Alan Buckingham

In the race to the bottom of security, Flash has remained a strong contender, competing with Java to win the competition. It's really nothing against Adobe, the company seems to try fairly hard to keep things safe. It's more that Flash is so popular that it becomes a primary target. Something Microsoft would know a thing or two about, given the success of Windows.

The company has issued its latest security bulletin. It isn't the best of news -- the report seems to encapsulate two vulnerabilities, and both are being exploited in the wild.

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The words "first responders" came to the forefront in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks. However, it really just describes the medical, fire and police people who rush to the scene of any problem, hoping to save lives and property. These men and women need every advantage they can get, and modern technology continues to aid them in their work.

You may think of the smartwatch as something that displays the time and messages for you, but it can be a lot more in some cases. Pebble, the former darling of Kickstarter, is now helping these folks out by bringing the CommandWear app to its platform.

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Just yesterday Microsoft held its big Windows 10 event -- you likely may have seen something in the news about it. Sort of hard to miss. There was much more to the show than just a new operating system. Surprises included HoloLens and more. One thing that featured prominently was the company's gaming console.

Yes, Xbox will be a part of Windows 10, and a big one if Phil Spencer is to be believed. The head of this wing of Microsoft did an extensive presentation during the event. According to Spencer, games are about being social, and that is one of the things the company tried to work into this. He also talks about gaming as a personal experience.

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If you want to share media around your home then there is perhaps no easier way than Plex. The media server software is free and the setup is simple. Better yet, the end-user apps are available for almost any platform imaginable. You can even access your files on the go, though that requires a minor subscription fee.

With all of that said, it may seem shocking that the devices lacking this simple solution were those from Sony -- the PS3 and PS4. Plex has now rectified this apparent oversight, announcing its wares are now available.

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Wrestling fan? Many folks are, which is what has made the WWE such a lucrative business. The organization recently launched its own network -- subscription-based, of course. After all, it's about making money in exchange for sport...ah....entertainment. Now the network is expanding, moving to set-top boxes.

Roku, perhaps the top name in this category, is announcing that the WWE has arrived on its boxes in the UK and Ireland. While we aren't sure how popular the "sport" is there, it's certainly set to get some viewers.

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The past few weeks have not been kind to hacking group Lizard Squad. They've managed to raise the ire of the last possible group of folks you'd wish to anger -- Anonymous. The organization is also experiencing arrests of its members, thanks to poor procedures put in place for identity protection. But the latest blow may come as poetic justice to many people.

The loosely-knit hacker communicative has been trying to sell its wares online -- namely DDoS for hire services. Unfortunately for it, and rather fortunately for the rest of us, the offering has been hacked. According to multiple reports LizardStresser.su was compromised.

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While the news of the recent Sony hack has died down, it certainly isn't forgotten. The simple fact remains that we still have no clear answer on who was responsible. The US government blamed North Korea and initiated sanctions on the nation, though no real evidence was put forth to support this alleged misdeed, leaving the move to reek of political motivation.

The simple fact that the hackers originally asked for money, as if it were a hostage situation, seems to point away from state-sponsored wrongdoing, but we simply don't know the real truth, and perhaps never will. All we really know is there's a lack of evidence for this case. We'd be safe in speculating a jury would be unlikely to convict the country.

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For a while Windows Phone users complained about the lack of apps, one of which was Spotify. The music service is now there and things are improving in general for the platform. Now Spotify has a major new update for Microsoft's mobile devices, bringing it more in line with versions on competing handsets.

The big feature is the addition of Your Music. This option allows customers to better organize and browse their tunes, as well as create playlists and view cover art. If you find something to your liking, you can simply hit "save" and move on -- it will be there for you in the future.

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Torrent sites have been on the run lately, with raids and all manner of filtering by governments that are trying to control the internet. It doesn't work, as the folks who want access bad enough know the ways around these things. Two of the latest victims were The Pirate Bay and EZTV. The former remains dead, though signs of a comeback are present. The latter wasn't down for long following the raid.

EZTV made a quick comeback, but problems have continued for the service, as Italian authorities closed in on its .IT domain. This has forced the organization to pack up shop and make a move to a new country where things will, hopefully, be calmer.

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Those who travel regularly count on the frequent flyer miles that almost all airlines offer. Customers use these to build up for free trips or upgrades to a better class seating section. But what happens when these miles get swiped away from you? American and United airlines are finding out.

Both flight providers have experienced theft of these miles, carried out by hackers that got hold of access from customer account information. The miles were used to book free trips and upgrades.

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If you're fond of watching TV, and most folks are, then you likely have some accounts with online services to supplement your viewing options. Several good choices exist, one of which is provided by online retail giant Amazon. Prime includes video streaming that competes with rival Netflix and now it's beefing up the original content available from this service.

13 new shows are debuting on the service, though they are pilots only. Amazon prefers to let the viewers decide what becomes a series and what gets shelved. So, your viewing and comments help here.

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Jeremy, James and Richard are coming back for a 22nd season. Oh, that guy in the white suit and helmet will be there too, but "all we know is he's called The Stig". There will likely be some fast and expensive cars involved, and certainly there will be entertainment. But how do you advertise a show that really needs no introduction?

The answer to that question seems to be a merger with the Lego empire. You know -- those toys that adults also like to play with. You'll find all of the characters in the new trailer, or pieces of them anyway.

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Stanford University is known for turning out some of the big names in the tech business. It's where two guys thought up the idea for a little search engine called Google. However, that doesn't tie the school to the service and Stanford is proving that with its move to a Microsoft platform.

It's certainly not the first educational institute (or business) to adopt Office 365 and Exchange. This latest move is slated to take place in the summer of 2015, though the work has already begun.

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We knew the Scroogled campaign was no more -- it was a miserable failure and the object of ridicule that somehow still got architect Mark Penn promoted within the company. While some folks found it amusing, most laughed it off, as the misinformation conveyed was a joke. Now it seems the fate of this advertising endeavor is completely sealed.

Microsoft has rerouted traffic from the Scroogled website in an effort to forget this embarrassing moment in history. If you visit the site now, you'll be sent to WhyMicrosoft -- a site that shows off the good things the company has to offer, as opposed to a mudslinging campaign against a rival.

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It's that time again -- the part of the month where Netflix rolls out its report on ISP performance. This is something that became important back during the Comcast debacle. That was when the streaming service was held hostage while negotiating a deal, all the while with its speed on the carrier steadily dropping.

Well, the top three have not changed and, despite the shakedown, Comcast still is not among them. Verizon FiOS retains its seat at the top, follow by Cablevision and Bright House. Comcast at least hasn't ceded its number four position.

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