2008

Part of what reminded me about watching the 93rd Indianapolis 500 race this last weekend actually was Sarah Fisher's appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to promote the upcoming race. As usual, Fisher came off very sweet and gave a fun interview (hard not to when your foil is Jon Stewart, after all) and much was made of how she was the first woman to be racing an eighth Indy 500...not bad, girlfriend. Well as you probably know by now, Fisher didn't win (though she finished 17th on the lead lap, and overall ranked 25th … Read more

Flexcrypt offers people the opportunity to encode e-mails and IM chats, so unauthorized users cannot read the information. There are many situations where this capability may prove useful in home and business, however, users are advised to read the Help file before using Flexcyrpt Free to get the best results.

This unlimited-use download operates from a simple control panel that allows the user to write encoded messages. Tabs separate various functions, allowing the user to simply encrypt text or to send encrypted text via e-mail or instant messenger. Creating this secret language is as simple as entering text into the … Read more

Earlier this week, I presented web video that contained highlights from the beginning of the current season of World Rally Championship. Since the current season is still underway, I thought instead I'd give you a great compilation of highlights from the 2008 season of WRC.

The footage was taken from many of the best rallies of 2008 such as Stagione Rally 2008, Rally Ciocchetto 2008, Ronde di Natale 2008, Apollo Tribute, and International Rally Cups from Rally del Taro 2008 and Rally degli Abeti 2008. Ten minutes of fast cars, twists and turns, and plenty of smoke and dust. … Read more

Microsoft said that the next version of its SQL Server database, to be called SQL Server 2008 R2, will work with up to 256 logical processors as well as add a set of business intelligence capabilities previously known as Kilimanjaro.

The software maker had previously described Kilimanjaro as an add-on to SQL Server 2008, but not a new version. In an interview, though, Microsoft's Robert Wahbe said Kilimanjaro will indeed be a new version of the product, though it will share the same code base as SQL Server 2008.

"It is new capabilities but it is also a … Read more

As expected, my blog this week about Macintosh security generated a lot of comments. Some were personal in nature (author's note: I really do know the difference between a Trojan and a virus but typos happen), some were quite thought-provoking.

I did receive some interesting data from a colleague from IBM. According to the X-Force 2008 Trend & Risk Report (PDF) released early this year, Mac OS X Server and Mac OS X top the list of operating systems with the most disclosed vulnerabilities for 2008. Each accounts for 14.3 percent, and has been in the top five … Read more

Most calendar software is designed to help you get organized. All-In-One Desktop Calendar aims to go a step further by organizing and replacing your computer's desktop. While this is certainly a unique approach, we were left wondering if it's really necessary.

This program's interface presents a bold default background image of a nature scene. This customizable background is a sign of things to come as All-In-One attempts to provide a service unlike other calendar programs. Still, users familiar with Microsoft Outlook will find this calendar and address book mimics the more popular program almost perfectly. One interesting … Read more

The 2008 election was truly the most Internet-based presidential race ever, but the more voters went online, the more they sought out partisan content, a new report shows.

For the first time ever, more than half of the voting age population--55 percent of adults--went online for news and information about a presidential election or to communicate with others about the race, according to a report released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project.

Twenty-six percent of Americans said they relied on the Internet as a major source of campaign news in 2008, compared with 11 … Read more

Updated at 4:05 p.m. PDT with additional earnings highlights and comments from CEO Paul Otellini.

Intel's first-quarter profit fell about 56 percent from a year earlier, but Chief Executive Paul Otellini said PC sales were bottoming out.

Net income was $647 million, or 11 cents a share, down from $1.4 billion in the year-earlier period. Revenue was $7.1 billion, down about 27 percent from the $9.7 billion reported in the same period last year. Wall Street estimates were around 3 cents a share on revenue of $7 billion.

"We believe PC sales bottomed … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Windows Server boss Bill Laing said in an interview Friday that the server version of Windows 7 will ship this calendar year.

Using a little bit of deduction, I'd say that means Windows 7 continues to be tracking ahead of schedule. Although Laing's comments referred to Windows Server 2008 R2 and not to the desktop version, server products traditionally ship after desktop operating systems based on the same code base, owing to greater testing needs.

"We've really been executing," Laing said, noting that although the R2 product is a relatively minor release for the … Read more