Since I have an iPod Video (got it somewhere), these blog posts got my attention:

F-Secure: iPod Virus
Kaspersky: Infector for iPod

While this malware only affects iPods with iPod Linux installed, it is scary to think what are the possibilities. What is the scariest? Bricking an iPod. A malware bricking an iPod is very remote; the chance that an iPod owner will brick it is higher.

NOTE: When a device is “bricked”, it means the device is unusable, leaving it like a brick, hence the term bricking.

Who loves those animated cursors?

Before grabbing those stuff from anywhere, be careful. Microsoft has recently issued an advisory on a Windows vulnerability in handling ANI files (animated cursors).

And people being prone to social engineering attacks, animated cursors are very good social engineering attack vectors. Hence, malware exploiting the said vulnerability has appeared. There’s the Trojan downloader TROJ_ANICMOO.AX, which downloads (what else) another Trojan. Then there’s Agent.BKY, which infects PHP and HTML files with a script that points to a site where the ANI file is hosted.

A specially-made ANI file to exploit the vulnerability can be embedded on an email or on a Web page. So read SANS Internet Storm Center for mitigation measures.

Good thing that Microsoft will issue a patch on April 3 PDT (that will be April 4 PH time), one week ahead of the usual Patch Tuesday. Don’t forget to patch, and update your antivirus apps.

UPDATE: Microsoft has released the patch here. Apply this patch, as the vulnerabilities covered by this patch are critical in nature (elevation of privileges, denial of service, remote code execution).

And nope, this time the gaming division is involved.

Probably elated by the reception of its Xbox 360 Elite, a Microsoft product manager (I won’t mention his name, just read the news here) was interviewed by The New York Times, and he said:

“We don’t feel like the Wii customer and the Xbox customer are the same thing. We think that as soon as the Wii customer turns 14 they want something else.”

Wii fanbois are probably making ready their Wiimotes for a bashing.

I wonder if oldies in nursing homes would switch from Wii to Xbox 360. Probably when they turn 100?

By default, Windows does not display the extension names of common file types. This was OK until someone sleazy took advantage of that oversight and used that as a social engineering tool.

The I Love You virus (VBS_LOVELETTER) is such a simple worm, very small since it is only a script. Yet it had caused much damage, and put the Philippines in the malware map. All because it appeared as a text file and its name made a lot of people curious. All because Windows hid the extension name. All because Microsoft thought VBScript files were common.

Microsoft Vista was supposed to be a secure OS, but it seems Microsoft has not learned its lessons (or it is being stubborn). In its weblog, F-Secure laments the fact that Vista by default does not display the file extension names. I ask the same question that the post author posited: “What were they thinking?”

The Genuine Opposition’s official blog is here.

Information is thin at the moment.

The unofficial GO Web site is scrapped.

Ten years ago this month, Konami released Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (CSOTN), the first (and last) Castlevania for the original PlayStation. It was most probably the most successful among the Castlevanias. So successful, in fact, that the Game Boy Advance Castlevanias trace their roots to CSOTN.

How I wish I could write more about this game. This is probably the game that made me like the PlayStation. It managed to impress a lot of people despite being a 2-D game in a 3-D console.

One of the things I like about this game is the soundtrack – the best that I have heard in any game. My current ringtone is the music from the Castle Library level, Wood Carving Partita. I love that track, very classical.

I like the character designs, though the voice acting is pathetic.

I like the exploration part. The castle levels are cool, horrifying. Take the Catacombs level, for example.

I like defeating the bosses. There are at least 3 huge bosses in this game, all of them requiring platforms so that you can hit the weak/vulnerable spots. And isn’t Grandfaloon visually sickening? And the pathetic Galamoth damn “hard” to beat?

This game made me realize that action-based RPG can be so amusing.

Too bad the franchise seems to be floundering. This game is considered to be the pinnacle of the franchise, and it’s like capturing the lightning in a bottle.

The only Castlevania games I haven’t played so far are those on the Nintendo DS. The PS2 Castlevanias tried to do a CSOTN in 3-D, but the attempts were at best lackluster. Maybe it was the corridor designs; maybe it was the game play; they were just not as successful as CSOTN.

I am currently re-playing Curse of Darkness, and as I remember CSOTN, I take stock in the future, that the lightning can be captured in a bottle.

On a side note: the music for PS2 Castlevanias are excellent, although the Lament of Innocent is weaker and can be boring at length.

(Castlevania the franchise celebrated its 20 years last year.)

Suggested Reading:

* Tales from the Crypt
* Castlevania and Friends
* The Castlevania Dungeon CSOTN section

If you do PC troubleshooting, or interested in learning, this page is very helpful. Money quote:

Sometimes, asking someone else—even someone not tech savvy—can help. They’ll often ask pesky questions or make observations that you didn’t, such as the time my daughter noticed that my system boot problem was really the monitor being turned off.

^__^

Now this is scary: cellphones may lead to lower fertility in males. We’ll see in a few years – go at it, NSO!

Good thing I put those damn things on my bag. But sometimes they’re on my front pockets. Maybe I should follow Gizmodo’s suggestion.

And lastly, GamePro has an article on those who harass others in online play. As I am no online gamer, I cannot verify the contents. Are you an online gamer? Do you agree with the article? What do you think?

Google and Yahoo, beware. K-Fed is out to put you out of (the search) business.

With tight integration with FireFox and IE via plugins, this tool will do search and presents

* results with K-Fed’s comments (as if you want to know)
* results being delivered by K-Fed – in rap (prepare to mute your headphones/desktop speakers)
* results with relevant products that K-Fed endorses (if any)
* results with pictures of Britney Spears (bald or with hair)

You have been warned. Get it here. As if you’re interested. And hey, if you want to party with K-Fed on his birthday, better get it fast.

My mom loves watching those telenovelas (TV soap shows) being shown on ABS-CBN. She watches them all time, although she had to contend with (1) the kitchen chores, and with five males in the house, kitchen chores can be a mountain pile; (2) five males who would either want to watch anime or movies; (3) or me who wants to watch the news or play PS2 or GameCube. But having invested in three TVs (back in the late 90s, though the latest one was a hands-me-down by an uncle), numbers 2 and 3 are no longer in contention. It is the first that competes with her TV time.

If there’s one thing that I would get for my mom (and if I have the money, of course), this would be it:

It features

an 8.5-inch widescreen LCD display and can play audio and video from an iPod, DVD, (S)VCD, MP3-CD, CD(RW) and Picture CD. The system also offers a built-in ATSC/NTSC TV tuner, digital AM/FM tuner, two 2-inch speakers, cooking timer and clock, and wireless remote.

With the features like that, I might end up using it, and relegate the old TV to the kitchen, he he.

[Via Engadget and Ubergizmo]

John Marzan and I are currently thinking of setting up an unofficial GO Web site. John rues the lack of official Web sites for both GO and TU. He suggests (for GO) to create one.

And since GO is unlikely not to bother with one, why not an unofficial one?

So, content is not a problem, as John is much willing to contribute. So here are the problems:

1. Platform – I have tried creating a blog on WordPress.com using my login there. I already own a blog there, and they say you can create one. Which I did. Unfortunately I cannot access the Dashboard for the newly-created blog. (Or it seems it might take some time.) One option is to host it here. Which leads to problem # 2.

2. Bandwidth – That’s not a problem with WordPress.com, but a problem here.

3. Design – Either on Blogger or WordPress.com, we have to select a theme that will be snazzy but not that flashy.

4. Domain name – Who will donate one? Only Php600 for .com, good for one year.

Will update this when new things happen.