Archive for category Technology

Viruses and Malware

Viruses and malware are a real danger for anyone who connects to the Internet on a regular basis. The biggest chance of infecting a computer with a virus is when you download something from the Internet. Some people might think that if they do not download anything, then their computer will never get infected. However, it is important to understand that while you surf the Web there are hundreds of files that need downloading. Whenever you visit a particular page it is actually downloading to your computer. This means that even if you simply browse various sites without downloading any files, there is still a chance of infecting your computer. It is important to get free virus protection if you want to be protected from various threats. While many people say that no particular program can protect from all viruses and malware, the truth is that it is a lot safer to have an antivirus installed rather than not have one installed. Antivirus programs are able to protect from most threats and that is why it is recommended not to connect to the Internet without any firewall or antivirus being installed. It might be even possible to get free virus protection if you look around.

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Backing up Your Blog’s Database

Some time ago I was discussing backing up blogs. However, an integral part of a blog that I did not discuss is the blog’s database. Basically, if you forget to back up your blogs database, then you are going to lose a number of important elements of your blog, including your blog posts, comments, and data generated by different plug-ins. So in a sense, your database is more important then your blogs template files, as they are more easy to substitute.

To back up your database use the MySQL database administrative tool provided by your webhost, or in case of WordPress blogs use an appropriate plug-in such as “WordPress Database Backup”. This plug-in is a personal favorite of mine, as it is easy to install and has very neat features. Backup options include saving to server, downloading to your computer, and emailing the database to your email. Perhaps the most useful feature is scheduled backup that allows you to set-up the plug-in in a way that it will automatically perform scheduled backups and email your backup to a chosen email. Setting for a daily schedule will ensure that no important data will be lost, however, the weekly schedule might be more reasonable.

If you value the content of your blog, you should take some measures to ensure that your database will not be lost. It is a good idea to both manually and automatically backup your database. This way you will be sure that you will not lose any important data.

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Digg vs. Bookmarking

There are different ways to promote your posts, and this includes submitting to sites like Digg, or to bookmarking sites like Delicious. If your post is popular enough, it can reach the front page of either Digg or Delicious. The question is which website can be more beneficial to your blog. After researching the topic, I believe that bookmarking websites like Delicious can be an ever better choice than Digg. First of all, if a person bookmarks your post or website, there is a big chance he will visit your site more than just once. This is the main advantage of bookmarking sites. On the other hand, people usually visit your post though Digg only once. Secondly, there is a link value associated with Delicious, as each link pointing to your website is a targeted link. This should benefit your SEO greatly so do not underestimate it. They are even more targeted if relevant tags are added. I am not saying not to use Digg, but I am saying to appreciate bookmarking sites more, as they can be really beneficial. Naturally, there are many ways to attract traffic and work on SEO, so do not limit yourself only to Digg or bookmarking sites.

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Home Theater

If you are considering having a home theater system, then the first thing you will need to decide is whether you prefer a 5.1 Channel Surround Sound or 7.1 Channel Surround Sound. The latter will provide higher quality sound coming from more directions, but it will also cost more. It might be a good idea to start with 5.1 and later upgrade to 7.1. Generally, the installation of a home theater system is not that complicated, but that is not always the case. If you have problems installing your home theater system, then you may want to consider San Diego home theater installation. It might be a better choice than trying to figure out for countless hours how to connect all of the speakers, etc. When purchasing a home theater system it is important to take into account a few things: brightness, HDMI inputs, and HD. The acronym HD stands for high-definition and it means that the screen is going to have high resolution. This in turn means that the overall quality of videos is going to be higher. Brightness is another important aspect which also affects the quality of video. There are many factors to consider when purchasing a home theater system, but the hassle is really worth it.

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Camera in Hawaii

If you plan a trip to Hawaii, do not forget to take a Camera Water Housing for your Surf Photogaphy. It will be useful to you.

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Protecting Your WordPress Blog

Bloggers spend a lot of time diligently working on their blog, so it is no surprise that they want to make sure that the blog is safe and not vulnerable to hackers. While I do not know a definite way to get protected from hackers, I would like to share a bit of advice for bloggers that do not upgrade their blog to the latest version of WP whenever it comes out. First of all, for those who do not know, upgrades of WordPress often feature security upgrades that deal with various security vulnerabilities. As you see not having an upgraded blog might be risky, but if you insist on sticking with an older version you can simply hide your WP version.

