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Surviving the Plane Ride

December 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Sometimes traveling can seem like a chore. Long lines, uncomfortable seats and a hectic atmosphere sometimes make you wonder if traveling is even worth it. Here are a few tips to help you survive the plane ride. Following this advice may even make the travel enjoyable!

Use Electronics

If you have any electronics (smartphone, tablet PC, MP3 player), bring them on the plane. You can’t use these devices during take-off and landing, and during flight, they need to be set to airplane mode (if available), but few things are as distracting as the electronic devices you use to distract yourself all day long. Load up your favorite movie or playlist and forget about the time slipping by while you enjoy a little bit of home at 30,000 feet.

Pay for In-Flight Entertainment

Some flights offer in-flight entertainment, such as radio stations or personal viewing screens. If you enjoy watching TV, paying a few dollars to use this service might be just the thing for you. You can watch reruns of popular TV shows or catch in-flight movies that will keep you entertained for the duration of the flight.

Image via Wikipedia

 

Read a Book

The beauty of reading a book on the airplane is that you don’t have to “turn it off” for takeoff and landing, as is the case with electronics. Some airport bookstores have a “Read and Return” program that allows you to buy a book in one airport and return it to a sister shop in another airport to receive a portion of your money back. It’s like checking out a book for the length of your trip.

Read a Magazine

Magazines are another good media choice for airplanes. Flipping through the glossy pages might just take your mind off the flight and back into your living room. Some airlines even provide magazines that passengers can keep.

Talk to Other Passengers

Don’t be afraid to be chatty. Talk to the other passengers! You’re stuck next to someone for a few hours, so why not get to know that person a little? You already have something in common: you’re headed to the same destination! Use caution, though. Don’t give out personal details such as addresses or phone numbers.

Flight Attendants

Flight attendants are there to be at your service, so let them make your flight comfortable. Don’t hesitate to use your flight attendant call button to ask for a pillow, a blanket or a glass of water.

Image via Wikipedia

 

Holiday travel doesn’t have to take the fun out of holidays. A few forms of entertainment and a little friendliness go a long way to making your flight enjoyable.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Easy tips for Online Privacy Protection

June 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Most people around the world use Internet for various reasons. It has now become very important to protect the online privacy. Online protection is very important for anyone who wants to protect their identity. There are many malicious programs and people online that can harm, delete, and damage any content in the computer. Here are few steps to protect online privacy.

Forums and Minerals, the new Internet tools

Image via Wikipedia

First important and basic step is to create password that cannot be easily cracked by malicious codes or hackers. A good password is one that is a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Often, hackers cannot crack a password like this. It is better to avoid name or personal details as password and passwords should be changed periodically.

Some people tend to save their passwords in files. This is not a good practice and it is always better to hide passwords. Additionally, an individual should not share their passwords to anyone, even to their close friends or family members. If a person has shared the password, then it is better to change it immediately.

Email is another section where most hackers try to attack systems. The users should not open attachments from the malicious or unknown emails. Email protection programs should be enabled. While browsing, people should share their private information only to the trusted and reliable website.

Firewall program and trusted anti-virus should be installed on the system. Today, there are many programs available that helps the user to browse the Internet anonymously without sharing any personal information. Finally, it is a must for the computer users to do regular scans.

 

 

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , ,

Tips for Choosing a Good Password

June 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Password is one of the important factors for online protection. A password tells who the user is and how the system is protected. It becomes very important to safeguard the password as it is the key to access the online accounts. Anyone who has or can guess passwords can easily access personal details and can damage the entire system.

Password (game show)

Image via Wikipedia

Tips for Protecting the Passwords

First important step is not to share the passwords with anyone. Next important step is that the password created should be easily remembered. Most people tend to forget complex passwords and they write it down to remember. This is not a good action as anyone can gain access to passwords. Some scam emails may advice the user to change passwords, but the user should not react to such mails. Finally, passwords should be something very difficult for others to guess.

What should be avoided while Creating Password?

There are certain things that should be avoided while choosing passwords. They are words from the dictionary, real name, user name, words from the cracking dictionary, spouse name, and mirrored word from the dictionary,

How to Choose a Good Password?

A good password should be at least six characters long, should be the mixture of letters, symbols, and numbers, symbols should be added in the middle of the password, and deliberately misspelling the password. It is better to combine several techniques while creating passwords and even an uncommon phrase can be squeezed in to passwords. The uppercase and lowercase letters can be used alternatively in the passwords.

 

Filed Under: Tech Support Tagged With: , ,

Solutions for Child’s Online Protection

June 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Internet has become the basic need for many people and most of the children are now using Internet for various activities. It becomes very important for the elders to protect the child online privacy as there are many people out there who could use the innocence of the child. Here are few steps to protect the children from the Internet threats.

