Alert: Adobe issues a critical update for its Shockwave player. You really need to update your system if you have Shockwave installed.

Adobe has issues a “Critical” update for its Shockwave player. By Critical, they mean that a bad guy could potentially run software on your machine that could expose you to malware or viruses without you knowing. In the past, you got viruses because you downloaded a file or clicked on an email attachment, so you knew you were “safe” as long as you followed basic common sense. Now a days, instead of trying to trick you, they just look for issues in software and then use those issues to get past you and any security you may have on your pc.

Imagine your home, every time you leave, you check all your windows and doors and make sure they are locked (at least I hope you do). Now imagine that the lock to the front door breaks and falls off, and instead of getting a new lock, you just shut the door and hope no one notices. Guess what, you may get away with it for a while, but eventually your luck may run out and a bad guy will use the broken lock to get in and steal from you. These critical updates are the computer equivalent of that lock on your door. By updating, you are going out and getting a newer / better lock.

For those Geeks out there, here is some basic information on the alert. The complete alert can be found at (LINK) Adobe (http://www NULL.adobe NULL.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb11-27 NULL.html)

Security update available for Adobe Shockwave Player

Release date: November 8, 2011

Vulnerability identifier: APSB11-27

CVE number: CVE-2011-2446, CVE-2011-2447, CVE-2011-2448, CVE-2011-2449

Platform: Windows and Macintosh

Summary

Critical (http://www NULL.adobe NULL.com/devnet/security/security_zone/severity_ratings NULL.html) vulnerabilities have been identified in Adobe Shockwave Player 11.6.1.629 and earlier versions on the Windows and Macintosh operating systems. These vulnerabilities could allow an attacker, who successfully exploits these vulnerabilities, to run malicious code on the affected system. Adobe recommends users of Adobe Shockwave Player 11.6.1.629 and earlier versions update to Adobe Shockwave Player 11.6.3.633 using the instructions provided below.

Affected software versions

Shockwave Player 11.6.1.629 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh

So how do you know if your computer has Adobe Shockwave installed. PC users, you can go to Start –> settings –> Control Panel –> Add/Remove programs (XP and earlier) or Programs and Features (Vista and Win 7). Then look at the list of installed programs, if you see Adobe Shockwave installed, then you have it. (It doesn’t matter if it is used or not, it just matters that its installed on your pc).

So you ask “What is the Shockwave program, and more importantly, why do I have it?” or “I don’t remember downloading that?”. The answer is that you didn’t, at least most likely not directly downloaded. From (LINK) Wikipedia (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Adobe_Shockwave)

“Adobe Shockwave (formerly Macromedia Shockwave) is a multimedia platform used to add animation and interactivity to web pages”

Which means that if you play 1 of 1000’s of various online games, you probably saw a pop up that said something along the lines of “This program requires Adobe Shockwave, Do you wish to download it” (That’s NOT the exact wording), and since the majority of people never read those pop up’s, you just clicked run and went along playing your game.

So now what do you do if you find that you have it. Here is the solution directly from Adobe

Solution

Adobe recommends users of Adobe Shockwave Player 11.6.1.629 and earlier versions upgrade to the newest version 11.6.3.633 available here: http://get.adobe.com/shockwave/ (http://get NULL.adobe NULL.com/shockwave/).

When you click on the link from Adobe, you will arrive at the following page.

Click on Agree and Install now. This will bring up one of the following pop ups where you will click on Install (Yes I know again)

**Be aware of a pop up that you may see after you click install. (This pop up really gets me !@#!@$!%%^!&!*&)

If you see a pop up for the Google Toolbar or Any other Toolbar make sure to uncheck the box before clicking next. (Commentary: If this is a critical update, as noted, Why Adobe, WHY! are you trying to sneak in software that should stand on its own. If people want a toolbar let them go and get it, don’t try to get paid or whatever other benefit you are getting for tricking people who either don’t know or don’t read messages to end up with something else they probably DON’T NEED! That’s the end of my soapbox)

Once you see your browser show the following message

You have completed the update for this browser. I know your saying WHAT! Unfortunately Shockwave comes in 2 versions. One version is for Internet Explorer and One version is for all other web browsers (that’s the program you use to surf the web). The instructions above were based on Internet Explorer, if you have a 2nd (or more) browser installed like Firefox, Chrome, Opera, etc. then you need to do this again using one of those browsers. Remember it doesn’t matter if you don’t use them, if they are installed on your pc, then you MUST do the upgrade. Just follow the exact same steps with the other browser to complete the upgrade.

