It is remarkable just how much cheap crap we, as a planet, produce each and every year. The environmental impact is worrying, landfills are swelling and carbon emissions must come down – yet more and more junk continues to roll out of the factory. In addition to this, many seem to think that adding USB connectivity (usually for a small amount of power as opposed to real interfacing) to aforementioned plastic junk instantly makes it more saleable.

So, would you spend your money on these peripherals?

USB Tie Fan Cooler….Thing

Feel like you’re tied to your desk all day and looking for the ultimate way to cool off? Look no further, all you need is the USB tie cooler from Thanko. Somewhat resembling the collar-bombs worn by imprisoned schoolchildren in the 2002 film Battle Royale, the fan clips to your neck and is then covered up with the included silk tie.

Of course, it’s USB powered – so it’s completely useless (yet still too embarassing to take off) unless you’re near a computer. Once you finally do get to your desk, find a spare USB port (by removing non-essentials like mice and keyboards) and you’ll be the coolest cat in the office.

That is until you suddenly get up to tell Brenda you need that report by 5, tearing your laptop off the table, showering your co-workers with coffee and publicly revealing the secret to your body temperature regulation. Still, at least you won’t be hot under the collar?

Chicken’s Foot 2GB USB Stick

There are a lot of overpriced USB sticks on the market in all kinds of novelty shapes, capacities and sizes but most of them have a valid use – removable storage – that makes up for it. I am actually having trouble with this particular USB flash drive however, as it appears to be in the shape of a chicken’s foot.

This of course means that the bloody thing will never fit comfortably in your pocket, and might also have trouble fitting into computers mounted on a flat surface (I do believe the toes would get in the way).

This rather small 2GB capacity appendage will sit on your desk for hours without falling over – though you’re probably better off spending the $30 on more space, rather than novelty form factor.

USB Mini UV Toothbrush Sanitiser

Nothing says “pearly whites” like a sterile toothbrush (I guess?) and now you can sterilise yours right at your desk! Excited? Well hold on junior, because there might just be a teency weency issue with aforementioned USB toothbrush sanitiser… and that’ll be the USB part.

Who keeps their toothbrush at their desk? Moreover, who would take it out and actually sanitise it using this bloody thing? If toothbrush sanitation is high on your list of priorities then I don’t think a mini USB toothbrush sanitiser is going to cut it – you’ll want the real deal.

Thus I conclude there’s probably not much of a market for semi-dedicated toothbrush sanitisers who stow their oral cleaning contraptions in the office. Next.

USB Flower Pot Speaker

Introducing the USB Flower Pot Speaker – because there’s simply too much space on your desk! Or should that be Flower Pod Speaker, as the manufacturers have cleverly coined it? Regardless, not only does it require full use of a USB port for power but it also isn’t a real flower pot (which is a real shame).

Don’t try to water, plant or re-pot your new musical chum for he’s a static, lifeless plastic disappointment who produces no more than 2W RMS at the best of times. Maybe spend the money on some real speakers and a real plant instead…

USB Eye Massager

Unfortunately this isn’t a case of affixing the wrong photograph to the wrong product description, but a genuine product that is designed with an eye massage in mind. If you’ve not already peeked at the image below then now is the time – just look at it…

Eye massager? Really? Not torture device? Not “turn it round and make rude symbols at your boss” getting-fired device? I’m supposed to put this in my eyes? According to the manufacturer:

USB Eye Massager is the latest-designed health care Product specially for the Person which long time use their eyes, Such as the Computer operator.

I suppose that clears it up, then!

Conclusion

It’s not too late for new year resolutions, and here’s an easy one we can all stick to : in addition to the products on this list, don’t buy cheap useless USB crap. It might seem like a funny gift and even provide 5 minutes of laughter but will ultimately end up in a landfill as wasted money, time, energy and resources.

If you have any of your favourite crap USB gadgets then list them below, I’m dying to see what you’ve found…

Image Credit: Shutterstock

View full post on MakeUseOf

It is remarkable just how much cheap crap we, as a planet, produce each and every year. The environmental impact is worrying, landfills are swelling and carbon emissions must come down – yet more and more junk continues to roll out of the factory. In addition to this, many seem to think that adding USB connectivity (usually for a small amount of power as opposed to real interfacing) to aforementioned plastic junk instantly makes it more saleable.

So, would you spend your money on these peripherals?

USB Tie Fan Cooler….Thing

Feel like you’re tied to your desk all day and looking for the ultimate way to cool off? Look no further, all you need is the USB tie cooler from Thanko. Somewhat resembling the collar-bombs worn by imprisoned schoolchildren in the 2002 film Battle Royale, the fan clips to your neck and is then covered up with the included silk tie.

Of course, it’s USB powered – so it’s completely useless (yet still too embarassing to take off) unless you’re near a computer. Once you finally do get to your desk, find a spare USB port (by removing non-essentials like mice and keyboards) and you’ll be the coolest cat in the office.

That is until you suddenly get up to tell Brenda you need that report by 5, tearing your laptop off the table, showering your co-workers with coffee and publicly revealing the secret to your body temperature regulation. Still, at least you won’t be hot under the collar?

