You Can’t Just Surf Anymore

It never was really safe to just surf around and clickety-click on interesting-looking stuff, but it just keeps getting truer and truer (is that grammatically correct?) that you have got to pay attention to what you’re doing on the web. You’ve got to pay attention when you get an email with a link or an attachment. (See Cryptolocker) You’ve got […]

What is “The Cloud” and Should I Be Using It?

This is a very simplified network drawing done in Microsoft Visio, using commonly accepted symbols. Something like this, only much more complex, would be used for planning a new network or an upgrade or change, or to identify where the technology components of a network are. In the center of the diagram, you see a Cloud symbol. This symbol has […]

How to Tell Who REALLY Sent That Email

Sometimes I’ll get an email that I KNOW didn’t come from the person shown in the “from” column in my gmail online. Most of those are ending up in my spam filter these days, but every once in a while one will look legit enough that Google lets it through. Only by knowing my friends and relatives do I know […]

Please Tell Me Your Wi-Fi Has a Password

Regardless of the method used to connect to the internet, if you use a wireless router or access point, IT NEEDS A PASSWORD–and it needs to NOT be set as “password.” If you use U-VERSE from AT&T, the password is on the bottom of the device, and it’s a good password. I don’t know how much configuration you can do […]

LOG OFF!!!

When you finish up with your bank, or your credit card, or your electric company, make sure you look up for that little button or link that says “Log Off” and click on it.  These websites have put lots of security in place but the session is still open. Even if you close the browser window your credentials could still […]

Court Ruling on Net Neutrality

First, what is “Net Neutrality?” Net neutrality is the concept that all internet traffic should be treated equally. “Treated equally” would indicate that traffic would travel at its rate of speed regardless of non-technical implications. To better understand net neutrality, let me give you an example if what is not net neutrality. You have as an internet service provider XYZ […]

How to Keep Kids Safe Online

The only completely certain way to keep your kids safe online is to keep your kids offline. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get real. The internet is a wonderful tool that can provide access to the universe. It can open doors to education and entertainment. And let’s remember that not all entertainment is a waste […]