SECURITY... 

• Microsoft to Release WMF Vulnerability Patch on January 10th - Microsoft has announced that it will not rush its patch to release, but will instead test the patch with plans to release it on Tuesday, January 10th as a part of it's routine monthly security bulletins.  In related news, SANS / The Internet Storm Center are offering a patch to protect users from the problem. You can download it here (msi). Once again, the patch is un-official.
• US-CERT Releases 2005 Year-End Index of Vulnerabilities - This list includes vulnerabilities that were identified between January 2005 and December 2005 and covers all types of software including operating systems. Of the 5,198 reported vulnerabilities, 812 pertained to Windows OS vulnerabilities; 2,328 pertained to Unix/Linux OS vulnerabilities; and 2,058 were vulnerabilities that affected multiple operating systems.
• BlackBerry users face security threat - Windows users know opening a malicious e-mail attachment can wreak havoc on their PC. It appears BlackBerry users have to use caution too.
• Opera is Faster, More Secure and More Compliant than Firefox? - Popular Technology website claims that Not only is Opera Faster then Firefox in all performance areas, it is much more Secure and more Compliant.
• Microsoft Windows Shimgvw.dll WMF (Exploit) - check it out!

CRIME/LAW...

• Google taken over in Belarus - Belarus has a Google page here, which must be one of the first in the world to have its own advertising. The only problem is that the page is not actually run by the Google. Google’s real Belarus address is http://www.google.com/intl/be/ however it seems that the outfit has been cyber squatted.

OFF-TOPIC

• Studios announce next-generation DVD titles - News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox said it will release 20 Blu-ray films in a first wave this year that will include hits like "Fantastic Four" and "Ice Age." Sony Pictures Home Entertainment said it will release 20 titles on Blu-ray beginning this spring, including "The Fifth Element," and "Hitch."
• BBC opens news archives to surfers - The BBC has opened its news archives to users in the UK for the first time in its 75 year history.  Nearly 80 items are being offered in a trial covering many iconic events of the past 50 years, including behind-the-scenes footage of the 1966 England football team before their World Cup win in 1966.

TECHNOLOGY...

• No PlayStation 3 announcement at CES 2006? - A spokesperson for Sony's PlayStation division denied to TG Daily this morning that the company would be making a PlayStation 3 related announcement at CES 2006.
• D-Link Makes Skype Adaptor - D-Link and Skype have introduced a USB adapter which allows users to communicate over the popular VOIP service using their standard corded and cordless telephones, a move which could woo many users who find the concept of conversations through their PC microphones and speakers too cumbersome.
• AMD Licenses Rambus Technology - AMD has agreed to pay Rambus $75 million over five years to license technology that helps boost the speeds at which computer chips communicate with one another, according to CNN Money.
• Scientific-Atlanta unveils streaming high-def DVD/DV-R/set-top box combo - The system uses a coax RF-based distribution method (which, incidentally, is not MoCA compliant), for streaming to any other Sci-At digital STB. It supports both 720p (progressive) and 1080i (interlaces) HD standards. But although it can record DV-R content onto DVD, the system will prevent itself from streaming DVD content throughout the home network, in order to comply with the digital rights mandates of the DV-R forum.
• Samsung develops faster mobile phone - Samsung said the new phones can download at 3.6 Mbps and use an integrated version of Qualcomm’s latest chip, Mobile Station Modem or MSM6280.
• MSI to launch digital TV USB drive - MSI recently launched its latest DTV product, the Mega Sky 580 digital TV receiver, for use with desktop or notebook PCs. The USB drive is fully compliant with DVB-T standards and supports screen resolutions up to full HD quality (1920×1080). The Mega Sky 580 can also be used to turn a computer into a digital video recorder (DVR), as it supports time-shifting and scheduled recordings. Additional features of the USB drive include support for electronic program guide (EPG), digital teletext and remote control. MSI will begin volume shipments in March or April, with the target markets being Europe and Taiwan. The suggested retail price is 69 euros.

HARDWARE... 

