The Simpsons Movie Contest is well under way!
Information About THE SIMPSONS MOVIE Contest
(link will open in new window)
I know this is off-topic to the nature of this blog, but how could I resist directing you to where you can Enter THE SIMPSONS MOVIE Contest that Fox and Opera (yes, Opera browser) are doing for Simpsons Fans all over?
The contest runs until the 27th day of this month, so hurry up and check out the details. You could win some official The Simpsons Movie merchandise for yourself.
Enter the contest!
Information About THE SIMPSONS MOVIE Contest
(link will open in new window)
Good luck to everyone who enters the contest!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Nasty, Nasty Keyloggers
The Continual Advancement of the Keylogger
A keylogger is a program that runs in your computer’s background. It will record all your keystrokes, only you don't know it's there. It secretly grabs your keystroke information. When you keystrokes are logged, they are saved and hidden away for the attacker to retrieve later - whenever it's convenient for the keylogger attacker to do so!
The keylogger attacker will then review very carefully, your information in the hopes of finding passwords to important and valuable sites - perhaps your payment processor or online bank! A keylogger/criminal can quite easily gain confidential emails. This person can then reveal them to others - any interested outside party who is willing to pay for this particular information.
Keyloggers can be either software or hardware based. Keyloggers that are Software-based are easy to distribute and they quickly infect user computers before they can be stopped by some systems. I don't really have to tell you that avoiding these nuisance keylogger infections is part of the reason why you should never NEVER run your system without anti-virus and anti-malware software.
While software-based keyloggers really move quickly and are often hidden in other downloads, they are still more easily detectible than the other type of keylogger. Hardware-based keyloggers are quite a bit more complex and harder to detect than the software-based Keyloggers.
For all that you know, your keyboard could have a keylogger chip attached and anything being typed is recorded into a flash memory sitting inside your keyboard. Keyloggers have become one of the most powerful applications used for gathering information today. In our high-tech world, where encrypted traffic is becoming more and more common, keyloggers of both types abound with great regularity and circulation.
As keyloggers become more advanced, it becomes harder to catch them. The ability to detect every-changing and ever-improving keylogging methods becomes more difficult all the time. Keyloggers can violate a computer user’s privacy for months - even years, believe it or not - without being noticed in the least! During that time frame, a keylogger can collect all kinds of information about the user it is monitoring. The potential for a keylogger to obtain not only passwords and login names - but credit card numbers, too - is very high.
Also open to Advanced and efficient keyloggers are:
* bank account details,
* personal contacts,
* business contacts
* an outline of interests (saved from 'Profile' forms)
* web browsing habits
and much, much more.
This collected data can be used to literally steal user’s personal documents, money, or even their identity. A keylogger might be as simple as an .exe and a .dll that is placed in a computer and activated upon boot up via an entry in the registry.
More sophisticated keyloggers, such as the Perfect Keylogger or ProBot Activity Monitor have developed a full line of nasty abilities including:
* Undetectable in the process list and invisible in operation
* A kernel keylogger driver that captures keystrokes even when the user is logged off
* A remote deployment wizard The ability to create text snapshots of active applications
* The ability to capture http post data (including log-ins/passwords)
* The ability to timestamp record workstation usage HTML and text log file export Automatic e-mail log file delivery
All keyloggers are not used for illegal purposes. A variety of other uses have surfaced for the keylogger programs that are around.
Here are some positive uses for Keyloggers:
* They have been used to monitor web sites visited as a means of parental control over children. * They have been actively used to prevent child pornography and avoid children coming in contact with dangerous elements on the web.
* December, 2001, a federal court ruled that the FBI did not need a special wiretap order to place a keystroke logging device on a suspect’s computer. The judge allowed the FBI to keep details of its key logging device secret (citing national security concerns). The defendant in the case, Nicodemo Scarfo Jr., indicted for gambling and loan-sharking, used encryption to protect a file on his computer. The FBI used the keystroke logging device to capture Scarfo’s password and gain access to the needed file.
