March 17th Posting

There are always ways to bypass filters and restrictions put on the Internet user whether it is at work, school or just in general. Internet users can use a few different ways such as VPNs, DNS' or proxy servers to bypass them to make it seem you are somewhere you are not or to view otherwise restricted websites.

If you want to seem you are somewhere you are not, you can sign into a website that is located in a different country or city and this will make it appear as if you are in that particular city or country by anyone that looks at it. Just make sure that you connect to the website by using that website's VPN.

Another way of making it seem like you are somewhere you are not is by using a DNS-based filter dodging service. People that use this type of service want to view videos or other streaming items that are shown on such sites as Netflix, Spotify or Pandora. Once a person changes to the filter dodging service, it will seem like they are within that country's website of the one you are viewing.

The third way someone can bypass filters is by using a proxy server. There are a few of these web-based proxy servers and a couple that even lists the names of other proxy servers if you cannot find an easy one to bypass blocks from a workplace. Proxy servers are not as secure or convenient as the first two I listed above, but easy to use.

Hoffman, Chris. (March 12, 2014). Bypassing Content Filters: How to See the Web They Don't Want You to See". PC World. Retrieved from http://www.pcworld.com/article/2106647/bypassing-content-filters-how-to-see-the-web-they-dont-want-you-to-see.html#tk.nl_pcwbest

March 4th Post

There will be a new phone device out possibly this summer geared towards government agencies and defense contractors and not the average consumer. The phone has been created by Boeing and will be called Boeing Black. If the device gets tampered with, it will self destruct by deleting the data and software that is on the device, which will make it inoperable. This phone will have the Google Android Operating system and it's calls and data will be encrypted. This will be the company, Boeing's first endeavor into cell phones, but they have always been involved in providing secured communications.

Isidore, Chris. (February 27, 2014). Boeing to Sell Phone that Can Self-Destruct. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/27/technology/mobile/boeing-phone/index.html

February 25th Posting

There are five other cheaper options to Acrobat for PDF editing. Acrobat's basic edit PDF runs around $299 & the Pro version is around $449. Nitro Pro, Qoppa PDF Studio 8 Pro, PDF-XChange Editor 3.0, CutePDF Professional 3.7 and PDFescape are the other options available.

NitroPro's cost is around $140 and is probably the next best thing to Acrobat. It has the options of watermarking, splitting large documents into smaller pieces and page numbering. It also has the ability to export PDFs to a variety of Microsoft Office formats (including Powerpoint). This is a wonderful PDF option especially if you are looking for the advanced editing features.

Quoppa PDF Studio 8 Pro offers two versions which is the standard that will cost around $89 and the advanced version for around $129. This product's OCR (optical character recognition) runs slower than Acrobat and NitroPro but it is a good choice for OCR-based conversions and page manipulation and mark-ups. It also includes features that help with cloud-based storage systems. The downside of this product is that it is not great for editing documents or other file types.

PDF-Xchange Editor 3.0's costs around $44 and is does okay with the basic features. You can only import documents with this product and cannot export to other formats. It has many options for someone to comment on existing documents.

CutePDF Professional 3.7 runs around $50 and is just a basic option and is only good if you just need markup tools. There is no way to import or export documents.

PDFescape is free and is cloud-based. The editing options are limited but you can load up to 10 files at a time, but files are deleted after 7 days of no use. With this program, you can share files but only for viewing and not editing.

Null, Christopher. (February 13, 2014). 5 Cheaper Alternatives to Acrobat for PDF Editing. PCWorld.com. Retrieved from http://www.pcworld.com/article/2096946/5-cheaper-alternatives-to-acrobat-for-pdf-editing.html#tk.nl_pcwbest

February 18th Post

SanDisk has developed a dual USB drive that can be used with tablets, PCs and Android smartphones to transfer files. It has a USB plug on one end and a Micro-B USB plug on the other. The thumb drive comes in 16GB, 32GB and a 64GB and depending on the storage space of the device depends on the price. The 32GB costs around $30 which is more than people are used to paying for thumb drives. You can plug it into the device you want to transfer from, transfer the files, unplug it and then plug it into the device you would like to transfer to and transfer your files. The convenience of transferring your files makes up for the price. This device is a great file manager, small and has both Type A and Micro-B USB plugs. You may have to remove your phone's case for it to work and the it is speed limited by the USB 2.0 interface.

Brown, Michael. (February 2014). SanDisk Ultra Dual USB Drive Review: Android File Transfers Made Easy. PCWorld.com. Retrieved from http://www.pcworld.com/article/2097401/sandisk-ultra-dual-usb-drive-review-android-file-transfers-made-easy.html#tk.nl_pcwbest

February 11th Post

Instant messaging is a quick program that allow people to chat instantly with someone else instead of a call or by using e-mail. By using instant messaging, you can connect with someone instantly, view videos, play sounds, share files, and many other items. Instant messaging first became popular in 1996 with ICQ. Approximately a year later, AOL had their own version of instant messaging and chat rooms and eventually acquired ICQ. Instant messaging is like most other things we use now. You download the application to where you want to use it, create your contact list of the people that use the program that you would like to contact and go from there. It is a great tool when you need a quick response and both parties are online and can take care of something quickly rather than wait for an e-mail.

Tyson, Jeff. How Instant Messaging Works. Retrieved from

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/e-mail-messaging/instant-messaging.htm

January 26th

One of the latest items in the computer world is the Tango PC. It's dimensions are 4.0" long, 3.15" wide and 0.5" thick, which enables someone to carry it in their pocket. It uses a docking station to charge and to cool down since there is not a fan on the portable device. The Tango PC cannot play high-end games but has capabilities for a user to play some of the older games. In the US, the price is expected to be around $299 and makers are projected to get it to their backers by April 2014. This version is anticipated to have 4GB of RAM, 32GB mSATA SSD drive and the Windows 7 Home Premium trial edition.

http://www.gizmag.com/tango-portable-pc/30591/

January 20th Blog

It is being reported now through a security firm that two individuals have been identified for being responsible for the Target POS attack. One of them is a 17 year old from Russia that created the malware known as Kaptoxa or BlackPOS. The other person provided technology support. The malware captured unencrypted details from the payment cards after they were swiped at a point of sale terminal and it has been said that it stole about 11 gigabytes of data. The security firm also reported that at least six other retailers may also have been hacked.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2089680/two-coders-closely-tied-to-targetrelated-malware-security-firm-says.html