alternative

View hidden data on your NTFS hard drive with AlternateStreamView

Do you know about alternate data streams and the potential threat they pose to your PC? They're a little-known part of the NTFS file system found in most PC hard drives today. Most are used by your system and pose no threat, but hackers can hide rootkits and other malicious software in alternate data streams in compromised systems and execute them without the owner's knowledge or permission. You may be unaware that your system has been compromised until the alternate data stream is executed. Now that we have your attention, we'll tell you about NirSoft's AlternateStreamView, … Read more

TV show from WikiLeaks' Julian Assange due April 17

The new TV show from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is set to air April 17 on the RT network and be released online the same day, according to WikiLeaks.

"The World Tomorrow" (trailer embedded below) will feature Assange interviewing "an eclectic range of guests, who are stamping their mark on the future: politicians, revolutionaries, intellectuals, artists, and visionaries," the document-dump site said in an online announcement at worldtomorrow.wikileaks.org. WikiLeaks said a dozen 26-minute episodes of the program have been completed.

The organization said the programs and transcripts will be made available online and that &… Read more

Sony envisions future with pay-as-you-go power

Sony is looking to revolutionize the inefficient way in which we consume power.

A new concept video from the electronics giant shows how we could use power more efficiently in the year 2030 by switching to smart outlets with authentication and wireless charging on a broad scale, assuming we survive the zombie Mayan apocalypse.

The prototype power outlet, integrated with a short-range wireless FeliCa transmitter (and a new RFID over power line technology), allows the user to swipe a pay card across the faceplate and pay for energy on the spot. What makes it truly interesting is if humankind keeps progressing towards alternative energies (such as wind, solar, and biomass), then our outlets could give us options as to what source from which we obtain our power. The video description notes that with this outlet, "the user can actively control and manage power consumption on a user basis as well as on a device basis." … Read more

Obama rallies for high tech at home

Apple earnings reach record highs, Xbox rumors ramp up, and Obama tackles energy and tech industry concerns in his State of the Union address.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Ultimate iPad 2 case roundup

Editors' note: Updated January 24 with nine new cases from Belkin, Camalen, Evio, Incipio, iSkin, Speck, and SwitchEasy. The original post published March 11, 2011.

We know that a lot of people who buy the iPad 2 are also going to buy Apple's Smart Cover. But then again plenty of folks prefer to shop for non-Apple alternatives, and we've got more than 70 iPad 2 covers and stands to show you.

Related link MacBook Air cases and covers roundup

Of course, this roundup only represents a fraction of the cases and stands available for the iPad 2, but we've tried to include many of the top cases available. It's also worth noting that while we've included a few sleeve-style cases and some back covers that are designed to work with Apple's Smart Cover, the majority of the cases are what we'd call "full" cases with protection for both the front and back of your iPad 2.

If you think we missed a good cover--or just have a favorite among the ones shown--feel free to post a comment. We'll update the list to include more covers and stands as they become available (we've added close to 20 new covers in the last month and have started to delete some of the less desirable cases as the list gets too long).

Click on any slide to begin the slideshow. Cases are listed alphabetically.

Roku 2 XS review: Beats Apple TV for now

Roku is calling its new line of streaming-media boxes "Roku 2," but this is actually the fourth iteration of the device, which started its life as the "Netflix Player" in 2008. Like Apple TV, this is still a Netflix video streamer at its core--and a very good one--but along the way Roku has shrunk the box down; added several new "channels," including Amazon Video, Hulu Plus, Crackle, and Pandora; and bulked up feature-wise, upping the ante this go round with a new Bluetooth motion remote (included with the top-end $100 Roku 2 XS) that … Read more

ReFuel races spur electric-car innovation (audio slideshow)

Engineers searching for ways to redefine the American car, moving away from gasoline engines and toward cleaner battery-powered electric transportation, had a chance to put their designs to the test this weekend on a big-time track, the MAZDA Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. In the coming years, production standards for battery-management systems and charging systems will emerge, and today, these innovators are experimenting with what works and what doesn't, searching for the best new methods with which to manufacture the next generation of vehicles. The ReFuel Clean Power Motorsports Event, now in its third year, gives electric-car builders … Read more

GE's chief wishes he'd soft-pedaled green talk

General Electric may have grown its clean-tech business fourfold over the past six years, but Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt wishes he had spent a little less time talking about it.

The head of the largest U.S. conglomerate, who in January was named a top adviser on job creation to U.S. President Barack Obama, said yesterday that GE's focus on the environmentally friendly aspects of its wind turbines and high-efficiency appliances might have led his critics to believe he was more interested in saving the planet than growing the company.

"If I had one thing to do … Read more

Raytheon signs on for all-fuel engines

Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems has signed a deal with Cyclone Power Technologies to partner on developing a version of the all-fuel Mark V "clean-tech" engine.

The Cyclone Mark V is a Rankine Cycle heat-regenerative external-combustion engine that the company says can run on "virtually any fuel" including algae fuel and waste oil while emitting few pollutants.

The engine has a thermal efficiency of over 30 percent and produces fewer emissions than a modern gas or diesel internal-combustion engines, according to Cyclone. Mechanical energy is derived through the heating and cooling of water in a closed-loop, piston-based … Read more

Study: Electric cars, hybrids too expensive for most

Despite rising prices at the pump, many consumers are still reluctant to purchase vehicles with alternative power trains because of cost and misunderstandings about the new technologies available.

That's according to the J.D. Power and Associates "2011 U.S. Green Automotive Study," whose primary findings were released today.

The J.D. Power and Associates study was conducted in February and included interviews with over 4,000 U.S. consumers planning to buy a new vehicle within one to five years. It estimates that alternative vehicles will make up less than 10 percent of the market by … Read more