Cranky Geeks CrankyGeeks Episode 144

Show Guests:
Sebastian Rupley, Co-Crank, Editorial Director, PCMagCast.com

Garnett Lee , Executive Editor, 1Up.com

David Spark , Tech Journalist

The Topics:

Microsoft CEO Must Testify in Vista Capable Debacle
Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, has been mandated by a federal judge to testify in a class action lawsuit over the "Vista Capable" fiasco. US District Judge Marsha Pechman gave consumers approval in February to file a class action lawsuit against Microsoft for giving false information about Windows XP computers being able to run Vista. Plaintiffs in the case allege that Microsoft artificially inflated demand in the run-up to Christmas 2006, by advertising that PCs would be capable of running the full version of the firm's delayed Vista operating system.

eBooks Are Now Thriving!
Random House announced Monday that it is making thousands of additional eBooks available in digital form, now that sales are exploding, even in the currently sluggish market. Products include novels by John Updike and Harlan Coben, as well as several volumes of the children's series, "Magic Treehouse".

Obama's Cell Phone Privacy Violation
After some nosey employees took a peek at President-Elect Obama's cell-phone records, Verizon Wireless had to apologize however privacy advocates say what happened to Obama is just an example of what is happening to the broader whole of the American public.

Facebook Wins $873 Million Judgment Against Spammer
In a recent court case against Adam Guerbuez of Montreal, Facebook has won a $873 million. The  Canadian, who bombarded users with millions of unsolicited messages about drugs and sex, was targeted his business, Atlantis Blue Capital. Facebook claimed that Guerbuez had tricked users into giving their passwords so he could send out over 4 million messages that included promos for marijuana.

The Pentagon Bans Flash Drives
Due to a serious virus threat officials detected on Defense Department networks, the Pentagon has temporarily banned the use of external computer flash drives. Friday, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman provided no details on the virus, but he described it as a "global virus" that has been the subject of several public alerts.