Fortunately this story has a happy ending. Apple realized it was a mistake and decided to refund the Kitchens. However, there's a lot of lingering questions. How could this happen, and more importantly, how can you prevent it from happening to you?
The blame obviously lies with the parents themselves. Apple had emailed them an itemized invoice for 70 pounds the next day. They ignored it assuming it was sent in error. In fact it's likely the spree would have continued had the Kitchens' credit card company not called. That's mistake number one. Any charge that you did not make on your credit card should always be cause for alarm. ALWAYS check your receipts. I can't stress this enough.
The second mistake was allowing a five year old unsupervised access to the family computer. Kids are a lot smarter than we adults tend to give them credit for. It's truly amazing how much trouble they can make in such a short time. Especially when you give them the means to buy things when the child has no concept of money.
"Free" games targeted at young children frequently use micro-transactions for in-game items. These items range for $1 all the way up to $100 or more for something as stupid as a "Trunk of Diamonds" in one particular farming simulator. The kid is smart enough to know that more resources make the game easier. What they don't know is these items cost mommy and daddy real, finite money.
Lucky for you, it's very easy to protect yourself from what's happened to the Kitchens and countless others.
1. Never let kids use the computer unsupervised.
Don't treat it as a babysitting tool. If your child wants to play a game, play it with them. As any parent knows, kids that young can start a world of trouble if you take your eyes off them. For the love of god never share your passwords with your children either. Heck I can remember hacking my dad's user account when I was eight because his password was too obvious.
2. Familiarize yourself with your computer's security and parental controls.
It's amazing how many people rely on technology to run their lives, but are still technologically illiterate.
In iOS, under the settings tab, go into General and click restrictions These are your parental controls. The list labelled "Allowed Content" is what you're interested in. Particularly the two at the bottom. By default, iOS allows in-app purchases and waits 15 minutes before requiring a password to buy and download new content from the App Store. You'll want to set these to OFF and IMMEDIATELY respectively. This will prevent kids from accidentally buying things without your permission.
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| Turn off "In-App Purchases" and set Require Password to "Immediate" to prevent accidental charges |
The biggest problem with iOS is you can't set up separate accounts for different users. HOWEVER, what you can do is set up multiple iTunes Store accounts which can be used on a single device.
It's very easy and requires about five minutes of your time. Sign out of iTunes on your computer, then hit sign in and select "Create Apple ID". Don't tie a credit card to this account. Just select "none" as your payment method. Now that your kid has their own account, which you will monitor, they cannot download any apps or in-game content that aren't free.
4. Teach your kids the value of money
It's never too early to start teaching your kids the value of a dollar. Get them to do some chores to earn money, or if they like playing games on your iPad, some iTunes gift cards. Let them know that once they spend the value of the card, that money is gone and they'll have to earn another. Not only will this prevent you from financial heartache, it will set them up for a responsible future.
5. When all else fails, don't count on a bailout
The Kitchens got extremely lucky here, in that Apple refunded them. However, they are a business not a charity. Once these incidents start happening too many times, they won't be as forgiving. If you take the above steps to protect yourself, you shouldn't encounter problems. That is unless your kid is Bart Simpson and is smart enough to steal your credit card. But that's a whole different kettle of fish.
Sources:
ArsTechnica
BBC News
Handbrake (Mac/Windows/Linux, free)
Most devices use the the advanced video format (AVC) also known as H.264. If you need to convert any video into AVC, Handbrake will do it, fast. It's designed to do just one thing and one thing well. Of course it does have a few frills, like deinterlacing, freely adjustable bit rates, cropping, and presets for most Apple devices. On Mac and Linux, it also supports 64-bit processors for about a 10% speed bump. It will convert most DVDs in real time, which is pretty quick for a CPU converter. Handbrake open source program, works with all major operating systems, and it's completely free.
