"Once we complete our investigation, we will provide detailed guidance on how to prevent or address these issues."

Security software maker, Prevx, first reported the problem surrounding the November 10 update, and has created a tool to fix the issue if you're affected: [Prevx via PC World and TechFlash]

Brian Hogg is a puppeteer and a writer. He builds puppets for money at Hoggworks Studios—including the Mosspuppet and Ask Palpatine—and likes to make fun of people.

Okay, actually, I kind of like this one. [YouTube via NeoWin]

The typical TiVo user is a person who just wants their TV recordings to work, regardless of the monthly fee. They may or may not be tech savvy, but chances are TiVo was their first DVR—since we've found, anecdotally, people gravitate back to the first DVR interface they use. So why is their marketshare down to 2004 levels? The answer is simple: cheap DVRs from providers are eating TiVo from the low end, and everyone else can now use Windows 7 and a tuner to act as a DVR just fine.

Cheap DVRs from Comcast, or Time Warner or your satellite provider have gotten good—or rather, less shitty—enough to make them actually viable options for home recording. Even I couldn't turn down only paying an extra $5 per month to have a recorder that works well enough to watch stuff with, even if you don't have show recommendations, and fast forwarding barely functions well enough to stop where you want. But it's $5. $5. Five. Dollars. And that's without having to pay upfront for the box. You can rent three of these for the price of one TiVo subscription.

As for the big reason why you don't need a TiVo anymore, in the future, you can thank Microsoft and Windows 7. Just take a look at that Windows 7 PC you have. Yeah, the one in your office. That can be your DVR. CableLabs finally took off their ridiculous OEM restriction on who can install CableCARD tuners—the device that actually takes a digital cable signal and turns it into something your computer can understand and record—so you can go and get one of these yourself for about $200. So for $200, with no future fees except for your normal cable bill, you can have yourself a home DVR that's arguably as good as TiVo. And, much easier to expand and augment, both storage and functionality-wise, than a set top box.

And if you don't want a computer in your living room (you need that thing in your office anyway), all you have to do is get an Xbox 360 and extend it. Multiple Xboxes mean streaming to multiple rooms, something that's not even possible on a TiVo.

Of course there's going to be a core group of TiVo users who really enjoy TiVo functionality, really appreciate their interface and can't imagine using something else. But is that enough to sustain a business when so many other options are cheaper and just as good? The numbers say no.

Also, Twitter. Microsoft is sponsoring a Twitter feed with the hashtag #HolidayWindows that runs in a window outside. The results are, um, interesting so far. Surely you can do better, try it.

Update: Microsoft says there are "filters in place to make sure that in opening them up to Twitter feeds we had content that was appropriate for the general public to view and was within the holiday theme. This filter includes any attempt to spam the windows with negative commentary that is not in the spirit of the holidays." So nothing nasty actually makes it up to Saks' windows, supposedly. [Microsoft via 9to5Mac]

The original 1.2GHz Core 2 Solo U2200 processor (which was soldered in place) has been swapped with a 1.33GHz Core 2 Duo overclocked to 1.438GHz. And the 48GB SSD is replaced with a fast RunCore ProIV 128GB SSD. Amazingly, the battery life is said to be pretty much the same.

It's a pretty involved mod, but it's a hackintosh I'd definitely like to take for a spin. That 4.5-inch touchscreen doesn't look too bad, either. [MicroPCTalk via UMPC Portal via SlashGear]

What does this all mean? To be honest, not all that much—mostly, it means that there are just more computers out there every year. But what's kind of heartening, to me at least, is that it also means the general public is more and more tech-savvy: An OS release is a huge deal for nerds like us, but it's starting to be a big deal for Joe Sixpack as well. Given that Windows 7-packaged hardware sales are actually lower than Vista-packaged hardware in this time period, it means that people are installing a new OS on existing computers, something that's no big deal for us but could be intimidating for a tech neophyte. So this is a victory for nerds everywhere. Go us! [Microsoft via NYTimes Twitter]

In a response to Computerworld's article on NSA involvement in Windows 7 development, Microsoft stated: "Microsoft has not and will not put 'backdoors' into Windows."

