SECURITY...

• Fake Microsoft update site traced to Australia - A mass email being circulated by hackers purporting to be a Microsoft Windows update alert directs computer users to a fake website where a Trojan virus is installed, security experts have said.  "This email spoofs users into thinking that they must update their Windows software," Websense said. "Upon clicking on the link, users are forwarded to a fraudulent website. This website is hosted in Australia, and was up at the time of this alert. The website appears very similar to the real Windows Update site." When a user attempts to perform the update, a Trojan horse virus is installed that allows hackers access to the infected computers, the company said. Another article called "Hackers Exploit Windows Update Publicity" can be found here.
• Cisco Patches IOS Security Flaws - Routing and switching giant Cisco Systems has released patches for a pair of denial-of-service and system-access flaws affecting a range of IOS-based devices. The most serious of the two flaws was discovered in the way the Cisco IOS (Internetwork Operating System) processes certain IKE (Internet Key Exchange) Xauth messages when configured to be an Easy VPN Server.
• OpenOffice DOC document Heap Overflow - There is a vulnerability in StgCompObjStream::Load() function, When reading DOC document information of format,memory is allocated by DOC provide length.  DOC provided a 32 bits integer,and will use the low 16 bits of this number to allocate memory,
  but when reading doc information,still use the 32 bits number as length,this maybe cause heap overflow, and when free happened ,will cause write pointer,maybe cause arbitrary code excute.
• Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy Buffer Overflow - The game is affected by a buffer-overflow in the visualization function
  called G_Printf().
• PopUp Plus Plugin for Miranda Instant Messenger Buffer Overflow - One of Mirandas' widely used plugins (PopUp Plus), is vulnerable to a buffer overflow condition. While the option "Use SmileyAdd Setting" is enabled on the application menu (Popups > Plus), a remote attacker could trigger the buffer overflow by sending roughly 530 characters as an instant message. EIP gets overwritten at 523 chars exactly.

OFFTOPIC...

• Movie trailers @ ComingSoon - War of the Worlds (new TV spot for the anticipated movie), The Amityville Horror (second TV spot), BloodRayne (TV spot for the game adaptation), Madison (three clips from the Jim Caviezel drama), Day Watch (Nochnoy Dozor 2), The Hithchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (new behind the scenes featurette), A Wake in Providence (indie romantic comedy), Kingdom of Heaven (new TV spot, featurette and three clips), Ladies in Lavender (new trailer for the drama), Night of Henna (independent drama).
• Intel offers $10,000 for Moore's Law magazine - The Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip giant has posted a $10,000 bounty on eBay for someone who can provide it a pristine April 19, 1965, copy of Electronics Magazine. That issue of the magazine contained an article by Intel co-founder Moore that described how the number of components on integrated circuits was doubling every year.
• Computer keyboards havens for superbugs - Computer keyboards are havens for some nasty superbugs that can live nestled in among the keys for at least 24 hours, a new study finds. And that's especially bad news for hospitals. There, these germs can take the form of antibiotic-resistant germs that can contaminate the hands of nurses or doctors and then are passed on to patients.

TECHNOLOGY...

• [!] Microsoft And MTV To Provide Exclusive Peep At Xbox 2 - MTV and Microsoft today announced a global marketing alliance to unveil the next-generation Xbox video game system on MTV channels in the United States, Asia Pacific and Europe, all within a 24-hour window -- a first for the video game industry. The global broadcast will premiere Thursday, May 12, at 9:30 p.m. EDT in North America and on Friday, May 13 in other regions around the globe (local air times below). Certainly, Sony has scheduled a press event at its Culver City, Los Angeles Sony Pictures facility on that date and time.
• Intel to put ads inside video games - The New York Times reports that chip giant Intel has struck a deal with an ad agency to put advertising inside video games. But it's not just Intel that's hoping to ride this not entirely new idea. According to the report, Coca Cola, Dunkin' Donuts and other chains will do the same.
• Microsoft Files 8 Counterfeit Lawsuits - Microsoft on Monday said it was filing lawsuits against eight computer system builders and resellers in seven U.S. states, accusing them of distributing counterfeit and unlicensed software and software components.
• Sanyo, IBM Develop Fuel-Cell System for ThinkPads - IBM and Japan's Sanyo Electric said Monday they would jointly develop a methanol fuel-cell system for the U.S. technology giant's ThinkPad notebook personal computers. The two companies said in a statement they would develop a micro direct methanol fuel cell system that could supply up to eight hours of power per cartridge for current and future ThinkPad models.
• Experimental Transistor Breaks 600 Gigahertz -  A new type of transistor structure, invented by scientists at the University of Illinois, has broken the 600 gigahertz speed barrier. A new type of transistor - built from indium phosphide and indium gallium arsenide - is designed with a compositionally graded collector, base and emitter to reduce transit time and improve current density.
• Wireless USB 1.0 spec to be finalized next month - Version 1.0 of the Wireless USB (Universal Serial Bus) specification, which is being promoted as the successor to the USB data transfer method between electronics devices, should be approved by mid-May, Intel (Profile, Products, Articles) said last week. The Wireless USB specification is for 480Mbps transfer speed over distances of about three meters and it will work at lower speeds up to a distance of about 10 meters.
• Ipod Overrated? - For a tech toy praised up and down as being the "best" MP3 player, how has everyone managed to miss its shortcomings?