Lastly, the focus of this post was for Windows users, but Mac users, keep in mind this affects you too. If you have a Mac you should do this update as well.

Facebook: Posts from 3rd party apps not appearing on your page? Here is one possible reason why.

Like everyone else, I have a “connected” life. One of the most common things I do on a daily basis is post from my phone apps to Facebook. What I have noticed in the past couple of days is that anything I would post from 3rd party apps (Like Foursquare, Wordbooker, Cardio Trainer, etc.) stopped appearing on my News Feed page in Facebook. If I checked my profile I would see the posts, but they would be listed as “Only Me” in the post setting.

I was baffled at 1st, as I know I hadn’t made any changes to my settings, and none of the 3rd party apps on my phone had recently been updated. So I started poking around and found the answer. It seems Facebook made a change in Account Settings –> Apps , that at least I (and a few others who have also asked about this issue) didn’t know. Surprise Facebook made changes to account settings (They wouldn’t never do that, I say with sarcasm).

To fix the setting to allow your 3rd party apps to show again in your News Feed, check / adjust the following setting

1) From the top right of Facebook select “down” arrow –> followed by Account Settings

2) Once you reach Account Settings –> select Apps (on left) –> then select edit on the app you want to fix (on right)

3) Once you get to the App Settings area –> scroll to the very bottom of the page (this is why you could miss it, as on some apps there is a lot of scrolling). At the bottom you will see a section called “App activity privacy” (On left). The change you will need is on the right –> this is where you can select who will get to see your post from that 3rd party app.

In my case the setting for all my apps was set to Custom –> Only me. Unfortunately this setting is per 3rd party app, so you will have to go through them 1 by 1. This however solves the mystery of the 3rd party apps not showing.

**Note (Reminder) – These are security settings, if you are looking at them, this would also be a good time to delete apps that shouldn’t be on your profile (either because you don’t use them anymore or don’t know what they are). In addition, you may not want all 3rd party apps to post to Facebook. Review each app carefully before changing its setting to make sure what it does.

11/7/11 UPDATE–Tracy has been found alive and safe. (From Technorati) Missing Person: Tracy Williams, Technorati Employee

Update: November 7, 2011 at 9:15am PDT – We are relieved to share that Tracy Williams is indeed alive and safe at a local hospital. We want to thank everyone who helped spread the word about Tracy’s disappearance.
Read more: http://technorati.com/women/article/missing-person-tracy-williams-technorati-employee/#ixzz1d3zKndJU (http://technorati NULL.com/women/article/missing-person-tracy-williams-technorati-employee/#ixzz1d3zKndJU)

The following information comes from Jill Asher (http://technorati NULL.com/people/svmom123/) and was originally published on the Technorati website (LINK (http://technorati NULL.com/women/article/missing-person-tracy-williams-technorati-employee/)). Tech Geek and More is posting the information in an effort to help get the word out.

If you are or were in the San Francisco area over the past couple of days, please see information below. If you have any information concerning the disappearance of Tracy Williams, please call San Francisco Police Department at 415-553-0123. Please reference case #110892541

To the family and friends of Tracy Williams, you are in our thoughts.

Technorati needs your immediate help. Our employee and friend, Tracy Williams, went missing on November 2, 2011. We are extremely concerned about her well being and reaching out to our community to spread the word and find her.

At this stage, here is information we can share:

Tracy was last seen at 7:45pm PDT on Wednesday evening at the Whitehorse Bar (http://www NULL.yelp NULL.com/biz/white-horse-tavern-and-restaurant-san-francisco) located in San Francisco. She was there with colleagues from Technorati Media. During this time, friends went outside for a “smoke”. When they returned inside the bar, Tracy was gone. They simply thought she was heading to North Beach to meet a friend and not concerned.

