Use Pinterest for Back to School

Use Pinterest for Back to School Tips

While it may seem like summer vacation just started (or perhaps for some, it feels like it will never end), the time to get the kids geared up and ready to head back to school is right around the corner. Pinterest can help take some of the guess work out of getting your little (or not so little) ones back to school. Here’s how to track down some of the most useful board highlighting gear, fashion, lunch inspiration and tips to help your students have a great year.

First, some tips on searching Pinterest. The huge variety of “pinners” and a relatively limited search tool means that it can be challenging to find exactly what you’re looking for using Pinterest’s site search. The search term you enter will have to appear in the description of the pin (if you’re searching pins) or the name of the board (if you’re searching boards). I like to search boards first using general terms like “back to school” or “school lunch” before searching for specific pins. The results returned when searching for boards will show you the image the pinner has chosen as their board cover image, as well as the most recent three things they’ve added to the board. This will let you scan through quickly for images that you find relevant, attractive or intriguing and then click through to see the rest of the links they’ve collected.


You could search by general category under Kids or Education to see the most recent and popular posts that have been categorized by the poster, but I find that overwhelming. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to sort results further. I would find it much easier if I could search by a term and then sort by most popular or most re-pinned so as to find a good starting point of material but, alas, it is not an option. This can make cruising Pinterest a bit overwhelming, so I’ve tracked down some gems to get you started.

Encourage a love of learning. I am one of the over 450,000 people that love the links and information gathered by former teacher Allison McDonald of “No Time for Flashcards” (http://pinterest.com/noflashcards/). From boards dedicated to gear, after school activities, and setting up a study area, to countless projects and games to help your budding scholar get ready for the year to come, there’s something here for any parent with a kid under ten. Not only will you bring your A-game to back to school, you’ll find tools to help your son or daughter get the most out of their learning time, whether it’s at school or at home.

Master the art of lunch. If your kids complain that they can’t stand the thought of yet another peanut butter and jelly sandwich with apple side dish, check out the easy but amazingly creative lunch ideas at the “Easy Lunch Box Lunches” page (http://pinterest.com/easylunchboxes/easy-lunch-box-lunches/). Centering on the bento-box craze, links give you a huge variety of options to meet any dietary needs, from gluten or lactose free to catering to picky eaters. Creative presentation encourages little ones to try new veggies or wraps, particularly when themed to their interests (think, pirate booty box or butterfly extravaganza). It may sound too time consuming, but you’ll be surprised at what you can pull off quickly and easily with a few sandwich or vegetable shape cutting tools and some reusable packaging. It’s even eco-friendly so your kids won’t harass you about wasting plastic bags – win!

Cater to your fashionista. For any parent who finds themselves wandering aimlessly around the clothes section in August, only to return home with a bag of outfits that elicit an “aw, mom, really?” reaction, save yourself some headaches by cruising the style profile boards compiled by Zulily (http://pinterest.com/zulily/), an online “daily deals site for moms.” From “Classic Cutie” to “Mister Hipster,” boards are dedicated to a variety of styles and tastes. Sit your little fashion-forward offspring down and have tem tell you which kinds of outfits appeal to them.

Older style mavens may have better luck with the custom outfits posted to Polyvore’s page (http://pinterest.com/polyvore/). Scroll through their “Top Products” board together so that you can get on the same page before heading out to shop, or follow the links to Polyvore’s main site to have your teen put together some dream outfits with the site’s “Create” feature. Choose from a huge selection of tops, bottoms and accessories to build complete outfits. Not only will you get a chance to preview the digs your kids think are cool, you’ll have the opportunity to talk about anything that may not be school appropriate before you get to the store.

 

How to Use Google Better

Time-saving tips for navigating cyberspace

Even though more web users search with Google than any other search engine, take advantage of the full power of the tool at their disposal. From finding a quick answer to just about any question, query or calculation you encounter to more easily finding relevant results in weblinks, here’s how to get more from your Google search experience.


In mid-2012, Google rolled out Knowledge Graph, a way to view a quick summary of the information that the search algorithm determines to be most relevant to your query as well as quickly link to different results. For example, typing “Taj Mahal” in the search bar returns a page where links to other web pages appear on the left, but on the right is a summary of facts about the monument in India. Scroll down a smidge to see a box under the summary titled “see results about” which lets you jump to results about the musician or the casino. Another Knowledge Graph feature is that searching for a book, TV show, music album or DVD offers up a “People also search for” list of a few similar or related titles, like Amazon's "people who bought this also bought" feature.

Finding quick facts is Google’s specialty but you may not know of all the queries you can post directly in the search bar (or browser bar if you’re using Google’s Chrome browser):

Need to convert ounces to cups? Type “6 ounces into cups” and the answer will be listed at the top of your results page. Similarly, enter the equation you want answered (for example, 72x153) and the result appears without having to pull up a calculator application.

