JSON File Extension

Ever seen a file with the File Extension JSON in your PC? Wondering what it’s for or if it’s save to delete it? I don’t usually see this odd file format so I did a bit of research on what it’s for.

The File Extension JSON is a lightweight data interchange format that stands for JavaScript Object Notation. If you open the file using a text editor such as Notepad, you can see that the file is readable similar to XML. The JSON format represents simple data structures and is often used for transmitting structured data over a network connection.

So what application uses the JSON Format? It is commonly used in Ajax web application programming which serves as an alternative to the XML format. If you’re using the Firefox browser, you might see the JSON format being used to store bookmarks.

Rusty USB drive makes a perfect gift for the gadget geek

This 4GB Rusted Steampunk USB Drive designed by CerriousDesign would make a perfect gift for a gadget freak. Of course he has plenty of flash drives already but does he have one covered in rust?

The Rusted Steampunk USB Drive has laser cut pieces with a rusted technique applied to its surface. The USB connector is retractable to make it look more inconspicuous.

This goes for $40 but unfortunately it’s currently sold out.

EagleTec makes concealing a flash drive easier

Flash drives comes in all shapes and sizes and as technology grows, they become smaller and smaller as well. EagleTec introduces a Nano Flash Drive that allows you smuggle it to a restricted area quite easily.

The Nano flash drive measures a tiny 19 x 15 x 6mm which is probably smaller than your thumb. It also weighs just three grams so you won’t notice that you’re carrying it. Not only that, you can also choose between 4GB ($22) or 8GB ($33).

With its size, you can carry it inside your mouth if a cavity searches aren’t performed. Hehehe, it’s small alright but it’s so small that you can easily misplace it. Hmm, I wonder if it can go smaller if they use a micro USB tip instead.

DAT File Extension?

Have you ever encountered a File Extension DAT on your PC? Maybe you entered a CD and you saw something like AVSEQ001.DAT. That’s what I associate those DAT files normally, movie files (MPEG to be precise).

Actually, File Extension DAT is a generic file extension that is used by different applications that handles data. These files may contain data that is needed for operations of a particular program. You can also sometimes see it in game folders like a save file and may view it as text.

However due to the wide usage of DAT files, it can also be used to host virus, malwares or trojans. If it somehow infects your machine, it will be hard to remove because such files are usually locked by the system and you may have to go into Safe mode.

The upcoming X-mini capsule speaker

You’ve probably heard or already owned the cool looking accordion type X-mini speaker for your MP3 player.

There’s a new X-mini speaker coming up on the 3rd quarter of this year and it’s called the X-mini Happy. Why is it called Happy? I have no idea but the major difference with new model is that it now has an SD slot making it an MP3 player/speaker. It’s the same size and sound as the X-mini II  and can play your MP3’s for 6 hours or act solely as a speaker for 11 hours.

No special software needed to manage your MP3’s and the volume control also handles the playback for your music. Nice upgrade I might say. More pictures here.

[CNET]

Personalize your Firefox browser with Personas

If you’re into putting up your own style or personality to your applications, you might want to check out Mozilla Labs’ Personas. That is if you’re also using Firefox as your web browser.

Change the dull and boring gray color of your Firefox with a style that fits your mood. Download and install Personas which is a lightweight plugin for Firefox that allows you to easily switch between styles. You can even design your own and upload it to the site for others to use.

Ethical hacker, the new breed of IT profession

Forget about those different Cisco network certifications or HP systems administrator certifications. If you want a huge bump to your pay scale, it’s time to take IT Security certifications and be an ethical hacker. With cyber security going to be important in the near future, you want to be ready to jump in while it’s early.

According to a research by Foote Partners, those IT certifications that were “hot” before like Cisco’s and Citrix’s are having a constant decrease in value. So what IT certifications whose pay is going up? Usually security ones which includes being a Certified Ethical Hacker.

An ethical hacker is a computer scientist that works as a security specialist, forensic investigator, or network defense architect for corporations. In 2007, the top 50 percent of certified ethical hackers earned between $97,970 and $123,900.

