http://www.futyalumni.net Just another WordPress weblog Sat, 04 Sep 2010 04:03:49 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en • 1. A chain of trust. As the old security saying goes, "the security chain is only as strong as its weakest link." Microsoft has done a good job making Windows more secure with each iteration but it really doesn't matter if the bad guys compromise your data by ... http://www.futyalumni.net/2010/09/04/microsofts-chain-of-trust/ As News.com's Maggie Reardon has told us, the FCC's ongoing 700MHz auction is proceeding along, albeit a bit slower than the FCC would like. Unlike in previous auctions, the FCC is not identifying the names of top bidders at the close of each round. Yet, a look at the full ... http://www.futyalumni.net/2010/08/31/who-wants-some-wireless-spectrum/ Google made an environmental gesture today by turning the lights out on the U.S. version of its search page. The black background doesn't save energy, but it's Google's way of observing Earth Hour. The global event, created by the World Wildlife Fund, encourages people around the world to turn off ... http://www.futyalumni.net/2010/08/24/google-goes-dark-for-earth-hour/ For anyone who is beginning to tire of the three-months-and-counting Microhoo buyout drama, get those "thank you" cards prepped for six key people, should a deal get done this weekend, say sources familiar with the negotiations. Some of these folks you'd expect to be heavily involved in wooing Yahoo's investor base ... http://www.futyalumni.net/2010/08/21/microhoos-six-key-players-work-their-magic/ Click here to view gallery. Never mind freeze-dried ice cream and Tang--it seems modern-day astronauts are now taking a certain Apple gadget into outer space. A recently released NASA photo of the space shuttle Endeavour shows an iPod sitting in the window console. Click here to view the News.com gallery: "Photos: iPod flies ... http://www.futyalumni.net/2010/08/21/photos-ipods-in-space/ Big-name professional athletes are known for throwing money around almost as much as they throw balls, but it's not every day you hear about them investing in a social-networking site. Youth sports network Weplay, however, is an exception: Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning, and LeBron James have joined its $8.6 million ... http://www.futyalumni.net/2010/08/21/jeter-manning-join-86-million-weplay-round/ In talking to Mark Law, the new VP of product development for AOL's MapQuest, I was surprised to learn how powerful the service still is. To my mind the formerly leading mapping system is a trailing contender against Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and Ask.com, but apparently MapQuest is still ... http://www.futyalumni.net/2010/08/21/mapquest-inches-toward-modernity/ Google product manager Amar Gandhi announced in a blog post on Tuesday night that there have been "a couple of modifications" to the company's release of OpenSocial compatibility for its Orkut social network. In other words, there appears to be some red tape. Instead of immediately rolling out the Orkut platform, ... http://www.futyalumni.net/2010/08/21/google-opensocial-on-orkut-is-coming-we-promise/ Microsoft hopes to back up its refrain that it has a plan to catch Google by showing off some improvements to its Live Search product at a company-sponsored advertising conference later this month. "We will start to show you the next version of the search," Chairman Bill Gates said in comments ... http://www.futyalumni.net/2010/08/21/microsoft-to-show-new-search-tech-this-month/ Toshiba's new Horizon pattern. (Credit: Toshiba) With a lineup of perfectly serviceable, but not exactly standout mainstream laptops, Toshiba's Satellite line has long played second-fiddle to the company's excellent Qosmio multimedia laptops. Aiming to correct this, Toshiba today unveiled an entirely redesigned Satellite line, with what is being called a new "Horizon" ... http://www.futyalumni.net/2010/08/21/toshiba-breaks-out-the-pinstripes-for-new-satellit/