For those that run Internet Explorer, make sure you get your machines patched up! Internet Explorer 9 has a vulnerability that has been fixed. The patch is available via Windows Update, which for most of us is set to automatically update. For those that aren’t, make sure you do it manually! For those that use Firefox or Opera (or GASP! Safari), you don’t need to worry about it too much. It may be safe to patch it in case a guest visits and uses IE instead of your alternative browser.

The December 2011 Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer is now available via Windows Update. This security update resolves three privately reported vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. The most severe vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user visits a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run a malicious application on the affected system. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less affected than users who operate with administrative user rights.

The Xbox is continuing to push it’s way into your living room. Aside from the YouTube story earlier, Microsoft is seeking a TV executive to create new, exclusive shows for the Xbox. Once they get that one “killer show”, it should help give the Xbox some credibility to being a serious media outlet, rather than just a gaming machine.

Microsoft has hired Tom Schneider, a partner at Stratis LLC, to conduct the search, said the people, who weren’t authorized to speak publicly. Two former NBC executives, Marc Graboff and Jeff Gaspin, have been approached, they said

The Xbox 360 has come leaps and bounds ahead in the living room. Not only do you have top quality games, but you can now have a full media center. From Hulu to Netflix to Zune videos, you have a great selection of movies, TV shows and videos to watch. That selection is about to improve greatly with the addition of YouTube on the Xbox 360. While it is currently only in beta form and only available to certain users, it does look like it will be another great addition to the media lineup for the Xbox.

Microsoft is trying to gain market share in the smartphone industry, with it’s Windows Phone 7 platform. They have appointed a new head of the phone division, Terry Myerson, to replace Andy Lees, who led the group from 2009 to today. Lees will move to a new role working with the phone and PC side (no official title released, yet).

Let’s hope the new man at the reigns can help bring the Windows Phone 7 to where it belongs: at the top. For those that haven’t tried the WP7, go into a cell store and check one out. They are very fast, responsive and feature filled. Definitely a lot better than the competitors at most things.

Winunleaked.tk has unveiled some leaked screenshots of the new Windows Store running on Windows 8. Not a whole lot, but nice to see it moving along.

To help launch the new features of the Xbox 360 dashboard, Microsoft is letting you have free Xbox Live Gold all weekend. Of course, if you get hooked, you would need to pay to continue. The features are well worth the extra dough each month (especially with a years membership). So, if you are on the fence on buying a gold membership, check it out this weekend for free.

Enjoy the weekend!

Found this video from Dr. Steve featuring Steve Ballmer doing a release of the new Windows 8 Phone at CES. Please take it as the satire it is and not as a serious knock to Microsoft!

John Dvorak is at it again. I’m not really sure what this guy is thinking, or doing for that matter. I wonder if he has actually used a Windows Phone 7 or the Windows 8 Preview? He talks about the Xbox 360, but gauges it on past dashboard comments via Google. Does the guy even own an Xbox? He bashes the new Metro UI along with the Office Ribbon.

While the guy is bashing Microsoft, and it’s “missteps” with their interface changes, he has mixed feelings towards the steps Microsoft is taking in the TV realm. Of course, he compares it to WebTV, AOL TV and MSN TV.

I hate to spoil the guys fun, but it’s time to stop being such a luddite when it comes to new interfaces and features and enjoy them. I used to read his articles in PC Magazine, but he became negative towards everything and nothing was right.

But for now, the real Microsoft buzz is about the TV and the belief that Microsoft is beginning to understand the future of television. It can act as a middleman and leverage the Xbox 360 to make it the hub for home entertainment.

I think what they are doing is good. But I’m reminded of the old Microsoft-TV initiative that was designed to compete with AOL TV. Do you recall those? I doubt it. What about WebTV? Or MSN TV?

What immediately comes to mind about this “new” thinking is the original 2005 rollout event of the Xbox 360. I was shown all sorts of media features that worked in conjunction with something called Windows XP Media Center Edition.

While I don’t think that Mr. Jobs really deserves a random bronze statue (I can see one at the Apple headquarters), I can see how far the worshippers of Apple’s former CEO will go to praise their God. Of course, Microsoft fans aren’t that much better with a Bill Gates bust.

I wouldn’t mind seeing either in a museum dedicated to computers, the digital age, or something related. But, just to have a statue of a head of a company is just off.

Microsoft is putting a lot of faith into the success of the Kinect accessory for the Xbox 360. Reports are saying that Microsoft is requiring support of the motion and voice sensing device for all future Xbox 360 applications. It does not require that it actually have to use the Kinect as a sensor or controller, but it needs to support it (either voice, gestures or both). I wish Sega would have supported their add on devices on their hardware back in the day!

Microsoft is putting in a lot of time and effort into making the Kinect and the Xbox 360 a success. Given that they have released the SDK and plans for a PC version, and the mandatory support for 360 titles show that they are in it for the long term. Perhaps the successor to the Xbox 360 will have an integrated next generation Kinect sensor built in. Time will tell.