In this time of economic crisis, companies are getting smart in investing in skills and technologies that will not only tactically see them through the recession, but also ensure that they remain unscathed or become stronger when all is over.

EC-Council provides online classes that they call iClass to get security training on your schedule, and this includes an ethical hacker certification. They offer courses on Security Fundamentals, Ethical Hacking, Penetration Testing, Computer Forensics, Disaster Recovery and Secure Programming.

Great NBA players who never received an MVP award

Did you know that Kobe Bryant has never won an MVP award yet in his 12-year career? Hard to believe huh? It’s NBA Playoffs time once again so basketball fever is quite high. I saw this article from Sports Illustrated showing the best NBA players who never won an MVP award. Check it out to see who the other players are aside from Kobe.

Will you abandon Entrecard?

I’m thinking of jumping off the Entrecard bandwagon. I haven’t been able to drop as much as I want to and doing that hurted my visitor counts as well. I just can’t find time to drop 300 a day any more.

Well the most recent flack that Entrecard owner Graham Langdon got was the way he defended his service in the forum by assuming another identity. Check out this post from ex-Entrecard moderator, Turnip. That’s so low and when the owner results to doing it to protect its service then it doesn’t speak much about his service at all. This issue sparked a lot of bashing in the Entrecard forum.

Entrecard has brought me new visitors and friends but some of them have already quit using it after the big change. I might follow soon. I wonder what ad service can take my Entrecard slot.

Have you heard of the Monopoly Electronic Banking Edition?

Are you a fan of the Monopoly board game? I am and I used to play it a lot with my cousins when we were kids. Well I just heard that they did a pretty cool thing with the game.

The Monopoly Electronic Banking Edition has a debit card for each player and a calculator for the banker foregoing the usual paper money. Just enter the amount whenever you collect rent, buy properties, etc on the calculator, swipe your card and presto!

Yeah it won’t teach you how to add or subtract now but you have plenty of chance to learn that somewhere else. At least you don’t have to deal with crumpled or wet money or practically losing those $100 Monopoly bills.

Medigenic keyboard for the OC typist

We all know how much germs and bacteria can be found on a computer keyboard. With the Medigenic Infection-Control Keyboard, sanitizing it is a breeze.

This keyboard does away with the typical keys. What you see instead is a printed face 3D keys on it that you can disable for easy cleaning. The keyboard is meant for hospitals where you want to keep germs at a minimum. It even has a backlight in case you’re going to use it in a dimly-lit room.

It would feel weird not hearing the clicking of the keys as you use this touch keyboard. But at least you can splash alcohol over it with no fear of breaking it.

[OhGizmo!]

Download Adam Lambert’s studio version of Mad World

Been listening to Adam Lambert’s version of Tears For Fear’s Mad World a lot lately and I would like to share it with you American Idol fans. He sang this during the “Songs from your birth year” night.

Adam Lambert – Mad World.mp3

Enjoy the studio version!

Acer AspireRevo can be a Mac Mini substitute

Acer is launching a nettop that is based on NVIDIA’s Ion graphics chipset. What this means is that this baby is capable of handling 1080p content (this includes BluRay) and some demanding games such as Call of Duty 4.

The Acer AspireRevo has the typical netbook specs such as Intel Atom 230 processor, up to 4GB RAM, up to 250GB HDD, card reader, 6 USB ports, HMDI/VGA outputs, etc. It should come with Windows Vista and only measures 7.1” x 7.1” x 1.2”.

No pricing and release date yet but this looks really good.

[PC World]

Windows XP gets a new lease in life

Well it seems that Microsoft are bringing back Windows XP for purchase… at least for those buying Hewlett-Packard PC’s. This means you could still have Windows XP as your OS for HP machines till April 30, 2010.

Microsoft retired XP from sales almost 2 years ago (June 2008) and now they’re bringing it back? Take note that technical support for the Windows XP will cease this April 14, however, extended support will continue till 2014. What this means is that security patches and critical fixes will still be available but no more feature upgrades.

Hmm, maybe the rise of the netbook market that cannot adequately run Vista forced the hand of Microsoft. I wonder if other manufacturers such as Dell and Acer will follow suit.

