Techbyter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) With Bill Blinn

I'll explain how you can dig into public records to find out where a website is located. I staged a little drag race between Windows 7 and Ubuntu Linux. A new keyboard perplexes my fingers. In Short Circuits, the latest version of Ubuntu is on my computer and Sanford Wallace may finally see the inside of a prison.

Windows 7 is on store shelves and starting to wipe away the Vista disaster. Adobe has released a beta version of Lightroom 3 and I really like what I see. The latest frauds center around Windows "updates". A new version of the Ubuntu Linux operating system will be out this week and the FCC wants your opinion on "net neutrality".

Snap Art 2 adds painterly effects to your digital photos with ease. We'll take a quick look at how the website will change in 2010. Microsoft has the largest patch Tuesday ever. And it's Cybersecurity Month.

Using Photomatix to turn a disappointing landscape image into what you saw. We'll take a first look at Google Voice and listen to what Walt Mossberg has to say about Windows 7. In Nerdly News, Apple leaves the US Chamber of Commerce and we'll consider some must-have applications for Windows 7.

If you're thinking about upgrading a Windows machine to Windows 7, you'll want to read this. I've found that the Internet makes buying a car a lot easier, but also a lot harder. In Short Circuits, the significance of insignificance, Google Wave, and Microsoft Office on the Web.

Spam, particularly the messages written by fraudsters who are out to steal your money, keep changing byt the underlying precepts vary little. After using Windows 7 for several weeks, I continue to be impressed by what Microsoft got right. In Short Circuits, it's design time here at TechByter, I'm taking a look at Google Voice, and USB 3.0 is coming soon.

Digital photography hasn't completely eliminated film, but it's close and the advantages are more pronounced every day. We'll take a look at an outstanding set of plug-in filters that let you manipulate your images. In Short Circuits, advances for Google Docs and acquisitions for Adobe and Intuit.

As a follow-up to the disaster that was Vista, Microsoft Windows 7 gets just about everything right, except maybe for the number of versions and the pricing. In Short Circuits, why I can't use Apple's new Snow Leopard and I discover my true worth: $32.

Xara does it again with Xara Xtreme and Xara Xtreme Pro by bringing content-aware scaling to value-priced software. Loose your password? I have a solution. In Short Circuits, some people now have access to Windows 7 release-to-manufacturing code and the European Union considers blocking the Oracle deal to buy Sun Microsystems.

Windows 7 will be avaialable in less than 2 months. Microsoft still has pricing and packaging wrong, but the operating system will be worth the upgrade, particularly if you're running Vista. We'll take a look at the free VLC media player, which is hard to beat for viewing video. I'll explain how I've squished spam from Web forms. And in Short Circuits, reports from correspondents, stolen copies of Snow Leopard, and "free" computers for governors.

If you have a spare thumb drive, maybe you can use it in your car or at the office to play music. Apple is investigating Iphones that catch fire. I offer an example of customer support done right and podcasting year 4 begins. In Short Circuits, a preview of a meeting in Newark, spam, and Gwitter.

From exposure and color balance to special effects, Tiffen's software photo filters will help you improve images. It's time to look at another stupid spam from a fraudster. How much are our brains like those of cats and dogs? In Short Circuits, a change for the Mac version of Microsoft Office and why a Canadian company filed suit against Microsoft in the Eastern Texas division of US Federal Court.

If you're looking for a new e-mail application, Thunderbird might be a good fit. Are you in the majority of computer users who don't have a good backup? Microsoft prepares Windows 7 for the marketplace and repeats some Vista errors. In Nerdly News, the Twitter attack and Google's CEO steps down from Apple's board.

My favorite Windows text editor is being developed for Linux and the Mac. A few weeks ago, the website disappeared for a couple of hours; now I can tell you why. Microsoft and Yahoo (finally) find a way to join forces. In Short Circuits, cheap memory, a spam SNARE, and a trip to Amish country.

The Bat continues to be my favorite e-mail program and a new feature makes it even better. You'd think that "Think Free" would be free, but it isn't. A preview of Chrome. (Ha!) In Short Circuits, Twitter (stolen), Apple (clamping down), and Netflix (sailing).

If you're thinking about writing a novel, you want YWriter and it's free! Opera's latest version, now available in beta, brings some new features you'll like. The well regarded Registry Mechanic drops a wrench into my Registry. In Short Circuits, Google's operating system, the price of storage, and the case of the disappearing disk drive.

Some of Firefox's best features aren't from Mozilla. Fraud by mail with a Web link. In Short Circuits, Twitter as the new UPI and the RIAA continues to fade.

If I Tweet In Your Facebook will you Twitter to my Monster? Let's take a look at social networksing. Adding a hard drive seems easier than it used to be. In Nerdly News, a fraud that claims to be from Microsoft, a real deal on Windows 7 from Microsoft, a different kind of search engine, and a review of Bozeman, Montanna's social networking expertise.

Some people love instant messaging and some hate it. If you use it, I'll tell you about some useful IM clients. If you don't use it, I'll explain why you should consider it. I have another look at Windows 7 for you. Microsoft's new search engine is off to a strong start. In Short Circuits, I install a new WiFi router and Apple updates Java.

Windows 7's features could be considered nothing but "eye candy", but that would be too bad. Digital photography is about more than pixels. Microsoft seems to be unable to learn. In Short Circuits, the Pre is mature and Bill Gates says the richest of the rich should give away their riches.