Not to nitpick here, but doesn't this denial leave another "door" open? As in, couldn't the NSA have stuck their own backdoor into Windows 7 while official Microsoft employees turned a blind eye? Or—and this may come as really shocking—could Microsoft have simply lied to us in the interest of national security??

Of course, but if you freak out over this potential lack of digital autonomy, you're clearly a terrorist. [Computerworld via Digg]

According to the NSA's Information Assurance Director, Richard Schaeffer, it's important for the agency to work with Microsoft and other software makers because otherwise the increasing reliance on "private-sector computing products" could put national security at risk. By creating and maintaining high security standards, the agency hopes to reduce the danger of the "rising threat of cyberattacks." Whew. That actually sounds quite reasonable and like a good thing, rather than cause to panic after seeing "NSA" and "Microsoft" in the same sentence. [NPR via Crunch Gear]

According to the source, Will wants to program for Microsoft when he gets older. Let me tell you something, kid: If you show this video to anyone at Microsoft, there's no way they won't give you a job on the spot.

And one other thing, Will: You do far more justice to your source material than the majority of CCR cover bands out there. Keep up the good work. [TechFlash]

The new hack nullifies sppcompai.dll, and even deactivates all the reminder popups that would otherwise ask you to activate indefinitely. But don't expect the party to last long. This crack closely mirrors an old Vista key workaround, and if Microsoft patched it easily then, they'll patch it easily now.

There's one point to this story I find particularly annoying. According to My Digital Life,

The crack is possible probably due to leniency allowed on the part of Microsoft on [the] activation mechanism to avoid getting too many false-positive or complaint on activation error [sic].

It just sucks that this game will continue. Microsoft obviously wants to make activation as painless as possible, but will probably beef up the security next time to fix these sort of exploits. Like most of you, I'm sick of DRM causing headaches for the ones who legally purchased the software, and developments like this certainly won't help.

And please, let me say this: I love you guys, and I really do love getting emails from readers. But I don't know how to do this hack. I have no idea how the hack specifically works. I don't even have a copy of Windows 7. So please, send me emails about anything else, but not about how to unlock your new copy of Windows 7. Gracias. [My Digital Life via The Register via Ubergizmo]

As you can see in the screen grab above, customized orders also include the choice of an 800 x 480 or 1024 x 600-pixel LCD. I've no idea why MS-DOS is listed; maybe it saves potential Linux modders from having to pay for Windows. And as for the 7-incher? A Bluetooth headset would avoid needing to hold the thing to your face.

A standard 4.8-inch screen on the xpPhone (aka XPInSide) never quite sat well with me. It seemed too big for a phone, yet too small for a tablet. I'm thinking a smaller, lighter 4.3-inch version sounds just about right. That'll be an "over 1GHz" AMD Super Mobile CPU for me, please. Still no word on pricing, but I'll let you know when I hear more. [ITG]

Standard Configuration
• CPU: AMD Super Mobile CPU
• Memory: 512M/1G
• SSD: 8G/16G/32G/64G
• HDD: 30G/60G/80G/120G
• LCD: 4.8' TFT Touch-screen LCD 800 x 480
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP
• Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE/WCDMA (HSDPA/HSUPA)
• CDMA/CDMA2000 1X/CDMA1X EVDO,TD-SCDMA, TD-HSDPA
• Wireless: WiFi 802.11b/g,WiMax (optional), Bluetooth, Stand-alone, GPS
• Camera Specifications: CMOS, 300k/1.3 Million/5 Million
• Ports: 1 x earphone jack, 1 x microphone jack,Docking Connector (includes VGA output signal ), 1 x USB 2.0, SIM Slot
• Battery: Removable Lithium-ion
• Talk time: about 5 hours,Stand by time: about 5 days
• Real life: about 7 hours(Standard), about 12 hours(Large)
• Weight: 400g (include battery)

A post on the Windows Blog entitled " How we really designed the look and feel of Windows 7" renounces Simon's quotes with a curt, yet harsh line:

I hate to say this about one of our own, but his comments were inaccurate and uninformed.

