Month: October 2009

October 15th is quickly becoming a popular date among bloggers all over the world. Why? Because it’s Blog Action Day, the one day when thousands of blogs join forces and write a post about the same topic, in order to raise awareness about a certain situation and encourage global debate about it. The first Blog Action Day, back in 2007, was about the environment; last year we wrote about poverty; and today the topic is climate change.

Unsurprisingly, technology bears much of the blame for climate change: gadgets that are permanently plugged – even when not in use, TV sets and stereos left on standby, computers running 24/7, oh and those airplanes… All these elements not only swell our electricity bill, but also mean an important waste of energy. But is there a way to  use technology and software in a more environmental-friendly way? Fortunately the answer is yes! Pay attention to these easy tips and learn how to do your bit to fight climate change:

1. First of all, be informed. If you want to learn more about climate change, what possible impact it could have on our planet and how we can soften it, use Google Earth. There’s a section in the Google Earth website with information about the UN climate conference in Copenhagen, and a Google Earth layer to track the influence of climate change on Earth.

2. Second, analyze the situation. How much are you contributing to climate change? Do you really care about environment in your daily life? Use a carbon calculator to determine your carbon footprint – that is, the amount of CO2 you produce – and learn tricks to lower this value. Continue reading “Blog Action Day: Fight climate change”

We’ve been talking about different types of literacy over the last month, taking a look at the best software to help you maximize your skills. There’s more to literacy than just reading and mathematics, however: knowing how to manage your money is just as important.

Most of us have made silly mistakes with our money from time to time. Maybe you’ve spent all of your salary (or pocket money!) before the month is out, or forgot to factor in interest when thinking about a loan. For some people though, these problems aren’t a once-off, they’re a fact of life. If you think this might apply to you, then keep reading.

The key to money management is planning, planning, planning. Everyone should keep a journal of their spending and record absolutely anything that comes in or goes out of their account. Nothing can escape, not even a sneaky latte or newspaper. Presuming that you’ve been keeping up with our series, your math skills should be steadily improving, and in conjunction with the free, reliable advice offered by many governments (Australia, Ireland, Singapore, UK and the US, just for starters), you’ll be well on your way to becoming the next Warren Buffet.

Luckily, the Internet abounds with programs that keep a track on your spending and I’m going to take a look at some of our most popular. There’s no way we could talk about personal finances without mentioning Buddi. This tool bills itself as ‘software for the rest of us’ and since its main aim is to make money management as easy as possible for people without financial experience, it sounds like the perfect program. One of the main things that beginners need to keep in mind is to keep your software simple, and Buddi certainly delivers.

I’ve noticed that some developers get over-excited and try to squash enough features into their programs to easily set up a gold trading company on the stock market. Exciting as that might be, if you’re still having problems making your paycheck last long enough to pay the electricity bill…well, you might be overreaching. HomeBank is a good option, a program that will give you the simplicity you need by offering only the most basic functions, without any complicated frills.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes all those numbers are just plain BORING. I can’t make them any more fun, but I can suggest a program that will inject a bit of color – Personal Finances. This brightly colored application has all the features you’ll need, accompanied by jazzy colors and some cute illustrations. Hey, it won’t make you any richer, but it might just brighten up your number-crunching!

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Math

Part 3: Reading

It’s been a long time coming, but finally there’s now a clutch of decent soccer games to choose from on the iPhone. I recently tested FIFA 10, which brings the realism of the console game to the small screen with some aplomb. The great thing about the title is undoubtedly its vast licensing agreements, meaning you can play as real players in real teams in real leagues across the World. There’s even a management option that lets you take command of a team and guide them to success.

