Advertisements… unsolicited credit card offers… duplicate catalogs …you name it, you can find it in my mailbox!
And if you are like most people I know, you can barely find your important mail for all the “junk mail” in your mailbox!
ProQuo.com seems to have some pretty promising solutions for us in the various ways of selecting which mailing lists we wish to be on… and those we don’t … as well as which catalogs we’d like to receive …or not!
Check it out … it seems like a very worthwhile free service:
If you’ve heard some of the “privacy-invasion” and “stolen-identity” horror stories, or just want to know how to protect yourself and your family on the internet, this is just about the most comprehensive site I’ve found to date on the subject!
And it comes complete with lists of countless tools to use for your self defense:
(Did I mention that you can gain access to a whole lot more ”cool info” by clicking the “Cool Pages” on the left? This post is listed under “Cool Security Tips”. For starters, check out “Cool Consumer Help”… you’ll find some really cool stuff there!)
I thought this information to be so important that I wanted to let you know about it right away!
Additionally, I am copying it directly from the Newsletter of the great folks over at World Start.
When you get a chance, take a look at their website at www.worldstart.com/ . They have extraordinary deals on software, gadgets, games, etc. all the time (really!) and wonderful Computer Tips… kind of like the great one I am copying for you below:
Ransomware
I’m sure all of you have heard of worms, Trojans, adware, spyware and viruses, right? Those nasty little bugs are the reason for troublesome computer problems throughout the world. Well, today, I have a new type of attack to add to the list. This type of bug is called ransomware. Ransomware has been around for awhile in the computer world, but it hasn’t really taken off until recently.
So, what is ransomware, you ask?
Well, ransomware is technically a program. It basically takes over your computer and then requires you to pay to get your system back to normal. Usually, it will infect your system through a bad Web site or via a pop up window, but it can also come in through an e-mail attachment or a download. Once your system is infected with the bad software, it will let you know right away. More than likely, you will see a screen come up that tells you what damage will be done to your computer if you don’t pay in time. It will require you to pay in a certain way and in turn, you will be given a code to turn off the software and stop the damage from continuing.
There are a couple well known ransomware programs currently in use around the Web. One is called Ransom.A. That program will tell you it will destroy one file every 30 minutes until the ransom is paid. This program seems very bad, but in reality, it does no damage to your system. It is simply a scare tactic to get you to pay the fee. While this specific ransomware causes no damage to your system, there are several others that truly do what they say. Those programs can cause serious harm to your computer or they simply just embarrass the infected user by popping up pornographic material on their screen.
No matter what the damage, it’s important to protect your computer against these growing threats. The good news is you don’t need to have any additional protection on your system to shield you from ransomware. If you keep your antivirus software up to date and have a good pop up blocker, you will remain safe from these threats. If your system should end up infected with one of these programs, do not panic and do not pay the ransom! It’s best to run a full system scan with your antivirus software instead. The program can then be found and removed. If it’s not removed, your antivirus company should give you a link to a Web site with removal steps. Until next time, stay safe out there, my friends!
I guess because they’re light, mindless activities to distract your thoughts when you need a break from the day-to-day more serious stuff for a few minutes. Or, when you really just don’t want to have to think anymore today.
And since I’m not a big game-player, I tend to lean toward some of the more whimsical, fanciful and creative things which are scattered all over the internet.
Some of them are fairly useful, too! Like keeping children impressed or entertained for hours…(right along side some of us bigger kids.)
So, today I thought I’d share some of the more interesting ones I’ve come across lately, for you to check out when you’re having one of those days, or moments!
LOL Cats seem to have become increasingly more popular, since the advent of the ICanHasCheezburger site, so I wasn’t too surprised to come across this LOLinator :
As you can see, you type a website into the LOLinator, and come up with something like this recent CoolOnlineTools post:
or, type in your name, or someone else’s, and find the equivalent LOLname, like mine, below:
I don’t guess it makes a whole lot of sense, but then again, I don’t guess it really has to!
Just something dumb to do when you don’t really feel like doing anything more productive.
Another one that’s pretty entertaining is HERE. You can use all kinds of famous people to get your point across:
Or maybe a whole group of people instead:
This one is pretty cool for both guys and gals: see what you look like in different hair styles HERE, and seeyour picture on a fake Magazine cover at the same time!
Starting with a picture…
Switching to blonde…
And to brunette…
And then to… no hair…
Next, for a little, light humor, you can navigate on over to Cool Crazy Stuff. You’ll get all kinds of cool information that you could no doubt go the rest of your life without knowing, but is interesting nevertheless.
For instance, did you know that
Mohammed is now one of the 20 most popular names for boys born in England and Wales.
It’s possible for a human to blow up balloons via the ear. A 55-year-old factory worker from China reportedly discovered 20 years ago that air leaked from his ears, and he can now inflate balloons and blow out candles.
One in four people does not know 192, the old number for directory inquiries in the UK, has been abolished.
The average employee spends 14 working days a year on personal e-mails, phone calls and web browsing, outside official breaks, according to employment analysts Captor.
(Who…us????)
Ok… I guess it’s probably time to get back to work…!
