Among the many wild and wacky events taking place during the annual Defcon computer security conference is the timed Lock Picking SkillZ event; lock picking hobbyists from around the globe descend on Las Vegas every year to participate in this very interesting event...

First off, please, no emails telling me how I'm a sexist pig. In this column, I'll use the phrase "computer guy" as an all-inclusive term, meaning that your computer repairperson can be either male or female. Now that I'm all politically-corrected up, may we proceed?...

The Clinton-era Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) has turned the Information Technology (I.T.) departments of America’s colleges and universities into vigilante lynch mobs working for Hollywood. Criminalizing certain behaviors and technologies, the DMCA was...

I regret to report that computer security and the security of personal and private information has not significantly improved since I wrote an article on the subject (“Private data loss recipe for disaster,” 6-25-06) over a year ago. Perhaps you remember hearing last...

If you can’t trust your computer repairperson, then whom can you trust? Your car mechanic? A bank teller? A waiter who disappears into the back of a restaurant with your credit card, only to reappear five minutes later with a smile on his face, because you gave him a...

I don’t use my cell phone’s text messaging function. I don’t need it, I don’t have time to fiddle with it and I wish that it would go away. However, text messaging is all the rage with the younger generations. You see text messagers everywhere, “thumbing” furiously...

One of the most common complaints that I hear from computer users goes something like this: “Dave, I can’t get my Internet.” Upon arrival at their home or office, I usually discover that there’s more going on than not being able to “get the Internet.” In fact, I don’t...

Most computer users think that if they are not looking at a website, then they are not “on” the Internet. Nothing could be farther from the truth. For most computer users, if their computers are turned on, then they are “on” the Internet. Internet-enabled programs use...

We often attribute human characteristics to computers, a phenomenon known as anthropomorphism. We say that computers “think,” that they “know” things, and that they have “memories.” We give computers “instructions” and “commands.” It’s an easy, yet strange, way of...

As the old saying goes, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” That saying certainly seems true when it comes to the world of the Internet, as huge numbers of people succumb to the wiles of crafty con men. I recently stumbled across a report from the FBI’s Internet...

If you have not yet experienced Google Earth, I encourage you to give it a try. Download and install the Google Earth program (you don’t have to give out your real name and email address when you register) and hang on for the ride. Google Earth uses global satellite...

Last week’s article discussed the plight of computer users who don’t bother to read the End User License Agreement (EULA) contracts that they sign. That box full of legal mumbo-jumbo that pops up when you use or install a computer program for the first time, to which...

Back in the 1980s and early 90s I watched many episodes of the first widely popular American “judge” TV show, The People’s Court. In a courtroom setting limited to handling small claims cases, folks would bring their legal complaints before the always firm-but-fair...

Those who remember their Shakespeare may recall the sleepwalking Lady Macbeth, hallucinating the blood stains of a murdered Scottish King Duncan on her hands, and crying, “Out, damn’d spot! Out, I say!” Similarly, in trying to cover up their attempts to murder the...

According to FBI estimates, the most common computer crime is identity theft. The second most common crime: laptop computer theft, with around 2 million laptop computers reported stolen every year. 97% of these laptops are never recovered. The value of the information...

The push to establish a massive national identification database is meeting increased resistance from numerous state governments and thoughtful citizens around the country. Originally touted as a way to combat drivers license forgery and to make us “safer” by fighting...

In the earlier days of the Internet, finding information regarding specific subjects was quite an adventure, and became more difficult as the number of websites multiplied each day. To make this chore easier, information-gathering programs called “search engines” were...

In my two previous articles I covered essential skills that every computer user should have. These include using your cursor, typing, right-clicking, using Windows Explorer, and learning how to cut, copy and paste. Now, even more things that you should know. Learn to...

In a previous article I covered things that every computer user should know, specifically, learn how to use your cursor, learn how to type and learn how to right-click. Picking up where that article left off, let’s look at a few more essential computer skills. Learn...

In an unprecedented display of openness and humility, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates announced at a press conference on Friday that, “Microsoft’s days of corporate greed, arrogance and bullying are over. From now on, I will personally guarantee that every user of our...