Thus, now you've gained some details on keyloggers. The only way to keep safe from both types of keyloggers is to USE GOOD ANTI-VIRUS and ANTI-MALWARE programs and practice other obvious good internet navigation habits. Don't let your guard down for a minute. Even if you have great security-ware, you can still get a keylogger if you're careless.
Scan your computer often with the best antivirus and anti-malware products you can get. Update your software, check your security software homepages often just to check on virus alerts and things that you might not have received a notification about.
A keylogger is a program that runs in your computer’s background. It will record all your keystrokes, only you don't know it's there. It secretly grabs your keystroke information. When you keystrokes are logged, they are saved and hidden away for the attacker to retrieve later - whenever it's convenient for the keylogger attacker to do so!
The keylogger attacker will then review very carefully, your information in the hopes of finding passwords to important and valuable sites - perhaps your payment processor or online bank! A keylogger/criminal can quite easily gain confidential emails. This person can then reveal them to others - any interested outside party who is willing to pay for this particular information.
Keyloggers can be either software or hardware based. Keyloggers that are Software-based are easy to distribute and they quickly infect user computers before they can be stopped by some systems. I don't really have to tell you that avoiding these nuisance keylogger infections is part of the reason why you should never NEVER run your system without anti-virus and anti-malware software.
While software-based keyloggers really move quickly and are often hidden in other downloads, they are still more easily detectible than the other type of keylogger. Hardware-based keyloggers are quite a bit more complex and harder to detect than the software-based Keyloggers.
For all that you know, your keyboard could have a keylogger chip attached and anything being typed is recorded into a flash memory sitting inside your keyboard. Keyloggers have become one of the most powerful applications used for gathering information today. In our high-tech world, where encrypted traffic is becoming more and more common, keyloggers of both types abound with great regularity and circulation.
As keyloggers become more advanced, it becomes harder to catch them. The ability to detect every-changing and ever-improving keylogging methods becomes more difficult all the time. Keyloggers can violate a computer user’s privacy for months - even years, believe it or not - without being noticed in the least! During that time frame, a keylogger can collect all kinds of information about the user it is monitoring. The potential for a keylogger to obtain not only passwords and login names - but credit card numbers, too - is very high.
Also open to Advanced and efficient keyloggers are:
* bank account details,
* personal contacts,
* business contacts
* an outline of interests (saved from 'Profile' forms)
* web browsing habits
and much, much more.
This collected data can be used to literally steal user’s personal documents, money, or even their identity. A keylogger might be as simple as an .exe and a .dll that is placed in a computer and activated upon boot up via an entry in the registry.
More sophisticated keyloggers, such as the Perfect Keylogger or ProBot Activity Monitor have developed a full line of nasty abilities including:
* Undetectable in the process list and invisible in operation
* A kernel keylogger driver that captures keystrokes even when the user is logged off
* A remote deployment wizard The ability to create text snapshots of active applications
* The ability to capture http post data (including log-ins/passwords)
* The ability to timestamp record workstation usage HTML and text log file export Automatic e-mail log file delivery
All keyloggers are not used for illegal purposes. A variety of other uses have surfaced for the keylogger programs that are around.
Here are some positive uses for Keyloggers:
* They have been used to monitor web sites visited as a means of parental control over children. * They have been actively used to prevent child pornography and avoid children coming in contact with dangerous elements on the web.
* December, 2001, a federal court ruled that the FBI did not need a special wiretap order to place a keystroke logging device on a suspect’s computer. The judge allowed the FBI to keep details of its key logging device secret (citing national security concerns). The defendant in the case, Nicodemo Scarfo Jr., indicted for gambling and loan-sharking, used encryption to protect a file on his computer. The FBI used the keystroke logging device to capture Scarfo’s password and gain access to the needed file.
Thus, now you've gained some details on keyloggers. The only way to keep safe from both types of keyloggers is to USE GOOD ANTI-VIRUS and ANTI-MALWARE programs and practice other obvious good internet navigation habits. Don't let your guard down for a minute. Even if you have great security-ware, you can still get a keylogger if you're careless.
