ISSN 1061-5725
This Month’s Presentation
Volume 26, No. 4
April 2008
www.ucs.org
This Month’s Meeting:
Wednesday 9th at 7 pm
Check Out the
Review of
Nero 8
Ultra Edition
by
Cliff & Don
on Page 4
Utah’s Award Winning Computer Magazine!
™
By Cliff Millward, Editor
cliffm@xmission.com
Ternary Computing?
I was always told “two’s company, but three’s a
crowd.” Perhaps I’ll have to amend that saying to indicate that it applies to social applications only as ternary
computing is, perhaps, on the horizon.
Ternary computing stores information as a representation of false, null and true instead
of false, true.
With the advent of quantum computing coming on the scene, perhaps
ternary computing is the wave of the
future. Something to ponder: is faster
always better? How much power do you
need to type that letter?
Perhaps this new method will be
used for herculean tasks only. However,
years ago few people ever thought we
would need anything more than an IBM
8088! Isn’t progress wonderful – more ways to spend
our hard earned money.
Thanks Uncle Bill (?)
Microsoft said today it will continue to sell Windows
XP Home beyond its scheduled June 30 kill-date for the
emerging class of “ultra-low-cost PCs.” However, the
cut-off date for XP licenses for mainstream boxes is still
the end of this coming June, 2008.
Microsoft extended the XP sales
deadline once before otherwise XP would
have been dead about three months
ago.
I believe Microsoft needs to take a
lesson from the two previous stories in
the column and develop a faster, less
cumbersome operating system.
From what I hear (I use XP) Vista is
big, slow, and cumbersome (depending
upon how much computer power you
have.)
I also hear that MS is quickly developing a new operating system due to the many complaints about Vista.
I also have read that the only reason MS is continuing to sell XP for low-cost (“under powered”) PCs is because of the threat of Linux. Linux is an efficient, small
operating system that works well on “under powered”
computers.
Recent
Trends
And Now, A Faster Internet
CERN, a Geneva-based particle physics center is
looking to create the next internet. They have built a
lightning-fast replacement capable of speeds about
10,000 times faster than a typical broadband connection.
The new internet is known as “the grid” and could
send the entire individual music celebrity’s catalog
from Britain to Japan in two seconds, (pleasant dreams
RIAA.) The grid is coming online this summer on what
is termed the “red button day.” The network is a parallel
Internet using fibre optic cables that run from Cern to
11 centers in the United States, Canada, the Far East,
Europe and around the world.
Among the fields the new Internet will change are
online gaming, holographic image transmission, and
HD video telephony. You will be able to complete a high
definition video telephony call for the price of a normal
call on a land line.
(Don’t ask me when it will become available of us.
Then again, maybe it’s much more than I need!)
Listen up
Speaking of Vista, a Brazilian developer has been
threatened with legal action by the Creative sound card
company for making better sound drivers for Vista.
As I understand it (I don’t use Vista) the sound drivers for Vista leave much to be desired. In fact, I read that
Creative deliberately sabotaged some of them so that you
had to upgrade to a “better” card to get better sound. The
Brazilian developer fixed that in his offerings and that
action did not sit well with Creative.
However, (the public rules) Creative received so
many complaints that they have recanted
Perhaps they should offer the developer a high
paying job with them, or offer to purchase the drivers
from him. If they are guilty of intentionally sabotaging
their drivers, they need to do something to regain their
tarnished image.
Finè
Page 2
Blue Chips Magazine — April 2008
Blue Chips
Magazine
“Utah’s Award Winning Publication”
Magazine Staff
Editor — Cliff Millward
Review Program Liaison — James Alexander
Review Product Editor — Donna Nendell
Review Editor/Product Recruiter — Don Nendell
Photography — LeRoy Johnson
Proof Reader — Larry Lamph, Doug Jackson
Advertising Rates
Ad costs
2 Page Spread
Full Page
Half Page
Quarter Page
Business Card
1 month
$150
$100
$50
$25
$15
3 months
$400
$275
$130
$70
$30
6 months
$700
$500
$250
$130
$60
Charter Member of the
Association of PC User Groups
955-9633
250-2269
565-9594
565-9594
12 months
$1200
$900
$450
$225
$120
Full page size is 7½ x 10 inches. All other page sizes are based on a 7 x 10
inch page in order to conform to editorial style. Half-page ads may be 7 x 5 inches
or 3½ x 10 inches. Quarter-page ads are 3½ x 5 inches. Business card ads are 3½
x 2½ inches.