Find movie times in your area just by entering the name of the movie. See upcoming dates and events by entering the name of the venue, band or performance you’re interested in.

Review sports scores for any recent game by entering the name of the team. Quick results will show recent scores, record, standings, and upcoming games.

Get a five day forecast for anywhere in the world by entering “ weather.”

If, like me, you can never remember when Mother’s Day hits in the calendar year, just enter “2013 Mothers Day” to instantly see the date it falls on. It works for any holiday or major event, including using terms like Olympics, Election or NBA Draft.

Shave off the few seconds it takes to launch Google Maps and see instant directions and drive times by entering " to " in the search bar.

Search for items using just their UPC code or shipping tracking number.

The next time you need to find out your IP address, typing "IP address" in the search bar will reward you with the info.

Google’s site-specific search function allows you to limit search results to a specific webpage. Let’s say, for example, you’re looking for an article that you read on CNN a few months ago about nanotechnology. In the search bar enter “site:cnn.com nanotechnology” and all the results returned will be references to nanotechnology posted to CNN.

Ever click on a page that resulted from your search only to not find the information you're looking for on the page? Google's Quick Scroll (free) is an extension to the Google Chrome browser that helps you quickly navigate to relevant text on a webpage resulting from a Google search. A box in the lower right corner shows a text excerpt from the page that Quick Scroll believes to be relevant to your search terms. Click on the box and you’ll be instantly taken to where the text appears on the page.

 

Nexus 7 and Android 4.3 Jellybean Announced

If you've been considering getting a tablet but nothing has caught your eye yet, you might want to take a second look at Google's Nexus 7, which just received a major update, along with its operating system, Android 4.3.

Google today announced the release of updates to two of their flagship products, the Nexus 7 and the Android operating system.

The Android update, number 4.3, codenamed “Jellybean,” offers a number of incremental changes to the operating system. The biggest change is the addition of restricted profiles. Restricted profiles allow parents to change application behaviors on their childrens' accounts. This means parents can restrict their kids from making purchases, accessing inappropriate content, or changing system settings, much like parental controls on Mac and Windows operating systems.


Android 4.3 also added support for Bluetooth Smart, which is a low-energy version of the close-proximity Bluetooth profile. At the announcement event, one of the Google interns got on stage and did jumping jacks to demonstrate Android's ability to pull in measurements from a bluetooth heart-rate monitor.

The update also adds support for much better graphics, supported by some of the new hardware put out by Google, including the Nexus 7.

The Nexus 7, which has been Google's flagship tablet, also received significant updates. The biggest change was an increase in pixel density. The new Nexus 7 has a screen with higher resolution than the printed page, making it the most precise tablet screen on the market. It has a 1900x1200 pixel screen, which allows it to play full HD videos and games. In order to support this, the new Nexus 7 also features upgraded hardware, like a faster processor, doubled memory, and stereo speakers. The screen size however remains the same.

Google also refocused on Android as a gaming platform with the Nexus 7 announcement, revealing the “Google Play Games” app, which allows you to connect with your friends who also play games, and compares you across leaderboards. Several new games were also demoed on the Nexus 7, including a new Prince of Persia game and several racing apps. Also included in the Google Play store update was the option to rent textbooks for six months at a time.

The Nexus 7 starts at $229 for the 16GB version with Wi-Fi Only.

Repair your Online Reputation

When you enter your name into Google (or the search engine of your choice), are the results flattering, or at least accurate? Even if you aren’t keeping tabs on your online reputation, others may be. From potential employers to prospective love interests, information linked to you on the Internet can affect your livelihood, your love life; even create a first impression for new people you meet. Take control of your online reputation with a few simple steps to ensure that when someone searches you out online the results are favorable.


According to a research report commissioned by Microsoft in 2009(.doc download), about 70% of U.S. recruiters and HR professionals interviewed indicated that they have rejected a candidate based on information they found online. Recruiters indicated that concerns about the candidate’s lifestyle; inappropriate comments or text written by the candidate (even their friends, colleagues and work acquaintances) and unsuitable photos, videos or information are most detrimental.

Take proactive steps to ensure that you’re presented in the best light:

Do your research: Google yourself. Before you start, sign out of your Google account so that you see the results that others see. Use all variants of your name, particularly the one you use on your resume and applications.

In most cases you’ll find mediocre results, primarily other people that share your name and old or irrelevant information. About 15% of people have “bad” search results that offer up severely unflattering information or images.

Take control of your results.According to BrandYourself.com, only 7% of people navigate past the first page of results. The key is to create enough positive buzz about yourself so as to have relevant and flattering content appear higher in search results.

