The Hungry Beast has posted an amusing and informative video about Google “the Beast.” It’s a fascinating, amusing and sobering video that outlines what Google is up to, and just how far their reach has grown.

See for yourself, then share your thoughts. Do you trust Google?

Click here to view the embedded video.

What’s in a (brand) name? A little social media humor for today’s Sunday Funny.

For years, I’ve told people to stay away from block-checker websites. Back in November, Christopher Boyd wrote on SpywareGude to beware of a block checker file that you can now download. It’s a new spin on the websites that have stolen credentials for some time. AIf you install MSN Block Checker you will be infecting your machine with Mob.Blockcheck – take a look at it’s behaviors and I’m sure you’ll decide you don’t really want it on your machine.  Also referenced in this detailed post are 3 previous posts about other online sites claiming to tell you who’s blocked you and phishing scams aimed solely at getting you to reveal your login credentials. Just this week, the well known Raymond.cc blog posted on an email that appears to come from one of your contacts and leads to a site asking for your login info to determine who has you blocked. I probably don’t need to tell you the email is a phishing scam. The friend from whom it comes has probably had their login stolen. The Raymond.cc post also includes very good information on what to do if you believe your login credentials have been compromised.

Many users don’t practice good security online – using the same login and/or password for multiple sites and services.  Being compromised may mean there is a lot more at risk in such cases. Phishers and hackers are quite happy to share their payloads with each other. Many people wrongly assume that because they run an antivirus or malware scan and it comes up clean they are not at risk and/or have not been compromised. FALSE!  Until the advent of the “downloadable” file previously mentioned, most of this phishing was done online. It’s true many of these sites also dump malware or crapware on your machine as a bonus – but the real problem is when the credentials are entered online. It’s hook, line and sinker for the phisher. They have what they need.  All those annoying IM’s and emails going out to contacts will most likely be happening from a remote server. All the antivirus and malware scans in the world aren’t going to stop it from happening.  Following the advice on what to do when you’ve become compromised becomes paramount if you want to stop the problem (and I assure you – your contacts would really appreciate it if you do.)

Knowing if you’ve been blocked is obviously tempting (or the phishers wouldn’t be doing so well with it now would they?)  I have never heard of a block checker that works, doesn’t infect your machine or steal your credentials.  Ask yourself this. Why does a site need your login credentials to determine if someone else is online? Doesn’t make a lot of sense does it? You have to ask yourself – is it really worth it to find out? There are options. Email the person and ask if they are not communicating for a reason. While slightly subversive, you could create another identify and see if the person will add you as a new contact. If you can see them online with one identity and not the other, then you are likely blocked.  Of course, that’s only as good as getting the person to accept some unknown new contact on their list (and if they weren’t mad at you before they may be after you do that if they figure it out.) Send them an IM – perhaps they just aren’t showing online, but will actually answer you. Or, you could just be adult about it – accepting that someone is showing offline to you for whatever their own personal reasons may be. Whatever your choice – stay away from the block checkers. They don’t work and the risks are far greater than the reward (or lack thereof).

Philip has been a member of BigBlueBall since 2006, and his support in our WLM forums did not escape the notice of Microsoft. He was nominated a couple months ago by Lilian Quek (MVP Lead from Microsoft Singapore). Philip’s patient and helpful advice continues to help Windows Live Messenger users on a day-to-day basis.

What is the Microsoft Most Valuable Proffessionals (MVP) program all about? Here is a description straight from the Microsoft MVP web site:

…individuals who are recognized by peers as well as by Microsoft for past credible participation, highest quality answers and a demonstrated willingness to share their Microsoft technical expertise with others while providing guidance and assistance in peer-to-peer technical communities worldwide.

While these individuals represent a wide variety of backgrounds and professions, MVPs share the basic characteristics of possessing very strong technical skills in one or more Microsoft products or technology areas. Microsoft MVPs also possess the willingness to share that knowledge with others.

Selected contributors earn their MVP status by being nominated by their peers in the community, Microsoft Support Professionals, or Microsoft Product Group members who have seen consistent, professional and accurate technical answers or guidance in response to customer questions.

Congratulations, Philip, on your well-deserved recognition!

This clever video does a great job of explaining what Twitter is and why it matters.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Of course, it is possible to take Twitter too seriously, in which case you should watch this. Oh, and please follow us on Twitter.

Customers first noted the problem in the official Blackberry support forums.

RIM’s centralized structure for pushing email has been very reliable over time, but an outage has the potential to affect millions of Blackberry users.

The Canadian company is scheduled to release their quarterly earnings report this afternoon. Should be an interesting day for them.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Rives is a regular on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and starts in the Bravo special “Ironic Iconic America.”

Google Goggles let’s you take a picture of something, and Google will do a quick search that tells you more whatever you were looking at. Obviously, it won’t work for everything, but it does have fairly broad application. They provide examples of how you can use it for looking up information about a landmark, artwork, bottle of wine, brand, book, contact info (i.e. a business card) or place.

How Google Goggles Works

In a nutshell, Goggles lets users search for objects using images rather than words. Simply take a picture with your phone’s camera, and if we recognize the item, Goggles returns relevant search results. Right now Goggles identifies landmarks, works of art, and products (among other things), and in all cases its ability to “see further” is rooted in powerful computing, pervasive connectivity, and the cloud:

• First they send the user’s image to Google’s datacenters
• Next they create signatures of objects in the image using computer vision algorithms
• They then compare signatures against all other known items in our image recognition databases; and
• They figure out how many matches exist; and
• Return one or more search results, based on available meta data and ranking signals; and
• Google does all of this in just a few seconds

Google Goggles Explained

This video provides a great introduction to Google Goggles.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s a clever idea, but it’s currently only available on phones running Android 1.6+. Of course there’s no reason they couldn’t do the same for the iPhone or other smartphones, and I suspect versions for those will pop up soon.

If you’re running an Android phone, head over to the Android Market on your phone and search for “Google Goggles.” Let us know how it works for you!

This is the first version, and currently only supports instant messaging conversations. VoIP support is promised in a future update.

Nimbuzz for BlackBerry supports IM via Skype, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, Facebook and MySpace. The app is free, and will work on all BlackBerry smartphones running OS 4.6 or higher, including the Pearl Flip, Curbe, Bold, Storm and Tour.

Want Nimbuzz for your BlackBerry?
Get it here.