[Apple Insider]

Where to get data recovery services

Have you experienced losing a whole term worth of thesis paper because your hard drive crashed? What’s worse is that you lost it a few days before the deadline. That would be a pain to accept and you scramble looking for data recovery services online.

There are plenty out there but how about server data recovery? The server where your 10-year old site has been residing suddenly crashed and you weren’t able to back-up all your data. You might want to look into Data Recovery Group which has been in the data recovery business since 1986 so you can be assured of their services.

They even offer mac data recovery which is quite hard to find these days. With their cost-effective pricing and quick turn around times, Data Recovery Group should be considered when you’re in a pinch.

How to spot if your PC is infected with the Conficker virus

There’s a huge buzz in the internet about the Conficker virus prior to April 1. It was said that infected computers will connect to a website and the virus will update itself with instructions from its makers.

Anyhow, nothing big really happened but that doesn’t mean that the threat has been neutralized. It is still in your PC waiting and continues checking websites for instructions. To easily check if you’re infected, visit this Conficker Eye Chart.

Part of what Conficker does is to block your PC from accessing anti-virus sites so if you can’t see some of the images on the eye chart, you may be infected.

To know more about the virus, you can check out F-Secure’s Conficker Q&A.

Gameboy case for the iPhone is the coolest!

Are you satisfied with your iPhone case? If not, check this classic Gameboy case for the iPhone. Pretty cool huh? It's one of the best one I've seen.

According to PMPToday, the picture is taken in Japan and there's no word where these type of cases can be bought. The case looks flimsy though. Maybe you could create a decal version if you don't want a hard case on your iPhone.

DirectTV or Cable TV?

So what is DirectTV and how does it differ with your ordinary Cable TV? Well, Direct TV is a service that brings you all digital-quality, multi-channel TV programming on a satellite dish.

So why should you switch to DirectTV from your cable? Well Cable TV has limited digital channels especially those HD ones that we've grown to love, even those local channels are in high-def. Basically, Direct TV service gives you more bang for your buck if you want to enjoy high quality viewing especially if your friends come over to watch Monday Night Football unlike your cable TV.

With your Direct TV system, you can even subscribe to pay-per-view services quite easily. Must be nice to watch the Pacquiao - Hatton match in hi-def. Mmmm.

Skip those download timers with SkipScreen

If you often find yourself downloading from popular file hosting sites and think that those timers and extra clicks are unnecessary, then you might want to install SkipScreen.

SkipScreen is a Firefox add-on that automates downloading for some popular file hosting sites. No more timers, no more extra clicks needed. When I tried this one on a Mediafire file, SkipScreen automated everything and just showed me the download dialog box prompt.

For Rapidshare, they still couldn’t figure out how to bypass its timer so what they did is just automate the process. Enter the Rapidshare URL on your browser and leave it running on the background until the download dialog box pops out.

Other supported sites are zShare, Megaupload, Sharebee, Depositfiles, Sendspace, Divshare and Linkbucks with many more on the way.

Every office should have a pizza machine

There’s this Italian inventor, Claudio Torghele, who invented a pizza machine that is unlike any other which he calls “Let’s Pizza”.

His machine is unlike any other instant pizza vending machine that just microwaves a frozen pre-made pizza. Instead, “Let’s Pizza” makes pizza from scratch. It mixes and kneads the dough, spins it into a pizza shape then adds the sauce and toppings before being baked. All in just 3 minutes!

You can choose from a limited type of toppings that include cheese, tomato, vegetables, ham and bacon. But still, what you get is a freshly baked pizza. Mmm mmm!

[Times Online]

Online Privacy Policy Maker

If you’re using Google Adsense to earn money from your blog, you may have to create or update your privacy policy by April 8, 2009. This is in preparation of their interest-based advertising which I really have no idea on what’s it about.

There are privacy policy generators out there and the one I used for this site is from SERP Rank because it is already updated with new policy required by Google. For some reason I couldn’t make the page work in Firefox 3 so I used Internet Explorer to use it instead.

Better do it now if you don’t want any problems when it’s time for Google to pay you.