Computer Support Blog

USB flash drives are, arguably, one of the easiest ways for consumers to flaunt their personality within the technology marketplace.  Computers, smartphones and tablet computers all come in comparatively limited options, but USB flash drives can be a source of self-expression for those who want to have easy file portability.  One of the most stylish simple USB flash drives is the Ritek Golden Key OD9 flash drive. Read more »

Privacy rights are some of the most contentiously debated human rights.  Most people in the United States and other free societies treat privacy as an innate human right, a position which comes into conflict with the views of other governments, agencies within the United States government, and Constitutional literalists (there is no explicit Freedom of Privacy guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution).  As technology has improved, the debate over privacy rights has only become more divisive.  That debate was what inspired Phil Zimmermann to create Pretty Good Privacy. Read more »

With identity theft remaining one of the enduring problems with modern communications, it is unsurprising how many products and services there are that offer to protect your data.  When it comes to data storage, there are several products that encrypt your files to protect them, like the industry-leading Ironkey Flash Drive that makes transporting your data incredibly risk-free.  It is hard to find an analogous product when it comes to communications technology, though.  That is about to change, thanks to Silent Circle. Read more »

Everyone wants to live in a safe world.  That is natural and it is a healthy instinct.  However, there is a pretty broad line that separates healthy concern for one’s wellbeing and outright paranoia.  Unfortunately, the latest Securities and Exchange Commission documents and Hay Group analysis indicate that the tech sector may be plagued by paranoia.  Many large Internet and IT companies are spending exorbitant amounts of money on personal security for executives which, arguably, they do not need. Read more »

If you are not hip to all of the latest trends in the tech sector, there are some exciting new technologies and services of which you should be aware.  While technology is changing rapidly, there are some new trends that appear to be here to stay and that you may well want to utilize.  One of the big emerging markets is Cloud storage.  Cloud storage is like a storage locker or a safe deposit box for your files; you transfer your files and documents to a special site on the Internet and they are, theoretically, protected and are available to you from any computer device you use.  The latest major Cloud storage service is Google Drive. Read more »

Facebook loves to make changes. Facebook is always updating, rearranging, and adding new features to the site, but sometimes the changes come a little too rapidly. People are only just starting to use their Timelines, and now Facebook has another new feature – verified accounts.

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We all hate Spam. Not the processed meat in a can, the email messages that we did not want to receive. Whether they appear as advertisements for products we do not want or emails for services we have no interest in, everyone has received spam at some point. Sometimes, though, spam emails can be far more dangerous than annoying ads – they can contain phishing links that appear to come from a legitimate source.

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Every new computer comes with at least a free trial of one of the many popular security scan programs. People recognize that security scan programs are important and tend to not take the time to fully read something that appears to be one of them, but which is in fact a scam, because they are afraid of getting a computer virus. By not reading everything that pops up on the screen, many people unknowingly infect their computers with malware and viruses. Many scams pretend to be legitimate security programs by telling you that you are unprotected or have a virus already, in order to gain access to your computer.

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As if the public needed another reminder to be careful what they publicly share on social networking sites, the FBI is currently working on a new project that will monitor Twitter, Facebook, and other popular sites for keywords related to terrorism and other criminal activity. The FBI is asking companies to create a means of sifting through all the tweets, posts, and pictures in order to identify present and future threats.

The main purpose of the software, once developed and put into place, will be to allow the FBI to identify terrorists and criminals by highlighting social networking posts that include certain keywords. Some of these keywords will include “small pox”, “leak”, “gangs”, and “2600” (the name of a popular hacking magazine).

In order to sort through the data, the FBI wants to have the flagged posts appear on a map. Ideally, the data would be color-coded according to threat level to make it easier to identify possible incidents of criminal activity.

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Biometrics is a term used mostly in reference to fingerprints, retinal scans, and facial recognition. Biometrics is a way to identify exactly who a person is, by comparing a unique biological feature to those already in a registered database. Biometrics is nothing new; people have been using fingerprints as a means of identification for literally thousands of years. The ancient Chinese would sign a document with their handprint or fingerprint rather than a name.

The first modern uses of fingerprinting began as far back as 1877 when Sir William James Herschel used fingerprints to prevent fraud. Since that time, our methods of and uses for biometrics have advanced quite far. The government uses facial recognition software to identify immigrants, fingerprints help police catch criminals, and retinal scans are used to keep high-security buildings safe.

Already, we are seeing the use of biometrics in computers as well as these other applications. Many models of laptops come with a fingerprint scanner, and soon our other computer devices may have biometric capabilities. This is a growing field in computers because it is more secure and very easy to use.

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