The annular version of a solar eclipse is where the moon covers just the center portion of the sun, and a think ring of light shines around it. About 5% of the sun’s light still shows.

For our part of the world, we will see only a partial eclipse and it will begin just about an hour before sunset.

As you can see in the animated image here, by the time sunset comes around, the shadow is just beginning to hit our area. But most residents in the area will be able to see at least a portion of it. Travel west that weekend and you’ll get a much longer eclipse and perhaps even see totality if you go far enough west.

While I’m a Macintosh advocate, and like most Apple products, I have to say that Apple, Inc., has been dropping the ball on security. Recent reports indicate that the computer and software giant waits up to 18 months at a stretch before updating its OS with necessary security fixes.

That’s an eternity in today’s digital world. Apple, though, finally raised its sleepy head and reacted more quickly to a very big threat, the Flashback Trojan, that in the past two months affected over 600,000 Macintosh computers worldwide. Over half of those were in the Unites States.

What makes matters worse is that the “most secure operating system in the world” became susceptible to the easiest of attacks – the drive-by. Just by visiting a certain Java-enabled website with your Mac you now had the malware. Java security holes are now patchable thanks to Apple’s quick movements here.

But the big concern is that Apple usually takes a very long time to respond to known security holes and exploits. Currently, the Windows PC to Apple Macintosh ratio is about 13:1. As that proportion narrows and Apple operating systems gain more dominance, the possibility of attacks grows very quickly.

The best defense for most Mac users is to avoid websites that are of questionable character, although this is not always a sure-fire method. Of course, keeping your Software Update current is vitally important, since Apple does release security fixes via this method.

I’d love to hear your comments.

Of course, this is just another scam in the spam hall of infamy. Not just targeting email services, now the scammers are sending SMS text messages in an effort to glean email addresses to feed their ravenously hungry spam bots.

The best advice I can offer is: Do not respond to these messages. If the scam came in your email inbox, add the sender to your spam list. If it came via text, just remove the message and do not click on the link in the text.

Here are a few tips to prevent spam:

1. Only give your email address to trusted persons and companies. Be sure the person you are giving your email address to is responsible enough to not share it without your permission.
2. Do not send mass emails with everyone of your recipients in the “to:” field. By doing so, you’ve shared your entire contact list with everyone. That may sound not so bad, but there may be persons in your contact list that do not want to be on another’s list, or a recipient may be the victim of spyware attacks that will glean email addresses.
3. Do not reply to spam messages or click on links within them. It is okay, however, to use a legitimate “unsubscribe” button for a newsletter or other mailing that comes from a well-known company or organization.
4. Set up mail filters with either your email software or with your mail provider. Google’s G-Mail has good spam filtering built-in and several other webmail clients also have strong tools.

These are just a few tips, and there are many more. Feel free to share yours.

Another great feature added is the upgrade of the cameras to high-definition iSight 5-megapixel cameras, offering cleaner video for those Face Time moments. In addition, you can record full HD video in 1080p with your new iPad, with many great features like image stabilization and temporal noise reduction.

A big upgrade is that the new iPad will support 4G LTE on AT&T and Verizon in the USA. Speed is here! Although, this will likely only be usable in selected markets. And, if carriers support it, the iPad can act as a personal wi-fi hotspot.

To power all these upgrades, Apple upgraded the processor to its new A5X processor with quad-core graphics technology. In addition, it offers the same 10 hours of battery life (9 on 4G).

Apple demonstrated several games on the new device, showcasing its high performance and extended graphics abilities.

The price points did not change either, with the base model starting at $499. You can get it March 16, with pre-orders starting today. Also, Apple dropped the starting price of the iPad 2 to only $399 starting today.

At the core of Apple’s post-PC devices is iOS, which comes out today with an upgrade to 5.1. Current device users will want to upgrade to have the latest features. Apple also announced updates to the iWork suite of apps, Garage Band, and iMovie, while announcing iPhoto for Ipad. Iphoto will allow for shooting, editing, and sharing photos as large as 19 megapixels.