After leaving the bar, we believe Tracy texted a friend to let him know she was going home.

On Thursday, November 3, 2011, Tracy did not show up for work. Many of our employees tried to contact Tracy through email and phone without success. A close friend was alerted about the situation and went over to her apartment, in the Tenderloin section of San Francisco. There were no signs that Tracy returned to her apartment the prior evening.

Tracy is 40 years old, dark wavy hair that she usually wears back in a ponytail, prominent freckles on her face, brown eyes, light brown skin, athletic build, 5’8 inches tall, approximately 135 pounds and was wearing blue jeans, a black hoodie and carrying a small bag.

We have notified the San Francisco Police department and hospital checks are being conducted.

We are urging you to help us locate Tracy. If you have any information about Tracy, please contact the San Francisco Police Department at 415-553-0123. Please reference case #110892541 Please use all social media channels to circulate this news.

[update]

November 6, 2011 at 11:55am PDT: Employee’s from Technorati Media are passing out fliers in Union Square and the surrounding San Francisco neighborhoods. Still looking for anyone that has information on Tracy’s disappearance.

November 4, 2011 at 9:21pm PDT: A Facebook page (http://www NULL.facebook NULL.com/pages/Missing-Tracy-Williams/160644534031945?sk=wall) has been created to update and collect information about the disappearance of Tracy Williams. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Missing-Tracy-Williams/160644534031945?sk=wall (http://www NULL.facebook NULL.com/pages/Missing-Tracy-Williams/160644534031945?sk=wall)

Read more: http://technorati.com/women/article/missing-person-tracy-williams-technorati-employee/#ixzz1czOnYT5o (http://technorati NULL.com/women/article/missing-person-tracy-williams-technorati-employee/#ixzz1czOnYT5o)

Tech: Removing the In place Ad’s in Internet Explorer – Also known as Vibrant Ad’s

*This was originally posted in 2010, but recently I’ve seen this question come up a lot more than usual, so a repost for those with this Vibrant Ad issue.

One of the questions I keep getting asked involves “pop up ads” that appear as highlighted words on Webpages. What you will see when browsing on various sites is that key words will be highlights and double underlined (As shown on example below), and when you place your mouse over the key word a “related” ad to the key word will appear.

There are a couple of problems with this, 1st off the ad pops up as long as you move your mouse, so you DONT get a choice on if you want to see it or not and 2nd, allot of those “related” ads may be related to the key word itself, but may have nothing to do with the topics you are searching for. As in this post from a tech site, about a story the new i-Phone leak and when my mouse goes over the story, I get an ad for BP…..

So what do you do if you want to get rid of these ads. Here are the steps…..

1 – On the top of Internet Explorer – Go to Tools –> Internet Options\

2- Once in Internet Options, click on the “Security Tab” –> The on Restricted Sites –> The on the button that says Sites

3 – Once there in the box that says “Add this website to the zone enter the following 3 websites.

*.vibrantmedia.com
*.intellitxt.com
*.kontera.com

4 – You will need to refresh the webpage at this point by clicking on page refresh on the top of Internet Explorer.

************************************************************************************************

*NOTE – Example ads are bigger in post than normal for example purposes.

**NOTE – Sites that offer Inline ads do this as a revenue stream so that they can offer viewers services for cheap or free, while making money from the ads.

***NOTE – Tech Geek and More does NOT use any form of Inline ads and if anyone comes across any form of inline ads within the TGM site, we ask to be notified immediately. Please send a screen shot if possible with details of what you see and from which posting. (SOAPBOX) Even though TGM is looking for ways to help with the cost of running the TGM site, it is felt that inline ads ruin the browsing experience and as such does not want those type of ads for its visitors. (END SOAPBOX)

10/30/11–Changes on Tech Geek and More

Thank you for visiting Tech Geek and More. We are working on some changes to the Tech Geek and More look this weekend, so things may not be quite right around the site. Please forgive any issues you may find while we improve.

Hope to have the site back to normal by Sunday Oct 30th in the evening.

