Pamela (for Skype)

When I am asked for advice inre the ability to record Skype video calls and texts, I simply refer them to Pamela, and further suggest, if they’re using it for business purposes, to go ahead and buy the “pro”.

What is Pamela for Skype?
Free, reliable and easy to use Skype audio and video recording software.

Features:

• Free Skype Call Recording
• Free Skype Video Recording
• Skype Chat Recording
• Skype Call Transfer
• Skype Call Scheduler
• Record calls automatically
• Mono/Stereo recording option
• Skype Conference Call manager
• Create cool mood messages
• Answering Machine
• Play sounds during calls
• Auto Chat Reply
• Birthday Reminders
• Email Forwarding
• Contact Personalization
• Blogging & Podcasting

and many other cool features.

Bonus Fun Video (because it’s summer):

Today’s quote: “For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.” ~ Lily Tomlin

Copyright 2007-2013 © “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.

A Heads Up: The Dark Side Of Skype

(+ Handy Windows 7 Productivity Features)

For three years now I have posted warnings about fake, scary warnings delivered by the “chat” part of Skype. That was the old (criminal) method. Now there’s a new ‘trick’.

Let me start with a reminder of the old..

Chat Message Scares Reader Into Installing Malware

Today a Skype chat window opened on my machine, and presented me with a dire warning from someone named “Software Update”, “Registry Scan Online®”, “OnlineUpdate.org”, “OnlineRegistry®” Today’s flavor (I think it was “Update Instructions”..).

It said that “WINDOWS SYSTEM REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION” and, it provided me with a solution… a “repair utility”.

Please, folks, tell me you have spotted this for what it is. Please tell me that you knew –instantly– that this is a cybercrime attempt; that it is Phraud-ulent. (I mean.. there are clues aplenty!) Read more..

Not too long ago, I started receiving Skype calls from similarly named entities..

This user has not shared their details with you

That’s the ‘new method’.

I am too old and too tired of criminal activities, and have not “answered” any of these calls to find out just what kind of attack or scam this is. Perhaps a RL person would try to get me to click a link they send.. perhaps a clever voice robot would.. Fact is, I simply don’t care – nothing good can come from answer this call.

Or any call from someone you don’t know. (You remember the Rule for email? Don’t open email from strangers? Same deal here.)

When we are online, surfing the vast and unpoliced Internet, we simply have to have our “paranoid hat” on, because – yes – people are trying to get us.

I have to keep my Skype profile “public”, for business reasons, but regular folks should set their privacy to “People on my Contact list only”, and reduce the chance of getting these vile interruptions.

1) Click the Tools menu, then Options.

2) Click Privacy settings (left column) and change the radio buttons to “people in my Contact list only“.

Today’s quote: “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

Today’s reading reco: Top Ten: Windows 7 Productivity Tips

“Windows 7 has been out for a while, and by all accounts has found its way into many people’s daily working lives. However, it’s easy to just keep doing things the old way instead of learning about new features that can help you work more efficiently. In this column, I’ll tell you about 10 handy Windows 7 productivity features that you might have overlooked.” Read more..

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

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Nine, ten, eleven (and Sunday Beauty)

I have a question for you today, Dear Reader, and I am hoping you can give me some “feedback”  — are any of you using a Skype enabled home phone (or their FREETALK® Connect•Me phone adapter), or MagicJack? These are devices that use the Internet to make (cheap or free) calls. If so, would you tell me your experience? I mean.. do you recommend it?
(BTW, if you act today, you can sign up for a 30 risk-free trial of Magic Jack. Click the link above for the 4-1-1.)

Also, has anyone “automated” their home? Specifically, is anyone using Homeseer? ‘Preciate some feedback from you folks as well..

* Today is 9/10/11. I noticed that number string at 11:11. Eerie weirdness. Wonder what it means?
No.. don’t get me wrong: just because I am a born-and-bred Kallyfornyan does not mean I am “into” numerology, astrology (what’s your sign, good looking?), wearing Birkenstocks, nor granola. (But, yes, we do have plenty of those “types”..) Sometimes.. I notice things and sometimes my mind just wanders to strange places. Shrug.

