Access to Gmail is blocked in China
China is one of the more 'interesting' counties when it comes to its attitude to allowing unfettered access to the internet. The Great Firewall of China is famed for the restrictions it places on the online activities of Chinese citizens. New data seems to suggest that Google's Gmail is currently blocked in the country.
Dyn Research, a web traffic research company, reports that Gmail traffic is being blocked at the IP level rendering Google's email service inaccessible within most of China. The disruption appears to have started late on Christmas day and is still on-going.
Apple now lets you rent or buy The Interview from iTunes
There are few films that have caused as much controversy -- justified or not -- in recent times as The Interview. The Seth Rogen and James Franco movie upset North Korea, was shunned by major cinemas, and earned itself poor reviews when it was screened online and in independent cinemas. Now Apple has announced that the movie can be bought or rented from iTunes.
Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said simply, "We're pleased to offer The Interview for rental or purchase on the iTunes Store." Anyone who wants to see the movie and doesn't fancy opting for one of the numerous versions available through BitTorrent or other sources, can rent it for $5.99 or buy it for $14.99 -- in the US and Canada, at least.
Facebook apologizes for miserable, automated Year In Review posts
You must have seen them whilst browsing your Facebook feed, you probably even have one of your own. Facebook took it upon itself to produce a Year In Review post for users, pulling together photos from throughout the year into one delightful, cheery look back at the previous 12 months. But for some people things weren’t quite so cheerful.
The algorithm that was used to collect photos for inclusion in the posts picked out not only photos of the happy family get-togethers, the unforgettable vacations and so on. Some users were distraught to find that some of the bleaker moments from the year had been highlighted in a presentation entitled "It's been a great year!". Now Facebook has apologized for the upset.
Sony talks PlayStation Network outage, doesn't name Lizard Squad
The news the past couple of days has been filled with security, or lack thereof, as the case may be. Really, it has surrounded DDoS attacks launched against gaming networks. Both Sony and Microsoft experienced outages beginning Christmas day. The attacks have been credited to hacking group Lizard Squad.
According to security researcher Brian Krebs, the group has done a poor job hiding its members' identities. "While most of the group’s acolytes are known to U.S. enforcement investigators, many are minors, and the sad truth is that federal prosecutors don't really know what to do with underage felons except to turn them into informants".
PyCmd: a smarter command line?
The Windows command line console is extremely basic, thanks mostly to a horrible interface which hasn't changed significantly in years.
Windows 10 will bring some improvements, but if you don’t plan on upgrading for a while -- or you just can’t wait -- then the open source PyCmd delivers a smarter command prompt right now.
Lizard Squad attacks Tor network, ignoring warning from Anonymous
Lizard Squad, the group believed to be behind the Christmas DDoS attacks on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network now has a new target -- Tor. Just a week ago, the leader of the Tor Project, Roger Dingledine, warned that the anonymizing network could come under attack, and now it seems as though his prediction was correct.
War has already been declared on Lizard Squad by Anonymous, but this does not seem to have been enough to deter the group from its attacks. Reports suggest that more than 3,000 Tor relays have been compromised, and there are fears that this could impact the anonymity Tor was designed to offer.
Anonymous declares war on Lizard Squad after DDoS attacks on game networks
Hacker outfit Lizard Squad was seemingly responsible for the misery of thousands of gamers this Christmas after a series of DDoS attacks were launched on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. Mega's Kim Dotcom stepped into the breach and was seemingly -- temporarily -- successful in negotiating with the group and getting them to stop the attacks.
While the gaming networks appear to have come back online for some, this is not enough for Anonymous -- yes, that Anonymous. The international activist group has declared war on Lizard Squad, saying that the hackers have "made an enemy" and warning that "now you are all going down".
My favorite tech products of 2014 [Alan]
2014 is quickly winding down and the calendar will soon turn over to 2015. But it was a good year for technology, which began, as always, in Las Vegas with annual CES. Of course, that's when we get a glimpse of products that may or may not ever see the bright lights of a store showroom. But we aren't here to talk about what could have been, but instead, what really is on the market. Nothing fancy here, just solid pieces of equipment.
Over the course of the past year I was fortunate enough to try out many products. There were really no duds in the batch, but some managed to distinguish themselves from the competitors. Now we've reached that time where it can be revealed. And, just so you know, it goes in no particular order.
Amazon Prime gets record-breaking 10 million first-time members this holiday
This year, I did all of my Christmas shopping online. More specifically, I did all of my shopping on Amazon.com. I wasn't opposed to going to a physical store, but every time I drove by the mall, the parking lot was full and people were fighting over parking spots. Sorry, I am not going to get involved in all of that.
Since I have a Prime membership, I was able to wait until the last minute for much of my shopping, as the included 2-day shipping got things to me fast. Not only does Prime come with free expedited shipping, it also includes free video streaming and more -- a great value. Hell, a Prime Membership makes a great gift to give too. Today, Amazon announces that it has achieved a record-breaking 10 million first-time memberships over the holidays.
Best Windows 8 apps this week
One-hundred and eleven in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps and games released for Windows 8 in the last seven days.
I've noticed for some time now that Windows Store doesn't return some apps or games when you search for the exact name in store. The only way to find the app using search is to look for the company name instead. Hopefully this problem will be fixed soon.
PlayStation Network and Xbox Live hit by Christmas DDoS attack -- Kim Dotcom saves the day [Update: not!]
Gamers were disappointed this Christmas as both PlayStation Network and Xbox Live suffered massive outages following DDoS attacks. It wasn't long before hacking group Lizard Squad claimed responsibility, but anyone who found an Xbox One or PS4 under their Christmas tree quickly discovered that getting an online gaming fix was impossible.
This is not the first time that Lizard Squad has targeted Sony. At the beginning of December, the group knocked the PlayStation Network and Store offline, but this time Microsoft gamers also suffered. The attack started on Christmas Eve, and continued throughout Christmas Day. Then an unlikely hero saved the day -- Mega's Kim Dotcom.
Santa brought you a Roku 3? Here's what to do first
The market is thick for set-top boxes these days, but Roku 3 tends to be the most popular choice with many consumers. It's simple to set up and has perhaps the most content. The "channels", as Roku calls them, are an ever-growing ecosystem of networks and online content.
The steps for getting it up and running are fairly simple. The box will help you along, walking you through each step. The first, and most obvious, is plugging it in to an outlet and then connecting the HDMI cable.
Santa brought you a Surface Pro 3? Here's what to do first
Merry Christmas y'all! Today is all about celebrating Jesus' birth, but since he isn't here, we will give and get gifts in his honor. Santa Claus keeps us all saturated in gifts galore, ranging from socks and underwear, to new computers.
Speaking of computers, there is one that I find to be the best, and that is the Surface Pro 3. Did you get one under the tree today? If so, congratulations! You must have been really friggin' good this year. By all means, power it on, and have fun -- get your grimy fingerprints all over the screen. But please know that owning a Surface Pro 3 is a lifestyle -- a special club, if you will -- and there are some things you should consider.
Santa brought you an Amazon Fire TV? Here's what to do first
This year Amazon jumped into the set-top box market with a remarkably mature competitor. Since its release, the Fire TV has continued to accumulate features and improve. In fact, it's now serious competition for the likes of Roku and Apple TV. So did you find one under your tree this year? If so, there are a few things to know.
First, and perhaps most obvious, you need to have an Amazon account. That shouldn't be a barrier for most people. You'll just need to enter your email and password to get up and running on your new set-top box. It also needs to connect to Wi-Fi, unless you can use a wired connection (which is better). If your router is password protected then that will be the final entry to start.
Santa brought you a Chromecast? Here's what to do first
Google Chromecast is the perfect stocking filler -- it’s small, affordable, and guaranteed to be a hit with anyone who receives it as a gift this holiday season. Google is continuing to bolt on features (most recently it added a guest mode), so you’ll be able to do even more with it throughout the coming year.
The tiny powered dongle plugs into your TV set and lets you watch streaming video from the likes of YouTube, Hulu Plus, HBO Go, BBC iPlayer, Netflix, and Google Play. You can even 'cast' content from your Chrome browser on to the big screen, and play your own videos.
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