I’ll show you some more another time!
Till then,
~Linda~
(Note: if you have the time, you can see more now on the
You know, the more I browse around on the Internet, the more I appreciate my own personal, neighborhood ”Techie-Guy”, Trent Smith. Why? Well, there are probably several reasons, for sure, but what usually comes to mind is that a few years ago he set up my computer with some really cool security-type programs.
At that time, I didn’t know the difference between a good program and a dud, (and, alas, not much has changed since then, -sigh-) and I certainly was not ‘familiar’ with the names of any of them…so it always surprises me when I run across the exact same ones he originally set up for me, being so highly recommended by others today!
I get a real kick out of thinking to myself, ”Yeah… I have that…it is pretty good.” (Like I’d know!)
So what are some of these wonderful programs Trent installed?
Well, I’d say the ones I see most talked about are:
SPYBOT Search and Destroy
SYMANTEC Anti-Virus
SYGATE Personal Firewall
and SPYWARE GUARD
(Hmmm! I never noticed before now that they all start with the letter ‘S’…weird!)
Anyway, these have all been excellent tools, and I’m really glad that Trent had the foresight to install them for me!
And, just in case you aren’t aware of some of them, or need more info, here’s the scoop:
Taken directly from the Spybot site:
Welcome…
… to www.spybot.info, the home of Spybot-S&D, the best (according to PC World, PCMag.com, …) privacy software available!If you’re new to Spybot-S&D, we recommend that you read a bit about it first (unless you want to skip that and directly download it); if you are looking for help, our support section will be the place you are looking for.If you’d like to know more about the members of Team Spybot, please visit our gallery.
“Symantec’s Norton AntiVirus™ 2004 is the world’s most trusted antivirus solution† —now with expanded detection of both known and emerging threats. Norton AntiVirus detects and removes viruses, worms, and Trojan horses automatically— without interrupting your work. It works in the background 24 hours a day to protect email messages, instant message attachments, Internet downloads, and other files. Now it can also detect viruses in compressed file archives before you open them, reducing the risk of infecting your computer. Symantec’s exclusive LiveUpdate™ technology automatically checks for new virus protection updates on a regular schedule to keep the program up to date against the latest threats. It now even alerts you when your virus protection is getting outdated. Norton AntiVirus also defends your PC against emerging threats. Script Blocking intercepts fast-moving script-based viruses such as “ILoveYou” and “Anna Kournikova,” and Worm Blocking stops worms from using your outgoing email messages to infect other computers. The expanded threat detection in Norton AntiVirus 2004 alerts you to the presence of spyware, keystroke loggers, and similar programs that can steal personal information and leave your PC vulnerable to other attacks. Stop viruses and protect your PC with award-winning Norton AntiVirus. Small Office Packs for 5 or 10 users are also available.”
(CREDITS: Symantec’s Norton AntiVirus and FreeDownloadsCenter.com)
***NOTE*** I stand corrected! I have received a comment from a reader that Norton AntiVirus is not free, but is, in fact, shareware, and has a price of $49.95. Sorry about that everybody!
Sygate Personal Firewall 5.6
“Sygate Personal Firewall Free description:
User-friendly personal firewall intrusion defense system
Sygate Personal Firewall is much more than an user-friendly and advanced personal firewall, it is a bi-directional intrusion defense system.
It ensures your personal computer is completely protected from malicious hackers and other intruders while preventing unauthorized
access from your computer to a network.
In essence, it makes your protected machines invisible to the outside world. That makes it a must-have security measure for any PC that connects to a private network or the public Internet. Once you`ve been compromised, every other network you connect to is at risk; including your home, business and online bank accounts.
No matter where you use your computer, whether remote or behind a corporate firewall, whether dial-up or an always-on broadband Internet connection, it gives you complete confidence that your precious business, personal, financial and other data is safe and secure.
If that isn`t enough, it includes advanced active-scan vulnerability assessment to pinpoint your weaknesses and fine-tune your security policy.”
From the site:An anti-virus program scans files before you open them and prevents execution if a virus is detected - SpywareGuard does the same thing, but for spyware! And you can easily have an anti-virus program running alongside SpywareGuard.size=”2″>SpywareGuard now also features Download Protection and Browser Hijacking Protection!Features Listing:
Fast Real-Time Scanning engine - catch and block spyware before it is executed (EXE and CAB files supported) with signature-based scanning for known spyware and heuristic/generic detection capabilities to catch new/mutated spyware
Download Protection - prevent spyware from being download in Internet Explorer
Browser Hijacking Protection - stop browser hijacking activity in real-time
SG LiveUpdate - provides an easy updating solution
Small size - with a small size and small definition sizes, download and updates are quick
Report Capabilities - keep a detailed log of all spyware detected
Spyware files are blocked before being opened or run - they are not simply shut down after they are loaded in memory (and after they have performed their tasks)
It’s a free download
Why is it Free? We’re all about helping you protect your privacy and security, because we value ours so much.
We believe strongly that people should have free access to innovative security and privacy solutions.
