Technology: Protection

Getting rid of spam

When dozens of spam emails flood your inbox each day, it is easy to simply delete them and move onto other business. If you want to rid yourself of spam permanently, however, there is a much more effective way to get it done.

Handling spam by simply deleting it does not solve the problem. It does not remove you from the spammer’s email lists and it will have little effect in stopping similar emails from popping up in the future.

The only way to effectively end the flood of spam emails is to tackle the problem directly. One of the most effective ways to take action is to report spam email to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

You should always send a copy of the email in question to spam@uce.gov right away. Your email is automatically stored in a database and measures are taken against the party who sent out the unsolicited email.

The FTC can also help if you make an unsuccessful request to be removed from a spammer’s email list. All you need to do is fill out an online form located on the official FTC website, www.ftc.gov, and it is sent to another database where law emforcement officials and consumer protection agencies will be able to use it to track down companies in violation of anti-spam laws.

Filed Under: Expert Advice, Internet Tagged With: E-mail spam, Federal Trade Commission, Spam

A Hacker is Your Worst Enemy

People do not realize how vulnerable their computers are to possible hackers. This is very sad for anyone who has a computer. The average consumer buys a computer for personal use without knowing the dangers that lurk for an attack. Even if they are aware of the dangers, they do not think it can happen to them.

When you first get a computer, you are so excited and cannot wait to get it set up. You are hoping to be able to communicate with your friends and relatives. Once you get your email ready to use you think it is the best thing in the world. Then you began surfing the web and entering your email for just about anything. For most when they hear the word you got mail, they quickly open the emails.

You began downloading all these free offers with anticipation for all kinds of different new stuff. Some will register for the free online banking for easy account access. Then over time, their computer starts running slower and slower. Some will not even notice when this happens and continue on thinking everything is wonderful.

Then one day unexpectedly you cannot log into anything and do not know what is going on. You try everything you know it fix the problem with no luck. You call your internet company and they give you the bad news, you have been hacked. Then it hits you all your personal information is out there somewhere.

After it has happened, you take it to a computer shop to see if they can fix the problem. The computer pro informs you that you did not properly install your antivirus software and firewall. They also proceed to tell you that a hacker has destroyed your computer. The technician can fix your computer, but it is a costly lesson for people to learn the hard way.

Hacker can easily get your information if it is not protected by software. Identity theft is on the rise and is hard to fix once someone get your information.

Filed Under: Computers, Internet Tagged With: Anti-Virus, Online banking, Personally identifiable information

Manage Your Wedding Focus on the Essentials

With luck, you’ll only get married once, and it’s important to make that day as perfect and as memorable as possible. Unfortunately, as with most things which we do only once, it can be hard to manage a wedding and simultaneously cope with the multitude of decision making pressures. No matter your level of multi-tasking excellence, a wedding will tax you to your emotional reserves. This isn’t the ideal scenario to be facing as the pressures of a lifetime union near. All of these pressures make selection of diamonds seem like a piece of cake. And you thought that was a rough time!

Fortunately, there are wedding planning sites such as The Knot and Wedding Wire which were created to help you through this taxing time. With expert advice created by seasoned professionals, your pre-marriage stress can easily be cut by a huge fraction! These pros won’t let you forget any details, large or small. Think you’ve got it all down? Have you remembered to pick out your favorite songs to be played at the reception? Hiring a photographer to document the momentous occasion might be standard, easily remembered fare, but have you remembered to select the small wedding tokens that every guest will receive? Use wedding planning sites to help you get the occasion dialed in properly. Let your wedding experience revolve around diamonds and love.

Not only will sites such as the aforementioned help you to remember it all, they’ll help you to line up the nearest businesses to help you get all the innumerable wedding planning tasks accomplished. You and your partner need not go it alone!

Filed Under: General, Tips Tagged With: Knot, Wedding, Wedding Wire

What Helps Make a Computer Password Safe?

Everyone that uses a computer has a password or two or three. The password allows us to get into our data that is stored on our computer. Whether it is a password for your banking needs, for your email account or any other specific account, making it secure is necessary. There are a lot of thieves who spend a lot of time in inventing ways to get your important data. Here are some ways to help make your password safe:

1. Make the length of your password considerably long, at least above five numbers and words.
2. Use upper and lower case letters mixed in together along with numbers.
3. Do not use the same password for multiple accounts. If one of your passwords is compromised, then you do not want thieves to have access to all of your accounts. Make a strong and different password for every account you have.
4. Do not use such things as birthday or anniversary dates, family members’ names or your pets names. These are too easy for someone to figure out. There needs to be no emotional connections to your passwords.
5. Protect your passwords as though they are the keys to your home. They are, in a virtual sense. Write them down and place them in a safe place in your home or put them in your safety deposit box in case you forget them. It is best not to carry them around in your wallet or purse. They can have the same effect as if your credit card was stolen or worse.

