by Dave Moore, 6-30-19 "Smart" speakers, smart TVs, smart refrigerators, smart thermostats, smart light bulbs, smart coffee pots, smart watches, smart door locks, smart phones, smart prescription medicine dispensers (really?), smart cameras, smart doorbells, smart...

by Dave Moore, 6-23-19 10 things should know about Kim Kardashian! Insane card offers 0% APR! 26 hot moms you can't unsee! The best bacon in America! In the class I teach about Internet safety called "Fight the Internet bad guys and win," I recently felt the need to...

by Dave Moore, 6-16-19 When it comes to my computer repair business, I have become a "Give it to me straight, Doc," kind of guy, because that's what most customers say they want. "Just give it to me straight, Dave, I can take it." That is, until you really do give it...

by Dave Moore, 6-9-19 Wow. Ransomware; what a nightmare. Suddenly, you discover all the important files on your computer have been kidnapped, encrypted and held hostage by some Internet criminal, and you can't access them at all. Worse yet, you must pay a ridiculous...

by Dave Moore, 6-2-19 Last week, we looked at Internet tracking, where companies spy on your physical location and record your activities, building profiles on you that can be used for both good and bad purposes. Just last month, it was reported that Facebook could be...

by Dave Moore, 5-26-19 The Internet certainly isn't what it was when I first got involved back in the early 1990s. What started mainly as a way to freely exchange information has morphed into a raging, multi-billion dollar money-grabbing machine. Few people realize...

by Dave Moore, 5-19-19 Many times per week, sometimes many times a day, I get phone calls from concerned folks telling me the same story. The story starts with, "I got a call from Microsoft…" But, sometimes, the story begins with, "A message from Microsoft popped up...

by Dave Moore, 4-21-19 The more I study the subjects of computer networks, the Internet, and the exploitation of sensitive personal information by governments, businesses and Internet crooks, the more I am convinced I am not being overly-dramatic by using the word...

by Dave Moore, 4-7-19 A client recently exclaimed to me, "I think the Russians are trying to hack me!" "Don't take it personally," I replied, "the Russians are trying to hack everyone." I then was reminded of reports that surfaced in November of 2014 describing how an...

by Dave Moore, 3-31-19 "Friends don't let friends go without a backup." "Don't be an April Fool." These are only two of the slogans adopted by World Backup Day 2019, an effort by Ohio-based 614A Ltd. to encourage people to backup their precious computer files before...

by Dave Moore, 3-24-19 Some people think it's weird when I tell them I don't do Internet shopping or banking on my phone. I also don't check email on my phone. I won't even sign into Facebook on my phone. "Why not?" they ask. "You're the computer guy, Dave. We thought...

by Dave Moore, 3-17-19 The term "inside job" takes on a special meaning when discussing Internet safety, security and company employees. We trust them with the keys to our doors, the codes to our alarms and the passwords to our bank accounts, but do we train them how...

by Dave Moore, 3-3-19 Do you know which browser you use? "I don't use a 'browser,'" you may be thinking. "All I ever do is surf the Internet, looking for cool websites. What's a 'browser,' anyway?" A browser is a program that lets you look at websites; that's all it...

by Dave Moore, 2-24-19 Sigh. There I was, confronted with yet another computer suffering a catastrophic meltdown. All of the owner’s important files were on the computer, and there were no backup copies. There were thousands of irreplaceable letters, financial...

by Dave Moore, 2-10-19 Would you put a firecracker in your hand, light the fuse and then simply watch the fuse burn down until the firecracker exploded in your hand? You know the firecracker is going to explode and hurt your hand. Why would you not do something to...

by Dave Moore, 2-3-19 The number one computer-user complaint (keeping in mind that the word "computer" includes phones, tablets and TVs) is things seem to take too long to start. You click/tap, and then you wait; and wait; and wait. There it goes again, the little...

by Dave Moore, 1-27-19 Do you own a small business? If so, you are a favorite target of the Internet bad guys. Have you and your employees been trained in how to protect your computer systems from Internet criminals? The basics of protecting small business computers...

by Dave Moore, 1-20-19 Outside of a complete computer meltdown, there's probably only one thing computers owners fear more: calling technical support. Known to make the toughest of hombres break out in a cold sweat, and causing Mafia hit men to run screaming, being...

by Dave Moore, 1-13-19 Have you ever actually read the agreement you have with your bank, or did you simply "sign on the line," ignoring the pesky details about who's required to do what? After all, who can understand all that ridiculous legalese, anyway? Who's got...

by Dave Moore, 1-6-19 "You are sending me spam email," I recently wrote to one of my customers. Of course, he had no idea he had sent me an email promoting assorted "enhancement" products, but, nonetheless, that's what happened. He also had no idea he had sent the...