Adobe Reader X

Like you've seen everywhere else on the web, Adobe has released Adobe Reader X (10.0) with sandboxing. If you want to read the gory details, start here. Here's a direct download link.

What I'm here to tell you is how to make sure you don't lose any security when you install it.

If you're following all the best practices, you've turned off JavaScript and cranked down the Trust Manager in Reader.

You've got to do that again in Reader X.

Click on "Edit" and then "Preferences." Select "Trust Manager." Uncheck "Allow opening of non-PDF attachments with external applications."

Now select "JavaScript." Uncheck "Enable Acrobat JavaScript."

Click on "Ok" and you're ready.

It sure is frustrating that Adobe didn't keep security preferences from the previous version but did keep some non-security preferences, e.g. disabling of the splash screen.

When you open your first document, you'll see this little tool tip in the upper right corner. If you hover your mouse over the top right corner of it, an "X" will appear. Click that and the tool tip seems to be gone forever. Irritating!

Google Voice and Mobile-to-Mobile

Maybe nobody cares about this but me but I got to wondering. Since I have my Google Voice set to pass through to me the Caller ID of the caller, does AT&T Wireless think that the incoming call is really mobile-to-mobile?

YES!

Here's my Google Voice setting relative to incoming Caller ID.

Here's the entry in the Google Voice History for an incoming call from an AT&T mobile.

Then here's the entry in the AT&T call log showing a matching number, time, and duration and indicating it was "M2MCNG."

Just to close the loop, here is AT&T's definition of "M2MCNG."

What this means is that you can share your Google Voice number with everyone. If someone then calls your Google Voice number with an AT&T mobile phone and you answer it on your AT&T mobile phone that call will be counted as mobile-to-mobile, i.e. free.

If you're not an AT&T Wireless customer, your mileage may vary. Try it and post your results in the comments.

Election Day 2010

No, this is not a rant on the elections. Rather this is a compliment to one of my area's local papers, the DeSoto Times-Tribune.

As I surfed around last night looking for early returns, I went to the Memphis paper and the Jackson, MS paper but there wasn't anything there. As a last resort, I went to the DeSoto Times-Tribune.

On the front page was a link to live results. I apologize that I didn't screen capture that page but what was there was a list of local races and links to Google Docs spreadsheets!

What the DeSoto Times-Tribune had done was created Google Docs spreadsheets for each race with rows for each ballot box and columns for each candidate.

With Google Docs real-time collaboration, you could actually watch them post the results ballot box by candidate live! Incredible.

Here's what one looked like.

But wait, there's more.

Google Docs lets you download these spreadsheets so you can keep your own copy of these detailed results.

Good job DeSoto Times-Tribune.