, called and wanted to know how to delete email addresses which she hadn't put into here address book but were remembered from the mail she had received. She's using the Apple Mail Program.
– Start typing the email name and when all similar names are displayed in the pop-up list, control-click or right-click on the one you want to get rid of to get a list of options of what you can do with that particular address. Then click delete.

Lisa called to say she's being prompted to upgrade the AVG anti-virus.
– Go to free.avg.com and carefully look for the link to the free version (different from the free for 30 days link).
– Because it's a big download, Glenn said, if you're on dialup, he's willing to snail-mail out copies to those who ask. Email: zen at kvmr dot org

She also has an old Mac Power Book with OS 9.1, 128meg RAM & 400mHz CPU and wonders if it's worth upgrading.
– It will almost be unusable on the internet.
– It will still be sluggish even if you do as much as you can for it.
– With more memory you can put OS 10.4 in it.
– You can google for your model and see what memory is available.
– You also go to crucial.com and find out the type of memory you need.
Lisa said if anyone is interested in this machine, contact her at 273-4817 <I presume the area is 530>

Greg called to ask how to make rules work for Outlook mail so he can filter the incoming mail.
– Don't bother. Outlook has serious problems with rules.
– Use Thunderbird instead. Thunderbird will import mail & address book from Outlook. If you don't give Thunderbird your email password, it won't pick up your mail. That will give you a chance to see how useful it will be for you and still allow Outlook to continue picking up your mail.

Updated 7:53 PM 11/30/2009