Chicken’s Foot 2GB USB Stick

There are a lot of overpriced USB sticks on the market in all kinds of novelty shapes, capacities and sizes but most of them have a valid use – removable storage – that makes up for it. I am actually having trouble with this particular USB flash drive however, as it appears to be in the shape of a chicken’s foot.

This of course means that the bloody thing will never fit comfortably in your pocket, and might also have trouble fitting into computers mounted on a flat surface (I do believe the toes would get in the way).

This rather small 2GB capacity appendage will sit on your desk for hours without falling over – though you’re probably better off spending the $30 on more space, rather than novelty form factor.

USB Mini UV Toothbrush Sanitiser

Nothing says “pearly whites” like a sterile toothbrush (I guess?) and now you can sterilise yours right at your desk! Excited? Well hold on junior, because there might just be a teency weency issue with aforementioned USB toothbrush sanitiser… and that’ll be the USB part.

Who keeps their toothbrush at their desk? Moreover, who would take it out and actually sanitise it using this bloody thing? If toothbrush sanitation is high on your list of priorities then I don’t think a mini USB toothbrush sanitiser is going to cut it – you’ll want the real deal.

Thus I conclude there’s probably not much of a market for semi-dedicated toothbrush sanitisers who stow their oral cleaning contraptions in the office. Next.

USB Flower Pot Speaker

Introducing the USB Flower Pot Speaker – because there’s simply too much space on your desk! Or should that be Flower Pod Speaker, as the manufacturers have cleverly coined it? Regardless, not only does it require full use of a USB port for power but it also isn’t a real flower pot (which is a real shame).

Don’t try to water, plant or re-pot your new musical chum for he’s a static, lifeless plastic disappointment who produces no more than 2W RMS at the best of times. Maybe spend the money on some real speakers and a real plant instead…

USB Eye Massager

Unfortunately this isn’t a case of affixing the wrong photograph to the wrong product description, but a genuine product that is designed with an eye massage in mind. If you’ve not already peeked at the image below then now is the time – just look at it…

Eye massager? Really? Not torture device? Not “turn it round and make rude symbols at your boss” getting-fired device? I’m supposed to put this in my eyes? According to the manufacturer:

USB Eye Massager is the latest-designed health care Product specially for the Person which long time use their eyes, Such as the Computer operator.

I suppose that clears it up, then!

Conclusion

It’s not too late for new year resolutions, and here’s an easy one we can all stick to : in addition to the products on this list, don’t buy cheap useless USB crap. It might seem like a funny gift and even provide 5 minutes of laughter but will ultimately end up in a landfill as wasted money, time, energy and resources.

If you have any of your favourite crap USB gadgets then list them below, I’m dying to see what you’ve found…

Image Credit: Shutterstock

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/netdrip.jpg" alt="" />I’m sure, being the Internet-savvy users that you all are, that a lot of your life is online.  You order your books and music through Amazon, you order takeaway pizza with your iPhone, you rent movies through your media center, you Google your medical symptoms, you pay your bills with online banking and you order your groceries through supermarket websites.  In short, you can do pretty much anything online these days so the number of reasons for leaving your home start to diminish.  Sad?  Well that depends on your point of view and priorities.

Our infographic today comes from href="http://www.collegeathome.com">College At Home and shows all the different things you can do online which allows you to never leave your home.  The one that I most identify with is telecommuting.  I work from home online full time and if it wasn’t for the Internet, I wouldn’t have the best job of my life.  Here in Germany, my father-in-law also telecommuted but it took many years and much form filling to get the powers-that-be to agree to it.  It seems that the situation is no different elsewhere in the world where employers resist the very idea of their employees working from home naked.

Has doing things on the Internet made you stay home more and more?  What parts of the infographic do you most identify with?  Have you ever Googled your medical symptoms and convinced yourself you have a rare tropical disease?  Let us know in the comments!

href="http://www.collegeathome.com/never-leave-home/"> src="http://images.collegeathome.com.s3.amazonaws.com/never-leave-home.jpg" alt="" width="500" border="0" />

Created by: href="http://www.collegeathome.com/" rel="nofollow">College At Home /> Image Credit: href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nataliejohnson/2051377206/in/photostream/" rel="nofollow">nataliej

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/kakaothumb1.jpg?54167" alt="" />Text messaging is a relatively new form of communications for most people, but it is also one that’s surging towards massive popularity. There are many situations where quick messages are more convenient than phone calls.

The only problem is the price. On most carriers, text messaging is a bit of a racket. Each message is literally no more than a few kilobytes in size, yet the price for 500 texts per month is often $15 or more. If you have a data plan however, class="vt-p" href="http://www.kakao.com/talk/en">Kakaotalk can make sure you never pay for texts again.

Leveraging The Internet

style="text-align: center;"> class="align-center" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/kakao1.jpg?54167" alt="" width="320" height="480" />

Part of the reason given for the expensive pricing of class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/cat/mobile/sms-text-messages/">text messaging is the method used to communicate them. Rather than using the mobile broadband connection available on most smartphones, text messages utilize the same cellular network used for calls. This means there’s wider coverage, but there’s also less bandwidth, and that’s used to justify (accurately or not) the high prices.