Take the time and do what is necessary to keep your password safe. It is the only way to help keep it secure.

Filed Under: Computers, Security Tagged With: Password, Password Safe, Security

Spyware via the Computer

Thinking that all your personal information that is on your computer is for your eyes to see? Think again. As you are keying in information, others are getting at least smidges of the same data. This is a type of spyware. It is largely used by advertising companies. It is a way for the advertising companies to make money so that certain software does not cost anything to the consumer. The developers can still get paid some revenue. Other facts about spyware are:

Most computer users do not realize it is tracking their information and getting some of their data.
Computer users have no control over the smidges of data that are being taken.Not all advertising companies track data. Many use banners which can be taken off.
This is not an illegal act.It can be considered malware if the advertising company’ spyware program contains any deceitful untruths about what data they are collecting that is not stated in their privacy policy.
Spyware can be located in a program when you download free software.When downloading anything free there usually is a cost involved. Most consumers do realize this, especially on free download software.
Whatever information is collected is not suppose to have data exposing where the information came from.

There are very effective anti-spyware software for your computer that can be purchased. Many times consumers do not care about the above issues or at least not enough to make the effort in buying any anti-spyware.

Source:
“What is spy ware?” Spychecker www.spychecker.com/spyware.html

Filed Under: Computers, Internet Tagged With: Malicious Software, Personally identifiable information, Spyware

The Importance of Antivirus Software on Your Computer

Anti-virus software plays an important role in having security on your computer. Without this software, not only is your privacy at stake, but also your financial safety. There are many ways some people will try in attempting to steal your data. Unsuspecting and honest people are usually the ones that it affects the most.

Precautions need to be taken through anti-virus software so that everything you key into your computer will stay in its virtual walls. Through today’ technologies this is almost a certainty as long as you take a bit of time and make it secure.

A way that computer thieves can attach your information is through you answering unknown emails. Sometimes it is an attempt to commit identity theft. A computer thief will send unknown and unwanted emails to get information. This is called spamming. If you have email software, it should have an anti-virus spam filter on it. This will block out these messages from your inbox and direct it safely into your spam filter.
Another way a computer thief can steal information is by finding a non-secure operating system. An antivirus software is needed to keep unwanted Trojans out. They can reach into to your system and copy information before you realize it has been done.

These are only two of a vast growing number of security issues that plague the privacy and financial safety issues of our modern day use of the computer. As technologies continue to grow, so will the efforts of cyber thieves.

Source:

“Safety and Security Center” Microsoft www.microsoft.com/security/resources/spam-whatis.aspx

Filed Under: Computers, Security Tagged With: antivirus, Microsoft, Security

Use Your Computer to Make a Coloring Book

Image via Wikipedia

Coloring books that your child makes with you are treasures to keep forever. It’s easy and fun to make yours with a home computer and Internet access. Your child’s natural gifts as an artist and storyteller will blossom.

Lifestyle

As a parent, you want to teach your child everything, and you want to make it fun for your child to learn. Children naturally love to express themselves with color. Kim, four years old, says “My mom and I made the best color book. There pictures of me, my sister and our dog. See?”

This is a great idea, and Kim’s mother explains how make a coloring book that you and your child are going to keep forever.

Carly, Kim’s mother, starts with digital photos of anything she wants for the coloring book. “Then, I use a program online to convert my photos into images.” Carly’s favorite is freeware.

The difference between Kim’s favorite coloring book, and others I have seen, is Kim’s creativity. Her mother records Kim’s storytelling about the pictures. Then, as Kim learns to write her words, Carly helps Kim make the coloring book into a story.

When printing the coloring book pages, Carly recommends using a textured paper so that your child can use non-toxic markers, paints, crayons, or pencils. She prefers to bind the pages using a “Big craft needle and heavy threat–we print about 40 or 50 pages, single-sided, then I bind the pages wtih a straight sewing stitch. The pages bound at a store, but then sometimes it’s difficult to make the coloring book open flat. It’s just right when I sew it! No sharp edges, either.”

Another great idea came from Nora, whose daughter, Arial, is “obsessed with My Little Pony. “She can’t get enough ponies. We make a coloring book by drawing the ponies freehand, copy, and color them with sparkly crayons and paints. We wrote a story about a pony that speaks another language!” (The pony, named Elyana, speaks Portuguese, just like Arial’s grandma!)

