May 13th Show Recap & Links!

The gangs all here! With all the stories Circulating about the NSA Spying and what it means this is easily the number one question we are asked about, especially this week.

Download:
http://www.thetechnologygeeks.com/shows/051306.mp3

Links mentioned:
http://www.flattim.com
http://www.zombo.com
http://www.syracuseareamusic.com/

Feature:
Feature: Spying. With all the stories Circulating about the NSA Spying and what it means this is easily the number one question I get asked. (This week especially) What is the government doing to spy on me and what capabilities do they have?

· NSA
o Phone records.
o Wire Taps.
· Some Technology Available:
o Satellite – like in the movies and on 24 – possible but stupid.
o Cell phone GPS.
o Cell Traffic interception (both Law enforcement and criminals).
o Wire Taps.
o Public Cameras Everywhere.
o Garbage – The criminals use this one too.
o Spyware and Phishing – this is so common and over played it’s boring.
o Credit Checks and Public Records Searches – Most is legal some is not (like Credit Checks) but often abused.

Jim’s GEEK OF THE WEEK SOFTWARE PICK:
Volumouse provides you a quick and easy way to control the sound volume on your system - simply by rolling the wheel of your wheel mouse.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Volumouse_d5074.html

Website of the week.
You Pick! The winner gets a 256 MB Thumb Drive Free!
http://www.tubqueens.com/1470.html

Announcements:

o May brings the Sierra Mist “That’s Funny” national comedy search to Syracuse.
o The Technology Geeks are one of the sponsors.
o Preliminary May 17th at Cucina Di Amore Bayberry Plaza Liverpool. Come in a compete or just come for a great night of comedy with the contestants and a national headliner to finish off the night!
o Finals are Thursday May 25th at the Palace Theater. The Finals are headlined by Syracuse’s own Joe Delion – in his first performance in Syracuse in 5 years. (former owner of Joe Delion’s Viva De Bris comedy club).
o All events have local celebrity judges and great comedy by national headliners (did I say that before?)
o For Tickets or more information call 516-0072.
o I will be performing tonight at Cucina Di Amore with Nick Merra – it’s the Owner Larry’s Big Birthday Celebration! Come in an enjoy an evening of great Italian food and entertainment. 622-9402.

o Of course your calls at 421-9325.

News Items Mentioned:

Internet-Naming Board Snubs `.XXX' Adult-Site Address
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a1Xd0Ak_AUaI&refer=us
Directors of the organization that helps manage Internet names rejected ``.xxx'' as a suffix for adults-only Web sites.
The domain name was turned down by a vote of 9-to-5, said the Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers, known as Icann. Directors of the Marina del Rey, California-based organization, led by Vinton Cerf, said in a statement yesterday that details on the decision will be provided later this week.

Spammer gets eight years without the net
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/4245/53/
James Ancheta, 21, not only received a 57 month jail term for turning 400,000 PCs on the internet into his own personal spam and adware servers, he has also been given an additional three years of restricted access to the internet. That makes nearly eight years of a computerless life for the errant young hacker.
He made a tidy sum out of his stolen network of zombie computers and might have been able to continue, however, he tried to hack into the systems of two US Government Defence agencies.

Symantec: Our security savvy will beat Microsoft
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6069941.html
Symantec will fight off Microsoft's security software challenge by being better at coming up with new ideas, the company's CEO said Monday.
John Thompson vowed that it would put more resources into research and development over the coming the year, speaking to reporters at the Symantec's annual Vision conference.
"Our strategy is to out-innovate Microsoft. We know more about security than they ever will," Thompson said.
It's not the first time that Cupertino, Calif.-based Symantec has thrown down the gauntlet to Microsoft. Last month, Thompson branded the software giant a "Johnny-come-lately" into the security market.

Wal-Mart seeks smiley face rights
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4984138.stm
Wal-Mart is embroiled in a legal dispute over the smiley face image which it wants to trademark in the US.
A Frenchman who claims to have invented the yellow smiley face back in 1968 is opposing the US retail giant's move.
For some, the image is a reminder of 1970s counter-culture, for others, a useful shorthand when sending e-mails.
But since 1996, Wal-Mart has used the image in the US on uniforms and promotional signs, and it wants sole rights to it in the US retail sector.

AIM Pages: First Screenshot
http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/08/aim-pages-first-screenshots/
AOL wants to be the 24/7 home base for as many users as possible hence the AIM Page, a social networking site/home page/home base that stays active even when the buddy list is offline.

Poll: Most Americans Support NSA's Efforts
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/12/AR2006051200375_pf.html
A majority of Americans initially support a controversial National Security Agency program to collect information on telephone calls made in the United States in an effort to identify and investigate potential terrorist threats, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.
The new survey found that 63 percent of Americans said they found the NSA program to be an acceptable way to investigate terrorism, including 44 percent who strongly endorsed the effort. Another 35 percent said the program was unacceptable, which included 24 percent who strongly objected to it.
A slightly larger majority--66 percent--said they would not be bothered if NSA collected records of personal calls they had made, the poll found.

News Source: Email