  • Open your theme’s header.php. You can do that with html/php editing software such as Frontpage.
  • Find the line <meta name=”generator” content=”WordPress <?php bloginfo(’version’); ?>” />
  • Replace it with <meta content=”WordPress” name=”generator” />
  • This should hide your WordPress version so that any potential hackers will not know which version your WP is. This should make you less vulnerable to attacks, because various versions of WP have different vulnerabilities. However, I still recommend upgrading to the latest version, as it is the safest thing to do and it is not that hard.

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    Call Anywhere

    I was always surprised to see the progress of modern technology. I have called some friends from the United States on a few occasions, and I wish I had access to better calling cards at that time. I did an experiment once to compare the prices of various calling cards. I chose three random calling cards. The results were staggering. I learned to be very careful while choosing my next calling card, as some companies simply charge too much for their phone cards. I would like to offer you some advice when it comes to choosing phone cards. My first advice is to never give up. Spend plenty of time looking for you perfect card, because it will allow you to save plenty of money. It is definitely worth the time. My next advice is to stick to your new phone card unless you find a more affordable phone one. Even if you found a card that seems like the best deal on the market, it does not have to mean that it is the best deal on the market. Keep searching and searching, and you will be amazed what the results of your search can be. It is sad to see how many people waste money on bad calling cards.

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    Who is Digging You?

    Do you know what digging means? By digging I mean people voting for your blog posts on digg.com. The more people vote on your articles, the more those articles are going to be popular there. It is a great way to attract visitors to your site. If you ever wondered who is digging you, there is a great tool that allows you to enter your Digg username in order to see the usernames of all of those who have contributed to your higher rank at Digg. It also provides a link to their profiles, and even links to their submissions if you want to check them out. If you wish to return the favor to people, this is a great tool that will save you a lot of time, as you will not need to check manually all of the data. Everything is presented in a clear way, and although it is a simple tool, it does the job done very well. If you are interested in this tool, visit sandbox.sourcelabs.com/tinc/ in order to take advantage of this easy service. Returning a favor is very important in the blogosphere. If you are going to do the same things that people do to you, you are going to keep encouraging them to do the same in the future. It will pay off in the long run, you can be sure of that. That is why a lot of bloggers are involved in social bookmarking sites like Digg.

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    Email Tips

    Would you like to hear some email tips? You have probably seen BCC before many times, and were wondering what this abbreviation stands for. By using BCC, you can send your email to many people without them knowing who the other recipients are. Whereas CC stands for Carbon Copy, BCC is a abbreviation for Blind Carbon Copy. As using CC enables other people to see who else received a message, there are many advantages of using BCC over CC:

  • You might not want the others to know what the email addresses of your recipients are. Since we live in a world where many people consider it a full time job to obtain email addresses of others for commercial purposes, it might be a lot safer thing to do.
  • For some reason you might not want to reveal to how many people you are sending an email.
  • Your recipients might not be happy that you shared their email address with others. They have the right to, and I am sure that they would appreciate that you respect their wishes.
  • If you are a company, sending emails using BCC looks more professional, as you should not reveal information about your customers.
  • Overall, Blind Carbon Copy ensures privacy of your recipients, so in many situations this will be the biggest advantage of using it. Remember to have a reliable email service so that you will always be able to respond to emails.

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    A Few ways to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

    Identity theft happens quite often on the Internet. It can also happen in any other environment. However, you do not have to feel helpless. There are at least a few things that you can do in order minimize the risk of your identity being stolen. You might not be able to eliminate the risk completely, but at least you can do something to reduce the risk. One of the most important things is to be careful where you give away your credit card and social security card details. You need to know where you store such important cards, and ensure that they are always safe. You also should not be carrying a wallet in your hands, even if you just go to your car. Put it in your pocket or backpack instead. This way you will not leave it accidentally behind. Also, remember not to leave any important documents anywhere. Checking your credit card statement carefully every time it arrives is important as well. Always take time to analyze who is the merchant that appears on your statement, and try to recall whether you really purchased anything from that company. Of course, you should also never give out your credit card details to any individuals without a reason. Do it only if necessary and with caution. The same applies to your social security number. Why would anybody want to know what your security number is? Once you have checked your credit card statement, or any other document that contains your private financial data you should destroy it as soon as possible. Many people decide to shred such documents. You can do whatever you want with them, but make sure they disappear. If you often use your email to send personal financial information, I suggest that you stop doing so. It is simply not safe. It might be safe to store important information on flash drives, so think about where to get Bulk flash drives for yourself and for your friends.

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