All audio is in MP3 format. To download a show to your computer, right click on its link and opt to save the file. Shows consist of two segments: Technical Discussions for the first half hour, then audience call-in for the second half hour. In between we make brief User Group meeting announcements. WBAI also archives shows in MP3 format. We have longer text summaries of recent shows and older shows. |
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| 2009 Shows XML |
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| JULY | Topics | Hosts | MP3 Audio |
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| July 1 |
If you are interested in the free antivirus program from Avira called AntiVir, be sure you get it from Avira.
Joe ran across a number of Google sponsored ads that claimed to offer AntiVir, but were not from Avira. Microsoft is having a sale on Windows 7, if you pre-order it. Next week we'll discuss the pricing of Windows 7 with someone from Microsoft. China delayed the requirement for Internet filtering on new computers. Worldwide, one out of every seven comptuers sold was sold in China. Firefox version 3.5 was just released. Joes first impression was that it was much faster. But, there is a new locator feature that he doesn't like at all. Joe reviewed the beta of the new, free Microsoft Security Essentials, their upcoming antivirus program. It isn't ready for prime time. Joe discussed TOR, The Onion Router. It is free and offers anonymous online web surfing, but he felt it was too hard to configure. A commercial product called Masksurf from Thanksoft puts a simple, easy front end on TOR. Microsoft is shutting down Money and Soapbox. Listener phone calls. Listen now: (24Kbps) |
Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| JUNE | Topics | Hosts | MP3 Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 24 |
The beta of a new free Microsoft antivirus product sold out.
You can still buy Windows XP on new computers for another two years.
Some people don't like netbooks.
Joe and Alfred reported from a trade show.
Alfred's favorite toy was a pair of night vision goggles called eyeclops.
4TB hard disks are coming.
Olivia liked two books: Creating a website - the missing manual (2nd edition)
and Sexy Web Design which she felt was good for web developers to give to their clients. Listener phone calls.
Listen now: (24Kbps) |
Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| June 17 |
More patches from Apple, this time for Java. Finally, after many months, Java users on Macs are as safe as Java users on
Windows and Linux. Soon the Chinese government will require software on new personal computers that filters out offensive
websites. At the moment, pornography is the only thing considered offensive. Symantec and McAfee paid a huge fine for
automatically renewing their software without giving customers a simple way to not rent the software for another year. We discussed the free encryption program TrueCrypt, available at truecrypt.org. Joe's computer wouldn't boot after a power failure. Listener phone calls. Listen now: (24Kbps) |
Joe, Hank | 24K 10MB |
| June 10 | Yesterday was patch Tuesday with critical bugs fixed in both the Windows and Mac versions of Word and Excel. Friday the 12th is the end of analog TV broadcasts, many people are still not prepared. Alfred said there is not much difference between converter boxes and he explained about new LED TVs. Microsoft imposes limits on hardware used in netbooks and nettops that run Windows. Rants on computing devices that don't let the user replace the battery. Alfred told about a TV set that transmits data - it's three years out. Listener phone calls. | Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| June 3 | Our thanks to those who supported the show during the recent fund raising drive. The return policy at Circuit City is not the best. Adobe will release bug fixes only once every three months. Windows 7 will ship in October. Our guest was David Perry of Trend Micro and the topic was malware. | Joe, Hank | 24K 10MB |
| MAY | Topics | Hosts | MP3 Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 27 | The topic tonight was netbook computers. Our final night of fund raising. We offered a password reset CD for $55, a DVD toolkit with tons of software for $75 and, finally, one year of Gold Card technical support for $200. Every pledge over $25 also gets two writeups: the first is a document on repairing Windows XP, the second is about netbook computers (what are they, how to select one, etc). There were no listener phone calls. Normal show next week. | Joe, Hank | 24K 10MB |
| May 20 | HP is recalling 70,000 laptop computer batteries. The website avsim.com had both their servers hacked and they had no backup. Google suffered a number of recent outages. Microsoft recently fixed a bug in PowerPoint for Windows, but they did not patch the Mac version of PowerPoint. Java on Apple Macs is vulnerable to a security bug that was fixed on Windows and Linux long ago. For a fix see this. Real Networks accused Hollywood of being a monopoly. Samsung is introducing LED backlights in their LCD televisions. Fund raising. We offered a password reset CD for $55, a DVD toolkit with tons of software for $75 and one year of Gold Card technical support for $200. There were no listener phone calls. We may be pre-empted next week, watch pcradioshow.org for details./td> | Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| May 13 | Many bug fixes were released yesterday by both Microsoft and Apple. More about the XP mode in the upcoming windows 7. There will be a new graphics support chip from Nvidea. Disk imaging. A new name for Windows copy protection. Microfocus bought Borland. SCO is going out of business. Fund raising. Our gold card tech support is $200. Anyone who donates $25 or more gets a white paper that Hank wrote on how to repair Windows XP. A Windows password bypass CD is $55. There were no listener phone calls. | Joe, Hank | 24K 10MB |
