Audio is in MP3 format. To download
it to play later, right click on its link and opt to save the file
on your computer. To play a file
immediately, left click on its link (how immediate it plays depends
on the software on your computer and the speed of your Internet connection).
Shows consist of three segments: Technical Discussions for the first half hour, brief User Group
meeting announcements, then audience call-in for the second half hour. We thank
Streamload for hosting many of these files. Starting
in August 2005, WBAI archives shows in MP3 format and keeps them on-line for three months.
We also have text summaries of
recent shows and older shows.
Our guest was Paul Eng, Senior Web Editor for Consumer Reports who was here to discuss the recent
survey, in the just-released June issue of the magazine, on technical support and computer
repairs. This was a fund raising show. To donate to WBAI go to wbai.org/donate.
As usual, we offered a Gold Card for one year of tech support for $150.
We also offered a DVD toolkit - with lots of our favorite software for $55.
No listener phone calls. Listen now: (24Kbps)
A lawsuit about solid state hard disks. Can you really get Windows XP on the new
HP min-note laptops? Michael suggests waiting before installing Windows XP Service Pack 3.
Affiliate marketing. Paying taxes in New York on Internet purchases. Lenovo introduced a new ulta-small
laptop. No listener phone calls. Listen now: (24Kbps)
Our guest was David Perry of Trend Micro. Alfred was in the New York Times discussing
HDTVs, so we discussed them a bit too. Skype lets you call overseas for a flat $10/month.
Mac users may get access to a virtual clone for cheap. David warned that online banking in the US is not
nearly as secure as in other countries. Listener phone calls.
Listen now: (24Kbps)
The Torrentspy search engine shut down. A Macbook laptop was hacked easier than Windows Vista or Linux.
Sony BMG in France got caught using lots of stolen software. Apple is being sued for mis-representing the technical
specs of a 20 inch monitor. Dell is closing a plant in Texas. Finding the free ZoneAlarm firewall.
The NLite and VLite programs help lower the disk space used by Windows. What will Microsoft do about low-cost
laptops that now run Linux?
Many laptop computers may go begging for a battery due to a fire at a plant owned by LG Chem.
Some problems with Windows XP SP3 and Vista SP1.
Our guest was Jim Buckmaster, CEO at
craigslist.org. The show format was a bit unusual, we took phone calls for most of the show, but only calls
about craigslist.
There is very dangerous Spyware in digital picture frames.
Hank reviewed Windows XP Service Pack 3, he liked it.
Alfred reviewed a thing that does TV on a USB flash drive. Officialy called the PCTV HD Ultimate Stick, it
offers both a digital and analog TV tuner, includes software to make your computer a Tivo and video
editing software. Alfred also discussed the Logitech G15 gaming keyboard, which is not just for gamers.
Alfred loved the extra function keys that can be programmed like macros. He finds it a tremendous productivity booster.
Help us design an official T-shirt for the show. Arthur C. Clarke passed away.
Ziff Davis media, owner of PC Magazine filed for Chapter 11 bankrupcy. The New York Times had a
scalding article that described the bigest of bigshots at Microsoft at their bad experiences with Vista.
Two big dangers on the Internet are auction fraud and identity theft.
You can file your taxes for free online if you grossed under $50,000 but be careful doing so.
Beware of malicious emails bearing Hallmark eGreetings cards.
GoBack can be purchased for $30 but only as part of Norton SystemWorks.
The $360 laptop running Windows Vista basic. Joe reviewed Turbo Type and liked it.
Alfred reviewed the Sony eBook Reader.
Intel is working on new processors called Atom that consume less power.
The very few people that buy Vista at retail are getting a price cut.
No more Sony Trinitron TVs. Zapping the firmware on a router. Free SteadyState software
for Windows XP from Microsoft can be used to roll back changes to the C disk. Michael's Lenovo gripes.
Both Hotmail and Yahoo mail suffered outages. A bug fix for Windows Vista created a bug rather than fix one -
the system constantly re-boots. Microsoft is fined $1.5 billion. The Air Force is developing a big
brother computer system. We discussed some of our favorite software programs that are included in
our Toolkit CD premium.
You can donate to WBAI at any time at wbai.org. Our membership premiums are also available there.
HD will NOT be the dominant format for High Definition DVDs. Who is affected by the upcoming elimination of analog over the
air broadcasts. Hank reviewed the Cradlepoint WiFi router that supports three inputs; Evdo, wired Ethernet and some 3G
cellphones. All your computer stuff can be examined or seized when crossing a border into the U.S. Microsoft is giving
away all their development software to college students. This includes Windows 2003 server. See channel8.msdn.com for more.
Membership drive. You can donate to WBAI
by check or at WBAI.org. Donations at WBAI.org can be of any amount to the station or you can donate either $25 or
$55 to your favorite show. Our Gold Card for technical support can also be purchased at wbai.org at any time.
Membership drive. You can donate
to WBAI by check or at WBAI.org. Donations at WBAI.org can be of any amount to the station or you can donate either
$25 or $55 to your favorite show. This new feature just went live today. Our Gold Card for technical support can also be
purchased at wbai.org at any time.
Right click to download a show to your PC. In IE use "Save Target As". In Firefox use
"Save Link As".
JANUARY
Topics
Hosts
MP3 Audio
January 30
Reviews of the XO laptop from One Laptop Per Child and Pinnacle PC2TV (somewhat like Slingbox).
A broken underground cable caused large disruptions in Internet access in Egypt and India.
Bargains in rear projection TVs. A new 35mm CMOS image sensor from Sony. A huge amount of Apple
iPhones were sold but not activated. InfoWorld has a petition to keep Windows XP alive.
Our topic was Microsoft Unified Communications and our guest was Steven Chirico, a senior technical specialist at
Microsoft. Also, Alfred reviewed an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) product from ABBYY called FineReader 9.0
Professional Edition. He loved it.
Our guest was Ben Patterson, the "gadget hound" at Yahoo Tech.
We discussed the new Apple ultra-thin laptop, the Macbook Air. There are quite a problems with it such
as a non-removable battery, a single USB port and no Ethernet, Firewire or Express card ports.
Both Ben and Alfred were at the recent CES show in Vegas and reported on the latest.
We also discussed the current state of HD TV and a bit about gaming.
Ben was very impressed with a video headset that is great for gaming.
Our guest was David Perry, the Global Director of Information at Trend Micro.
In a recent test all anti-virus software did a poor job at detecting new viruses. Malicious software (malware) is now
very big business with organized crime behind some of it. Trend Micro gets 2,000 to 3,000 new malware samples every
hour. Their new approach is to dynamically analyze the Internet connection looking for suspicious activity. At CES
David was most impressed with robots, video goggles and a Sony OLED 23 inch television with stunning picture quality.