Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house… not a creature was stirring, except for a mouse! The web was searched with thought and care, but not a company could get gifts there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while panic and mayhem danced in your head. But DoctorDave ™ [...]
Christmas Cat sez.. Originally uploaded by bnilsen Putting tech items under the tree this year? Great! But are you also giving the gift of frustration at no additional charge? Around this time of year, we get lots of questions about what this year’s best tech gifts might be. Of course the most popular this year [...]
Having a secure wi-fi connection is important for a variety of reasons. Interlopers can slow down your internet connection and cause you bandwidth overage charges. Here are two interesting stories I came across about how an open wireless connection has caused problems. In this link a police officer was using a variety of neighbors’ wifi [...]
While this recent Wall Street Journal article ( talks about how big corporations are infiltrated due to the trusting nature of employees, I suspect for the small office and home office user the problem is even more pervasive, yet undocumented. A few weeks ago, I wrote about this risk, yet I continue to get emails [...]
I’ve always been of the somewhat controversial mindset that that giving your credit card over the internet is generally safer than person to person transactions. CyberMonday is no exception and a story like this and this proves my point When you purchase on the web your computer is directly talking to another computer with no [...]
Although this story is a few months old, I’m seeing it posted on a variety of websites lately. The link to the Kansas City Star doesn’t work anymore, so here is the blurb in its entirety: “Siblings often squabble over who gets to use the family computer. But one sister took a fight too far [...]
In the August 2011 issue of Consumer Reports (full article available by paid subscription only), they use surveys and their own research to determine the answer to the question “Should I repair or replace my computer?” Their answer: In the first and second year of ownership, repair makes the most sense. In the third and [...]
This is a good question in our modern era: can the government force you to give up your password to your laptop, iPhone or other electronic device? As with so many other aspects of our society there is a balance between privacy and security. It would be great if laws could be written to only [...]
When you fail to properly set up or renew your antivirus, your computer could become a part of international crime. No, you aren’t smuggling diamonds or nuclear weapons, but you are lining the coffers of the bad guys! This isn’t a plot of some new movie, but the actual facts of the situation. Fake antiviruses [...]
If you have an old computer lying around that works great, but you aren’t sure what to do with it, here’s a great idea to reuse before recycling. The website Free Oldies is a nearly complete list of older games that have been abandoned or otherwise put in the public domain. The site also links [...]
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