Youch. That's gonna be a fun day at work tomorrow for ya, Simon. [Windows Blog]

It varies from netbook to netbook—Toshiba's NB205 hardier withstood Windows 7's power greediness better than HP's Mini 311, but you definitely lose juice quicker. It's somewhat expected, though, with features like the fancier Aero user interface to name one probable cause. Personally, I'll take Windows 7 and the dead battery. [Laptop]

Aldous is not a designer or developer, but works with Microsoft partners—sales, essentially. But his quotes are pretty odd despite their authoritative tone. Check it:

What we've tried to do with Windows 7 – whether it's traditional format or in a touch format – is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics.

Windows 7 and Snow Leopard may have some similarities in UI, but certainly not in graphical design—Windows 7's airy, sky-blue aesthetic makes liberal use of transparency effects, while Snow Leopard dials back OS X to a more slick, grey-scale efficient look that matches its hardware design. Yeah, the Windows 7 Start Bar is inspired by the Mac Dock, but even they don't look anything alike. Then there's this:

We've significantly improved the graphical user interface, but it's built on that very stable core Vista technology, which is far more stable than the current Mac platform, for instance.

What? Not to kick a dead OS, but what? We're not taking this as an official Microsoft statement, since nobody on the Windows team would ever say either of those quotes, but Microsoft better rope in their middle managers and teach 'em about interview technique. [PCR via AppleInsider]

Windows 7 Sales 234% Higher Than Vista

NPD declared sales for Windows 7 were 234% higher than the sales for Windows Vista in the same amount of time on the market, says Nick Wingfield at the WSJ's Seattle desk. Oddly, Windows PC sales were down, 6% lower than they were during the Vista launch weeks. The NPD analyst take: "I think it's mixed. We would have liked to see a stronger jump on the hardware side." The non-analyst take: People who had XP knew that switching to Vista would suck without a new machine; now, the opposite is true, with so many people keeping their old machines but trying any means necessary to rid them of Vista. Still, these are early days, and we already knew pre-orders were insane. I'm just curious to see if PC sales will pick up for the holidays. [WSJ - Image Source]

Battery Juice No Longer Just an Expression, Still Not as Tasty as Orange Juice

You know how the Air Force has been working on a secret water-based battery technology for 25 years, but couldn't get it to work because of water's damned evaporative property? OK, me neither, but this research, which bears the ironically simple name "metal-air," might become our next great battery technology. They won't be using water, though. Instead, they'll use a clear, viscous, electrically conductive and mercifully non-volatile substance called ionic liquid. This stuff isn't going to be powering your Zune until the Zune itself is pretty much an implant (or a smart tattoo), but if you're curious, you should check out the super over-my-head chemical explanation. [MIT Tech Review - Image Source]

Verizon Calls AT&T's Ad Lawsuit "Junk"

As if AT&T's stupid "Map For That" lawsuit wasn't embarrassing enough on its own, Verizon Wireless's Jeffrey Nelson got a chance to ridicule it when AdWeek called him for comment. "This is a junk lawsuit," he said. "It's surprising that rather than defend the ‘blue' hot spots on their 3G map, our competitor instead focuses on their white spaces." This isn't working out according to plan, is it, AT&T? Reminds me of the Trojan Rabbit scene in Python's Holy Grail. [AdWeek via AllThingsD]