HARDWARE... 

• Intel dual-core 840 CPU and 955X chipset due this month - Intel will move up the launch date of its dual-core series Pentium Extreme Edition 840 CPU and 955X chipset to the middle of this month, according to Taiwan motherboard makers. The dual-core products, which are aimed at the high-end segment, were previously set to arrive by the end of next month, said the makers. Intel's 955X chipset is expected to hit the Japan market next week at the earliest, the makers noted. The dual-core 840 CPU that supports Hyper-Threading will be priced at US$999, said the makers, adding that quotes for the 955X chipset should be US$50.
• AMD Athlon64 3200+ Winchester Processor - XYZ Computing has posted a new article on the AMD Athlon64 3200+ Winchester Processor
• Corsair XMS Xpert 1GB PC3200 (TWINXP1024-3200XL) - Bjord3D takes a look at the TWINXP1024-3200XL, which consists of a pair of 512 MB PC3200 memory modules capable of latency settings of 2-2-2-5 and their detachable programmable displays.
• Corsair PC2-4300 CL3 Pro Series Memory - Although there is power and even greater potential in this memory, it doesn't come cheap. The 1GB dual channel kit goes for about $370 USD.
• Asus K8V-SE Deluxe Motherboard - The K8V-SE Deluxe is a fairly satisfying board when you look at it from features perspective. It has pretty much all the features onboard that you can imagine and expect to have on a high-end board. The BIOS is also feature-rich and should satisfy even the most extreme user.
• EPoX EP-5LWA+ i925XE Mainboard - EPoX, with its EP-5LWA+ i925XE motherboard, has done things a little differently that most other tier-1 manufacturers. Whereas they're happy to load on every conceivable feature known to man and bundle in everything but the kitchen sink, EPoX has been more conservative. The end result is a motherboard that's comparatively light on features, but, crucially, comes in at L30 or so cheaper than the competition. L120 or so buys you a capable Alderwood board that's laid out well, has decent overclocking options and utter stability.
• Gigabyte GeForce 6600 GT SLI performance - In the end, the GeForce 6600 GT SLI proposition doesn't seem very convincing unless you are a serious workaholic who requires more than two monitors to multitask (with dual graphics cards, you can have up to four monitors in the Windows environment), as well the need for gaming power somewhat equivalent of a GeForce 6800 GT to reward yourself after a hard day's work. In this case, the GeForce 6600 GT SLI combo gives you the best of both worlds as an affordable quad-monitor setup (minus the displays themselves) and packs a fair bit of firepower too.
• ABIT RX700 PRO-256PCIE Radeon X700 PRO Video Card - The RX700 series from Abit forms part of their mainstream graphics card line and probably represents what they would consider to be the upper level of that range. As part of this review, we shall compare the RX700 Pro-256PCIE to ATI's reference designs for the X700 Pro and XT boards.
• HIS Excalibur X850 XT PE IceQ II 256MB - OcPrices have just finished looking at the fastest ATi graphics card currently available - the X850 XT platinum
• NU HDW-164 external DVD-writer -  The drive can also burn DVD±R/+R9 DL media at higher speed than certified. Next point – the writing quality on CD-R's are excellent. The media support and compatibility on DVD±R is very good, but there is some room for improvement on the quality. DVD+R/R9 DL/RW media will be burned with the booktype DVD-ROM, which is an advantage concerning compatibility on i.e., DVD Standalone devices.
• Crucial Gizmo! Hi-Speed 512mb USB Flash Drive - XtremeResources have just published a review of Crucial's Gizmo! Hi-Speed 512MB USB Flash Drive.
• ZyXEL Prestige 2602HW ADSL VoIP Router - ZyXEL has always ensured that its range of Prestige ADSL routers has more features than you can shake a stick at and its latest model, the 2602HW, keeps this tradition going admirably. Along with a full range of security features and 802.11b/g wireless access point capabilities it also provides support for VoIP enabling you to make and receive calls over the Internet for a fraction the cost of standard PSTN calls.
• Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless Network Camera - The design is similar to a regular security camera except that it has an antenna that is used for wireless connectivity. The forward portion of the camera can be rotated to adjust focus. This portion is called the Focus Ring, as the focus ring is rotated the lens produces either a blurrier or sharper image. On the right of the lens, there are four LEDs that display status of the camera
• iPod mini - 2nd Gen 6GB - The original mini saw introduced the click wheel which integrated the four navigation buttons, later adopted by the 4th-gen iPod and the iPod photo. While the original sported a 4Gb hard disk, the mini's competitors such as Creative's Zen Micro and the iRiver H10 responded by putting 5GB hard disks. Now Apple has hit back by leapfrogging them with a 6GB drive, only for Creative to respond again with 6GB Zen Micro.

