If you have a webcam, you can make logging in to your Windows PC super easy. Blink! lets you log into your account by simply looking into your webcam. You have to install Blink! on your system, and then it will load with Windows at startup. From there, it requires no action on your part. Sit in front of your computer, and Blink! uses facial recognition to verify your identity, and log you in.
Photo by Justin Moore.
While we had no way to test their claims, the developers of Blink! say that the app has no false positives. Still, if you place a premium on security, you may want to think twice before using it.
Blink does save your login history, so you can see a snapshot of everyone who successfully logs in to your PC. That alone makes it pretty handy.
Blink! is a free program that works on Windows 7 and Windows Vista. If you have a 64 bit system, make sure you follow the link on the Blink! site to the 64 bit version.
Would you trust a program like this?
Blink! [Luxand]
We tech geeks love to discover hidden features in our tech toys. And we love it even more those hidden features are actually useful. An Easter egg that has been making the rounds among Windows 7 users is Windows 7 "God Mode." At its simplest level, what Windows 7 God Mode does is simple – it puts a myriad of configuration options at your fingertips, in one list. Beyond that, users have discovered additional "god modes" that open up more Windows 7 configuration options. Read on for more on God Mode.
Internet Explorer is Now Losing the Browser Wars? Magic 8-Ball Says: Doubtful
Internet Explorer has been slowly but steadily losing ground in the “browser wars” since the invention of that little hot little vulpine browser, Firefox. Google Chrome shook up the market even more and is continuing what’s considered to be a fast upward climb. Safari is Safari, and Opera is largely underestimated.
In the article I read about IE’s plummet, on Mashable, the tone was very much in the negative for Internet Explorer, citing phrases such as “to little, to late” and “Hail Mary” in reference to the coming improvements of IE9. Now, I am no fan of Internet Explorer (my web-designer-self hates it with a furious feral fire), and no disrespect intended to the knowledgeable minds over at Mashable, but I think a little bit of perspective may be called for.
Yes, IE has finally hit a downward slide (thank you, powers that be!) — but even with the European ruling that dropped IE from Microsoft Windows installations, and the rise of Google Chrome, Internet Explorer still holds 49.87% of the browser market (as stated in the Mashable article). Another unfortunate truth is that a good percentage of that percentage still uses IE6. The fact that anyone is still using that piece of crap is proof positive that people aren’t as far advanced into the world of technology as we might have hoped. But I digress…
The point I am making here is that 49.87%, while still a hefty drop for IE when compared to the gains of other browsers, is still the largest segment of the market by nearly 20%. Internet Explorer 9 may be a bit late, but it is still going to compete soundly with the other browsers out there. IE9 may not win back Microsoft’s haters (count me in that batch), but it will win back some people — and it will keep even more. If Internet Explorer is going anywhere, I don’t think it will be anytime soon.
What do you think?