OS, Internet Exploder and Flash all need your attention... Microsoft patch Tuesday

From The reg -  It's 2014 and Microsoft Windows PCs can still be owned by a JPEG

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/11/microsoft_adobe_patch_tuesday/

Devolo DLAN av200 powerline adapters

So I inherited some Powerline adapters from some tenants that moved out. Probably because the small one made a worrying humming sound when plugged in. That got thrown and and Ethernet cable was run to where I wanted to use the main adapter. I wanted wireless coverage for the garden given that summer is getting closer and it works perfectly. 

A quick firmware upgrade and config and it was dead simple. There is a shorter character limit on the SSID as I couldn't put the main homes wifi SSID in but apart from that I was impressed. 

It replaced our Netgear N2200 that I was trying to get working as a wireless hotspot on the end on an ethernet cable but it was causing either DCHP or routing issues when setup correctly (i.e. DHCP disabled and a static route to the gateway).

http://www.devolo.com/en/Downloads/dLAN-200-AVplus

UK Court Orders Big ISPs to Block Megashare, Viooz, Watch32 and Zmovie

The ruling means that big ISPs like Sky Broadband, BT,Virgin Media and TalkTalk, which did not contest the case, can now expect to receive a court order requiring them to block access to the sites under Section 97A of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act. The blocking action itself is expected to begin as soon as this week.
http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2014/03/uk-court-orders-big-isps-block-megashare-viooz-watch32-zmovie.html

BT calls for Sky and TalkTalk subsidies to end

http://www.btplc.com/News/Articles/ShowArticle.cfm?ArticleID=AF013B68-9A18-4095-9447-EB8D9D760D06

Firmware Update Onkyo TX-NR616 (03-12-2013)

Good to see they still Role out updates 2 years on. No idea why they switched to manual USB stick updates instead of via the internet self updating like the first few.

http://www.uk.onkyo.com/en/articles/firmware-update-tx-nr616-03-12-2013-81061.html


My favourite part on why banana plugs are banned from being plugged into Amps in the EU:

...there are indeed two prong sockets in Brit bathrooms for shavers, maybe because electric shavers did hail from the continent e.g. Philishave. Of course one would have to be perverse indeed to consider plugging one's speakers into the shaver socket upstairs in the bathroom :-). 

http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/t.mpl?f=general&m=502012

Plus it probably is better with bare wire in terms of conductivity and possibly sound. It just took bloody ages when moving recently!

Apple Mac OS X 10.9.3 to feature 'Retina' mode for 4K displays- The Inquirer

Apple Mac OS X 10.9.3 to feature 'Retina' mode for 4K displays- The Inquirer

Sony and Panasonic announce the Archival Disc, a new optical disc standard for long-term storage

http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/10/sony-panasonic-archival-disc/

It's probably hoping too much for it to be in the MiniDisc form factor....

Nokia Purity Pro headphones.

I went and got some for a steal on eBay. Felt it was risky but got such a good discount on 'as new' ones it was worth the risk! 

They are amazing! My first proper ANC pair and although people say they are not the best in that area they are pretty decent in an office environment.

I'm just going to copy and paste handy bits out of the manual here for my quick reference.


Connect to two devices at the same time
Would you like to listen to music on your computer, but still be ready for calls? When
you've paired your headset and connected it to your phone, you can switch the
multipoint feature on and connect your headset also to another compatible device,
such as a computer.
1 Make sure Bluetooth is switched on in both devices.
2 Make sure the headset is switched on, and press and hold for 2 seconds.
3 Press and hold the volume up key and to switch the multipoint feature on.
4 Pair the headset with the second device.
5 Switch the headset off.
6 Switch the headset back on, and the headset connects to both devices.
To disconnect, repeat steps 1-3.

Manual found here

iOS 7.1 update coming in a few days with SXSW app for iTunes Festival

Apple is on track to release iOS 7.1 very soon along with a SXSW companion app as the company prepares for the very first US iTunes Festival. (Streamed via iTunes)

According to John Gruber of the Daring Fireball blog, Apple is building the SXSW app exclusively for iOS 7.1 which gives the company just under 6 days to launch the update and the app, as SXSW starts on March 11th in Austin, Texas.

http://www.neowin.net/news/ios-71-update-coming-in-a-few-days-with-sxsw-app-for-itunes-festival

Roku Streaming stick

http://www.roku.com/uk/choose-your-roku

Interestingly it makes the Roku 1 seem pretty defunct (apart from if you don’t have a HDTV from the looks of the comparison)…. Wonder if the NowTV box will switch to the streaming stick….

Facebook hardware labs Register visit.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/05/facebook_lab_tour/?page=1

Buy competition, Bye competition! Softimage 2015 - The last version.

You've got a few years to cling in there regarding support but it looks like Autodesk are sending you 3DS Max / Maya's way. Unless of course you fancy giving Blender  (free) a twirl or the countless other products out there.

http://www.autodesk.com/products/autodesk-softimage/overview

Windows 8.1 Spring update reportedly signed off to RTM

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-81-spring-update-reportedly-signed-off-to-rtm

BT 21CN not fit for purpose?

An AAISP employee on the rampage (and probably rightly so).
http://revk.www.me.uk/2014/02/bt-21cn-not-fit-for-purpose.html

Introducing Strict SSL: Protecting Against a Man-in-the-Middle Attack on Origin Traffic

An interesting read on the Cloudflare blog: http://blog.cloudflare.com/introducing-strict-ssl-protecting-against-a-man-in-the-middle-attack-on-origin-traffic