GUIDES... 

• ATI Radeon To ATI FireGL Mod Guide Rev. 4.3 - Adrian's Rojak Pot has posted rev. 4.3 of their ATI Radeon To ATI FireGL Mod Guide.
• Graphic Cards 101 - A beginner's quickguide - Deciding on what kind of graphics card to purchase or upgrade to can be quite confusing, for those who aren't too familiar with the technical aspect of computer hardware. There are some aspects to think about and research before purchasing. First thing is to determine the video card usage. Computer usage and video card needs can be placed in four categories; Standard computing, multimedia and graphic design, light gaming and hardcore gaming.
• Understanding Your Computer - This is the first article in the Understanding Your Computer series from aworldofhelp.com.
• Forceware driver comparison 2005  - check it out!
• Optimize XP - A Windows XP Optimization Guide v1.9.1 - Clean Spyware and Viruses + Optimize Windows XP to improve home, work and gaming performance safely. Windows XP's default configuration is far from optimized. This guide will help you improve your overall system performance.
• Windows XP Tweaking Companion Version 1.05 - TweakGuide has posted version 1.05 of their Windows XP Tweaking Companion. The changes include a new chapter on CCleaner, correction of some dead links, and refinement of various advice in the guide. I strongly recommend all XPTC users update to this version of the guide, and if you haven't yet downloaded this free 170-page PDF guide now's a great time to grab a copy.

SOFTWARE...

• K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 1.28 - K-Lite Mega Codec Pack combines the contents of three codec packs: K-Lite Codec Pack Full, QuickTime Alternative, and Real Alternative. It also includes some extra features: BSplayer.
• XPize uAE 1.0 - XPize is a resources transformation pack for Windows. It replaces most of the non-XP icons, avis and bmps that Microsoft has always overlooked. The installer simply automates the process of replacing resources in critical system files, making your XP's look better. XPize is compatible with Windows XP, 2003 and MCE Editions. The installer also comes with an Updater, which you can use after visiting Windows Update. XPize uAE 1.0 has been optimized for unattended installations.
• LinkSync (Formerly F2e-Sync) 1.0 - LinkSync is a major re-write of F2e-Sync. It now support multi syncing from one to many browsers on the fly. Supported browsers are as follows: IE /maxthon detection, Firefox, Mozilla, Netscape 8, K-Meleon, Opera 8.
• xplorer2 Lite 1.2.0.1 -  It is a complete little file manager, albeit lacking a bit in bells and whistles.
• ICQ Lite 5.04 build #2321 - Release notes / download.
• WinRAR 3.50 beta 2 - A new beta version of WinRAR is available for download.
• DVD Identifier v3.6.3 - DVD identifier (download) offers a reliable method of accurately identifying the disc's REAL manufacturer. This information will also help you in determining which discs are most suitable for your dvd recorder.
• Central Brain Identifier 7.5.0.0 Build 0409 R1 - Central Brain Identifier 7.5.0.0 Build 0409 R1 is available for download. New features include: identification of six more models of AMD Athlon 64 processors based on the Venice core, bugfixes.