Renting a fancy new computer instead of buying it outright may not seem like such a great idea now that some of the country's major rent-to-own companies have been busted for spying on their customers. In a bizarre case from the "who thought that was a good idea"...

By now, most of us have seen so-called "phishing" emails, designed by scammers to separate us from our money. These messages look legitimate, as if they are from bona fide companies trying to protect us, directing us to login and "verify" our online accounts. They...

Are you concerned about the online safety of your family? Do you wish to protect your financial future? If so, wow, have I got a good deal for you: come to Republic Bank on September 25th and I will teach you how to keep the Internet bad guys out of your life, for...

With all the high-sounding talk they throw around, you would think Internet Service Providers (ISPs) were ruthless politicians on the campaign trail. One fellow I know, complaining that his browser was slow to load websites, didn't think much of my suggestion that he...

There you are, ready to get to it. You've turned on your computer, the desktop is up, all the icons and startup programs are loaded and you're ready for action. You run your browser to visit your favorite website, but to your horror, a terrifying message appears on...

Can I fix your printer? I fix all sorts of computers for all sorts of people on an almost daily basis, but, what about printers? Can they be repaired? The answer is a definite maybe. Possibly your defective printer can be repaired; however, the larger question could...

In early July, as part of a heist some described as "ridiculously easy," Internet bad guys stole user names and passwords for over 450,000 email accounts from a Yahoo website. A smaller number of Gmail, MSN, Hotmail, Comcast and AOL accounts were also included in the...

Today, I repaired an Apple Macbook Pro laptop computer. More specifically, I repaired its "logic board," which is the Macbook's main circuit board. The owner will be happy. To effect the repair, I baked the logic board in my oven; yes, the oven in my kitchen, at my...

I remember the 2008 and 2010 Olympic Games, and being shocked that, in those "modern" times, there were still no truly reliable and easy-to-use ways of watching the games on a computer. NBC, who held the U.S. broadcast rights, tried to get some Internet coverage...

Though we may wish or believe otherwise, computing devices are still somewhat of a hassle to use. Some devices, like Apple's iPad, come close to being fully realized machines, but even iPads have their clunky side. When it comes to the all-important subject of file...

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 time for such hassles?...

Hardly a week goes by without someone calling me, distressed that their email account is sending goofy spam messages to everyone in their address book. This week has been no exception. "How could this have happened?" they wonder. Of the many ways accounts get hacked,...

The Internet itself will not die on July 9. It could, however, go dark for thousands of computers infected with a particular piece of malicious software, if they aren't repaired first. Thousands of computers worldwide, both PCs and Macs, are known to be infected with...

A recent report from Microsoft serves as a reminder of how important Windows updates can be. The report, titled "Microsoft Security Intelligence Report, Volume 12," details how computers with Windows Vista Service Pack 1 are more likely to be infected with viruses...

"$10,000 a day:" that's the correction that needs to be made to my column of last Sunday. In describing how the Flashback Mac Botnet was making money for the Internet bad guys, the print version of my column somehow left out the "a day" part. However, it's the "a day"...

For years, Macintosh computers made by Apple have enjoyed a reputation as being vastly "safer" than other types of computers, particularly those based on Microsoft's Windows operating system. Deserved or not, that reputation has cultivated a world-wide community of...

One of the biggest privacy complaints about major Internet search sites such as Google, AOL, MSN and Yahoo is that they keep extensive and often permanent records, called “logs,” of the who, what, where and when of everything that’s entered into that little search...

Recent tornadic events in our town gave reason for everyone's survival skills to be tested, mine included. It's one thing to see meteorologist Gary England, necktie loosened and sleeves rolled up, pointing at a tornado on a radar map from a far-away place and saying...

My state-wide teaching tour took me to the Tulsa area, last week; specifically, the Will Rogers Library in Claremore on Tuesday, and the Bartlett-Carnegie Public Library in Sapulpa on Wednesday. More libraries around the state will be added to the tour, soon. They...

In an unprecedented display of openness and humility, former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates announced at a press conference on Friday that, “Microsoft’s history of corporate greed, arrogance and bullying is one I'm not sure the world can ever forgive." "From now on," Gates...