Today, technology is advancing at the light speed and it becomes very important for the parents to educate themselves about the latest fads available online. Teenagers and older children normally search for any latest information that might lead to any malicious or unwanted websites. By analyzing and educating themselves with the latest fads, parents can block malicious websites and can even install kids safety policies in the system.

Children are exposed to various new influences through TV, friends, and school. Therefore, parents should assume that their child will not access inappropriate websites. Most kids are tech savvy or love to play games online, therefore they browse so many websites for entertainment and fun. There are many parental management software applications in the market that helps the parents to track their children exposure and time on the Internet.

Parents can activate parental control software and can activate or block websites according to the child’s age and parents can even filter websites or limit the searches. Finally, it is very important to communicate with the children about the dangers online and parents should restrict their children from chatting with any strangers.

 

Filed Under: Accessories & Additions Tagged With: , ,

The Wild World of the World Wide Web

March 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Wild World

Image via Wikipedia

As the Cat Stevens’ song Wild World, says “Take good care, hope you make a lot of nice friends out there, but just remember there’s a lot of bad and beware“, the same goes for the Internet.

There is beauty in the world and many great people, but there are also many ugly aspects in life, and bad people who wish to inflict harm on others.

The Internet is the same way, in that the advantages for children growing up today in the world of computers includes exploring and obtaining an infinite amount of information. Children can learn about different ways of life, expanding their horizons about different cultures, and a world of opportunities awaiting them.

There are cyber-bullies and cyber-stalkers, waiting to pounce, that can ruin the Internet experience for them.

Cyber- stalking vs. cyber- bullying

Cyber-stalkers seek to threaten the safety, reputation, or even the employment and earnings of others. Victims of cyber-stalkers can experience a number of adverse affects including frustration, fear, and low self-esteem. These adversities prevent users from using the Internet to connect with peers and to engage in healthy online activities.

Cyber-stalkers will target people they do not know personally, but who might have angered them in some way, in their minds, and they seek to avenge the discretion. Cyber-bullies, on the other hand, target someone they know, attempting to destroy them emotionally, just as real-life bullies do.

Adults should take control of either situation. Changing ISP’s, phone numbers and e-mail addresses, might be necessary to lose a cyber-stalker. Taking steps to end cyber-bullying include contacting the website where the cyber-bullying is taking place, contacting their ISP, and even contacting the parents of cyber-bullies, as well as school officials involved.

Filed Under: Tech Support Tagged With: , ,

Keeping Children Safe Online

March 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Internet Safety a

Image by paul.klintworth via Flickr

Parents are responsible for keeping their children safe. They walk their young children to and from school, and ensure that an adult is supervising them at all times, whether at home, at school, or at play.

Parents also need to supervise and limit the amount of time their child spends online, and monitor the websites their child visits. Taking a few simple precautions regarding a child’s time on the Internet, can ensure a safe environment for a child when he or she is online.

Talk to children about Internet safety

Once a child is old enough, and capable of going online on their own, parents must explain rules to the child regarding what they can and cannot do, online. This includes telling children about revealing personal information, including their real name, age, or the name of the school they attend.

Go online with your child

Introduce the Internet to your child while you are present. Visit sites deemed by you to be safe, and be there to fill out any forms necessary to register for these sites. Children are attracted to sites that have games and puzzles, and parents can even scope out these sites on their own, before showing them to the child.

Passwords and User names

Not limited to young children, parents should know the user names and passwords their children use online. Older children will balk at this at first. However, parents should explain their reasons for doing so. Let children know that you do not intend to stalk them or butt into their business, but that you intend to look for warning signs they might miss, that could place their child in danger while online.

A child’s safety is worth taking these extra precautions.

Filed Under: Life Hacks Tagged With: , ,

Social Networking Prompts New Safety Precautions

March 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The success of social networking sites in recent years depends upon the millions of Internet users that use the sites to post photos, share information, and reconnect with long lost relatives and friends. Unfortunately, as with all aspects of one’s online presence, users of social networking sites need to take precautions to protect themselves online.

Because adults joined Facebook to keep up with family announcements and events, and to catch up with friends they have not seen in years, some people may let their guard down. Practice a few safety tips to protect yourself from others online that you are not ‘friends’ with, who may wish to do you, or your computer, harm.

Too Much Information

Because all humans differ in their opinions on a range of topics, there are bound to be heated discussions even from one little comment made on a social networking site. To protect yourself from strangers joining in on the discussion, be careful about how much information you share. Additionally, check the privacy settings of social networking sites to see who can view the information you share about yourself.

Advertisers and Get-Rich Quick Scams

If you spend any amount of time on social networking sites, you may notice the little ads on the screen that mysteriously seem to target your interests and likes. This is probably no accident. If you fill in the page about you, with interests and favorites, the ads will more often than not, match your interests.

Clicking on ads within social networking sites may inadvertently give permission for the social networking site to share certain information with their advertisers.