Start by joining websites that are noticed by Google's search scanning algorithm like LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com), Google+ and Twitter. Complete as much of the personal profile as possible, particularly the sections that relate to job skills and experience. Even publicly accessible Facebook info will appear in your results page.

Bloggers should post content to Wordpress (http://wordpress.org/) as it typically ranks above other blogging sites like Tumblr and Blogger. Use Vimeo and Flickr, respectively, to share appropriate videos and pictures on the web.

Even better, purchase your domain name (if it’s available) and build a personal website that utilizes SEO (Search Engine Optimization). See the BrandYourself blog for tips (http://blog.brandyourself.com/brand-yourselfcom/introduction-to-personal-search-engine-optimization-seo/).

Damage control. If you find embarrassing or unflattering content linked to your name, don’t despair. In many cases, once you know they exist you can systematically track down things you want to get rid of and attempt to delete them. If the content is posted by a friend on Facebook, ask them to remove it and un-tag yourself from inappropriate images or posts. Update your Facebook privacy settings to customize what you share and what others are allowed to share on your wall. If you discover posts that seem to be particularly malicious, contact the administrator of a website to request that it be removed.

[pullquote]your goal is to push down unfavorable content[/pullquote]

After removing what you can, your goal is to push down unfavorable content. Create more profiles, particularly on sites that end in .edu or .gov as Google considers those sites more credible and may push those results higher than potentially damaging links.

Stay proactive. Sign up for Google alerts (www.google.com/alerts) so that you’re notified if a new reference to you appears online. BrandYourself (www.brandyourself.com) is a great resource for free information about improving your online search results. In addition to a wealth of tips and tutorials, create a complimentary account to push three links about yourself up the Google results ranking. Premium members pay a monthly fee to promote an unlimited number of links.

Geocaching

Geocaching: Use your GPS to Find a Buried Treasure

The game is afoot. You're getting closer to the treasure, you can feel it. "It's supposed to be right here," you say, "the location is marked on my GPS!" You move a rock leaning up against a nearby tree, and suddenly there it is, the cache you've been hunting for, hidden inside. Success!

What is this adventure, you ask? It's called "Geocaching," and it's a growing phenomenon. Around 2000, global positioning satellites became much more accurate at pinpointing a target's location. Nerdy GPS enthusiasts took advantage and created the game for challenge and entertainment. The fad has been growing ever since.


Players hide a treasure or "cache" anywhere in the world, then they post clues to its location online for others to discover.  Today, there are over 2 million active caches hidden around the world, many right in your own backyard. Locations vary from drive up and pick up, check-in style caches, to intricately hidden, wouldn’t possibly find it if you didn’t know it was there hiding spots. Caches have been hidden on street signs, inside public statues, under sewer grates, camouflaged to blend into the environment, you name it.

What’s in a cache can vary widely depending on the creativity of the treasure hider.  Traditional caches will simply be containers with a log book, so you sign your name to your discovery when you find it.  Sometimes people include trinkets like bottle caps, poker chips or toy cars, while others add their own signature item to a box like a unique pin or crafted item.  When you find a cache you take the item and replace it with something of your own for the next hunter to find.

A multi-cache can send you to multiple locations, each one containing a clue to the final location like little bread crumbs to follow on your treasure hunt.  Mystery or puzzle caches involve complicated puzzles and intricate riddles you must solve before you can move on to the next location.

To get started, head over to Geocaching (www.geocaching.com) to get the low-down on geocaches in your area, download the official geocaching application to your mobile device and share your experiences with fellow treasure hunters.  Gloat to other geocatchers when you're the First to Find (FTF) a new cache.  The best part is it's totally free and it can get you exploring your world in ways you never imagined before.

Take the game one step further with Wherigo (www.wherigo.com), a platform where users create location-based adventures that are played out in the real world.  Wherigo asks the question, "what if you could take video games outdoors?"  Rather than playing an adventure game on your computer sitting in your La-z-boy recliner, play it in the park around the corner or while exploring the city on your next vacation.  Wherigo users also create and post innovative walking tours of the city sights, and custom scavenger hunts for around the neighborhood.  Use your imagination and you can make every trip outside your house an adventure.

Want to step it up a notch?  Mega-Event Caches are annual events attracting geocachers from around the world.  Attended by more than 500 people, they offer a day or more of planned activities for like-minded geocachers.  Find a list of upcoming events for 2013 on Geocaching's website.

[pullquote]Mega-Event Caches are annual events attracting geocachers from around the world.[/pullquote]

Nature lovers should check out EarthCache (www.earthcache.org), a partnership between The Geological Society of America and Geocatching.com.  Caches found are "virtual" in the sense that they're not a container, but rather a location of scientific or educational significance, highlighted so you learn lessons about our planet.  The fundamental goal of these caches is to educate the visitor and provide a unique experience when exploring our natural world.