Scan your computer often with the best antivirus and anti-malware products you can get. Update your software, check your security software homepages often just to check on virus alerts and things that you might not have received a notification about.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Online Information Sources - What Do You Believe?
With the number of online 'user-shared information portals,' Social Sites, Article directories and the like, it's hard to know when you're getting legitimate information.
I'm working on a list of 'legitimate' sites to post here in the near future and am learning about 'validity-checking' myself, in general areas on the internet.
As a student, I already know what higher-education institutions require as legitimate information checking online (that is, if I use an online source, I know the guidelines as to what is considered legitimate information or not). I am slightly less knowledgeable about pure business legitimacy, so I have some work to do yet before I post reliable information about 'online business' sources.
One tip I can give for ANY kind of information you're going to use online involves how to use Wikipedia.
Wikipedia is NOT a definitive, authority site, by any means. It is a 'collective' contribution by internet users all around the world who choose to add information to the Wikipedia site.
Many information pages at Wikipedia are without citations and proof of legitimacy. Very truly, SOME of the information found at Wikipedia is OPINION. Some of it is misinterpreted data, mis-informed reports about topics that, although someone tried to research, may not have been researched thoroughly enough.
I use Wikipedia very often, however, I choose to go to the Wikipedia site, using the information therein as a 'guideline' and a starting point - mostly for topics that I know absolutely nothing about. I enter the Wikipedia site with the intent to gain basic information and ultimately, follow the 'citation' links right back OUT of the Wikipedia site. If the citation links lead to an 'edu,' 'org,' 'gov' or other such site, then Wikipedia has served it's purpose for me. It is at the 'out-linked' sites that I can find better (perhaps original) information, but I may have been completely unaware of how to find 'original' information before I started reading articles over at Wikipedia.
This is not to imply that NONE of the information at Wikipedia is 'correct' or 'legitimate' or that all information there is unreliable. On the contrary. There are a TON of great, proper, well-researched and well-cited entries over at the Wikipedia site. It's just that I take particular care in checking the links that are within the articles I'm reading at the site. If almost all of the links are just internal, leading mainly back into the Wikipedia system (for definitions, related information, etc), then I don't consider this situation to be of legitimate value to me, though I will follow links and keep information in mind that I find internally at the site. I don't consider my information search to be completed at this point, however, I have usually gained some good general information by this point. Nothing I would use in a University paper, but information that allows me to be a little more familiar with the topic I started searching on - so that I can conduct a more intense search elsewhere.
I see forums posts and even pay-for-article material (Articles that you have to pay for) that use only Wikipedia as their source of authority - and this concerns me very much.
I have a friend who is a budding internet marketer. He uses Wikipedia in his promotions. He is listed as an Internet marketer and wrote his own article about himself, set up 'tagging' and keywords so that people will go to Wikipedia and see his name there - along with Historical figures, celebrities, etc. The average internet user considers Wikipedia as somewhat of an online encyclopedia, so using Wikipedia for marketing is actually a really awesome and effective tactic for marketers to use. It makes a marketer seem 'famous' and 'important' if they are in some kind of an 'encyclopedia' system! But the truth is - you can probably gain an account at Wikipedia and write an article yourself - about yourself - without too many problems. Or - you could submit an article to a fellow-member of Wikipedia and ask for editing help and if they do some research - some fact-checking on you, your information can still end up in Wikipedia, even if you're 'a slouch' at writing articles.
In short, any 'business information' topics that I research at Wikipedia MUST LEAD TO Better Business Bureau information and show a 'scam-list' clean status for me to believe that the business I am checking out has legitimacy. Otherwise, some relatively unknown 'newbie' could have written his or her own article, claiming that their business has skyrocketed in activity, is a leading, #1 business - and I wouldn't know the difference from the entries that tell me that "Coca-Cola" is a hugely successful company! (Well - there would be a LOT more links in an Coca-Cola article that would lead to other legitimate business reports, so the information on 'Coca-Cola' would not be as highly questioned).
Anyhow, I hope this helps you think carefully about the information sources you use online.
I'm working on a list of 'legitimate' sites to post here in the near future and am learning about 'validity-checking' myself, in general areas on the internet.