Thank you

Alex

Head Of Tech Geek and More

Software: Android Users–Amazon Appstore Free App of the Day is Office Suite 5 Professional (10/26/11)

These days one of the most import things you will need is the ability to view and even edit documents sent to you in Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel format. I know when I got my HTC Evo, all that I got was a very limited program (DocToGo) that would allow me to view files, but not actually do any editing. If I wanted editing features, I would need to pay to buy the full version. For various reasons, up to now, I have only kept the limited viewer, never bothering to do the upgrade.

Things changed today, as I discovered that the Amazon Appstore Free App of the day is Office Suite 5 Professional. Here is information on the app, from the (LINK) Amazon (http://www NULL.amazon NULL.com/gp/product/B0051UP5NQ/180-5621455-7084817?ie=UTF8&ref=mas_faad) page

Product Description

Just in case you need to bring the office home with you, OfficeSuite Pro is a complete feature-rich mobile office. When you can’t get it done between nine to five, OfficeSuite Pro makes your job as efficient and painless as possible.

Full-Featured Office

This office productivity suite has everything you need from mobile office software. With OfficeSuite Pro, access tools for word processing, developing spreadsheets, delivering presentations, and browsing PowerPoint and PDF files. Create, view, and edit Microsoft Word and Excel files.

Google Docs Integration

The software features the most commonly used desktop document formats and includes a File Browse. The integration with Google Docs allows you to access your remotely stored documents.

Compatibility

The program supports Microsoft Office 97 to 2010 text documents – DOC and DOCX (open , edit, and save), Microsoft Office 97 to 2010 spreadsheets – XLS and XLSX (open , edit, and save), opening PPT, PPTX, PPS, and PPSX presentations, PDF files viewing, and integration with Google Docs

I have been using the app this morning (I know not a long test period), and found overall that it works well both viewing and editing Word and Excel, and also works well

viewing a PowerPoint presentation with the app. The only thing I have noticed at issue (and I see it listed by a few people in the comments area) is that in Excel when using formulas in a cell, that the cell didn’t always show properly.

The Office Suite 5 Professional app is normally valued at $14.99, can be downloaded for free directly from your phone if you have the Amazon App Store installed, or by visiting the (LINK) Amazon (http://www NULL.amazon NULL.com/mobile-apps/b?ie=UTF8&node=2350149011) page**.

**Unfortunately the Amazon App Store is only available in the U.S.

Software: Happy 10th Birthday Windows XP

Happy Birthday Windows XP. Windows XP was released to retailers on October 25, 2001. Codenamed whistler, Windows XP development started in 1999 when the operating system was known as Windows Neptune.

(From the Microsoft XP (LINK) Wiki (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Windows_XP))

Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base. The name “XP” is short for “eXPerience.”

Windows XP, the successor to Windows 2000 and Windows Me, was the first consumer-oriented operating system produced by Microsoft to be built on the Windows NT kernel. Windows XP was released for retail sale on October 25, 2001, and over 400 million copies were in use in January 2006.

Software: Online Backup for your WordPress site data (Free)

One of the most import things to have when dealing with any kind of computer data is a GOOD BACKUP! Doesn’t matter if we are talking about your tablet, Windows PC, Mac, Linux pc. In addition, for those of us who run and manage online blog sites, backing up the site is also a necessary step to protect our work. A website can go down by many reasons from hardware/software issues at your host, to hackers trying to cause issues. Here is a solution to backup your site if you are a WordPress user, offered for Free by iDrive.

The best backup is the one that takes the least amount of work to complete, because the more you have to do, the more likely you are to skip doing it. Tech Geek and More has been using (LINK) iDrive (http://www NULL.idrive NULL.com) for a number of years now. In addition, iDrive (http://www NULL.idrive NULL.com/?p=techgeekandmore) is a (paid) partner for Tech Geek and More for the past year.

iDrive has now released a free plugin (and who doesn’t like FREE) for WordPress that will on a nightly basis, back up your WordPress account into an iDrive account with 5 GB’s of space.

