VOX Rocks (Not)

By | November 22, 2011
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Unless you’re a real masochist, I wouldn’t bother installing the latest add-on for Skype, VoxLib (Windows only, sorry). It’s a nice idea, insofaras I can understand it, but it sure messes up your system. VOX in theory allows you to make Skype (and SkypeOut) calls via any telephone. It gets complicated, and it certainly didn’t work for me — I somehow found myself in a Skype conference with someone who was speaking no language I recognised. (The website is here; a slightly better explanation of how it works is here. [Download Squad]).

But the real problem is that the software isn’t ready. It didn’t install properly, and that is usually it for me. But I thought I would persevere, and since then I’ve had a couple of blue-screens-of-death crashes. VOX doesn’t even recover gracefully: Upon reboot, I get some weird error message boxes, no icon in my system tray to indicate that VOX is actually running, no sign of VOX in my Applications list in Task Manager, but still some suspicious processes hogging the computer’s resources. Only by closing them down does my computer work properly again. My advice: wait until VOX gets its act together.

And curse companies that release software which isn’t ready.

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Copernic’s New Search

By | November 22, 2011
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Copernic have officially launched version 2 of their excellent Desktop Search software. It’s been around in beta for a while and it’s excellent, though I’d still like to see more economical use of screen space. Not all of us are working on high-res big screens. Press release isn’t out yet but should be here when it is. Pre-release page is here.

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Loose Change Sept 19 2006

By | November 22, 2011
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It used to be called Loose Bits, but I prefer Loose Change. For now. It’s the same thing: tidbits I found that might be of interest:

  • First off, NeatReceipts, which sells a small scanner and special software to scan in your receipts while you’re on the road, has announced a new version of its software, which should be in the shops next month. Includes color Scanning, a better Document Organizer and better OCR. Version 2.5 will retail for $200, the same price as the current Scanalizer. I reviewed the product a few months back and was impressed, though you’ve got to really love receipts to get into it.
  • Lost in the Crowd allows you to search the web more anonymously by mixing in with your normal searches entirely random ones sent on your behalf: “What searches did you care about versus those that were just made up? There’s no way for the search engine, or anyone else, to tell.” Nice idea. Only hitch I can think of is if those random searches lead down weird alleys that may come back to haunt me.
  • Forget Google anonymity. Just worry about voting. A blog by two Princeton University types reveals an ordinary “hotel minibar” or office key will open the door on Diebold Voting Machines, allowing someone to remove, alter or replace the memory card that stores the votes.

Cabin Fever

By | November 22, 2011
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Flight International reports (sorry, can’t find a link, but here are some similar stories from Thisislondon and New Electronics) that “BAE Systems and its research partners have completed initial tests with an in-cabin computer vision system intended to identify suspect behaviour by potential terrorists.” Seems the system involves cameras in the cabin with software that analyses the image “for movement or other actions that indicate an unruly or potentially dangerous individual, whether seated or standing.” Some of this, says BAE Systems Advanced Technology Centre human factors specialist Katherine Neary, involves face recognition. Given most people behave badly on airlines, I think they’re going to have to tweak their algorithms if they don’t want to subdue everyone on the flight.

I think I’d prefer an airline like Thailand’s Nok Air, which takes a friendlier attitude to passengers. According to Flight, the low-cost carrier “is expanding its fleet Boeing 737-400s and its fleet of scantily-dressed “PDA girls”” who help check-in passengers that only have carry-on bags. Chief executive Patee Sarasin tries not to sound surprised when he says “It’s been fantastically well received”. Of course he then spoils it by adding: “It is very efficient and costs you less than $4.00 a day to have these girls walking around in Thailand.”

Nok
Khun Patee’s walking check-in counters

 

Thwarting the VoIP Eavesdroppers

By | November 22, 2011
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Interesting piece in Intelligence Online (subscription only) which mentions the growth of both software to intercept VoIP traffic, and services to thwart it. Companies mentioned: Amteus [company website] which “has developed secure software for Voice over IP (VoIP) communications but also for e-mail and file swaps.” Amteus basically works by establishing a peer to peer connection and encrypts with a one time key. On the other side of the fence, the article says, are companies “like Israeli firms Nice Systems and Verint as well as France’s Aqsacom, are already marketing solutions to break into and record telephone conversations on the Internet.” [all corporate websites]

An interesting world