How To's
Java is a programming language that is very popular because it creates applications that can be run on many many different devices. Part of what allows Java to do this is a Runtime Engine that is available for most operating systems. Unfortunately, installing this runtime engine means that you're adding a plug-in to your internet browser which allows web pages to ask Java to run small programs called applets, normally without asking your permission first, which is a very common way for malware creators to automatically run viruses on your computer these days (by taking advantages of holes in Java).
Thankfully Krebs On Security, has written an article with instructions on how to disable Java in most of the popular web browsers, while leaving it intact on your computer for programs that need it such as Minecraft. Unfortunately, the instructions they have given for Internet Explorer are overly complicated and involve going to the registry, which isn't somewhere you should be going unless you know exactly what you're doing. The good news is that for OVER 3 YEARS now, Microsoft has included a dialog in Internet Explorer that allows you to easily disable Java from running in Internet Explorer. This short article will show you how to disable Java from Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 (all the currently supported versions) in 5 easy steps.
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Back in February, Microsoft wrote a 
Audacity is a very powerful tool that you can use to record and edit audio. It's pretty easy to use, very powerful, works on Windows, Mac and Linux and is totally FREE! This is a tutorial for those who need a bit of help using Audacity for the first time. For those of you on the Mac who wish to use GarageBand, I'd recommend that. GarageBand has a specific podcast section that will make life easy for you. For everyone else on Windows, this is how to use Audacity on Windows. It goes through every step from installing, to setting up the LAME MP3 Encoder to recording, editing and exporting. If you find this tutorial useful, please tell me, and if you think it needs updating or something extra added, also please let me know. You can find contact links on the left of the page.
Facebook Places, the new location tracking service which is a copy of FourSquare was launched in Australia yesterday and already it is concerning me. The service works by tracking where a Facebook user on a mobile device is using the GPS in that mobile device and then when the arrive to a location that has GPS co-ordinates registered with Facebook, prompts the user to Check-In that they are currently at that place. That information is then shared to their friends in the news feed. A few people I know have commenced using it and already I know where someone's house is (with a map) and that someone was at my local McDonalds at 2am last night. Anyone who is friends on their profile could see this information and with the number of friends that some people have on their profiles these days, that's a lot of people to be telling where you are currently. The service I personally believe is dangerous and will encourage stalkers and so here is a guide on how to disable it if you do not wish to use it at all (like myself).
With the Windows Live Essentials 2011 reaching the RTM stage today and being made available publicly to Windows Vista and 7 users + Facebook Chat integration being rolled out to Australian users, it's time to prep your Windows Live IDs so that you can take advantage of these new features (especially in Messenger). Microsoft realised a few years ago that creating another social network would be a complete waste of time, money and resources because the public had already chosen the services they want and would stick with them (Facebook, Wordpress, Youtube, Digg etc). Accordingly, Microsoft decided to turn it's Windows Live service into a place that simply aggregated all the content from those other services into one place so that it is easier to keep a track of and then link that into it's extremely popular instant messaging and email services (Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Hotmail) to create a central social dashboard. For all this to work though, the user needs to link up these different social networks to their Windows Live ID in a process called "Connecting Services To Your Profile". Windows Live Messenger 2011 also uses more of the information from your Windows Live Profile & Contacts so therefore these need to be updated accordingly. Finally the the entire Windows Live ecosystem now has much improved privacy settings that are also probably worth checking out, to make sure that all of this information is going only to the people who you wish to see it.