As a student, I already know what higher-education institutions require as legitimate information checking online (that is, if I use an online source, I know the guidelines as to what is considered legitimate information or not). I am slightly less knowledgeable about pure business legitimacy, so I have some work to do yet before I post reliable information about 'online business' sources.
One tip I can give for ANY kind of information you're going to use online involves how to use Wikipedia.
Wikipedia is NOT a definitive, authority site, by any means. It is a 'collective' contribution by internet users all around the world who choose to add information to the Wikipedia site.
Many information pages at Wikipedia are without citations and proof of legitimacy. Very truly, SOME of the information found at Wikipedia is OPINION. Some of it is misinterpreted data, mis-informed reports about topics that, although someone tried to research, may not have been researched thoroughly enough.
I use Wikipedia very often, however, I choose to go to the Wikipedia site, using the information therein as a 'guideline' and a starting point - mostly for topics that I know absolutely nothing about. I enter the Wikipedia site with the intent to gain basic information and ultimately, follow the 'citation' links right back OUT of the Wikipedia site. If the citation links lead to an 'edu,' 'org,' 'gov' or other such site, then Wikipedia has served it's purpose for me. It is at the 'out-linked' sites that I can find better (perhaps original) information, but I may have been completely unaware of how to find 'original' information before I started reading articles over at Wikipedia.
This is not to imply that NONE of the information at Wikipedia is 'correct' or 'legitimate' or that all information there is unreliable. On the contrary. There are a TON of great, proper, well-researched and well-cited entries over at the Wikipedia site. It's just that I take particular care in checking the links that are within the articles I'm reading at the site. If almost all of the links are just internal, leading mainly back into the Wikipedia system (for definitions, related information, etc), then I don't consider this situation to be of legitimate value to me, though I will follow links and keep information in mind that I find internally at the site. I don't consider my information search to be completed at this point, however, I have usually gained some good general information by this point. Nothing I would use in a University paper, but information that allows me to be a little more familiar with the topic I started searching on - so that I can conduct a more intense search elsewhere.
I see forums posts and even pay-for-article material (Articles that you have to pay for) that use only Wikipedia as their source of authority - and this concerns me very much.
I have a friend who is a budding internet marketer. He uses Wikipedia in his promotions. He is listed as an Internet marketer and wrote his own article about himself, set up 'tagging' and keywords so that people will go to Wikipedia and see his name there - along with Historical figures, celebrities, etc. The average internet user considers Wikipedia as somewhat of an online encyclopedia, so using Wikipedia for marketing is actually a really awesome and effective tactic for marketers to use. It makes a marketer seem 'famous' and 'important' if they are in some kind of an 'encyclopedia' system! But the truth is - you can probably gain an account at Wikipedia and write an article yourself - about yourself - without too many problems. Or - you could submit an article to a fellow-member of Wikipedia and ask for editing help and if they do some research - some fact-checking on you, your information can still end up in Wikipedia, even if you're 'a slouch' at writing articles.
In short, any 'business information' topics that I research at Wikipedia MUST LEAD TO Better Business Bureau information and show a 'scam-list' clean status for me to believe that the business I am checking out has legitimacy. Otherwise, some relatively unknown 'newbie' could have written his or her own article, claiming that their business has skyrocketed in activity, is a leading, #1 business - and I wouldn't know the difference from the entries that tell me that "Coca-Cola" is a hugely successful company! (Well - there would be a LOT more links in an Coca-Cola article that would lead to other legitimate business reports, so the information on 'Coca-Cola' would not be as highly questioned).
Anyhow, I hope this helps you think carefully about the information sources you use online.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Want To Find Out How Much Your Efforts Are Worth?
Hey - are you blogging away with no idea about how much your blog could be worth?
Here's a link so you can check - tentatively - on what your blog might be worth if someone were to want to put an advertisement on your blog.
How Much Is Your Blog Worth?
This is just a little tool from Dan Carlson's "Business Opportunities Weblog" page.
