Well, OK, Windows Update didn't exactly "kill the Internet," but, beginning on Tuesday, July 28, 2008, it did kill access to the Internet for millions of Windows users worldwide. This isn't the first time that Windows Update has done this sort of thing. Here's the...

The easiest way to lose your documents, letters, databases, pictures, songs and other important files is to never back them up. Then, when your computer experiences a catastrophic failure, you can simply bid adieu to your files and get on with your life. The term...

Rural Internet users out in "the country" have long been shackled to crummy, slow dial-up Internet access. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) such as Cox and AT&T have been reluctant to extend high-speed (also known as "broadband") service into the boondocks, as...

Some people, myself included, just don't like being needlessly surveiled and snooped upon. Why, they wonder, should ones every movement be tracked and recorded by government peeping Toms and/or corporate marketing departments? Cell phones already track our location,...

Years ago, while flying around the country on a family trip, we landed in the Denver airport. This was well after 9-11, but airport security forces were still testing the waters to see just how much they could get away with in the name of anti-terrorism. Even though...

There I was, merrily fixing someone's computer. Among other things, they'd been having trouble connecting to Microsoft's Windows Update website. The website would seem to load up just fine, but when told to check for updates, it would get stuck in an endless loop of...

Many years ago, I had a Hotmail email account that I eventually abandoned out of frustration. I was receiving so much unwanted junk "spam" email (not to be confused with the tasty luncheon meat) that I was spending more time messing around with the spam than I was...

Not too long ago, I watched someone walk out of the back of a local downtown business and throw a computer in a dumpster, monitor, keyboard, mouse and all. As highly dignified and refined as I am, I have been known to occasionally insert my entire body into large...

When Microsoft released their new Windows Vista operating system to the general public in January of 2007, their main marketing slogan consisted of one word: "Wow." Two days after Vista's release, I choked out a "wow" as I forked over hundreds of dollars to the perky...

Ah, March Madness, the time of the year eagerly anticipated by college basketball fans; the entire college basketball season summed up in 63 hard-hitting, excitement- filled games. But, what may be the ultimate dream for basketball fans has been turning into a huge...

As someone who works on computers for a living, part of my job is reading. I read all sorts of computer industry trade journals, security magazines, blogs, newsletters and the like. If you ever see me eating out at a restaurant, you'll probably catch me reading an...

Much brouhaha has been generated recently about the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision to restrict Internet access to personal and private information, such as Social Security numbers, that can be found in many court documents. Great cries of indignation have been...

Major embarrassment has once again hit the U.S. banking industry, caused this time by a recently released report from the University of California's Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, titled Measuring Identity Theft at Top Banks. The report illuminates the lousy...

With identity theft, credit card fraud and Internet scams on the rise, many consumers are turning to third-party identity theft and credit protection services for relief. These services can provide the kind of protection that credit bureaus and credit card companies...

Have you ever received a phone call from a telemarketer who became rude and abusive when you refused to listen to their sales pitch? Who hasn't? Have you ever tried to report them to their superiors by calling the number that appeared on your Caller ID, only to...

The trial of Kevin Underwood, accused of the gruesome murder of a young girl in Purcell, Oklahoma, took a strange twist last week in Cleveland County District Court as presiding Judge Candace Blalock accused a local TV station of hiring hackers to break into her...

I am honored that our local library has asked me to teach a class on computer and Internet security. Call 701-2620 for more information. The class will be held February 26 at 6:30 p.m., and will last for two hours. If you've never witnessed a password cracking...

Across my desk this week came the story of the theft of a laptop computer and digital camera from a high school teacher's locked filing cabinet, which brought to mind the fact that the physical security of our digital devices is just as important as having Internet...

I had the opportunity this week to attend an excellent seminar dealing with the subject of identity theft. Just in case you've been living in a cave for the past few years, and haven't heard of identity theft, you might want to read a previous article that I wrote on...

Super Bowl XLII will soon be upon us. February 3, an estimated 73,000 people will descend upon Arizona's University of Phoenix stadium to attend one of the most rigidly secured events in history. Local and federal law enforcement agencies will be using every trick in...