Yet another wet/dry, cold/cold, windy/calm start to the day
at the Castle this morn, but it looks as if I may be able to do a bit of
vandalism in the garden later.
Orf out early tomorrow so no post, and the interweb thingy
is still behaving like a spoilt child and his Maj keeps bringing me frogs...
Some useful information:
Microsoft has
issued an urgent security warning to all Windows 7 & Vista users: apparently
you must disable the Desktop Gadgets feature immediately.
It turns out that hackers have discovered a security flaw in the Desktop Gadgets subsystem, which can allow them to take over your PC, if you install an infected Gadget.
Gadgets, in case you aren't sure, are the small desktop tools which display the weather forecast, large clock and so on your desktop. In Windows Vista, these Gadgets sit in the desktop sidebar on the right-hand side of the screen. Windows 7 has no sidebar, so the Gadgets 'float' on the desktop.
You can add and remove Gadgets via the Control Panel
The attack allows a malicious Gadget to run with the same privileges as your logged in user account, so if you are an administrator they can take over the whole machine. According to Microsoft, "Gadgets installed from untrusted sources can harm your computer and can access your computer’s files, show you objectionable content, or change their behaviour at any time".
Microsoft originally intended the system to be expanded by third-party developers, so that, for example, Facebook could provide a gadget that allowed you to keep an eye on your status. But, because of the threat posed by this attack, Microsoft has now closed down their site that allows you to find and install third-party gadgets.
To prevent this type of attack, you need to disable the feature in the registry. Before applying a registry fix, first create a backup of your registry by following the steps here:
It turns out that hackers have discovered a security flaw in the Desktop Gadgets subsystem, which can allow them to take over your PC, if you install an infected Gadget.
Gadgets, in case you aren't sure, are the small desktop tools which display the weather forecast, large clock and so on your desktop. In Windows Vista, these Gadgets sit in the desktop sidebar on the right-hand side of the screen. Windows 7 has no sidebar, so the Gadgets 'float' on the desktop.
You can add and remove Gadgets via the Control Panel
The attack allows a malicious Gadget to run with the same privileges as your logged in user account, so if you are an administrator they can take over the whole machine. According to Microsoft, "Gadgets installed from untrusted sources can harm your computer and can access your computer’s files, show you objectionable content, or change their behaviour at any time".
Microsoft originally intended the system to be expanded by third-party developers, so that, for example, Facebook could provide a gadget that allowed you to keep an eye on your status. But, because of the threat posed by this attack, Microsoft has now closed down their site that allows you to find and install third-party gadgets.
To prevent this type of attack, you need to disable the feature in the registry. Before applying a registry fix, first create a backup of your registry by following the steps here:
Press [Windows Key] + [R], type REGEDIT and click OK.
Go to file on the top of the registry, click on export and save somewhere you can find it again.
Next, apply the fix as follows:
Press [Windows Key] + [R], type REGEDIT and click OK.
Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, expand SOFTWARE, expand Microsoft,
expand Windows, expand CurrentVersion, and then expand Policies.
Right click on Policies, select New, select Key,
and then type Windows as the key name.
Right click on Windows, select New, select Key, and
then type Sidebar as the key name.
Right click on Sidebar, select New, select DWORD
(32-bit) Value, and the type TurnOffSidebar as the name.
Right click on TurnOffSidebar, select Modify and then
change Value data: to 1 and click OK.
Reboot your system
to apply the fix.
With the fix in
place, you will of course no longer be able to use the Desktop Gadgets you have
installed, but this is a small price to pay for the security the fix will bring
you.
Microsoft has removed the Gadgets feature completely from Windows 8, so if you are using a test version of that operating system you don't need to worry about the problem.
Microsoft has removed the Gadgets feature completely from Windows 8, so if you are using a test version of that operating system you don't need to worry about the problem.
Simples-ish, sort
of.......I did the “fix” above and the interweb thingy seems to have sorted
itself out?
.
It seems that Councils made more than half a billion pounds
profit from parking last year, despite warnings that they should not treat
motorists as “cash cows”.
Authorities in England and Wales saw their surplus from
parking rise to £511.6 million in 2010-11 from £489.4 million a year earlier,
according to an analysis of local authority accounts by the RAC Foundation.
Town halls are supposed to use their powers to control
parking to improve traffic flow and prevent gridlock on their streets.
They are prohibited from using these powers to bolster their
income. However, many councils seek to get round this by earmarking the cash
raised for other transport projects.
Currently motorists can be fined up £130 in London and £70
outside the capital for parking offences. Ministers are considering a plea from
councils to increase the fines. The RAC Foundation figures show that the
Tory-run Westminster council in central London made a £38 million profit from
parking. Drivers now have to pay £4.80 an hour to park on the street in prime
spots, such as near Oxford Street.
Outside London, Brighton, where motorists can wait more than
a year for a residential parking permit, racked up a £12.7 million surplus,
with drivers in the centre of the city now paying £3.50 an hour. Stephen
Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Local authorities need to be
transparent about how they spend these 'profits’ and demonstrate to drivers
that the money raised is being used to make their lives easier, not more difficult.”
Peter Box, chairman of the Local Government Association’s
economy and transport board, defended councils.
“Parking charges and fines are an essential part of keeping
traffic flowing, pedestrians and motorists safe and deterring irresponsible
drivers,” he said.
Yeah right....robbing bastards.
Although we on our more than slightly damp island have only
managed about one day this year to meander to the seaside over in China it
seems that the pastime is quite popular.
Fruit has always been one of the higher-priced commodities
in Japan. A single apple, for example, can cost 1,000 yen (£8). A package of 20
cherries will run you 8,000 yen (£64).
However, it seems that the value of melons has gone down
this season.
Yubari, a city in the north famous for its enticing, wonderful
melons, has started a bit of a craze.
In the most recent harvest, two particular melons caught the
attention of everyone, for their perfectly circular form and an evenly
patterned rind. The set of melons, weighing 4 kg, were auctioned at a relatively
lower price than the highest paid melons ever, reflecting the still unstable
economic climate.
In 2008, the most expensive pair of melons was sold at a
whopping price of 2.5 million yen (£19,000).
That’s nearly as dear as my favourite retailer...
Allegedly A man spotted dressed in a goat suit among a herd
of wild goats in the mountains of northern Utah has wildlife officials worried
he could be in danger as hunting season approaches.
Douglass said a man hiking Sunday along Ben Lomond peak in
the mountains above Ogden, about 40 miles north of Salt Lake City, spotted the
person dressed like a goat among a herd of real goats. The person provided some
blurry photographs to Douglass, who said they did not appear to have been
altered.
Coty Creighton spotted the goat man Sunday during his hike.
He said he came across the herd, but noticed something odd about one goat that
was trailing behind the rest.
"I thought it was a deformed goat," Creighton told
the Standard-Examiner of Ogden. "It was clumsy, not nimble."
He said he pulled out binoculars to get a closer look at the
herd about 200 yards away and was shocked. The man appeared to be acting like a
goat while wearing the crudely made costume, which had fake horns and a cloth
mask with cut-out eye holes, Creighton said.
"He was on his hands and knees, crawling along the mountainside,"
he said. "Something was definitely off with that guy."
No shit....
And today’s thought:
Solo Tantric sex Olympics#3
Angus