Filed Under: Computers, Tips Tagged With: Books, Children, Coloring book

Remember Your Pet’s Life With Technology

The loss of a pet is, for most children and their parents, the loss of a family member. When children lose a beloved pet, they may recognize death and mortality, and resulting questions of continued existence, for the first time.

Dr. Stephanie LaFarge, Senior Director of Counseling Services of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(R) (ASPCA (R)) says “Parents should be honest with children about a pet’s death. Parents should discuss the life cycle with their children”. She recommends “explaining the facts of life–that all animals are born and grow old–we should never withhold the facts of life and death from children.”

Watching their pet age and die, or sudden death, may prompt first time questions about life and death. “The child may ask ‘Are you going to die? Am I going to die?’” Dr. LaFarge recommends that parents reassure children with the truth: “While everything that lives will die one day, we are alive and not dying now.”

Parents may be surprised at how quickly the child asks for a new pet. “Children may believe their pet is coming back, though they realize their pet is gone now. They want to know that this was not the last dog they will love.” Parents can help the family plan for their new pet by reading books and visiting animal shelters. There is no right or wrong time to adopt a new pet, and expressing grief at the loss of a pet is healthy and normal.

Symptoms of a child’s grief may include sleep interruptions, crying, or even seeing the pet. If these symptoms persist more than a few days, seek your pediatrician’s advice.

Parents and children can make a booklet about the pet’s life, post pictures on the family’s computers and laptops. Use technology to remember your pet. Talk about the beauty of life together.

Filed Under: Security, Technology Tagged With: Animal loss, Death, Pet

Customer Satisfaction Surveys

When you own a business with a website presence, it actually opens up a variety of ways that you can communicate with your customers’ past, present, and future. Being able to communicate and collaborate with your customers is a great way to get valuable feedback that you can apply to your business practices, and this is going to allow you to improve your business over time.

One of the ways that you can communicate with your customers and facilitate their communication with you is to use online survey tools. You can utilize survey tools on your website to get a message from your customers about your performance, your products, your customer service, and other aspects of how your business is being run. You can ask a couple of simple questions and receive a wealth of feedback from your customers when you tally the results. For example, you might ask what your customers did or did not like about your products or services, or you may ask them how likely they would be to recommend your company to a friend or a family member.

Collect as much information as you possibly can, and then analyze it to get the answers that you seek. Your net promoter score, which comes from how likely people would be to recommend you, is a powerful number that helps you determine whether your business is moving in the right direction based on customer satisfaction.

It is important that you find survey tools that are going to keep your information protected. A hacker or a virus could easily wreak havoc on your information. Choosing safe tools is essential because this vital feedback and information from your customers cannot simply be replaced if lost to such a threat. Treat this information as precious because it will have a profound effect on your business if you allow it to.

Filed Under: Expert Advice, Internet Tagged With: Business, Customer, Net Promoter

Recycling Your Computers and Technology

According to Eileen Lutz, a corporate environmental consultant, only about one-third of people in the U.S. recycle. With California leading the states that recycle (followed by Texas, New York, Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan and Georgia in 2009 rank order), do you worry about how to recycle and dispose of items like computers,laptops,mobile phones, technology parts, batteries, televisions, paint, aluminum cans, used motor oil, CFLs, glass and fluorescent lamps?

Your waste removers probably make aluminum and glass easy to recycle by providing a bin for this purpose. In less than 60 days, recycled glass and aluminum can find their way back to your grocery shelf, enabling you to complete the recycle by purchasing!

Depending on your community, knowing what items require special disposal is most of the battle. Contact your municipal recycling authorities. They should be listed in the blue pages or on your community’s home page. Ask if you need to schedule pick-up for your computer, television or fluorescent lamps, among other items. You can dissemble items, if you know how, or leave the item whole for professionals. The important thing is, don’t leave these items on the curb to find their way to the general landfill. Lead, mercury and other hazardous chemicals have a way of finding their way into the water supply,

If your community does not have a recycling office, or a municipal disposal office, try the office of public health. “They can recommend private companies with proper permits in place to contact. For a small fee, your items can be picked up or you can arrange to deliver the items to a recycling facility,” Lutz recommends. “When you do have a private service taking away your stuff, make sure they have the proper permits in place to dispose of these items. Your best intentions will be for naught if the company takes your items to the municipal garbage dump.”

Filed Under: Computers, Technology Tagged With: Florida, Pennsylvania, Recycling