Now, remember - this little tool doesn't promise that you SHOULD BE or that you WILL make that much money from your blog right away....only YOU can do that, according to whatever types of marketing you're doing from your blog, your different types of content and topic matter. But this is a cool little tool to show you what kind of potential your blog really has!
How Much Is Your Blog Worth?
Here's a link so you can check - tentatively - on what your blog might be worth if someone were to want to put an advertisement on your blog.
How Much Is Your Blog Worth?
This is just a little tool from Dan Carlson's "Business Opportunities Weblog" page.
Now, remember - this little tool doesn't promise that you SHOULD BE or that you WILL make that much money from your blog right away....only YOU can do that, according to whatever types of marketing you're doing from your blog, your different types of content and topic matter. But this is a cool little tool to show you what kind of potential your blog really has!
How Much Is Your Blog Worth?
Friday, June 1, 2007
Rules For The Internet Highway
Over 65 BILLION dollars was recorded as spent by online consumers in 2004.
It just gets easier and easier to shop, bank, invest, and otherwise feed money through internet resources.
The chances of coming into contact with Internet Fraud are extremely high and these odds raise significantly every day.
Around $2579 was recorded as 'average loss' to fraud from online activities, according to The Internet Fraud Center Watch - just for the first half of 2005! That's HALF A YEAR - 6 months only! The total average loss for 2004 (the entire YEAR) was only $895.
General merchandise purchases complaints accounted for around 30% of Internet Fraud complaints. These would have been goods never received or misrepresented products or goods. The percentage of fraud through misrepresented or never-received goods via AUCTIONS, however, was much higher, at 44%!
Though a great number of e-commerce websites are, indeed, reputable and legitimate, and have taken great and necessary safety precautions in order to protect consumers, it surely never hurts to always proceed cautiously when dealing with ANY websites.
If you must conduct online business and make purchases through or over the internet, here are some tips:
* Avoid using an ATM or debit card.
* Use only one credit card, preferably with a low credit limit, when making online purchases.
* Be wary of unsolicited offers by sellers.
Consider this: The Internet National Fraud Information Center Watch reported that email, as a method of contact by Internet scammers was up 22% in 2004. While offers by email may be perfectly legitimate, spammers like to use email tactics to side-step reputable sites that provide consumer protection for online purchases.
* Read the website’s privacy policy. Some websites may reserve the right to sell/give your information to a third party. You may inadvertently give permission to a website who will sell your information to a third party - you allow this by clicking the 'continue' or 'agree' or 'submit' button, quite often.
* Check the document you're involved with to see if the website allows an opportunity to "opt-out" of receiving special offers from third-party vendors or for permission to share your personal information.
* Check for a lock symbol in the status bar at the bottom of your Web browser window. Also - DO NOT provide your personal information if the website address doesn’t start with "https." The "https" is an indicator that lets you know that the site is using a secure server.
* Choose only verified sellers. DOUBLECHECK - to see if the vendor is a verified member of a reputable third party such as Better Business Bureau, VeriSign, or Guardian eCommerce. Third-party sites help to ensure online consumers will be protected when shopping or conducting e-commerce transactions.
* Check for a reasonable delivery date posted prior to completing your purchase. If you have never dealt with a certain vendor before on a regular basis, be wary of any Website that states the shipment will be delayed 20 or more days.
* TWENTY DAYS IS A VERY LONG TIME in the scope of internet business shipping. Delivery dates of 7-10 days are more REASONABLE and way more common.
* Keep a paper trail of all online transactions. This means BE DILIGENT. Print out a hard copy of the transaction and keep it in a file for future reference.
* Be wary of website offers that just sound too good to be true. Get Rich Quick Schemes abound with The Internet as a perfect vehicle for fraudulent activity. False advertising is commonplace online. Investigate all claims thoroughly before proceeding.
* Use only reputable e-commerce websites that list a street address and telephone number in case you need to contact them directly.
* If you do not receive what you paid for, and the vendor will not return your emails or calls, contact your state’s Department of Consumer Affairs for further assistance.
And Finally...
* DO NOT BE EMBARRASSED if you think YOU DID fall for a scheme, fraudulent claim or a 'too good to be true story' - REPORT IT REPORT IT REPORT IT!
