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Police raid home of 9-year-old girl, take away her ‘Winnie the Pooh’ laptop because she used The Pirate Bay
What happens when a 9-year-old girl illegally downloads some songs off the The Pirate Bay? Her home is raided by the police and her laptop is confiscated. Yep, that is what recently happened to a family in Finland.
As the story goes, in 2011 a young 9-year-old girl wanted to [...]
Read More »These images (plus video) show the evolution of cells phones from 1997 to 2010
If you were old enough (or even born — I wasn’t) back when cell phones (or mobile phones, as some of you non-Yanks like to call them) came into being, I’m sure you remember something a lot bigger, heavier, and less reliable than today’s modern phone — smartphone or otherwise. [...]
Read More »How to recover data from corrupted Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX)
With today’s built-in redundancy measures, it is much harder to corrupt a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint document than it was in the past. However, corruption still happens. What to do when you have a corrupted Word, Excel, or PowerPoint document? If the document is DOCX, XLSX, or PPTX format, then [...]
Did the US (or Israel) hack the office of French president, Nicolas Sarkozy?
French magazine L’Express is reporting that, last May, the computers in the offices of Nicolas Sarkozy (who was still president back then) were hacked by the “Flame” malware. This is that same malware that made headlines for being developed by the United States and Israel for intelligence and disruption purposes [...]
Read More »[Windows] Make excellent collages with Photo Collage Max
Making calendars, greeting cards and photo walls can be hard if you don’t have the right software. The good news is that Photo Collage Max is here to help. Although the program comes off feeling more like a demo (because of the watermarks), it is definitely worth checking out. It [...]
Study shows people who illegally upload copyrighted content are not doing it for the money
A new study by researchers from Boston’s Northeastern University and the French Eurécom claims that uploaders of pirated content (aka copyrighted content) to cyberlockers (or file sharing sites — like MegaUpload) aren’t doing it for the money. This is in contrast to what the MPAA claimed last year, saying that [...]
Read More »[Windows] Free WinX DVD Ripper Platinum (v7.0)!
It is has been a while since dotTech posted about a freebie. We have sort of drifted away from freebies and more towards reviews and news. However, this opportunity was too good to pass-up — free WinX DVD Ripper Platinum!
As Digiarty Software does every year, they are celebrating Thanksgiving [...]
Read More »[Windows] Emsisoft Emergency Kit has four tools to help you take control of your PC after malware infection
Do you like programs that don’t hold your hand while you use them? If so, Emsisoft Emergency Kit is for you. This is a powerful cleaning program that can help you remove even the toughest-to-remove threats from your computer. That being said, this is not a program that should be [...]
Malware targeting Windows does damage in a novel way — using Google Docs
Backdoor.Makadoc — a trojan that has been floating in the wild for a while now, attacking Windows, and has recently been updated to target Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 — is a clever piece of malware. What makes this malware clever, you ask? Simply the way it goes about [...]
Read More »Windows 8 is hacked by security firm, details about the hack can be had… for a price
Some companies, and individuals, find and disclose vulnerabilities — may those be on websites, operating systems, programs, whatever — for the betterment of society. Others do it for a “finder’s fee”. VUPEN does it so they can sell the secrets to whomever wants them.
VUPEN is a security research firm [...]
Read More »ISPs to start enforcing “six strikes” program, an attempt to “educate” consumers on piracy by slowing internet connections or blocking websites
SOPA and PIPA are dead. But anti-piracy measures by the entertainment industry are not. In collaboration with big entertainment, internet service providers (ISPs) in the United States will soon be implementing significant anti-piracy measures across their entire subscriber base. Two of the largest ISPs in the US, Time Warner and [...]
Read More »[Windows] Remove unwanted, or dangerous, files and programs from your computer with FreeFixer
For some, removing threats from their computer is not the hard part, but finding the threats is a different story. Many threats (spyware, adware, viruses, etc.) like to hide deep within your computer so you never even know they are there. If you don’t know they are there, you will [...]
