Treatment of Cold Sores

Cold sores (also known as fever blisters, herpes labialis / orolabial herpes viral infections), small lesions that form on or near the lips, can be unpleasant or even painful. They normally run their course and heal in about 2 weeks, but the duration and severity of outbreaks can be significantly decreased with proper medication.

In addition to prescription antivirual drugs like Acyclovir, heavily promoted treatments include Abreva, Releev and Viroxyn (all relatively expensive at $20 and up). What really matters, of course, is the active ingredient, not the brand name. The active ingredient in Abreva is Docosanol (behenyl alcohol); in Releev and Viroxyn it's benzalkonium chloride, which was found to be more effective than Docosanol in a recent study.

So is benzalkonium chloride a new wonder drug? No, it's the active ingredient in classic Bactine, which has been around since 1950. In other words, inexpensive Bactine is as effective in treating cold sores as these newer, more heavily promoted, more expensive medications.

For best results, cold sores should be treated at the earliest signs, typically a tingling in the skin, and the treatment should be worked into (penetrate) the skin. The drawback to Bactine is that it's a liquid, so working it into the skin is inconvenient, but there are gel products with the same active ingredient that are easy to apply effectively:

• Tecnu First Aid Antiseptic Pain-Relieving Gel ($10 at Walgreens)
  Extra strength (0.20% versus standard 0.13%), easily absorbed, recommended.
• Scar Zone Topical Analgesic and Antiseptic Burn Gel ($5.50 at Walgreens)
  Standard strength, least expensive.

For related information, see Cold Sore Relief Scam.

Tip: Benzalkonium chloride is also effective in treating acne. Acne treatments by Neutrogena with benzalkonium chloride are recommended.

Secure Wi-Fi with VPN

UPDATE: Recommended VPN 2020

When you use a public Wi-Fi hotspot, you expose your Internet traffic to interception and evesdropping by other users of the hotspot, even when wireless access is secured by WEP or WPA with a shared key.

The best way to protect yourself is to use a virtual private network (VPN) service, which securely encrypts (protects) your Internet traffic all the way to the VPN service provider gateway, thus also protecting you against monitoring (snooping) by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). (Your traffic is not protected between the VPN gateway and remote websites, but this is normally not a concern.)

To create a VPN connection (or "tunnel"), software in your computer connects to corresponding software in the VPN gateway. You may be able to use VPN software included in the operating system with your computer, or you may need to download and install special VPN software, depending on the type of VPN connection (protocol). After you've made a Wi-Fi connection, you typically start your VPN software, which then makes the VPN connection to the VPN gateway.

A few of the better low-cost VPN service providers, where you can get information and help on what software, protocol(s), and gateway(s) to use as part of opening a VPN service account:

• Air VPN
  ~$70 per year or ~$9 per month (depending on current Euro conversion rate, 10-15% off coupon codes may be available). Selectable servers in multiple countries; transparent policies on bandwidth allocation; high performance; no discrimination toward any service, protocol or application; full support for dynamic remote port forwarding. Uses OpenVPN (very high security). Support by forums and email.
• Private Tunnel
  First 100 MB free, then pay (in advance) for capacity you actually use with no monthly fees. Free easy-to-use software for Windows, Mac, Android, and iPad/iPhone. Good performance and reliability. Blocks access to malicious websites by means of Google DNS. Supports DD-WRT wireless router firmware. Run by OpenVPN Technologies in Pleasanton, California.
• VPNBook
  Free PPTP and OpenVPN. No registration required. No bandwidth limits. Privacy protection. Easy to set up. Free Web Proxy. Commercial service available at $8 per month. Headquarters in Switzerland. Servers in USA, UK, and Romania.
• WiTopia
  Service as low as $50 per year. Monthly plan available. Pro account only moderately more expensive. Unconditional money back guarantee. Gateway servers in 57 cities in 35 countries. Fast and unlimited data transfer. 99.99% uptime. Supports OpenVPN (Pro account only), Cisco IPsec, L2TP/IPsec, and PPTP. Free SMTP Mail Relay and Secure DNS service. 24x7x365 Support by live chat or email. 

Not Acceptable:

• boxpn
  Sends passwords in insecure email, and passwords can't be changed by users (both serious security issues).
  

Tips:

1. Select a VPN service provider with care; cheap, fast, dependable—you only get two.
2. Use only standard or open VPN protocols OpenVPN, OpenSSH, L2TP/IPsec, and SSTP.
3. PPTP is considered cryptographically broken and should not be used.
4. Only download and install VPN software from a trusted source, like OpenVPN.
5. Test for and fix Windows DNS leaks here.

