Since 2005, I have written the weekly column titled ‘COMPUTER SENSE’ that appears in the Business section of the Sunday Norman Transcript newspaper. I hope you find it to be helpful, informative and entertaining. Please email your opinions about the column to the Norman Transcript editor at editor@normantranscript.com, and the Publisher at publisher@normantranscript.com. They need your ideas and feedback. Be sure to include your name and location in your email.
Wifi May Be All The Rage – Being Wired Is Better
The wireless networking of computers (known as "WiFi") is becoming all the rage with users of the Internet, particularly those who have "broadband" high-speed DSL or cable Internet service. Intense promotion by manufacturers and retailers of WiFi touts easy...
Hackers, Crackers And Feds
As you are reading this, I am in sunny Las Vegas, Nevada, attending the annual computer security conference known as "Defcon" for the fourth year in a row. Oddly billed as "the largest underground hacking event in the world," Defcon is always attended by an...
This Spam Can Lose You More Than Lunch
Ah, spam! Highly prized source of nutrition; immortalized by Monty Python, and, a major source of irritation to computer users around the world. Of course, I'm talking about those blasted emails that shout at you to buy Viagra, send money to bail out Nigerian...
Downloads Hazardous To Computer Health
Your Internet-using computer's safety and health are determined largely by your behavior. Where you go, what you click, and whom you invite in, all have a part in whether your computer is a smooth-running, enjoyable tool, or a plodding, frustrating albatross. The...
Anonymity Can Be A Good Thing
"Type password here," the instructions read, and that's exactly what millions of unwitting computer users over the years have done. They've obediently placed their cursor in the box, and typed the word, "password." No big deal, you say? Think again! Sadly, the most...
Lock The Door On The Bad Guys
I've worked for too many people who, after abusing their nice, expensive computers on the Internet for a year or so, tell me, "I don't know anything about computers." This is akin to driving on the highway while wearing a blindfold: sooner or later, someone's going...
Stop Helping the Bad Guys, Part 3
Ah, the early days of home computing! Back in the 80's, and for much of the 90's, few home computer users gave much thought to Internet security. We weren't worried about electronic vandals or criminals damaging our machines, and the only medicine for viruses came...
Stop helping the bad guys, Part 2
The bad guys of the Internet are fleecing ignorant computer users at an alarming rate, in an unprecedented crime wave that leaves law enforcement barely able to even stay in the race. The situation has gotten so out of hand that Internet service providers (ISPs) like...
Stop helping the bad guys
The greatest threat to Internet security is not Osama Bin Laden, creepy "hackers," international terrorism, or the Russian Mafia. While these all may be threats, the greatest threat to Internet security is the ignorant computer user. Sadly, when it comes to Internet...