| May 6 | Amazon will shortly deliver a new Kindle with a much larger screen. Presto is a quick-booting version of Linux that multi-boots with Windows XP. The next beta version of Windows 7 was just released. It includes an add-on, that many people can't use, that provides a virtual copy of Windows XP. What's the future of Vista after Windows 7 is released? Microsoft extended the life of Windows XP, yet again. The last half of the show, we discussed our assorted premiums for your donations to WBAI. There were no listener phone calls. | Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| APRIL | Topics | Hosts | MP3 Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 29 | Defining botnets. A Mac OS X botnet. Free Mac antivirus software. Apple was fined $19 million dollars for patent infringement. Windows 7 will run XP in a VM. Vista SP2 is coming soon. GE's breakthorugh in holographic storage. The Pirate Bay lawsuit. Spranq EcoFont. RollBack Rx offers rollback under Vista. | Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| April 22 | Capping bandwidth by ISPs. Oracle purchased Sun. GiveAwayOfTheDay.com gives away commercial software. A new version of Ubuntu Linux was just released. Woot.com sells one product a day. The last half of the show, as usual, was listener phone calls. | Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| April 15 | Yesterday was patch Tuesday and many critical bugs were fixed including eightthat were already being attacked. The use of proxy servers may increase criminal sentences. Microsoft will continue to offer free security patches for Windows XP until April 2014. The guest was Brian Johnson of Microsoft and the topic was the Media Center component in some versions of Windows Vista. The last half of the show, as usual, was listener phone calls. | Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| April 8 | Is Microsoft dropping Flight Simulator? Virginia's anti-spam law. The new versions of the Atom CPU will run Windows 7. Office 2003 is going into a different type of support from Microsoft. This means nothing to consumers who can still run Office 2003 and even older versions of Office. The Atom CPU has migrated to desktop systems, some of which don't have optical drives. The life of Windows XP has been extended, yet again. People want it. Hank reviewed PC Doctor Service Center 7. The last half of the show, as usual, was listener phone calls. | Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| April 1 | Microsoft discontinued their Encarta encyclopedia and the future of Flight Simulator is iffy. Western Digital is getting into the business of solid state drives. Kodack gallery. Asus and Lenovo are more reliable than Macs. The Conficker worm. Our guest was Alex Eckelberry of Sunbelt Software and the topic was the Ghostnet attack on computers in over 100 countries. Alex blogs at sunbeltblog.com. The last half of the show, as usual, was listener phone calls. | Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| MARCH | Topics | Hosts | MP3 Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 25 | You can still get coupons for discounts on digital converter boxes. Pioneer is going to stop selling large plasma TVs in Japan. Why are newspapers failing? Internet Explorer version 8. A free program that restores the Office 2003 UI to Office 2007. The last half of the show, as usual, was listener phone calls. | Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| March 18 | A female MIT professor, Barbara Liskov, was the second woman to win the Turing award. A number of mistrials have been due to Internet use by jurors. New LiOn batteries will charge much faster, but they aren't expected to be available for a few years. Microsoft will sell software from other vendors in their new stores. Alfred reviewed a bluetooth calculator for use with netbooks that don't have a numeric keypad. Hank reviewed the Windy31 a USB device a bit larger than a USB flash drive that can function both as a WiFi adapter and as a WiFi rotuer. He liked it. The last half of the show, as usual, was listener phone calls. | Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| March 11 | Microsoft just issued a bug fix regarding metafiles. We help a Gold Card holder with a problem caused by another bug fix. Apple announced the third generation shuffle. Work continues on Service Pack 2 for Vista. Facebook users need to be aware of koobface. Amazon back-peddled a bit on text to speech in the new Kindle. Buying an all-in-one thingy. With computer retailers disappearing where do you go to kick the tires on tech stuff? | Joe, Hank | 24K 10MB |
| March 4 | Thanks to everyone who donated to the station during the just-ended fund raising drive. Nvidia is going to produce x86 processors. Spansion filed for Chapter 11. Apple updated its line of computers. Fujitsu is selling their hard disk drive manufacturing to Toshiba. Our guests were Larry Magid and Anne Collier from www.connectsafely.org, a website about keeping kids safe on the Internet. Facebook has privacy tools. Cyberbullying. Netmom links to good sites for kids. Kidzui.com and www.clubpenguin.com are a walled gardens for children. | Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| FEBRUARY | Topics | Hosts | MP3 Audio |
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| February 25 |
All versions of the Adobe Reader are buggy and there will not be a fix from Adobe until March 11.
Alfred suggested using Foxit reader instead to view PDFs.
Infineon technology makes RAM and flash memory and filed for Chapter 11 bankrupcy.
Hard disks are getting cheaper.
A new generation of flash memory is on the horizon with increased speed and capacity.
Gmail was off-line for a few hours. Cloud computing. Which companies sell the most TVs?