A way to side-step this is to use class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-set-up-laptop-wireless-internet-access-through-your-cellphone-windows/">mobile broadband instead, and that’s exactly what Kakaotalk does. In essence it operates like an instant messenger on a computer. So long as you have an Internet connection on your phone, you can send or receive messages.

Identical To SMS – Almost

style="text-align: center;"> class="align-center" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/kakao4.jpeg?54167" alt="" width="288" height="480" />

What makes Kakaotalk a particularly nice solution to the problem of text messaging charges is the way it works. Although you can effectively do the same thing with other apps, such as class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/imoim-possibly-multinetwork-instant-messenger-dreams/">imo.im, many of those apps give the definite “feel” of being a PC-like instant messenger with a mobile interface.

Kakaotalk, however, replicates the class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/sms-tools/">SMS interface on a typical smartphone. Conversations appear in the Chats tab of the interface, which appears very similar to the conversations tab of most Android SMS apps. The flow of the messages is the same, with user images appearing next to text bubbles, and the app triggers a notification sound and a message preview whenever you receive a new text.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/kakao3.jpeg?54167" alt="" width="302" height="504" />

In addition to texting, you can accomplish everything that would be provided by MMS. This includes pictures, video and audio clips. Indeed, the quality of multimedia sent via Kakaotalk will likely be higher, since MMS often cuts down the quality of media being transferred.

It’s also possible to invite multiple people to a text conversation, which I find can be handy in work situations where multiple people need to communicate, but can’t make a call because the work environment is either too quiet or too noisy.

Friends Lists – The Disadvantage

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/kakao5.jpg?54167" alt="" width="320" height="480" />

The only real problem with Kakaotalk is the fact that, since it is an online instant messenger, you can only communicate with others who are using this app and only so long as you have access to mobile broadband.

This means that your contacts list doesn’t automatically appear. Although the app will make some attempt to locate contacts already using it, that feature seems to require more polish. This app won’t be able to help you much if you’re trying to text grandma for free – unless grandma is comfortable enough with her smartphone to download and install Kakaotalk, then load it up and add you as a friend.

Conclusion

I’ve found Kakaotalk to be endlessly useful. I only subscribe to the base 250 text message plan on my carrier. While the fact that both you and the person you’re using need to install this app seems like a pain, it’s actually not. I find that 95% of my texts are sent to only a few specific people, so once we all agreed to install Kakaotalk, we saved a lot of money.

Kakaotalk is available for class="vt-p" href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.kakao.talk&hl=en">Android and class="vt-p" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kakaotalk/id362057947?mt=8">iPhone. It can also be used with the iPad and iPod Touch, but you’ll need to verify your account with a phone number capable of receiving SMS messages.

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/pay-texting-kakaotalk-android-ios/">Never Pay For Texting Again With Kakaotalk [Android & iOS] is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/intro14.jpg?54167" alt="" />Vaporware is a term commonly used to refer to hardware or software that is confirmed yet never actually released, and much of the time never cancelled either. The curse of vaporware has hit numerous, big name projects over the years, with famed franchises and development teams often slipping by the wayside.

Some of these projects were simply too ambitious, promising technology that even the developers hadn’t embraced yet. Others simply run out of money, experienced repeated set-backs (Duke Nukem Forever, anyone?) or simply didn’t exist in the first place. If you’re thinking of a career class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/five-free-game-development-tools-make-your-own-games/">programming games or developing hardware then maybe you could learn a thing or two from some of these entries.

Consoles

Phantom ( class="vt-p" href="http://www.phantom.net/">Phantom Entertainment)

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Phantom-Console.jpg?54167" alt="" width="520" height="400" />

In 2002 the Phantom was announced as a games console capable of playing PC games, which at the time meant head-to-head competition with class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/service/windows/">Windows as a gaming platform. Whilst this sounds far-fetched (especially for 2002) the team behind Phantom actually had some pretty good ideas, including content delivery.

The Phantom was never meant to have an optical drive – instead games were to be delivered via a revolutionary new on-demand download service. Had it worked and been released then the Phantom would have enjoyed a huge library of existing games.

A working prototype was seen at E3 in 2004, with a release date tipped for November. As the team had yet to develop the online content delivery system, this date slipped as did others and in 2006 the Phantom was removed from the company’s website. Phantom Entertainment now make the Phantom Lapboard, an all-in-one keyboard and mouse, as their sole product.

Action GameMaster (Active Enterprises)

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/gamemaster.jpg?54167" alt="" width="580" height="383" />

Not as famous as the Phantom but in many ways equally as ambitious, the Action GameMaster was announced at CES 1994 as a device with a truckload of compatibility. At the time Active Enterprises were a small company that solely manufactured unlicensed video games, though they had some pretty big plans for the GameMaster.

The console was to be a handheld portable device, capable of playing NES, class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-emulators-play-oldschool-16-32-bit-consoles-pc-19871993/">SEGA Genesis and Super Nintendo cartridges via additional adapters to be sold seperately. Also planned was CD-ROM support and a TV tuner for peering into its 3.2″ colour LCD screen for hours on end.

With a projected retail price of $500 (at the time!) the GameMaster disappeared along with Active’s other video gaming ventures later in ’94.