As with any site you visit online, the less information you share about yourself, is always best.

Filed Under: Life Hacks Tagged With: , ,

Paying Dearly for your Favorite Songs

March 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A CD Video Disc (playing side) produced in 1987.

Image via Wikipedia

The first lawsuit for illegally downloading copyrighted songs began on April 19, 2006.

The Recording Industry Association of America represents more than 1600 members of the recording industry. The four largest members of RIAA are EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group. The RIAA claims its total retail value of recordings sold by members was $10.4 billion for 2007.

On April 19, 2006, several major record labels sued Jammie Thomas, a Native American mother of four, for copyright infringement. In the first of three civil jury trials, the jury awarded the plaintiffs a total of $222,000, or $9,250 per song download.

At the end of the second trial, the jury awarded the plaintiffs $1,920,000, equally $80,000 worth of damage per song. The judge then lowered the damages to $2,250 for each song, for a total of $54,000, an amount the plaintiffs rejected. On November 4, 2010, the jury awarded the plaintiffs $62,500, per song, 1.5 million dollars total.

According to the RIAA website, at the end of 2007, the total retail value of recordings sold by members of the RIAA is $10.4 billion.

The suit found Jammie Thomas liable for illegally downloading and sharing the following 24 sound recordings on Kazaa, a peer-to-peer file sharing application:

  • Cryin
  • Somebody
  • Pour Some Sugar on Me
  • Bills, Bills, Bills
  • Rhythm Is Gonna Get You
  • Here We Are
  • Coming Out of the Dark
  • Iris
  • Basket Case
  • Welcome to the Jungle
  • November Rain
  • Let’s Wait Awhile
  • Don’t Stop Believin
  • Faithfully
  • One Step Closer
  • Different People
  • Bathwater
  • Hella Good
  • One Honest Heart
  • Now and Forever
  • Possession
  • Building a Mystery
  • Run Baby Run
  • Save the Best for Last

Which one of these songs is worth paying $62,500 each?

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , ,

First Computer Virus not meant to be a Virus

March 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Malware logo Crystal 128.

Image via Wikipedia

In 1971, Bob Thomas of Bolt, Beranek and Newman Technologies, now BBN, wrote an experimental self-replicating program titled Creeper, to demonstrate a mobile application. Even though the term computer virus did not exist in that decade, Creeper was the first computer virus.

It used the ARPANET to infect the Digital Equipment Corporation’s PDP-10, a mainframe computer that was the precursor to the Internet, running the TENEX operating system. The Creeper worm copied itself to the remote system.

Although the Creeper seldom replicated itself, it did start to print a file and then stop. It would find another TENEX system, open a connection, pick itself up, and transfer it to the other machine, each time displaying the message, “I’m the creeper, catch me if you can!” It jumped from one machine to another trying to remove itself from the previous machine. Therefore, it never installed itself on targets, but worked its way around a network.

To delete the Creeper worm, programmers created The Reaper Program. This program ran on workstations and servers, terminating sessions that appeared hung, or idle. The Reaper Program uses system measurements to determine how long a connection is idle. Hung connections are connections active for more than five hours, whether idle or not.

The Reaper Program kills all programs associate with those processes, and logs the user off the computer.

Other computer virus firsts:

Elk Cloner – first computer virus to appear in the wild

*(c) Brain – first PC virus in the wild (a boot sector virus)

*In 1986, the Farooq Alvi Brothers, supposedly created the (c) Brain virus to prevent others from pirating their software.

Filed Under: Inventive Hacking Tagged With: , ,

Important Things to Consider when Choosing a Web Host

March 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A Web host company will provide you with space to host your website ,A domain name and a whole host of scripts from forum software to shopping cart integration.

If you want to be seen on the internet you will need a web host, but do not just go picking any host. You need a reliable web host who offers a quality service. So here comes a few of my own personal needs before i sign up with a web host.

Price, Ok this is not the most significant factor when choosing a web host, but we do not want to be paying stupid prices for a service we can get just as good from someone else at half the price.

Experience, This is one of the things i expect from a web host, Yes every company has to start somewhere but why should you be the one to suffer if someone does not have the experience to keep your site online at least 95% of the time.

Reputation, as anyone who has a business knows reputation goes a long way, make sure you choose someone with a good one.

Infrastructure & Adaptability, A good webhost will already be planning for the future, they need to be able to upgrade to the latest and fastest equipment as and when it is needed. New things come out on the internet all the time and you want your provider to be able to offer advice and support if needed.

Support, Most websites now offer 24/7 support online and offline, make sure the one you choose also offers the same support, no point having customers if your site is down and your web host is unavailable.

So with all that in mind take your time and shop around, use google and make use of the web hosting reviews sites that are out there and read hosting reviews which can help you to choose a web hosting company .

Filed Under: Accessories & Additions Tagged With: , ,
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