Category Archives: Software, apps

This week’s column – Mailbag

This week’s Loose Wire column answers readers’ questions on Bluesnarfing, the unpleasant term for the unpleasant process of remotely stealing the data from a Bluetooth-equipped cellphones, the wonders of PowerDesk and ExplorerPlus, and browser wars. Full text at the Far Eastern Economic Review (subscription required, trial available) or at WSJ.com (subscription required). Old columns at feer.com… Read More »

Tinderbox The Note Machine

A great piece of software for the Mac, Tinderbox, has just gone to version 2.2. Tinderbox is a note taker but has moved into interesting new areas, not least blogging. Tinderbox 2.2 offers a nod in this direction, offering new features such as Quick Lists and support for formatting in RSS and Atom, but it is, at… Read More »

The Perils Of Anti-Spyware

Further to an earlier post about whether you could trust a software provider enough to buy anti-keylogging and anti-spyware programs from them if they also sold spyware and keyloggers, here’s an interesting list from Spyware Warrior: programs that claim to be spyware removers but in fact install spyware. Most of these have a commercial bent, but… Read More »

This week’s column – A Love Affair With Spam

This week’s Loose Wire column is about spam and love:  FOR 10 YEARS NOW, our in-boxes have been bombarded with spam. Sadly there’s no sign that the situation is improving, but perhaps we’re looking at it all wrong. After receiving some very dubious e-mails containing links to very long and suspicious-looking Web sites, I wondered… Read More »

Utah, WhenU And Pop-Up Poaching

The spyware war continues. Ben Edelman, an expert on spyware, reports that “WhenU, a major provider of programs that show pop-up ads according to users’ web browsing activities, yesterday filed suit seeking that Utah’s Spyware Control Act be declared void and invalid.” WhenU effectively poaches browser real-estate by plopping its ads above those of others… Read More »