Tread Lightly (www.treadlightly.org) is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to promote responsible recreation through education and training. It provides several suggestions for environmentally-responsible geocaching, such as:

Whether you're traveling by vehicle or on foot, stay on designated roads and trails.

Respect property owners by asking permission before tromping through their land.

Proceed with caution around horses and other pets on the trail, as sudden movements or noises can spook them.  Keep your own pets under control.

Lastly, and most importantly, educate yourself about where you're going before you simply wander off into the wilderness.  Obtain maps of the area you're heading into and plan out your route in advance.  Pack appropriately for anticipated weather conditions and for emergencies, making sure you have plenty of water and supplies, even for short trips.  Consider partnering-up with other geocachers so you reduce your vulnerability to accidents or mishaps.  If you insist upon heading out alone, make sure someone knows where you're headed and when you plan to return

 

Easy Ways to Increase Laptop Lifespan

Increase Your Laptop's Lifespan

A few simple tips

The compact, mobile loveliness that is a laptop brings with it a shorter lifespan than a typical desktop PC. On average, a laptop has a lifespan of about four years. The hardware begins to age after 2-3 years and they’re usually more expensive to upgrade than a desktop PC. Get every ounce of life from your laptop by following a few simple tips.


While the likelihood of dropping a desktop PC is pretty slim, dragging your laptop between work, home and the local coffee shop leads to a greatly increased chance of accidental damage. Prevent the majority of the physical wear-and-tear on your laptop by investing in a sturdy, well-padded bag or sleeve. Make sure it’s easy to get your system in and out of the case so you’re more likely to use it.

Laptops are compact, and having all the parts contained in a relatively tight space can lead to overheating.As much as the name implies otherwise, your lap is actually one of the worst places to use a laptop.  Soft, uneven surfaces (especially blankets and pillows) can block vents and restrict airflow, leading to the laptop overheating.  It’s best to use your laptop on a hard surface, or with a laptop support stand.  There are soft risers that fit comfortably on your lap and some are even designed with built-in cooling fans.

Many laptop manufacturers offer diagnostics software that can tell you if your system is staying adequately cool and confirm that fans are working properly.  Check your system’s support site for more information. Consider investing in a laptop cooling pad if you find your laptop overheating often or running particularly hot.

Excessive dust clogging the vent fans can exacerbate a laptop’s tendency to overheat, and the use of improper chemicals (like Windex) to clean grime from the screen can lead to degradation of the screen’s protective coating.  Blow away dust and debris with canned air, aiming to blow air out of the vents, not into your machine. Use a microfiber cloth dampened with plain water on the screen and cotton swabs to clear out the crevices.

Before storing it in your laptop bag, put your laptop in sleep or hibernate mode, or better yet let it fully shut down. Just closing the lid can leave the hard drive spinning for a few moments.  Your system can be damaged by jostling it around while the internal parts are still working.

[pullquote]...batteries are meant to have a certain number of charge cycles[/pullquote]

If your laptop tends to remain constantly plugged-in on your desk, you can extend your battery's lifespan by using it every once in awhile. Ideally, unplug it about two to three times per week to let the battery “stretch its legs.”  Then plug it in when it gets low (not completely dead) and let it recharge fully.  Keep in mind that batteries are meant to have a certain number of “charge cycles” (how many times they can run down and recharge) which is typically somewhere between 400 to 500 times.  When your battery no longer holds a charge, get more life from your system by replacing it for $50 to $150 depending on whether you buy generic or from the manufacturer.

Just like desktop PCs, get in the habit of completely shutting down your laptop at least every few days. A lot of your system’s maintenance is linked to shut down process. From installing software updates to clearing cache and short term memory, a full system restart can even fix weird bugs that may have cropped up.

Finally, if you are able to upgrade your laptop’s hardware consider investing in a solid-state hard drive. Because SSDs have no moving parts, they don’t produce heat like a typical spinning disk.

 

 

Android Phones Vulnerable to Hackers

Android Vulnerability Patched

Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world, installed on three quarter of a billion devices. Having a master key to all of those would give a hacker near-total control in the mobile world. Fortunately, this doomsday scenario has been narrowly avoided.


Bluebox Labs, a computer security company, recently discovered http://bluebox.com/corporate-blog/bluebox-uncovers-android-master-key/ a vulnerability in the Android operating system that leaves “99%” of Android users open to the possibility of malicious software. But the most shocking thing about this discovery is not only the breadth of the vulnerability, but its depth as well.

The “Master Key” vulnerability, if used by a hacker, would allow them to access all of a user's data on their phone. This includes text messages, account access, and photos. It is unknown at this time the full extent of this vulnerability's use.