While FIFA 10 has the plush presentation and full licenses, X2 Soccer 2009 has arguably the better gameplay. You could almost describe X2 as the Pro Evolution Soccer of the iPhone world. The game isn’t packaged quite as neatly but boy does it play well. The graphics and animation feel more fluid than FIFA, and the fact that there are three action buttons rather than two makes it feel like you have more control over the players. The sound effects and the commentary are also something to be admired in X2 Soccerl 2009. Continue reading “Top soccer games for iPhone”

They say 13 is unlucky for some and today will be a nightmare for those of you who dread lengthy Microsoft updates and the restarts they often involve.  Microsoft are issuing their biggest security update ever today involving 13 bulletins which will address 34 vulnerabilities. Six are listed by Microsoft as definitely requiring a restart while the rest “may require a restart”.

Reading through the Executive Summaries, it appears that eight of the updates are classed as critical and will close backdoor loopholes on Windows, Internet Explorer and Office. One of them includes a loophole caused by using Internet Explorer 8 with Windows 7. There are two critical updates relating to Service Pack 3 for Windows XP and Service Pack 3 for Office.

On the Microsoft Security Response Centre (MSRSC) blog, MSRSC’s Jerry Bryant explains:

Among the updates this month, we are closing out two current security advisories. Vulnerabilities in SMB Could Allow Remote Code Execution and vulnerabilities in the FTP Service in Internet Information Services. Usually we do not go into this level of detail in the advance notification but we felt that it is important guidance so customers can plan accordingly and deploy these updates as soon as possible.

Although the restarts are a pain, you’re advised to let Microsoft Windows Update install them as soon as possible as there are so many critical fixes in this latest batch.

Note that you can keep up-to date with details of the latest Windows updates by subscribing to Microsoft Technical Security Notifications. You can choose from Basic Alerts for general users, Comprehensive Alerts for IT managers, Security Advisory Alerts for those updates related to security issues and finally Microsoft Security Response Centre (MSRSC) Blog Alerts for first-hand explanations of the fixes and updates.

It’s Friday again and we’re celebrating it with our traditional time-waster. CycloManiacs is a fun bicycle racing game with an easy gameplay and many elements to make races more challenging and competitive.

You start off by riding with a cute robot on a shabby bike, but as you progress through the game (and you have quite a handful of levels to beat) you can obtain new drivers, better bikes and hidden tracks. Each race charges you with a series of challenges – such as finishing in the top five places or gathering a minimum number of items – and if you complete them you’ll be rewarded with new unlockable stuff. Jumping is also important, because it’ll give you points to boost up your bike’s speed and overtake any other competitors.

CycloManiacs is controlled with the usual WASD or cursor keys combinations (plus the spacebar or X key to jump). The game is complemented by a nice background soundtrack.

The latest version of Windows Mobile rolls out today, as Microsoft tries to put a spring in the step of its aging mobile OS. Windows Mobile 6.5, which we previewed back in February, is designed to freshen up the hopelessly dated shell, making it more touch-friendly and improving on the browsing capabilities within the operating system. But can Microsoft really expect to make ground on its plusher, faster, and more functional rivals, such as iPhone, Android and BlackBerry? It’s a big ask, but there are a few new additions that might help. In fact, I’ve counted six and a half.

Today screen – It’s actually called a ‘Home’ screen now, but this is still the page where everything begins in Windows Mobile. Revamped to make it more touch-friendly, the screen consists only of text headings for the various apps and tools. The shortcuts on the Home screen are much neater and more intelligent than previous versions of the Today screen in WM. Now you can even launch individual Internet Explorer favorites directly from this screen.

Unlock specific tools – The phone unlocking capabilities are much improved in Windows Mobile 6.5, making them much more akin to the likes of the iPhone and Android systems. You can now slide to unlock specific items such as messages and missed calls.

Honeycomb interface – The new honeycomb-style Start menu interface is the flagship feature of the new Windows Mobile. It’s a vast improvement from the archaic-looking menu screens of the previous incarnations, and has been designed specifically for touchscreen use. Icons are spaced out much more, and can be scrolled up and down rather than having to fumble between different screens. Continue reading “6.5 things that could save Windows Mobile”