Classified Advertising
Utah Blue Chips members may place personal classified ads at no charge.
Maximum ad size is 7 lines, 35 characters per line.
Submissions
Members are encouraged to submit text articles for publication in ASCII
text only. Photos in .TIF or .JPG format only. Line graphics, tables, in almost any
vector or .TIF format. Do not imbed graphics or tables in text files. All articles
must be received by the 15th of the month preceding the month of publication. All
articles become the property of the Utah Computer Society and by submitting an
article, the author gives permission for the Blue Chips Magazine Staff to edit the
submission. The author also gives permission for republication in other users groups’
communications.
Permission to Copy
Permission is granted to other nonprofit PC user groups to reproduce any
article published in this newsletter, provided credit is given Blue Chips Magazine
and the author (s) of the reproduced materials. Reprinted articles are subject to the
terms of their respective copyright holders.
Officers and Trustees
Eve. Phone
E-mail
President, Stuart Gygi
V. Pres., Larry Lamph
Secretary, Lowell Kenedy
Treasurer, John Witzel
Rick Gregory
Doug Jackson
576-1891
571-2908
278-3035
296-1390
582-7783
322-2337
sgygi@xmission.com
larry.lamph@gmail.com
lkenedy@networld,com
witzelj@netscape.net
rfg@csolutions.net
cjackson104@hotmail.com
Information
Persons or companies may join or renew at the meeting, or by sending a check payable
to the Utah Computer Society to:
Utah Computer Society
Membership Secretary
P.O. Box 510811
Salt Lake City UT 84151
Individual memberships are $25/year. Business Memberships are $35.00 a year.
Corporate sponsorships are available at two levels. Corporate Sponsors enjoy all benefits
of membership including multiple individual membership and prepaid advertising coverage.
Contact a Board Member for more information. $10/year memberships without the magazine
are available for students other family and Senior Citizen Center members
Other important information:
Meeting Information
Group Business (James Alexander)
Magazine (Cliff Millward)
Program Coordinator (James Alexander)
Web Site
WebMaster
Membership (evenings) (Bob)
http://www.ucs.org
250-2269
955-9633
250-2269
http://www.ucs.org
272-8949
262-6045
MONTHLY MEETING LOCATION
2nd Wednesday of every month
April
Renewals
Jacque Stonebraker
University of Utah, Union Building, 7:00 p.m.
Page 3
Blue Chips Magazine — April 2008
Nero 8 Ultra Edition
Windows Review
The Ultimate Solution for Your Digital Life
Reviewed by:
Cliff Millward & Don Nendell
Nero Inc.
330 N. Brand Blvd. Suite 800
Glendale, CA 91203 USA
Ph: 818.956.5930
Web site: www.nero.com
System Requirements:
General System Requirements
Internet access or fax machine is required
to activate certain technologies*
DVD-ROM-compatible drive required for
installation
Windows® 2000 (SP4 or later), Windows® XP (SP1 or later), Windows Server®
2003 (SP1 or later), Windows® XP Media
Center Edition (SP2 or later), Windows Vista®
(except for Nero ImageDrive)
Windows® XP Professional x64 Edition
(all applications besides InCD, Nero Scout, and
Nero ImageDrive work in the x86 emulator for
32-bit Windows® applications)
Windows Vista® x64 Edition (all applications besides InCD, Nero DiscCopy, and Nero
ImageDrive work in the x86 emulator for 32-bit
Windows® applications)
Internet Explorer® 6.0 or higher
1 GHz Intel® Pentium® III; AMD Sempron™ 2200+ or equivalent
256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM for Windows
Vista®)
1.5 GB hard drive space for a typical installation of all components
Up to 9 GB available drive space for DVD
images and temporary DVD files
Graphics card: min. 32 MB video memory,
min. resolution 800 x 600 pixels, hardware
overlay support, and min. 16-bit color settings
CD, DVD, Blu-ray, or HD DVD recordable
or rewritable drive for burning and playback
Microsoft® DirectX 9.0c or higher
Installation of the latest WHQL-certified
device drivers is strongly recommended
Internet connection is required for registration, free online activation of full DVD, MPEG-2,
MPEG-4, and AVC functionality, product updates, and other features such as photo sharing.
