The Week’s Tidbits (and some Friday Fun)
Regular readers of this series have come to learn over time that I prefer Fridays over Mondays …
A few brief items of interest for you today (help get you through to Quittin’ Time).
• Apple: made in China, untaxed profits kept offshore
“About two-thirds of Apple’s $97.6 billion cash pile is off shore. That’s a lot of money for an American company to keep outside of America.” Read more..
• Major Symantec breach highlights risks of running old software
“Symantec says it has fewer than 50,000 users of pcAnywhere, a remote-access program that has been around for decades. It now says, for safety’s sake, those users should pull the plug. Immediately.” Read more..
• The Internet and piracy are here to stay
“Will killing media piracy destroy the Internet? Is it even possible to stop piracy?” Read more..
{Finally! The right questions.}
• Microsoft Says Ex-Antivirus Maker Ran Botnet
“The Russian software engineer has been added to a federal complaint that claims the the defendant operated the Kelihos botnet taken down last September.” Read more..
• Study: BlackHole appears, Conficker remains
“Eighty-five percent of all malware is web-based, and some 30,000 websites are newly infected with malicious code each day, according to Sophos’ “Security Threat Report 2012.” Read more..
Alright. Enough of that depressing stuff. I need a grin…
Recently, rather inadvertently, I think, squirrels have been mentioned on this site.
No. Not some new tech gadget.
Squirrels. Like.. in the tree, squirrel?
A reader sent me this video of a different kind of ‘tech’, and a frustrated little guy..
“Squirrel baffle”.
Love that term.
What are the chances this strategy will pay off?
Um.. er.. 0.000001%?
(Yet, obviously, some *people* think it’s a good plan, and keep spamming me. CAN-SPAM Act or no..)
Today’s quote: “A little learning is a dangerous thing, but a lot of ignorance is just as bad.” ~ Bob Edwards
Yawl have a great weekend, ya’ hear?
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Zoosk.com???? Who thought up that name?
Wow.
That’s almost as silly a word as “google”..
Microsoft Support Outage? Anyone else notice a problem with support.microsoft.com?
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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An Email From Google…..
A little while ago, I saw an email from Google in my Gmail Inbox. If you have a “G”-Identity (have a Gmail account, registered at YouTube, etc.) you probably received one too.
Seems they wanted to let me know they are changing the rules of the game.. as the Subject reads: Changes to Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. For those who didn’t get a copy..
One policy, one Google experience
We’re getting rid of over 60 different privacy policies across Google and replacing them with one that’s a lot shorter and easier to read. Our new policy covers multiple products and features, reflecting our desire to create one beautifully simple and intuitive experience across Google.
This stuff matters, so please take a few minutes to read our updated Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service now. These changes will take effect on March 1, 2012.
Easy to work across Google
Our new policy reflects our desire to create a simple product experience that does what you need, when you want it to. Whether reading an email that reminds you to schedule a family get-together or finding a favorite video that you want to share, we want to ensure you can move across Gmail, Calendar, Search, YouTube, or whatever your life calls for with ease.
Tailored for you
If you’re signed into Google, we can do things like suggest search queries – or tailor your search results – based on the interests you’ve expressed in Google+, Gmail, and YouTube. We’ll better understand which version of Pink or Jaguar you’re searching for and get you those results faster.
Easy to share and collaborate
When you post or create a document online, you often want others to see and contribute. By remembering the contact information of the people you want to share with, we make it easy for you to share in any Google product or service with minimal clicks and errors.
Protecting your privacy hasn’t changed
Our goal is to provide you with as much transparency and choice as possible, through products like Google Dashboard and Ads Preferences Manager alongside other tools. Our privacy principles remain unchanged. And we’ll never sell your personal information or share it without your permission (other than rare circumstances like valid legal requests).
Understand how Google uses your data
If you want to learn more about your data on Google and across the web, including tips and advice for staying safe online, check out Good to Know.
Got questions? We got answers
Visit our FAQ to read more about the changes. (We figured our users might have a question or twenty-two.)
Notice of change
March 1, 2012 is when the new Privacy Policy and Google Terms of Service will come into effect. If you choose to keep using Google once the change occurs, you will be doing so under the new Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
Not too long after that.. ZDNet posted, Google’s new privacy policy: The good, bad, scary
“I’m all for breaking down data silos, but when Google knows more about me than my wife I get a bit worried.” Read more..
See also: Confessions of a Google junkie (or, Privacy? What privacy?)
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… please read our complete Terms..
Yeah.
Who does that?
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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Do You Use A Debit or Credit Card? Watch This.
The other day I received a call. The person had read about a skimmer being found at a Lucky store they shop at, and they wanted to know how they could “spot” a skimmer. (See Lucky Supermarket Chain Reveals Scope Of Card Reader Scam)
Well.. um.. I wish I had an easy answer.
What I do have is 3 videos. The first is in German, but what I want you look at is the “skimmer” devices, used on ATM machines.. could you “spot” one of those?
It doesn’t just happen in Europe.. here’s a RL story..
And, it’s worse than that. Here’s a Bob Sullivan report on “pocket skimmers”.. like the ones your waiter/waitress might have..
So.. I haven’t even touched upon (wireless) RFID skimmers, or even begun to paint the picture as black as it is. Yippee.
