Windows: Download

Mac:  Download

But before all you 4s and iPad2 fans get too excited, unfortunately this jailbreak isn’t for you and will only work on the following devices: iPhone 4, 3GS, iPod touch 4G, 3G and iPad 1.

For instructions how to jailbreak with Redsn0w check out this link: http://www.spiritjb.org/2011/12/download-untethered-redsn0w-0.9.10-b1-jailbreak-5.0.1.html

If you’ve already upgraded to 5.0.1 and your currently using a tethered jailbreak, not to worry, simply go to the Cydia store and download the corona tweak to convert your current jailbreak to an untethered.

Earlier this year we reported that BT was ordered by the court to block access to Newzbin2 in the first case of it’s kind in the UK.  Read that story here.

Sky has became the second ISP to block the website after receiving a court order on the 13th of December.  Your can read their press release on their website: http://www.sky.com/helpcentre/broadband/protecting-copyright/

From the sky press release:

“We have received a court order requiring us to block access to this illegal website, which we did on 13th December, 2011.”

Other UK ISPs have said they will obey a court order, but have yet to receive one.

Akismet

Chances are, if you run a blog, you’ve already heard of this website.  The plugin checks all new posts against Akismet’s database and if it detects a post it deems as spam, it’s placed in a queue for you to approve or deny.

Plugin Url: http://mods.mybb.com/view/akismet-(spam-protection)   Still works with 1.6.* –  Changing the version number in text editor is required.

StopForumSpam

StopForumSpam is a very fitting name for this plugin, as for me, it’s stopped an insane amount of spammers signing up.  The plugin works by checking a new signup’s IP address, username and email against their spam database.

To give you a small idea of the effectiveness of this plugin; here’s a screenshot of my logfile:

StopForumSpam Log

Plugin URL: http://mods.mybb.com/view/stopforumspam-com-for-mybb

Registration Security Question

This plugin allows you to set your own security questions to ask on signup.  This is a great way to combat bots as the questions can be literally anything you choose.

Plugin URL:  http://mods.mybb.com/view/registration-security-question

Other steps to take:

Bots may try to stay under the radar by PMing members instead of posting.  I combat this by making new members unable to send any private messages.  Their accounts are automatically upgraded and provisioned at 15 posts, by which time I hope to be able to tell their intentions.

Here’s a link to their channel:  http://www.youtube.com/user/YouTube

Notice the website information on the profile panel?

Here’s a screenshot for latecomers to the party:

Screenshot

Yesterday, visitors to Sesame Street’s YouTube channel were greeted with content that wouldn’t usually be associated with a children’s show.

The channel had been compromised and the usual child-friendly videos were replaced with hardcore porn.

The content remained up for around 20 minutes, before the channel was suspended.

As well as uploading the videos, the hackers also edited the channel’s information and added the following message:

WHO DOESN’T LOVE PORN KIDS? RIGHT! EVERYONE LOVES IT! IM MREDXWX AND MY PARTNER MRSUICIDER91 ARE HERE TO BRING YOU MANY NICE CONTENT! PLEASE DON’T LET SESAME STREET TO GET THIS ACCOUNT BACK KIDS PLEASE…LET ME AND MRSUICIDER91 HAVE IT AND WE GONNA MAKE ALL THE AMERICA HAPPY!

It’s hard to believe that if MREDXWX was responsible that he’d be stupid enough to sign his work.  Only time will tell I guess.

YouTube has since reinstated the account and the content is back to usual.  The channel’s info bar now contains the following apology:

Steve Jobs pictured with iPhone

Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple and visionary who revolutionised the way we interact with technology, died on Wednesday aged 56.

A brief statement was made by Apple on their website that announced his death.  Although it doesn’t go in to details, a friend of the family has reportedly said that his death was a result of complications with treatment for pancreatic cancer which Jobs has been suffering with since 2004.

In August we reported Jobs’ resignation as Apple’s CEO after his health deteriorated.

Jobs has been hailed by many as a modern day genius and since news messages of condolence have been rolling in.  Messages from Bill Gates, Barack Obama and many more.

Our thoughts are with the people left behind.

Microsoft will be shipping their latest OS, Windows 8, with a built in antivirus.  The antivirus software, Microsoft Security Essentials, is already available as a separate package, but until now hasn’t been built in to Windows.

This is great news for average users, who might not be as technically aware as some, who currently run their systems with no protection at all.

However it will no doubt anger security software companies, who have previously cried foul over Microsoft bundling security software with updates.  Can you blame them though?  Those £40 a year subscriptions are probably the easiest money they’ve ever made.

What are your views on the matter?  Do you side with the AV companies and think Microsoft have overstepped the line?  Or do you think that any move to help protect unsuspecting users can only be a good thing?

Search for reviews

Before purchasing anything at all you should look for reviews.  Since the advent of the internet, it’s never been quite so easy to find them.  You WILL find bad reviews; it’s inevitable as you can’t please everyone all the time and there’s nothing stopping a competitor trying to smear the companies’ name with a bad review.   If the bad reviews are numerous and frequent, it’s probably safe to say you should avoid the host.

You get what you pay for

I love a bargain as much as the next man, but hosting is the most integral part of your online enterprises and therefore should get a decent budget.  At the time your $1 a month “unlimited” hosting may seem like the deal of the century, but it won’t seem such a bargain after a week of downtime.

That’s not to say all budget hosts are bad, not at all! But if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

How long have they been in business?

Over the years it’s become easier and easier to setup your own host.  It’s as simple and buying a domain and a reseller package.  Personally I’d rather choose a host that has stood the test of time.

There are a few things you should check for.  For starters I’d do a WHOIS search on the domain and see when it was registered, but do bear in mind this isn’t bulletproof, the domain could be aged and have been purchased recently.  Another way I like to check is by searching for when reviews started, or failing that checking the “waybackmachine”.

Technical support

Unfortunately problems with your hosting wont confine themselves to office hours, so it’s important to know there’s someone there to answer your query or problem fast.  You want a host that offers 24/7/365 support!  This can be by phone, ticket or email as long as they are fast to respond.

This is far from a complete list, but it should provide some insight for when you next pick a host.

What things do you look for in a host?  Let me know in the comments box below!

The hearing is part of a larger inquiry into Google by the Federal Trade Commission.  The inquiry is wide-reaching and is investigating antitrust issues.

Schmidt also submitted a written testimony to the US Senate anti-trust committee, in which he claims that most complaints “come from websites that don’t like where their sites rank on Google’s search results page.”

The document then goes on to say:

“We built search for users, not websites, and no matter what we do, there will always be some websites unhappy with where they rank”

What are your views on this story?  Does Google have a special responsibility because of its size?

PlayStation Network Twitter EU

The PlayStation Network is down AGAIN!

According to PlayStationEU’s twitter channel they are aware of the problems and are working on fixing them.

“We’re aware that PSN is currently unavailable and working with the technicians to find out when it will be restored. Apologies.”

Let’s hope this time it’s just a technical problem, and not the tip of the iceberg like last time!

UPDATE – PSN should be up soon according to PlayStationEU’s twitter.

“We’re getting PSN back online now and you should be able to log on now or at least in the next 30 mins. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

Check their twitter for updates - http://twitter.com/#!/PLAYSTATIONEU