Usage of DSL-1000 or faster is recommended for video services
Additional Requirements
Blue Laser Features
Blue laser reading/writing device for Bluray Disc/HD DVD support (see special Blue
laser system requirements at www.nero.com.)
Up to 25/50 GB hard drive space for Bluray Disc/HD DVD images
Other Features
SecurDisc-compatible CD/DVD drive
LightScribe®/Labelflash™-compatible
recorder and medium
To use LightScribe®, the latest Light-
Scribe® host software must be installed (see
www.nero.com)
TV tuner or video recording card for analog
or digital recording, time-shifting, and any TV
functionality. For a list of compatible devices,
see www.nero.com
For a list of supported capture cards, see
www.nero.com
UPnP™-capable equipment is required for
streaming with Nero MediaHome server
To use the Nero Smart 3D video templates
in Nero Vision, a video card with 3D acceleration
support and 64 MB video memory is
required
Availability and Pricing
Retail: MSRP $99.99 (receive 10-days of
FREE Phone Support with product registration)
Online at www.nero.com: $79.99
(downloadable serial number)
Upgrade from Nero 7 to Nero 8:
$49.99 (online only - downloadable serial
number)
OEM and Prev. Version Upgrades:
Special discounts apply depending on the version
Updates: Continuous Free updates for the
life of Nero 8 available online
Note. On November 20, an update became
available online to fix any bugs that appeared
in early deployments. As always, Nero provides
free updates to current customers for the life
of their product, offering updated features and
functionality.
Technical Support
In addition to continuous FREE updates
within this version number, Nero provides
outstanding technical support for Nero 8 in ten
languages through worldwide e-mail and support hotlines.
You will find new step-by-step tutorials
online showing how easy it is to use Nero 8. The
latest additions include an HTML tutorial, a
Flash video, and training tools. Most product or
technology-related answers can be found in the
FAQ section, an extensive knowledge database.
For the quickest response to your inquiry,
Nero recommends using its e-mail support service, which is guaranteed to answer your request
in a timely manner.
Technical Support Contacts
Hotline: (888) 309-4212
Available Monday - Friday, 7:00am 1:00am (EST) Weekend, 8am - 8pm EST
US, Canada and Mexico only
Please note: This hotline is at your own
expense. The charge is $1.29 a minute. You get
charged the minute the phone is answered, not
while you are on call waiting.
E-mail: us-customerservice@nero.com
Online Customer Support
Nero customer service can help you if you
need assistance with lost serial numbers, rebate
inquiries, basic non-troubleshooting issues re-
Page 4
Blue Chips Magazine — April 2008
garding the Nero installation process, questions
about purchases, and requesting replacement
installer disc
QuickStart Guide PDF version
Application CHM Help files
All applications’ PDF manuals with screenshots
Frequently Asked Questions
Step by step tutorials: New versions now
including a HTML tutorial, a Flash video and
training exercises
818.956.7551
E-mail: us-customerservice@nero.com
Prologue
It has become almost universal that
all computer companies who wish to stay
in business must offer upgrades. These
upgrades, in many cases, however, have
evolved into window dressing or peripheral programs that have little, or no connection with the original program. Once
you have a bug free original program
that does what it was designed to do, you
usually can progress no further – unless
you add peripheral offerings.
Nero started out as a music ripping
program and has evolved into a panorama of programs. I assume Nero has
done this for the same reason as other
companies have; to offer new features
so that people will buy upgrades, thus
keeping them in business. However,
some of the additional programs were
necessary to make them keep up with
progress. In fact, some of them were
(and are) innovative and have (or will)
become indispensable.
A complete review of Nero is really
beyond my expertise as I only use one or
two features. That feature is converting
.wav files into MP3’s, MP4’s or making
an audio CD. I never download an MP3
or MP4 as I am not into any pop music
exchange. I make music offerings to promote my own compositions. Also, I am
not into photos (I don’t own a camera) or
videos, so I can only report intelligently
on that which I use.
The following is a list of the things
this program does:
•
•
Create and edit photo slideshows
•
Convert your favorite content
to enjoy on portable
devices or share
them online with friends
or communities
•
•
•
•
Create and edit high definition
video,
Rip and burn CDs/DVDs
Create a home entertainment
center with integrated TV,
DVD, music and video streaming,
playback options.
