Bill Lindner

Facebook, the world's largest social networking site, recently announced that it has 300 million active monthly users around the globe. Facebook was not expected to turn a profit until 2010 but has also announce their cash flow is started to trickle ... in. Reports suggest that revenue is supported by applications sold through the site and also by online advertising. (Source: theatlantic.com ) Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg recently blogged on the importance of their achievement, and he remains ambitious about the site's future. "This is important to us because it sets Facebook up to be a ... (view more)

Ever wonder how poorly Windows Vista fared after reading all the bad press since its launch? Real-world PC usage data from the exo.performance.network (EPN) suggests just how much of a flop Windows Vista has been for Microsoft. Despite Microsoft's ... claims about Windows Vista's deployment , PC sales were counted as Windows Vista sales by Microsoft, despite the fact that many users and enterprises were 'downgrading' to Windows XP. In fact, two years after Vista's release, not even 30 per cent of PCs are actually running it. (Source: infoworld.com ) Those that are running Vista are almost ... (view more)

Nokia, the world's top mobile phone maker, is poised to release a netbook running a stripped-down version of Microsoft's upcoming Windows 7 operating system. But, is a netbook a wise decision for Nokia? Nokia's profit margins have dropped over the ... last few quarters and some analysts are worried that entering the PC industry could hurt Nokia's profits even further. Fresh Perspective Offering Continuous Connectivity Nokia views their entry into the PC industry as an opportunity to bring fresh perspective to the PC world. The company, known best for its work in the cellphone universe, has ... (view more)

Radisson hotels, operators of about 400 franchised locations in 65 countries, recently reported significant data breaches exposing sensitive customer data. An open letter to guests from Radisson chief operating officer Fredrik Korallus reveals that ... Radisson's computer system was victimized by hackers between November 2008 and May 2009. Stolen customer information includes credit and debit card numbers. (Source: zdnet.com ) Limited Number of Hotels Involved According to the letter, a limited number of hotels in the U.S. and Canada were involved in the incident. Other information accessed may ... (view more)

Scientists in Israel have reportedly demonstrated that it is possible to fabricate DNA evidence and undermine the credibility of what was once considered the gold standard of proof in criminal cases. The scientists were able to fabricate blood and ... saliva samples containing DNA from a person other than the donor. They also showed that if they had access to a DNA profile in a database, they could easily construct a sample to match that profile without having to obtain any tissue from that person. Crime Scenes Can be Easily Engineered According to Dan Frumkin, lead author of the study, any ... (view more)

Microsoft has been ordered to pay over $290 million for willfully infringing on a patent by Canadian firm I4i. The Redmond-based firm has also been told by a Texas judge to stop selling its Word program. The patent in question relates to the use of ... the XML programming language that makes files readable across different programs and allows the formatting of text. XML is an integral part of Microsoft's Word. (Source: bbc.co.uk ) XML Patent Filed by I4i in 1998 The $290 million fine and sales ban of Word are the result of Microsoft's use of Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) documents. Other word ... (view more)

Two researchers have revealed tools that reportedly allow people to eavesdrop on video conference calls and intercept surveillance camera video. The only requirement for using the free tool is that you be in the same building as the caller or call ... receiver. UCSniff for Voice over IP (VOIP) Networks UCSniff is a free tool that available for Linux and Windows. According to Jason Ostrom, director of the Viper Lab at Sipera Systems, the tool offers a graphical user interface (GUI) that makes 'sniffing' video easy. It works by tricking the voice-over-IP (VOIP) network carrying the video into ... (view more)

The security technology used to protect information stored on the UK's prospective national ID card was reportedly hacked and the data cloned by a computer expert in just 12 minutes. The Daily Mail newspaper hired computer expert Adam Laurie to test ... the security that allegedly protects the information on the chip that is embedded in the card being issued to foreign nationals. Laurie was able to copy the data on the card in minutes with a Nokia mobile phone and a laptop computer. Data on Chip Easily Manipulated With the help of another technology expert, Laurie was able to create a cloned card ... (view more)

Microsoft's Windows 7 may turn out to be "the best Windows yet," but a new poll reveals that 60% of corporations have no plans to roll it out any time soon. Part of the problem can be blamed on Windows Vista, but in their defense Microsoft has been ... working hard to improve their image and regain their credibility and by appealing to customers by making it easier and cheaper to upgrade. Economic Meltdown May Affect Win7 Deployment For businesses, Windows 7's deployment is low on the list of priorities right now because of the downturn in the global economy. According to a poll conducted by ... (view more)

Malware planted on web servers belonging to Network Solutions LLC, a hosting company and domain registrar, reportedly compromised more than a half a million credit card accounts belonging to customers of its e-commerce merchants. The company said it ... found unauthorized code on servers that support some of its e-commerce merchants' websites. It's reported that transaction data for about 4,343 of its merchant websites was stolen and redirected to outside servers. (Source: techtarget.com ) Half a Million Cardholders Affected Approximately 573,928 cardholders were affected by the breach that ... (view more)