Many scammers GET AWAY WITH what they do because people are too embarrassed to admit that they were trying to get a good deal, that they might not have double-checked every detail of a transaction - that they were simply outwitted by an internet scammer. People don't want to have to say 'It Happened To Me,' but
IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU - Internet scams can affect nearly anyone.
REPORT IT!
You may help the next person from getting scammed, too!
It just gets easier and easier to shop, bank, invest, and otherwise feed money through internet resources.
The chances of coming into contact with Internet Fraud are extremely high and these odds raise significantly every day.
Around $2579 was recorded as 'average loss' to fraud from online activities, according to The Internet Fraud Center Watch - just for the first half of 2005! That's HALF A YEAR - 6 months only! The total average loss for 2004 (the entire YEAR) was only $895.
General merchandise purchases complaints accounted for around 30% of Internet Fraud complaints. These would have been goods never received or misrepresented products or goods. The percentage of fraud through misrepresented or never-received goods via AUCTIONS, however, was much higher, at 44%!
Though a great number of e-commerce websites are, indeed, reputable and legitimate, and have taken great and necessary safety precautions in order to protect consumers, it surely never hurts to always proceed cautiously when dealing with ANY websites.
If you must conduct online business and make purchases through or over the internet, here are some tips:
* Avoid using an ATM or debit card.
* Use only one credit card, preferably with a low credit limit, when making online purchases.
* Be wary of unsolicited offers by sellers.
Consider this: The Internet National Fraud Information Center Watch reported that email, as a method of contact by Internet scammers was up 22% in 2004. While offers by email may be perfectly legitimate, spammers like to use email tactics to side-step reputable sites that provide consumer protection for online purchases.
* Read the website’s privacy policy. Some websites may reserve the right to sell/give your information to a third party. You may inadvertently give permission to a website who will sell your information to a third party - you allow this by clicking the 'continue' or 'agree' or 'submit' button, quite often.
* Check the document you're involved with to see if the website allows an opportunity to "opt-out" of receiving special offers from third-party vendors or for permission to share your personal information.
* Check for a lock symbol in the status bar at the bottom of your Web browser window. Also - DO NOT provide your personal information if the website address doesn’t start with "https." The "https" is an indicator that lets you know that the site is using a secure server.
* Choose only verified sellers. DOUBLECHECK - to see if the vendor is a verified member of a reputable third party such as Better Business Bureau, VeriSign, or Guardian eCommerce. Third-party sites help to ensure online consumers will be protected when shopping or conducting e-commerce transactions.
* Check for a reasonable delivery date posted prior to completing your purchase. If you have never dealt with a certain vendor before on a regular basis, be wary of any Website that states the shipment will be delayed 20 or more days.
* TWENTY DAYS IS A VERY LONG TIME in the scope of internet business shipping. Delivery dates of 7-10 days are more REASONABLE and way more common.
* Keep a paper trail of all online transactions. This means BE DILIGENT. Print out a hard copy of the transaction and keep it in a file for future reference.
* Be wary of website offers that just sound too good to be true. Get Rich Quick Schemes abound with The Internet as a perfect vehicle for fraudulent activity. False advertising is commonplace online. Investigate all claims thoroughly before proceeding.
* Use only reputable e-commerce websites that list a street address and telephone number in case you need to contact them directly.
* If you do not receive what you paid for, and the vendor will not return your emails or calls, contact your state’s Department of Consumer Affairs for further assistance.
And Finally...
* DO NOT BE EMBARRASSED if you think YOU DID fall for a scheme, fraudulent claim or a 'too good to be true story' - REPORT IT REPORT IT REPORT IT!
Many scammers GET AWAY WITH what they do because people are too embarrassed to admit that they were trying to get a good deal, that they might not have double-checked every detail of a transaction - that they were simply outwitted by an internet scammer. People don't want to have to say 'It Happened To Me,' but
IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU - Internet scams can affect nearly anyone.
REPORT IT!
You may help the next person from getting scammed, too!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Off Topic - Perfect Spot For Alerts
This post has NOTHING TO DO WITH PC Security.
