Stop Using Symantec pcAnywhere!

Symantec the company that writes Norton Antivirus and several other security related products announced today that source code has been stolen for some of their older products.  The one that causes the most concern is pcAnywhere which is used as a way to remote control a computer.  Symantec suggests disabling this software completly and to discontinue use until they have an update.

If you are using pcAnywhere on your computer please call the office to talk to us about removing the software and finding an alternative.  Also, the software could still be running if it was installed in the past but is no longer being used, so call if you have ever installed the software on the computers you currently are using.  Our office number is (979) 446-0580.

Click here to read Symantec's full anouncement.

What is the big deal about SOPA and PIPA?

SOPA and PIPA are legislation in the House and Senate that are making an attempt at stoppping the illegal selling and distribution of stolen copyrighted material. The problem is not what the bills are attempting to stop, but how they are planning to stop it.

The bill would give the courts the right to shut down any website that may be involved in providing or selling pirated material. The problem is that there are many web marketplaces, such as eBay, Craigslist, and Amazon, to name a few, that could be completely shut down if any user sold something that broke copyright rules. This would be like shutting down an entire shopping mall because one store sold something that was counterfeited.

The bill also gives the courts the right to block you from going to any website that links to a site that sells pirated material. So all search engines, such as Google, would be required to delete all links to that website or face the possibility of being shut down. This is akin to shutting down a gas station because the clerk gave directions to a nearby bank that was subsequently robbed.

Social media websites that provide the ability to share content with friends and the world would be in immediate danger due to this law. Sites such as Facebook, Youtube and Flickr allow their users to share content. Due to the high probability that some of this content could be copyrighted, these websites would have to either shut down or drastically change their business model. They already actively police the content uploaded by their users in an attempt to block pirated content, but there is no way to keep it 100% legitimate.

The bill also forces payment gateways to stop payments to any website that may be involved in selling pirated material. This is much like the first example, where the entire shopping mall had to stop taking credit card payments because of one store that sold something illegal.

When I say that the courts could block this, I should clarify that they would be able to do this without a trial. So if I had deep pockets and could afford the lawyers, I could accuse my competitors of selling illegal software and force the court to shut down their website and email, effectively shutting down a good portion of their business without anything being proven in court.

I hope that I have cleared this up for some of our customers and I hope that everyone that has time will both sign the petition at Google and contact your congressman and senators to stop this from going any further.

I have the best customers in the World!!!

We just received our first Christmas greetings at TechBundle this year.  And both were from customers and not vendors.  The first card came from Brenco Marketing and we were all really excited that a customer would take time to thank us for just doing our job.

The next one was a box full of goodies addressed to Trey, our web developer and dispatcher.  It was sent from one of our best clients Woody's Smokehouse, and if you have never had any of their world famous Beef Jerky you don't know what you are missing.  Lucky for all of us Trey is a charitable person and decided to share some with the rest of us :)

I have to say that I could not feel prouder of my employees and the title for this post could have just as easily read "I have the best employees in the World!!!".  

The Flood in Thailand is Expected to Raise Prices

The worst monsoon flood in five decades hit Thailand this July, where the rainfall was 344% above the average. The rain caused rivers to flood and dams to reach over-capacity, leaving ten feet of water in some places. Despite efforts to pump the water out, it is not expected to recede for at least another forty days. This devastating flood is not only heart-wrenching for the Thai people, but it will severely affect the production of hard drives, a major component in all computers.  

Expert John Monroe at Gartner Technology Research Firm estimates that it will take a full year for hard-drive production to return to a normal output. Not surprising, considering the flooding happened in July and the waters are still six feet high in some factories. Since Thailand is the world’s second-largest producer of hard-drives, there will be a significant scarcity that will impact all manufacturing companies. Many companies like Lenovo, Cisco Systems, Dell, and NetApp, have made statements assuring people that they will monitor the situation and address the problem as best they can. People are advised to order and purchase whatever they need immediately, as companies have enough supply to meet the current demand. But, the factories will not be running in time to prepare for future orders.

The impending shortage is already manifesting itself in prices. A hard- drive costing our customers $260 is now going to cost $520, due to low supply. Some analysts believe the price could double yet again. This increase will manifest itself in two other places: computer repair and data backup.  A hard-drive stores data, and unfortunately is the #1 most likely component to fail in computers. All computer repairs that require replacing a hard-drive will increase in price. Sadly, any online data backup uses a hard-drive as well; some companies may charge more to hedge the possibility of replacement.

No one knows what the impact will be on the companies and consumers in the near future until the factories are back to normal production. The flood happened in July and water levels are still six feet high.  Pumping the water out, fixing the damage, and getting new equipment is predicted to take about a year. Hard-drives will be in high demand without adequate production for some time creating an entire industry crunch.

TechBundle is now on Facebook and Twitter!

Have a Facebook or Twitter account? Then Like our Facebook page, TechBundle, to receive updates on the latest technology news and blog posts. Or, follow techbundle on Twitter to stay informed about computer tips and tricks. Every week we are informing you about the latest technology news and tricks in our blog. Do you know about the convenience of Ctrl+F, how to create a secure password, or about the importance of battery backups? These are just a few things you can learn from our blog.

If you do not have a Facebook account then it is easy to set up! Just to Facebook.com and enter in your full name, email, and password. Facebook will ask you to agree to the terms of use and privacy settings, after you check the boxes and click “Sign Up Now”. Facebook will send you a confirmation email; simply click the link included in the email and you are done! Just search in the top bar for all of your family, friends, and TechBundle. For more detailed instructions go to http://www.ehow.com/how_5722157_sign-up-facebook-account.html

Signing up for Twitter is very similar to Facebook. Just go to Twitter.com, enter your full name, email address and password and click “Sign Up”.  You will be directed to a page with a dialogue box, you will fill in the same information and a username (usually your name) and click “Create my Account”. All you have to do is check your email, click the link and you are done! Then just go to the top right and click on “Who to Follow” and search for techbundle. For pictures of the screen shots go to http://exploringsocialmedia.com/what-is-twitter-and-how-do-i-get-started/

Hope to see you on Facebook and Twitter soon!