Plenty of people are making an issue of the date, because we are approaching an anniversary – a 10 year anniversary. An awful anniversary.
I am not going to tell you that to me “it seems like yesterday”, but I will say that the fact that ten whole years have passed has changed my perspective on what a decade is. Wow.

* Today is Saturday, and here where I am it is a lovely day. The kind of day where I am going to try to get the chores done with enough time left over to plant my bottom in a chaise lounge and sip some iced tea. I hope you enjoy your weekend.
Because tomorrow is the day that it is, I am going to post this week’s Sunday Beauty today.

Click here to see more by this artist

“Luckiamute Falls” by Ian Sane, courtesy of Flickr Commons.

Today’s free download: Panda Cloud Antivirus

“Panda Security has a ‘new’ type of antivirus – Internet based. “FREE, antivirus service for consumers which is able to process and block malware more efficiently than locally installed signature-based products.”

Today’s quote: “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” ~ Winston Churchill

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

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Windows 7 safety net | Mobile Malware | Quick reco’s

A few items for your consideration, today, including a great how-to. Let’s start with a good read for those who want more info than I provided in yesterday’s article, Microsoft Buys Skype. Now What?

* With baited breath: The Microsoft-Skype Deal

There’s plenty of speculation around the web about exactly what Microsoft plans to do with its brand new, $8.5 billion dollar baby. There is a lot of “Microsoft doesn’t know what it’s doing” sentiment floating around, but then there are some more interesting hypotheses that we figured were worth a look….CONTINUED: 8 theories behind the deal

* Got Spelling? Some – but not all – programs have built-in spell checking of some sort. If you want to add spell checking to all of your apps (or a select group) then take a look at tinySpell (free and pro).

If your favorite app does not have built-in spell checking, then tinySpell will definitely be a welcome (and very helpful) addition to your Windows system. They offer a portable version as well so you can take it with you to any PC.

[Also, How-To Geek has a tutorial here.]

* Build a complete Windows 7 safety net (by one of my fave tech How To writers, Fred Langa) Note: this is IMHO the definitive How To tutorial for disaster recovery — please read it!

“Every copy of Windows 7 includes a complete suite of backup tools. The suite contains everything you need to back up (and restore) your entire system.
What’s more, after you’ve set up your initial backup, future backups happen automatically.
In fact, Windows 7 makes it so easy to set up fully automated backups, it’s almost nutty not to do it.” Read more.. (please)

* Juniper Networks finds rise in Android phone malware, smartphone spyware

“The rising use of smartphones is gaining the attention of cybercriminals, according to a new study by Juniper Networks Inc., which tracked a sharp increase in Google Android phone malware in 2010 as a result of the platform’s success.

According to the Juniper study, which analyzed malware detected on its customer devices in 2010, smartphone spyware accounted for 61% of all mobile customer infections and 100% of all infections for Android devices. The report, issued Wednesday by the Juniper Networks Global Threat Center, also documented a 400% increase in Android malware, as well as highly targeted Wi-Fi attacks.” Read more..

Quote of the day: Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.  ~Henry Ford

Chuckle of the day:

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

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Microsoft Buys Skype. Now What?

You may have heard that Microsoft purchased the VoIP program Skype. My email has me thinking this news apparently has some readers worried.

Microsoft’s Ballmer $7.7-Billion Skype Blunder

“Microsoft is buying Skype, the video and Voice over Internet Protocol giant, for over seven billion in cash and this will help them how?” READ FULL STORY…

I have seen a lot of dumb moves by tech CEO’s (and investors) over the years. I mean.. colossally idiotic. So, to me, this is just one more item on a long list. (But I am willing to concede, there is probably some reasoning for Microsoft’s long-range plan I am ignorant of.. and it may prove smart.)

What does this mean for you? I am going to go out on a limb, and do something I hate doing – predict the future. And I predict that this acquisition will have no, zip, zero, nada effect on us Skype users.

The fear: I cannot believe that suddenly you will start having to pay for what you are now doing free. (As people seem to be worried about.) Why? Because this is a technology that’s already available fully free and Open Source. Windows Messenger does the same thing Skype does, as does ooVoo and Vid, and several others. (I think Google even has something…)

Skype isn’t even that good a product. What it has going for it is lots of users. (It has “name brand” recognition.)

So what was Microsoft’s Balmer thinking? I don’t know and I don’t care. I just chuckled.