Windows 8 Misses the Mark

Windows 8 is a compelling proposition for tablets, but not for desktops and laptops, where the new interface is more confusing than compelling, leaving no good reason to upgrade from Windows 7. Some of the things Microsoft could and should have done to address that issue:

1. Overhaul Windows display tech to compete with Apple Retina
2. Build virtualization into Windows core
3. Build cloud services into Windows core, with (say)
   1. 100 GB free SkyDrive storage for 2 years
   2. automatic cloud photo sync
   3. automatic cloud backup (like Carbonite)
4. Integrate Skype into Windows core, with unlimited free calling for 2 years
5. Integrate speech recognition, both command and dictation
6. Include "personal assistant" capability (like Apple Siri/Google Now)

Surface Misses the Mark

Microsoft still doesn't get it. The new Surface tablet has some nice capabilities (Windows 8, Office, cover keyboard, Xbox controllers), but it also has some serious issues:

• Price: Microsoft is making the same mistake Android tablets made when they first came out, pricing Surface ($500 without cover keyboard, $600 with) at least $100 too high. Surface is too new and insufficiently compelling on capabilities to gain traction against the Apple iPad without a more compelling price.
• Display: 1366×768 resolution is crude, especially compared to iPad at 2048×1536. All Surface models should have been Full HD 1920x1080 (not just the "coming soon" Surface with Windows Pro, which will probably be even more expensive).
• USB: The lack of USB 3.0 is inexcusable, a serious limitation.
• Immaturity: Windows 8 is half-baked, much like Windows Vista, and time will be needed to flesh it out and smooth it out. Never buy version 1 of anything (Apple excepted).

Bottom line: Wait for version 2.

Relieving Adobe Installer Pain

When Adobe Photoshop Elements is installed on Microsoft Windows, the Adobe installer first installs the Editor, then the Organizer (whether you want it or not), and lastly Shared Technologies, with each of the three steps taking a good deal of time to complete.

So when I set out to install Photoshop Elements 11, I expected it to take some time. What I didn't expect was a fatal error at the end of the lengthy install process, followed by a lengthy rollback of the entire install. The error message ("The installation process has encountered an error while installing Shared Technologies.") was uninformative and unhelpful, just suggesting the computer be restarted before trying again. And of course it then failed again, wasting a good deal of additional time.

So I was left with searching the Web for more helpful information on the issue, discovering it to be a not uncommon problem, eventually finding an Adobe help page on troubleshooting Photoshop Elements installation problems, with a Note pertaining to my specific situation. I was trying to install from a downloaded install file on a USB flash drive. When I followed the advice in the Note to first copy the install file to the root of the system drive, the long installation finally succeeded. From start to finish the install took more than an hour (and might well have taken longer) for something that shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

The install hack is beyond the skill of less experienced users and shouldn't be necessary. The Adobe help page indicates this issue has existed since at least Photoshop Elements 9, a period of at least two years as of this writing, raising the question of why it hasn't long since been corrected, or at least more helpful information provided with the installer. Customers deserve better.

Moral: The safest way to use a downloaded Adobe installer is to place it in the root directory of the system drive (usually C:\) before installing. Don't try to install from a USB flash drive.

Navas' Rules of Mobile

For Developers and Content Providers
(Parts shamelessly adapted from Google's Android Design)

1. The essence of mobile is movement, not a small screen.
2. Minimize use of resources (data, battery, memory, etc).
3. Make it easy to access either mobile or standard version of content.
4. Optimize standard version of content so it works as well as possible on mobile.
5. Don't presume to know what I want; instead, make it easy for me to get what I actually want.
6. Make me amazing. Do the heavy lifting for me.
7. Only show what I need when I need it, and make important things fast.
8. Simplify my life, get to know me, but let me make it mine.
9. Don't abuse our relationship in any way. Always ask me for permission.
10. Either do it right, or don't do it at all

Note: I plan to expand each rule with a paragraph of explanation, so please do check back.

A Tale of Two Locks

Leave your computer unguarded for a moment in a coffee place and it might be gone when you get back (including all your data), and even when you're there, it might still get snatched. To keep that from happening, you should get a lock to secure it. While nothing will stop a skillful thief with time and opportunity, the better cable locks will deter most thieves. But you need to choose your lock with care, because there are big differences in performance.

