How to find a book in a library anywhere in the world?

May 15, 2007 By - Leave a Comment

So you found the book you like on amazon but do you really need to buy it? Don’t forget about what you learned in school about Libraries. Now your local public library may not have what your looking for but it’s the Librarians job to help you find it. However there is a great site that taps into most of todays libraries across the country and even the world. That is www.Worldcat.org .

At worldcat.org you search for the book, music, video or even article your looking for then after selecting the item enter your location. You will be amazed of how easy it is to find the material your looking for. In the end if you have to buy it from Amazon, they’ve even got the link ready for you!

SITES: http://www.worldcat.org

Filed Under: Advice, Internet Tools Tagged With: ,

Google Sued because parents don’t know web filtering

March 12, 2007 By - 1 Comment

Most people don’t bother learning how to secure their Internet or even search for a place that will help them (like netsmartz.org). We all want to protect our kids and ourselves from the bad parts of the Internet. However, most people will just sue a company. And if you work for the government and need a way to get more votes, then maybe stating “Google Inc. generates “billions of dollars from the pornography trade and illicit profiteers.”" makes a lot of sense. ( News article from Newsday ) People have to take a little responsibility for themselves and their children. The Internet Law is open and it is the user’s responsibility to filter and make sure they are protected.

  • Now an easy way to filter adult content in Google is to create a Google user account and keep logged into Google personalized: http://www.google.com/ig.
  • Then inside click on preferences: http://www.google.com/preferences?hl=en
  • There is a “SafeSearch Filtering” feature. Turn this on and save the preferences.
  • Besides Google all top search engines have a safe search Feature, but since Google was singled out…

Now there are many ways to filter a computer and doing this just for Google isn’t the best way since there are other search engines out there. Yahoo, MSN are others who have the same issue. Parents and anyone who has kids around have to learn to set up their computer to have better filters since children can also get into other online places like MySpace or blogs. Software filtering is an important step for parents. With a simple google search with the keywords: parent information on web filtering a parent can find many ways to restrict their computer.

I do not think it’s Google’s or any other search engines responsibility for filtering the Internet for pornography. Instead, the US government could have backed the push for a .xxx domain which would have made it easier for filtering and enforcing control over such content. Instead it is the parent’s responsibility to configure their computer. However, what I have found that all parents should look at is the websites: netsmartz.org, www.nap.edu/netsafekids/ and getnetwise.org. These are a must for all parents to look at. But, if a parent wants to go further, they can use monitoring software like Web Watcher or filter program like NetNanny.

The parent resources below go into more detail about what parents or people who have kids on their computer should do. We aren’t going to leave a four-year-old alone in a house without someone looking after them. Why then would we let children use a computer without proper safe-guards in place ?

Parent Resources:

Software Solutions:

Filed Under: Google Tagged With: , , , ,

The Bad words of Computer Security Part 3 – Software Updates

March 8, 2007 By - Leave a Comment
There is a lot of words for Software updates including, Vulnerabilities, patches, versions and bugs. Software and your Operating system need to have the latest version, otherwise you risk your computer to cyber attacks. For example if your using an outdated version of Firefox (a web browser) and enter a site that attacks a certain bug which has been known and fixed in newer versions then even if you have an Anti-virus program you can get attacked. The simple rules:
  • Make sure your Operating system is always up to date. Schedule your machine to automatically update your software. Next make sure that all your applications are up to date. This use to be a very hard one but has gotten much easier. Before you would have to compare each verison of your software or goto each software and see if they have an upgrade button and click it once in a while. Today a lot of software like Firefox and Thunderbird will automatically install new updates and inform you when these have been done. Also There is a software inspector that inspects your computer for all out dated (vulnerable) software. This is the secunia inspector. Click the button below to inspect your computer and make sure all your software is up to date. This should be run every month.
  • Run the Secunia Software inspector to make sure your computer is safe.
If you follow the first part of the serious about passwords, the second part about Viruses and this part about updating your software there will be a 99% chance of your computer getting taken over, infected and your identity stolen over the Internet. These are simple rules and are equivalent to changing the oil in your car.
Filed Under: Advice, Internet Tools, Security, Technically Foreign Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Bad words of Computer Security Part 2 – Viruses

March 6, 2007 By - Leave a Comment

In the first Part of the “Bad” words of Computer Security I talked about Passwords. Now that you have a safe and secure password what about Viruses??? Since a computer was built by a human you will notice we take a lot of the same words when we talk about ourselves. If you get a virus, that’s not a good thing. The same goes for your computer. Now we protect ourselves from viruses, we don’t eat from the garbage, wear the right clothing when its cold and in general stay away from the things that will harm us. That is the same with computer viruses, be careful what you feed your computer. In the good old days that meant putting a disk in a drive, today that means going to a website, downloading a program or opening an email. Security experts use to say don’t open anything from strangers, but even that has changed.