If Skype tells me I need to pay, I’ll simply uninstall it, and install something else – something free.

And so will every other Skype user.

They know this up in Redmond, so I am not expecting to have to switch. Not everyone up there is as idjiotic as Balmer can seem to be…

That’s how it’s done: But that’s how it’s done in today’s world: you come up with some tech thingy and get lots of users onboard, and wait for someone with more money than brains to come and buy you out. Almost 8 BILLION? Cash??? Sold!

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

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Skype Malware Now Attacks Apple?

Chat Message Scares Reader Into Installing Malware

Surprise! Today I was reminded that criminals are once again using Skype to send phishing “chats” in an attempt to defraud you and trick you into installing a virus. So, I am – again – re-posting this article. It is the exact same ruse I first warned of in early 2008, but (again) the name has changed, as well as a few other details…. see if you can spot them.

Today a Skype chat window opened on my machine, and presented me with a dire warning from someone named “Software Update”, “Registry Scan Online®”, “OnlineUpdate.org”, “OnlineRegistry®” Today’s flavor (I think it was “Update Instructions”..).

It said that “WINDOWS SYSTEM REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION” and, it provided me with a solution… a “repair utility”.

Please, folks, tell me you have spotted this for what it is. Please tell me that you knew –instantly– that this is a cybercrime attempt; that it is Phraud-ulent. (I mean.. there are clues aplenty!)

Please tell me that you know what will happen if the link provided in this message is clicked; and, please, please, please tell me you would never click the link.

This “hacker” criminal attack will reappear every so often (roughly every 90 30 days) with a slightly different name and URL… It is a classic scareware attack. They just send these chats to all the Skype users whose name starts with A.. then to the B’s, then C’s.. etc.

Just in case you aren’t sure:
* “Software Update”, “Registry Scan Online ®”, Today’s flavor, doesn’t exist.
* “http://www.onlinemonitor.info”, “http://www.registryscan.com”, Today’s flavor, is not registered in ARIN (the registry of Internet addresses).
* clicking the link will allow scripts to run, and/or take you to a poisoned Website which will install malware on your machine, or/and it may take you to a site that will sell you a rogue anti-spyware program (please read my article, Is that antispyware program really spyware?).

* Microsoft DOES NOT alert you via Instant Messaging. No legitimate company does. Period. Ever!
This is a classic example of a hacker’s attempt to get you to click their link.

All of this so they can rip you off. It’s these cyber-criminal’s full time job.

Please point your less-savvy friends and family to this article and educate them to the dangers of spam (unsolicited) messages and tell them– NEVER CLICK THE LINK. (Yes, I am shouting. 2010 is days away 2011 is here, and I still have to say this everyday.. Sigh.)

Note: while this article directly references the (VoIP client) Skype, you may see this type of thing in other Instant Messaging/Chat programs, and social networking communications.

[addenda: Peter Parkes (Skype Blogger) wrote and asked me to remind my readers to, quote, “Please report users who send these messages to abuse@skype.net – that will help us to block them where appropriate.”]

… Folks.. well, let me put it to you this way: if this concept is new to you, and comes as a surprise; if you never heard of such a thing .. that someone could make a window pop open, and tries to scare you into providing your credit card number, and will put viruses on your machine.. if you “googled it” because you were not sure if this “alert” was ‘legit’, I am going to do you a favor: I am going to suggest to you that you seriously reconsider the nature of the Internet. And suggest you subscribe to my email newsletter. (This stuff is so old now, and so well known, I almost don’t bother to post it. Where have you been?)

IRS phishing already??? “Please Update Your Details”

These guys never quit, folks. ‘Cuz there’s a sucker born every minute. Please don’t be one: use some good, healthy “paranoid common sense” when online.

BTW — if something works on Windows, it ain’t gonna work on Apple (and visa versa). That’s a clue..!

Today’s recommended reading: A FREE Way to Monitor Your Kids Online Activity
“If you are a parent who has children who use the computer to access the internet it is very important that you educate yourself and your child about the dangers of the internet. It is important to have strict guidelines in place on their computer usage and a method to supervise and monitor their online activities.”

Today’s free downloads(s): I have assembled on my Website a collection of links to the best free anti-malware programs to help you prevent infection.. and clean up if you’ve been infected. To see them, click here.

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

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