The Good

Arguably the best locks are by PC Guardian, with secure locking mechanisms, rotating and swiveling cable attachment to resist prying, and tough cables that are hard to cut. I particularly like the red cable version because it is more likely to be noticed in advance and deter a thief from even trying. Unfortunately, PC Guardian no longer makes these locks, although it's still possible as of this writing to find them for sale online. The next best bet is the Kensington Microsaver, which is relatively easy to find.

The Bad

One of the most widely available locks is the Targus DEFCON CL (PA410U), also attractive because it's less expensive. However, it has a big deficiency: the combination dials can slip and change the combination while it is being locked, so it won't unlock with the combination you have set, which can be a huge problem. When this happens, Targus has no solution other than either (a) cutting off lock with a hacksaw or (b) trying all possible (10,000) combinations.

The Ugly

I'm not guessing this — it happened to me! And in the process of dealing with the problem I discovered the DEFCON CL has an even bigger deficiency — it's easy to pick! When you press the unlocking pin, any cylinder not in the unlock position will deflect (move) slightly in the same direction, making it a simple matter to rotate the cylinders in turn until they don't deflect. It took me less than 5 minutes to figure this out and unlock my computer despite the changed combination. I estimate a knowledgeable thief could do it in 1-2 minutes while not even looking suspicious. Thus I rate the DEFCON CL unacceptable.

(With apologies to Charles Dickens and Sergio Leone.)

USB 3.0 Flash Drives

USB 3.0 ("SuperSpeed"), now becoming a reality, can be up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed), but many early USB 3.0 products are disappointing, not all that much faster than USB 2.0 products, particularly in the case of USB flash drives. Because flash memory writing is relatively slow, higher speeds are only possible with advanced multiple-channel controllers and large RAM buffers, which cheaper products lack. A good choice for high performance is Patriot Supersonic:

Supersonic Xpress

• 2-channel memory controller
• 8GB, 16GB: Up to 50MB/s read, 20MB/s write
• 32GB: Up to 60MB/s read, 25MB/s write

Supersonic

• 4-channel memory controller
• 32GB, 64GB: Up to 100MB/s read, 70MB/s write

Supersonic Magnum

•  8-Channel technology
•  64GB, 128GB: Up to 200MB/s read, 120MB/s write

If your laptop/notebook computer lacks USB 3.0 ports, a good solution is the StarTech flush ExpressCard Adapter:

• 34mm: 1 USB 3.0 port
• 54mm: 2 USB 3.0 ports

If your desktop/tower computer lacks USB 3.0 ports, a good solution is the SYBA USB 3.0 2-port PCI-e Controller Card (based on the Etron EJ168 chip, which is faster than more common NEC/Renesas chips).

Favorite Android Apps updated

See my major update to my Favorite Android Apps!

Windows 8 Preview

The Windows 7 UI (user interface) is significantly improved over Windows XP, but both suffer from the ancient PC app-centric paradigm, in which often huge monolithic apps (like Microsoft Office) are launched to do simple tasks, which is slow and painful on even the fastest hardware. Yes, we can leave multiple apps running, but that's confusing to average users, and tends to consume huge amounts of system resources (hurting performance). Attempts to make the PC document-centric haven't really helped. This is a big part of the reason that Google is developing Chrome OS for lightweight cloud-centric PC computing.

Part of the appeal of Google Android and Apple IOS is that they are task-centric, with lightweight tasks (apps) designed to be suspended and restarted quickly and seamlessly. When you're in (say) Gmail in Android, you can touch Home and then (say) Maps to quickly switch to that task, with Gmail suspended in the background consuming relatively few system resources, and if Android needs those resources, it can kill Gmail while saving state information for a fast restart. If you then touch Home and Gmail again, you are right back where you left off in Gmail whether Gmail is being awakened or restarted. You never have to close an app. There's really no way to do this in Windows without a huge performance hit and/or a huge amount of re-engineering that isn't going to happen. Plus cloud-centric computing is already built into Android, and now into IOS as well (the biggest part of the iPhone 4S announcement).

Another part of the appeal of Android and IOS is the ability to easily merge disparate sources into one UI component; e.g., a widget that merges phone (Google) contacts, Facebook contacts, Twitter contacts, etc. Windows 8 is an attempt to do this on the PC, but since it fails to solve the app-centric paradigm issue, I don't think it's going to be all that successful -- Windows users have too much invested in current apps and how they work. What I think Microsoft really needs is a new cloud-centric desktop OS (like Chrome), but the Windows 8 Preview isn't even half that loaf. Microsoft may now get it, but apparently lacks the courage to do it.