IN THE NEWS
Win 8.1 Arrives – Boot To Desktop and Sync.
It’s kind of ironic that Microsoft managed to annoy nearly everyone with Win 8, and has now spent the past year compensating for the havoc it wreaked. This is not to say there aren’t some real improvements in 8.1. Most reviewers feel it’s a positive upgrade (free) that helps correct a confusing interface and adds some new features.
For many however, the return of the start button reigns supreme. More importantly, perhaps, is the ability to boot to desktop with a simple point and click.
Here’s how:
Other improvements include a baked-in Sky Drive, faster shutdown, IE 11, a more unified smart search with Bing, and the ability to resize app tiles, to name but a few.
Will this be enough to convince small business and consumers to abandon earlier versions of Windows? Time will tell, but Microsoft has some substantial credibility issues to overcome.
By the way, for IT pros Zdnet has a free ebook written by Ed Bott: Introducing Windows 8.1 for IT Professionals. More on Win 8.1 can be found at Information Week and Technology Guide[divider]
PHP.Net Confirms Malicious Malware Attack:
The security breach was confirmed last week after Google’s “Safe Browsing” service blacklisted the site. The PHP group initially thought the warning was a false positive, but a more thorough investigation shows malicious JavaScript code was injected into one of the site’s files. That coded executed exploits from a third party website that, if successful installed a piece of malware on visitors’ computers.
According to PHP, two servers were compromised and all services on those computers have been migrated off. PHP will reset user passwords, has revoked their old SSL certificate and is in process of getting a new certificate. More at PHP.Net, PC World
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3D Printers Hot Ticket Item:
While some may think of it as child’s play, 3D printing may be the beginning of a new paradigm for manufacturing, prototyping, computing and science. For example, NASA will be getting into the act by sending a 3D printer with its astronauts to manufacture (rather than haul) some of the tools they need. The pretty cool headphones pictured here at Wired were designed by Teague Labs’ John Mabry as a project.
According to Gartner, consumer and enterprise 3D printer shipments are growing at 95.4% and revenue at 81.9% from 2012 through 2017. Gartner predicts the 3D printer market will grow from $288 million to more than $5.7 billion by 2017. More at Techcrunch and Elite Daily
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Quick Takes
Mozilla releases Lightbeam an application that lets you know who is watching you online. When you activate Lightbeam and visit a website, this add-on creates a real time visualization of all the third parties that are active on that page. See more at Zdnet
Does walking alone at night give you the creeps? If you have a Smartphone, several new personal safety apps act as your guardian. Although most are subscription based, the small costs could be a real life-saver. One example for college students: Guardly Safe Campus. Others from TechHive are here.
Apple’s OS X Mavericks 10.9.
The good news: it’s free and it further refines the OS. The other news: there’s nothing particularly stellar or innovative. See more at Techcrunch, Engadget, Cnet
The iPhone 5s. What’s Not To Like?
iPhone 5s also features a new operating system, iOS 7. iOS 7 features include AirDrop, local person-to-person file sharing; an updated FaceTime for free wireless calls; and a flip-up control panel. Other aspects of the new operating system are said to be somewhat confusing.
Human error may have caused a sensitive data breach for about 145,000 people who applied online for jobs at the school within the last ten years. The compromised data includes names, addresses, employment and education history, as well as data on prior convictions. In over 16,000 individuals the compromised data included driver’s license numbers.
Google drive, as you might know, lets you store your stuff in one place so you can access it from anywhere and share with whomever. Now, Google Drive gets more to love with more apps linked directly to Drive. LifeHacker and some other online sites have some great ideas about apps that maximize Drive as well as Gmail, Google Search and Chrome. Here are just a few.
That means you have been or likely will be attacked – Really. Truly. No fooling. So what to do? One nifty program, MaskMe, is an easy to use browser add-on and mobile app designed to protect your email account, your phone number and your credit cards and your passwords. It acts as your personal, kung-fu bodyguard, so to speak. 
As we’ve mentioned, SiteVision was honored to be awarded a VITA (Virginia Information Technology Agency) statewide contract for the Commonwealth’s electronic government (eGov) services. The contract is for advanced Hosting and related technologies. All Virginia public bodies, including state agencies, universities, school systems and localities, can use the eGov contracts.
there’s room for improvement, what’s not to like about a little $35 thumb-drive sized USB streaming device that plugs into your HDMI TV and uses almost any of your devices as a remote control. For example: open your Netflix or the You Tube app on any device and stream away. The app doesn’t steam. It’s sends a signal to the ChromeCast device. It’s amazingly simple and easy to set up according to reviews. And did we say this innovative little streaming device is about as inexpensive as you can get? 
The new Nexus 7 was another show stopper. It sports the highest resolution to date of any tablet out there – a simply gorgeous screen. Apple, did you hear that? 
Google has said it will begin to regularly publish Internet security data on malware and phishing scams that infect computers and steal consumer information. The weekly reports will include the number of offending sites and their map locations. The company said it finds about 10,000 such sites a day. Google will also disclose government and law enforcement requests for user data. The data will be included in 
New Rules for SiteVision Email!
No More Parking Tickets?
Devs: If You Don’t Play Nice, Google Will Brick Your Google Glasses.
Aw, Our Beloved Mouse Is Probably Going, Going, Gone!
Holy Moly! Oracle Fixes 42 Holes in Java.
Buh-Bye Google Reader!
Hello! A Tablet That Can Call Home.
Do Operating Systems Matter Anymore?
Microsoft has confirmed that a zero-day vulnerability affecting older versions of Internet Explorer could allow attackers to gain control of Windows-based computers to host malicious Web sites. The vulnerability affects older browsers through IE 8 and can be mitigated. For more information 
How to Secure Your Android Device