Technology Is Broken

The gold standard for encyclopedias has been Britannica for about 100 years or so. But since they charge money for access, bloggers and casual researchers migrate to the free sites, most notably Wikipedia. Britannica decided they want to be the reference of choice on the internet, and now make that possible with their new WebShare initiative. (more…)

There will be a Gaskin featured on Oprah today, but unfortunately, not me. See adorable Lily Gaskin on Oprah’s show about the Smartest kids in America – here’s the blurb about her special talent. She’s 26 months old and can find any country on a world map. (more…)

At least someone loves your small business, right? Too bad it’s a hacker.

So says Enterprise Security Today in their article “Small Business Means Big Business for Hackers.” If big businesses have problems, do small businesses have any hope? (more…)

Datamation just did a great roundup they call The Top 75 Open Source Security Apps. Five pages of applications include all areas of computer and network security utilities, from anti-virus to remote administration to password generation and many points in between.

Open Source doesn’t always mean free, but it appears (more…)

One of the quick hits from the Symantec Internet Threat Report told me by the Symantec spokesperson was that “hackers are now spending less time attacking holes in your system and more time attacking holes in your judgment.” In other words, they’re trying to trick you rather than trick your computer.

That’s why so many more phishing attacks are hitting your inbox. (more…)

Company executives tend to know one name above all others in technology: Microsoft. Let’s give Microsoft credit for becoming a huge global brand name, whether achieved fairly or not. But using Linux rather than Windows on PC hardware can save companies huge amounts of money, not to mention increase security and decrease support costs.

Check out 10 Ways to Sell Corporate on Linux from TechRepublic. (more…)

To give equal time to PC Magazine after running PC World’s free software article, let me point now to The Best Free Software on PC World. Many entries are the same, but there are enough differences to make your perusal worthwhile.

One area computer users always underestimate is backup. (more…)

We had a full house at our first Laptop Safety Seminar on Wednesday in Indianapolis. Thanks to the law firm of Baker & Daniels for hosting the event, and thanks to the vendors who sent information and door prizes, including Absolute.com and their LoJack for Laptops, Carbonite online backup service, and the Staples Business Advantage program.

Kim Brand, CEO of FileEngine, teamed up with me (more…)

Indiana just updated their laws concerning personal information loss by businesses. We’re lucky enough to have one of Baker & Daniels leading attorneys, Kevin Erdman, at our Laptop Safety Seminar to talk about the requirements for companies to report the loss of personal information to the Attorney General.

Most references agree that about half of all data breaches (more…)

The first Laptop Safety Seminar will be Wednesday, April 23rd, in Indianapolis. Here’s the Web site and information.

Kim Brand and I spent all day yesterday working out the presentation. Really, I should call the result a script, because we’re approaching this much more like a show than a typical presentation. What do you think (more…)