SUPER Media File Converter (Windows, free)
SUPER is clunky, a tad on the slowside, and not exactly the most user friendly program out there. Even finding the download link on eRightSoft's website is a chore. However, it's one of the few free converters out there that will literally convert anything into anything. Got an MPEG that needs to be in DV format? Done. It's one of the few programs that actually supports professional formats such as DV, so it's often my go to when editing.
Media Espresso (Windows, $37.56 on sale)
Cyberlink's converting program isn't cheap, but it does have one thing going for it. It will tap into the power of your computer's graphics card. There's a lot of power hidden in there too. It's the most user friendly and straightforward program on our list. It's basic drag and drop converting. Select your file, drag it into Espresso, hit the convert button your device, and it does the rest. You can also set up custom profiles with today's most common video formats. Where Espresso shines is speed. Using my Radeon HD 5770, I can convert a two hour DVD in just 20 minutes. It would normally take the full two hours using Handbrake. Unlike other GPU converters, it works with Intel, nVidia, and AMD graphics chips. If you need to convert big video files fast, and have a reasonably powerful graphics card, it's well worth the expense.
Video encoding is a common task these days. We all want to export our DVDs to different formats so we can watch them on a variety of devices we have around the house. Or maybe you need something converted to a format Final Cut can read for editing your home movies. Here are four excellent free video encoders you should definitely take a look at.
Handbreak (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux)
Encodes video as H.264 and MKV formats. Vary easy to use but contains a few powerful features. It supports multi-core processors and the Mac version is full 64-bit, promising a 10% boost in performance. Handbreak comes with a number of presets for devices such as Apple TV, PS3, and Xbox 360 making it the ideal, light weight choice for encoding files for your media devices.
Dr. DivX (Windows, Mac OS X)
A free DivX encoder that is produced in house by DivX Labs, it acts as a counterpart to the payware DivX encoder. Not as easy to use as the paid version but it's quite a powerful piece of software. It will convert any video you have to the popular DivX format which can be played back on numerous devices such as PS3, Xbox 360, and many DVD players. DivX isn't as good as H.264 but it encodes faster.
Super (Windows)
It's not user friendly but Super is an extremely powerful encoder. It's a must have for anybody doing video editing, namely because it's one of the few (if not the only) free converters that will encode anything you throw at it to DV and MPEG 2. It's also blazing fast compared to a lot of other programs out there thanks to it's excellent multi-core support. Too bad it's only for Windows.
Red Kawa PSP Video 9 (Windows, Mac OS X)
A light weight encoder tailored specifically to encode videos to PSP and PS3 formats. It's a bit on the slow side but it's dead stupid easy to use. If you're encoding files for mobile devices, this is the one to get. Check out the other Red Kawa device specific encoders too.
Since 2006, Apple has been using Intel processors instead of PowerPC. This was done mainly because the PowerPC G5 ran too hot and consumed too much energy to be used in mobile systems. Intel's Core and later Core 2 processors are much cooler and more energy efficient. An added bonus is that Apple systems can now execute x86 processor instructions, the same used in PC systems. There really isn't much differentiating Macs and PCs these days. One thing they now share in common is that they can both run Windows. "Heresey!" Well, maybe, however, the biggest problem plaguing Mac users is that some 90% of computers in the world run Microsoft's OS. You'll eventually run into situations where you have to use a Windows program because there is no suitable Mac version. That's where Boot Camp comes in. Introduced in final as part of OS X 10.5 Leopard, it allows you to dual boot between OS X and another operating system on any Intel based Mac. This includes new 64-bit operating systems that allow you to run more than 3.5gb of RAM, which is the ceiling for 32-bit Windows. For gaming and media, Windows Vista, being the RAM pig that it is, really benefits from 4gb or more. However, there's a problem, Boot Camp won't let you run a 64-bit OS on certain systems, even if they have 64-bit processors. The Macbook is one such system.
You might be thinking that's the end of the road. "I try to run Boot Camp and it tells me my copy of 64-bit Vista is incompatible. I've wasted $150 on this trash!" Well fear not. You've still wasted $150 on that trash regardless of whether it works or not. However, there is away around the road block Apple has erected. It's not that it won't let you install Vista to the hard drive, it just refuses to install the drivers for the system. So, you'll have to install them manually. The process is rather strait forward.
1. To start with, you're system needs a 64-bit processor. That means Intel Core 2 only. The original Core (aka Yonnah) is 32-bit. Run Boot Camp Assistant from the OS X Applications/Utilities folder and partition the hard drive however you'd like.
2. Load the 64-bit Vista DVD in you computer and restart it. It will boot into the DVD automatically. Fill our the usual forms and other rubbish and click install. Wait for what seems like days for it to install. Microsoft still hasn't figured out how to speed that part up.
3. When it's done, the computer will restart and boot into Vista automatically. Once the desktop is loaded up, insert the OS X 10.5 install DVD that came with your computer. It will enter autorun and the Boot Camp installer will tell you your OS is incompatible with your particular Mac. Just click off it.
4. Go into "Computer" (formerly My Computer) and manually browse the DVD. (Right click the DVD icon and select browse from the menu) Open the BootCamp folder, then open the Drivers sub folder in there. Under Drivers, open the Apple sub folder. In there, you should find a program called BootCamp64.exe. Double click on it to run it. The program will automatically install all Windows hardware drivers for your Mac. This bypasses the compatibility check you first encountered. Windows should now run natively on any 64-bit capable Mac. To switch between the two, hold down the Option key when you turn your computer on. Follow Apple's instructions on how to select the desired default OS.
Oddly enough, Apple includes all the drivers for incompatible systems on the OS X DVD. Even the drivers for the new Late 2008 Macbook. I really can't understand why Apple would limit certain systems from running 64-bit Windows other than to force people to buy more expensive hardware. The fact that they include the 64-bit drivers for "incompatible" Macs anyway makes it all the more puzzling. For the most part, Windows Vista 64-bit runs perfectly fine (or as fine as Vista gets) on the new Macbook other than the occasional sound glitches in games.
Note: Alternatively, you can use Windows XP 64-bit Edition as well if you desire.
I'm not a big music buff. When I do listen to it, I usually listen to it on the radio (or satellite radio) or from physical media such as CDs or vinyl. I rip audio from those physical sources to my MP3 player in high quality 320kbps AAC files for listening on the go. I have never purchased digital music (not to be confused with CDs despite them technically being digital as well). DRM has always been the overwhelming flaw with the way digital music is distributed. As you probably know, Digital Rights Management restricts what you can do with a song such as the number of times it can be copied to another device, and even what devices it can be copied too. The whole concept was (supposedly) developed to stop music and video piracy. However, many users who bought the songs without realizing they were protected, or the extent of how they are protected have been getting a rude awakening. DRM on songs stored on your computer are subjected to a license. You have paid for the song but technically, you are only renting it. Each song has a license embedded in it. It communicates with a central server that determines that you are allowed to use said song on that specific system. Now here's the issue. What would happen if the retailer chose to shut shut down their licensing server. That's what now defunct MSN Music did. Now Yahoo Music is going to do the same. What this means is that the DRM embedded in the song can't find out if your are its rightful renter and therefore, it locks down the file. You've paid for something that is now totally useless.
There is a work around, being to burn the songs to CDs. This strips them of their DRM but reriping them lowers their already low quality further. Also, this is technically illegal to do under the United States' DMCA as it is considered circumventing copy protection. Yahoo is telling its users to do this anyway despite that fact. CNet's Digital Media blog brought up an interesting concept though. What if Apple shut down the iTunes licensing servers. It seems impossible but remember that Microsoft and Yahoo are huge companies as well. If they ever did, more than 1 billion songs would go down the drain. It would be a PR nightmare but the iTunes Store terms of service specifically states that Apple cannot be held responsible should this happen. Therefore, customers would be shit out of luck. You really did get what you pay for. As I noted above, most people don't even realize that music is not theirs to own. You're just leasing it. Unlike auto leases and such, you don't have vary many legal rights when leasing music. This is the fundamental flaw with digital distribution and the reason why I would never buy songs from iTunes. As I have said before, I think it's high time DRM be banned. All it serves to do is abuse legal customers. In the mean time, you should purchase your music on CD, vinyl LP, or from trusted DRM-free music services like Amazon. If you choose to buy DRM ladden products, you're taking a gamble with your investment.
A lot of people might be surprised to know that today's consoles are essentially made up of desktop PC parts crammed into the little box. Well, it's not that simple but you can use your game console as a desktop PC.
Surely you've heard of Linux. It the third major desktop operating system core behind Windows and Mac OS. Linux is Unix based and is therefore very similar to Mac OS X, though not as streamlined. There are four consoles today that are capable of running Linux. These are the Xbox, Xbox 360, Playstation 2, and Playstation 3. The PS2 and the PS3 are best suited for running Linux. In order to run the OS, the console must have a built in hard drive to store it on, and not all PS2 models do. The 360 has a limited Linux project known as Free60, but Microsoft seems to be trying to discourage Linux on the 360 (for obvious reasons). Software updates for the original Xbox have also made installing Linux on it more difficult.
One thing worth noting is that Linux isn't one operating system but is rather a group of operating systems all based on a single core (aka the kernel). You will need to find a Linux distribution.
For this article, we'll be looking at installing Linux on the Playstation 3. The PS3 is the easiest system to install the OS on. Sony actually encourages the use of Linux on it's console and allows you to switch between it and the XMB through the system settings menu. First, you'll need a distro. For the purpose of this article, we'll be using Xubuntu. Xubuntu is an offshoot of the well known Ubuntu OS. Most Linux distros are open source and therefore free to download. Xubuntu is a light weight variant of Ubuntu that is used for low memory systems. Since the PS3 only has 256mb of system memory, Xubuntu is ideal. You can also use Ubuntu or Kubuntu if you want but they consume more memory. Kubuntu uses the KDE desktop which is more Windows like. Ubuntu uses GNOME while Xubuntu uses the Xfce desktop, which is similar to GNOME. First you'll need to download the distribution of your choice for the processor your using. The PS3 uses the Cell processor so we'll need a distribution programmed for it. You want Xubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) for PS3. Go to this page.
http://cdimages.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/ports/releases/7.10/release/
Then click "Playstation 3 Desktop CD". Download it to your PC's desktop and burn it to a CD. The download is roughly 500mb.
You also need a keyboard and mouse to install and use Linux on any of the consoles mentioned. Since most have USB ports, any USB mouse and keyboard should work. Wireless, non-Bluetooth versions are best to use.
For installation, PSUbuntu provides an excellent list of instructions on how to setup the Playstation 3. Linux is pretty easy to setup but involves some extra steps that Windows doesn't. Follow their instructions for installation and setup carefully.
http://psubuntu.com/installation-instructions/
When using an HDTV or computer monitor, you'll need to adjust the video mode. Learn how to do it here.
http://psubuntu.com/installation-instructions/setup/
If you get stuck, consult their forums.
Now, lets go over what you can and can't do with Linux on your PS3. Keeping in mind that the PS3 really isn't meant to be a home computer, it does have some limitations. First of all, there are no drivers available for the RSX graphics processor so 3D games and Compiz desktop effects are out of the question. The PS3 is also limited to 256mb system memory so memory hogging programs are out of the question. Numerous other glitches limit audio output to stereo sound through the RCA connector only, allows only WEP encrypted Wifi, and sporadic access to the BD drive. Some AV codecs are also missing due to patent issues but can be downloaded separately. DVD-Video for example cannot be played. Look into PSUbuntu for how to enable it.
What can you do then? Well, you can surf the internet, write and read emails, use office suites, and playback more exotic audio and video files such as OGG Vorbis and Xvid. AV files stored on a memory card can be read and played no problem. Open Source codecs such as OGG Vorbis are included with the OS though I recommend you download and install the open source VLC Player through the "install/uninstall" menu under system settings. The web experience is also a little better than the PS3's XMB browser. You get the popular and fully functional Firefox browser included with your distro. The only problem is that Adobe doesn't have a flash version of PowerPC/Cell editions of Linux so flash based sites won't work well. While the PS3 won't replace a proper desktop or laptop PC/Mac, it will provide you some basic functions that make it well suited for an HTPC setup in a bedroom or living room where a typical computer is not practical.
Now that I've covered Linux on the PS3, what about Xbox? Well, as I said, Microsoft doesn't exactly make it easy. Sony has always bragged that the PS2 and PS3 can run Linux and has based a lot of marketing on that fact. Microsoft is not so helpful. Microsoft doesn't like Linux for obvious reasons, despite claims to the otherwise. They want you to buy brand new PC with a shiny copy of Windows Vista along with your Xbox 360. Running home brew software on the Xbox is difficult and complicated. To use Linux, you need to be pretty computer literate as it is. Installing it on the 360 is not a strait forward process like it is on the PS3. You can visit the Free60 Wiki to find out more. They're the ones leading the Linux on Xbox 360 project. However, I would recommend you not even think to attempt this unless your a computer power user who's already experienced with Linux and home brew.
http://www.free60.org/wiki/Main_Page
The original Xbox also needs some extra steps and has some limitations. You're limited to only 10gb of HDD space which is shared with the game OS where as the PS2 allows you to use a dedicated drive and the PS3 allows you to allocate up to 70gb (on the 80gb model) for the "Other OS". Damn Small Linux is a good distro choice. XDSL is an Xbox specific version of this desto, which weighs in at only 50mb. Like the Xbox 360, this one requires some modding of the system hardware. You need to flash the BIOS with a home brew one. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then don't try to install Linux on this system. Here's the instructions.
http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/XDSL_HOWTO
The PS2 can also run Linux as mentioned. Sony released a Linux kit for it which included the OS, keyboard and mouse, VGA connector, network adapter, and a 40gb HDD. The kit is no longer officially sold in the USA but some copies are likely still floating around. Linux will work on all PS2 models with a HDD bay, which excludes the new slim models.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS2_Linux
Lastly, what about Wii? Can Wii run Linux? The answer is no, for now. A project known as WiiLi.org is working on it but Linux is not working on the system yet.
http://www.wiili.org/index.php/Main_Page
I was reading on the BBC today about a series of "spam trojan" attacks being launched at Blogger, the host of this blog. They somehow hijack blogs and create fake posts with links to virus infected files. As a note, I do not post videos on this blog or my other blog. I rarely post links either for that reason. You can Google the stuff if you need to find it.
Unfortunately, this is becoming a big problem. I suppose you've all gotten them in your email by now. Fake greeting cards, links that pretend to be from Youtube, and "fun" links that that only come up as IP addresses. It's wise not to click any links you find in your email unless you know the person and that you knew they were sending you something. These false links, sometimes appearing legitimate are boobytrapped with viruses. Police suspect that all this is the responsibility of a single group, though who this group is is unknown.
Internet vandals are a huge problem. Spam, viruses, spyware, rootkits there seems to be more of it than ever. Even legitimate websites can become easily infected without anybody knowing. You have to secure yourself. Get a decent anti-virus program. I recommend Avast!. It's a professional program but the home version is freeware and fully functional. It's one of the best anti-virus programs out there. If you must by a commercial anti-virus, Norton is probably the best widely available product. I don't recommend McAffee since I've seen problems with it in the past. I don't recommend Norton either actually since it uses more memory and processing power than should be necessary but it at least won't screw up your computer.
Secondly, secure yourself when on the net. When joining web forums or filling out forms that ask for your email, setup a free email account through Gmail, MSN, or Yahoo for that purpose. Don't share your home email. On web forums, always select to hide your email from the public. If other members need to speak with you personally, they can use the forum's built in PM feature. Remember to also keep your firewall active to prevent hacking attempts. Lastly, don't visit potentially hazardous sites such as porn sites and don't click on links willy nilly. P2P services such as Limewire are also a haven for viruses and other malware.