Games

Shenmue III ( class="vt-p" href="http://www.shenmue.com">SEGA/AM2)

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/shenmue.jpg?54167" alt="" width="480" height="360" />

The perfect example of epic storytelling and thoroughly engrossing gameplay suffering at the hands of poor sales – Shenmue III is still in limbo. The original two games received critical acclaim, with the first selling 1.3 million copies, and Shenmue II a disappointing 400,000. Japanese games gurus Famitsu have tipped Shenmue III as the second most-wanted sequel to a video game franchise, and there is an army of dedicated fans online rallying Yu Suzuki (the legendary designer) to finally bring his finished story to the interactive screen.

The truth is that despite SEGA’s willingness to work on Shenmue III, funding is still an issue. Speaking at the Games Developers Conference in 2011 Yu Suzuki said “I think SEGA will let me make it…it’s a matter of budget…we have to make it in an affordable way.”

Fans still hoping for the sequel might want to hit up fan site class="vt-p" href="http://www.shenmuedojo.net/">Shenmue Dojo which features an active forum community that’s continually pining for Shenmue III.

Elite 4 ( class="vt-p" href="http://frontier.co.uk/">Frontier Developments)

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/elite.jpg?54167" alt="" width="580" height="464" />

The original Elite was written by David Braben and Ian Bell for the BBC Micro and released in 1984. The first game to use wire-frame 3D graphics and featuring an open-ended game model, Elite shot to success on each subsequent system it was released on. Two sequels exist, Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, with the latter released in 1995.

Since then fans of the series have waited patiently for the release of Elite 4, with David Braben claiming in 2006 that the game will be made once his team had finished another game, class="vt-p" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Outsider_(video_game)">The Outsider. Since then development on The Outsider has also ceased, though the game hasn’t been cancelled (uh-oh, sounds like more vaporware to me).

As recently as 2011 Braben said that “it would be a tragedy” for Elite 4 not to be on the drawing board, though I suspect that drawing board has gathered quite a lot of dust. You can class="vt-p" href="http://www.play-roms-online.net/online-spectrum-games/elite">play the original Elite in your browser using an Java emulator, and find out how to reach the fabled “Elite” ranking in class="vt-p" href="http://www.stairwaytohell.com/gamehelp/GUIDE-Elite-MU.html">this guide.

Project Milo ( class="vt-p" href="http://www.lionhead.com/">Lionhead Studios)

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/projectmilo.jpg?54167" alt="" width="550" height="323" />

Here’s an interesting one – there are conflicting reports over whether Project Milo was ever a game at all, despite being shown at E3 2009 to demonstrate the (then unreleased) class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/kinect">Kinect. Milo was said to have an AI system that learns and responds to human actions, such as waving or speaking, and this was demonstrated at the show.

A year later, and Project Milo was nowhere to be seen at E3 2010. A month later and a Microsoft employee claimed that the game wasn’t a game at all, and was never planned for release. After further conflicting reports from Lionhead’s Peter Molyneux, the game’s existence was heavily disputed in November 2010 by both a Eurogamer report and another Microsoft representative.

Apparently Molyneux is using much of the technology developed for Project Milo in his upcoming Fable: The Journey Xbox 360 title, which features class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/control-windows-pc-kinect/">Kinect support.

Conclusion

So what have we learned? Well, if you’re going to go into the interactive entertainment business the first thing to remember is not to make promises you can’t keep – both the Phantom and Gamesmaster are proof of this. class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/shoot-promotional-marketing-video-start-finish/">Better marketing (especially outside of Japan) might have saved Shenmue II and spurred the development of the third game, whereas Microsoft and Lionhead Studios probably should have confirmed Milo’s existence as a mere tech demo from the get-go.

Do you remember any of these titles? Do you still believe in Shenmue III? Do you have any favourite instances of vaporware? Let us know in the comments!

Images: class="vt-p" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&searchterm=disappear&search_group=&orient=&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&commercial_ok=&color=&show_color_wheel=1#id=14163169&src=a13c014f978e475d4a5c0100384e38f9-1-17">Shutterstock,  class="vt-p" rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phantom-Console.jpg">Phantom

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/video-game-vaporware-5-ambitious-gaming-projects-retail/">Video Game Vaporware: 5 Ambitious Gaming Projects That Never Made It To Retail is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/computer-condom.jpg" alt="how to never get a virus"/>In 20 odd years of using computers, I can safely say that I’ve never been a victim of any computer virus, and yet I’ve also never run anti-virus software. It’s a curious fact that the people who are most worried about viruses get them more often.  With a little basic training you can completely avoid the problem of viruses and malware, so you can calm down and enjoy the internet!

1. Beware of Fake Download / Play Buttons:

Usually these are targeted on torrent sites or anything with a download keyword on it, so users are fooled into clicking it and downloading something completely unrelated. It’s a dirty trick, and the only way to defeat them is to be careful and think twice before hitting the download button. It helps if you already know the site in question, because you should be able to realize the location of the download button has changed – but what about new users?

Check the status bar. Though this can be faked with JavaScript, I’ve noticed these ads in particular don’t usually do that. If the domain in the status is different to the site you’re on, it’s probably a malicious advert.

