Multiple monitors give a lot of convenience and can increase efficiency for computer use. Windows 8 has improved the handling of multiple monitors with a taskbar for each monitor and other configurable settings. Remote desktop offers a lot of convenience in allowing you to reach servers that are physically distant or software that's only on a particular computer. It … [Read more...]
OS X auto-updates leave a bit to be desired
On my test Mac running the OS X Yosemite Beta, I recently enrolled in auto-updates. Today, while simply browsing the web I got the following Installation Alert: In order to continue installation, please close the following application: iTunes This was a bit alarming as I wasn't doing any installation and I wasn't prompted for any installation ahead of time. Coming from the … [Read more...]
Chatting with BitTorrent Bleep
An invite to try out the pre-alpha version of BitTorrent Bleep arrived today. This early access is missing some features but gives a general idea of the software's plans. The most exciting features of the BitTorrent Bleep chatting service is that it is encrypted and decentralized, so your messages don't bounce across middleman servers like AIM or Yahoo Messenger. At the … [Read more...]
Internet Explorer will block out-of-date Java and other ActiveX controls
With an update today, Internet Explorer will block out-of-date ActiveX controls in 30 days. Old versions of Java will be the first control that will be blocked with others joining in the future. As a result, Internet Explorer 8-11 on Windows 7 SP1 and Internet Explorer (Desktop version) on Windows 8.X, as well as Windows Server versions, will now show a message when you try to … [Read more...]
Sysmon, a new utility from Sysinternals
The Windows Sysinternals team inside Microsoft released a new utility last week called Sysmon. It's a persistent system monitor that allows you to track Windows events even over a reboot and dumps the information into a Windows Event log. System Monitor (Sysmon) is a Windows system service and device driver that, once installed on a system, remains resident across system … [Read more...]