In his latest newsletter, the venerable Steven Levy unpacked the background for the kerfuffle surrounding Sarah Wynn-Williams’ book. While there…
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Under the rug The darkside of technology, particularly regarding social media and the AI stampede, continues to unfold, with whistle-blower testimonies and books. Even a movie now & then, like The Social Dilemma. We’re in a political climate where hypocrisy is no longer a disqualification. Yet again money muddies moral missteps. Ancient wisdom butts heads…
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So, you’re careful when looking at your email inbox’s message list. You delete messages from strangers. You delete obvious promotions and ads. Yet, some messages appear okay. You open those messages. Here’re some things to check, as noted in a recent PC World “Three warning signs that email is malicious” article: 1. Dear customer 2. That link is crazy 3. It has an attachment I see “Dear” spam every week.…
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So, one day you’re really busy. You get an unsolicited call from someone claiming they’re “Microsoft Support” or a company associated with Microsoft or your PC manufacturer (like Dell or HP). They claim that there’s a problem with your PC: “Your PC is infected!” They use technical terms. They’ll help. They ask you to use the mouse or keyboard to do some things on your PC. You’re asked to give…
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Here’re some standard recommendations that I discuss with my clients: 1. Use a password for your computer account. In other words, when you start up your computer, you’ll need to enter a password to access your desktop. While you may be able to change settings so this step is not required, remember that such a decision is a trade-off between convenience and security. Sure, an expert may be able to…
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This year I’ve seen more and more Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) creep onto some of my clients’ PCs. Sometimes their anti-virus programs detect these objects; but more often than not, I’ve installed the free version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (MWB), which has proved extremely useful at detecting and removing PUPs. Here’s a link which describes MWB’s PUP criteria — a list of bad behaviors. What has surprised me is that most…
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Microsoft started a small chain of retail stores in 2009. As noted in Wikipedia’s “Microsoft Store” article, The stores aim to “improve the PC and Microsoft retail purchase experience for consumers worldwide and help consumers make more informed decisions about their PC and software purchases.” The Microsoft Store is similar to the popular Apple Store concept, which has been largely successful. The concept aims to give a greater level of…