Browse the Web Safely – Avoid Identity Theft

The Internet, just like the real world, is full of all kinds of characters. An honest person in the real world is an honest person online. Along the same vein, a criminal in the real world is a criminal in the online world too. Unfortunately, the criminal presence or underworld on the Internet continues to increase with every passing year as hackers successfully scam thousands of Internet users out of hard earned money and more. Surfing the Internet 10 years ago is a completely different experience to surfing the Internet today. This does not mean that we need to run and hide. It simply means that we should use all of the resources available to protect ourselves and our personal information.

Although the realm of tasks that can be completed via the Internet has grown exponentially to where there are very few business and work tasks that can not be done online. When it comes to Internet safety, the areas where we are all at risk are when we perform those tasks that involve transmitting any personal information and when making a payment online. These types of transactions can be considered higher risk online activities because there is the risk that the information you are sending can be intercepted in some way and then used for criminal activity.

Every individual should guard against identity theft online and against having their credit card and banking details stolen. In fact, each of us should do everything possible to ensure that we have taken every precaution possible to make our online transactions safe. Guarding against criminal activity online is done through setting up good basic protective programs on your computer and by keeping them running at all times. Programs that protect you are things such as firewalls and antivirus programs. These are the basic safeguards that at minimum everyone should surf the Internet with. In addition to this, anytime that you are sending any information that needs to be protected, you should check to ensure that you are on a secure web page. Secure web pages always have a padlock symbol on them that indicates that any information sent via the page is secure and encrypted.

Other things that you can do to protect yourself online are, to be careful about clicking on links that you get in email messages. If you do not know the sender of an email, do not even open the email, much less click on any links that you find in there. Thieves send links in emails to web sties that look like authentic bank web sites. They then steal your log in details when you inadvertently enter them into their web site that they have created to look like your bank web site. Whenever you want to do business online, make it a habit to always type the address of the web site you want to visit into your browser rather than clicking on any links. This will protect you against the risk of using any dodgy links that have been sent to you by unscrupulous characters.

Best Technology Websites for Home Users

Every one of us has a story that we can tell about trying to learn how to use computers: the day we wiped off all of our files, visiting a web site that shut your computer down with a virus or of getting a permanent blue screen on the computer. Computers can be challenging to master (thats part of the fun), they can be frustrating and almost impossible to understand for many people. The funny thing is that for some other people, computers are a breeze. They find what they are looking for quickly, resolve technical issues as though they weren’t an issue and they manage to make the computer do everything they want it to do. These are the kinds of people you want at your disposal when your computer plays up and these are the types of people that work at Geeks2U.

If you are curious though about discovering more about your computer and learning the fundamentals of how to keep it running smoothly, and how to take care at least of basic computer issues, there are many good technology web sites that exist specifically for the home user. On most of these sites, there is good reading material for the beginning computer user, the intermediate and the advanced. In fact, these are places that you can grow in your knowledge of computing and all that is available out there for home users.

Some of the most popular technology web sites have been around for a long time and also exist in magazine form as well. They cover a wide range of subjects that would be of interest to the home computer users, from equipment, gadgets, software, hardware, the geeks behind the gadgets we use and more. Also many self-help/how-to articles will help you solve that nagging problem that has always baffled you about your own computer.

My Personal Favorite Tech Sites for Home Users are:

Wired.com
Techcrunch.com
Mydeco.com
TechLearning.com

To use this type of web site successfully, you need to learn how to be a good researcher, or ‘searcher’, which is what most of us do these days on the Internet. Make full use of the search facilities that each site has. When you are looking for the answer to a problem, type the problem into the search field in the most descriptive way possible. This will give you the best chance of finding an article that matches your problem. Also, become familiar with the site navigation and the categories that the site owners have developed. Sometimes you will find what you want very easily through following the natural flow of the site navigation.