Through our offering of freeware products, we try to realize that belief.We hope you enjoy our software - we certainly had fun making it! “
Now isn’t that nice? Sounds like my kind of folks!
Well, that about sums up the “Fab 4″ that I’ve been using since 2004.
By now, these programs may all have newer, paid upgrade options with more features, but the older free versions still seem to be working just fine for me…so-far-so-good anyway!
Where do you look if you have a problem with your computer and don’t have a “friendly-neighborhood-or-office-Geek” you can call on to help you out? PCMag.com has some excellent resources for you: http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0%2C1738%2C29%2C00.asp
What do you need help with?
YOU CAN PROBABLY FIND THE ANSWER HERE:
Operating Systems
Office Applications
Windows
Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows ME
Windows 2000
Windows NT
Windows XP
Windows XP (Tablet PC)
Windows Vista
Linux
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Powerpoint
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Office
Browsers
Hardware
Mozilla FireFox
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Netscape Navigator
Digital Cameras
Printers
Scanners
Additionally, you can type just about any imaginable problem into their Search Bar and have access to a large variety of possible solutions. (Hint: this is definitely worthbookmarking for current or future reference…because, well…. when it comes to these computers, some of us just never know what to expect, now do we?!)
UPDATE: I have found 2 more Review Sites for you to check out:
Marketing Product Review by Mike Filsaime is a pretty good concept. Marketing products are now presented every two weeks. The promoters give the descriptions of the products, and real-live consumers (you and me) review them.
While I do not profess to like every product Mike Filsaime has ever promoted, I do like this one. (His “Internet Buzz”, I believe it was called, about drove me nuts - a real annoyance - and it was all I could do to actually get rid of it, and his Butterfly Marketing Course, which is probably wonderful, has a price tag of $1,497, so can’t say as I’ve actually tried that one!)
But I do like his Marketing Product Review, and can see where it can be very useful if you are considering some of the products profiled. You can check it out at http://www.MarketingProductReview.com
Luke’s Product Review Center is pretty good, too. He reviews Internet Marketing / Money-Making Products.
I like his “boyish-innocence” and charm, and his down-to-earth presentation. Although you don’t get the feeling he’s a con-artist (like you do with many internet promoters!) keep in mind that Luke, like most everyone else, is an Affiliate Marketer, which means he (we) earn commission on sales. But, I feel like Luke only promotes products he truly believes in (like I do) and there lies the diference!
Anyway, if you’re interested in Internet Marketing products, or in how to make money online, check out these two Review Sites as well!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
My experience in WAH Review Sites is basically this: most of the ones I have found are biased towards their own product or affiliate product, meaning that they portray their own interests in a more favorable light than competitor products, regardless of whether or not they are better!
Which, you may say, is only “good business”.
Well, yes…for “them”.
But, what about “us”?
How are “we” supposed to know what to believe? Which Work-At-Home programs are really any good? Which are only mediocre? Which are just downright scams?
PRESENTING the official Work-At-Home WATCHDOG!
Taken from the actual site:
This is one of the best ideas to come to my attention in a long time! And apparently I am not the only one who thinks so:
Programs can be viewed by Name (alphabetically), which makes it very easy to search for a program you might be curious about, or Grade (as graded by actual purchasers/users, Graded A-F: ‘A’ beingExcellent; ‘F’ being Worthless!)
WAH Watchdog StatsVisitors today: 18,800 Last update: 12/30/2007 Products Tracked: 146 Total Votes: 2,109,381 As you can see from the Statistics provided on the day of this writing, there are currently 146 Program/Product Reviews incurring over 2 million votes! And apparently there were already over 18,000 other people visiting the site besides myself! Here is a random sampling of 11 of the 146 reviews:If you have been browsing the internet looking at any income or work-at-home programs for any length of time, some of these will most certainly sound familiar to you:Apparently they take their mission very seriously as the site seems to be pretty full-service:Do I recommend this site? You bet! It’s an excellent way to find out about what your fellow entrepreneurs think of various money-making programs, and it has an excellent affiliate program, as well! What’s not to love?About the only thing I can see that I would appreciate is a Forum, which is always good for discussing various programs and aspects thereof. Maybe WAHWatchdog will add one soon!Those of you who have known me for any length of time know that I am very careful about “affiliating myself” with anyone or anything… and that I absolutely willnot affiliate myself with anything even remotely resembling or hinting at ”scam” or those I consider to be “con artists”.
That being said, I think WAH Watchdog is definitely worth a look! You can check it out using my affiliate link here.
Let me know in the comments what you think about WAHWatchdog!
What with all the different candidates running for President in the 2008 Election, unless you already have a favorite, how do you know who to vote for?
And who has the time to study all the individual platforms?
What they stand for, believe in, plan to do for the Country if elected…
Well, I think I just may have come across something that can help you out in that department.
How about a “Candidate Calculator” you can use to compare 2008 Presidential Issues?
As you can see from the screenshot EXAMPLE below, this easy poll will show you who agrees with your political views…and who doesn’t!
(This is just an EXAMPLE of what you will find at the actual site. To take the survey and submit it to get your answer, go HERE.)
I thought this information to be so important that I wanted to let you know about it right away!