This vulnerability makes it possible for a hacker to change the code of an app without modifying its cryptographic signature. What this means in practical terms is that a hacker could develop an app and deliver it to the Google Play store and have it downloaded by people wanting to use its functionality. Those who download the app would confirm the app's access to the file system. Then without anyone's knowledge, the hacker could then change the code of the app to act as a trojan horse, gathering data and personal information from the user's phone. This process would be invisible to the user, aside from a slight slow-down.
[pullquote]"We have not seen...any exploitation"[/pullquote]
Now the good news is that the vulnerability has already been patched by Google. They've shipped it to providers like MetroPCS and Verizon, who will deploy the update to their users' phones in the next few weeks.

More good news: According to a statement http://www.zdnet.com/google-releases-fix-to-oems-for-blue-security-android-security-hole-7000017782/ sent by Gina Scigliano, Google's Android Communications Manager, “We have not seen any evidence of exploitation in Google Play or other app stores via our security scanning tools.” So in the meantime while you're waiting for your phone to update, don't download any sketchy apps. If you're worried that you may have been infected already, you can install https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bluebox.labs.onerootscanner to check for infection.

 

Can Facebook Give Me A Virus?

One of the questions I get asked a lot is, “can Facebook give me a virus?” With over a billion people logging in at least once a month, it’s no surprise that criminals are constantly working to find ways to get access to and exploit users. Here are the most common ways you can encounter malware from using Facebook.

The good news is that just cruising Facebook, reading your friend’s posts in your newsfeed and updating your timeline can’t give you a virus. However, many posts include links to other pages, either to read an article, view a video, get a coupon, etc... Many links on Facebook, especially those posted to open community fan pages, will send you to pages infected with viruses or malware and there’s where you run into trouble.

It used to be that getting a virus or spyware required downloading an infected file or installing a malicious program. So long as you didn’t download suspicious programs or attachments or visit file sharing sites, you were generally safe surfing the net. These days, viruses and spyware have evolved to worm their way into your system just by going to an infected webpage.

Every time there’s a big news story (like when Osama Bin Laden was killed or during a highly publicized national event or tragedy) infected links pop up all over Facebook. In some cases, you’ll be “tagged” to a post with a link claiming to be to a news story or video. Clicking the link often leads to a blank page and users think they’ve simply encountered a bad link, but they’ve already been infected. Be wary – particularly if you don’t know the original person that posted the link. It’s best to update your Facebook settings so that you are notified and have the ability to allow or disallow any tagging of your profile by others. Then you can elect “don’t allow” any time you’re tagged in a post that you don’t know or trust.

Be very cautious about links that make promises. The “Win a free iPad!” or “Get a free Starbucks gift card!” posts are almost always a scam. Either they’re an attempt to lure you to provide personal information (data mining) or will direct you to a web page that’s infected with malware.
[pullquote]Be very cautious about links that make promises.[/pullquote]

The nature of Facebook is such that many posts with malicious links appear to have generated from your friends, which gives victims a false sense of security. In many cases, the poster doesn’t realize that the link directs to an infected site. Even more common, clicking on the malicious link or installing a spyware-laced app will result in an auto-post to the victim’s timeline or blast messages to their contact list, leading their friends to see a recommendation to follow the link and further the spread of infection.

Those looking to infect users also frequently use links to videos with the tag “is this you?” and a suggestion that you were caught on film doing something unexpected. Or simply a link to a video that seems spectacular or intriguing. The link either directs you to an infected page, requires that you install an application to view the video (you’re actually installing malicious code), or asks for personal information before allowing you to view the material. Check the address listed below the video before you click to be sure that any video link you follow directs you to a reputable site that you recognize, like YouTube, CNN, etc.

Keep in mind that the ads posted to the margins and “sponsored links” take you outside of Facebook, exposing you to risk of exposure to infected weblinks. While it’s less likely that a link that Facebook approved to be included in an ad would be infected, you should exercise caution whenever you click a link that directs you off of a Facebook page.
[pullquote]Never copy and paste a command prompt into your browser.[/pullquote]Another source of malicious code is rogue apps that lure you with promises to “see who’s been looking at your profile,” or to get that (non-existent) “dislike” button. In some cases, you’ll be prompted to copy and paste script into your browser to install the application. Never, under any circumstances, follow instructions to copy and paste a command prompt into your browser. These will often reference java in the first word or two of text.

If you encounter a page that prompts you to re-login to your Facebook account, check the address in your browser bar. Criminals can create pages that look exactly like Facebook and when you enter your username and password they’re able to capture your account. Close any page that doesn’t start with www.facebook.com – if you see anything between facebook and .com, don’t trust the page.

 

Dropbox Announcement Promises Much

Dropbox Announcement: They're "Replacing the Hard Drive"

With the amount of devices that the average person works on, it can take a lot of effort to keep track of your files. I can't count the number of times I've hunted for the latest version of a file on my phone, computer, or in the cloud. Today, Dropbox announced their plan to put an end to all of that. The Dropbox Platform, announced at their developer conference, aims to “replace the hard drive.”

