This still isn't my usual, but it is more re-enforcement for leaving Internet Explorer. If and when MS fixes the problem you can consider going back. I will not be going back, I like one of the alternatives better - Firefox.

"Microsoft still has not released a patch for a major zero-day flaw stemming from IE6 that was used by Chinese hackers to attack Google. After sample code was posted on a website, calls began for Microsoft to release an out-of-cycle patch. Now, France has joined Germany in recommending its citizens abandon IE altogether, rather than waiting for a patch. Microsoft still insists IE8 is the 'most secure browser on the market' and that they believe IE6 is the only browser susceptible to the flaw. However, security researchers warned that could soon change, and recommended considering alternative browsers as well."

Keep in mind too, when Internet Explorer 8 is running in the mode that makes it the safest, you can't view Java Script without interaction, Flash or other rich content. This makes it difficult to click results in search engines, view news articles or generally use the web. My computer is totally secure when turned off and unplugged from the wall, however, I prefer a reasonable level of useability.

Now, just an FYI in case you are wondering what a Zero-Day vulnerability is: Called either Day Zero or Zero-Day, it is an exploit that takes advantage of a security vulnerability on the same day that the vulnerability becomes publicly or generally known. Zero-Day exploits are usually posted by well-known hacker groups. Software companies may issue a security bulletin or advisory when the exploit becomes known, but companies may not be able to offer a patch to fix the vulnerability for some time after.

I am curious why this particular flaw is being labeled a zero-day flaw. The Black Hat society has been pointing it out for years in their regular security bulletins.

If you have seen conflicting articles, the MS executive summary is at the related link below and the second paragraph covers it all: "Our investigation so far has shown that Internet Explorer 5.01 Service Pack 4 on Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 is not affected, and that Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 on Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4, and Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8 on supported editions of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2 are vulnerable."

In a statement issued today, the German Federal Office for Security in Information Technology (known as BSI) recommends that all Internet Explorer users switch to an alternative browser.

The BSI says they may resume using Explorer after a fix is issued by Microsoft for a critical vulnerability that has been implicated in the Chinese cyberattack against Google. Keep in mind that Google uses Linux for its operation, however IE and all other browsers including, Opera, Firefox, Konqueror and Chrome are able to visit. This means using IE is not only a risk to your own machine, but any you visit. Think of this as going door to door with Swine Flue shaking hands with whoever answers after you were told you were carrying the flue.

If you missed it, yesterday McAffee released a report outlining details of the cyber assault on Google and around 20 other major technology companies. It specifically implicates a critical flaw in all versions of IE that allows hackers to "perform reconnaissance and gain complete control over the compromised system." Microsoft has responded that it is developing an update to the vulnerability.

Note that the flaw is in all versions of IE including the latest - 8. This means the flaw has been around for years but has only recently been used in major attacks. The flaw in question has been pointed out to Microsoft several times in the past. Until now, Microsoft insisted it was too small a flaw to be exploited and too technical. I feel that if an outside entity found it, another one will as well, denying a vulnerability like that is the main reason I switched to Firefox a few years ago. Not long after that I also switched to Linux, but that's another story.

If Microsoft has had knowledge of this for years, it is uncertain how long it will be for a patch. For an easy transition to an alternative browser that looks, feels and generally operates similar to IE, I recommend Firefox (this is my personal opinion, not my employers).

The related link has a translation of the original BSI article.

I just read an article about making use of some seemingly obvious items that many of us already have. However, I started to realize how long it has been since I have seen anyone around me make use of these.

When is the last time someone opened a lunch pail and thermos where you work? How about the last time you were invited to a Fondue dinner? Have you used an electric blanket recently?

Lets start with the easy one. The thermos uses a simple mechanical process to keep food at the same temperature, hot, cold or neutral. By separating all but the very lip of the inner container from the surrounding environment, a thermos makes the transfer of heat very difficult and preserves the state of its contents. Alton Brown, a cooking show host that I really enjoy, recommends a thermos for keeping difficult sauces like hollandaise warm until your ready use it. On a more basic level, a thermos will keep water or other drinks cold. A thermos will keep soup for lunch nice and hot.

If you don't already have a '70s-era slow-cooker (aka "crock pot") collecting dust in your kitchen cupboard, you can buy a new energy-sipping model for about $30. The Fondue pot is also an energy sipper that helps make use of leftover bread and cheese.

Electric blankets and pads cost little more than many non-electric comforters, and only use about a nickel's worth of electricity per night to operate. Yet according to the U.S. Department of Energy, for every degree you turn down the heat during the winter, you'll probably save about one to three percent on your total home heating bill.

If this is an option, drying your clothes outside on an old-fashioned clothes line or indoors on one of those accordion-like laundry racks will not only save you about $200 per year on the cost to own and operate an electric dryer, but it can make some garments last up to twice as long.

I hope this stirs some ideas that can save you some money while reducing your energy demand on the environment.

The other day, I read an article about chemicals in plastics contributing to obesity if you are exposed during certain developmental periods. I kept thinking about how to relate the information here. Then it hit me, this is perfectly relevant, taking care of the environment is also a health benefit!

The chemicals, known as obesogens, mimic natural hormones and can wreak havoc on your endocrine system. Obesogens may explain why we all know skinny people who eat whatever they want and others who gain weight even if they watch everything they eat.

Some of these chemicals can cause your body to make more fat cells, which stay with you for life. Although having more fat cells doesn't mean you'll definitely be overweight, it does make it harder to lose weight. "Fat cells want to hold onto fat," says Robert Lustig, an endocrinologist at the University California, San Francisco. "They will go to the mat to hold onto their fat. They do not want to give it up."

Obesogens can also affect your metabolism (how quickly your body burns calories) and how quickly your hunger is satisfied. Timing of exposure is critical. The data so far indicates that development (in utero, and the first few years of life...perhaps even to puberty) is the most sensitive period, says Jerrold Heindel of National Institute of Environmental Sciences (NIEHS), who recently published a recent paper on the latest science of obesogens in Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. Researchers at Tufts found that rats who ingested bisphenol-A from pregnancy through lactation had offspring that exhibited an increase in body weight that continued into adulthood.

Note that bisphenol-A is commonly known as BPA. This was often used in plastics including drinking bottles for many years. As we learn to use renewable energy, reusable containers and take better care of the environment, we should also be reducing our contact with these chemicals.

For more information on the actual research, follow the related link.

Cost is the obvious benefit, however, lower cost means the ability to add batteries in situations that may not have allowed previously. Technology to store energy is also a means to boost alternative energy sources as they need a buffer in order to supply stable energy on demand.

The printed battery sheet is very thin (500 um), flexible (allowing it to be attached to curved surfaces) and designed for use with a flexible solar battery, a combination that could be both a power generator and power storage unit. The battery prototypes have an output voltage of 2V - 4V, but the battery capacity hasn't been revealed. The benefit of the roll-to-roll printing is that its highly efficient, meaning cheaper production.

Unlike other prototype technology, this cool breakthrough isn't one that we'll have to wait 10 years to see in production. The research team, who work with the Advanced Materials Innovation Center of Mie Industry and Enterprise Support Center in Japan, plans to finish studying the technology and start shopping around for commercial opportunities sometime next year.

Follow the related link below for more information.