Rules for protecting your computer from getting a virus:

  • Install an anti-virus program. Then make sure you have the up to date virus definitions each month. PLEASE READ, yes that four letter word, READ, the information on the anti-virus companies website. Most anti-virus software comes with a subscription, when that subscription runs out then you are no longer protected from the latest viruses since you will not be able to install the latest definitions. I list Anti-virus programs at the end of the article.
  • UPDATE, I know i mentioned it above but make sure that you are getting the updated definitions each day or at least each week. (Companies don’t always reales them each day.)
  • Make sure you have a firewall on. Most Operating Systems (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux) have built-in firewalls.
  • Run an anti-virus scan at-least monthly with of course the newest definitions. You can schedule the scan. I run mine weekly.
  • That Is it…. now for those resources

Resources:

Filed Under: Advice, Internet Tools, Security, Technology Tagged With: , , ,

The New DWI – Driving With Internet?

January 4, 2007 By - 1 Comment

AutoNet Mobile RouterWith a new year comes new technologies, discoveries and as always questions. Do I really need always-on internet access in my car? Well, of course you do. Their is a new product that has this feature and its coverage is as the website states “95% of the United states.” AutoNet Mobile (http://www.goautonet.com) will be launching the product in the spring with what seems to be the next Internet frontier – America’s second home- our cars. They do this by placing a mobile router inside your car, which then creates a wireless hot spot. The coverage map resembles the wireless cell phone coverage maps we see when shopping around for the best wireless service which brings me to the conclusion this will not be the only company that will offer this service.

Many people will still question if we need internet access in our cars and the answer is still yes. Everything should be connected, the world needs to be connected and this will some day allow us to turn on our lights from our car four miles away. This will also spark on-board computers in our dashboard that will do more then just give us directions. The possibilities are endless but if you have kids in the back seat watching a movie, one day they can be also be online doing their homework. Well, that might of went too far, however, bridging the gap of the Internet in the car will change the meaning of DWI to Driving With Internet and maybe like other technologies the law may catch-up.

Filed Under: News, Technology, wifi Tagged With: , , ,

Sex, Drugs and iTunes Generation

December 18, 2006 By - Leave a Comment

itunes aware

Today the web is what rock and roll was to previous generations. It is no longer the tool of the geek, nerd and software engineers (if any distinction exists). The web is open to all who have a creative moment, since it lives in the moment for the moment like table dancing in a dive bar at 3am on a Thursday night. In this moment we discover our inner curiosity and build our wish lists on Amazon and iTunes; our profiles on myspace, 360 and facebook; upload our photos on picasa web or flicker; stream our personal videos on youtube and google video. This is how we – the iTunes Generation – are expressing ourselves. Some people do this a little more then others as in the past with head-bangers, greasers, punks we have labeled these bloggers, hackers and back to the word geek . However, years ago it was the rock star, the guys with big hair, loud voices that entertained us by biting off bat heads, smashing guitars, dancing on stage in spandex. These were our heroes, our role models and in some small way they made us all warm and fuzzy inside. The 21st centaury has main streamed entertainment making it possible for anyone to be a rock star, to have their 15 minutes of fame and all they need is a little modern day canvas – the internet – to express themselves and show the world what thy are made of. In myspace they post pictures, link to friends, show favorite music videos just for the fun of it. What use to be the fame of the super cool has been distributed to anyone with a web blog, webcam and a little pride. With iTunes you don’t have to wait to goto the store buy the latest song or movie. Plus you can speak your own mind, create your own PodCast and express your own opion, submit it with the thousands of free PodCasts available daily at iTunes.

I would like to say good bye to the Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll generation and hello to the Sex Drugs and iTunes generation. Because whether it’s real or cyber you can’t substitute the sex or the addiction of any drug but entertainment has gone from old school rock into digital puberty.

Filed Under: Advice, Technically Foreign, Technology Tagged With: , , , ,
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