[Windows] Find and remove over 5,000 viruses from your computer with McAfee Labs Stinger
In this day and age, you can pick up viruses and trojans almost anywhere on the internet. Picking one up does not always mean that you’re an “unsafe” internet user. People are getting very creative when it comes to making your computer infected. It is because of this that, sometimes, [...]
Apple is granted a patent for turning pages in an eBook (!)
Thanks to the ongoing patent wars, most of us probably don’t think too highly of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The fact that they just granted Apple a patent for turning pages in an eBook probably isn’t going to help change that.
Yes, you read that right [...]
Read More »[Windows] Automatically restart closed or hung programs (and create a crash report) with Restarter Portable
Would you like programs that crash to automatically restart? Maybe you want a crash report created for every program that crashes on you? Well if you want either one of these things (or both), you will want to try Restarter Portable.[...]
WHAT IS IT AND WHAT DOES IT
Read More »Google will launch its own wireless cell phone service by 2013, according to rumors
Whoa, wait a second. What do we have here? Is that Google looking to move into the wireless business? My, yes it is. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google and Dish Network are in negotiations for Google to use or acquire some or all of Dish’s wireless spectrum [...]
Read More »[Windows] Defragment specific files or folders instead of your whole computer with WinContig
Are you sick of how long it takes to defragment your computer? The truth is, we should all defragment our computers regularly, but most of us simply don’t ever get around to it. Well, maybe WinContig can help. This is a program that makes defragmenting your computer easier, because it [...]
Google Now is crowned “Innovation of the Year” while Siri is called “outdated”
Siri was the big thing Apple used to sell iPhone 4S. However, Apple has never really been adept at providing services that depend on the collection, management, and sorting of data. As such, Siri — while entertaining, at times — has flopped in the eyes of many. Google, on the [...]
Read More »[Windows] Keep your data safe with Redo Backup and Recovery, a backup and restore program that works from bootable CD or USB drive
Many people live in fear that their computer could crash at any moment. Alright, maybe not in fear, but it is something that I think about from time to time. Thus, backing up my system is something that is important to me. Redo Backup and Recovery is a very simple [...]
Nexus 4 is sold out within minutes, Google promises more stock soon
What happens when you couple top-of-the-line hardware with promises of fast software updates and a bargain-basement price tag in a smartphone? That smartphone sells out within minutes.
The Nexus 4, which went on sale yesterday (November 13) around the world, was sold out within minutes of availability — both 8GB [...]
Read More »[Windows] Synchronize files between a computer and removable device (e.g. USB drive) with PendriveSync
Finding a good file synchronize program is not easy. I should know, I have tried plenty of them. Then I came across PendriveSync. This is a program that quickly lets me sync files between my computer and removable devices. Best of all, this software is able to recognize which [...]
[Windows 8] 27 hotkeys everyone should know
![[Windows 8] 27 hotkeys everyone should know](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2012/11/1112-1.1-290x160.png)
Windows 8 is the first version of Windows that focus on touchscreen gestures and experiences and still keeps the traditional desktop for non-touch users. This “hybrid” environment causes big problems for users with mouse and keyboard. Thankfully, Windows 8 provides you a lot of keyboard shortcuts (hotkeys) to master its [...]
Read More »[Windows] Remove unnecessary toolbars, add-ons, and BHOs from Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer with Toolbar Cleaner
Is your browser not as fast as it used to be? It may not be your internet speed! Overtime, our browsers tend to fill up with junk. Some of it we may not even know is there. The good news is, Toolbar Cleaner is here to help you out. This [...]
How to enable Do Not Track in Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera [Guide]
![How to enable Do Not Track in Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera [Guide]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2012/11/2012-11-10_202831-290x75.png)
Do Not Track is a semi-new feature in the digital world that allows users to tell advertisers to not track their online activity for the purposes of serving targeted/personalized ads. To use Do Not Track, it must be built into your internet browser and, thankfully, all four major browsers now [...]
