Items Of Interest | Latest Social Networking Craze | March Is Half Over?!

Some things you might wanna know…

* Pinterest’s popularity attracts cyber scammers

“Pinterest is the latest social networking craze — and that means cyber criminals aren’t going to let you share images of your favorite summer sandals, button bracelets and vegan cupcakes in peace.

According to Symantec researchers, miscreants have begun flocking to the fast-growing virtual pinboard. Instead of posting images that lead to legitimate websites, these scammers are pinning alluring bait, such as offers claiming to give away a free $100 gift card.” Read more..

* 16 reasons NOT to buy a new iPad

“With the U.S. and nine other countries awaiting the 8am arrival of the latest iPad, David Gewirtz attempts to shut down Apple’s reality distortion field and save you some money.” Read more..

(“Reality Distortion Field”. That’s one way to phrase it..)

* Why does my computer stalk me with pictures of shoes I shouldn’t buy?

“For the past two days the shoes I thought I’d gotten out of my system have been stalking me relentlessly across the Internet.” Read more..

(On this one, the comments are readworthy, too.)

Echidnas are one of few mammals to lay eggs.

* The Encyclopaedia Britannica is going out of print

“It was probably inevitable, but on Tuesday, it became official: the Encyclopaedia Britannica is finally going out of print.” Read more..

(Apparently.. some people care…)(In case nobody has told you yet, books [with paper] are living fossils [aka “dead man walking”].)

The lastest from Fred Langa:
* Step by step: How to safely test-drive Win8

“Using safe, free virtual PC software, you can set up and run the Windows 8 Consumer Preview inside your current PC without affecting your other programs or your installed version of Windows.

This method lets you test-drive Windows 8 without having to make potentially risky changes to your current setup. There’s no need for dual-booting, special partitions, and so on.” Read more..

* You do know the IRS is not going to send you an email, right? (Tis the season of tax/refund scam emails. [Just delete any emails you see claiming to be from them.])

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Today’s quote: “The promises of this world are, for the most part, vain phantoms; and to confide in one’s self, and become something of worth and value is the best and safest course.” ~ Michelangelo

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

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How To Set Your Browser To Surf More Safely – Picture Tutorial*

How to Configure Internet Explorer to Stay (More) Secure Online: Step-by-Step

The Internet is an amazing place. It is the world’s largest man-made object. It has changed and enhanced our lives in countless ways. Like most things, it has it’s “good side” and it’s “bad side”. I think you need to know: cyber-criminals are ruining the Internet, and stealing billions of dollars a year in the process (that we know about.. think “tip of the iceberg”).

Instead of simply telling you “be safer”, I have a link to a step-by-step slideshow tutorial: How to configure Internet Explorer for secure surfing.

The pictures make it very easy to follow, and performing the steps can prevent many online attacks against your computer.

“With assistance from the United States Computer Emergency Response Team (US-CERT), this slideshow will walk you through the steps to configure Microsoft’s Internet Explorer to limit the damage from hacker attacks.”

click for slideshow

“In this digital age, we are all connected, and each of us plays an important role in securing cyberspace.” So do your part. Make sure your web browser is “hardened” against online attacks. Click and learn!

Today’s free download: For further browser security, I recommend installing Spyware Blaster as well as the steps above. It works well with your existing protections.

SpywareBlaster doesn’t scan for and clean spyware–it prevents it from being installed in the first place. SpywareBlaster prevents the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, dialers, browser hijackers, and other potentially unwanted programs. It can also block spyware/tracking cookies in IE, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape, and many other browsers, and restrict the actions of spyware/ad/tracking sites. With the built-in Check for Updates feature, you can help ensure your protection is up-to-date. SpywareBlaster also includes a System Snapshot feature, which lets you take a snapshot of your computer in its clean state and later revert, undoing many changes made by spyware and browser hijackers.

Related: Earlier I posted a slideshow tutorial for the web browser Firefox (see, Safer Internet Surfing Cont. – Tutorial: Tweak Firefox for Greater Security)

Folks, to find out more about cyber-security, and connect to more educational resources, click here.

* Orig post: 10/18/10

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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