One trick that is used by virus bad guy programmers is asking you to download Adobe flash player updates to see a video. Then it redirects you to their site to download their virus. This is especially common in Facebook. I've only been on Facebook three months and aleady seen this lots of times!
Here's how you foil their evil plots: update often and regularly from the company website. For Adobe updates go to http://www.adobe.com/, for Microsoft updates, update.Microsoft.com, and for other updates do your homework. If you don't have time to research it, email me because I am always interested in the lastest exploits going on.
If you are fully updated with Adobe flash player, and it says update, you'll know that it's an exploit going on and you fall victim to the ill intentions of the rogue.
Stay safe and learn to say no alot.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
32 or 64 Bit?
Most people have heard of 32 bit vs. 64 bit windows, but don't exactly know what it means. They know it's faster, but don't know why.
Imagine this scenario: you are at your company picnic and it starts pouring rain. The weather guy says it's not going to stop any time soon. The location needs to be changed ASAP or people will start to complain about being out in the rain. The party director, Anne, gets up and says "We're moving the location!" Anne had the choice to rent two buses to take people to the new location - 32-seat buses and 64-seat buses. Anne, being a smart girl, opted for the 64-seat buses. All 128 employees were transported to the new location at one time. If Anne had opted for the 32-seat buses, the second load of employees would have been drenched and unhappy with Anne.
Computers carry bits of information called, coincidentally, bits. They are either a 1 for on or 0 for off. If you send the information 64 bits at a time you are sending it twice as fast as 32 bit systems do. Sounds like a no brainer, doesn't it? Well, not necessarily so. You have to make sure every piece of software you need is available in 64 bit- all your drivers and all your programs.
Talk to you in a bit! Not really!
Imagine this scenario: you are at your company picnic and it starts pouring rain. The weather guy says it's not going to stop any time soon. The location needs to be changed ASAP or people will start to complain about being out in the rain. The party director, Anne, gets up and says "We're moving the location!" Anne had the choice to rent two buses to take people to the new location - 32-seat buses and 64-seat buses. Anne, being a smart girl, opted for the 64-seat buses. All 128 employees were transported to the new location at one time. If Anne had opted for the 32-seat buses, the second load of employees would have been drenched and unhappy with Anne.
Computers carry bits of information called, coincidentally, bits. They are either a 1 for on or 0 for off. If you send the information 64 bits at a time you are sending it twice as fast as 32 bit systems do. Sounds like a no brainer, doesn't it? Well, not necessarily so. You have to make sure every piece of software you need is available in 64 bit- all your drivers and all your programs.
Talk to you in a bit! Not really!
What is Wireless-N?
If you are looking to replace your four-year-old laptop computer, you have been looking at the computer ads and have found there is so much is new! The wireless component is one of those new things. Wireless N ?? Is it worth the extra money? You bet it is. Imagine driving to work on a single-lane highway. It frustrates you to no end. One night, it magically transforms overnight to multiple lanes and suddenly the traffic seems so light.
Wireless N is the replacement for all previous Wireless technologies. It is compatible with the other technologies so if you buy a laptop with Wireless-N you won't have to worry about picking up wireless at Starbucks when you drink your coffee in the morning.
Wireless-N can perform up to five times faster than Wireless-G and can double your range of coverage. It's worth picking up a Wireless-N router if you live in a big house and have some range problems. It still has WEP and WPA security available as well as MAC address filtering.
Vrooom, Vrooom Wireless-N!!!!!
Wireless N is the replacement for all previous Wireless technologies. It is compatible with the other technologies so if you buy a laptop with Wireless-N you won't have to worry about picking up wireless at Starbucks when you drink your coffee in the morning.
Wireless-N can perform up to five times faster than Wireless-G and can double your range of coverage. It's worth picking up a Wireless-N router if you live in a big house and have some range problems. It still has WEP and WPA security available as well as MAC address filtering.
Vrooom, Vrooom Wireless-N!!!!!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
How to Prepare Your Equipment for Extra Hot Days
- Don't leave any tech equipment in the cars even for short periods of time. The temperature can rise very high in a matter of minutes.
- Make sure that power supply fans are not clogged with dust. Canned air will assist with the cleaning of power supply fans.
- Do not have excess clutter around the back of your computer. It needs to be well ventilated.
- If the equipment feels extra hot (almost burning hot) power it off and leave it off until it's cooled.
- Be prepared for power cuts. If your power cuts, unplug your equipment. When the power comes back on it may come on and off several times and could ruin your hard drive or big screen tv. Disregard if your equipment is plugged into a UPS unit.
- Keep an eye on the thermometer if you don't have AC. If your room temperature goes above 90 degrees consider leaving your equipment off or at least not on for extended periods. Overheating causes permanent damage.
- Make sure all your files are backed up in case the hot day fries your equipment!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
For a limited time--Free Backup Software.
Maybe I nag too much about backing up your files, but when a hard drive crashes, your work is affected if you do not have backups of your files. Your files are your sweat and labor and you depend on them. Now back them up for free.
While Bvckup backup software is in beta testing, it is available to the general public for free. After that, it's $19.95 for a single-user license. Bvckup works on Windows XP and newer operating systems, but not mac or linux.
Bvckup is lightweight and easy to use. It copies files and file attributes to another hard drive or device and has many advanced functionalities. Download Bvckup from http://www.bvckup.com/
While Bvckup backup software is in beta testing, it is available to the general public for free. After that, it's $19.95 for a single-user license. Bvckup works on Windows XP and newer operating systems, but not mac or linux.
