Software: Money, Money, Money

By | November 24, 2011
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Microsoft has just released a new version of its Money software, 2004. New features:
— An extensive Credit Center provides a free credit report and one year of ongoing credit monitoring, in addition to a summary of debt accounts, educational content, access to “what-if” scenarios and information on credit protection.
— Money 2004 Premium offers an exclusive collection of valuable financial services, a $365 value, including two years of MSN(r) Bill Pay, capital gains tax optimizer from GainsKeeper, one-time free federal online tax preparation and filing from H&R Block, one free credit report, credit alerts and one year of ongoing monitoring from Experian Consumer Direct, and a complimentary initial personal financial consultation with American Express.
— Money 2004 is the only personal finance management software to offer the GainsKeeper service, which helps consumers better monitor and minimize the tax implications of their investment decisions.
The software further ties in with the MSN Money Web site to provide convenient, timely access to relevant and current information, including world-class financial news, information, tools and services.

You can download a trial version from here. I’ve been disappointed with previous versions which seem to add features but not to address existing bugs. Sound familiar?

News: More Spam Tricks

By | November 24, 2011
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I don’t feel like I’ve passed on anything about spam for at least half an hour so here goes. ActiveState, “the leader in enterprise email management software”, has released an ActiveState Field Guide to Spam, which details advanced tricks used by spammers to hide their messages from spam filters.

Regular readers of this blog — or folk who spend their weekends inspecting spam — will be familiar with most of these tricks, but it’s an education nonetheless. However, I am beginning to think that however clever spammers are, there’s a point beyond which it’s just not worth the effort for them. That’s when we all get Bayesian filters running and tune them. The only spam I worry about these days are press releases like this one from ActiveState. I swear it’s taken me longer to find the right link to their website than it would be to clean the one or two bits of spam that get past by my spamblocker (POPFile, in case you haven’t been paying attention). Or am I missing something?

News: Iomega Gets Small

By | November 24, 2011
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Iomega Corporation say they’ve created a 1.5 GB digital capture technology (DCT) drive about the size of a 50 cent piece and weighs about 9 grams, designed for a new generation of digital entertainment products, including camcorders and portable video players, as well as portable PCs and smart handheld devices.

Expect to see the drive in products made by Fuji Photo Film Co. (Fujifilm), Ltd., Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. (Citizen), and Texas Instruments (TI) next year. No press release available yet.

News: Cambodia’s Boiler Room Scammers

By | November 24, 2011
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Cambodia has repatriated 20 foreigners arrested last week for their involvement in the country’s first telecom scam, CNET reports. They comprised 14 Britons, two Americans and several Australian, New Zealand, Thai and Philippine nationals. Operating out of Cambodia, the group had cold-called people all over the world using cheap Internet phone connections to lure them into investing in the London and Hong Kong stock markets. Cambodian officials said their passport records show they had also worked from neighboring Laos and Thailand.

This confidence trick has since been named “The Boiler Room scam” after a movie of the same name. The show, depicted “fly-by-night stockbrokers involved in shady dealings to rip off investors”, the report said. In the movie, after buyers would be convinced to buy into shakey firms on inflated or made-up claims. Given the number of Brits who call me suggesting I invest in some offshore fund, I’m kinda glad I politely decline them.