The NewsDemon Blog

Free 14 Days Of USENET Newsgroup Access!

August 26th, 2010


Six weeks are better than Four. For a limited time, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups is proud to offer new members a free additional 14 days of newsgroup access with any monthly subscription package.

Enjoy an additional 14 days of free USENET access and features from NewsDemon.com Newsgroups for the first month of your membership. Simply join at any time during this limited time promotion, and have your first recurring billing date 45 days after you sign up, giving you a total of 14 days of blazing USENET acccess absolutley free.

How It Works

Join on any day, and the initial price you pay for the Unlimited access membership will entitle you to 45 days of Usenet access before being rebilled. For instance, if you join on September 1st, your next rebill date will be on October 15th. Afterwards, your normail billing cycle will recur on the 15th of every month. No additional costs for the two weeks of additional Unlimited access!

That gives you 14 days of all the acclaimed Usenet features and access that NewsDemon.com Newsgroups provides. As a NewsDemon.com Newsgroups member, you’ll receive Unlimited access to over 107,000 uncensored newsgroups with 50 blazing fast connections to the closest US or EU server available.

NewsDemon Features

On top of the free two weeks, Unlimited Plus members also receive a free premium online storage account provided by StorageNinja for the length of your membership. As a NewsDemon.com Newsgroup member, you’ll get 30GB of space to upload all of your files that you can access anytime, anywhere.

This limited time offer is available now without any coupon codes or special reference. Sign up for any subscription plan and you’ll automatically be entitled to two weeks of free access! You must remain a member for at least the first forty five days in order to take advantage of this free two week deal. Cancellations before this date will result in a rebill after the first 30 days.

The free 14 days of USENET newsgroup access provided by NewsDemon.com Newsgroups are part of our continuous effort to give our members the most out of their USENET experience.

With over 600 days of binary retention, dual servers in both the United States and Europe to thousands of uncensored newsgroups make this the best time to use the blazing speeds and access that only NewsDemon.com Newsgroups can provide.

Join now to take advantage of this free two week of Unlimited access offer.

 

McAffee Warns Cameron Diaz Is A Threat

August 19th, 2010

It appears there truly is Something About Mary. Searching for “Cameron Diaz” online carries a one-in-ten chance of landing on a website or on a newsgroup post festering with malicious software that can infect your computer, according to security tech company McAfee.

McAfee compiles a list of the high profile celebrities whose names are used by cybercriminals to lure people online to download items loaded with malicious software.

Sneaky cybercriminals often use the names of popular celebrities to create traps and lure people to sites that are loaded with with malicious software such as spyware, adware, and viruses. Once a computer is infected, criminals will steal victims’ online banking passwords and e-mail passwords.

For the fourth year, The McAfee Most Dangerous Celebrities Study researches which sites and newsgroups are risky to search for celebrity names online. The top 10 celebrities with the highest percentages of risk this year are:

1. Cameron Diaz

2. Julia Roberts

3. Jessica Biel

4. Gisele Bündchen

5. Brad Pitt

6. Adriana Lima

7. Jennifer Love Hewitt, Nicole Kidman

8. Tom Cruise

9. Heidi Klum, Penelope Cruz

10. Anna Paquin

McAfee’s study even unearthed some surprises. Justin Bieber, one of the most popular celebrities at the moment is not only missing from the top, but is way down the list at position #46. Lady Gaga, another widely acclaimed star is also poorly positioned – or well, depending on how you look at it – at number 36.

“This year, the search results for celebrities are safer than they’ve been in previous years, but there are still dangers when searching online,” said Dave Marcus, security researcher for McAfee Labs

McAfee has published the list four years in a row now to boost sales of its SiteAdvisor program that vets online sites and usenet for malware and performs other online security pat-downs.

 

Smartphones Vulnerabilities Reveal Private Information

August 9th, 2010

If you’re one of the thousands who uses a smartphone to hold all of your data, you might want to reconsider what you put on there.

As some newsgroups point out, although smartphones are great at providing turn-by-turn directions, help you find the closest gas station and keep you updated on social network sites, most also store all of this information which is extremely valuable for bad guys.

Loose your phone, and you may find more things revealed about yourself than you’d imagine. Forensic experts have said that iPhones and other smartphones can provide extensive amount of both digital fingerprints as well footprints. This can allow crooks who may get in possession of your phone to exact where you’ve been, who you’ve communicated with and other personal information.

“There’s plenty of information an iPhone hangs onto,” Jonathan Zdziarski, author of iPhone Forensics “For example, the iPhone takes a screen shot every time you hit the home button, including shots of your e-mail with the time stamped on it.”

Since most nowadays come equipped with a GPS, camera, browser and other online tools, a wealth of information could be at the fingertips of someone you’d probably rather not want to share with, including:

Mapping software will store locations you’ve searched or directions you’ve received.

The auto correcting typing feature of iPhones actually stores words you’ve typed, which could potentially be accessed months after a message was sent and deleted.

Photos taken with the phone can contain information about where, when and with which device the image was captured.

Web browser information is also often stored, such as reservations the owner has made or sites they have visited.

The iPhone may be in the limelight for this type of information, but the Blackberry, Windows Mobile and even Android phones also can be dangerous.

Another thing to note is that text messages, other than those stored on your phone, are in most cases kept by your service provider as well. Having access to your phone, it may be easier for some to grab a hold of personal information to retrieve those records as well.

Be cautious when using your phone and pay close attention to how you use it and where you keep it. As Jonathon states: “People need to be aware that that racy picture you took is still going to be on there even after you delete it,” he warned. “So figure out what information is valuable to you, and don’t put that on your phone.”

 

Finland Right To Broadband Makes Newsgroup Access Easier

July 1st, 2010

Starting today, Finland has made it a legal right for everyone in the country to be connected to basic Internet broadband service of 1 megabit per second downlink speed, and has vowed to give everyone a 100 Mbps connection by 2015.

The move came considering internet had become an integral part of everyone’s life, which the government also acknowledged. 96 percent of the Finnish population is online and around 4,000 homes are left that needs to comply with the minimum speed.

“Internet services are no longer just for entertainment,” Finland’s communication minister Suvi Linden. “Finland has worked hard to develop an information society and a couple of years ago we realised not everyone had access. From now on a reasonable priced broadband connection will be everyone’s basic right in Finland.”

This could save many Finland Usenet newsgroup subscribers a lot of money yearly for their ISP broadband access to get on Usenet.

Finland is the first to make this a legal right, with Spain to follow suite. The UK has also passed legislation regarding broadband, guaranteeing 2Mbps connections to all citizens by 2012. They have not actually made broadband a legal right, though. Spain has said it will introduce a plan next year to allow citizens to buy at least 1Mbps of broadband at a regulated price, and telecommunications companies will be required to make the “universal service” available to everyone, no matter where they live.

The “universal service obligation” would be handled by about 26 different nationwide providers who would offer service around the country. It should not be too difficult: Finland is one of the world’s most wired countries, but only about 26 percent have a broadband connection–about the same as the United States.

As covered before, although the FCC has attempted to offer free broadband, it still a hazy dream that remains questionable if it will truly come into existence.

 

ATT Offers Free Online Access In Times Square

May 25th, 2010

Good news for AT&T and Usenet newsgroup subscribers who hang around Times Square often, as the carrier has confirmed that it would be launching its first-ever outdoor Wi-Fi hotspot in Times Square. The hotspot will give anybody with an iPhone or AT&T smartphone unlimited online use as part of this pilot project.

Instead of thousands and thousands of people simultaneously accessing the gigs of data on Usenet over AT&T’s bruised, congested cellular network, they can use free Wi-Fi, offloading traffic and reducing the strain on the network thousands of other people are trying to make phone calls over. The company acknowledged that the network was primarily there to offset the burden on AT&T’s 3G service in New York City, which even after a deliberate upgrade plan has been oversaturated primarily by the sheer amount of use from iPhone owners. Key cities such as San Francisco have also been overwhelmed by usage to this day and, while slightly improved, may be prime candidates for the next stages of the pilot.

