Shai Perednik.com

So it turns out Google Wave isn’t actually dead…

System — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:41:00 +0000

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While prevailing sentiment seemed to be that Google Wave is all but finished as a standalone product, Google has made a pair of big announcements about the service. Google’s Alex North has published a blog post which seems to indicate that something different is going on.

Wave is not so much dead, as preparing to enter the second chapter of its saga. To that end, Google will be open sourcing additional code (more than 200,000 lines were already open). That doesn’t mean the entire project is going OSS as you may have read elsewhere. Think of the Chromium/Chrome model — while the vast majority is open, there are certain things which Google can’t (codecs, for example) and others they simply don’t make part of the open source code.

They’re also working on delivering Wave-in-a-box, which would include a server and web client that developers and administrators could self-deploy and manage. Heck, maybe you’ll even be able to slide a Google Collaboration box into your rackmount underneath that fancy search appliance.

Moral: don’t count Wave out just yet. It’s back for round two, and its code will no doubt be cropping up in other Google apps soon enough.

So it turns out Google Wave isn’t actually dead… originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Wave – Google – Open source – Download Squad – Server

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So it turns out Google Wave isn’t actually dead… originally appeared on Shai Perednik.com on September 3, 2010.

FileKiller is a tiny, portable utility which can securely delete files

System — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:40:34 +0000

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Filed under: Security, Utilities, Productivity

I’ve previously covered Eraser for deleting files securely. Eraser stayed installed on my system for a while, and I must say that, eventually, I found it annoying. It autostarted on boot and despite my attempts to keep it from doing so, it persisted.

Just the other day, I finally uninstalled Eraser — and today, I found FileKiller. It’s a tiny (27KB), open source, portable GUI utility for doing the same thing.

FileKiller is a single window. It doesn’t support drag-and-drop and won’t add any context menu entries, but it gets the job done. You add files using the Select Files button, and then you click the red-captioned KILL Files on Grid button (way to go on the drama there). The application then BRUTALLY SLAUGHTERS all of those files by overwriting them with random data, blank characters, or specific ASCII characters for however many times you wish (default is five iterations).

I wish I could drag files onto the list or the program’s icon (to add them to the list), but besides this minor irritation, FileKiller seems like a low friction way to securely remove unwanted files.

FileKiller is a tiny, portable utility which can securely delete files originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FileKiller is a tiny, portable utility which can securely delete files originally appeared on Shai Perednik.com on September 3, 2010.

Google’s “Things to do” helps you show the power of Google to non-techies

System — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:40:06 +0000

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Filed under: Business, Google, Education

For most people, “Google” has become synonymous with “search”. Heck, Cambridge dictionary lists it as a verb.

But as we all know, Google can do lots more than just search. You’ve got Gmail, and YouTube, and Maps, and the calculator, and a whole bunch of other Web properties.

While Gmail is enormously popular, not all Google projects fare so well (cough Wave cough). Even most of the search operators for Google itself are confined to the geekier crowd.

One thing Google UK has done to make its service more accessible to the non-geeky crowd is create Things to do. There’s no US version at Google.com, but the British one is lots of fun, especially for guys who don’t know Google so well.

It’s basically a long list of things a normal person might want to do online (no, porn is not represented … but that doesn’t mean you’re not normal, don’t worry). The lines are couched in informal British English, which makes it all the more amusing. Being a nerd, I knew I could personalize my YouTube channel, but I didn’t know I could “glam it up”.

The whole page is a JavaScript accordion: Each tip has a + sign next to it. Clicking the line (or the sign) opens up the line, and you get a short YouTube clip demonstrating the feature, or a Search box for the specific service (for example, Google Scholar).

Bottom line: This is a very nice resource for sending to clueless friends who are wondering what sort of things they could use Google for. Saves lots of explaining – and hey, you might even find something that’s new for you!

Google’s “Things to do” helps you show the power of Google to non-techies originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google – YouTube – search – Search Engines – Google Wave

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Google’s “Things to do” helps you show the power of Google to non-techies originally appeared on Shai Perednik.com on September 3, 2010.