Another method is to use logic. If you have download some software for example, and it’s showing a PLAY NOW button, you should know instantly that’s completely unrelated. The visual style is a giveaway too.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/fake-download.jpg" alt="how to never get a virus" width="550" height="450" />

2. Don’t use Internet Explorer:

In every hacking convention so far, Internet Explorer has always been the first to fall. It has been claimed that a fresh install of XP with IE6 will be infected within minutes of browsing the internet. While the latest IE9 may have toughened up a little, the fact is that IE is specifically targeted by hackers on a daily basis, precisely because the number of people who don’t even consider switching browsers makes it a profitable target. Go href="http://www.google.com/chrome/">download Chrome.

3. Hang Up on Cold-Calling Indian Technical Support Agents:

In the UK at least, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of scam telephone calls from supposed Windows technical support agents. Here’s how it starts: /> A: Hi there, I’m from (indecipherable) and we’ve registered an error from your Windows – have you been experiencing any issues with it lately?

At this point, 90% of people will be thinking their Windows is broken and yes, of course they have been experiencing issues, because who doesn’t have Windows problems? You’ll then be walked through how to give this called complete remote control access to your PC, where they perform some BS technical checks and try to get you to purchase a support contract. Check out this video so you know what to expect.

width="560" height="349"> name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Rn5sBDwmZ5s?fs=1&hl=en_US" /> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Rn5sBDwmZ5s?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

4. Ignore Pop-Ups That Have Anything To Do With Security or Viruses:

These are difficult if you are actually running anti-virus software, because they pop up and fool you into thinking your AV software has found something.

For a start, ignore anything originating from your browser – which you can check by completely closing it down. As a general rule of thumb, ignore any and all security related messages if you didn’t initiate them youself – by clicking on your AV software’s SCAN button, for example. If you get a message from an AV app on windows you never installed, it’s likely you’ve already been infected.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/fake-antivirus.jpg" alt="never get a virus again" width="580" height="490" />

5. Avoid Public Torrent Sites Like The Plague:

Most public torrent sites are teething with malware and fake torrents. I don’t care what you download, but make sure you do it from a private tracker. They’re a few exceptions to the rule, some of which href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-bit-torrent-search-engines/">we’ve covered in the best new torrent sites.

href="http://www.torrentbutler.eu">torrentbutler.eu - because if the film is here, it’s been checked already. /> href="http://thepiratebay.org">piratebay.org – with millions of users, the comment system is usually full of reports of fake files or viruses – but stick to uploads from trusted power users (ones with a little pink or green skull and crossbones next to them).

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/reliable-torrents.jpg" alt="never get a virus again" width="580" height="102" />

Private trackers are only open to members, so it’s sometimes hard to find some that are accepting new registrations. We wrote before about href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/three-ways-to-find-open-registration-on-private-torrent-sites-2/">how to find trackers that are open. Be warned though, private trackers don’t take kindly to leeching, and if your ratio drops you can get banned.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/fake-torrents.jpg" alt="never get a virus again" width="580" height="435" />

6. Fake Torrents That Need a Specific Video Player:

If you’ve ignored my advice and downloaded some movie from a public torrent site, there’s a very good chance it’s a fake. These are difficult to detect because the file is usually padded to be about the right size, but upon playing them you’ll see a message that you need to download a new video player because it’s encoded specially or words to that effect.

Don’t download movies from public sites, and use VLC player to check a file. VLC player has every codec under the sun built-in, so if it doesn’t play correctly in that, it’s not a real movie.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/video-player-scam.jpg" alt="how to never get a virus" width="580" height="316" />

7. Don’t Open Anything Forwarded To You:

While you can be as careful as you like, your friends might not. If you have the kind of friends who forward you fun little flash games packaged up in .exe files, or anything other than a simple picture, just delete them.

8. Don’t search for common utilities in Google:

We covered this a little while ago – the worrying trend of href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/downloading-open-source-software-watch-crapware-news/">malware ridden sites ranking highly in Google for various common utilities. Thinking you are downloading the best video player around, you actually get a virus infected copy instead from a dodgy third-party site. The solution – Have no fear, we have an extensive list of the href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/best-windows-software">BEST software for Windows ( href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/best-linux-software">and now Linux, with Mac OSx one in the works – not that osx or linux users need to worry about viruses…) with verified links that you can trust. If you’re unsure of a particular app – where to download it officially or if it’s worth it – you can always ask around on our href="http://www.makeuseof.com/answers">helpful tech questions community.

9. Create a non-admin account for general use and family members:

If you allow yourself and members of your family to use the administration account, you are asking for trouble. Creating a limited privileges user account protects you somewhat by preventing anything run by that user (malicious or not) from doing any permanent damage. You can find out more about user accounts and everything else href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/windows-7-guide-newbies-pros-free-pdf/">Windows 7 related in our fantastic free ebook.

The internet can be a dangerous place, but not if you follow these simple rules. Got some other useful tips? Do share, please! Let’s put an end to the madness of anti-virus now! />
/> href="http://flashvideodownloader.org/fvd-suite/track/s/makeuseof">Download videos from the sites like YouTube, Break.com etc. Convert videos to almost any format. /> href="http://flashvideodownloader.org/fvd-suite/track/s/makeuseof"> src="http://flashvideodownloader.org/fvd-suite/banners/aban3.gif">

/>

 

Read comments: href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/9-easy-ways-virus/#disqus_thread">Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here …

 

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class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/nabaztag-300x300.jpg" alt="cool devices" width="240" height="240" />Wireless devices have really made a mark on our daily lives, whether it be in the form of unresponsive keyboards that drop words every 2 seconds or AA-battery guzzling mice – but there is so much more fun to be had with WiFi than any of us realize.  Here I present the 2010 MUO Awards for the top cool wireless devices that you’ve probably never heard of.

