Have an iPhone? Time for a little paranoia

Just recently, an exploit was found for iPhones. It is pretty simple to pull off and it can kill your phone. The exploit involves getting in the way of your phone attaching to some public WiFi signal, like that of Starbucks. Basically, they send a signal back down to your phone telling it the wrong date. Once this is done, your phone is basically a high priced brick.

To protect yourself, do two things. One, make sure to keep your phone updated. Apple is pretty good about patching issues...mostly. Second, use a little caution about which WiFi you connect to. Use your friend's but maybe not one from McDonald's or anything public unless you're phone is current with updates..

And since we are on the subject of Apple issues, go ahead and delete the software QuickTime from your computer if it is a Windows machine. Apple has basically disowned that software and it already has exploitable holes. So, be proactive and head to control Panels>Programs and Features>remove QuickTime.

Via Gizmodo

Come on by.

Captain, the dilithium crystals, she can't take any more!

Not too long ago, I saw a rechargeable battery go on sale. It was around 10 bucks and I figured if it was bad I won't lose too much. It turns out it's AWESOME! It's easy to plugin and throw in a bag,  It has two USB ports that make it really easy to share with someone else on the couch. I like this item a lot and I wouldn't recommend it unless I used it.
I ended up buying two of these.
As we enter hurricane season, I remember all the blackouts from the last hurricane and think these will make a nice addition to the preparedness kit.

Click the photo to get one.

Do your duty!

For many years I have been ambivalent about getting a flu shot. I would if it was convenient but otherwise I never thought much about it. A recently read article changed my mind. It was off of the Huffington Post, and the title read There's no good reason not to get a flu shot. About half way through I saw this line, A FLU SHOT IS A CIVIC ACT. This really got me thinking. Of course a vaccination protects more than just you. It helps “young children, with older people, with people with cancer, people with serious lung disease -- we are walking around, we are the transmitters in our community." Where we can, we should protect others is an idea that resonates with me, and so I did my duty and got a free shot. Took a few seconds and now I got a warm glow.
Why not do the same?
Don't be a transmitter.

The time to jump on Amazon Prime is now

I use Amazon a lot, too much actually. The reason is that Prime has made it very simple to not have to think about shipping and getting some money off items. Normally, the price for this is $99 but on Friday it drops to $67. I do really like the service and it even comes with a bunch of streaming videos. If you've been on the fence about this, it might be time to decide.
Read more here Geek.com

Debates are my World Series

If you'd like to watch the presidential debate tonight you have to be a cable subscriber. I am not but I am a political junkie and I do have a lot of time to search for alternative streams. So far, I found one that allows you to watch without a subscription. It may take a while for it to load, so I would do that well before 9 PM (the start of the debate).
So get out your popcorn and watch the Republican debate!

I see right through you

That moment in Star Wars, where R2 plays back a Princess Leia's message in hologram form was awesome to me. The idea of watching shows, movies, commercials...in a floating format is beyond cool. We are fast approaching these times. There is a ton of work being done on better visual holograms, also ones that encompass touch as well.
To get a very primitive feel for the beginning of this trend, try this project.
I'll be making this soon.
Source