TrueCrypt - Free, Simple, and Powerful Encryption for Everyone

Just last week, there was a minor furor when Dropbox amended their terms of service to announce that any data stored on the cloud service could be revealed upon government request.  This is really no different from the existing policies and actions of many cloud providers, from Google to Amazon to Yahoo.  Add to that the constant pressure of hackers and occasional accidental reveal of account information and passwords, and it is surprising that we have entered an era where many users are trusting their data to be stored on servers beyond their immediate control.  Considering this environment, encryption can be a useful tool in safeguarding that data, and TrueCrypt puts the power of top-quality encryption into a very user-friendly format, for free.

TrueCrypt allows several different types of encryption - you can encrypt an entire volume, such as a USB Storage Thumb Drive, or an entire Hard Drive.  You can also encrypt a system drive, preventing unautorized users from even booting into the Operating System.  You can encrypt a volume within a normal drive, allowing you to create a secure "locker" for sensitive files. 

Friday Exposed - Rebecca Black Ripped Off Bob Dylan?

The parallels between Bob Dylan and Rebecca Black are obvious: Gifted storytellers with deep, expressive lyrics, anti-establishment non-conformists with the courage to express their art in an inimitable style, and the ability to convey the angst and dissatisfaction of the youth of an entire nation.

The similarity of critical reactions is striking as well - "they can't sing".

Sometimes "Low Tech" Is The Better Solution

For years, I have illustrated the fact that the simplest solution is often the best one with the story of how NASA spent millions of dollars to develop the "Space Pen", which would write in zero gravity.  Meanwhile, the frugal but wily Russian cosmonauts used a pencil.

Today I learned that this is an urban legend, and that the Space Pen was developed independently from NASA by a an pen manufacturer, Paul C. Fisher, in 1965. NASA did buy the pens when Fisher presented them, and while Russia did use pencils in early space missions, they ordered 100 Space Pens in 1969 and used them for all future missions. It seems that the flammable nature of wooden pencils and the loose lead of broken mechanical pencil points were considered risks which were solved by the Space Pen.

Left without my prime example of why "high tech" isn't always the best solution, I was lucky enough to come across a new testament to this fact:

Windows 8 - Everything We Know

Just when most people are getting used to Windows 7, it's already time to start looking ahead to Windows 8, scheduled to be release in summer or autumn of 2012.  There's already a lot of information available, both from Microsoft and some enterprising leakers.  Here's a round-up of what looks to be in store for Windows 8:

Improved Interface
Aero will continue to be an interface to Windows 8, but it will be joined by "Immersive", which includes elements of the "Metro" GUI beloved by Windows Phone 7 fans:

Is Amazon's Cloud Music Play Too Little, Too Late? What will Apple do?

Amazon's announcement of it's Cloud Drive and Player makes it first out of the gate of several "cloud locker" music services from some major players.  Goole and Apple are expected to bring out their own versions soon.  These services allow you to stream music that you already own from the Internet to an array of devices - computers, iPods and portable devices, phones, and other Internet-connected devices.  As pointed out on the highly recommended blog, BootsyBangingThrees.com, applications like Subsonic have allowed you to stream your music over the Internet for years, with a much higher degree of customization and privacy.  The question is - does the average user even want to do this?

Tweetdeck - Desktop Twitter Client Review

Tweetdeck has long been one of the most popular Twitter clients on the iPhone and iPad - new client apps for these two devices are being re-written from the ground up and coming soon, according to the web site.  It has variants available for Android and Chrome, and is currently beta-testing a web-based client.  On top of all of these versions, one of the most-requested releases is now a reality - Tweetdeck for Desktops.

Tweetdeck's greatest strength is its ability to organize tweets and other social messages into groups and display them as columns, bringing some structure to the stream-of-consciousness that is Twitter.  These columns can be based on groups of people you follow, searches, or filters.  With the added screen real estate of a desktop, Tweetdeck becomes that much more powerful.  Beyond just centralizing and organizing your Twitter feed (or feeds if you have multiple accounts), it also allows you to integrate Facebook status messages, FourSquare Check-ins, LinkedIn, Google Buzz and more.

Fight For Your Right Revisited - Beastie Boys Short Film

A short film directed by Adam Yauch (MCA) which tells the story of what happened AFTER the end of the party depicted in the Beastie Boy's 1987 video "Fight For Your Right (To Party)" premiered at Sundance and will be featured on their upcoming album, "The Hot Sauce Committee Part 2", dropping on May 3rd. The trailer previews the action and is available now, at the bottom of this post.

The film runs approximately 30 minutes, and includes turns by an impressive cast: Elijah Wood (Ad-Rock), Seth Rogen (Mike D), Danny McBride (MCA), Jack Black (Future MCA), John C. Reilly (Future Mike D) and Will Ferrell (Future Ad-Rock).

Liza Moon Virus and MySQL Injection Attack - Security News

A SQL injection attack named "Liza Moon" after the first known web site to be compromised, has been spreading since December 2010, but appears to be accelerating and has to date affected millions of users.

There are two parts to this virus. First, the injection attack targets web sites running unpatched MySQL server instances, and once compromised, re-directs users to another web site that announces that the user's PC is infected and offers the download of "Windows Stability Center" to address this - a file which actually contains a trojan and is the second phase of the attack. The Windows Stability Center interface is very professional and the way that it presents threats makes it easy to understand how people are being duped into entering their information.

Drinking Out of Cups - My Favorite Memes

There are certain odd videos and e-mails that come along every once in a while and become wildly popular overnight - "going viral" is the popular term. I am not sure just what it is about this one, but it bears watching, and re-watching,and lots of quoting (NSFW):

Mint.com - Web Service Review

Mint.com has been around for a few years, but I often find friends who are not aware of it, and as a fan, I like to spread the word.  Mint is a web-based service which allows you to collect and track all of your personal financial data in one place.  For me it has been a life-saver and allowed me to really get a picture of where my money is spent, and how to plan savings.

When you first log into Mint, you enter your various online accounts, along with passwords.  Mint has every bank account, credit card, loan, mortgage and investment that I use, and from the listings, I imagine they will cover just about everyone.  Mint securely contacts each of your accounts and aggreates the data, creating charts and reports of your combined finances.  It also has features which allow you to set budgets and goals.  Budgets are useful to track your spending during a given month on certain categories of spending, while goals allow you to set longer-term targets for savings, such as retirement. 

Another Season of MLB's Ridiculous Blackout Policies

While watching my Mets lose their first Opening Day game in six years, the masochist in me decided to take a look at the MLB.tv subscription package for this year, so that I can be as connected as possible to every excruciating moment the Metropolitans are likely to put me through. My first impression was a good one, with the availability of high-definition video and a wide array of client devices, as well as audio feeds, fantasy player tracking, and DVR-type controls on some platforms. Then the ugly truth stuck me anew - YOU STILL CAN'T WATCH YOUR HOME TEAM PLAY LIVE!

Today's technologies have made streaming video ubiquitous, and Major League Baseball has been surprisingly adept in keeping up with the many available outlets for IP video. This year's MLB.tv package offers a wide array of viewing options for your subscription - iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch, Apple TV, PC, Roku, Boxee, Android, Samsung and LG televisions and more.

MLB Blackout Map