Lou Page

Google Says that ALL Sites May Harm Your Computer!

I’m SURE that the Google programmers will get this fixed, but… Google is currently flagging the entire Internet as malware!

If you go to Google and search for any site, you will get the message, ”This site may harm your computer.”

Of course the news is all over Twitter.

Can You Get a Virus from Facebook?

Can you get a virus from Facebook? The answer might surprise you. Recently a friend asked for assistance because she was having problems with her computer. As it turns out, her computer was infected with a virus called Koobface that has been spreading through the Facebook community. (If you didn’t realize it already, the word koobface is Facebook turned inside out.)

While Facebook itself doesn’t install any treacherous software onto your computer, you might be tricked into installing the software yourself. The typical scenario is for the virus to send messages from a friend’s compromised account. You receive a link from the person inviting you click on a link to a webpage with an interesting video.

When you visit the site, you are told that your Flash player needs an update before you can view the video. This sounds reasonable so you click the link. When you do, the page installs a virus on your computer.

What real harm can the virus do? Viruses can steal your personal information, including passwords. They can also send spam and viruses from your computer without your knowledge.

How can you protect yourself from virus infection? Here are easy steps:

• Whether on a social networking site or through regular email, suspicious links and attachments, even from friends, should be avoided. My rule of thumb is to never open attachments from someone I don’t know. And if I do know the person, I still don’t open the file unless I am expecting it.
• If you don’t have a virus program, get one. If you already have a virus program, make sure the the virus definitions are updated regularly. For free but decent virus protection software, check out AVG Antivirus that you can download here.
• Turn on phishing protection in your computer’s internet browser software. If you browser does not offer this protection, use one that does.
• Be wary of free programs that you can download from the web, especially those that offer to scan your computer for viruses.
• Think twice before you install Facebook applications that have access to your (and your friends) profile information.

For more information on the Koobface virus, visit the McAfee site here.

A Gift for the Geek in Your Life

Stumped for a great Christmas gift idea for your favorite geek? Here’s a great idea with a great deal.

How about a portable hard drive? Most of us know we should keep backups of our data, but sometimes, it just seems to hard. Well, I have three of these that I use regularly to keep all my important data backed up. They allow me to backup my data easily and carry it to an off site location.

Here’s what I like about these drives:

• Powered directly from the USB port on your computer. There is no need for a separate plug. (The USB cable is even included!)
• Compatible with both Windows (2000/XP/Vista) and Macintosh (OS X 10.4.11+) computers. (I use them on both.)
• Light and easy to carry in your pocket, backpack, or briefcase.
• If you don’t have a backup plan, the drive comes with sync software that includes 128=bit encryption for security. (Windows only.)
• I found a great deal at Amazon where you pick one of these up for just $79.

Just to give you an idea of the capacity, According to the Western Digital site, this drive can hold:

• Up to 71,000 digital photos
• Up to 62,000 songs (MP3)
• Up to 6,250 songs (uncompressed CD quality)
• Up to 19 hours of Digital Video (DV)
• Up to 110 hours of DVD quality video
• Up to 30 hours of HD video

Western Digital My Passport Essential 250 GB | via Amazon

Did Time Get It Right?

Just finished going through the list of Time Magazine’s Ten Essential Sites. There list includes Wikipedia, Yahoo! Finance, CraigsList, ESPN, Yelp, Facebook, Digg, Google, TMZ, and Flickr.

These are the sites that Time says they can’t live without. According to the article, the are “sites that you go to over and over again that never fail.” My problem, I only use five of their sites regularly. However, I did enjoy their take on one of the sites I am on daily:

If MySpace is a PC, then Facebook is a Mac.”

So, what about you? Did Time get it right? How many of these sites are on your list of essentials? What sites would be on your list of essentials that you can’t live without?

Easy Wi-Fi for AT&T

At last, an easy way for logging into the the free hotspots that AT&T offers to iPhone users. Using a new version of Easy Wi-Fi that appeared in the app store over the holiday weekend makes the process dead simple.

The Original Process

While the free wifi is great, the old process for logging in was painful. You had to:

A Better Way

With this app, the process is much easier: Connect to the Wi-Fi network, launch the app and it will log you in.

This version is trivial to set up too – you just need to enter your 10 digit AT&T iPhone number into the settings page.

This link will take you to the Easy Wi-Fi for AT&T page in iTunes.

Note: You may want to act quickly on this. According to this MacWorld article:

The program, which can also simplify access to a number of free hotspots that require you to click through a page, is free for the next for the next few days, but as of December 5th, it will jump to $2. Devicescape also offers a $2 version of the Easy Wi-Fi program that helps remember usernames and passwords for other Wi-Fi hotspot networks that you might access; owners of that program can use it for logging on to AT&T’s hotspots as well.

Google Without a Computer

Did you know you can use the power of Google without a computer? Well, first up in our “I Didn’t Know Google Could Do That!” series is Google’s free information service, GOOG-411. Calling GOOG-411 is a lot like calling 411 to get information except you won’t be getting any extra charge on your phone bill.

That’s right, GOOG-411 is free.

Using GOOG-411, you can find local business information directly from your phone . Simply 1-800-466-4411 from any personal or work phone, whether it is a fixed/land line phone, mobile phone or VoIP phone. (Pay phones are currently not supported)

Here are the three easy steps.

1. Dial 1-800-GOOG-411 from any phone
2. State the location and business type
3. Connect to the business for free

Bonus Feature: If you are calling from a mobile phone you can say “text message” or “map it” to have the information sent to your mobile phone.

Recommended Action(s):

• Add 1-800-GOOG-411 to the speed dials of all your phones.
• Check out these helpful links:
  • GOOG-411 Cheat Sheet
  • GOOG-411 Frequently Asked Questions
• Watch this video overview: