Think for a second of how many links to websites you see each day. They come through email, Facebook, and Google search results. Especially if you don't recognize the name of the website, how do you know it's safe to visit? Google provides a first line of defense for search results by warning you of […]
SquareTrade is a warranty company that services laptops, among other products. The company studied laptop malfunction rates over 3 years to determine which were the most reliable. From most to least reliable: Asus Toshiba Sony Apple Dell Lenovo Acer (owns eMachines) Gateway HP (owns Compaq) Of course, you don't want to buy a laptop based […]
It's incredibly important to use good passwords for websites, because they protect your accounts on email sites, banking sites, shopping sites, and social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Although there are other ways people can get into your accounts, guessing or hacking passwords is still one of the most widely-used methods. Here are a […]
Some of the most popular Google searches are for news headlines and current events. When people hear about stock market rallies, earthquakes, or celebrity deaths, they rush to Google for information. Need proof? Just check out the hot searches at Google Trends. The bad guys take advantage of this by hijacking search results - they […]
Adobe Reader, the ubiquitous PDF reader, has become increasingly targeted by malware. Just check out the Adobe Security bulletins and advisories page for the long list of security updates Adobe has released recently. There are a few things you can do to reduce your risk of falling prey to a malicious PDF. These steps will only […]
Looking for a free graphics app similar to Adobe Illustrator? Check out Inkscape. It's not as full-featured as Photoshop or the well-known free GIMP, but it's simpler to learn and use. I didn't have any experience with any of these graphics apps, but within a few hours of downloading it, I used Inkscape to design […]
Learn how to search within specific sites with Google's "site:" operator.
You know you should be doing more to protect yourself online, but much of the advice out there is overly-technical and confusing. Check out GetSafeOnline.org, a site providing plenty of straightforward tips for using the Internet safely. The site is backed by some big names, including the UK government, Microsoft, PayPal, and VeriSign. Start with […]