Before we begin, you might want to check class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/is-your-wireless-network-safe/">if your wireless network is safe, and class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/people-hacking-wireless-networks-protect/">learn about how hackers might get into your wireless network, and class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-troubleshoot-weak-wireless-connections/">strengthen your weak wireless signals.

id="more-61394">

Hilarious – Wifi Bathroom Scales ($150):

For those looking to track their weight – class="vt-p" href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/db64/">these awesome WiThings scales cut out the tedious and possibly error-prone step of having to manually enter your weight into your app – because they do it automatically over WiFi for you.

The scales record your weight, body mass and BMI, and integrate with the free (and password protected) website or iPhone app, as well as class="vt-p" href="http://www.google.com/health/">Google Health (so presumably you can now get targeted “lose weight now” ads delivered to your personal browsing experience!), or even Facebook if you are brave enough.

The cool device handles up to 8 family members, and cleverly (scarily) knows who you are without clumsy menu systems. This is the kind of simple tech we like, and it just works. Available from class="vt-p" href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/db64/">ThinkGeek.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/db64_wifi_enabled_bathroom_scale_inuse.jpg" alt="cool devices" width="400" height="300" />

Incredibly Geeky Beyond Belief – Dr Robot X80-H (~$3,500)

class="vt-p" href="http://www.drrobot.com/products_item.asp?itemNumber=X80-H">The Dr Robot X80-H is not just your garden variety robot, it’s an entire “wifi mobile development platform” – with a head, no less. Rather than settling for a lame pan-and-tilt camera, the latest revision of the X80-H has “five servo animatronic head with integrated IR sensor”.

Capable of an astounding 1 meter per second, it can also carry 10kg of weight – like, a baby from a burning building, or an axe, or something. The unit is of course fully programmable via all your favorite programming languages, and totally compatible with class="vt-p" href="http://www.microsoft.com/robotics/">Microsoft Robotics Studio, whatever that is.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/X80-H.jpg" alt="cool electronics" width="250" height="250" />

Creepy: The WifiRobin Autohacking Router ($120)

Creepy perhaps, but admittedly very clever. The class="vt-p" href="http://wifirobin.com">WifiRobin device is an innocent looking compact router, with a small LCD screen menu. Having chosen your target Wifi network, this sneaky little Chinese device sets to works “sniffering” packets, until it has enough to crack the password, at which it re-broadcasts the signal for you to use. Not only does it change the name of the network so that the original owners have no idea they are being leeched from, it also adds a higher level of security so that it itself cannot be hacked!

The device is currently limited to WEP only networks, as cracking WPA secured networks takes significantly more effort. If your Wifi is still secured by WEP, then take this as a big hint that you ought change your security to something more secure.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/WIFIROBIN_SM.jpg" alt="cool electronics" width="299" height="292" />

Genuinely Useful: FOSCAM Wifi Security Camera

As a British citizen, I’m quite used to being recorded by CCTV literally everywhere I go – heck, the newest generation of CCTV cameras even add the ability class="vt-p" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6524495.stm">to talk back to the public to tell them to pick up litter or stop loitering. So it is with no hesitation that I heartily recommend the same level of security for your home with this almost too-easy to install class="vt-p" href="http://foscam.com/Products_List.asp?id=128">Wifi security camera FOSCAM. Just bolt it on the front of your house and give it some power, and your security feed will be viewable anywhere in the world on the Internet, or class="vt-p" href="http://www.senstic.com/iphone/aircam/aircam.aspx">on your iPhone, so you can see your house being burgled live.

In fact, I’m thinking that one of these combined with an X80-H mounted water pistol would make an incredible autonomous home security system, or at least some rather funny YouTube videos.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/20103129412755547.jpg" alt="cool electronics" width="350" height="350" />

Quirky – Nobaztag (~$80)

class="vt-p" href="http://www.nabaztag.com/en/index.html">The Nobaztag is a curious little device, but one that might actually prove useful in a variety of niche situations – none of which I can imagine at this precise moment. This Wifi rabbit-thing has a host of features that nobody really needs, the most significant of which is reading out your emails and RSS feeds, and changing color or moving its ears according to the mood. Your friends can also send messages directly to you – a unique feature that no other device has yet been able to achieve *.

* excluding answerphones, computers, cell phones, and pagers.

Like all great things, class="vt-p" href="http://nabaztools.sourceforge.net/">it’s been hacked too. I can’t wait for someone to publish a directory of these things so some teenager can spam rude words to them!

As for the name – it’s Armenian for “rabbit”. Yes, sorry, I was expecting a rather more colorful story there, too.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/nabaztag1.jpg" alt="cool devices" width="406" height="307" />

Well, I certainly learned a lot over the course of this article, how about you? Hands up who knew Microsoft had an entire Robotics Development Environment, or that Google was secretly collecting health information about us all?

