The Coronavirus lockdown and physical distancing has led us to trying to find activities to keep ourselves busy. The stress and uncertainty have played havoc with the mental health of most of us. A friend, who is a professional artist, attacked this problem and challenged herself to paint a small (4×6 or 5×7) watercolour each …
It’s natural that you have some complaints about your boss, co-workers, or customers. No job is perfect and we are only human. However, how you express your feelings may prove to be a problem, not only in your present job, but also your chances of getting another in the future. While social media may be …
One of the conveniences of the internet is that it allows anyone to be a publisher; this is also one of its biggest problems. Before the internet, there was usually a filter between you and outrageous claims. However, in many cases that filter no longer exists and people are still learning to take internet assertions …
Did you ever wonder what’s behind those math questions on Facebook? You know, the ones that “most people will get wrong.” Or what about those count-the-triangles picture games, which apparently most of us get wrong too? What do they have in common with recipes, iPad giveaways, and eye test puzzles? Most of these posts are …
Virtual Village: Virtual Village: Facebook is “Like Farming” Read More »
I’m back after a bit of a vacation and a bout of pneumonia, but I’m ready to sell you on some safety tips for online classified ads. One of the earliest features of the web was the introduction of classified ad services, such as eBay, CraigsList, and local services such as Borealist. These offer a …
A family or personal website was once an oddity. Now, they are a common practice and easy to set up and maintain. A personal website allows you to easily keep in touch with far-flung friends and relatives. You can post pictures and tie it to family blogs. You only require three things for a web …
Some colleges and universities have closed or scaled down their information technology programs. In the Yukon, for example, we went from having a full, stand-alone, two-year diploma to a collaborative program where the teaching is shared through four colleges.
Let’s consider what to do if you think your identity has been stolen and how to reduce the chance of that happening. The first step is to call your bank and credit card company as soon as possible. Tell them why you think that you’re an identity theft victim and get their suggestions. They deal …
A statistical trend that receives little appreciation is that crime rates in Canada have been declining steadily for more than 20 years. There are exceptions, however. Identity theft has become more prevalent. According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, there were just over 17,000 victims in 2012, with losses of about $16-million. I’m going to write …
When people go on trips they go online and research hotels, tours, airline prices, and things to see and do when abroad. However, from a digital perspective, one should also consider planning for the final trip: the one that has no return flight. As with other aspects of death, there are legal and personal implications …
Tablets are on the rise. They are touch-screen based devices that are smaller, more portable and more convenient than a desktop computer. The first commercially released tablets were introduced by Microsoft about ten years ago but were not well received. However, in 2010, Apple introduced the iPad and the market grew markedly. These were smaller, …
Since the inception of e-commerce about 15 years ago, there have been many myths regarding its safety. Online shopping and banking are extremely useful, particularly when you live in a remote location. But, how safe is it? The short answer is that there are some risks. However, these are smaller than many people think. For …
Every time you access the internet, what you’re doing is using a web browser. And even though Internet Explorer is installed on just about every non-Apple Macintosh computer out there, there are many other web browsers to use and reasons to use them. Each have their benefits and disadvantages, so to help you understand your …
Every large corporation has probably devoted time and effort in recent years to draft its social media policy. This policy outlines the types of information the corporation puts forward on social media, who posts that information, who approves what gets posted, et cetera, in an effort to ensure that the corporation’s best face is put …
Virtual Village: Creating a Family Social Media Policy Read More »
That’s not a typo in the headline. Phishing is the process of attempting to gain information through deception. It uses email and fake web sites to get you to unknowingly provide information to a criminal. Common methods of phishing include receiving emails that appear to be from banks, other institutions, or online retailers saying that …
One way scammers work through the internet, or in any medium, is to present a plausible reason for you to give them money or the information they seek. However, it is relatively easy to defend yourself against them when you use a little bit of common sense in dealing with strangers. While every scam is …
One of the more annoying facets of the Internet is the ability to spread online hoaxes and urban legends. These did die off in popularity at one point, but now seem to be enjoying a resurgence with the ability to spread them through Facebook and Twitter. They are annoying in that while usually not harmful, …
In my last column, I looked at how Wi-Fi works and how to encrypt your transmissions to reduce the possibilities of unauthorized access to your network. Now, let’s consider a few more steps you can take to lock down your wireless network. Considering how easy it was to encrypt your traffic, you should consider arranging …
I’m going to spend the next two columns dealing with some of the specific points you should know about running a wireless network.
This summer, the word “cloud” has popped up in conversation with some frequency. However, you are probably also seeing the term used beyond descriptions of the awful weather. The internet cloud basically refers to running applications or storing data somewhere on the internet, rather than on your local computer. To some extent, you probably do …
When you purchase a new computer, you will usually end up purchasing a short-term licence for an antivirus program. This will come from one of several vendors and each offers benefits that will protect your computer. After the term ends, you will be given the opportunity to renew your licence for a period, usually one …
In my last article, I introduced the idea that you should approach keeping your online information safe in the same way you would protect yourself in real life. Let’s consider this again and look at your social media profile. Setting this up properly is important, since some or all of your profile information is publicly …
Protecting your information does not require you be totally paranoid. However, it does help if you are willing to question a good thing when it just seems to be too good to be true. One of the times you should ask is when it involves the magic word “free”. Much of the appeal of Facebook …
Social media sites such as Facebook are very handy tools to keep in touch with relatives and old friends spread far across the globe. Yet, we do have to consider these sites in terms other than their convenience. While there is an element of risk involved with them, a few practices can make your use …
