Will you read my blog?

I will be posting different things from the TLN Lightening Round very fast four minute presentation! If you are here reading this, then you already got one of the most important pieces, how to find my blog!

The PowerPoint that I flipped by so fast here here now, and you can open the show to see it again, or just read these TLN posts.

The slide show is here:  Will you read my blog

I wanted to at least get the link to the slide show up, in case anyone wanted to visit some of the sites I mentioned, especially the sites to create a blog.

This is a topic that I will be writing a lot about for the next week, so please check back often for more information (especially about posterous.com :-)

Watch the labels on the right side, you can see how many posts are in the TLN section, and if you click on it, you will see all of them in a nice neat page.

Thank you all reading my blog!

How's your password doing these days?

The below is a synopsis of an article. This is my synopsis of the synopsis - what's your password? Geeks can read the full article, non-geeks can read my tips for making a secure password (you know, a password that is not password1!)

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January 21, The Register – (International) RockYou hack reveals easy-to-crack passwords. Analysis of the 32 million passwords recently exposed in the breach of social media application developer RockYou last month provides further proof that consumers routinely use easy to guess login credentials. ... The five most common passwords used were 123456, 12345, 123456789, Password, and iloveyou. The trivial nature of the top ten RockYou passwords is bad enough, but worse is that nearly 50 per cent of passwords records exposed by the RockYou breach used names, slang words, dictionary words or trivial passwords (consecutive digits, adjacent keyboard keys), Imperva discovered. ... 
Source article for the geek in you.

Summary of CNet's 2010 Security Toolkit

The CNet Security Toolkit recommendations are in, and I have summarized their article for you. These software types are what you must have on your Windows computers, and you must update them and run scans regularly. The software below is rated as good by CNET.

The full CNET article is here. I trust their reviews. Read more for yourself, or go to the download links I have for you. However you find this software, install it and learn how to use it! Protect yourself from malware (read here to learn more about malware)

Do not think that Macs are all automatically safe and you don't need to protect yourself. That is not completely true. Hackers write for Windows because it is easier to code and there is more bang for their malicious buck. But never fear, one day they will start writing for Macs. Be careful no matter what computer you use!

Anti-Virus
(You can only one anti-virus application, they don't like to share their sandbox)

• (Windows) Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus (Avast requires registration and then they will give you a product key to activate their software. They will make you do this once a year, but there is no charge to do this.)
• (Windows and Mac) Facutly, staff and students can receive our McAfee Enterprise free. It is available when you are on our campus network with your computer. You can download it from http://nac.stkate.edu, or come to the Help Desk with your flash drive or laptop and we can copy it there for you to install at home. (Obviously, this last for McAfee did not come from CNet ;-)

Anti-Malware
(You can and should have multiple anti-malware programs)

• (Windows) Malwarebytes (Free to upgrade, scan and remove threats. Small fee if you want auto-updates and scanning)
  
• (Windows) ThreatFire (Threatfire is freeware from the makers of Spyware Doctor. They will try to coerce you to download their pay version. You do not need to do this! If you are going to purchase software Malwarebytes has a great reputation.)
  

In-browser security (all are for Windows and Mac)
(helps to stops malware at the source)

• Web of Trust (for Firefox and IE)
• Adblock Plus (Firefox)
• McAfee SiteAdvisor (Firefox, Internet Explorer)
  

(Bonus from Help Desk, not CNet)

(a favorite of mine - if you have a lot of favorites or bookmarks, you need this!)

• xmarks - This is a favorite of mine - if you have a lot of favorites or bookmarks, you need this! Synchronize your bookmarks on different computers, and access them online if you are somewhere else. They are also then backed up. 
• dropbox - Online storage (called Cloud Computing). Get 2 GB free online storage that can be synced to your multiple computers or just accessed online. You can purchase extra storage if you care to. 

If you have any questions please fee free to call the Help Desk. We are always happy to teach you to be safe online!

Viruses, Spyware and Trojans, Oh My!

This excellent work that explains what these very different threats are. Knowledge is more than power, it is safety and security in the world of computers. If you are going to use a computer you have to learn what these threats are and how to protect your computer (and your time and data and maybe even your identity!)

• Read this slide show from the good folks at TechRepublic.com.

• If you prefer a document format vs a slide show format, use this link (this would be easier to print).

Some of this is a little technical, and you might not understand it all, but it will start you thinking. At the end of this short piece you will at least know that there are differences in the threats. That spyware, malware, adware, trojans, and worms are all different.

In fact, rather than call these spyware or viruses or trojans  or malware, some experts are now calling all of them by a scarier name:  crimeware. They are all designed to steal something from you, whether it is your computer, your identity or just your time.

Knowledge is much more than power. Read our post for what you can do to protect your computer!

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

A great presentation is more than the software, it is also captivating your audience. It doesn't matter what slide show software you use if you can't get their attention. Watch this video from Steve Jobs. This man knows exactly how to captivate his audience (and, he makes great computers ;-)

How do I do something in Office 2007 if I can't find the command?

Frustrated looking for a specific command/button in Office 2007, and you just can't find it on your the Ribbon (toolbar)? This helpful add-in gives you a new tab that allows you to find specific commands.

• Download and install this handy tool
• This will add a new tab to the Ribbon on all Office 2007 applications that use the ribbon.
• Enter search criteria, and scroll through the results. 
  

Windows 7 for $29.99!

Scroll down on The Ultimate Steal website - you can order Window 7 for $29.99 (as well as the fantastically 91% price reduced Office 2007. (if you have questions about upgrading please let us know, and ALWAYS back up your data and gather software before upgrading).

http://www.theultimatesteal.com/