Do you have a favorite awesome wireless device you absolutely must tell the world about? Then tell us about them in the comments! />
/>Follow href="http://twitter.com/MakeUseOf" target="_blank" >MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras. />
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Music is said to have a universal appeal. Almost everyone cherishes good music irrespective of his or her cast, creed and ethnicity. Collecting music albums is one of the commonest hobbies of people across the world. Haven’t you had a collection of CDs and DVDs to listen to in your pastime? It is by far the most soothing and entertaining pastimes. If you agree with me, you will also agree that you are one of the music buffs who keep on searching for best and cheap music downloads available online!

We always tend to get anxious when we visit a specific music downloading site that promises to be authentic. Well, in this era of cheating and deception being a universal phenomenon, it’s obvious for us to get anxious. But bear in mind that getting overtly anxious is not really necessary these days. The music downloads industry has gone far and is facing tremendous competition from the fellow sites. Everyone is trying to give hundred percent to the customers. Then how to make a good choice while choosing cheap music downloads site?

Things you should look for:

•    Unlimited downloads availability
•    Cheap download option
•    No extra charge per song
•    Reliability and good speed of download
•    Money back guarantee
•    Spyware protection
•    Availability of free CD/DVD burning software
•    Compatibility with all operating systems
•    Collection of millions of songs

If the music downloads site offers these options, then hit download and download without any hassles. Most of the sites which give you these many options are reliable and can be trusted.

Some sites like Flickr, Music Platinum, Unlimited Download Center, Ares, and Sharing zone are very popular and they are really the sites that you should trust for. So, what is the most important step before you start downloading from the site? It’s pretty obvious that the comparative study of different music downloads site is the most crucial step if you do not want to fall prey to cheats!

Well, if you can do your comparative study all on your own it’s great. But it is also true that in this fast life, studying different downloading sites, comparing them, and then opting for one of them is time consuming. We want to hear music not for killing our time but for having a good kind of recreation in our day to day life. This is the reason we should go for the websites that give us a good comparative study of various downloading sites and helps us achieve our goal of reliable site without more efforts on our part.

Such sites are no doubt valuable tools in assessing the various site options when it comes to cheap music download. Gaining knowledge about different music downloads sites like Flickr, MP3 Audio Station, Hot MP3 Download, and Unlimited Media Access is in itself a great booster for our music love! We are desperate to download our favorite music video and now we have at our hand the authenticity and features of the site. Now, nothing can hold us back from enjoying our favorite hobby of collecting our favorite music albums! Let’s rock and roll!

class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/intro4.jpg" alt="computer operating systems" />Your operating system is undoubtedly the most important bit of software you will ever install. Without one, that expensive box of microchips and silicon in the corner is pretty much useless. Most of us can’t do without a copy of Windows or class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/download-free-mac-manual">Mac OS, but there are countless users worldwide who make do with a free option.

Even if you’re firmly based in the Microsoft or Apple camp, taking a walk on the wild side and class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-safely-dual-boot-windows-and-linux-with-wubi-installer/">installing a secondary computer operating system can still be worth the effort. After all, variety is the spice of life.

Here are just a few of the lesser-known free options that might just be worth a go, if you’re that way inclined.

id="more-51793">

class="vt-p" href="http://www.freespire.org/">Freespire

Another Linux-based operating system, Freespire uses the popular class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/ubuntu-1004-extremely-simple-operating-system-linux/">Ubuntu (version 7.04) at its core and stamps its own mark on the class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/the-beauty-of-open-source-and-free-web-apps/">open source OS. With the popular class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/accessing-kde-applications-from-your-windows/">KDE suite at hand, users of Windows and Mac OS will feel right at home finding their way around.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/freespire.jpg" alt="computer operating systems" width="580" height="435" />

Freespire adds the power of the CNR Plugin, allowing fast and easy one-click installs of popular software suites including some commercial ventures. There are enhanced “modified” versions of programs you’re probably already using (like class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-cool-firefox-tools-that-are-not-addons/">Firefox and class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-must-have-thunderbird-addons-25-more/">Thunderbird) to make life on the free side that little bit sweeter.

This freeware open source effort also comes complete with on-demand proprietary class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/an-introduction-to-codecs-converters-and-rippers/">codecs (including one for Windows Media files) and a whole host of proprietary drivers for your wireless, graphics card and more.

For a powerful, ready-to-go Linux distribution with a difference Freespire does the job quite nicely.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os">Google’s Chromium

If you only use your netbook for the net (which probably makes sense) then Google’s Chromium might be just what you need. The lightning fast startup time means you’ll be checking email, social media and wasting time online before Windows has even reached its login screen.

Best of all you can run it straight from a USB stick, making it ultra-portable between PCs. We’ve shown you how, class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/download-google-chrome-os-and-run-on-a-real-computer/">right here.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/chromium.jpg" alt="computer operating systems" width="580" height="435" />

The current official builds can be a bit of a hassle to get going on a lot of computers, but a nice guy by the name of class="vt-p" href="chromeos.hexxeh.net">Hexxeh has compiled his own build called Flow which adds vastly improved hardware support. Check out class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/googles-chromium-os-laptop-netbook-flow/">our how-to for a complete set of instructions.