Also expected was the announcement of the newest Apple TV device, which will now support iTunes Match, and provide full 1080p HD output. Apple folks showed a look at it, which appeared to have a very iOS-like interface. Also will come with seamless iPhone/iPad photo streams. The device will be available March 16 for just $99.

The big buzz about this new OS from Apple is that it will be featuring components that are very familiar already to millions of iOS users. I’ve already had the chance to try out Messages on the Mac, and it works exceptionally well, and behaves much like its iOS counterpart, iMessage.

Also coming to the OS will be Reminders, Game Center, and iCloud (which already has a presence on 10.7).

Simply entering your Apple ID and password gets you going with these apps which are built-in with the 10.8 update. This seamless integration is easy and intuitive.

This brilliant move on Apple’s part will solidify it as having probably the best operating system around today. And, with the Mac line of products getting more and more affordable, I think we’ll be finding more Apple products in the home in the very near future.

1. Using your personal profile, set up a business page. They will be separate and independent. Setting up a “page” for your business, and not a “profile” allows people to find your business and “Like” you, rather than waiting for a “friend” connection. This is a real key in promoting your business properly. All too often, I see businesses set up under a personal profile. Not only is this not in line with Facebook policies, business profiles do not show up correctly when using personal accounts.
2. As soon as you have enough fans and meet the eligibility requirements of your business page, visit facebook.com/usernames and get yourself a custom username. If your business is Bob’s Widgets, you can try for facebook.com/bobswidgets. This gets you easy recognition online.
3. Drive traffic to your website by using the Share “Link” option on your business page. Paste in links directly from your website here. This way, people click that to take them directly to the specific web page. Do this every time you put anything new on your website (You do update that regularly, right?).
4. Modify your business page Photo to a skyscraper. The usual size is 180 pixels wide and 500 pixels tall. Use 72 dpi resolution, and design something snazzy.
5. Finally, post often and respond to inquiries when they appear. There’s nothing more uninteresting than a dead Facebook page.

Now, when using Twitter:

1. Set up a separate account for your business.
2. Link your Twitter account to Facebook at facebook.com/twitter and let Facebook be the only place you post. Facebook will auto-tweet.
3. If you only use Twitter, be sure to set up your profile photo and background photo soon so people recognize you as official.
4. Tweets only get you 140 characters, so keep it short and sweet. Use URL shortening services like j.mp or bit.ly.
5. Like Facebook, keep your followers engaged by posting regularly and responding to any @requests.

These are just a few tips for keeping your business in the forefront with social networks. Of course, there are many more social networks out there, and hundred of tips to go along with it. Share your tips here by logging and posting a comment.

1. The iPad 3 will possibly have a quad-core processor.
2. It might have a higher-resolution display.
3. It may come with 4G LTE connectivity (for Verizon and AT&T)
4. It might come with an HD Face Time camera.
5. It is likely to be released in March.

Some real “maybes”:

1. It may be thicker than the iPad 2.
2. Might have longer battery life.
3. Might have a smaller dock connector (hope not)
4. There may be an “iPad 4” released in October.

Although the latter four are very unlikely, these are what many of the rumors going around have been. Some of them are likely wishful thinking, and some merit serious reflection.

The fact is, we are going to see a price drop in the iPad 2 in just a couple of months. The second iPad is still a very good tool, and finding units discounted, or even factory refurbished units at Apple’s online store, may be your best bet if you’re planning an upgrade or a new venture into world of tablet computing.

The applications, design for iOS devices like iPads, iPhones, and iPods, are the next step in furthering education by offering courses and textbooks that are interactive.

iTunes U is the new app that lets teachers create and manage courses including essential components such as lectures, assignments, books, quizzes, and syllabuses, and be able to offer them worldwide to millions of users. Top universities like Cambridge, Duke, Harvard, Oxford, and Stanford are already offering content. In addition, any K-12 school district can offer full courses through the iTunes U app.

