I am going to do my best to present only what I know and not what I think or suspect, and I’m going to try not to project my opinion onto what I’m about to write. But it’s really important that you understand that the major news outlets ran with a headline, blasted out a few soundbites, and then the […]
The Significance of Snowden and Prism
How to Get Your System Information–and Why You Might Want To
There is a lot of stuff under the hood of your computer. Today I’m going to show you how you can find out exactly what is under the hood. Why, you ask? Well, first of all, it can come in handy when you’re talking with a tech support person over the phone. Another thing is that sometimes you may want […]
Get Ready for a New Household Name
Bill Gates is synonymous with computing. Somewhat less so, unless you’re a geek, is Steve Ballmer. Ballmer was the guy who took the reins from Gates, and we kind of hold him responsible for what Microsoft has become–both good and bad. The new name to listen out for is Satya Nadella, as of February 4 of this year. He 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 […]
To Defrag or Not To Defrag??
It doesn’t seem like very long ago that I was recommending to folks that they defragment their hard drives once a month. As with all progress, what was once Best Practices is now either no longer necessary, or downright inappropriate. When hard drives were 40GB and smaller, defragmentation was necessary to make sure all your files were together and not […]
Cryptolocker–there is no cure, so best prevent
There’s a nasty piece of malware out there called Cryptolocker. You won’t know you’re infected with it until you get the notice that your files are encrypted and if you don’t pay $300 by a certain date the decryption key will be destroyed, causing you to lose all your files forever. At this time only Windows operating systems are vulnerable, […]
When Does One Use a Hashtag? Twitter for Beginners
If you are a Twitter user, you may not find as much value in this post as someone who is not a Twitter user. But if you’re just getting started with it, read on, you might see something useful. Twitter has been described as microblogging. I guess that’s accurate. What you’re reading here is a blog, so the 140 character […]
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 […]
The–Blue–Screen-Of–DEATH!!!!!
Every computer system has the capability of crashing. Some self-recover better than others, and some manifest it more elegantly than others. Make no mistake, regardless of what kind of computer you are using, your computer can crash. I am not particularly loyal to one hardware set or to one operating system. I use them all and I enjoy them all. […]
Can You Create a Secure Password?
Recently I told you several things that you need to know about passwords. Today I’ll give you step by step instructions on how to make a strong, secure password that will meet requirements and that you will eventually remember. Trust me, you CAN remember them. The sentence method: Open up a program on your computer that you can free-flow type […]