That old laptop sitting in a cupboard might find a new lease of life with the help of Chromium and its class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/play-chrome-web-apps-stay-top-chrome-features/">web apps.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.pcbsd.org/">PC-BSD

Many of you will have heard of BSD, one of the many UNIX-based operating systems floating around the web. Often favoured for its secure and reliable nature, the team at PC-BSD have aimed high and developed a user-friendly version aimed at the “casual” user.

The idea behind PC-BSD is to provide users with a complete desktop operating system that doesn’t require resource-intensive protection against viruses and spyware. In today’s computing world, many of us dream of such a charm.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/pcbsd.jpg" alt="free operating systems" width="580" height="435" />

The release runs class="vt-p" href="http://www.freebsd.org">FreeBSD at its core, and expands on this with unparalleled ease-of-use. Self-installing software packages make adding extras a breeze, and the desktop can be sexed-up with fancy 3D effects and transitions.

The team behind this OS just wants you to enjoy more of the time you spend at your PC, and less time worrying about it.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.haiku-os.org">Haiku

Inspired by BeOS (and implementing certain features and bits of code from the old operating system) Haiku is an open source operating system aimed at personal computing. This makes it extremely user-friendly, as the primary audience are average users like you or me, looking for a way to get our daily computer needs tended to.

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What makes Haiku different to other UNIX-based operating systems (specifically class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/getting-started-guide-linux">Linux) is its vision to provide a unified experience, rather than using multiple layers of software that can often over-complicate the computer operating system.

Haiku does not use the Linux class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/learning-linux-lingo/">kernel but a custom-built one which has been designed for responsiveness. Couple this with a threaded design for increased performance on multi-core processors, and the whole package begins to look quite appealing.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.jolicloud.com/">Jolicloud

class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-killer-apps-to-maximize-your-netbooks-potential/">Netbook owners listen up! This might be the one you’ve been waiting for. A simple operating system, aimed at armchair surfers who live for the web.

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Incorporating a quick and easy one-click-install method for over 700 of the web’s most popular services, Jolicloud enables you to surf, chat, listen, watch and connect from a clean and attractive interface. Plus with Jolicloud’s Stream feature staying in contact and sharing fascinating finds with your class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/20-tips-to-manage-your-online-social-life-part-1/">social networks is easy.

You can synchronize your Jolicloud across as many devices as you like, and if you’ve not got your netbook with you simply log in with a HTML5-compliant browser to manage your account. Jolicloud might just be what your netbook’s been missing, check out our class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/jolicloud-operating-system-download-for-netbook/">full article here.

Conclusion

You’re not going to get the compatibility of a Windows or Mac OS install with many of the above, but if you don’t really need everything under the sun running on your machine then one of these (or even a few of these) might be for you. Even if you do use another primary OS, try partitioning or one of the many Live CD/USB releases. You might be surprised! />
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***If you want to watch a video in high quality put this at the end of the video’s internet address (url) &fmt=18 *** What seperated MJ from others was not just his averages or the way he scored. It was a relentless desire to win no matter what it took. Even when he was beaten, he never quit on the play. In the first play, John Stockton stole the ball from MJ on his way to a layup late in game 4 of the 97 Finals. You can see how MJ stalked him all the way up the court, jumped, and pinned the ball on the glass. The refs made a tough call (No way that was a foul) but that’s beside the point. Most stars would have conceded this basket. The second play occurs in Game 7 1992 ECF against New York. MJ scores a basket, steals the inbounds pass, gets the ball stripped by John Starks who passes to Xavier McDaniel for what seemed to be an uncontested layup. MJ chases him down and strips him as the X-man was stretching for a dunk. Again, most players would have conceded this basket. Just a couple of reasons why you can’t measure MJ by a stat sheet.

Everyone wants to have a beautiful looking home. Part of the appeal of a home’s look is undoubtedly the windows. To achieve the look that you want there are many different types of windows and window brands. One of the really nice window brands you can think about installing is that of American Craftsman Windows.

This company is involved with created stylish windows that have a durability that we all look for. Unlike many other companies the American Craftsman Windows are made of vinyl instead of wood or aluminum. While you may feel that you will not be able to maintain these types of windows or find different styles this is not the case.

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While having a beautiful window is an asset to the looks of our homes we also want to keep our homes warm in the winter months and cool during the hot months of summer. Due to the construction and design of the American Craftsman Windows this is possible. The vinyl design windows you will be installing from this company provide you with this much needed facility.

The vinyl windows that are made in the American Craftsman Windows company have many advantages that homeowners look for. By looking into these bonus advantages you can be sure that you are choosing windows from a company that cares about its customers. Additionally this company makes patio doors that combine beautifully with the different styles of windows that you might choose.

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In other words you can heat your home during the winter and once hot air is circulating off the heater. The vinyl windows will retain the heat that is in the rooms for a longer period. This helps to reduce the heating bills. This also applies for the summer months. As you turn the air conditioner on to cool the house, the vinyl windows from American Craftsman Windows will trap the cool air inside of the house. When the air is cooled to the amount that you need you can off the air conditioner off.

As you see the vinyl windows from American Craftsman Windows are not just beautiful additions to your home, they are functional in so many ways. When you are looking for good replacement windows for your home look for vinyl windows by American Craftsman Windows. You will never regret the choice.