memory for your mother, for Mother's Day

Mother's Day is Sunday (May 9th). Lexar is suggesting that you consider giving portable memory storage (for data) as a gift...

At first thought, it may not seem like a great idea...but, hold on: it's something she can keep things on and take with her anywhere she goes. She can put important information on it, like a will and health records. Pictures and videos can be available for her to show-off. And, she can copy some music files so she can listen to them.

They can be very stylish. For example, Lexar has drives available in different colors and sizes:

16GB JumpDrive FireFly (Red)

8GB JumpDrive FireFly (Charcoal)

4GB JumpDrive FireFly (White)

2GB JumpDrive FireFly (Black)

"...It also serves as a fashionable accessory and comes with a key chain hole so it can be easily tethered onto a key ring, attached to a backpack, or hooked to a purse or briefcase..."

To enhance it as a gift, I thought you can: purchase a USB drive...copy files to it that she will love (pictures, audio recordings, and videos of and from family)...and then give it to her on Mother's Day. With a tissue, because there's a good chance she might think it's so sweet she'll shed a tear or two...

http://lexar.com/jumpdrive/jd_firefly.html

Yeti USB microphone review

"You have a package...and it's 'heavy'..."

So, I'm thinking I need to warm-up to keep from pulling a muscle...until I saw the box was 10 inches tall, and 5 to 6 inches wide on the sides. It only weighed about 3.5 pounds. (Based on the description by others, maybe we Americans really do need to exercise more...)

"Look, ma...it's a Yeti!"

(in my best Marlin Perkins voice)
"The Yeti...or, 'Abominable Snowman'...is a mythological creature. An ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region..." (Thanks, Wikipedia.)

However, the "Yeti" I received from Blue Microphones connects via USB. And, it's got "toys".

"The Yeti is the most advanced and versatile multi-pattern USB microphone available anywhere. Combining three capsules and four different pattern settings...THX Certified..."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"THX certifies products for your entire home entertainment experience."

"THX Certified Multimedia Products are designed and engineered for PC gaming and multimedia on the desktop."

"...A rigid THX testing process ensures the fidelity of the recording always remains true to its source, allowing you to accurately capture voice-overs, interviews and other sound elements with confidence..."

* Ultimate recording and playback fidelity: Superior design, quality and rigorous lab testing by THX affirms the best possible recording and playback fidelity.

--------------------------------------------------------------------



On the front of the microphone there is a mute button, and a volume control for the headphone jack which is at the bottom of the microphone.



At the rear is a gain control, and the pattern selector for:
Omnidirectional (picks up sound equally from all directions)...
Stereo mode (left and right)...
Cardioid (for recording sound directly in front of the microphone)...
and Bidirectional (the microphone picks up sound at the front and rear of the microphone).



Omnidirectional and Stereo modes should give better quality, because the other two modes are attempting to "reject" sound.

Available on the bottom is a threaded mic stand mount. (Sweet!) On one side of that is a Mini-USB jack, and the 3.5mm headphone jack on the other.

A ten foot USB cord is included.

---------------------------------------

When I plugged the microphone into a computer that has Windows Vista as its operating system, the microphone was installed, and it works. End of review.

I mean...that's it. At this time, I have nothing else to report. Other than I've been keeping it very close to me when I sleep. And a baseball bat nearby...

I love it. Get it...use it. I plan on doing so...you will be hearing from the Yeti. And me.

http://www.bluemic.com/yeti/

http://www.facebook.com/bluemicrophones

free software to access HFS/Mac file systems

For a limited time, Paragon Software is giving free licenses for HFS for Windows:

"HFS for Windows enables the use of Mac-formatted partitions in Windows operating systems...

"...Windows cannot read from and write to HFS+ partitions. This limits the ability to exchange or share files between Windows and Mac OS X file systems...

"Paragon HFS for Windows is designed to provide full (read and write) access to HFS+ partitions. It can be installed on all versions of Windows..."

---------------------------------------------

"HFS for Windows, the only software that lets you read Apple iPods, Macs and iPad data from a Windows PC...