• CPU - AMD Opteron 144@2600 MHz Overclocking Bundle / Intel 'Paxville' Xeon DP 2.8GHz CPU / Intel Celeron D 336 CPU Overclocking
• Motherboard - ASRock 775i915P-SATA2 / ASUS A8N32-SLI Overclocking with Corsair and OCZ / ECS RS480-M / Gigabyte GA-K8N51PVMT-9 / nForce4 SLI motherboards
• Complete / SFF Systems - Evesham Home Theatre PC
• Memory - eDevices PC3200 512MB Value DDR / OCZ Gold PC3200 XTC GX Memory / OCZ 1024MB EL Gold GX XTC PC3500 memory / Memory Kit Round-up / Mushkin XP4000 eXtreme Performance 2GB DDR500
• Storage - Western Digital 150GB Raptor || Safer 6 for RAID Controllers || Coolmax CN-550 Network Attached Storage Device || Mad Dog MD-16XDVD9-8X DVD± DL
• Video - Asus' Monstrous Looking 7800GT Dual Graphics Card / ASUS Extreme Radeon X1800 XT TOP/2DHTV / Asus Extreme N6600TOP Silent Has GPU on Opposite Side / ATI X1800 Crossfire Edition(1) / ATI X1800 Crossfire Edition(2) /  Gainward GeForce 7800GTX 512MB Golden Sample / HIS Radeon X1800XT 512MB / HIS X1600XT IceQ Turbo DL-DVI 256MB PCIe / PowerColor X800 GTO 16 PCIe / S3 Chrome S27 Graphics Processor / Win XFX Graphics Cards
• Monitor/TV - Dell 3007WFP Flat Panel Monitor / Norcent LT-2722 27 Inch LCD Television
• Cooling - Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro / Arctic Cooling Fans / Cooler Master Ammo 533 / Nano Fusion / PrimeCooler MegaCool 7 Intel Pentium 4 LGA775 heatsink / Sharkoon Red Shock Cooling / SHS-X500 / Thermaltake Golden Orb II Cooler / World’s Largest CPU Cooler || Cooler Master NanoFusion thermal compound(1) / Coolermaster Nano Fusion Thermal Compound(2)
• WaterCooling -  Asetek WaterChill Xtreme 12V Pump-Reservoir / Corsair COOL Water Cooling Kit  / New easy watercooling from Corsair / Thermaltake Big Water 745 / Thermaltake Silent Water CPU Cooler
• Case - Kingwin SK-523 Case./ MGE XG Dragon Gaming Case / Protocase SL100 Case
• Modding - ConexUSB Lighted USB Cables and Adapters
• PSU - 1KW Turbo Cool which is a consumer level PSU with a 1.1KW peak / Enermax Liberty 400W PSU / Enermax Liberty ELT620AWT 620W Power Supply / Zalman ZM460-APS Noiseless Switching PSU
• Sound - Shure E3g Gaming Ear Buds / SteelSeries SteelSound 5H Headphones
• Peripheral - APC Biometric Mouse Password Manager / Great Laser Mouse-off / Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser / Microsoft Optical Mouse 3000 & 4000 / Saitek P2600 Rumble Gamepad || Func F30.R Mouse Pad
• Networking - Coolmax CN-550 Network Attached Storage Device / NetGear DG834PN - Wireless ADSL Router with MIMO
• Printer/Scanner -  Canon LaserShot LBP 3000 printer / HP DeskJet 6840 Printer
• Misc - AVerMedia AVerTV Hybrid+FM Cardbus TV Tuner
• Notebook - Bluetake Bluetooth Adapter (BT009Si) and Mouse (BT510) / Rockdirect Xtreme 64 4800+ DTR
• Camera, MP3/DVD players/recorders - Canon PowerShot S80 Digital Camera / JVC GZ-MG50EK - Digital Camcorder with 30GB HDD / Zotac Bomba 100 Digital Audio Player
• Phone/PDA - T-Mobile Sidekick II

GUIDES...

• The Definitive BIOS Optimization Guide Revision 8.7 - Adrian has updated his premier BIOS optimization guide.
• Desktop Graphics Card Comparison Guide Rev. 9.8 - Adrian's Rojak Pot has posted rev. 9.8 of their Desktop Graphics Card Comparison Guide.
• Mobile GPU Comparison Guide Rev. 4.4 - Currently covering over 40 mobile GPUs, this comprehensive comparison will allow you to easily compare 14 different specifications for each and every GPU!
• The Benefits Of Using Ergonomically Correct Mice And Keyboards - The type of injuries found on those working on a computer can be found in different places -- in areas like the hands, wrists, arms, back, etc. These repeated stress injuries get worse over time because many people don't know what's causing them, they don't understand what ergonomics is and they don't do anything about it until the injury has become a permanent fixture of pain.
• Windows Vista Step-by-Step Guides for IT Professionals - These step-by-step guides will assist IT Professionals in deploying or migrating to Windows Vista. These guides will also provide step-by-step information on how to monitor performance, manage printing, control how CPU and memory resources are allocated using Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM), control device installation using Device Management and Installation (DMI), and manage ADMX files.
• Firefox Myths v1.0.1 - While Firefox is a decent Web Browser, there are numerous Myths floating around the Internet regarding it.

SOFTWARE...

• Portable OpenOffice.org 2.01 - Portableapps.com has released Portable OpenOffice.org 2.01 -- the complete office suite you can run from a USB drive for complete access to both your files and your office apps -- anywhere you go.
• Kernel 2.6.15 Final - Linux Kernel (download) has been updated.
• XP-AntiSpy 3.95-1 - XP-AntiSpy (download) is a little utility that let's you disable some built-in update and authetication 'features' in WindowsXP.
• SpywareBlaster 3.5.1 - Prevent the installation of spyware (download) and other potentially unwanted software.
• Kodak EasyShare version 5.2 - Kodak has introduced the latest version of its EasyShare Software (download), which helps users to effortlessly organise, edit, share and print their digital pictures.
• Mp3CoolPlay-X 3.7 - Mp3CoolPlay-X (download) is a MP3 player that can play most popular audio formats, including Mp1, Mp2, Mp3, Ogg.
• MAME v0.103 - MAME is Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. It emulates classic arcade games.
• BWMeter 2.3.5 - BWMeter (download) is a powerful bandwidth meter and monitor, which measures and displays all traffic on your network. Unlike other products, it can analyze the data packets (where they come from, where they go, which port and protocol they use).
• LanTool 2.0.0.1 - LanTool (download) is ideally suited for environments that require some sort of network management and administration.
• myWIFIzone 3.0 - myWIFIzone (download) lets you decide who gets blocked and who doesn't with a click of the mouse.
• Koepi`s XviD Codec 1.1 Final - XviD is an ISO MPEG-4 compliant video codec.
• nHancer 2.0 first beta - This test version adds support for the new anti-aliasing modes introduced with the 7800GTX (transparent AA and gamma corrected AA.
• [!] VIA HyperionPro Driver Package v5.07A - VIA's Hyperion Pro driver suite has been updated to version 5.07A.  The package contains Updated VIA RAID driver to 5.20A, Updated VIA INF driver to 2.70A and Updated AGP driver to 4.50D.