That's why it is a perfect topic for this blog.
In 1996, a little girl, Amber Hagerman was outdoors riding her bike. Amber was from Arlington Texas, USA. Someone snatched her from her play in 1996, kidnapping her - and later, brutally murdered Amber.
In 1996, there was no Code Amber Alert system in effect in the USA. People saw Amber with an adult but didn't know that the person was her kidnapper - or that later on, Amber would be killed by this person. Had people known about a recent kidnapping, through a Code Amber Alert system, they would have known to call the law enforcement authorities and Amber might have been located before harm had been done.
I'm placing the Canadian and the American Code Amber Alert System real-time tickers on this blog because I think that everyone should be aware of them - not just people who might be browsing the internet about topics like 'child safety,' 'child kidnappings,' and 'preventing child abductions.'
Perhaps you'll be browsing the Net about home business information and home business start up info, PC Security and Antivirus programs - and will see an Alert in progress that pertains to your geographical area. Maybe you'll read a description from the ticker-message that tells what a kidnapper looks like. Maybe you'll run to the store to grab munchies before you settle in to install new PC Security software, knowing that once you start the job, you'd better not leave your house. Perhaps, while you're at the store you'll see the kidnapper and remember the description from the ticker-message you saw just a few minutes before you left your house.
Then - you can place a call to your local law enforcement people and maybe by that you will help a child!
Stranger - much stranger things have happened!
Anyhow - I am placing the tickers in the regular column on the left, so please, check them out once in a while.
*Note - if the message in the background is a Yellow/Amber colour, that means that an ALERT - a CODE AMBER ALERT - is currently in progress! That means that someone just kidnapped/abducted a child recently and that child has not yet been recovered. Please pay attention to an Amber Alert like this - at least long enough to find out if the Kidnapping/Abduction took place in your region.
If you see the tickers in a non-functioning state, please contact me so that I can find out why the tickers are down. Occasionally the Code Amber Organization site will be doing maintenance but I'd hate to have the tickers go down for any other reason than Code Amber doing updating.
Thanks in advance!
That's why it is a perfect topic for this blog.
In 1996, a little girl, Amber Hagerman was outdoors riding her bike. Amber was from Arlington Texas, USA. Someone snatched her from her play in 1996, kidnapping her - and later, brutally murdered Amber.
In 1996, there was no Code Amber Alert system in effect in the USA. People saw Amber with an adult but didn't know that the person was her kidnapper - or that later on, Amber would be killed by this person. Had people known about a recent kidnapping, through a Code Amber Alert system, they would have known to call the law enforcement authorities and Amber might have been located before harm had been done.
I'm placing the Canadian and the American Code Amber Alert System real-time tickers on this blog because I think that everyone should be aware of them - not just people who might be browsing the internet about topics like 'child safety,' 'child kidnappings,' and 'preventing child abductions.'
Perhaps you'll be browsing the Net about home business information and home business start up info, PC Security and Antivirus programs - and will see an Alert in progress that pertains to your geographical area. Maybe you'll read a description from the ticker-message that tells what a kidnapper looks like. Maybe you'll run to the store to grab munchies before you settle in to install new PC Security software, knowing that once you start the job, you'd better not leave your house. Perhaps, while you're at the store you'll see the kidnapper and remember the description from the ticker-message you saw just a few minutes before you left your house.
Then - you can place a call to your local law enforcement people and maybe by that you will help a child!
Stranger - much stranger things have happened!
Anyhow - I am placing the tickers in the regular column on the left, so please, check them out once in a while.
*Note - if the message in the background is a Yellow/Amber colour, that means that an ALERT - a CODE AMBER ALERT - is currently in progress! That means that someone just kidnapped/abducted a child recently and that child has not yet been recovered. Please pay attention to an Amber Alert like this - at least long enough to find out if the Kidnapping/Abduction took place in your region.
If you see the tickers in a non-functioning state, please contact me so that I can find out why the tickers are down. Occasionally the Code Amber Organization site will be doing maintenance but I'd hate to have the tickers go down for any other reason than Code Amber doing updating.