Norton’s best idea ever: Hack is Wack! contest, featuring Snoop Dogg

System — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:21:11 +0000

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You know, if there’s one genre of music I think of when I’m pondering issues related to cyber-security, it’s rap. And if there’s one rapper I think of when I’m in the mood for lyrics which don’t mention any kind of illegal activities, it’s Snoop Dogg.

Yes, those are two of the most ridiculous sentences I’ve ever written at Download Squad, but whatcha gonna do? This isn’t a situation I ever expected to encounter. Behold, the Hack is Wack! contest to raise cyber-crime awareness!

The contest, of course, is based on the old geek hit “Don’t Copy That Floppy,” the early 90’s hit sponsored by the fine folks at the Software Publisher’s Association. Hack is Wack! is different, of course. Hey, it’s 2010 now, and contests like this are crowdsourced — so take off your shirt, pull your pants down below your waistline, and get ready to drop some plates.

First prize is a Toshiba laptop and tickets to a Snoop show — where you get to meet (wait for it) his management team and agent. Yeah. Fo’shizzle. Now on to their choice for spokesperson…

I love you, Snoop, but as much as I enjoy listening to you refer to yourself as the d-o-double-g, you seem like an odd fit for this project. Your rap sheet, after all, makes it appear like this could be some kind of nutty judge’s idea of community service.

At any rate, someone please inform Paul Barman of this contest and make sure he enters immediately.

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Norton’s best idea ever: Hack is Wack! contest, featuring Snoop Dogg originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Snoop Dogg – Rapping – Download Squad – Arts – Toshiba

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Norton’s best idea ever: Hack is Wack! contest, featuring Snoop Dogg originally appeared on Shai Perednik.com on September 3, 2010.

PerformanceTest by PassMark lets you benchmark and compare your system

System — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:20:45 +0000

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Filed under: Shareware

“I need a new computer!” is a cry often heard by parents and system administrators alike. But often, the problem isn’t in the hardware – if the user isn’t an avid gamer or using a really ancient system, more often than not the problem is a crudded-up Windows installation (yes, I know, “this doesn’t happen on Linux”).

Proving to your user/kid that the hardware isn’t the problem is often easier said than done. What they see is just a slow computer, but PassMark’s PerformanceTest may be able to help you prove that the hardware isn’t all that wimpy.

First of all, you should know this is a Shareware product. You get it for a 30-day free eval period, after which you should buy it. But for most home users, 30 days should be plenty – you just want to see if you should buy a new computer, and if so, how much would that computer really be better than what you have now.

PerformanceTest runs a fairly comprehensive battery of tests, including CPU, graphics (2D and 3D), memory, hard-drive and CD performance. It then lets you upload the results onto its online database, and you can also pull information from the database to compare your system to right within the program.

For some reason, I was unable to find other systems listed as running Windows 7 x64, and so I had to compare my system with rigs running Vista x64.

Even if you don’t want to benchmark your own system, the database provides some very illuminating statistics. If you’re on the market for a new system, you should definitely take a stroll through some of the charts.

PerformanceTest by PassMark lets you benchmark and compare your system originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 7 – Windows Vista – Microsoft Windows – Shareware – Linux

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PerformanceTest by PassMark lets you benchmark and compare your system originally appeared on Shai Perednik.com on September 3, 2010.

Skype 5.0 beta 2 has 10-way video calls and dropped call recovery

System — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:20:20 +0000

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Filed under: Utilities, Windows, VoIP

If you’re a Skype for Windows user, you’re in luck; Skype 5.0 beta 2 is here. The marquee feature is 10-way video calling; that’s up from a limit of five in the previous beta version of Skype. Even if you’d never talk to nine other people at once, there are still reasons to upgrade, including automatic call recovery, better call quality, and a new UI.

Note that group calling is still Windows-only, so everyone on the call will need to have the Windows version of the Skype beta. Also, remember that this is still a beta version, so I wouldn’t go hosting any 10-way business conferences or nuclear disarmament talks on Skype just yet.