Advanced backup features to
protect against loss from system
crash or damaged disc.
Make CD inserts
The above was copied from information provided by Nero, but please notice
what is not mentioned first. As I stated
before, Nero was originally a CD burning
program but Nero has branched out into
a graphics editing program and it also offers a backup program. Obviously Nero
wasn’t fiddling while Rome was burning!
Obviously the engineers at Nero are
“keeping their ears to the ground and
their noses to the grindstone.”
I have a way to convert from .wav files
to MP3s, MP4s, or CDs!
As you can tell, this ability has made
me very happy. I can now make a CD of
my compositions and even make inserts
for jewel cases with their Cover Designer
program.
but it really causes problems with those
of us who make and exchange music
files lawfully.
Except for Microsoft interference
(?), this encoding program works flawlessly. The CDs and MP3 and MP4s play
authentically.
Converting Audio Files
Nero has an encoding program that
will convert audio file formats.
I like to convert .wav files into MP4
files as these files are smaller than MP3
files and can easily be sent as attachments over the Internet. MP3 files tend
to be large and often exceed the limits
imposed by my provider. A problem may
arise, however, that the recipient may
not be able to play MP4 files. So far, I
have not encountered this problem,
but I must warn you, the recent version
of Windows Media Player will not play
them. Interestingly, older versions of
Media Player will play them. (I assume
that this is Microsoft altering their audio and video files due to pressure from
the recording and movie industries,
although I have no proof of this.)
After a few months, I also encountered a problem with making MP3s,
MP4s and CDs. This was rectified when
I installed a free upgrade from Nero.
(Was this another fiddling with files
by Microsoft? It only occurred after I
installed one of those automatic patches
from Uncle Bill!)
I know that some people exchange
music files unlawfully and some method
must be instituted to halt this practice,
Making Inserts
Nero has a Cover Designer program
which permits you to design a cover for
the jewel cases which will house your
manufactured CDs. It offers you this
option immediately after you make a
CD or you can you start the program
independently.
If you choose to start the program
immediately after making a CD, Cover
Designer will import the text from the
burn program and put it in the proper
places of the template you choose. This
saves a lot of typing time. However, if
you wish to change any text, it is not
easy. You must go into a “Data” drop
down menu, highlight your change and
type in a small window. This is a bit
awkward. It would be much easier if they
had a text tool option whereby when a
bounding box is offered, you can click
on the text tool to insert your changes.
It is also difficult to make an Insert
from scratch as you must not only use
the “Data” drop menu, but define what
size type and font you want to use, etc.
However, some bounding boxes will
not allow you to change the font (or,
perhaps, I have not figured out a way to
do it.) This being said, it is still a fine
program once you learn how to use it.
Installation
The installation went well, albeit
lengthy, and, thankfully, included a
box that asked what extensions you
wanted Nero to open. I opted none for
the graphics programs as I have Corel
PhotoPaint and Adobe Photoshop. I let
it handle all the audio and video extensions, but I was a bit concerned it would
interfere with my music composition
programs Sibelius and Finale. My fears
were unfounded, however, as there was
no interference with them. In fact, their
usefulness was greatly increased as now
Page 5
Blue Chips Magazine — April 2008
Heeere’s Don & Donna!!!
Part 1 Here’s our Nero 8 Ultra
2-bits Worth
While I was attending my 12th
Novell BrainShare Conference, Donna
was doing her own “Brainiac” thing. It
seems, she decided she wanted a large
portion of our audiobooks collection
(which are on CDROM) , plus her extensive library of Country and Western music (also on CDROM’s) copied over onto
DVD’s, in order to save much needed
storage space. This needless to say, is an
almost non-existent commodity in our
1000 sq. ft home. Here is the math, you
can figure it all out for yourself?
(There are) 8 shelves/bookcase x 43
jewel box cases/shelf (each with 2 discs/
jewel box case = 344 x 2 = 688 audiobooks/bookcase x (we have) 6 bookcases
on one (1) wall = 4128 CDROM’s, or
potential DVD’s, take your pick.
Also, Donna is working hard to convert
two (2) 10-foot long shelves full of jewel
cases (also with two (2) CDROM’s chuck
full of graphics in each) over to DVD’s.