What can you do to protect yourself? Do you need to scratch at keypads, and try to pop off faceplates before you use an ATM..? Wrap your wallet in tinfoil, too?
Well.. I don’t know. I guess that’s up to you. But, if your bank allows you to set “activity notifications”, I would activate it, and set it to 1¢. It won’t stop the ID Thief, but you may be able to act fast, and notify the bank before your account is completely emptied…………
Perhaps hire a “credit monitoring service”, or otherwise routinely, frequently, check your credit report as well? (Hint)
I have an idea. Why don’t we do away with currency altogether. Just (only) use chips or cards! It’s so convenient, and think of the money the government will save if it doesn’t have to print bills.
… arrrgh.
Today’s quote: “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” ~ Unknown
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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Under the wire..
I have just managed to grab some time and get something posted for you guys today.. and though it is a reprint, I did choose it for it’s appropriateness..
I am in a bit of a muddle here today, as I sit at my keyboard. I have six or seven directions I could head in, if you will, and am unsure which to share with you, Dear Reader. And how to do it. I think I will just “free flow” today.
I will start with an educational word of caution..
Yesterday Today, I spent hours in a client’s home. They could not access their Gmail.
No. Their account was not “hijacked”. They simply could not remember their password.
They had set one, and then had been letting the computer remember it for them. But, their browser suddenly forgot to remember correctly the other day.
Well, no big deal.. their logins are stored on the “keychain” (it was a Mac).
Which is password protected.
Which they couldn’t remember either.. as they had set it years ago when the computer was new.
Catch 22.
Worse, this person was in the habit of setting passwords, and letting the computer do the work: they knew not a single one of their passwords (except their User password, which they use every day).. and didn’t have them written down anywhere.
I did my best to explain that in this Internet Age, user name + password combinations are our keys: they give you access: and w/o them, you are S.O.L.; and you want to hide a spare (copy) somewhere. Just like you would a house key.
But I could tell that not even the frustration of hours of playing the “guessing passwords game” and dozens of “click here to reset password” emails (Gmail said “No. we don’t believe you are you.”), nor my mild chiding coaxing, was going to change this person’s behavior or attitude. Neither would my bill.
For those who do want a better way to “manage” all your passwords, you may want to take a look at LastPass.
But, I have seen an increase in the number of malware (aka “virus”) infections, and also an increase in the number of infections which included backdoors and keyloggers (this coincides nicely with the approaching tax season..). Many of these infections were spread by email coming from friends and contacts. So now would be a good time to ramp up your email “paranoid common sense”, and not implicitly trust that the email (appearing to come) from your good buddy Joe is safe.
And it’s a good time for me to pitch to you my Got A Computer? Top 10 Things You Should Do article. It is a checklist worth knowing.
Today’s quote: “For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three.” ~ Alice Kahn
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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Sunday Beauty and More..
A few items for your Sunday..
I simply must start off today by by mentioning that – since they won their big game last weekend – my 49er’s are playing for the NFC Championship today, and if they should win, will go to the Super Bowl (for the first time since .. a rather long while). The NY Giants are coming here to play. Go Niners!
[update: There is no joy in Mudville. The Niners lost in overtime. Great season, guys, and a *heck* of a game.]
Next up, an alert reader sent me a cybercrime news item.
Okay. Another “crime news” depressing downer of a story, blah, blah, blah.. right?
Not so! This one involves iPads, and, yes, scams. But I couldn’t believe the facts of the story.. I won’t spoil the surprise: click here and read for yourself. (Amazing!) Thank you, Dear Reader, for sending that in!
Recurring feature: A little “beauty” for your Sunday..
Click on image to see more by this artist
“feeding the pigeons” by agtwo, courtesy of Flickr Commons
(Okay. So maybe that wasn’t “beauty”, but something about that image…)
Today’s quote: “We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.” ~ Carl Sagan
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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13th Most Visited Website Taken Down…
Downfall of ‘Dr Evil’: Guns, luxury cars and millions in cash seized from ‘internet pirate’
- $400,000 Rolls Royce and 1959 pink Cadillac among vehicles confiscated
- Founder and three others are arrested in New Zealand at request of the U.S.
- Kim Dotcom and co-accused held in custody pending extradition hearings
- File-sharers alleged to have cost media firms $500million in lost revenue
I am referring to the website MegaUpload. Click here for the 4-1-1.
So, yes. It appears (at least) one person made easy money on the Internet. I think I’ll quit my day job, and “get with it”. (I like easy money.)
(Sent in by an alert reader. [Thank you.])
• About Tech Paul
I am a CompTIA Certified computer technician, and the owner of Aplus Computer Aid. I offer my affordable and friendly services via remote control over the Web, or over the phone.
I regularly post how-to’s and tricks & tips and general computing advice. Sometimes I will answer (your) specific questions in an article if I believe that it is generally helpful to “everyone”. All the writing you see is my own, typos and all. There is an implied “IMHO” in what you see here.
You can write to me using this form.
Note: You are responsible for using this blog and its content. I am in no way liable for any losses caused by user error, viruses and/or other malware, hardware or software failure, or any other conceivable reason.
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Folks, this is not one of those "trick you into buying" free scans, but a scan that show what is running, and loaded to run (Startup folder, etc.). You can also click links to learn more about the files it finds. And, please, do a search before you decide something doesn't belong. 
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