Category Archives: Tools

eBay Promotions, Social Media, Tools, Video, Web 2.0

Skype 4.0 is out!

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I am a huge fan of Skype and have been for a very long time, since Skype version 2.0 to be exact 🙂

Oprah uses Skype almost every other week since she started using it on her show last year.

Skype 4.0 for windows is out, with a lot of enhancements:
First, you will notice the “Windows Vista” skin to give you the look and feel of a light application.
The software is lighter, they have even removed the Skype Extra manager from running in the background like it used to before.

The new look is 100% redesigned to get you everything you need in one screen, whether standard or compact, you still get an entire view of options in one shot, very cool.

Voice and video enhanced to crystal clear and video calls are still in the same window of the person you’re calling.

Juggling between people and conversation is never easier, they kind of copied the multi-chat window idea from digsby!

One thing Skype is still missing, is the automatic update, I got a notification from my iSkoot app on my phone, but never got it on my computer, so unless you are reading the Skype blog or have iSkoot installed on your Android phone, how should people know that there is a new and improved Skype?

Also as a sneaky addition, eBay (The owner of Skype) is pushing a new FireFox plugin during the installation of the new Skype, the new plugin will dedict items on shopping websites that are available on eBay and will highlight it and compare the pricing on eBay. It’s useful for shoppers that really don’t know how to shop! For me, I uninstalled it soon after I tried it.

The new version will take some get used to time for native Skypees, but it’s worth it, I have been playing with it for 2 days now and I am loving it 🙂
You can download the new Skype here.

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Geek stuff, Tools

A new worm infecting over 9 million PCs

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Note: This post was origanly posted on the Yahoo blog by Christopher Null. Christopher is one of my all time favorite tech blogger.
As my efforts continue to fight spam/junk/viruses as in this post, here is the exact post by Christopher from this link:

Judging from the complaints and questions filling my inbox, Windows security looks like it’s already on track for its worst year this decade. The latest attack is a worm called Downandup, Downadup, Kido!, or Conficker (all the same thing), and it primarily seems to be being delivered via infected USB drives.

How’s it work? By tricking you into running the virus by modifying the way “autorun” works when you plug in a drive. Look closely at the screenshot above and you’ll see two entries for “Open folder to view files.” The one at the top is a phony entry that actually installs the virus on your machine… but of course it’s the default selection that pops up when you plug in a drive. Once installed, the virus spreads like crazy via a separate flaw in Windows networking system (now patched, so be sure to run Windows Update if you haven’t lately) and can quickly infect a whole office. F-Secure has more analysis on the clever way it tricks you into installing the malware yourself.

How bad has it gotten? Estimates range from 3.5 million infected in the first four days after it bean spreading to 9 million impacted… and gettng worse. By now I figure the numbers could top 15 or 20 million.

From an antivirus standpoint, fixing Downandup isn’t easy. The worm is particularly problematic because of the tricky way it involves the user in installing the software, bypassing auto-installation safeguards, plus its sophisticated way of avoiding detection, as it morphs its code constantly (using randomized elements) to make traditional, signature-based detection almost impossible.

Your best strategy for avoiding Downandup? Turn off AutoPlay/AutoRun on your computer (with Windows XP, TweakUI is the easiest way to do it). If you do see an AutoPlay dialog box like the one above, just close it and eject the disc or thumbdrive; browsing the drive manually for individual files should keep you uninfected, but you’re best off not using the drive at all. And of course, make sure your system is fully patched via Windows Update.

What if you already have Downandup infecting your machine? Try your standard antivirus utility as a fix. If that doesn’t work, F-Secure has a removal tool that should get rid of it. Good luck out there.

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Announcements, Education, Social Networking, Tools, Web 2.0

Use Digsby and change your life!

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Note: 3 Hours of video/audio classes on digsby are available for free on Wahol.com

Ever since I have moved from using Trillian messenger into using digsby, my online life has changed.
To make it simple: Digsby is a universal IM and email application, in other words, you can use your existing IM account (Yahoo IM, AOL’s AIM, Google talk, MSN/Live, ICQ, Jabber or even facebook chat) and use it all within one easy (And light waight) window, and here is the best part: You can use multible accounts from the same providor at the same time. For example: You have 2 Yahoo accounts, one for personal use and one for your business, you can use both accounts at the same time and be logged into both instead of logging off one account to log in to the new one.

You can even open multible chats within one chat window, kinda like tab browsing in Firefox. Cool!

Another cool feature is that it will allow you to combine multible buddies if one person have more than one account (For example: one account on Yahoo IM and a Google talk account) you can combine them both to appear as one.

Not satisfied!

There are 2 more great features:

1. You get email notifications from your Gmail, MSN/Hotmail/Live, Yahoo mail, AOL email, IMAP and pop accounts. And you can reply directly from digsby!

2. (And that’s my favorite featuere) Social networking: Stay connected without having to go to your browser on facebook, myspace, twitter or linkedIn.

Digsby will keep you updated with your friends new status on facebook, or your naighbor’s mood change on myspace or your replies on twitter, and of course you can update your twitter status from digsby or @ reply to someone, or directly open your friends wall page on facebook.

Oh, besides the fact that I appear online on facebook almost 24/7 (when I am actually only on digsby), Digsby is truly universal, you will create one account on digsby during your first install, then if you travel or change computers, all you have to do is to sign in your digsby account and all the rest of your accounts that’s stored from before will load and log in automaticaly.

There are many other feature that you can find here. Or you can Join Wahol.com for free and learn even more by video and audio.

Digsby developers are always updating the software with new features, I have personally requested to add an RSS reader feature through their feedback requests, I also requested to have it as an Android mobile app so I can use it on my phone, there is also digsby for facebook application that is already published and ready for you to download in your facebook account.

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