pro

Four vulnerabilities affect two IM apps

On Thursday, Zero Day Initiative announced four flaws affecting two instant-messaging applications, three affecting Cerulean Studios Trillian Pro, and one affecting IBM Lotus Sametime. Zero Day Initiative is a part of TippingPoint and is controversial in that it pays researchers for finding flaws.

The first flaw in Trillian affects the header parsing code for the msn protocol and could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. The advisory states "when processing the X-MMS-IM-FORMAT header, certain attributes are copied into a buffer located on the stack without any length verification which can eventually lead to code execution with the privileges … Read more

IE7Pro adds even more features to IE

The one must-have add-on for Internet Explorer is IE7Pro. It gives Microsoft's browser many of the features that Firefox aficionados consider essential, such as mouse gestures, ad blocking, user scripts, and other basic tweaks. Now IE7 users can add a session manager and prefetching to that list.

Using IE7Pro is a snap. The add-on installs an icon on your IE status bar at the bottom, and you right-click it to access the IE7Pro options. Think of it as a context menu for your plugins. The Settings panel is accessible from that menu or using CTRL+F7 hotkeys.

The session … Read more

The Gizmo Airline Report: Virgin America

In a way, this story is left over from CES 2008, where I attended a blogger party hosted by the Parnassus Group and sponsored by, among other companies, Virgin America, the US domestic airline counterpart to Virgin Atlantic.

The party was a lot of fun, and all the sponsors did extensive giveaways. I got a flight suit from Intel and Zero G, a private company that offers "weightless" (parabolic trajectory) flights. Alas, I didn't win a Zero G flight, but I did win a free flight on Virgin America. In fact, I think pretty much everyone at … Read more

You too can be 'Speed Racer' in this setup

If the line between gaming gear and professional simulators is increasingly blurred, this is why. We've already seen sims that are FAA-approved, but CXC Simulations has taken the concept to a new level on the ground.

The "Motion-Pro II Simulator" combines the latest 3D technology with 505-watt 5.1 surround sound and a huge subwoofer that can be felt as well as heard through four vibration transducers. The result, according to BornRich, is "the unique sound and physical vibrations of a high-powered race car."

And to make sure your visual senses aren't left out, … Read more

Killer Download: Switching apps with class

As you may know, I use both Mac and Windows PCs at work and write software reviews for both. In my experience, each platform has its strengths and weaknesses, but both can be extremely powerful if you have the right software. To me, it's not about picking which platform is the best, it's about finding the software you need to get the job done.

One of the great additions to the Mac OS in recent iterations is the visual program and document management system called Expose. On a Windows machine, you probably switch apps by using the trusty … Read more

IP protection law would let feds sieze your PC

Some new intellectual property (IP) enforcement legislation passed the U.S. House yesterday by a wide margin. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which has been against the proposal since its inception, put out a release highlighting the silliness of creating a new presidential appointee (complete with official seal) specifically to oversee IP policy. But reading through the coverage of the bill, and wading through most of the bill itself, there's another part that seemed more alarming to me.

I've never studied law, but it looks like the bill allows the government to seize any computer used in the process … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 721: Copy an MP3, lose your house

It's scary legal day today between the Pro-IP act and the Los Angeles County copyright laws. At least R2D2 can safely project legitimate DVD movies on our walls. Even if they're prison walls. Also, old Apple PowerBook power supplies are sparking up a storm. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 721

House overwhelmingly passes controversial Pro-IP Act http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/ 20080508-house-overwhelmingly-passes-controversial-pro-ip-act.html

Infringement ‘detrimental to the public health, safety’ http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/05/09/0029224

Windows XP SP3 sows havoc, users complain http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/ operatingsystems/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207600950… Read more

Virtual exercise for equestrian society

Virtual fitness games may be fine for the masses, but what about the landed classes of society's upper eschelons? Surely they can't be expected to partake in such commoner activities as stock car racing, skateboarding, or--gasp--bowling.

Take heart, subscribers of the Robb Report, there's now a fitness machine worthy of your station: an equine simulator. The "Ridemaster Pro" from Racewood Simulators provides "all the thrills that a real horse can but minus the spills and nasty bruises," according to BornRich, while giving "a nice workout courtesy of its real horse-like movements.&… Read more