"If you have an iPod you may probably know that it contains all your music inside some sly hidden folders. When you attach your iPod (excluding Touch models) to the system it can be seen as a simple Removable Flash Drive..."

Even if you don't need it now, do consider that having this software might be very helpful in the future...

Stoplight Clock to keep the kids in bed

I have a friend who posted on a social networking service that, as most kids do, his daughter will awaken and get out bed before she should...until he purchased a particular clock.

It's the Stoplight Sleep Enhancing Clock.

"...toddlers know their colors and understand that red means stop and green means go...When the red light is on, kids will understand that it is still time to sleep. When the green light turns on, kids will know that it is time to get out of bed. A digital clock and optional beeping alarm function are also included as well as a nightlight feature that can be used separately."

To keep time constant in the clock due to a power outage, it needs two AA batteries (which are not included).

The clocks are also available from Lillian Vernon, Amazon, and One Step Ahead.

updates coming for the iPhone (and iPod Touch)

Apple has announced a new operating system...or "update", if you will...to the iPhone and iPod Touch. It will not work with ALL models of iPhones and the iPod Touch.

"iPhone OS 4 will ship this summer for iPhone and iPod touch, and for iPad in the fall...

"...New features include the following:

"Multitasking...you’ll be able to make a Voice over IP call while playing a game or checking email, find a restaurant on Urbanspoon while listening to Pandora, and more.

"Folders...Organize apps into folders with drag-and-drop simplicity...

"See messages from all your email accounts displayed together in a unified inbox, switch between inboxes more quickly, organize messages by threads, and even open attachments in third-party apps.

(COMPATIBILITY)

"iPhone OS 4 will work with iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and the second- and third-generation iPod touch this summer, and with iPad in the fall. Not all features are compatible with all devices. For example, multitasking is available only with iPhone 3GS and the third-generation iPod touch (32GB and 64GB models from late 2009)."

the windows are closing on Windows (XP and Vista)

Support is ending for some versions of Windows.

April 13, support for Windows Vista without any service packs will end...

and on July 13, support for Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) will end.

If you're running one of these versions after support ends, you won't get security updates for Windows.

"An unsupported version of Windows will no longer receive software updates from Windows Update. These include security updates that can help protect your PC from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software, which can steal your personal information..."

"...To continue support, make sure you've installed Windows Vista SP2.

"...To continue support, make sure you've installed Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)."

"There's no SP3 for the 64-bit version of Windows XP. If you're running the 64-bit version of Windows XP with SP2, you have the latest service pack and will continue to be eligible for support and receive updates until April 8, 2014...

"Even if you have an unsupported version of Windows XP or Windows Vista without any service packs, Windows will continue to start and run as usual."

DON'T PRESS F1!!!

There have been reports of attacks on computers from the internet via Internet Explorer...

===================================

"Microsoft is investigating new public reports of a vulnerability...on supported versions of Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 through the use of Internet Explorer..."

Affected Software

Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4

Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows XP Service Pack 3, and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003 with SP2 for Itanium-based Systems, and Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition Service Pack 2

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/981169.mspx

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"On Friday 2/26/2010, an issue was posted publicly that...an attacker...could convince a user to visit the web page and then get them to press the F1 key in response to a pop up dialog box....

"Anyone believed to have been affected can visit: http://www.microsoft.com/protect/support/default.mspx and should contact the national law enforcement agency in their country. Those in the United States can contact Customer Service and Support at no charge (for computer security related issues) using the PC Safety hotline at 1-866-727-2338 (PCSAFETY). Customers outside of the United States can visit http://support.microsoft.com/international to find local support information."

http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2010/02/28/investigating-a-new-win32hlp-and-internet-explorer-issue.aspx

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"...Windows 2000 and Windows XP are impacted...Windows 2003 Server is also impacted...With this issue, it is possible for a malicious web page to display a dialog box which will trigger the execution of arbitrary code when the user presses the F1 key. The prompt can appear repeatedly when dismissed, nagging the user to press the F1 key. Platforms are affected regardless of the Internet Explorer version installed."

http://blogs.technet.com/srd/archive/2010/03/01/help-keypress-vulnerability-in-vbscript-enabling-remote-code-execution.aspx