Read More »[Windows] Check the speed of your hard drive (read and write) with CrystalDiskMark
Ever wonder how fast your drive can read and write? Alright, so maybe it is not a question that everyone cares to know, but for those of you who do, CrystalDiskMark can help you out. This is a disk benchmark program. CrystalDiskMark also comes with custom skins and multi-language support.[...]
New Adobe Reader zero-day vulnerability allows hackers to infect your computer with malware
Do you ever feel sorry for Adobe? I mean, yeah, it is hard to feel sorry for a multi-billion dollar corporation that likes to use closed standards and charge us for the privilege. But still, you have to feel for them; two of their products, Flash and Reader, are two [...]
[Windows] Prevent your computer from sleeping, shutting down, or enabling screensaver with Mouse Jiggler
Have you ever needed to do something and you didn’t want your screensaver to come on? Maybe you didn’t want to adjust your screensaver options just because you had to leave the room for a minute. Heck, maybe there is a video or program that won’t run if you stay [...]
[Windows] Compress images and photos with Radical Image Optimization Tool
Do you want to reduce the size of your images? Maybe you want to send pictures to someone, and you need to reduce the size to make them easier to send. Or maybe you are limited on disk space. Well, to do that, you can always compress the images. The [...]
[Windows] ToolWiz Care comes with more than 50 built-in utilities to help you clean, optimize, and manage your PC
There are a lot of “cleaning” or “optimization” programs out there for your computer. Most of them claim to find tons of things wrong with your computer, fix a few, and then tell you to pay to fix the rest. That is not the case with ToolWiz Care. This [...]
[Windows] Help protect yourself from eye strain with xTheEye
I don’t know about you, but when I get on the computer I lose track of time. I get into whatever it is I’m looking at, and before I know it hours are gone. Needless to say, I don’t always give my eyes the rest that they need. Not because [...]
[Android] Launch apps, view messages, and use widgets from your lock screen with Quick Launch Lock Screen
Quick Launch Lock Screen is an app that will put your most commonly performed tasks right on your lock screen. This app is great for those who hate stumbling through menus to accomplish tasks. It is also great if you are trying to do a simple task and don’t feel [...]
Java, Flash, and iTunes are in the “top 10 vulnerabilities” list — Microsoft products are nowhere to be found
Kaspersky Labs, a digital security firm, releases a quarterly “IT Threat Evolution” report. For the Q3 2012 report, one section provides information as to what programs have the most widely spread vulnerabilities. I’m sure you can guess some but may be surprised by others.
The following are the top ten [...]
Read More »[Windows] PDFill PDF Tools is an excellent tool that allows you to edit PDFs — merge, split, encrypt, rotate, crop, add watermark, and much more
Working with PDF files can be a pain if you don’t have the right tools. Sure, there are a lot of programs out there that can view PDF files, but changing them is a different story. On top of that, most of the free programs that allow you to change [...]
[Windows] Add tabbed browsing to Windows Explorer with QTTabbar
One of the many advantages of third-party file managers for Windows is tabbed browsing. If you don’t want to completely switch from Windows Explorer to a third-party file manager but still want tabbed browsing, now you can get tabbed browsing in Windows Explorer with QTTabbar.[...]
What is it and
Read More »Amazing photo of a monk sharing his lunch with a tiger [Amazing Photo of the Day]
![Amazing photo of a monk sharing his lunch with a tiger [Amazing Photo of the Day]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2012/10/2012-10-30_235531-290x160.png)
We have seen animals before on dotTech’s Amazing Photo of the Day; in fact, we have seen plenty of animals. We have even seen animals on animal action, such as the case of elephant scaring the crap out of lions. We have not, however, yet seen a harmonious photo of [...]
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