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20 Things They Don't Want You to Know

theodp writes "PC World spills the beans about a bunch of things technology companies would rather you didn't know, including the lowdown on exploiting Windows' bad security, unlocking cell phones, using an IPod to move music and useless specs." Nothing groundbreaking, but might be a good primer for the non-techie in your life.

28 of 403 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Pretty interesting by Loconut1389 · · Score: 1, Funny

    Original poster mentioned it would be a good intro for a non-techie person. I'd say you're restating the obvious in hopes of a first post.

  2. My Super-Bad Computer Speakers by Monte · · Score: 5, Funny

    You mean my speakers can't sink 1,000 watts?!? The deuce you say!

    I love the power ratings on speakers. If those numbers were half true, playing an MP3 would make the streetlights dim in time to the music. And all that power somehow coming from a little 500 mA wall-wart. Science, wonders, and miracles!

    1. Re:My Super-Bad Computer Speakers by zootm · · Score: 5, Funny

      RMS continuous Power

      Great. Now I have a mental image of Richard Stallman transforming into a fire-breathing, behemoth-sized Godzilla-style Free Software monster.

      "No! Free Software must prevail! I need CONTINUOUSSSS POOOOOWWEEEEERRR"

      Sparks, flames, etc.

  3. It's PEEEEPLE!!!!! by flyingsquid · · Score: 5, Funny

    Soylent Green is PEOPLE!

  4. 20 Things I don't want to know by stoolpigeon · · Score: 5, Funny
    well I can't come up with 20 but here is a start

    • no matter what piece of hardware I buy, at any price, a faster and cheaper one will be out a week later
    • I really do look like a middle aged dad/geek- regardless of my #insert cool tech gadget here#
    • I spend more time getting my apps 'dialed in' than I do actually using them
    • I'll continue to upgrade every time my distro puts out a new release, even though everything works just fine now and my old hardware is having a tough time keeping up
    • At least once this week I'll continue explaining to someone about relational databases long after they have lost all interest.
    • I'll be showing my dad how to burn a cd at least 3 times in the next 2 months
    • my blog peaked that time 3 people read it in one day
    • When I 'signed' that one web petition for 'that cause' nothing happened
    • I'll get to use this in a couple days when this story gets posted again
    • Once again, I'll spend too much time at slashdot
    --
    It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
    1. Re:20 Things I don't want to know by bhiestand · · Score: 5, Funny
      my blog peaked that time 3 people read it in one day

      Sorry to be the one to tell you, but that was just a faulty counter. The first page hit was when you went to the site to post to the blog. The second was from you viewing the page after posting it, just to make sure everything came out right. Then the third was when you returned a few hours later to check for any replies.
      --
      SWM seeks new sig for a brief fling
  5. Re:Mostly useless. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    20 things any geek worth his salt already knows

    The submitter has an AOL address! What do you expect?!

  6. Re:Know anyone who uses MSN Messenger? by ozmanjusri · · Score: 2, Funny

    My goodness. Where have you been hiding?

    Under a bridge. Duh.
    P.S. You shouldn't feed it...

    --
    "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
  7. Re:My geek life is complete... by m00j · · Score: 2, Funny

    Was the joke that you don't actually live in your parent's basement or that the idea of moving out of it is preposterous? :D

  8. 21... by advocate_one · · Score: 3, Funny
    how to survive a slashdotting...

    they're not gonna let that one out...

    --
    Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
  9. Sometime fibs are good by vivekg · · Score: 2, Funny

    BAD fib
    You know Upstream & downstream stuff they will say you will get 256 kbps, 512kbsp and so on. Few weeks back I was at friends place. When sales guy of local DSL Company came to give all info and started to explain how good DSL is from Dial up. He told my friend *DSL is your own lease line* :/? So I interrupted him and said you mean LL? He said like that... Hee so this is how they sales connections and they don't Want to know much about technology. Okay don't explain technology but don't fib... coz one day s/he will know this!

    I found hardware vendor especially owners and a tech guy gives more fibs... for example somebody in shop would like to purchase 2 gig USB pen. Owner told lady that it has driver in USB that take some space so you will always not get exactly 2 gig space. Deal went very well. Some time fibs are good for example in this case you can't explain all the stuff to old lady about why you don't get 2 gig space on USB.

    --
    The important thing is not to stop questioning --Albert Einstein.
    1. Re:Sometime fibs are good by Loonacy · · Score: 4, Funny

      I'm amazed you even understood what s/he was talking about. I thought it was just a bunch of random words strung together to resemble sentences.

    2. Re:Sometime fibs are good by Bozdune · · Score: 4, Funny

      Thank you. WHen I read the original post I felt like my dog must feel when he tilts his head sideways.

    3. Re:Sometime fibs are good by LordKaT · · Score: 4, Funny

      I've got some Mod points, and if there was a "+1 What the fuck?" you'd get it.