The newly released iBooks 2 application provides iBooks textbooks at a fraction of the cost of traditional textbooks, most priced at $14.99. These new interactive books offer iPad users gorgeous, fullscreen textbooks with animations, diagrams, photos, videos, and lots more. And, because these are digital, they can be updated quickly, don’t weigh down a backpack, and never have to be returned.

Phil Schiller, Apple’s section vice president of Worldwide Marketing said, “Education is deep in Apple’s DNA and iPad may be our most exciting education product yet. With 1.5 million iPads already in use in education institutions, including over 1,000 one-to-one deployments, iPad is rapidly being adopted by schools across the US and around the world. Now with iBooks 2 for iPad, students have a more dynamic, engaging and truly interactive way to read and learn, using the device they already love.”

With most teens and young adults having iPads on their wish list, this new tool might be the incentive to provide young people with device in order to offer the latest generation in digital textbooks and courses.

For those wanting to author a textbook, Apple announced iBooks Author, a new app for designing textbooks, cookbooks, history books, and more and publish them to the Apple bookstore. The app is free, but does require Mac OS X Lion in order to run. Users still on OS 10.6 will not be able to install the app. Authors and publishers of any size can start creating with Apple-designed templates that feature a wide variety of page layouts. iBooks Author lets you add your own text and images by simply dragging and dropping, and with the Multi-Touch widgets you can easily add interactive photo galleries, movies, Keynote presentations and 3D objects.

Some 2,700 companies are expected to fill up the over 1.8 million square feet of show space to demonstrate their contribution to next-generation innovations. Although a closed show, over 140,000 tech executives and 5,000 reporters will be on hand to review the latest offerings and give the general public (us) a glimpse of what is to come.

Some of the bigger expectations this year include Microsoft’s new Windows 8 operating system. Microsoft will also be showing off the new Xbox720, which allegedly will boast better Kinect integration as well as better graphics, and the ability to run Windows 8.

Also expected is a large turnout of what are now called “ultrabooks”. These are thin, lightweight notebook computers that typically have long battery life and SSD hard drive technology. Kind of reminds me of the Apple MacBook Air.

Last, but likely the biggest displays at the show, will be the unveiling of extra-large televisions. Sharp, Sony, LG, and others are revealing these super-big displays this year, with some featuring sizes in the 80-inch class.

Super-thin organic LED televisions in large sizes are still in the $5,000-plus range, but such innovation drives the price down on smaller sizes like 32”-47”. Some 70-inch class models are even getting below $2,000 as a result.

CES 2012 starts Tuesday, January 10. Expectations are not as high this year for any unusually new technology, but the excitement remains for the show itself and for the innovations that have not yet been revealed.

While rural America is still in its infancy when it comes to broadband services, the areas that are getting it are consuming more and more entertainment via the internet.

One indicator of the eventual demise of DVD is the fact that half of Apple’s product line no longer has optical drives, and that it has dropped the popular iDVD software from its standard iLife package that comes with new Macs. Couple that with the rumors flying around that Apple will be getting into the smart television business soon, and you have a recipe for DVD doom.

It’s not surprising that trendsetters like Apple and HP are lighting the path for the entertainment industry as new consumer electronics are developed.

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Speaking of consumer electronics, software giant Microsoft has been slowly, and somewhat secretly, developing more hardware than software lately.

On the heels of the Xbox Kinect motion detection interface, Microsoft’s Edison Lab is now developing a virtual environment that literally surrounds the user using projections and camera sensors. Stereoscopic panels that reflect their surroundings are also part of what is being developed, to provide a realistic perspective view for each virtual “screen”.

This interactive system will revolutionize not only the gaming industry, but also the medical and manufacturing industries.

The Verge has a video out on YouTube showcasing some of the system’s possibilities: