More and more, I'm communicating online. You are, too. Even those holding on with clinched fists to old school ways -- snail mail, faxes, land line phones -- are recognizing the ease of some web tools. Especially when they are FREE ....
At the top of this list, email. Yahoo!, Gmail, Hotmail ... all are free. In this day and age, you probably need to have a least one email account, right? Then comes the next question, how to be safe online.
Earlier this month, a nice and easy to follow synopsis of what you can do to protect your email from being hacked was published by WikiHow - it's worth your read.
However, maybe one of the best bits of advice to keep your email safe (and other online accounts, as well) is to use really strong passwords and then change them on a routine basis. Remember to use letters and numbers, lower case and upper case, and to see how tough your new password is against a hacker, get it checked online.
For more help, check out the advice given by TheGeekStuff. For those that understand that many of us need not only strong passwords, but ones that are easy to remember - read what LifeHack suggests.
Got a new password ready to go? There are lots of free password checkers online (and your security software may provide this service, too). One you'll recognize: Microsoft's Password Checker.
Showing posts with label Web Stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Web Stuff. Show all posts
February 21, 2011
September 18, 2010
Getting Rid of Online Advertising 1 - Opt Out at the Network
Yep, there are "advertising networks" out there keeping track of where you surf through small programs (e.g., cookies) silently placed upon your computer. No one asks your permission, they ride along the internet and grab hold unless you've blocked them somehow. These networks use the data sent by the software to their main hub to compile your preferences. All for the purpose of gearing advertising especially for you, lucky you.
That's why when you surf for netbooks, you suddenly get ads for netbooks showing up on the magazine sites you visit for example. Targeted online advertising.
There's no single magic button to stop this Big Brother type of tactic. However, there are ways to minimize it, and one of them is to Opt Out at the network site.
For example, you can Opt-Out at the NetworkAdvertising site fast and easy. Just follow the steps.
Does it mean that they'll never put a cookie back on your machine? Nope. However, with some other tools that I've already implemented, I'm happy to report that I only had one cookie from this network on my machine - made me all Security Proud.
More on that later.
March 27, 2010
Clear Wireless 4G Internet Service - Is It Any Good? Here's What I Found Out
A new internet service provider is making quite a splash here in San Antonio. Its green and white signs are everywhere -- they even have green and whtie "Clear" flags attached to cars driving around town.
And it sounds so great. You're free to connect to the internet all over the place, you're not tied down to any one spot. Plus, it's cheaper than your current ISP. Wow. And, wait! There's more! It's faster than your usual WiFi. It's 4G, in some places, it's 6G. Broadband speeds, anywhere and everywhere. Always available, faster, and cheaper.
That sure sounds good. Except I can't find anyone here in town who's actually USING this service, even if little Clear stores are opening up on every corner. So, I went surfing around on the web to get the scoop.
First, I learned that it's a big deal. This company has plans to cover the country with its little stores, and San Antonio is far from the first city to get inundated with these green and white signs and stores. In Texas, it's already in Abilene, Amarillo, Corpus Christi, Killeen/Temple, Lubbock, Waco, and other places.
Here are some of the review that I found, from various parts of the country where Clear 4g Wimax has been in business longer than here in the Alamo City:
1. Sarah Savage at Associated Content wrote in August 2009 that it was great for being able to pull out a netbook and write anywhere you wanted but there were drawbacks -- and recommended that if you're using the web mostly at home, it's not worth the purchase. Also, some drop-off issues if the computer was idle for a couple of hours (no problem just signing in, again, tho). Not sure what city we're talking about here, either.
2. Yelp.com has 16 reviews for Clear WiMax Internet coming from Atlanta users. Together, they're giving the service 3.5 stars out of 5. Some comments include (1) lots of folk experience outages (2) and slow, slow service - not nearly the swift service that is touted by Clear. There are some here that love this service, and some here that absolutely hate it.
3. Yelp.com has 30+ reviews for Portland's Clear WiMax Internet. Yelp looks to have closed this forum sometime last year, but there's still lots of info here to consider. And, there are lots of opinions here. Again, some love and some hate. Outages and slow speeds are discussed quite a bit. Those trying to download big documents or watch videos seem to be very dissatistfied with the service.
4. Nick Mokey at DigitalTrends.com took Clear for a spin in Portland one day last July and bottom line, he liked it. It wasn't perfect, but for some, Mr. Mokey opined that Clear would be just fine.
5. Nathan Roach in San Antonio gives it a thumbs up. I know Nathan Roach, and respect his opinion on all things Techno, so imagine my surprise when my surfing stumbled upon a review he'd written about trying out Clear -- here in my own hometown. Perfect. And, what does Nathan say? His opinion is the same as Nick Mokey (see above, I'd just read Mokey's review when I found Nathan's so this was real deja vu) -- and he gives lots of legal advice regarding the contracts and the service that's provided. The reps lied to Nathan, I don't like that -- and there's a 2 year contract involved.
What am I going to do? I think I'll wait on Clear. When I take my netbook to the B&N or local Starbucks, I'm happy enough -- and Clear's sounding too problematic to me.
And it sounds so great. You're free to connect to the internet all over the place, you're not tied down to any one spot. Plus, it's cheaper than your current ISP. Wow. And, wait! There's more! It's faster than your usual WiFi. It's 4G, in some places, it's 6G. Broadband speeds, anywhere and everywhere. Always available, faster, and cheaper.
That sure sounds good. Except I can't find anyone here in town who's actually USING this service, even if little Clear stores are opening up on every corner. So, I went surfing around on the web to get the scoop.
First, I learned that it's a big deal. This company has plans to cover the country with its little stores, and San Antonio is far from the first city to get inundated with these green and white signs and stores. In Texas, it's already in Abilene, Amarillo, Corpus Christi, Killeen/Temple, Lubbock, Waco, and other places.
Here are some of the review that I found, from various parts of the country where Clear 4g Wimax has been in business longer than here in the Alamo City:
1. Sarah Savage at Associated Content wrote in August 2009 that it was great for being able to pull out a netbook and write anywhere you wanted but there were drawbacks -- and recommended that if you're using the web mostly at home, it's not worth the purchase. Also, some drop-off issues if the computer was idle for a couple of hours (no problem just signing in, again, tho). Not sure what city we're talking about here, either.
2. Yelp.com has 16 reviews for Clear WiMax Internet coming from Atlanta users. Together, they're giving the service 3.5 stars out of 5. Some comments include (1) lots of folk experience outages (2) and slow, slow service - not nearly the swift service that is touted by Clear. There are some here that love this service, and some here that absolutely hate it.
3. Yelp.com has 30+ reviews for Portland's Clear WiMax Internet. Yelp looks to have closed this forum sometime last year, but there's still lots of info here to consider. And, there are lots of opinions here. Again, some love and some hate. Outages and slow speeds are discussed quite a bit. Those trying to download big documents or watch videos seem to be very dissatistfied with the service.
4. Nick Mokey at DigitalTrends.com took Clear for a spin in Portland one day last July and bottom line, he liked it. It wasn't perfect, but for some, Mr. Mokey opined that Clear would be just fine.
5. Nathan Roach in San Antonio gives it a thumbs up. I know Nathan Roach, and respect his opinion on all things Techno, so imagine my surprise when my surfing stumbled upon a review he'd written about trying out Clear -- here in my own hometown. Perfect. And, what does Nathan say? His opinion is the same as Nick Mokey (see above, I'd just read Mokey's review when I found Nathan's so this was real deja vu) -- and he gives lots of legal advice regarding the contracts and the service that's provided. The reps lied to Nathan, I don't like that -- and there's a 2 year contract involved.
What am I going to do? I think I'll wait on Clear. When I take my netbook to the B&N or local Starbucks, I'm happy enough -- and Clear's sounding too problematic to me.
March 11, 2010
Joyce Meyer Talks Simplicity This Week
Today's show is very funny. Joyce Meyer always makes me laugh. Today, she talks about letting that load of clothes build up, and then when you carry it to the washer, you realize you've already left a load setting in there. Except when she talks about doing this (I've done it, how about you?), it's hilarious. She talks about the time that she started out with a simple invite to four friends after church, come over next week for hot dogs, and turning that into a steak BBQ for 32. Again, it's really funny when you hear her telling stories on herself.
Really good thing here -- she makes an excellent example for how simplicity - simple living - isn't always the same as frugal living. They aren't synonimous terms, and it's really clear here, in how she talks about taking the complications out of your daily life, for a higher quality of living.
Another really good thing -- her book on simplifying. There's a separate post on that one, it's really good.
February 13, 2010
MagicJack - Best Review I've Found and It's Definitely Buyer Beware
The Coffee Desk review scared me back off the MagicJack with its discussion of the contractual agreement that they can monitor all your phone activity and that there's ever increasing risk of viruses and hackers using MagicJack to do the same thing. Too Big Brother-y for me.
Back in August 2008, I investigated the MagicJack and shared with you, Dear Reader, what all I found. Since then, the MagicJack -- with its ever so tempting price point -- has just skyrocketed in sales. I'm thinking it's the combination of being so cheap (less than $2 a month for phone service) and so many folk having cell phones that landlines are being reevaluated as unnecessary at their standard price point.
That low cost made me go back and re-think the MagicJack. Once again, the answer for me is no sale.
August 20, 2008
OWNMYSITE.COM - Get Real Cash Each Month for Searching and Buying Online
There's a new service that just launched, OwnMySite.Com, which pays you money each month for using its site to surf the web (via Google) as well as buy products (jump from the site to Amazon, Borders, etc.).
How does it work?
First, you go to http://www.ownmysite.com/, and register - this makes you a "stakeholder" in the site.
Then, you use the OwnMySite.Com site for surfing the web - I imagine lots of registered users will make it their home page. At the end of each month, the stakeholder's share is transferred to his or her PayPal account.
Where's the money?
Fifty percent of the the net revenue (note that's net, not gross) generated by OwnMySite.com through its affiliate links (Google, Amazon, etc.) is distributed to its registered users, or "stakeholders," in cash on a monthly basis "no matter how big or small the purchase."
Also, according to the site's FAQs, "[s]takeholders also own a stake in 50% of the potential sale value of the business. This will entitle you to your share of any proceeds from the eventual sale or acquisition of ownMySite.com."
How much cash can you get?
After being up and running for three weeks, it's reported that registered users have generated £1500 between them, 50% of which will be returned to members at the end of August. The company is estimating that the most passive users in August will receive a minimum payout in August of over £2 and the most active "stakeholders" will get over £30.
Remember, this is a British site, so the company reports in pounds; translating to American dollars at today's rate of 1 British pound = 0.538 American dollars, their first month out of the gate, they're estimating $1.076 to $32.38 for stakeholders.
Who's responsible?
A British man named Daniel Harrison, according to the company's recent press release, " ... set up ownmysite.com after becoming frustrated with the way many popular websites generate huge profits from the everyday online activities of users without rewarding them for what is a very valuable activity."
Harrison said, "[t]he sky's the limit but in the short term I'm really looking forward to paying members at the end of August to reward them for their faith in the site and to show them that their time spent surfing the web with ownmysite.com is genuinely worth something. I think members will be pleasantly surprised by how much they can earn."
How can they do this?
OwnMySite.com is charging merchants each time someone accesses the seller through its site (up to 40& of your purchase price) - which is what lots and lots of sites do, they just keep their profits. OwnMySite.com is keeping half of its revenue, and it's taking half of this commission revenue (net, not gross) and sharing it with its "stakeholders." The more that people use OwnMySite.com, the higher its traffic volume stats will be -- and the more it can charge those merchants for having a spot on the site.
How does it work?
First, you go to http://www.ownmysite.com/, and register - this makes you a "stakeholder" in the site.
Then, you use the OwnMySite.Com site for surfing the web - I imagine lots of registered users will make it their home page. At the end of each month, the stakeholder's share is transferred to his or her PayPal account.
Where's the money?
Fifty percent of the the net revenue (note that's net, not gross) generated by OwnMySite.com through its affiliate links (Google, Amazon, etc.) is distributed to its registered users, or "stakeholders," in cash on a monthly basis "no matter how big or small the purchase."
Also, according to the site's FAQs, "[s]takeholders also own a stake in 50% of the potential sale value of the business. This will entitle you to your share of any proceeds from the eventual sale or acquisition of ownMySite.com."
How much cash can you get?
After being up and running for three weeks, it's reported that registered users have generated £1500 between them, 50% of which will be returned to members at the end of August. The company is estimating that the most passive users in August will receive a minimum payout in August of over £2 and the most active "stakeholders" will get over £30.
Remember, this is a British site, so the company reports in pounds; translating to American dollars at today's rate of 1 British pound = 0.538 American dollars, their first month out of the gate, they're estimating $1.076 to $32.38 for stakeholders.
Who's responsible?
A British man named Daniel Harrison, according to the company's recent press release, " ... set up ownmysite.com after becoming frustrated with the way many popular websites generate huge profits from the everyday online activities of users without rewarding them for what is a very valuable activity."
Harrison said, "[t]he sky's the limit but in the short term I'm really looking forward to paying members at the end of August to reward them for their faith in the site and to show them that their time spent surfing the web with ownmysite.com is genuinely worth something. I think members will be pleasantly surprised by how much they can earn."
How can they do this?
OwnMySite.com is charging merchants each time someone accesses the seller through its site (up to 40& of your purchase price) - which is what lots and lots of sites do, they just keep their profits. OwnMySite.com is keeping half of its revenue, and it's taking half of this commission revenue (net, not gross) and sharing it with its "stakeholders." The more that people use OwnMySite.com, the higher its traffic volume stats will be -- and the more it can charge those merchants for having a spot on the site.
July 28, 2008
Computer Crash -2: ZoneAlarm and Norton and AVG Firewalls and AntiVirus
Zone Alarm Pro and Norton Security Suite gets lots of good reviews online - until you have a crash and you start reading the Forums and talking with techs. Some things I learned during my two computer crashes this month:
1. If you try to un-install either Zone Alarm or Norton, good luck. Both programs throw bits of themselves throughout your hard drive, and using their basic "uninstall" doesn't get rid of this stuff. While I was on the phone with ZoneAlarm, their "uninstall" caused my laptop to crash ... their tech was of no help here, he almost sounded more scared than I was.
2. Norton actually has a free download to get rid of the rest of its stuff, check it out at the Symantec site. Its name? The Norton Removal Tool.
3. ZoneAlarm does not provide a free download - removal tool. Instead, you have to manually go into the drive, and delete things from several different sources, stored under a variety of file names. True Vector doesn't get uninstalled when you do the basic Zone Alarm uninstall; its files are stored under prefixes that have nothing to do with ZA, Zone, etc. There are tech forums that give you the list of ZoneAlarm files to go delete, but they may not be complete for your version. I still have some Zone files in my laptop registry, for example, that my tech buddy has to remove.
3. Windows updates and firewalls can fight each other, and you're the loser. For example, ZoneAlarm denied access to the web for anyone who had the Windows update installed earlier this month - and ZoneAlarm issued an update to its own software to fix this problem (this upgrade also caused my laptop to crash; it was a very bad day). Same trouble for Norton firewalls, etc.
Solution? Techs I spoke with said they never allow automatic updates from Windows -- they have gone into ControlPanel and selected manual updating. This allows them to wait a few days, see if the Windows release is smooth, or if it causes problems. Like the one this month with all those firewalls ....
4. All the techs that I dealt with during my Computer Crash Experience (and there were a lot) were unanimous: they did not recommend using either ZoneAlarm or Norton. It was really a toss-up for which product was the most reviled - but I think Norton won on that score.
Two of the most knowledgeable techs had no antivirus system on their machines - or any of their families' machines. Never a problem, and they've been going without an antivirus software package for many years now (one guy, for five; another, for seven). As for firewalls, Windows has its own and most felt this was sufficient. Unless you're going to spooky sites, or keeping your "preview pane" open in your email, the techs didn't think there was a real problem. In their opinion, ZoneAlarm and Norton all too often produce the very virus result that they are sold to prevent.
5. If you just can't sleep without an antivirus program running, the techs all recommended AVG. AVG is free.
AVG gets glowing reviews, and offers a LinkScanner that works with Google, Yahoo, etc. so your search results automatically have okey-dokeys and warnings by the site names, before you click on them.
6. While the techs did hate Vista, they did report that Vista has lots of security stuff that XP, 2000, etc. do not have. Personally, I haven't had any problems with Vista, and it does have lots of security stuff here that I like.
Bottom line? On my third, brand-new computer, I'm running with Windows Vista and I did install the free AVG. I'm happy. I will never, ever use or recommend ZoneAlarm or Norton to anyone after my July Crash experience.
1. If you try to un-install either Zone Alarm or Norton, good luck. Both programs throw bits of themselves throughout your hard drive, and using their basic "uninstall" doesn't get rid of this stuff. While I was on the phone with ZoneAlarm, their "uninstall" caused my laptop to crash ... their tech was of no help here, he almost sounded more scared than I was.
2. Norton actually has a free download to get rid of the rest of its stuff, check it out at the Symantec site. Its name? The Norton Removal Tool.
3. ZoneAlarm does not provide a free download - removal tool. Instead, you have to manually go into the drive, and delete things from several different sources, stored under a variety of file names. True Vector doesn't get uninstalled when you do the basic Zone Alarm uninstall; its files are stored under prefixes that have nothing to do with ZA, Zone, etc. There are tech forums that give you the list of ZoneAlarm files to go delete, but they may not be complete for your version. I still have some Zone files in my laptop registry, for example, that my tech buddy has to remove.
3. Windows updates and firewalls can fight each other, and you're the loser. For example, ZoneAlarm denied access to the web for anyone who had the Windows update installed earlier this month - and ZoneAlarm issued an update to its own software to fix this problem (this upgrade also caused my laptop to crash; it was a very bad day). Same trouble for Norton firewalls, etc.
Solution? Techs I spoke with said they never allow automatic updates from Windows -- they have gone into ControlPanel and selected manual updating. This allows them to wait a few days, see if the Windows release is smooth, or if it causes problems. Like the one this month with all those firewalls ....
4. All the techs that I dealt with during my Computer Crash Experience (and there were a lot) were unanimous: they did not recommend using either ZoneAlarm or Norton. It was really a toss-up for which product was the most reviled - but I think Norton won on that score.
Two of the most knowledgeable techs had no antivirus system on their machines - or any of their families' machines. Never a problem, and they've been going without an antivirus software package for many years now (one guy, for five; another, for seven). As for firewalls, Windows has its own and most felt this was sufficient. Unless you're going to spooky sites, or keeping your "preview pane" open in your email, the techs didn't think there was a real problem. In their opinion, ZoneAlarm and Norton all too often produce the very virus result that they are sold to prevent.
5. If you just can't sleep without an antivirus program running, the techs all recommended AVG. AVG is free.
AVG gets glowing reviews, and offers a LinkScanner that works with Google, Yahoo, etc. so your search results automatically have okey-dokeys and warnings by the site names, before you click on them.
6. While the techs did hate Vista, they did report that Vista has lots of security stuff that XP, 2000, etc. do not have. Personally, I haven't had any problems with Vista, and it does have lots of security stuff here that I like.
Bottom line? On my third, brand-new computer, I'm running with Windows Vista and I did install the free AVG. I'm happy. I will never, ever use or recommend ZoneAlarm or Norton to anyone after my July Crash experience.
July 26, 2008
Computer Crash -1: MozyPro Remote Backup Review
Last December, I signed up for MozyPro's online backup service after checking out its five-star reviews and its low cost (I could backup 20GB for under $15/month). It appeared to be the best remote backup service on the web.
I was very happy with MozyPro - every night, it would automatically backup my files (including my email) and every morning, there was a nice little window letting me know I was safe. Sweet.
Then, my Workhorse Desktop started acting screwy. Freezing up, paralyzed mouse. It wasn't the skeery Blue Screen of Death, so I didn't panic ....
I need a computer to do my job, but no problem! I'd use Mozy Pro to backup my files to my Starbucks laptop, and my Workhorse would be free to spend a couple of weeks at the Repair Shop. (My Starbucks laptop is the one I take to the coffee house, or down to the Riverwalk, or whereever -- no financial info, just a few files ....)
Of course, all this happened on a holiday weekend (the Workhorse decided to buckle on the Saturday of the Fourth of July weekend). But this shouldn't be a problem: MozyPro should easily download what I needed, and didn't they have 24/7/365 live support?
Workhorse's window that Saturday morning comforted me that a backup had been done the night before, so I should have everything I needed over on MozyPro. Everything was looking soooo good.
It wasn't that pretty.
First, I learned not to trust the MozyPro notice window.
Luckily, MozyPro had completed a full backup on THURSDAY night - but this was the only backup that had really occurred in the past week to 10 days. Friday's work and Friday's emails were not picked up by MozyPro. Forget what the notice window tells you.
Second, that MozyPro live support sounded great - but just try to get through to the techies by phone.
I had a big, big problem finding a technical support phone number. I finally got one by calling the sales line (yes, they picked up just fine) and after initially being transfered by a sales rep, I got ahold of a tech support number. Here it is for you:
MOZYPRO TECHNICAL SUPPORT CAN BE REACHED AT 866-789-6699.
Then, you get to wait and wait and wait for a tech to answer the line. Here's a help: if they don't answer, call the Sales line and get transferred over (one of their reps told me they all office in the same space - techs and reps):
MOZYPRO SALES CAN BE REACHED AT 801-756-2331.
Third, calendar at least a full day to get a full restore.
After a full day of dealing with MozyPro, confirming that only one backup had occurred in the past week and getting live help on downloading that backup to my laptop, I then had another night and day (or two) in dealing with the actual restore.
Fourth, don't expect to retrieve all your backup in one restore file.
True, I had a lot of files - almost 2GB - to be restored. MozyPro didn't give me all those files in one restore file, though - although the techs told me this would be one quick, clean download. One big restore handled most everything. The next day, though, there was a little file - more to download. All the emails, as well as my favorites, address book, and some other stuff, came in this separate restore - which suddenly popped up about 12-24 hours after I first requested my files from MozyPro.
Fifth, expect lots of duplicate emails from MozyPro for around a week after you request your restore.
After I downloaded the restores, I got notices in my Yahoo mail for about a week - "restore complete," "need to restore," etc. - after I'd already restored everything. Apparently, there were duplicate restore files setting there, somewhere.
Bottom line:
1. MozyPro did save me - I did get all most of my files. I have my emails, I have my word processing documents, I have my publisher files. I may have lost my TurboTax and QuickBooks files (most of this was in hardcopy already, however) as well as some website designs made with a special webdesign software provided by GoDaddy.
2. MozyPro's tech support was helpful and human - when I finally tracked them down.
3. MozyPro doesn't always download even if that window tells you it does.
4. I will keep using MozyPro, but I won't be as trusting of the software. I'll double check the reality of those backups. And, I'll keep that tech support number handy.
5. In addition to MozyPro, I'll also keep hard copies of all my important, current workweek stuff - including emails, invoices, works in process - on a flash drive. I would have been in a mess if this had happened in the middle of the workweek, and I had to be down three days just to get myself up and running again. In a way, it was a blessing that this happened over a long holiday weekend (except for cancelling that picnic/BBQ ....).
I was very happy with MozyPro - every night, it would automatically backup my files (including my email) and every morning, there was a nice little window letting me know I was safe. Sweet.
Then, my Workhorse Desktop started acting screwy. Freezing up, paralyzed mouse. It wasn't the skeery Blue Screen of Death, so I didn't panic ....
I need a computer to do my job, but no problem! I'd use Mozy Pro to backup my files to my Starbucks laptop, and my Workhorse would be free to spend a couple of weeks at the Repair Shop. (My Starbucks laptop is the one I take to the coffee house, or down to the Riverwalk, or whereever -- no financial info, just a few files ....)
Of course, all this happened on a holiday weekend (the Workhorse decided to buckle on the Saturday of the Fourth of July weekend). But this shouldn't be a problem: MozyPro should easily download what I needed, and didn't they have 24/7/365 live support?
Workhorse's window that Saturday morning comforted me that a backup had been done the night before, so I should have everything I needed over on MozyPro. Everything was looking soooo good.
It wasn't that pretty.
First, I learned not to trust the MozyPro notice window.
Luckily, MozyPro had completed a full backup on THURSDAY night - but this was the only backup that had really occurred in the past week to 10 days. Friday's work and Friday's emails were not picked up by MozyPro. Forget what the notice window tells you.
Second, that MozyPro live support sounded great - but just try to get through to the techies by phone.
I had a big, big problem finding a technical support phone number. I finally got one by calling the sales line (yes, they picked up just fine) and after initially being transfered by a sales rep, I got ahold of a tech support number. Here it is for you:
MOZYPRO TECHNICAL SUPPORT CAN BE REACHED AT 866-789-6699.
Then, you get to wait and wait and wait for a tech to answer the line. Here's a help: if they don't answer, call the Sales line and get transferred over (one of their reps told me they all office in the same space - techs and reps):
MOZYPRO SALES CAN BE REACHED AT 801-756-2331.
Third, calendar at least a full day to get a full restore.
After a full day of dealing with MozyPro, confirming that only one backup had occurred in the past week and getting live help on downloading that backup to my laptop, I then had another night and day (or two) in dealing with the actual restore.
Fourth, don't expect to retrieve all your backup in one restore file.
True, I had a lot of files - almost 2GB - to be restored. MozyPro didn't give me all those files in one restore file, though - although the techs told me this would be one quick, clean download. One big restore handled most everything. The next day, though, there was a little file - more to download. All the emails, as well as my favorites, address book, and some other stuff, came in this separate restore - which suddenly popped up about 12-24 hours after I first requested my files from MozyPro.
Fifth, expect lots of duplicate emails from MozyPro for around a week after you request your restore.
After I downloaded the restores, I got notices in my Yahoo mail for about a week - "restore complete," "need to restore," etc. - after I'd already restored everything. Apparently, there were duplicate restore files setting there, somewhere.
Bottom line:
1. MozyPro did save me - I did get all most of my files. I have my emails, I have my word processing documents, I have my publisher files. I may have lost my TurboTax and QuickBooks files (most of this was in hardcopy already, however) as well as some website designs made with a special webdesign software provided by GoDaddy.
2. MozyPro's tech support was helpful and human - when I finally tracked them down.
3. MozyPro doesn't always download even if that window tells you it does.
4. I will keep using MozyPro, but I won't be as trusting of the software. I'll double check the reality of those backups. And, I'll keep that tech support number handy.
5. In addition to MozyPro, I'll also keep hard copies of all my important, current workweek stuff - including emails, invoices, works in process - on a flash drive. I would have been in a mess if this had happened in the middle of the workweek, and I had to be down three days just to get myself up and running again. In a way, it was a blessing that this happened over a long holiday weekend (except for cancelling that picnic/BBQ ....).
June 18, 2008
CouchSurfing for a Cheap Vacation
The service at CouchSurfing.Com may not be for everyone, but it's a great find for those who are looking for a cheap and fun vacation where they meet lots of new people and get outside the usual tourist box. And, yes, it's free.
What is it?
The Couch Surfing Project is an international, non-profit organization with the following mission:
"CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding. ... We make the world a better place by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. ...CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!"
How does it work?
At the website, you create a profile for yourself (similar to MySpace or Facebook), get to know fellow members through the forums and discussion boards, and when you're ready to travel, you plan your trip around your new CouchSurfing pals - who open their homes up to you for free. Of course, it's a mannerly exchange (you have to request an invite, and they have to say yes) and there are safeguards (members are "vouched for" or "verified" and there are a number of privacy settings).
And, there's a range of hospitality here. Maybe one host feels fine offering you a "couch" at their house; another may be willing to meet you for coffee or drinks, or give you a ride to/from the airport. You set the hospitality boundaries both as a host and as a guest.
It's a worldwide membership and all sorts of people are listed as members. All ages, all sexes, singles, couples, families, from all over the world are establishing online friendships via the site before traveling - or before inviting guests into their homes. This service may not be for everyone, but it sure seems like a great find for the adventuresome ....
What is it?
The Couch Surfing Project is an international, non-profit organization with the following mission:
"CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding. ... We make the world a better place by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. ...CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!"
How does it work?
At the website, you create a profile for yourself (similar to MySpace or Facebook), get to know fellow members through the forums and discussion boards, and when you're ready to travel, you plan your trip around your new CouchSurfing pals - who open their homes up to you for free. Of course, it's a mannerly exchange (you have to request an invite, and they have to say yes) and there are safeguards (members are "vouched for" or "verified" and there are a number of privacy settings).
And, there's a range of hospitality here. Maybe one host feels fine offering you a "couch" at their house; another may be willing to meet you for coffee or drinks, or give you a ride to/from the airport. You set the hospitality boundaries both as a host and as a guest.
It's a worldwide membership and all sorts of people are listed as members. All ages, all sexes, singles, couples, families, from all over the world are establishing online friendships via the site before traveling - or before inviting guests into their homes. This service may not be for everyone, but it sure seems like a great find for the adventuresome ....
November 4, 2007
Blackle.com -Saving Energy One Search at a Time
Blackle.com is an energy-saving search engine offered by the Australian group, Heap Media. From their site:"Blackle saves energy because the screen is predominantly black.... In January 2007 a blog post titled Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year proposed the theory that a black version of the Google search engine would save a fair bit of energy due to the popularity of the search engine. Since then there has been skepticism about the significance of the energy savings that can be achieved and the cost in terms of readability of black web pages.
"We believe that there is value in the concept because even if the energy savings are small, they all add up. Secondly we feel that seeing Blackle every time we load our web browser reminds us that we need to keep taking small steps to save energy."
Blackle encourages you to use their site as your home page, for energy saving, and also offers a nice list of energy-saving tips, too.
October 29, 2007
GoDaddy E-Mail Cost Me 7 Hrs on Saturday
Living simply means choosing a good deal and sticking with it - in the words of my father, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Less daily strife that way, and of course, there's always more than enough to do on the "to do" list, anyhow.
Then again ....
On Saturday, starting at 5:07 pm and ending right before midnight, I plugged away at getting my two business emails (one for writing, one for law) back to where they would load in Outlook. Something that they had been quietly and efficiency doing for over three years without a hitch - until Saturday afternoon.
I played with the tools, etc. on Outlook, expanding the time before timing-out, etc. No dice.
I called GoDaddy, since it was their two emails that were failing. I got a human who speaks English on the line. I gave him the error messages. He said it's not them. Call the ISP.
I called the ISP. Human, English-speaking techie tells me it's not them. Call the AntiVirus folk.
(Somewhere in here, I surfed for the error messages, went to the Microsoft Support page and read all about what to do. I'm already doing it.)
I then communicate with the Norton AntiVirus folk by an online chat room with (assumedly) a human whose native language is obviously not English. There are long gaps in typed conversation, where I'm wondering if my words are being fed through an online translator, or if a manual tranlation dictionary is being used. And, by long gaps I mean: Long. Gaps.
After I can't tell you how long this all took because I've blocked this out of my mind, I'm told that Norton has corrupted files, and while I could just un-install and reinstall the software, why don't I just upgrade since the registration is expiring in 20 days anyway?
I surf sites and find options to Norton AntiVirus -- I choose a Kaspersky product.
I call the K people, talk to a human in sales, and get the upgrade. This is after I uninstall both Norton AV and the software for their chatroom with its scary "remote control" feature that I had to install in order to get to Norton tech support on a Saturday.
(Remember -- these are business emails, I have to have them up and running asap.)
I install the new antivirus software.
It doesn't work. I trying calling back, and learn that while sales has real humans, tech support has another one of those chat room thingies for the weekends.
I consider drink.
I install the newbie again. This time it works. I go through all the hoopla of choosing my options, putting it my protective info.
It's been hours.
I go to the GoDaddy website to check and see about my email there -- can I pull anything up from there, that's been held in limbo while being blocked on my computer? I'm expecting an email from a writing client, is it in here?
Well, what do you know.
GoDaddy has an email service. Complete with POP -- they want you to use GoDaddy for all your email addresses. And, they've got some fancy spam filter. And, there -- starting with my first tests around 5 pm, hours and hours ago -- are all my missing emails. They've been setting in the Approval/Disapproval Spam box all this time.
I turn off the GoDaddy spam stuff and everything -- including all 28 test messages showing time stamps spanning 7 hours -- goes frolicking over to Outlook.
Wouldn't it be nice if someone at GoDaddy had told me they were going to do this new feature? Wouldn't it have been nice if the human I called at the beginning of all this had known anything at all about this?
GoDaddy was once a good deal, but GoDaddy may have to Go.
Then again ....
On Saturday, starting at 5:07 pm and ending right before midnight, I plugged away at getting my two business emails (one for writing, one for law) back to where they would load in Outlook. Something that they had been quietly and efficiency doing for over three years without a hitch - until Saturday afternoon.
I played with the tools, etc. on Outlook, expanding the time before timing-out, etc. No dice.
I called GoDaddy, since it was their two emails that were failing. I got a human who speaks English on the line. I gave him the error messages. He said it's not them. Call the ISP.
I called the ISP. Human, English-speaking techie tells me it's not them. Call the AntiVirus folk.
(Somewhere in here, I surfed for the error messages, went to the Microsoft Support page and read all about what to do. I'm already doing it.)
I then communicate with the Norton AntiVirus folk by an online chat room with (assumedly) a human whose native language is obviously not English. There are long gaps in typed conversation, where I'm wondering if my words are being fed through an online translator, or if a manual tranlation dictionary is being used. And, by long gaps I mean: Long. Gaps.
After I can't tell you how long this all took because I've blocked this out of my mind, I'm told that Norton has corrupted files, and while I could just un-install and reinstall the software, why don't I just upgrade since the registration is expiring in 20 days anyway?