“With this pilot AT&T Wi-Fi hotzone, we’re examining new ways to combine our Wi-Fi and 3G networks to help ensure that AT&T customers in Times Square always have a fast mobile broadband connection to do what matters most to them,” said John Donovan, AT&T chief technology officer, in a statement.

AT&T currently offers Wi-Fi at over 20,000 locations and reports 53.1 million Wi-Fi connections on its network in the first quarter alone.

 

Duke University Usenet Newsgroup Server Decommission Discount

May 5th, 2010

After thirty years of providing Usenet access, Duke University has recently announced they may have to decommission the newsgroup servers on campus. As a special discount to Duke University students, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups is offering a 40% discount on any of our monthly plans.

Dubbed by many as the original “Home of Usenet” since its inception in 1979, The Duke University servers have long provided students and faculty free access to Usenet newsgroups. Bridged between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University, grad students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the oldest and most widely used online communications systems that are still actively used today. Predating the World Wide Web, USENET newsgroups are responsible for creating the architecture in which social networks, forums and blogs are based upon today.

For all Duke University students that are looking to continue their subscription to USENET newsgroups, simply provide your duke issued email address at checkout to automatically discount 40% off your monthly subscription membership on any of our plans.

The cost and resources to continue free USENET newsgroups access has been increasingly difficult for schools to provide on campus. With rising costs and maintenance to be provided for the expanding world of USENET has left many to consider alternatives. As a root to the heart of USENET and the campus, some are questioning the plans on cutting off access at Duke. NewsgroupReviews has provided information to ask the school to reconsider.

We continue here at NewsDemon.com Newsgroups to provide a resource and alternative to Duke and other Colleges and Universities with our Free Usenet Access Program. For more than a year, the charity has and continues to provide Free Usenet newsgroup access to faculty and staff and also provides 25% off discounts to all students on any of our monthly newsgroup subscriptions. Increasing the offer, we now offer a whopping 40% off for students with a duke email address.

 

300MBPS WiMax2 Coming Soon

April 13th, 2010

wimax2-comes-to-usenet

USENET Newsgroup access may become faster on the go as several industry heavyweights are getting behind an effort to roll out the next generation of WiMAX technology, which boasts peak rates of more than 300 Mbps.

Although WiMAX has barely carved out a place in the market, a number of WiMAX supporters have announced the next version of the technology, WiMAX2. Newsgroups report that a slew of technology and warless companies each announced commitments to both the technology and to make their devices interoperable. WiMAX2 technology, according to technology newsgroups, will provide 300-Mbits of throughput, with less latency and more bandwidth available for applications like VOIP calls.

The technology provides a low-cost, open network system with an all IP mobile Internet solution that enables efficient and scalable networks for voice, data, and video transmission.

Presently there are two forms of WiMAX – “Fixed WiMAX” (802.16d) for faster Wi-Fi Hotspot / Wi-Fi ISP style network replacement and “Mobile WiMAX” (802.16e) for use as a 3G replacement by mobile phone operators. Mobile WiMAX can deliver download speeds of up to 144Mbps (35Mbps uploads), though in a real-world environment you wouldn’t expect more than 30Mbps. WiMAX2 is designed to meet IMT-Advanced (4G) standards which require delivering 1Gbps access speeds to fixed locations and 100Mbps to fast moving mobile nodes, low latency and capacity for VoIP.

Intel suggested that the new standard could help in the eventual transition from WiMax as the platform begins to feel the strain of increased data traffic from smartphone and multimedia file transfers. The new standard, which will be endorsed by the US electronics industry body Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), will only be the first step in a three-year process before products start hitting the market. The working group, including seven other firms, expects certification of products to start by late next year, following which production can start in 2012.

According to official sources the WiMAX Forum tracks about 559 WiMAX deployments in 147 countries covering over 620 million people globally. Also it was revealed that more than 130 devices and 60 base stations have been certified by the WiMAX Forum for the 2.3 GHz, 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands.