Bvckup is lightweight and easy to use. It copies files and file attributes to another hard drive or device and has many advanced functionalities. Download Bvckup from http://www.bvckup.com/
Friday, July 2, 2010
Keep Your Tech Gear Cool!!
The mercury is rising and folks are out to have fun; pick me up on your way! I want to go too! But first I have to put on my naggy Tech Gal hat and remind you not to leave your tech gear in the car. If it doesn't get stolen, it will be destroyed by high temps. Even on cool days, inside car temperatures can spike too high for computer components. On hot June days, it is a big no-no to leave your laptop, camera, or cell phone in the car because the inside temp of your car can reach 140F. Leaving your windows cracked won't save your motherboard! •A Stanford University study showed on 72 degree days, a car's internal temperature will climb to 116 F within 60 minutes because of the greenhouse effect. That alone should break you of the habit of leaving your laptop/camera/cell phone in your car.
Suppose you are moving and NEED to take your laptop. Put a coleman cooler in the trunk with ice packs in plastic bags so the condensation doesn't get to your laptop. This should not be done on a daily basis; it's risky, but not as risky as leaving your unprotected laptop in the car. Temperature extremes are bad for laptops, cameras and cell phones.
Going on vacation? If you need to have your computer with you always, perhaps a netbook that you can easily carry in a small bag would be a better choice for you. Or find out if there is a net cafe at the location you'll be vacationing at. They are usually very expensive at airports and hotels, but are more reasonably priced out in the local communities.
Stay cool!
Suppose you are moving and NEED to take your laptop. Put a coleman cooler in the trunk with ice packs in plastic bags so the condensation doesn't get to your laptop. This should not be done on a daily basis; it's risky, but not as risky as leaving your unprotected laptop in the car. Temperature extremes are bad for laptops, cameras and cell phones.
Going on vacation? If you need to have your computer with you always, perhaps a netbook that you can easily carry in a small bag would be a better choice for you. Or find out if there is a net cafe at the location you'll be vacationing at. They are usually very expensive at airports and hotels, but are more reasonably priced out in the local communities.
Stay cool!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Back in My Day......
Do you remember when you were a kid, how someone saying back in my day was so annoying? When it's yourself saying it, it doesn't seem quite as annoying.
Back in my day, when I went on vacation I took a 110 camera, (still have it somewhere at my house, probably it's worth money to someone!) film and flash bulbs. For those of you who don't even know what any of those are, a 110 the size film of point and shoot non-digital camera. You added flash bulbs to the top of the camera if you were taking pictures inside because built-in flash wasn't available on these magificent devices. They were easy to use. I was 11 years old traveling across the USA from NY to CA with my family. I've still got the photos of my mother and her cousin setting up the tents at campgrounds, Wild Bill's grave, and much more. When we got back to NY, I had all the photos developed at Wegman's photo center and put them in a photo album.
No one has a copy of these precious photos. No one, except me. Not my mother, my brother, or the family members we traveled with. If my house were damaged, all these precious photographic memories would be lost. I am the owner of these photos. No one has access to them.
What about your precious memories? Who has access to them? Maybe you've loaded them to Picasa, Facebook, or another online service. If so, then they are out there and can be copied by anyone. Unless you've copyrighted your photos and set your permissions pretty tight, people you don't know may have access to them. If they are not copyrighted, you are giving them away! If you are a crappy photographer like me, it's no problem, but if you are of the caliber of my coworker Alyssia, then you need to be very careful about your photo permissions. My coworker Alyssia is an amazing photographer and she certainly could make money off her photos! The downside is: so could someone else!
Many years ago, when I was teaching computers, I entered one of my self-written computer curriculums into a contest. I didn't win. It wasn't two years later, when my teaching assistant showed me an advertisement for a curriculum that was similar content to mine and asked "Isn't that yours?" Even they hadn't changed the name! I had no legal recourse.
Any time you upload a photo to the Internet, consider the permissions you want to set for the photo. Lock them down right away. We're not back in my day now. Be careful with your photos online.
Back in my day, when I went on vacation I took a 110 camera, (still have it somewhere at my house, probably it's worth money to someone!) film and flash bulbs. For those of you who don't even know what any of those are, a 110 the size film of point and shoot non-digital camera. You added flash bulbs to the top of the camera if you were taking pictures inside because built-in flash wasn't available on these magificent devices. They were easy to use. I was 11 years old traveling across the USA from NY to CA with my family. I've still got the photos of my mother and her cousin setting up the tents at campgrounds, Wild Bill's grave, and much more. When we got back to NY, I had all the photos developed at Wegman's photo center and put them in a photo album.
No one has a copy of these precious photos. No one, except me. Not my mother, my brother, or the family members we traveled with. If my house were damaged, all these precious photographic memories would be lost. I am the owner of these photos. No one has access to them.
What about your precious memories? Who has access to them? Maybe you've loaded them to Picasa, Facebook, or another online service. If so, then they are out there and can be copied by anyone. Unless you've copyrighted your photos and set your permissions pretty tight, people you don't know may have access to them. If they are not copyrighted, you are giving them away! If you are a crappy photographer like me, it's no problem, but if you are of the caliber of my coworker Alyssia, then you need to be very careful about your photo permissions. My coworker Alyssia is an amazing photographer and she certainly could make money off her photos! The downside is: so could someone else!
Many years ago, when I was teaching computers, I entered one of my self-written computer curriculums into a contest. I didn't win. It wasn't two years later, when my teaching assistant showed me an advertisement for a curriculum that was similar content to mine and asked "Isn't that yours?" Even they hadn't changed the name! I had no legal recourse.
Any time you upload a photo to the Internet, consider the permissions you want to set for the photo. Lock them down right away. We're not back in my day now. Be careful with your photos online.
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