Ace VPN

VPN servers help in many aspects: They encrypt our web traffic, preventing it from being observer by unwanted others. They can also enable us reach blocked websites. Even though internet should be free (as in free speech), in some countries this is not the case. By using a VPN server, we first connect to that server, and then the server connects to the websites on behalf of us.

For example, assume you connect to a VPN server in USA, such as the one offered by Ace VPN. Let us also assume you normally cannot access X website since it is blocked by your internet provider in your country. Now, what happens is that, the Ace VPN server connects to the X website on your behalf, and then redirects all the data to you, in an encrypted manner. This means, the blocking never works, since you actually never connected to the X website. Voila!

The Ace VPN service has three options:

• Free by referral
• Premium
• Ultimate

Most free VPN services have very limited speeds. But, by offering both free and paid plans, Ace VPN manages to provide fast access speeds, and a highly avaiable service, with servers in multiple countries (including servers in USA, Canada, France, Germany, UK, Switzerland, and many others). Give it a try.

Facebook serves the most ads in the USA

Websites are still searching for ways to monetise their ubiquity, but squaring this circle is fraught with dangers

Read the full article at: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/3/1f21f86c-5f33-11df-978c-00144feab49a.html

Best Last.fm alternatives

Recently Last.fm announced that they are charging subscription fees for all users outside US, UK, and Germany.
http://blog.last.fm/2009/03/24/lastfm-radio-announcement

Don't want to pay for something you have much better alternatives for? Yeah, right. Try these two:

Jango: A very nice service, with very good selection of music and similar (up-to-3) artist-based radio channels as Last.fm.
http://www.jango.com

AccuRadio: This is not an artist-based radio station, but the available channels are very well-picked, and you can even mix-and-match channels with their radio-builder now. Definitely worth a shot. Also try their iPhone/iPad app...
http://www.accuradio.com

Worth mentioning: thesixtyone

Flipboard for iPad

I have waited this for a long time. Finally a nice way to read news, tweets, and facebook updates. Visually appealing, photos and videos supported, it is a must buy for iPad. Actually, Flipboard is FREE.

It's TAX time

I have tried multiple online tax filing services, and decided that TaxSlayer is the best. Why?

• It is cheap compared to others ($15 in total for federal and state E-FILE for 2009 returns, and you can keep your PDF copy).
• It is convenient (asks questions that direct you to deduct relevant expenses).
• It does the job.

Give it a try:
http://www.taxslayer.com/

HP Slate TouchBook

Analyst: Nokia to launch Apple iPad rival

Analysts predict a swathe of me-too slates from big PC and smartphone makers such as Nokia and Samsung

[link to original]

Lightweight Security for Windows

We all think alike. We want to keep our computers secure, but we do not want to use those extreme resource-consuming anti-virus or anti-malware programs. We basically do not want our computers to slow down to stay secure.

We have an option: We can employ lightweight security tools, and still stay secure (maybe not as secure, but good enough for most cases). I highly recommend the following two programs:

SpywareBlaster: Secures Internet Explorer and Firefox for free against known malicious websites to keep your computer uninfected.
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

a2free (a-squared): Free anti-virus and anti-malware detection and removal tool. The free version does not provide real-time protection, which means your computer will not slow down unintentionally. The scanning engine is good and very fast. Just run quick scan once in a while, if something is found, maybe try smart scan, and if you still suspect something, you can do a deep scan. You can also scan a single file or folder from the context menu.
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/