Wayne Rash

Back in January there was big news about a zero-day vulnerability in Java. This vulnerability would let the Bad Guys execute software on your computer, allowing them to (among other things) turn it into another zombie machine on a botnet. At the time, the recommendation was that users disable Java in their browsers. As you […]

It wasn’t until I started fiddling around with a Microsoft Surface RT that I found a huge feature hole that will keep many, if not most, Internet users from getting full value from this new tablet model. That huge hole is the inability of the Surface RT to work with Internet mail sites using POP […]

There’s been an astonishing amount of excitement stemming from an article in The Washington Post about an FCC plan that would ostensibly provide free, high-powered WiFi to every community in the United States. As much as I love The Washington Post and as much as I respect Cecelia Kang, who wrote the story, the fact […]

Clearwire’s filing of a preliminary proxy with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Feb. 1 makes it clear that the merger of Clearwire and Sprint Nextel is going to happen, absent some unlikely and unexpected roadblocks. The statements made by the companies subsequent to the proxy filing also make it clear that the proposal by […]

The BlackBerry 10 launch event was one of those conflicted events that seem to dog the smartphone maker. On one hand, it was good to see that BlackBerry had finally developed the device to the point that it’s solid enough that the company feels confident in releasing it. On the other hand, this wasn’t the […]

Normally, when an operating system receives what is called a “dot” upgrade, it’s usually considered a fairly major product refresh, in contrast to a “dot dot” upgrade, which is usually reserved for minor fixes. So the release of Apple’s iOS 6.1 could reliably be expected to be a major upgrade compared with say, iOS 6.0.1. […]

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 has been the source of both controversy and consternation since it became law 15 years ago. Because of the DMCA, it became illegal to defeat the encryption on a DVD you purchased so you could watch a movie on your Linux computer. It became illegal to make a […]

Apple’s price/earnings ratio dropped to 10 while I was on the phone with financial advisor Mark Miller of Wells Fargo Advisors on Jan. 25. Microsoft’s P/E ratio was at 15 at the same time. So why should you care? Unless you’re an Apple investor, the company’s P/E ratio in and of itself doesn’t matter that […]

Once again, AT&T is trying to acquire another cell company, but unlike the ill-fated T-Mobile deal, this time AT&T will probably be able to pull it off. Chances are that you remember when Verizon Wireless bought Alltel a few years ago as a way to expand coverage. But 105 of those Alltel markets had to […]

From the viewpoint of the wireless carriers that cover Washington, DC, the good news is that about 800,000 people are expected to be on the National Mall and lining the parade route when President Obama is inaugurated for his second term and then travels to the White House afterwards. That’s about a million people fewer […]

The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team reports that a U.S.-based power generating facility was shut down after a contract employee introduced malware into the turbine control systems and into engineering workstations. The contractor routinely used his USB drive to perform updates on control systems as well as workstations in the power plant. US-CERT, which is […]

The iPhone is no longer cool. Moms, dads and even grandparents are using Apple’s flagship product. Worst of all, teachers are using iPhones. To people in their late teens and early 20s who are the drivers of much of technology adoption, this is an anathema. According to a story in Forbes, Tina Wells, CEO of […]