I surf sites and find options to Norton AntiVirus -- I choose a Kaspersky product.
I call the K people, talk to a human in sales, and get the upgrade. This is after I uninstall both Norton AV and the software for their chatroom with its scary "remote control" feature that I had to install in order to get to Norton tech support on a Saturday.
(Remember -- these are business emails, I have to have them up and running asap.)
I install the new antivirus software.
It doesn't work. I trying calling back, and learn that while sales has real humans, tech support has another one of those chat room thingies for the weekends.
I consider drink.
I install the newbie again. This time it works. I go through all the hoopla of choosing my options, putting it my protective info.
It's been hours.
I go to the GoDaddy website to check and see about my email there -- can I pull anything up from there, that's been held in limbo while being blocked on my computer? I'm expecting an email from a writing client, is it in here?
Well, what do you know.
GoDaddy has an email service. Complete with POP -- they want you to use GoDaddy for all your email addresses. And, they've got some fancy spam filter. And, there -- starting with my first tests around 5 pm, hours and hours ago -- are all my missing emails. They've been setting in the Approval/Disapproval Spam box all this time.
I turn off the GoDaddy spam stuff and everything -- including all 28 test messages showing time stamps spanning 7 hours -- goes frolicking over to Outlook.
Wouldn't it be nice if someone at GoDaddy had told me they were going to do this new feature? Wouldn't it have been nice if the human I called at the beginning of all this had known anything at all about this?
GoDaddy was once a good deal, but GoDaddy may have to Go.
June 26, 2007
Open Office: Great Free Software Suite
Open Office is free, free, free. It offers software comparable to other major office software suites (yes, think Microsoft Word et al) and has won high praise from techies and non-techies alike. There is Writer (word processor); Calc (spreadsheets); Impress (multimedia presentations); Draw (3D illustrations, etc.); Base (databases); and Math (equations editor and creator).
VUNET.COM gives it a five star rating.
PCWorld/India calls it "an excellent free alternative to Microsoft Office."
James Gaskin at NetworkWorld goes so far as to opine that small businesses should buy a few Microsoft Office packages, and fill out the rest with OpenOffice. It's a 80/20 analysis that seems to make good sense.
Me? I like it.
May 18, 2007
Personal Post: Free WiFi Security Tips
Yesterday, I left my laptop running in the back bedroom, next to an open window, and promptly forgot it. Hours later, I returned to turn it off.
Good news, battery was recharged to 100%; bad news, a message that "others are using this computer, turning off power now may cause them to lose their work." Or words to that effect ... I don't have the message down, word for word.
I thought I had disconnected the laptop's automatic birddog feature of finding nearby wireless networks. Wrong!
I immediately shut the laptop down. And, today, on my desktop with its secure wired-in internet access, I went surfing for solutions to this problem. Thought I'd share them, especially since this would apply not only to neighbors with wireless, but to all those free Wifi HotSpots around town these days.
1. There are blocks you can establish within your files, including passwords and "do not share" parameters on certain files. A good set of directions is provided by Arnelle O'Neill at Microsoft, albeit her article is somewhat dated.
2. There are firewalls that you can buy (I have ZoneAlarmPro, and I don't know why it didn't work) and internal blocks under Network Connections to use. PC Magazine gives some good instructions in another older article written by Leon Erlanger.
3. TechWorld offers a TopTen List for Safe WiFi use. It's a good one, with lots of detail. Included here, free tests - not only of your WiFi security as a whole, but the effectiveness of your firewall and anti-virus protections.
Now, I'm off to implement the things I've learned from these sites. Since I don't access the web from the laptop - I only use it for word processing - I'm not that worried about things. No passwords, no financial info for the Evildoer to have found.
I still don't like the Evildoer roaming around, reading my drafts and things, though. And, I hope that I didn't store my FitDay info on the darn thing. I hate to think that my neighbor's teenage son (and therefore, his mother and everyone else in a 60 mile radius by now) knows how much I weigh.
May 27, 2006
Great FREE Web Hosting/Publishing Site
Bravenet.com offers a great service: not only free web hosting, but also a wide array of extras: free webpage design, including things like a photo center, a calendar, and forums, and it's relatively easy and quick to get up and running. (On a test run, I created and published a test site to the web in less than an hour. With photos.) One of the best ... a great find.
February 24, 2006
Free Online Tutorials for Popular Software
There's a nice collection of online tutorials for Microsoft products like Publisher, Word, Powerpoint, and Office provided by Kent School District in Washington.Microcounsel has a nice list for WordPerfect users, too -- although it is focused for law firms and despite the fact that less and less people use WordPerfect these days.
January 17, 2006
Free Software That's Safe
Free software that's safe? Yep - and there's a lot of it over at Bill Gates' site, Microsoft Windows' Download Center.
Among the many options found there are:
- The Malicious Software Removal Tool
- Anti-Spyware Tool
Among the many options found there are:
- The Malicious Software Removal Tool
- Anti-Spyware Tool
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