From the (LINK) iDrive (http://www NULL.idrive NULL.com/wordpress NULL.htm) site

“IDrive Plug-in for WordPress is an easy to use backup utility, designed specifically to backup WordPress blog data into your IDrive online backup account. It provides scheduled as well as immediate backup of WordPress blog data including files and MySQL database dump”

Features

Immediate backup of WordPress blog data, both files as well as MySQL data dump, into your IDrive online backup account
Scheduled backups occur after 12 midnight every day
Immediate restore of backed up data from your IDrive online backup account
Smart backup – Only the first backup transfers entire WordPress content, subsequent backups are incremental where only the modified data is backed up
Automatic notification via email on backup / restore status
Secure transfer of data to IDrive server using SSL. Non SSL transfer option is also available for non SSL servers
Detailed logging of backup / restore operations

To install this plug-in just find it from your plug-in section in the dashboard section of your WP install and select install.

Once installed, you will need to sign up for a new iDrive account (did I mention this one is free). *If you already have an account with iDrive for your pc backup, that account will not work for the plug in.

Once the plug-in is installed and activated, just go to the plug-in and click where it says “Click here” (as shown below) to set up your account.

Once your account is set up, you have a choice of doing an initial backup at that moment or just waiting for the regular scheduled backup.

I ran the backup initially just after install, and I did not find any down time for Tech Geek and More, while the backup was running.

One of the biggest advantages of using iDrive is the snapshot feature. This is a feature that they also include in the regular PC/Mac version of iDrive.

What are snapshots? (From the iDrive (http://www NULL.idrive NULL.com/online_faq_wordpress NULL.htm#q10) site)

Your IDrive for WordPress online account retains copies of your WordPress data for the last 10* days using the snapshots technology. A snapshot is an image of the backup data taken at a particular point of time, once everyday.

What this means is that you will have the last 10* days of your WordPress data in your account in the form of snapshots. Each snapshot will have data from the last backup performed for that particular day. This is useful if your WordPress blog data is corrupted by any means (hacks, bugs etc.).

You can restore any file, database dump, or even the entire blog from any previous snapshot and start your blog again.

Snapshots show up as folders having names like ‘BackUp_nightly.0_*’, ‘BackUp_nightly.9_*’ etc. ‘BackUp_nightly.0_*’ represents yesterday’s snapshot. ‘BackUp_nightly.9_*’ represents the snapshot taken 10 days back.

The additional storage requirements for Snapshots have no impact on your account quota usage.

* The number of days for which Snapshots are stored may change without notice.

And lastly important information for those considering using iDrive

System Requirements

WordPress 2.8.5 or higher hosted on a Linux / Unix system. WordPress blog hosted on a Windows system is not supported
JavaScript enabled web browser – IE, Safari, Firefox, Chrome
Admin access to WordPress dashboard to activate the Plug-in
PHP 5.1 or higher

Auction: Tech Geek and More on eBay – U.S. Robotics Modem (NEW)

**Update (10/22) – Modem has sold

Another spare item has come up and is now for sale. I have a brand new (Factory Sealed / Box has never been opened) U.S Robotics 56K v.92 Modem (Model 5686E) now listed on (LINK) eBay (http://cgi NULL.ebay NULL.com/ws/eBayISAPI NULL.dll?ViewItem&item=300613150958).

The bid starts at $15.00 and if you just want to Buy It Now, it will cost $20 dollars (plus $10 shipping in both cases) . The auction starts today 10/21 and goes for the next 5 days. Additional Item specifics can be found on the auctions (LINK) eBay (http://cgi NULL.ebay NULL.com/ws/eBayISAPI NULL.dll?ViewItem&item=300613150958) page.

Auction: Tech Geek and More on eBay.

**Update (10/23) – USB 3.0 Interface Card has sold

From time to time, spare pieces come up during customer projects. Sometimes its something that was ordered and wasn’t needed, other times its just the equipment that was pulled and replaced. In an attempt to not get stuck with a lot of spare stuff, Tech Geek and More now has an eBay account, and will be putting things up for sale from time to time. For this 1st time we have a Buffalo USB 3.0 Interface Card (PCI Express)

The bid starts at $5 and if you just want it now, it will cost $20 dollars (plus $5 shipping) . The product is actually new, but the box is not factory sealed. If you are interested in checking out the bid, you can find it on (LINK) eBay (http://www NULL.ebay NULL.com/itm/300612480496?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984 NULL.m1558 NULL.l2649)