For everyone else, this beta is worth testing just for the auto-redial on those pesky dropped calls.

Skype 5.0 beta 2 has 10-way video calls and dropped call recovery originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype 5.0 beta 2 has 10-way video calls and dropped call recovery originally appeared on Shai Perednik.com on September 3, 2010.

Weird iPhone 4 deals in Belgium

System — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:20:04 +0000

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Belgium is a very particular country in Europe, because it is forbidden to sell simlocked phones. A Phone bought there is therefore very easy to resell anywhere in the world. Belgium iPhone, a french speaking belgian website published a story denouncing a Mobistar reseller that allegedly gave some money (sometimes up to 500€) under the table to get more iPhone than allowed by his quota. In order to still make some money, he allegedly decided to sell only half of his stock to his regular costumers, selling the other half on the web through eBay or other websites. The extra 350€ he was making on each allowed him to easily get reimbursed of his "investment".

This story will likely start an enquiry at Apple and Mobistar, one of the leading carriers in Belgium.

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Weird iPhone 4 deals in Belgium originally appeared on Shai Perednik.com on September 3, 2010.

Steve Jobs becomes Paul Otellini’s strategist

System — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:41:40 +0000

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According to Channelnews, Paul Otellini CEO of Intel, apparently asked Steve Jobs for his opinion before deciding to aquire Infineon Mobile Division. Steve Jobs was apparently very happy to see Intel get that techonoly that is already in the iPhones.
We have to say that we are surprised, not because Steve Jobs was asked his opinion, but because Otellini confirmed it. It is rare for the CEO of a huge company to admit that he needed to be comforted in his choice. It looks like he needed Steve Jobs’ approval to decide over that expensive purchase.

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Steve Jobs becomes Paul Otellini’s strategist originally appeared on Shai Perednik.com on September 3, 2010.

Event streaming to stress-test new datacenter

System — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:41:30 +0000

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Not much of a surprise, but nice to have some details: Cult of Mac cites a source close to Apple saying that the live stream of today’s iPod event will be used to put some real-time load on Apple’s new North Carolina data center. The facility isn’t all the way operational quite yet, but it’s apparently ready enough to play a major role in today’s festivities.

The NC datacenter is five times the size of Apple’s similar facility on the West Coast and is officially intended to support the iTunes music and app stores. Obviously there’s a lot more horsepower needed for streaming content, so here’s where you’ll find it.

As noted last night, today’s live stream is intended for Intel Mac OS X 10.6 users in Safari, iPhone/iPod touch users running iOS 3.1 or higher, and iPad users. Support for the HTTP Live Streaming methodology is included in the current version of the ffmpeg open source library, so in theory apps like Mplayer should be able to handle the stream; VLC may also work.

TUAW Event streaming to stress-test new datacenter originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Event streaming to stress-test new datacenter originally appeared on Shai Perednik.com on September 3, 2010.

The fastest Mac in the World is a Hackintosh

System — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:41:24 +0000

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Macintouch tested the fasted computer running Mac OS X and of course, it is a Hackintosh. Of course, because Apple has always refused to allow overclocking on the Mac.
The computer they tested is more or less the equivalent of a Mac Pro built around a motherboard hosting to Xeon Westmere. THey chose the most powerful processors, two Xeon X5680 running on 6 cores at 3.33 GHz. these processors cost as much as $1700 – each – so Apple limits the Mac Pro at 2.93 GHz. These two processors were then overclocked to 4.2 GHz.

The results are very impressive:

It is truly the fastest computer running Mac OS X. Of COurse, everything is not as simple as on a real Mac, since compatibility can never be perfect. Also to have such processors frequencies, you have to accept a very noisy machine.
Even if it is a very nice technical achievement, we cannot publicly endorse the Hackintosh, even though we continue to think that there would be a market for a computer between the iMac and the Mac Pro that has become too expensive.

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The fastest Mac in the World is a Hackintosh originally appeared on Shai Perednik.com on September 3, 2010.