Therefore, if I may say so myself,
Donna’s idea is, in reality and actuality,
a “No-brainer.” Er, I really meant
to say, “It’s an absolutely stunning,
cunning, and altogether brilliant idea,
whose time has come in our home!”
Whew! Psst! Do
you think I got out of
that predicament OK?
We’ll just have to wait
and see about that?
Be sid e s, qu it e
possibly Donna and
I could even play a
complete audiobook
consisting of many
CDROM’s from a full
set on but a single
DVD. Then too, say if
we accidently left an
audiobook out in our
car to simmer in our
western summer sun,
we’d probably only lose
one (1) DVD, not a $40/$50/$60, or
even likely more, full set of CDROM’s.
Great idea, but if my Internet search
on the subject was any indication, her
idea is a somewhat difficult to accomplish one; and in some cases, it may not
even be possible, at all. Well, we’ll just
have to see about that, won’t we? ;-}
Background Story
I researched the Internet over the
past 3+ years where others had expressed the same basic idea on various
forums. And, you know what, strangely
enough no one seems to have a solution
to this DVD problem out there, not even
today. Long story, short story. Donna is
right this minute (even as I am writing
this) successfully “Ripping to MP3”
onto DVD’s, her song collections, and
audiobooks, with her newly updated
version of Nero 8 Ultra Edition (ver.
8.3.2.1); and they are all working perfectly on our brand-new LG (Life’s
Good) DR787T DVD Super Multi DVD
Recorder with Digital Tuner beautifully,
thank you very much.
There’s a side benefit to all this, as
well. This newfound interest has kept
Donna’s creative mind fully engaged,
plus it’s fabulous therapy for her - after
her 9 heart by-pass surgeries - plus
a host of others. Pretty neat. It also
“frees” me up to do my thing, which
is security-related research, inventing
and writing, as you most certainly know,
if you’ve followed these reviews at all.
Matter of fact, I’ll be adding some
of that “Stuff” in Part 2 to follow.
The good news is: “If your DVD
player (portable, or not) supports MP3
format, and not just on CD’s, but on
Page 6
Blue Chips Magazine — April 2008
DVD’s as well, then you can play MP3
audiobooks on your DVD players directly.”
The bad new is: “You cannot
play these DVD’s on the ordinary DVD
player that does not support MP3
format.” That’s said, Period.
My thoughts on all this: Check
Nero’s output capabilities (Intro above)
and apply the same logic as above to
other formats, as well, and then see
what happens there too? You can’t
lose anything by “Trying!”
Bottom Line. As mentioned
above, our new LG DR787T DVD
recorder/player does play DVD’s in
MP3 format, but “Now Here This!”
our new Ford Five Hundred that has a
beautiful DVD player in the back seat,
does not, repeat DOES NOT, unfortunately. Shucks, that was one of the
primary reasons for Donna doing all
this in the first place; for us to use with
her new Audio DVD’s on our extended
road trips. As you can tell, we love these
audiobooks while driving, sitting in the
front room, or about anywhere we can
play them, just like a great many other
audiobook afficionados do every day,
it seems.
Pay Close Attention Now
This is Very, Very Important
Information. It seems that you need
to have the very latest version of Nero
Ultra 8 (8.3.2.1) that has Nero Express
installed to pull off something like what
Donna has been doing. See the full page
of graphics (developed in Comic Book
Creator 2) for
a demonstration
of the steps
to Audio DVD
burn completion. (See
the CBC2
review in the
February
2008 BCM
archives <www.ucs.org>, always
being absolutely sure to choose
the .pdf version for its beauty).
Page 7
Blue Chips Magazine — April 2008
Part 2 The Security-related
“Stuff”
Just look at that graphic, isn’t it
beautiful. Well finally, here we are, The
Security-related “Stuff”. This is the
part of the review that you all have been
waiting patiently on pins and needles
for; I can just feel it in my bones? Well,
so have I, been waiting, that is.
Sadly enough however, we will all have
to wait a little longer, or so it seems for
nirvana?
Please let me elaborate more on my
own personal overly-high expectations,
if you please?
And, security is written all over this
graphic, as well, for me.
I almost went crazy with anticipation when I saw this graphic, I really and
truly did. But, you would have needed to
have followed all of my security-related
reviews very closely to even remotely
understand that statement. BTW I’ve
written some 45 Security-related reviews here in BCM up to now. But whose
counting?