Most computers only come with very basic software. Apple is a little more generous while Microsoft systems tend to very sparse. With Windows computers, you really only get the bare essentials. Office suites tend to be the biggest letdown considering they're one of the most used programs. With most store bought Windows and Apple computers, you get either Microsoft Works or Appleworks. Both programs are extremely dated and limited in functionality. Apple includes Office, but only as a trial version. Office costs at least $170 for the basic Home & Student edition and up to a whopping $900 for the so called Ultimate edition. For the average home user, I think even $170 is a hefty price tag for an office suite. There is a cheaper Basic version but it's OEM only. Most software stores where you're average user shops don't sell OEM packages.
So what does $170 get you. Well, it gives you the basics. Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and something called OneNote. That last one seems to be a fairly useless program for making notebooks.
Now what if I told said to you that you could get all that for free. You'd probably think I'd gone nuts or downloaded a pirated version of Office. No, my way is easy, free, and 100% legal. It's called open source. You might be familiar with open source already. The popular Firefox web browser is an open source program. What this basically means is that a program's code is freely available to edit. Large communities of programmers work on these projects rather than just a few working for a software company. The finished product is usually available free of charge to the public.
Introducing OpenOffice.org. An open source office suite. It once was a derivative of Sun Microsystems's StarOffice. It's available for regular download, torrent download, or on CD. All are free of charge. OpenOffice currently runs on all major operating systems including Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OS X, and Linux.
The following programs are included with the suite.
-Writer: A word processor similar to Word.
-Calc: A spreadsheet program similar to Excel.
-Impress: A presentation program similar to PowerPoint.
-Base: A database program similar to Microsoft Access.
-Draw: A drawing program similar to CorelDRAW
-Math: A tool for creating mathematical formulas
-Basic: Similar to Microsoft Visual Basics
If you've used Office or Corel Office, you'll find these programs familiar and easy to use. The functionality of OpenOffice 2.2 is almost identical to Microsoft Office 2007. OpenOffice lacks programs similar to Publisher, OneNote, InfoPath, and SharePoint Designer. However, most of the features that these programs have are already embedded in OpenOffice's programs. For example, Publisher lets you save documents as professional quality PDF. So does Writer. In fact, in Writer, saving to PDF is a one click processes by clicking the PDF icon in the tool bar. Many of the programs Office adds aside from the core seven (mentioned above) are superfluous. In the tech world, it's called bloatware. You do not need to be paying $600 for that crap. The only major component missing is something similar to Outlook. However, the Mozilla project has Thunderbird for email and Sunbird as a calendar program. Hop over to www.mozilla.com for those. If you're using Mac, you already have programs similar to Outlook such as Mail and iCal.
When it comes to saving and transporting documents, that's always been a problem. OpenOffices uses the open document format, or .odt in the case of Writer files. As the name suggests, it's an open format. OpenOffice can also save files as Office documents so that Office can read them. It is also capable of reading a much wider number of formats from all popular Office suites.
If you're using a Mac, you might want to check out NeoOffice. It's adapted to run natively on Mac while the OpenOffice Mac version runs on the X11 windowing system. Don't worry about what that is. What the NeoOffice guys have done is tweak OpenOffice to run natively on Mac OS X using tools such as Java and Cocoa. What this means is that Mac users will have a full Aqua interface complete with proper menus and even visual effects. NeoOffice runs a little slower than OpenOffice X11. However, the X11 version has a clumsy interface due to it being essentially a near-direct port of the Linux version. NeoOffice is available for all versions of OS X. The current version is based on OpenOffice 2.1. It's compatible with both Intel and PowerPC Macs. www.neooffice.org
I've used OpenOffice for four years now and I highly recommend it. There's certainly no harm in trying it since it's totally free, no catch. Download it at www.openoffice.org
