Why it’s time for the U.S. to get serious about its broadband problem — gigaom.com

Why it’s time for the U.S. to get serious about its broadband problem — gigaom.com: "A recent international ranking placing the United States 35th in bandwidth has generated another round of commentary about how our broadband offerings compare to others. Unmentioned was that a year earlier, the then FCC Chairman gave a speech advocating the need for much faster, gigabit broadband networks throughout the United States."

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10 Things You Need to Know About Windows 8.1 — www.howtogeek.com

10 Things You Need to Know About Windows 8.1 — www.howtogeek.com: "Windows 8 was very different from Windows 7, but change is only speeding up — Windows 8.1 has seen quite a few changes since Windows 8. You’ll have new things to learn. whichever which version of Windows you’re upgrading from."

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How to End and Prioritize Processes to Make Your Windows PC Run More Smoothly — www.howtogeek.com

How to End and Prioritize Processes to Make Your Windows PC Run More Smoothly — www.howtogeek.com: "What does every geek do when their computer starts to run slow or give them trouble?  They open the task manager and look at the running processes.  This guide will teach you what to look for and how to prioritize running processes to make your computer run more smoothly."

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Aereo's Supreme Court battle may change how you watch TV | Internet & Media - CNET News

Aereo's Supreme Court battle may change how you watch TV | Internet & Media - CNET News: "A tiny startup you've probably never heard of is heading to the US Supreme Court, and it could change how the entire country watches TV.
The top court in the country on Friday agreed to hear the case pitting television broadcasters against Aereo, an online subscription service with arrays of miniature antennas that grab over-the-air programming, stream it online to paying members, and store it for them in a remote DVR."

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How to Use the Chrome OS Desktop on Windows 8 (and Why It Exists)

How to Use the Chrome OS Desktop on Windows 8 (and Why It Exists): "Chrome 32 now offers a new feature on Windows 8: A full-screen, Chrome OS-style desktop mode. The Chrome app launcher can bring Chrome OS to the Windows desktop, but Chrome can now replace the Windows desktop entirely.

Rather than create native Windows 8 apps, Google is choosing to shoehorn the a Chromebook-style desktop into Windows 8. Of course, you can continue to use Chrome on the desktop just like before."

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First-Time Shopper On Ebay? 5 Important Things You Need To Know

First-Time Shopper On Ebay? 5 Important Things You Need To Know: "Welcome to Ebay Shopping 101. You are the select few, chosen to be trained as sharp-shooting Ebay bidders, capable of finding the best deals and winning every auction. So pull up a chair and let’s get started.
Shopping on Ebay isn’t really like shopping on Amazon or any other shopping site. On most sites, you search for the product you like, find it, and if there are enough left, you buy it at the best fixed price you can find and then wait for it to arrive in the mail. On Ebay, not so much."

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Kill your data dead with these tips and tools | PCWorld

Kill your data dead with these tips and tools | PCWorld: "There are lots of ways to obliterate sensitive data from of your drive: blast furnaces, degaussers (magnet field generators), sledgehammers, and secure-deletion software among them. These tools vary in effectiveness—especially as applied variously to hard drives, solid-state drives, and USB flash drives—and in the subsequent usability of the drive.

For the sake of argument (and a more interesting article), let’s assume you’d like to preserve your drive’s functionality. This rules out violence and degaussing, which, though wonderfully effective and perhaps therapeutic, will render a drive useless. Excluding those options leaves you with a choice between software and software-combined-with-firmware methods."

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▶ How to rescue your PC from ransomware | PCWorld

▶ How to rescue your PC from ransomware | PCWorld: "With the nasty CryptoLocker malware making the rounds—encrypting its victims’ files, and then refusing to provide the unlock key unless a payment of $300 is made via Bitcoin or a prepaid cash voucher—ransomware is back in the spotlight.

You can remove many ransomware viruses without losing your files, but with some variants that isn’t the case. In the past I’ve discussed general steps for removing malware and viruses, but you need to apply some specific tips and tricks for ransomware. The process varies and depends on the type of invader. Some procedures involve a simple virus scan, while others require offline scans and advanced recovery of your files. I categorize ransomware into three varieties: scareware, lock-screen viruses, and the really nasty stuff."

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Latest Chrome build brings all of Chrome OS to Windows 8 | PCWorld

Latest Chrome build brings all of Chrome OS to Windows 8 | PCWorld: "Google is now offering a way to get a Chrome OS PC for free: Just download Chrome on Windows 8 or 8.1. After first appearing the Chrome dev channel in October , the search giant officially added what is basically the Chrome OS interface to the modern UI version of Chrome on Windows 8."

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▶ How to recover files after a malware attack | PCWorld

▶ How to recover files after a malware attack | PCWorld: "A malicious program infects your PC and makes your documents and other important files inaccessible, then it pops up a message demanding money to get the files back. You’ve got a ransomware infection, and that isn’t good.

How do you get the files back without paying for them? That’s simple: Restore them from a backup. That is, of course, if you’ve been backing up daily."

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