Most of us are already familiar with the basic premise of the Dropbox Platform: if you've ever edited anything online, and then accessed that same file from another computer, you've used basic cloud sync features. Dropbox hopes to make “sync the new save.” Instead of having files that only exist in one location, like your phone or computer, they hope to make all of your files available wherever you need them.


The actual announcement was full of technical details for us nerds, but what it boils down to is this: Dropbox is providing Nerds and programmers with new tools to build apps for you. These apps will be able to share the same data via your DropBox account. That means your email, documents, and even progress in your Angry Birds games, will be available whenever and wherever you want them.

At launch, companies using this technology include popular services such as Shutterstock, Yahoo! Mail, and FedEx, as well as a number of smaller companies. As developers have a chance to use these tools more, we'll start to see more apps include the ability to save to Dropbox. Dropbox hopes to integrate this feature into as many apps as possible.

The three components of the feature are the Sync API, the Datastore API, and Drop-Ins. The two APIs allow programmers to interact with a user's Dropbox data without actually giving them access to the data. Basically it's a set of rules designed so that programmers can help you, but not hack you. The third component, Drop-Ins, are another set of tools for developers that speed up the development process, so that the time before their app has Dropbox functionality is reduced, and takes less work.

Following concerns over users' privacy in the wake of the NSA PRISM scandal, Dropbox has stated “We’ve seen reports that Dropbox might be asked to participate in a government program called PRISM. We are not part of any such program and remain committed to protecting our users’ privacy.”

Also announced at the conference was that the Dropbox service has now grown to 175 million users.

 

 

5 Easy Ways to Prevent Identity Theft

Prevent Identity Theft and Protect Yourself

The FTC estimates that as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. According to data compiled by Zone Alarm, maker of antivirus and firewall software, identity theft results in an average cost to victim of $4,841 and takes, on average, 33 hours to resolve. With more and more of our personal information available online, it’s imperative that you take steps to protect yourself online.


Buyer beware. For as little as $30 in web hosting fees, criminals can set up fake online shop fronts to lure consumers into submitting their personal information and credit account numbers. Be wary of online retailers that you’ve never heard of, particularly if they’re offering a popular item at a lower-than-expected price.

If you can’t resist the deal, contact your credit card company to inquire if they offer one-time-use card numbers that you can use for vendors you don’t trust, or consider using a Visa or Mastercard gift card to protect your permanent account number. Never supply unnecessary personal information like your social security number, driver’s license number, or date of birth when completing an online retail transaction.

Pump up your password. I know, I know, I’m a broken record with this one. But if you’re one of the millions of Americans using the most popular passwords, such as “password,” “trustno1,” “abc123,” “monkey” or “letmein” (for the top 25 worst passwords, check out the list at SplashData: http://splashdata.com/press/pr121023.htm), you’re putting yourself at risk. Morgan Slain, CEO of SplashData (a provider of password management applications) explains, “Hackers can easily break into accounts just by repeatedly trying common passwords.” He recommends using an online password management tool. I like Lastpass (https://lastpass.com/) which can create and store unique, difficult to crack passwords for every site you visit online.

Secure your Smartphone. As more people acquire Smartphones, our personal information is going mobile. With instant access to email, social media accounts and often banking and credit account logins, Smartphones are an identity thief’s goldmine. Make sure that you password-protect the home screen to make it a little harder for a would-be criminal to access your data.

Consider storing account numbers and personal data that you regularly access (like bank account and passport numbers or alarm codes) in a cloud-based data vault program like that offered by Personal (www.personal.com/, free for iPhone and Android). Accessing the vault is password protected so it’s more secure than using notes, emails or texts stored on your phone.

Take notice of data breach notifications. With all the credit card offers, balance transfer promotions and junk mail sent by the average financial institution, it’s easy to tune out a form notification that your account data may have been compromised, but it’s important to take note. According to the “2013 Identity Fraud Report” compiled by Javelin Strategy & Research, almost 1 out of every 4 consumers that received a data breach notice letter became a victim of identity fraud. Of particular concern: “consumers who had their Social Security number compromised in a data breach were five times more likely to be a fraud victim than an average consumer.”

Take action. While the majority of identity theft activities are identified by third parties (55% vs. 45% discovered by consumers), it’s important to be proactive in your monitoring of account activity. The sooner you discover the fraud and take steps to close accounts and notify the appropriate parties, the less you stand to lose.

