XP SP2 Delayed

Here is the revised delivery schedule of Windows XP SP2:
8/16 - Release to Software Update Services.
8/18 - Release to Automatic Update for users running Windows XP Home Edition only.
8/25 - Release to Automatic Update for all Windows XP users including those running Windows XP Professional Edition; release to Windows Update for interactive user installations.

C’mon, MS, I’m tired of waiting! I want it now!

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In anticipation of XP’s SP2, I went ahead and uninstalled the beta version that I had been running on my laptop. OOPS! Big mistake! Apparently, those of us running the beta version would have been the first to receive the update, with the rollout having begun yesterday. [Picture me hitting my forehead with my hand and going "D'OH!"] Oh well, it seems the general public will beging getting the update starting sometime between August 16th and 25th. What’s with the staged rollout? Well, even with the server computing power of Microsoft, they have to limit their downloads. So, I was thinking, why not head on over to http://www.sp2torrent.com and get my SP2 as via bitTorrent? Well, because they stopped offering it, that’s why. Looks like they ended up caving to legal pressure from Microsoft. The notice at sp2torrent.com reads:

Sorry, no more downloads here…
Microsoft sent DMCA takedown notices to our two webhosts, one of which was just linking to a torrent file on another server. We’ve stood up to these kinds of legal threats before (see the Grey Tuesday protests), but we decided not to bother this time, because we started this site primarily as a demonstration and to that end it’s already been a huge success. SP2torrent.com showed how filesharing technlogy gives people without budgets or huge servers the power to solve problems themselves, without waiting for the government or some corporation to do it for them. For another demonstration that’s still in action, check out p2pcongress.org.

Some info via source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1634710,00.asp

I just read today that the creator of the CWShredder, Merijn Bellekom, will no longer be updating the program, saying that he “simply do[es] not have the tools to remove the latest variants. They are too aggressive or too complicated to allow for automated removal.” It’s a sad, sad day when the writers of nasty programs like CoolWebSearch are winning this battle. I also noticed that Bellekom’s website, www.spywareinfo.com has been down all day. I guess this is the end.

So is anyone else out there addicted to this, too? I just spent most of my Sunday watching the marathon on USA. The finale was at 9 PM, and, I must say…WTF? I was under the impression that this was THE finale of the show, but it left me completely hanging. What’s going to happen with the baby, with Shawn and Nikki, what’s Jordan’s deal?, and, what, pray tell, is the problem in the future that these 4400 are here to resolve? There were so many loose ends that it seems that this must be a season finale, not a series finale. But what’s strange is that nowhere on the USA website does it mention anything about a 2nd season. The bulletin boards are all ablaze with the same question: “Was that the end?”, as well as the pleas from the fans to bring it back. Well, here’s one more….Please! Bring it back!

P.S. The picture is wallpaper.

I just read that a lot of companies are beginning to think about using 2 passwords for authentication…I thought this was interesting enough to share…but it sounds a bit cumbersome to me….isn’t there an easier way?!

Quoted from Sr. Assoc. Ed., Andrew Brandt, of PCWorld.com:

Businesses call the arrangement “two-factor authentication,” but it boils down to having one password that you make up for yourself and another password that you get from someplace else. This is the computer equivalent of the security provided by a safety deposit box: Your key alone can’t open the box, and neither can the bank’s key; both parties need to use both keys at the same time. Here’s how one method might work: Your bank includes, with your monthly statement, a card with 50 passwords printed on it. Each password hides behind the same silvery stuff that obscures the numbers on a scratch-off lottery ticket. When you want to log in to your bank account online, you scratch off the silvery stripe covering one password, and then log in to the Web site with your user name, the password you created, and the password on the scratcher card. After you’ve used the scratched-off password, you can never use it again.

Online scams have gotten out of hand, haven’t they? The problems are getting WORSE, not better! Viruses, worms, trojans, spam, and now phishing…where the names of trusted companies are used in forged emails in an attempt to get victims’ personal information; things like usernames, passwords, credit cards numbers, & bank account numbers are stolen every day. At least there are some people out there trying to do something about it! The Anti-Phishing Working Group is an industry association that is committed to wiping out internet scams and fraud. They have their work cut out for them, don’t they? However, they have some big names for sponsors, including Verisign, Experian, and Microsoft. The site also has a lot of information on the current scams that are out there. Maybe in time, this will become the BBB of online business?