Thanks in advance!
Saturday, April 21, 2007
What Parents Should Know
Parental Peace of Mind
The invention of the Internet has made a few specific parenting jobs that much more complex. Though we want our children to experience the vast wealth of knowledge available on the Internet and communicate with their friends online (frees up the telephone), we also worry about their safety. Unfortunately, the World Wide Web can expose our children to inappropriate and harmful material, obscene pop-up ads, and even sexual predators.
Research indicates that 1 in 5 children aged 10 to 17 have received a sexual solicitation over the Internet. This is not what parents want to hear, but it is something that parents need to face head-on!
We need to take steps to ensure that when our children access the web, they can do so safely. Internet filters are crucial to protect your children.
One tool that can assist us in this goal is Internet Parental Control software. One of the top names in parental control software is ContentWatch, and if the Big Mouse himself recommends this product, then it has to be good.
If Disney feels good enough to install three of the ContentWatch products in their Disney Dream Desk PC, it has to be worthy. After all, they are willing to stake their reputation on it.
Internetfilterreviews.com rated ContentProtect 2.0 the #1 Internet filtering software. It is easy to install, configure, and customize. If you do have any problems, ContentWatch provides unlimited toll-free technical support.
ContentProtect can block pornography, hate sites, questionable chat rooms, and other known dangers of the Internet. You can even configure ContentProtect to block online game and gambling sites, and make it so your children can only install and play computer games with parental ratings that you deem appropriate. Other features include: Integration with Safe Search features in popular search engines Reports of your children's internet activity Logs of your child's chat room and instant messages Reports if your child tries to remove or disable protection Filters bad content on Peer-to-Peer networks and other areas Password protected access for parents Customizable restrictions for each family member. Automatic software updates at no additional cost.
ContentWatch provides a two-week, no-obligation free trial of the full version. The product costs $39.99 per seat (installs on only one computer).
This is a one time purchase price which will give you unlimited use of the service. You never have to renew a subscription or pay any additional membership fees for use of the program. It seems like a reasonable price for a little parental peace of mind.
Is your computer safe for your kids to play on?
The invention of the Internet has made a few specific parenting jobs that much more complex. Though we want our children to experience the vast wealth of knowledge available on the Internet and communicate with their friends online (frees up the telephone), we also worry about their safety. Unfortunately, the World Wide Web can expose our children to inappropriate and harmful material, obscene pop-up ads, and even sexual predators.
Research indicates that 1 in 5 children aged 10 to 17 have received a sexual solicitation over the Internet. This is not what parents want to hear, but it is something that parents need to face head-on!
We need to take steps to ensure that when our children access the web, they can do so safely. Internet filters are crucial to protect your children.
One tool that can assist us in this goal is Internet Parental Control software. One of the top names in parental control software is ContentWatch, and if the Big Mouse himself recommends this product, then it has to be good.
If Disney feels good enough to install three of the ContentWatch products in their Disney Dream Desk PC, it has to be worthy. After all, they are willing to stake their reputation on it.
Internetfilterreviews.com rated ContentProtect 2.0 the #1 Internet filtering software. It is easy to install, configure, and customize. If you do have any problems, ContentWatch provides unlimited toll-free technical support.
ContentProtect can block pornography, hate sites, questionable chat rooms, and other known dangers of the Internet. You can even configure ContentProtect to block online game and gambling sites, and make it so your children can only install and play computer games with parental ratings that you deem appropriate. Other features include: Integration with Safe Search features in popular search engines Reports of your children's internet activity Logs of your child's chat room and instant messages Reports if your child tries to remove or disable protection Filters bad content on Peer-to-Peer networks and other areas Password protected access for parents Customizable restrictions for each family member. Automatic software updates at no additional cost.
ContentWatch provides a two-week, no-obligation free trial of the full version. The product costs $39.99 per seat (installs on only one computer).
This is a one time purchase price which will give you unlimited use of the service. You never have to renew a subscription or pay any additional membership fees for use of the program. It seems like a reasonable price for a little parental peace of mind.
Is your computer safe for your kids to play on?
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