Protect Gadgets from Heat this Hot Summer

Protect Gadgets from Heat

Are you enjoying the 100+ degree summer temperatures? I am pretty sure your gadgets are not. Summer heat and activities can be brutal on electronic devices, but no one wants to leave them behind when taking the kids to the beach or the lake. There are ways to protect your phone, camera and portable media player from summer mayhem. DriveSavers (www.drivesaversdatarecovery.com), an expert in the data recovery industry since 1985, has some advice to share on the subject.


Summer sunburn. The baking sun will exact its toll on your skin, and it can be equally brutal to your electronic devices. DriveSavers advises, "Avoid leaving your devices out in direct sunlight. Electronics are not made to withstand high temperatures and may shut down when they get too hot, only to restart once they have cooled. When left in high heat for a period of time, these devices can fail and lose all data stored on them. To steer clear of these circumstances, place them in a beach bag or wrapped in a dry towel to keep them cool."

If you find your device has overheated, don't panic. Move it to a cool place (not the fridge or freezer - moisture is worse than the heat). Try holding it in front of the A/C vent in your car. Let it become cool to the touch, then attempt to power it back on.

Use caution when you're poolside. Again, from DriveSavers: "The splash of your child's big dive into the pool or the practical prank of pouring water on Mommy while she sunbathes can be casual occurrences that could cause water damage to your device. It is important to monitor where your device is in location to water and to secure your device with an appropriate protective case, whether it's a fancy waterproof case or a Ziploc bag."

If your device is dropped in the pool, power it down and dry it off – resist the urge to immediately try to turn it on as you can cause more damage. Remove the battery and SIM card, draining as much liquid as possible from the inside. Place any parts that encountered water in a Ziploc baggie full of uncooked rice for at least 48 hours to pull moisture from it. Then, reinstall the SIM card and battery and attempt to power it back on. If it doesn't back power on, consult your mobile phone company or an electronics repair professional.

Protect your photos and memory cards. According to DriveSavers, there are three major ways to avoid and prevent data loss.

1. "Never trust your camera as the single source to safeguard all of your photos. It is always best to transfer the images from the camera's flash memory to a computer hard drive as soon as possible. We recommend not deleting images or reformatting the memory card while it is still in the camera. Wait until all photos are transferred and verified before you clear your camera's memory card."

2. "Keep in mind that flash memory cards can be used about 1,000 times before they start to wear out. The best way to protect yourself and your irreplaceable images is by backing up your data. This will help guard against data loss when (not if) your hard drive fails. It's also recommended that you make additional copies of your backup media and keep a duplicate of it off site in a secure location. You can never be too safe with your memories."

3. "Carrying (memory) cards in your pocket can cause static buildup that can zap the card, making it unreadable.” DriveSavers recommends that you use the plastic case that came with the memory card. Better yet, store filled cards in your camera case so you can keep them out of the sun, sand and heat.

Blast away sand and dirt. Outdoor activities expose handheld devices to sand, dust and grime. Tiny particles can become embedded in crevices and scratch glass, lenses and hard surfaces. Don’t rub with a towel or sanitizing wipe - use a canister of compressed air to blow away debris.

If, despite all your best efforts, you discover a possible data loss, don't panic. Professionals have lots of tricks to help you recover your data. I once thought I’d lost all our photos from Hawaii due to an unreadable camera memory card, but the data was still there and I got our pictures back. Don't hesitate to consult an expert should you fall "victim" to summer mayhem.

&nbs

HD Antenna Makes it Easy to Get Rid of Cable

Get Rid of Cable with an HD Antenna

One of the home theater questions I get asked most often is how to get rid of cable or satellite bills without losing TV entirely. I’ve highlighted how to stream content over the Internet to your TV or computer, but many readers balk at the idea of losing real-time network TV, particularly sports and local news. If you have an HDTV with a built-in digital tuner, an HD Antenna may be the secret to ditching your cable or satellite provider once and for all.

In most metropolitan areas of the country you can receive high-def broadcasts from ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and PBS over the air, but the trick is getting your TV to receive them and translate them into viewable content. For that you need a TV with a built-in HD tuner (or an HDTV-ready TV and an external high-def tuner) and an HDTV antenna.

While signals broadcast over the air are digital, they aren’t all HD. What’s available in your area is decided by the individual broadcast stations. If you live in an area where over-the-air HD content is available, an HD antenna will convert the signal into content your HD-capable TV can process.


HDTV signals are “line of sight,” so mounting an antenna on your roof will usually result in the best reception due to less physical interference. However, before you climb up on the roof to install an outdoor antenna, it’s worth trying out an indoor antenna. If you happen to live close to a broadcast tower and don’t have too much interference (think walls, trees, surrounding buildings, etc…) an indoor antenna may get you a decent picture.

If you’ve determined that an indoor antenna isn’t going to cut it to get you a clear and reliable picture, you’ll have to decide if you want to install an outdoor HD antenna.

