SECURITY...

• Credit Card Theft by Spyware Elite Toolbar (EliteBar) - The Trojan Elite Toolbar is a browser hijacker that inserts itself into Internet Explorer, pretending to be a search bar for a search engine. All search queries are re-routed to Searchmiracle.com even though this site provided no search results when tested. Elite also changes the start page of Internet Explorer, slows the internet connection and makes difficult or even prevents access to encrypted sites (https).
• Credit card processor crumbles after security lapse - Credit card processor Cardsystems will likely have to close its doors after hackers stole 40 million client records. The company last week lost two of its main customers, Visa and America Express.
• Netscape fixes browser flaws - Netscape 8.0.3.1 takes care of two flaws that were previously disclosed and fixed in Firefox, the open-source Web browser on which Netscape 8 is based. The updated release fixes only the most serious flaws that were fixed in Firefox 1.0.5.
• U.K. cops want to attack terrorism Web sites - British chief police officers are asking the U.K. government for new powers that would allow them to attack terrorist Web sites
• Offering a bounty for security bugs - TippingPoint--part of 3Com--is soliciting hackers to report vulnerabilities in exchange for money. If a valid bug is found, TippingPoint will notify the maker of the flawed product and update its security products to protect users against exploitation of the flaw until an official patch is released
• Russian spammer Vardan Kushnir murdered - Vardan Kushnir, believed to be Russia's biggest spammer, was found dead Sunday in his Moscow apartment, having suffered repeated blows to the head.

OFFTOPIC...

• New Weapon in Fight Against Smog - Now, scientists are taking the fight to the streets by developing "smart" building materials designed to clean the air with a little help from the elements. Using technology already available for self-cleaning windows and bathroom tiles, scientists hope to paint up cities with materials that dissolve and wash away pollutants when exposed to sun and rain.
• X-Men 3 Filming Has Started - The official New Zealand website for director Brett Ratner's X-Men 3 has already come online, however some of their cast and crew info is old and has changed.
• China records second most Internet users globally in June - China recorded 103 million users of Internet services in June, of which 53 million connected to the Internet using broadband, according to statistics published on July 21 by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC).

TECHNOLOGY...

• Microsoft could face trademark challenge over 'Vista' - John Wall, chief executive officer of Vista, said his company is "considering all of its options" for a potential case against Microsoft because of the company's choice of the name "Windows Vista" for the previously code-named Longhorn version of the OS.
• Longhorn Is Watching You - Highly anticipated next-generation OS "Longhorn" or - after the latest official announcements- "Vista", will feature sophisticated A/V output content protection mechanisms, if not lock down the PC as someone would say, in an effort to comply to entertainment industry demands.
• Microsoft takes on Google with Virtual Earth - MSN Virtual Earth (VE homepage), first announced in May, is similar to Google Maps in that it provides both street-map and satellite views of locations and provides driving directions between locations.
• Yahoo Buys Up Konfabulator - Yahoo has acquired Konfabulator, the software maker who created widgets -- mini applications which monitor weather, sports, news and more -- for the Macintosh in 2003
• Sony chief warns about PS3 price & expects 10-year life cycle - According to Kutaragi, the main purpose in choosing the expensive Blu-ray technology as well as offering HDTV support is to aim for a 10 year life cycle. This means that consumers will not have to upgrade to a high definition or higher capacity model throughout the Playstation's 3 life cycle.

HARDWARE... 