OK, Let’s See Why
I’m So Disappointed
Here’s the lowdown on SecurDisc Data re. <http://www.securdisc.net/enu/what-is-securdisc.
html> & <http://www.securdisc.
net/enu/index.html>
First, We Cover The SecurDisc
FAQ’s (please pay close attention
to the “[my emphasis here]” notations.
What is SecurDisc? SecurDisc
is an innovative hardware and software
based security technology that provides
robust and highly secure data protection
and content access control for information recorded on regular CD and
DVD media [my emphasis here].
What makes SecurDisc unique?
SecurDisc is the only solution to protect
data on “optical storage” media [my
emphasis here - “optical storage”
media is the clue to all this, See
below] against unauthorized access
and copying, while also ensuring that
it is stored securely and redundantly. It
uses mandatory storage level security
features such as checksums to verify
data integrity and readability, and redundancy storage and defect data management systems to ensure maximum
data reliability. SecurDisc also provides
user level security that can be enabled
or disabled by the user, including robust encryption via double protection
of user data (i.e., through password
protection [my emphasis here] and
digital signature authentication.)
First, look at the bottom two (2)
entries in the “What’s new with N8UE”
graphic. There’s a lot of anticipation
built into those lines, at least for me,
especially that last line: “SecurDisccompatible CD/DVD drive.”
Can SecurDisc restrict unauthorized access to files or folders
on media? Yes. SecurDisc’s password protection [my emphasis
here] feature uses data encryption (AES
128-[bit]) to restrict access to confidential files and folders.
What types of files can be protected using the SecurDisc Copy
Protection feature? Currently, only
PDFs can be protected using the SecurDisc Copy Protection feature.
SecurDisc is featured in this graphic,
also.
Page 8
Blue Chips Magazine — April 2008
Can SecurDisc features be
combined for added security? SecurDisc provides a number of different
security features, including password
protection [my emphasis here],
digital signature, and Copy Protection.
These features can be applied to individual files or folders, and can be applied
either alone or in any combination that
you require. For maximum security, you
can apply all the features listed above to
a file or folder.
What software applications
does SecurDisc consist of? To take
full advantage of SecurDisc’s features,
you will need the following applications:
Nero Express, to create SecurDisc(s);
Nero InCD / InCD Reader, to access
content on a SecurDisc; and, SecurDisc
Viewer, to view copy protected PDFs.
Note. InCD Reader is available at
<www.SecurDisc.net>. SecurDisc Viewer will be available soon.
What are some examples of
how SecurDisc features can be
used to help me protect my data?
SecurDisc was developed to help you
protect your files not only from an accessibility standpoint, but from a data integrity standpoint as well. For example:
Scenario: You have confidential data
that you need to ensure is kept away
from prying eyes. Therefore, you need
to set up encryption to protect your
files and folders. The SecurDisc
Solution: Password Protection.
How This Works: SecurDisc allows you
to create a password protected [my
emphasis here] disc, meaning that
anyone wanting to view the contents of
your files and folders must enter the
correct password [my emphasis
here] in order to do so. Since you set
the password and you control
who receives this password [my
emphasis here], you can feel safe
knowing that access to your critical information is restricted (See my remarks
about Automated Encryption and
“Static” Password Protection below).
What if I don’t have a SecurDisc
drive, can I still read a SecurDisc?
Yes. To read a SecurDisc in a non-SecurDisc drive, you will need InCD Reader
5.5. Once you enter the disc into your
drive, SecurDisc will automatically
determine whether you require InCD
Reader. If you do, a message will appear
notifying you to download a free copy,
and will also provide you with a link to
where you can download it. In order
to read a copy protected SecurDisc,
a SecurDisc “compatible” drive
is required [my emphasis here].
Note. We can stop right here.
So, What’s the Problem,
You Say?
In a few words, not everybody
has an “Optical” SecurDisc drive,
yet, including yours truly, which
is absolutely mandatary in order
to create a SecurDisc, in the first
place. Therefore, all this data is,
in reality, in it’s preliminary, or
infancy stage from my vantage
point . In actuality, this is truly
great stuff, and can only get better like a good wine, “but only
with proper aging.” This, then, is
the very reason I was so ecstatic
when I first read about SecurDisc.