There are several different kinds of antenna. It’s important to ensure that you choose the one that will allow you to receive the channels you want. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) have created a color-coded system in which they classify the available outdoor antenna types. Use AntennaWeb (www.antennaweb.org/) to find the best outdoor antenna for your location and “viewing preferences.” You may be surprised at the variety of channels broadcast over the air – from TBN to Telemundo.

For a detailed walk through on how-to install an outdoor HD Antenna, check out CNET’s “Weekend Project: Free HDTV with an outdoor antenna”: http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-11249_7-6264597-4.html

Note that there are several perks that are included with your cable or satellite subscription that you’ll no longer get automatically if you cancel. The channel guide is supplied by your cable or satellite provider. To see what’s coming on you can view a list of free local TV listings online at Titan TV (www.titantv.com/). With an Internet-capable TV, you may even be able to use the TV’s browser to scroll through channel listings on your big screen.

Most cable and satellite providers include DVR service with the cable or satellite box (though there’s often an additional monthly fee for it). You can purchase a standalone DVR such as the TiVo Premiere (https://www3.tivo.com/store/premiere.do, $149) which lets you record shows and stream content from Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video and more, but you’ll have to pay a monthly service fee (starting at $14.99/month with a one year commitment). Make sure to confirm that the DVR model you select is compatible with an HD antenna before you buy.

Finally, access to premium channels like HBO, Showtime, or Stars is only available via a cable or satellite provider.

 

How Your Teen is Hiding Online

What your Teen is Hiding Online: Part 2

According to a study commissioned by Internet Technology specialist McAfee, “The Digital Divide: How the Online Behavior of Teens is Getting Past Parents,” more than half of teens feel confident that they know how to hide what they do online and 71% have actually done something to hide their online behavior - a frightening statistic for parents struggling to keep up with the technology that their teens use every day. Yet half of teens polled said they’d change their online behaviors if they knew their parents were watching. Here’s how to learn if your kid is hiding something with the help of technology and what to do if they are.


The first step to determining if your teen is trying to cover their tracks is to learn the most common methods used to hide online activity. One red flag is if she quickly minimizes the browser window when you approach or rapidly changes pages when you come close (nearly half of teens polled cop to this). It’s helpful if you keep the family computer in a public area so that you can keep a more active eye on Internet browsing, or just ask her to pull back up what she was looking at.

Openly communicating about what sites you feel should be off-limits and what amount of privacy you’re comfortable extending to your child is imperative to setting expectations. This is a good opportunity to discuss why furtive browsing makes you uncomfortable.

More than half of teens polled cleared the browser history after going somewhere online that they didn’t want their parents to know about. This one’s pretty obvious – if you check the “History” option under your browser’s settings, there should be a lengthy list showing every page visited in recent days/weeks. An empty list tells you that steps were taken to intentionally hide online activity.

The easiest answer is to ask your teen why they felt it was necessary to hide where they went online. Begin the dialog about what sites you feel are unacceptable and why. If your kid felt it was necessary to clear the site from the browser history, they probably know they shouldn’t be going there.

Another method for hiding online activity is to use an un-monitored, internet-enabled mobile device (21% of teens polled say they’ve done it). From Smartphones to iPods to tablets, it seems just about everything can access the Internet these days, and mobile devices are particularly difficult for parents to keep tabs on.

Even more challenging, there are ways to hide apps, photos, videos, messages and phone calls by using apps or the hide option coded into Android. Many of these applications have names like Vault or Locker (for example, Vault, AppLock and PhotoLocker), so if you see an app on your child’s mobile device with this sort of name, open it. In many cases, the app will prompt you to enter a password to access content hidden in the folder. Even more difficult to identify, Hide it Pro (http://hideitpro.com/, free for Android or iPhone) appears on the phone under the name “Audio Manager.” When you open the app, it looks like a simple audio management tool, but pressing and holding the title bar will cause the password prompt to appear to unlock hidden content.

If you find your teen has hidden content on their mobile device, ask him or her to unlock the app or folder and show you what they’ve chosen to hide. Talk to your child about why they feel they need to hide things on their phone. Maybe they have photos or videos they want to keep private that may not necessarily be inappropriate, or don’t want friends reading their texts. If you do find that they’re storing inappropriate content or apps, it’s time to have a frank discussion about the dangers of sharing private images or information with others.

It’s best to establish your expectations for online activity early. When you hand your child his first internet-enabled device, discuss your plans for keeping an eye on where he goes and why you feel it’s an important step to keeping him safe. Consider enabling restrictions so that installing an app requires you to enter a passcode to unlock the function, allowing you ultimate oversight over the apps your child can use.

While there are some great parental monitoring software tools available (NetNanny and SpectorPro are some of our favorites), talk with your teen first. Just knowing you are actively involved may be enough to keep your kid off the “wrong side” of the web.