Air Filter Uses Plants to Get Rid of Yer Weed Smoke

There's a new air filter that draws air through the leaves, roots and soil of a house plant in order to filter impurities from the room. Well, it was designed in 2007, but it's now a reality. Hey, are you thinking what I'm thinking? If you grow pot in the filter, when you smoke it, the plant itself that bestowed it upon you can filter the smoke, and maybe recapture some THC for bonus stickiness? Wait, what? Oh man, I'm freaking out. You're crazy. This is crazy. Seriously. Let's do it. [Inhabitots]

Chuck is the embodiment of the dreams of thousands of DeviantArt users—he started out in screenprinting just after high school, worked for t-shirt maker Threadless by day and began creating a name for himself in the online art community by night. Under the pseudonym NoPattern (now the name of his design shop), he achieved incredible success at a startlingly young age: You've seen his work before on projects with Pepsi, Urban Outfitters, Reebok, and many more. My personal favorite has to be the cover art for Lupe Fiasco's fantastic debut album, Food & Liquor:

Today, at only 24, he's achieved a new level of stardom: His designs for Windows 7 will literally be seen by hundreds of millions of people over the lifespan of the OS. Microsoft hunted him down, and it was definitely a good call; Windows 7 is the best-looking Windows OS ever, and its style is reflected in the cool screens designed by Chuck. Check out some of his previous work in the below gallery (including a great graffiti-inspired piece for Zune) to get a sense of his style.

Since he's such an independent guy, I was curious to hear how he managed to collaborate with Microsoft, the tech corporation most likely to have the word "monolithic" as an epithet. Chuck says the actual design team he worked with was quite small and surprisingly open to his ideas. The first thing they showed him back in December 2008 were those glorious Dr.-Seuss-as-read-by-Hunter-S.-Thompson wallpapers, so it was clear right off the bat that censorship wouldn't really be a problem.

The two pieces took about four months, start to finish. Chuck started with a pencil and paper, and moved on to Photoshop for the Windows 7 sheen, but the two pieces retain that sketchy feel—in fact, all the individual threads on the login screen were hand-drawn with a Wacom tablet.

This first gallery shows the stages of the default login screen, the first image to be completed. Later came the default desktop wallpaper and Windows 7's physical packaging, which both have the login screen as their aesthetic jumping-off point. This is where it begins—click on the first thumbnail to read Chuck's own words about how his vision evolved.

The Login Screen

As it turns out, there are a few repetitions of the number seven in the login screen, but weirdly enough, that little Easter egg started out as an accident. Once Chuck and Microsoft noticed that there were seven white strands on the bottom left, they started repeating the number: There are also seven leaves, seven branches, and seven flower petals in the yellow quadrant of the Windows logo.

The default Windows 7 desktop is one of my favorites; usually the very first thing I do with a new computer is replace whatever wallpaper comes with it (Apple is a particular offender here—I hate that cheeseball space motif) and yet I happily left this one on my latest computer.

The Default Desktop

Microsoft sought out this young, independent, mixed media digital artist rather than going through traditional channels, and it resulted in a fresh new look that couldn't have come from another source. It's credit to them, as is the walkthrough itself. You'd never see Apple showing, say, the pieces that mysteriously got tossed aside in favor of that clip-art snow leopard on their latest OS X packaging, would you?

Thanks to Chuck and to Microsoft for showing us their rejects. [NoPattern, Chuck's Twitter]

Note: Speaking of rejects, you might notice that all the screens are capped at 700 pixels in width. It's because Microsoft isn't dumb: They don't want shots they took a pass on becoming the wallpaper of netbooks and PCs all over. Sorry guys, we tried.

The way the test was conducted is that ten viruses were introduced into a clean install of Windows 7 with the UAC settings on system defaults. While only one virus was blocked, two technically did not function properly for whatever reason. Still, this doesn't leave much hope for those who decide to skip automatic patching, firewalls and anti-virus applications. Let's do the whole "Safer Computing" thing, shall we? [Sophos]