Alas, it’s just not all there yet;
but it will be, that’s for sure. Give
them time!
Here’s where SecurDisc stands as
of their media announcement dated
09/11/07: SecurDisc has been recognized by the Mt. Fuji Group as an
industry standard for secure CD and
Page 9
Blue Chips Magazine — April 2008
DVD burning. . . . SecurDisc technology is licensed to a broad range of drive
manufacturers and ISVs. SecurDiscintegrated drives are identifiable by the
SecurDisc logo, which lets consumers
know that the drive is compatible
with SecurDisc software (i.e.,
N8UE), and that their files will be
safeguarded through SecurDisc
protection features, including:
password protection against unauthorized access [my emphasis
here], a digital signature feature
that verifies the origin of data,
protection against disc decay,
built-in safeguards to increase
the chances of restoring data from
a damaged disc, and protection
against the copying of PDF documents.
A Long-awaited Primer
I should have done this years ago,
and since it applies directly to SecurDisc’s “Access” security, better late than
never.
Caveat. My graphic of “A Checklist of Password NoNo’s”, has not
changed one iota during all the
12-years I’ve been attending the
“What is a good Password?” class
at my personal favorite, the Novell
BrainShare Conferences. Why
should it? “PassWords are like
Dinosaurs, they’re extinct!” But,
why do we still rely on them?
Note. “Static” Passwords are
also the primary reason behind my
no-holds barred “[my emphasis
here]” comments in this review of, an
otherwise absolutely superior Security product, SecurDisc.
Anyway, here goes nothing
shifting) protocol, in the first place;
to wit, “To get rid of ‘Static’ Passwords once and for all!”
Ergo, I’ve written many times,
now and throughout a large number of those 45 Security-related
reviews I mentioned above, about
my Auto(mated) Enc(ryption)
Suite, AutoEnc (See the review in
the August 2006 BCM Archives
<www.ucs.org>, always being
absolutely sure to choose the .PDF
version for its beauty). AutoEnc
is the perfect accompaniment to
SecurDisc, and be advised that I
have entered into a preliminary
discussion with Nero in order to
make it, not a virtuality, but a reality. Stay tuned.
FYI That singular “Password
Security” weakness/Black hole/Achilles heel distinction is the very reason
behind my originally becoming a
co-inventor/-patent holder of the
“Dynamic Challenge-Response (Identity) Authentication and Verification
(DYCRAV(tm) PassWord (paradigm
In Summary
SecurDisc is a breakthrough in
“optical media” security [my emphasis here] at a time when computer
users are storing increasing amounts of
confidential and important data on CDs
and DVDs.
Important SecurDisc security
features consist of:
1) Password Protection, which
guards against unauthorized access [my emphasis here, BTW are
you getting the idea that “static”
passwords are “extinct,” yet?];
2) Digital Signature, which ver-
Page 10
Blue Chips Magazine — April 2008
ifies the origin of the data through
digital signature verification;
3) Data Integrity Check, which
detects altered data through checksum verification;
4) Data Reliability, which
makes it easier to retrieve data
from a damaged disc; and,
5) Copy Protection, which prevents copying of PDF documents.
There’s a great future out there
for SecurDisc, but the key word
here is “Future” [my emphasis
here].
BTW While you’re out on SecurDisc’s web site, do yourself a favor and
do some more research, on your own, to
see for yourself an up and coming product from Nero working in partnership
with SecurDisc. There’s lots more on
this element of security that you should
get acquainted with, as I truly believe
all of you out there in naive land
[definitely my emphasis here] are
going to need programs such as SecurDisc and AutoEnc [my emphasis
here], to protect yourselves from all the
“Big Bad Guys” out there trying to get
you, which, most certainly, includes
“Big Brother.
Bye!
We’re out’ta here.
Meeting Memorandum March 12, 2008
The meeting was convened by President Stuart Gygi.
Elections
Elections were held for 5 members
of the Board of Trustees. The following
were elected to 2 year terms:
Stuart Gygi
Lowell Kenedy
Larry Hirschi
Norm Peterson
Doug Jackson
At the Board Meeting on April 3,
2008 the following were elected officers
of the Utah Computer Society:
Stuart Gygi – President
Larry Lamph – Vice President
Lowell Kenedy – Secretary
John Witzel – Treasurer
There weren’t any additional nominations, so we don’t have any alternate
members of the Board. If anyone
wishes to join with us and be an alternate member, please come to our next
Board meeting on May 1, 2008. We will
welcome you.