  10. Road to Riches - Bet against MS by aelbric · · Score: 4, Funny

    From the article:

    "My PC's firewall, antivirus scanner, spyware remover, pop-up blocker, and spam filter all agree: Windows is sorely lacking in PC security. That situation may not change until Windows Vista (formerly Longhorn) comes out sometime next year."


    Wonder if Vegas is giving any odds on this. Might be easy money.

    --
    nos laetus epulor qui would domito nos
  11. Over-what? by rasty · · Score: 1, Funny

    Thank you for telling me CPUs can be overclocked! I thought Intel and AMD always worked to make my life easier and provide me with the best products at the lowest possible price, enriching my multimedia and internet experience with the best technology available!
    Now my world is falling back on me!

    I really hope they won't tell me my precious DVD collection could be copied next...

  12. Windows' Bad Security? Give me a break. by Ravatar · · Score: 4, Funny

    TFA states that your Windows Product Key being retrievable is a security risk. What??

    Not to mention the fact that the author uses Windows to manage his passwords, which he cites as another of the software's "security risks". The only security risk in this situation is the article's author.

  13. Extended warranties are worth it by Savage-Rabbit · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'd add laptops to that list. I have had three of them, my first was a Toshiba which developed a broked LCD display (a month before the 1 year warranty expired) and a loose power connector (After warranty expired). The next one was an IBM laptop which I had for a loooooong time that also developed a broken LCD (After standard warranty expired but this time I bought an extended one). My current machine is a Powerbook which so far has gone through two defective LCD's (Factory flaw which Apple fixed without complaint) and an improperly re-assebled CD/DVD drive that assassinated a Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac disk (Original not pirate copy, also replaced without complaint by Apple although it was not a warranty issue). So does it pay to have an extended warranty? My opinion is a big fat YES but then perhaps I am phenominally unlucky with laptops. I am actually looking forward to finding out what will break down on the Intel-Mac PowerBook I am planning to buy as soon as they become available. One thing is for sure I will buy all the extra insurance for it that I can get.

    --
    Only to idiots, are orders laws.
    -- Henning von Tresckow
  14. When shopping at Dell.. by Trogre · · Score: 5, Funny

    When shopping at Dell
    always, and I mean always, remember to never actually buy your computer there.

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  15. And the best of them all by mkro · · Score: 4, Funny

    What PC World doesn't want you to know, is that you can read articles how Tim intended by going straight for the printable version. I give you gold here.

    --
    I shall go and tell the indestructible man that someone plans to murder him.
  16. Good heavens by lahvak · · Score: 3, Funny

    what language is the parent written in?

    --
    AccountKiller
  17. Re:Ahhh yes, computer speaker ratings by DrLex · · Score: 2, Funny
    I don't know what PMPO means, Peak Momentary Power Output I've heard
    Sorry, you heard that wrong. It's Putrid Marketing Power Optimism. While some other posters still try to give a definition of it, I think your SWPOOA comes closest. There might be an official definition of it, as far as I remember it involves measuring the power of a ridiculously short pulse. Even your standard PC case speaker could probably endure 1000W, if it was only applied during 1 microsecond (1000W*1e-6 = 0.001 joules, that surely won't burn the coil). The peak amplitude is only limited by the breakthrough voltage of the coil, once this is reached it's only a matter of applying a pulse short enough to stay below a lethal power dissipation for the speaker. Otherwise all speakers would have an infinite PMPO rating.
    In other words, this rating is so bogus that if you go into a store and a clerk tries to sell you speakers toting their PMPO rating, you should seriously consider shoving the things up his ass.
    I also once saw a speaker in a leaflet with an RMS rating, where RMS was explained as "Real Music Source". I wouldn't buy speakers there either :)
  18. It's MAAAANNEQUINS!!!!! by WilliamSChips · · Score: 2, Funny

    Imitation Soylent Green is MANNEQUINS!

    --
    Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
  19. Re:All in one page/printer friendly by trb · · Score: 5, Funny

    this is one of those things they don't want you to know.

  20. Re:Not clever by Bastian · · Score: 4, Funny

    Heh, doesn't everyone ignore those little speech bubbles? Windows spams me more than the v1@gr@ people.

    My personal favorite: On a Windows XP box at work which has no USB2.0 bus that, I get a warning from Windows about having plugged a high-speed USB device into a low-speed USB port every time I plug my USB2 key in.

    Come on, that's not helping me. That's just mocking me for not having the latest hardware.

  21. Re:Some more notes about speaker efficiency by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    My $85 Monster cables help with all of that - AND they came with a free can of wall lubricant.

  22. Awesome! by CarbonJackson · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Nothing groundbreaking, but might be a good primer for the non-techie in your life."

    Cuz that's what I read slashdot for anyway, finding good primers for my non-techie friends to read.

    --

    MikeAtIF*ckStuffedAnimalsDotCom
  23. oh god by kronchev · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Your CPU May Be Much Faster Than You Think"

    In related news, the resulting fires from morons trying to overclock their Dells can be seen from space!