• Intel Pentium M 780 pops up in Japan - Intel hasn't announced its Pentium M 780 mobile processor, but the part has already started to appear on Japanese computer retailers' price lists. The 2.26GHz chip contains 2MB of L2 cache and operates across a 533MHz frontside bus, according to pictures of the boxed processor's label posted by Japanese language site PC Watch. The chip operates at a maximum voltage of 1.372V, falling to 0.988V when the chip enters its 800MHz "battery optimised mode".
• New NVIDIA C51 chipset details revealed - Biostar has released the specs of its upcoming NVIDIA C51-powered iDEQ 330N small form factor system
• ASUS Bids on Passive Coolers for Graphics Cards - ASUSTeK Computer Monday unveiled its new SilentCool passive cooling system for graphics cards, which is proclaimed to be significantly more efficient than similar products from other companies, yet, still noiseless, as it does not feature or require any fans.
• Alienware Aurora Star Wars Edition PC - Alienware actually offers two very different Star Wars chassis, one for the Light Side and one for the Dark Side. I was briefly tempted by the Light Side version, but then I remembered that its feeble skills are no match for the power of the Dark Side. Besides, the black and red theme of the Dark Side system looks far more imposing, and let's face it, you're buying this machine as much for how it looks on the outside as what's on the inside, maybe even more so.
• Geil Ultra Platinum PC4400 - When it comes to performance, the GeIL Ultra Platinum PC4400 memory certainly meets, and even exceeds, its specifications. With only 2.85 volts supplied, which should be readily available to most motherboards made today, we were able to achieve up to 290 Mhz, or DDR580 speeds.
• Kingston HyperX PC2-6000 1GB Dual Channel Kit - Kingston's HyperX PC2-6000 is good DDR2 memory. It would have been the best memory available a couple months back if Kingston really pushed for it. The memory is still a great performer and overclocker, especially with the timings and the required voltages.
• ASUS CT-479 Pentium M socket adapter - Asus sells the CT-479 separately, allowing you to choose the motherboard for yourself. A list of the motherboards currently supported can be found here. Since support for the CT-479 requires a BIOS upgrade, it's unlikely that you'll be seeing CT-479 support on any non-Asus motherboards in the future
• XFX Geforce 7800 GTX videocard - With that being said, the Geforce 7800 is superior to the ATI Radeon 850XTPE for those that were in the market for a new "summer" card.
• Seagate 400GB Barracuda 7200.8 Serial ATA Hard Disk - The drive was generally very quiet. Seek noises were noticeable but they were muted and low-pitched, rather than loud tak! tak! noises heard in some drives
• NetGear WG511T 802.11g wireless PC card - To recap, the NetGear WG511T supports 108 Mbps (where available depending upon access points and router) and improvements in the antenna for a greater range and 128-bit WEP capabilities
• SAITEK Cyborg Evo Force USB PC Joystick - Overall, the SAITEK Cyborg Evo Force is a very nice joystick. The adjustability makes it useful for any gamer, right handed or left handed. The software is easy to install and adds programmability to the buttons and joystick so that you can use a joystick a anywhere a mouse was used.
• World's Smallest MP3 Player - The player is 24x24x24 millimeters (about the size of the tip of your finger or various small items), weighs 18 grams, uses OLED technology, and comes in a variety of colors.
• Sony SNC-M3W network camera - The SNC-M3W is a fine example as this eyeball camera offers wired and wireless capabilities, pan and tilt, a maximum 30fps, internal and external audio functions plus motion detection and all at a price that competes very strongly with D-Link's DCS-5300G.

GUIDES...

• Beginning Of the End For PC Noise - If you are looking to cut down on noise there are a lot of ways to go, but one of the easiest and most effect is to upgrade to a silent power supply. This guide goes over and tests the four most popular ones on the market right now.
• A bluffer's guide to shaders - Bit-Tech take a look at the evolution of graphics hardware from the first T+L GeForce to the current shader model 3 hardware. They also look at what shaders actually are, and what the different shader model revisions actually mean to gamers and hardware enthusiasts. If you're puzzled by pixels or vexed by vertices, this guide should help you out.
• Running Windows with No Services - The following steps, which you must follow carefully to achieve a minimal Windows system, were derived by Dave Solomon through experimentation, and when he discovered that Windows was usable without all the core system processes we were dumbfounded.

SOFTWARE...

• Google Toolbar 3.0.124.6 - The Google Toolbar (download winxp/2k ~ win9x/me) increases your ability to find information from anywhere on the web and takes only seconds to install. When the Google Toolbar is installed, it automatically appears along with the Internet Explorer toolbar.
• nVHardPage SE v3.1 - nVHardPage nVidia videocard tweaker is tweaking utility for nVidia display adapters running under Windows ALL.
• NEC firmwares for ND 3520 drives - This time Liggy has modified two new firmwares from NEC.2.1Abt for the NEC ND-3500AG drive and firmware version 3.05bt for the NEC ND-3520AW drive. Both firmwares have full bitsetting and RIPLOCK and RPC1 patches.
• DNA-ATi 4.1.5.7 Full - These are modified/hacked ATI Catalyst drivers, use them at your own risk. The drivers have been optimized with two things in mind, better Image Quality and more/stable frames per second when compared to the Beta Catalyst drivers from ATI.