Three word comment: Don’t Do It! Just came across some very scary information on Windows IE and just how vulnerable IE really is. Actually, I should say that Microsoft’s products in general are vulnerable to hackers, crackers, and the not-so-smart script kiddies. If anyone reading this has closed their mind and eyes to the security issues of their Windows based computers, this article should open your eyes nice and wide! Internet Explorer Is Too Dangerous to Keep Using Be sure to click on page two and then read the related links to the right of the article, plus read the Talk Back, especially the one about spyware.

I have been using Mozilla off and on for a while now but keep going back to IE. It’s like an old friend, familiar and comfortable. I do have ActiveX turned off but I’m not so sure that’s enough to keep my computer out of the hackers hands. If you think all you need is an anti-virus to protect your computer from malicious viruses, trojans, and keloggers, then perhaps you should have another thought! Anti-virus software can not protect you from new viruses. If you’re lucky, you will update your virus protection before you get a bug but most people do not update regularly or they get the bug before the company that creates the anti-virus even knows it exists.

If your web site is hosted on a Windows server, your site is at risk of being hijacked and then sending malicious code to anyone clicking on your site, all without yours or your users knowledge. This new virus is actually a trojan and goes undetected by you, all the while it is sending all your information to remote computers and/or sending out packets from thousands of infected machines to bring down a server with a denial of service attack. And you are none the wiser, though your computer may slow way down and act a little funny but hell, we are all used to IE doing the big freeze when it gets tired, right!

So, my conclusion is that IE is just too dangerous to keep using, just like the articles title. Mozilla here I come. And the best part is that it’s free!

While searching for information on creating a navigation bar using only CSS, I came across something more interesting. Well … maybe not more interesting, just different and it grabbed my attention sending me in several directions, none of which were the original direction I had started with. Such is the life of an avid surfer who’s curious nature is never quite fulfilled.

Anyway, I found a link to an article in Time magazine’s online edition about the role blogs are playing in getting the medias attention. It appears that blogs are fast replacing the big media news because they have more appeal and do not pretend to be unbiased. The article offers a brief history of Weblogs and some of their creators who have gone one to do great things. Fascinating read. If you are interested Meet Joe Blog

Then I found another article in Cleveland.com on Trying to Make Bucks With Blogs that is also an interesting read. I may find it interesting because I can relate to the cost of having a successful online presence, be it a blog, an informational resource, or a business venture. Web space is not free, someone pays and that someone will eventually try to recoup the money out of their pocket. Of course, hosting a small blog is relatively inexpensive but if you ever become popular, you can expect the cost to skyrocket in bandwidth overcharges. In some cases it can happen overnight.

Yes, you can use the many free blogging services now available but there are drawbacks and limitations to using free services. And eventually they will want something for their efforts, usually banner and/or text ads crowding your free space.

Personally, I think anyone who is serious about blogging should get their own domain name and host. It can be a rewarding adventure and why not watch your own blog rise in the ranks instead of helping a free resource rise to popularity? Just my two cents.

Wow, even the President (or most likely one of his staff, though it does have his name as the poster) has gotten on the blog-bandwagon! What is this world coming to? Here is the 2004 Campaign Blog and here is the President’s Blog

I could have lived another day without having this knowledge!

Ms. Magazine is having a best fiction contest. The contest guidelines are minimal and the prize is $1,000 US and publication in the Spring 2005 issue of the magazine. There is a $15 US reading fee but that’s not unusual. Amy Bloom will choose the winners. You can get the information from Ms. Magazine.

Incase anyone reading this doesn’t know who Amy Bloom is, here is her Web site. I read Come to Me, a collection of short stories, several years ago and they still linger in my mind. I think any well written story about family interaction and the complexities born within them leaves an impact on my psyche. Probably because of all the years I spent unweaving my family tapestry in order to find myself, only to discover that the whole tapestry was much more beautiful than the individual threads.

I have decided to offer some information on Internet security because I think it’s important and I believe that most users do not know that their computers are vulnerable to the less than honorable Internet users. There are all kinds of little bugs out there just waiting to infect your computer, bugs that no anti-virus or firewall can protect you from. I have decided to start with Spyware. A particularly nasty little snoop that is most likely living on your computer as you read this.

Spyware is a small script placed on your computer, usually without your knowledge, during software download operations, that tracks your movement on the Internet. It was originally designed to help marketers’ track advertising campaigns and create statistics on what works and what doesn’t work. The problem is that spyware also has the ability to collect and send all the personal information that’s on your computer-including your email address-to unscrupulous members of the cyber community, all without your knowledge. Spyware can also get into your computer via cookies (bits of data, placed on your PC by websites, that can be used to track your behavior and identity online). Even after removing the cookies, the spyware can remain and continue to track your movements on the Internet.

If you have ever downloaded freeware and installed it on your computer, you most likely have spyware hiding on your system and sending information without your knowledge or permission. Software companies that offer their products for free still need to make money. Many have banner ads or popup windows with advertisements in them that you see when you use the software. Advertising companies pay the software manufacturer to place the ads in their product, allowing the software manufacturer to offer their product for free to the consumer. An example of free software that has used spyware is Real Audio, although I understand they are no longer using it as of their 8.0 version.

Be aware that firewall software will not block spyware from entering and sending information about your surfing habits to its creator. I have used Ad-aware for several years now. It’s free and you can download updates for free. However, I have found that in the last six months or so that one spyware remover may not be enough, mostly because those writing the spyware programs are getting trickier. I’m going to put up a list of anti-spyware programs that I have used in the next couple of days, if not sooner. Some are free while others charge a small fee. Most allow you to download the software and try it before buying. Those will usually only show you what spyware was found living on your computer. They will not remove the spyware. You will have to pay for it before that function will work.

A word of caution: while I am fairly sure that the products I have used, and will recommend, are free from bugs and come from reliable sources, you should always use your own best judgment and do your own research before using them. And always backup everything on your computer before using any kind of software that will be removing anything, good or bad, from your computer. I made this mistake once and it cost me two years of writing!