Microsoft is working on a version of Windows 7 specifically targeted at netbooks.
Next week Larry Magid will be on the show discussing how to be safe when surfing the Internet. FUND RAISING: Gold card technical support for one year for $200. This also includes two bonuses - a password reset CD and a Hanks white paper on nettop computers. Nettop computers are relatively new, they are ultra small computers running the same Atom CPU found in most netbook laptop computers. For a pledge of $25 or more we will also include this same white paper. The password reset CD is available for a $55 donation (this too includes Hank's white paper). Finally, we have a DVD loaded with free and recommended software for $75. |
Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| February 18 | To call the FCC with questions about the conversion from analog to digital TV broadcasting, call 888-CALL-FCC. The FCC has some useful articles online with advice on setting up an antenna to get a digital signal and what type of antenna to get. The links are on our site. Facebook changed the rules of the road for their website, got a lot of flack and then changed them back again. Lawsuits regarding Pirate Bay. Sirius XM satellite radio got a lifeline from Liberty Media. LG Electronics agreed to use Microsoft software in their cellphones. Microsoft put up a bounty to learn the identity of the Downadup worm author. IDC said 20% of all computers sold in the 4th quarter of 2008 were Netbooks. The HP 2140 netbook made a good first impression on Hank. FUND RAISING: Gold card technical support for one year for $200. This also includes two bonuses - a password reset CD and a Hanks white paper on nettop computers. Nettop computers are relatively new, they are ultra small computers running the same Atom CPU found in most netbook laptop computers. For a pledge of $25 or more we will also include this same white paper. The password reset CD is available for a $55 donation (this too includes Hank's white paper). Finally, we have a DVD loaded with free and recommended software for $75. | Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| February 11 | Intel is investing in new plants in the U.S. The digital TV transition. Troubleshooting the problems of a listener with her digital TV converter box. Dell's various recycling programs include an expanding program with Goodwill Industries. SIRIUS XM, the satellite radio broadcaster, may go bankrupt to the benefit of the Dish network. Some wireless HP LaserJet printers have a security bug in their firmware - a patch is available. You can now get the Atom CPU in small form factor desktop PCs. Hank discussed two such machines the MSI Wind and a Shuttle. Hulu.com and the new Netflix streaming are the future for video over broadband. Fund raising. We have a new premium, Hanks' research paper on small compact computers which is available to anyone who makes a pledge to the station. | Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| February 4 | We discussed the just-approved delay in the changeover from analog to digital broadcasting. The marketing of Windows 7 will be very similar to Vista, for reasons no one on the show could understand. Our webmaster published a blog about protecting your computer from infected USB flash drives. This is not a good time to own a Gateway computer, so much so, that we recommend not buying one in the near term. IBM layoffs. Fund raising. | Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
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| JANUARY | Topics | Hosts | MP3 Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 28 | More about the conversion from analog to digital TV broadcasting. Netbook computers are very popular. Hank reviewed Windows 7, then we discussed Windows 7 with Brian Johnson and Peter Laudati, both are Microsoft Developer Evangelists. Some changes in Windows 7 from Vista are a better behaved UAC, lower hardware requirements and a new task bar. However, the user interface has changed, yet again. Listener phone calls. | Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| January 21 | Some Seagate hard drives have a bug in their firmware that causes them to hang, but the data is still there. Intel lowered the price on some CPUs. Circuit City is liquidating all their stores but don't expect great prices, at least not now. Their deadline is March 31st, Alfred suggested waiting until the deadline is near. February 17th is the planned cutover date from analog to digital TV transmission. We had a lively discussion on the cutover with guest Peter Putname from www.hdtvexpert.com. If you now get a poor analog signal over the air, you very well may get nothing after the conversion to digital. Radios that carry TV audio will no longer work. Alfred felt this was a great time to buy an HDTV and suggested looking at the website antennaweb.org. Next week, Windows 7. Listener phone calls. | Joe, Hank, Alfred | 24K 10MB |
| January 14 | Tonight's guest was Brian Johnson, Developer Evangelist from Microsoft Corp. We discussed Microsoft Live Mesh (mesh.live.com)...with which you can synchronize files with all of your devices; access your files from any device or from the web; share them with others, and get notified whenever someone changes a file. As with Remote Desktop, Logmein, PC Anywhere or Go-to-My PC, you can use Live Mesh to connect to your other computers and access its desktop as if you were sitting right in front of it. Now in Beta, Live Mesh is currently available free at www.mesh.com. Listener phone calls. | Joe, Hank | 24K 10MB |
| January 7 | Our guests were Todd Robbins author of The Modern Con Man: How to Get Something for Nothing and David Perry of Trend Microcomputer publishers of Internet Security software. They talked about the major computer scams, how to recognize them and what to do to protect yourself. Among the issues discussed were the Linkedin hack and the fraudulent Antivirus 2009 program. Listener phone calls. | Joe, Hank | 24K 10MB |
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