Windows 8.1 update 1

 Here we go! We're getting close to bringing back win 7 to 8.  All this does is reconfirm that Windows 8 is the worst Windows that Microsoft has out out far eclipsing ME by long mile and at least Vista was usable, not all optimized but at least usable. 

Microsoft is once again planning to alter the way its Start Screen works in Windows 8.1 Update 1. While the software giant originally released Windows 8.1 last year with an option to bypass the "Metro" interface at boot, sources familiar with Microsoft's plans have revealed to The Verge that the upcoming "Update 1" for Windows 8.1 will enable this by default. Like many other changes in Update 1, weâre told the reason for the reversal is to improve the OS for keyboard and mouse users. Wow, a touch interface does not work with a mouse and keyboard. Who saw that coming. I expect photos of many people eating crow. - slashdot.org

Ad blocking maybe can't to an end????

I hate ads when I surf, they are annoying but I know the point of them so make them smaller and less intrusively annoying.   Hopefully the hackers will figure something out how to keep blocking the ads.  I'm sure most people don't block the ads, only the smart ones which is a slim few percentage. 

An anonymous reader writes "This article discusses the ethics and the mechanics of ad-blocking software. Toward the end, it goes into some of the tech that's been built to circumvent ad blockers. Quoting: 'PageFair offers a free JavaScript program that, when inserted into a Web page, monitors ad blocking activity. CEO Sean Blanchfield says he developed the monitoring tool after he noticed a problem on his own multiplayer gaming site. PageFair collects statistics on ad blocking activity, identifies which users are blocking ads and can display an appeal to users to add the publisher's website to their ad-blocking tool's personal whitelist. But Blanchfield acknowledges that the user appeal approach hasn't been very effective. ClarityRay takes a more active role. Like PageFair, it provides a tool that lets publishers monitor blocking activity to show them that they have a problem — and then sells them a remedy. ClarityRay offers a service that CEO Ido Yablonka says fools ad blockers into allowing ads through. "Ad blockers try to make a distinction between content elements and advertorial elements. We make that distinction impossible," he says.' Is this arms race winnable? By which side?"

Scuba improvements - I know not computer related

This is just too cool!!  Breathing under water may be getting a whole lot better. 

 "With the Triton Oxygen Respirator, it might be possible to breathe beneath the surface of the water as if you were a fish. Requiring no bulky tank to keep your lungs pumping properly. The regulator comprises a plastic mouthpiece that requires you to simply bite down. There are two arms that branch out to the sides of the scuba mask that have been developed to function like the efficient gills of a marine creature. The scaly texture conceals small holes in the material where water is sucked in. Chambers inside separate the oxygen and release the liquid so that you can breath comfortably in the ocean."

Malware and huge websites

Be careful on the Internet!! 

"The United States is the leading malware hosting nation, with 44 percent of all malware hosted domestically, according to Solutionary. The U.S. hosts approximately 5 times more malware than the second-leading malware-hosting nation, Germany, which is responsible for 9 percent of the detected malware. The cloud is allowing malware distributors to create, host and remove websites rapidly, and major hosting providers such as Amazon, GoDaddy and Google have made it economical for malicious actors to use their services to infect millions of computers and vast numbers of enterprise systems."

XP Support Extended

Microsoft extended XP support for 3 more months from April to July. 

"Microsoft today announced it will continue to provide updates to its security products for Windows XP users through July 14, 2015. Previously, the company said it would halt all updates on the end of support date for Windows XP: April 8, 2014. For consumers, this means Microsoft Security Essentials will continue to get updates after support ends for Windows XP. For enterprise customers, the same goes for System Center Endpoint Protection, Forefront Client Security, Forefront Endpoint Protection, and Windows Intune running on Windows XP" slashdot.org. 

Windows 9

Looks like Windows 9 will ship April 2015 to cover the crap that Windows 8 is. Hopefully they fix the hell out of 8 or Windows will be all but dead and so will the traditional PC market as tablets (read that iPad and Android not Windows tablets) take over.  I can do almost everything I need to on my iPad and it's only going to get better as the cloud becomes better. 

In the meantime, Windows 7 is still going strong so buy a PC with that on it instead. 

McAfee AV Sucks

Found this very humorous, even John McAfee things his products are total crap!!  McAfee and Norton/Symantec always try and take over your system and they slow it down because it's so bloated.   Saw this at slashdot.org. 

"At CES 2014 today, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich announced the McAfee brand name will be phased out and replaced by 'Intel Security,' which will identify Intel products and services in the security segment. The rebranding will begin immediately, but the transition will take up to a year before it is complete." The BBC reports that John McAfee is happy with the decision: "'I am now everlastingly grateful to Intel for freeing me from this terrible association with the worst software on the planet. These are not my words, but the words of millions of irate users. ... My elation at Intel's decision is beyond words.'"