Security is the Buzz

As my title implies, the buzzword for today is 'security'. I found this commentary on Microsoft's entrance into the antivirus market to be intriguing. People in the industry believe that M$ will continue to share security information with the rest of the community (it is in their best interest after all) so there's not much backlash regarding their entrance, but people aren't so happy with their making their AntiSpyware software free. It does shadow those who can't afford to offer it for free, and it does seem ill-spirited to screw them over. I think at the least they should bundle it with Longhorn or something of the sort. I wonder if M$ will actually overpower McAfee and Norton? At least we'll get better software from them now. M$ also played the good samaritain role in warning about rootkits, which infest the OS kernel to funnel out information or piggypack on ports. This is a scary wave of malicious programs since it's currently undetectable because they're built so bloody well. The U.S. government probably couldn't even detect normal viruses as they've been given a D rating on their progress report from Congress. They pay their employees low salaries and wonder why their systems are so weak; go figure. Their money would be better spent on fortifying their ports rather than enacting crappy anti-spyware legislation that does nothing.

I have a wealth of movie news today and I'll start it off with a handful of trailers. If you want a trailer to point at and make fun of, you'll want to check out the trailer for D.E.B.S. on Yahoo!. If you're looking for a creative Korean movie about a guy who is locked up in a strange, private jail for the murder of his wife (which he was framed for) only to be mysteriously let out 15 years later, the trailer for Old Boy is a must-see. The new trailer for Robots looks good animation wise, but it sounds like another animated flick that tries too hard and ends up falling flat on its ass. John Travolta and Christina Millian fans won't want to miss these new clips from their upcoming movie, Be Cool. I'm excited about this movie because it features Vince Vaughn and the talented Uma Thurman in addition to the legendary Harvey Keitel. The best video is the one we can't get though: an EPK of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that's only available to lucky bastards in San Francisco and FilmForce VIPs. The rest of us have to settle for the recent trailer. We can also bask in the fact that Penelope Cruz is going to be in a new romantic drama, The Loop, alongside Matthew McConaughey. I can sum up my excitement for the movie with this:



Any movie with her is worth the price of admission. Anyway, it looks like Ghost Rider now has its Mephistopheles, Peter Fonda, and its Mack, Donal Logue. Sounds like the movie is really taking shape, but will it stay true to the comic book? Speaking of animated books, David Goyer (of Blade and Batman Begins writing fame) has taken over the movie rights to the graphic novel The Fall, which supposedly is a modern-noir. Those who are awaiting The Ring 2 can take solace in some new pics, only one of which is genuinely creepy. It has now been announced that Revenge of the Sith will premiere at Cannes, which is the huge French film festival that takes place in the middle of May. And finally, get out and vote for the Golden Schmo Awards!

I few short notes before I finish up. I've mentioned before that Bill Cosby was alleged to have mollested some women a while back and those charges have now been sticken. There's not enough evidence and the charges were made so late the the DA decided to throw it out. The New York Times is buying out About.com, which is a rather popular site, for a hefty sum. I never cared much for the interface at About.com, but maybe the new owners will change that. Lastly, for Eco Challenge memories, I have to mention this article about Greenspan urging two huge money lending institutions to scale back their loans. They used to be a pretty big deal in the economy and still kind of are, but Greenspan is uncomfortable with their instability.

Finally, the Friday Fiver:

1. Describe the last time you were frightened:
If you mean really terror-struck, I'd say that time Junior year in high school when I got caught "cheating" and I was facing the possibility of some harsh consequences. I wasn't actually cheating but I did idiotically put some information on a test in my profile. It was very general stuff and nothing of much use to anyone other than to ease their minds before the test, but it was still frowned upon.

2. What does your hair look like?
Pretty short since I cut it a week ago.

3. Have you ever dyed your hair a new color?
No and I don't plan on it. Black suits me for now.

4. Do you like heights?
I don't have a pronounced fear of heights, but I don't like being too high up for too long. I enjoy the views from heights, but looking down is where I get some chills.

5. Girl Scout cookies, candy bar sales -- what's the worst fund raising you've had to do?
I had to sell these $20 crappy coupon books for National Honor Society that no one wanted.