You might want to know… And Friday Fun

If you have ever used the Nationwide Insurance company, or their website..

* Personal info of 1m compromised in Nationwide breach

“The FBI is investigating a breach at Nationwide Insurance, where hackers recently accessed the sensitive information of about one million people, including policy and non-policy holders.” Read more ..

[reminder: “breach” is geekspeak for “a hacker broke in”.]

If you “download”, Torrent, or “share” music, software, or videos.. you have a little more time.

* ISP piracy alert system now expecting early-2013 launch

“The rollout of a piracy alert system backed by several major internet service providers (ISPs) has been pushed back to early next year.“

* ISPs can slow or suspend web use under anti-piracy program

No surprise..

* Cloud decisions are no longer in the IT department’s hands – the suits have taken over

“A new report has revealed that decisions around cloud are increasingly being made by people outside IT departments.” Read more..

(History shows how well things work once the beancounters take control of something.. [and there’s good reason it is a derogatory term.] Trying to get the suits to comprehend anything remotely IT-related, and budgeted, is one of the oldest headaches in the biz [ref: Dilbert character “pointy-haired boss“.])

Friday Fun Video (sing along if you like..)

Today’s quote: “Doing what little one can to increase the general stock of knowledge is as respectable an object of life, as one can in any likelihood pursue.” ~ Charles Darwin

Copyright 2007-2012 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Quick Reco’s..

A few items worthy of your consideration.

* Proposed amendments to ECPA would make Orwell squirm

“George Orwell wrote his famous book about Big Brother in 1948. What would he think about the Electronic Communications Privacy Act? Changes to the act are being voted on this week in the U.S. Senate.” Read more..

Computers (and “high tech”) are fundamentally changing.

* Windows 8: It’s only one part of Microsoft’s brave new world

“Just how do you completely rebuild a company? Windows 8 is important but it’s just one step towards the future for Microsoft.” Read more..

* A new checkbox (aka “option”, aka “setting”) Skype users may want to un-check..

They snuck that in during an “update”…

* Do you have more than one “device” on your network? Free, from Sophos: Network Security Scan

Scan for threats on your network — up to 200 machines

• Finds viruses and other threats your antivirus missed
• Works alongside your existing antivirus
• Includes free security updates for 30 days

See all the threats on your network

Want to see what your current software might have missed? Try our free scan on up to 200 computers.

It’ll find malware, suspicious devices and apps

You’ll be able to see threats in all their forms. It could be removable media, games or other peer-to-peer software that are your biggest risks. Read more/download..

* Photographers, I recently came across two websites anyone thinking about buying a digital camera should (IMHO) take a look at:

• photographyblog
• dcresource

* Cyber Monday: Can The Internet Be Taken Down By Massive DDoS Attacks?

 “A security expert from Arbor Networks says bandwidth and performance increases combined with increased sizes of botnets have got service providers worried that large scale DDoS attacks could cause massive Internet interruptions.” Read more..

(… I won’t tell you about the planned hacker “blitzkrieg” attack on US banks… But you can ‘google it’..)

Today’s quote: “Today, you always know whether you are on the Internet or on your PC’s hard drive. Tomorrow, you will not care and may not even know.” ~ Bill Gates

(Sorry, Bill, but I will care [and I will know] ‘cuz I’m not a sheeple.)

Copyright 2007-2012 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Top Cyber Monday Deals

So. It’s Cyber Monday, and instead of actually working, you want to know where the best deals are.

Here you go. (I’m going to jump on the 2TB Seagate, for one..)

Click on image to see the deals

But as you probably already know.. every single online shopping place has some kind of “super” deal on today… (Be sure to look at Amazon, if you haven’t yet.)

Tis the season of credit card debt, and cybercrime.

Copyright 2007-2012 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Keeping My Priorities Straight

Today, I plan to strictly adhere to this Nutrition Pyramid.

Please accept my wishes for a safe and happy Holiday!

Please remember — we are now in prime Cybercrime Season. Let’s be careful and cautious out there.

Today’s quote: “The unthankful heart… discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!” ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Copyright 2007-2012 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Wednesday Weirdness

Folks, every ten years, or so, the planets align with the tides of the Fourth House, and ‘ole Tech Paul actually gets to feeling a tad unorthodox. And so, on this day of preparation for many people’s favorite holiday, I have decided to post something a little different, I hope you’ll enjoy.

It is a wee bit premature, but I’d like to ask you to be a little bit more conscientious of those around you today, and please, be safe.

And, yes.. the “shopping madness” is soon to begin, and the roads/malls/parking will be packed. For those of you who are planning to avoid the mobs and do your shopping online (for the so called “Black Friday” deals, etc.) please take a look at my Season’s Reminder (it’s fairly short).

Today’s reading reco: Twitter, Tumblr Become the Latest Fronts in Cyberwar

“The causes may have changed and the weapons may have advanced, but people have waged wars for centuries. In today’s high-tech battles, the barrage of information — or digital warfare — is becoming almost as critical as the salvos of bullets and rockets.” Read more..

Tis the season …

*     *     *

Today’s quote: “Party on, Wayne.” ~ Garth Algar (Dana Carvey)

Copyright 2007-2012 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

A Couple of Quick Reco’s..

Folks, I only have time today to direct your attention to two interesting items..

First up, a free software tool..

* A Free Powerful Lightweight Image Editor That Is Portable

“To find a good FREE image editor is one thing, but to find one that will run from the stick (your flash drive) is another. One of my favorite all-round system maintenance utilities is Toolwiz Care. While visiting their site, I happened to notice that they also have a product called Toolwiz Pretty Photo. What […]” Read more..

And then, a good commentary..

* How PC makers destroy the Windows experience

“Building a PC should be easy. Design great hardware, add an operating system and any specialized tools that your hardware needs, and delight the user. So why do some PC makers insist on screwing things up?” Read more..

I hope everyone is having a tolerable Monday.

Today’s quote: “The man who carries a cat by the tail learns something that can be learned in no other way.” ~ Mark Twain

Copyright 2007-2012 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Sunday Beauty #110

Folks, another interesting image for your Sunday..

Click on image to see more by this artist (reco’d)

“Great seagull shot!” by chickadeeacres, courtesy of Flickr Commons

(I don’t know if this image caught my eye because I am old enough to remember the days when the book “everyone is talking about” featured a seagull.. )

Sunday Ugly: (A “google search” someone typed in, which found this website.. [three times].. )

Here’s an idea.. call your service provider’s tech support? You pay for it. Use it.

Today’s quote: “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” ~ Charlie Chaplin

Copyright 2007-2012 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.