minimize

Back in February of this year a malware utility called BlackHole, or MusMinim by security company Sophos, was found for OS X. BlackHole is a backdoor server program RAT (Remote Access Tool) that runs on an infected system and allows a remote user to interact with the system by sending shutdown commands, displaying screen messages, opening URLs, and requesting usernames and passwords. In essence it is similar to a remote desktop utility, but is not distributed for productive purposes.

Unlike more recent malware attempts on OS X that try to keep hidden and steal information automatically, the BlackHole malware is … Read more

Some Windows programs are better run in the background and out of the way. To avoid having to manually minimize a program every time you run it, you can configure the program's shortcut so it will automatically run minimized. Here's how:

In our example, we're going to configure TechSmith's Snagit software to automatically start up in a minimized window. Snagit is a screen-capture program that doesn't need to be run in the foreground. Snagit doesn't have a setting to allow it to start it up minimized, so we'll configure Windows 7 to do … Read more

Windows users have long wanted greater flexibility in the system tray, but it's been up to developers like 4t Niagara Software to provide it. We looked at 4t Tray Minimizer Free, a free tool that can minimize any running application to the system tray, also known as the notification area. That's enough on its own, but 4t Tray Minimizer can also roll up any window to just its title bar; make windows transparent; hide programs without displaying a system tray icon; set hotkeys for minimizing, maximizing, and launching applications; and toggle the entire system tray open and closed.… Read more

Karnaugh maps are graphical tools used to simplify or minimize Boolean expressions by taking advantage of human pattern recognition capabilities to drastically reduce what would otherwise be complex calculations. They're used by engineers and academics for applications ranging from designing digital devices to working with formal logic expressions. Logic Minimizer from Vikhetan Appa is a unique Windows application for step-by-step simplification of Karnaugh maps, but its full complement of features makes its suitable for working with all forms of logic expressions.

Logic Minimizer's efficient interface sports specialized icons in the toolbar as well as its unique graphical depictions … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature from MacFixIt in which we answer questions e-mailed to us by our readers. We have been getting many questions from our readers, and we hope to share our correspondence so everyone may benefit from and contribute to them. This week we have questions about monitor calibration with multiple graphics cards, window minimization options, screen zooming, and question mark symbols at bootup.… Read more

It all started in 2006, when researchers were studying a young woman considered to be in a vegetative state. Using MRI to scan her brain, they asked her to imagine herself playing tennis and touring her own home, and found that her brain behaved in much the way a normally functioning brain does.

The neuroscientists were shocked into action as news of what may have only been an anomaly prompted families to ask that the researchers study their own loved ones, too.

One of the neuroscientists, Adrian Owen at the University of Cambridge, alongside colleagues at the University of Liege … Read more

At times, it seems like hardly a month goes by without a new version of Asus' popular Eee PC Netbook. While the Eee PC 1005PE, which was the first laptop to feature Intel's new Atom N450 processor, is less than a month old, we now can add the 1008P to the lineup.

Internally, both systems are very similar, with 10-inch displays and N450 CPUs. The new 1008P, however, has a brand new look, created by industrial designer Karim Rashid (who designed, among other things, the Dirt Devil Kone vacuum).

The new look of the Eee PC 1008P is described … Read more

FILEminimizer Office - Compact Edition offers to take large files and shrink them into a smaller package, while maintaining the original's integrity. With simple navigation and fast results, this program more than lives up to its promise.

We were slightly challenged by the program's interface, but luckily most of the commands are intuitively labeled. The online Help file didn't walk us through anything and should have been skipped. However a little experimenting was all that was necessary to fully understand adjustments that could be made. We were impressed at the clever utilization of a search engine to … Read more

Actual Title Buttons aims to help users shuffle through their open windows. With a subtle interface and effective results, the only question is whether it actually improves upon Windows' own window management features.

Users may not notice this program immediately since it embeds itself in all open windows along the upper right corner where commands for closing, minimizing, and expanding a window normally hide. This program mimics those icons, but offers several more choices. Holding the cursor over each box easily reveals its function and should soon become intuitive to users after trying them out. While the program features a … Read more