 

Happy 32nd Birthday Computerized Bulletin Board System (BBS)

February 17th, 2010

happy-birthday-bbs

On February 16, 1978, Ward Christensen and Randy Suess launched the first-ever dial-up BBS in Chicago. The idea stemmed during a blizzard that kept them indoors that helped create the first electronic bulletin board and ultimately, one of the first social networks. In modern usage, the term BBS may be used to refer to USENET newsgroups or other online type forums or social network outlets.

The first BBS was visionary as it created a way to circumvent the fundamental, age-old rules of socializing by responding to bulletin board ads found in the foyers of libraries and churches around the world. USENET, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and the entirety of the World Wide Web would later catapult with the same goal in mind.

Online BBSs formed much of the the core “cyberspace” in the 1980s and paved the way for many users to find and use USENET newsgroups. BBS is short for “Bulletin Board System” which is has been a social networking platform that not only predates sites like Myspace and Facebook, but also the World Wide Web. As one of the first online communication methods, users would dial in directly to other users via modem connection and share information. Most BBS networks were not linked in real-time. Instead, each would dial up the next in line, and/or a regional hub, at preset intervals to exchange files. It was the first step of what we know the World Wide Web to be today. A better, simpler system later followed – USENET.

Rather than mirroring the meet-and-greet and services-offered format of real-world bulletin boards, BBSes very quickly became forums. Questions were asked and anonymously answered.

It was several decades before the hardware or the network caught up to Christensen and Suess’ imaginations, but all the basic seeds of today’s online communities were in place when the two launched the first bulletin board, dubbed CBBS for computerized bulletin board system. The two developers announced their creation to the world in the November 1978 issue of Byte magazine.

It’s hard to say where USENET would have been if not for the BBS. As many early adapters, the infant stage of USENET were full of BBS users that formed the most popular newsgroups that exist to this day, thirty years later.

 

NewsDemon.com Newsgroups Now Offers 50 Simultaneous Connections

February 1st, 2010

50connections

NewsDemon.com Newsgroups recently upgraded its services again which now allow access to a total of 50 simultaneous connections. The connection upgrade now allows for faster connections and overall speed when accessing any of the 107,000 newsgroups the USENET access provider carries.
The increase in simultaneous connections is now more than double as NewsDemon.com Newsgroups offers an additional 30 connections to its previous 20 simultaneous connection limit. The increase in simultaneous connections will now allow NewsDemon.com Newsgroup members to access newsgroups easier and faster than ever. By increasing the number of connections, users will have to wait less when accessing multiple articles from any of the thousands of newsgroups that NewsDemon.com Newsgroups carry.
Recently, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups also announced an increase in binary retention that has grown past the 500 day mark. With this new increase in retention, which allows older articles to be retrieved, having an increase to 50 simultaneous connections couldn’t have come at a better time.
The increase to 50 simultaneous connections affects both US and EU customers. The NewsDemon.com Newsgroups member’s area blog offers additional information and advice on how to set up a newsreader to increase the number of connections it allows.
All of these upgrades are included with a NewsDemon.com Newsgroups membership and do not incur any additional charges for any of these upgrades. NewsDemon.com Newsgroups prides itself on providing premium features and services as a trusted name as a USENET access provider. The latest round of upgrades and features from NewsDemon.com Newsgroups are part of the continuing process of delivering premium features and services as a trusted USENET access provider.

 

NewsDemon.com NewsRover Newsgroup Newsreader Updated

December 10th, 2009

newsrover-new-version-newsreader

The version of NewsRover newsreader that all members receive free with their subscription has been upgraded to version 15.1 Rev: 0: 10. All members are invited to login and download the latest update.

NewsDemon.com Newsgroup members are entitled to receive the newsreader free with any of subscription or plan. Updates for the newsreader are included as part of the subscription to USENET provided by NewsDemon.com Newsgroups.

The current NewsRover newsreader update reflects a number of enhancements to make the best out of your USENET experience.  For first time users, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups also provides a tutorial on How To Install NewsRover

The award winning NewsRover newsreader has a variety of features that make it indispensable to many. NewsRover saves time while efficiently automating many of the processes involved with newsgroup subscriptions. The update will not affect current settings or previously downloaded newsgroup headers.