Presentation
Bruce Busbee showed his Family
Atlas product and also spoke about the
LDS Church’s new Family Search Web
Site and the Roots Magic interface to
it.
New Family Search
In the current Family Search web
site, no one was allowed to do much with
the LDS Church’s several data bases.
Individual records were submitted by
anyone. However duplicates were not
resolved, still exist and may conflict.
Access to the data was through simple
queries; no editing allowed. After analyzing all that needed to be done in the
genealogy world and to update the web
site, the Church realized it couldn’t do
it all. The New Family Search web site
will provide a new platform for accessing its data bases. All the data bases
will be combined into one with many
duplicates. The public will be invited to
edit this data base to remove the duplicates and correct errors. Independent
companies have been invited to develop
software products that will access the
data and analyze it. This new web site
is not initially available to everyone. It
is being made available on a gradual
rollout basis in order to test it more thoroughly with some control. It is initially
available to LDS Church members, but
again gradually on a geographic region
basis (temple district). At that point
nonmembers will be given access.
This editing capability is not unrestricted. First, no one can even access
data on a living person unless related to
that person in specific ways, such as children under18. Second, the originator of
the information is the only one that can
change it. This protects against spurious
changes to the data. However, anyone
can add new information to a person’s
data. Additionally, anyone can dispute
information already there and then add
a note explaining the reason for the dispute. Disputes can only be resolved by
the person who originally submitted the
information agreeing with the person
entering the dispute. The LDS Church
will not get involved.
The concept of “my family” that
existed with the old Family Search disappears with the new Family Search.
There are no restrictions on others access to data on deceased relatives. The
concept of “my family “exists only on
your computer in a genealogy program
such as Roots Magic. This is the reason
for the existence of Roots Magic and
other programs. New Family Search
will contain only basic data such as name
and dates of events. There won’t be
pictures and long narratives. These will
only exist in your genealogy program.
Roots Magic
Roots Magic is Bruce’s current geology product, now in its 4th iteration of
development. It is expected to be out
in the summer of 2008. However, the
availability of the New Family Search
interface will not be available until the
LDS Church has made the web site available to everyone. So the interface may
be available in a free update to Roots
Page 11
Blue Chips Magazine — April 2008
Magic 4. Bruce demonstrated some
of the new features of Roots Magic 4.
Roots Magic 4, when connected to the
New Family Search, will automatically
search the database for duplicate names
displaying them in a nice format to determine if duplicate names are in fact the
same person. When duplicate records
are recognized, they can be combined
into one record. When combined, the
duplicate data for each original record
is retained so that they can be separated
again if desired. He then showed how
to update the web site with any original
data in Roots Magic through its synchronizing screen.
Family Atlas
In the old days of Family Origins,
Bruce wrote a program for Parson’s
Technology that would process a JEDCOM file and display a dot on a United
States map wherever an event was found
in the JEDCOM file. The new Family
Atlas has been expanded to plot events
anywhere in the world. They are displayed on a 3 dimensional globe which
can be spun around to focus on a particular area of the world. You can then
zoom in on that area to show boundaries
down to the county level. This is not
Google Earth showing mountains and
other terrain. Family Atlas gives you
a printable map with your genealogy
data on it.
As genealogy data is imported, the
program searches a 3.5 million place
name database to match places in the
genealogy data with the data in the place
name database. This provides the world
coordinates of each place for plotting on
the map. The place name database has
names of counties and parishes in England and some historical places. Names
in the Genealogy data that aren’t exact
matches are displayed with the best
match so the user can help resolve the
ambiguity. The resolution can be stored
for future reference.
For plotting, the user can choose
a set of markers for different events,
such as orange square for ancestor’s
birth places.
Submitted by Stuart Gygi
Utah Blue Chips Calendar
April 2008, May 2008
UBC
General Meeting
U of U
7:00 p.m.
Google
Magazine
Deadline
U of U
7:00pm
UCS
Board of
Trustees
C&C Bldg.
Room
N3005
6:30 p.m.
UBC
General Meeting
U of U
7:00 p.m.
TBA
Magazine
Deadline
Blue Chips — Utah’s Computer Guide in the 21st Century