The PS3 the ultimate home device

If you have been a gamer or computer user for any length of time, then like me you would have seen PlayStation technology go through many changes and releases over the years. The PS3 is as exciting as any PlayStation has ever been. In fact, the new PS3 is not just a gaming device but it is an all around entertainment device for the home. Not only can you play a host of interactive, multiplayer video games on it, you can also watch movies on it, chat with friends (even video chat), play music, display digital photos on a slideshow and more. The Sony PlayStation has truly evolved.

The PS3 and other PlayStation devices were originally developed for gamers. They had solely a video gaming focus and they were good at what they did. Over the years however, they have developed to include other types of entertainment as well. Now they don’t just appeal to one or two members of the family but to every single member of the family. They are now entertainment units that the whole family can enjoy.

PlayStation devices plug into a normal television and they use the TV screen as the monitor for the games that are played. Many people like using the new PS3 with high definition televisions for the powerful impact of the visuals. The PS3 is able to play movies both on DVD and on Blu-ray which means crystal clear, extremely high definition move watching for those that own HD TVs. Blu-ray technology allows for some of the highest quality picture quality in existence. It is clear that the PS3 has been designed to be an all around multimedia center and so far, it seems to be succeeding at that.

For further family entertainment, the PS3 allows you to display photos on a continuous slideshow. When games are not being played on your PS3 device or movies watched, it is nice to let family photos appear on the TV screen in slideshow mode. It can be a way of lifting your spirits while doing housework or while relaxing with music. Additionally, the PS3 lets you play your digital music files to provide the perfect backdrop for any occasion.

These days, most video games come with a government rating to indicate the age groups that they are appropriate for. With the PS3, not only do games come with ratings, there are several options in parental controls within the device as well. This means that conscientious parents can help prevent their children stumbling across dodgy content. The natural curiosity of children means that if it can be found using PS3, they will find it. Safeguards such as these make the PS3 a safe, exciting entertainment option for any family.

The Netbook Craze

Netbook computers are small computers that look very similar to laptops yet are actually much smaller than laptops. A netbook has completely different capabilities to the average laptop and is designed to be quick and mobile, and to connect primarily to the Internet and other networks. Therefore, storage space on a netbook is very limited. If you are used to working with desktops and laptops, the small amount of storage space on a netbook can seem outrageous. However in reality the space is enough. These computers rely on the data and information that they need to access to be stored in remote locations either online or on a business local area network (LAN).

A netbook is a fairly distinct-looking computer that you have probably already seen people using in airports, cafes and other places. They look like laptops, but they are in fact much smaller than laptops. The size of a netbook screen is usually around nine inches wide as opposed to the usual twelve to fourteen inches of an average laptop computer. They are light and easy to carry around and they are quick.

Netbooks are an alternative type of mobile computer. These days, people can get online with all types of devices: mobile phones offer Internet access via your cell phone provider, PDAs can gain access to the Internet via WIFI but none of these devices have a full QWERTY keyboard. For people that need mobile computing for more than simply checking their email, a netbook is great alternative. Word documents and other business applications can run on a netbook and you can engage with those programs using a full keypad and mouse. This makes typing into the document quick and convenient.

Laptops and netbooks differ significantly although their style is relatively similar. Most laptops are packed with a lot of power and can for all intents and purposes be used in the same way as a desktop computer. This is not true with a netbook. Netbooks run with very limited power under the hood. Although netbooks have lots of RAM memory which makes them quick, they do not hold much storage space at all. They rely on information being stored on networks.

The average netbook comes with several USB ports so that peripheral devices can be attached to them. However they do not come with any type of DVD or CD drive. Also many of the common ports that you are probably used to having included with a laptop will not come with a netbook, such as monitor ports, a PCMCIA port and others. There are many features that we take for granted when we buy any type of computer but a netbook will not necessarily have those features.

Netbooks are great computers to buy if you are on the move a lot but need regular access to the Internet. They are a great mobile alternative if PDA and mobile phone access to the Internet are too limiting for you. Also their full size keyboard can be more comfortable and quicker to use than what is found on other mobile devices. Personally speaking, I completely love my netbook computer. I find it much more convenient to carry around with me than my old laptop.