Earthquake in Chile: Your Secure Internet Donations are an Easy Way to Help
February 27, 2010 – The article below was originally posted on January 15, 2010, after the devastating earthquake in Haiti. The original purpose was and still is to make sure internet users were aware of potential scams, by hucksters seeking to profit from the tragedy of others. It’s being reposted now, based on the occurrence of the 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chili earlier today. Change “Haiti” to “Chile”, and the rest of the information remains current. Relief agencies are sure to be firing up their operations to solicit donations. If you are a charitable human being, you will no doubt want to help in the form of $5, $10, or whatever amount you can. Remember, as well, that just because disaster didn’t strike in Hawaii doesn’t mean that proactive donations to organizations, such as the International Red Cross aren’t helpful. Positive balances ensure they are able to respond rapidly and effectively. So go forth and donate to a charitable cause. Just make sure you do it in a digitally secure way and to a reputable organization.
Visit the American Red Cross News Room for Updates
January 15, 2010 – By now, only a recluse would be unaware of the devastating earthquake that occurred in Haiti. Television, radio, and the internet sources are inundated with both news about the quake and, more importantly, how people can help through charitable donations of money, non-perishable goods, medical supplies, and more. As a Twitterer myself, I have to say how proud I am to be part of something that has helped raised awareness and record donations, for people truly in need. In the midst of it all, though, all personnel cautioned that monetary donations should not be given to any organization, until you have verified that it is legitimate. In the short time since the disaster occurred, numerous reports have already surfaced on how bogus organizations are targeting people, via telephone and email scams.
They say monetary donations are the best way to help. They encourage contributing via SMS (text messaging) and charitable websites. With the prevalence of cybercrime and associated scams, how can you help others without compromising your own personal information and finances? Below we detail a few ways that will allow you to ensure that your are doing both.
How you can avoid scams or malicious infection:
1. Do not respond to, click on links, or open attachments in unsolicited email messages sent directly to you.
2. If you are registered to receive emails from charitable organizations, such as the American Red Cross, and you receive solicitations for donations, go directly to the website by typing in the link on your web-browser.
3. Do not respond or provide any information to unsolicited, direct telephone calls received at work, your residence, or via cellular telephone.
Ways to help others and ensure your protection:
1. If you receive a request you believe may be legitimate, verify that the organization is registered as a charity via government-sponsored websites. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service maintains a searchable registry of certified charities at: http://www.irs.gov/app/pub-78/. The U.S. Better Business Bureau also maintains a list of registered charities at: http://www.bbb.org/us/Charity-Reviews/
2. As previously stated, do not click on links in email messages or attachments. Visit the website directly and only after you have verified the organization via the links provided above.
3. Before entering personal information, credit cards numbers, etc. verify that the website begins with “https://” and that (after double-clicking on the padlock symbol in your browser) the certificate issued contains the same name as the website/organization and is not expired. This will prevent you from providing your information to a bogus organization and sending your information in an unencrypted manner, through the internet.
Last night, I sat down with my 7-year old son, explained the importance of give of ourselves to help others, and, via the Red Cross website, donated on behalf of our family. In the process, I showed him the https://, the “little padlock”, and the basic certificate information. He may not understand cryptographic algorithms, but he does understand that if the three don’t match, providing personal information is a “No-Go”! Ultimately, Haitians receive help and my son learns two valuable lessons…a real-life one and a virtual one. None of the above information is new or ground-breaking, but, sometimes, the most simple things are overlooked. On that thought, look out for yourself, your family, and your friends by passing on this information to them. In the end, it will help us all get a little closer to achieving “Geek Shui”.
Microsoft Windows 7 RC Users to begin Experiencing Odd Behavior beginning March 1, 2010
February 26, 2010 – It looks like the ride’s not over yet, but it is about to get bumpy. If you are among the many who have been “testing” Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate free of charge, since it was released in Beta last year, you know that play time is about up. As previously announced by Microsoft, the current “FREE” release candidate (RC1) version, build 7100, is set to expire on June 1, 2010. Okay, it’s only February 26th, so there’s plenty of time, right?
While there are technically three months remaining, the catch is that starting Monday, March 1, 2010 your precious “no cost to upgrade” Windows 7 Ultimate PC will start shutting down every two hours and will conveniently not give you a chance save your work before doing so. You’ll also see an annoying “Pay Up, Buddy” message on the desktop that will change your desktop from your last vacation picture to an all black background. On top of these small annoyances, you’ll probably also experience issues with Microsoft’s Windows Validation feature, which means new updates won’t be downloaded and installed. Unfortunately, everyone knows what happens when you can’t install a critical security update. You run the risk of being turned into a zombie by a Botnet!
Your options, as Microsoft indicates on the announcement posted on their website, are to either roll back to Vista or XP (if you can stand it) or buy a copy of Windows 7 and activate it. Either way, a clean install is required, since Microsoft doesn’t allow users to simply upgrade the beta to a licensed version. As I and many others will tell you, the improvements in Windows 7, even in the Beta and RC versions, are definitely worth upgrading to, from both Windows Vista and XP.
Like many grateful Geek, I will be backing up my data before March 1st and installing the new copy of Windows 7 Home Premium Edition that I’ve had for a while but never got around to installing on my go-anywhere Samsung NC-10 Netbook. Hopefully, we’ll see the same reliability, stability, and functionality in the Beta versions of Microsoft Office 2010 and other future Microsoft products, that we’ve enjoyed with the Windows 7 RC.
Opera 10.50 Beta for Mac: A Quick Review of New Features and Improved Specifications
February 26, 2010 – Opera Software, the company that boasts having the “fastest browser on earth”, has released Opera 10.50 Beta for Mac. While they’ve been in the news recently based on their work toward providing a version of the browser for the Apple iPhone, apparently they’ve also been putting a good deal of effort into speeding up browsing for Intel-based Mac users with OSX 10.4 and higher
Google Invites Additional Gmail Features to the Party and Kicks Out Some Old Friends
February 25, 2010 – In their never-ending search for the perfect webmail interface and perfect functionality, the good folks over at Google’s Gmail Labs have added some new features and given the boot to a few others. Regular Gmail users may have noticed the changes, beginning yesterday. If you haven’t seen them yet, at least you’ll be prepared, when they arrive. What’s different? Are the additions good? Are the removals bad? We’ve included the changes, along with our verdict. Of course, the verdict is likely to be different for each user, since your view is largely dependent upon for what and how much you use Gmail.
To read the full Geek Shui Living article on MWD Technology News, click on the image below.
Steve Jobs Scheduled to Brief Apple Shareholders
February 25, 2010 – Today, Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, is scheduled to brief company shareholders. Its common knowledge that Apple is traditionally very reluctant to release information outside of its Cupertino, CA headquarters. Once a year, though, the company’s shareholders are invited into the Apple kingdom for an update. In this year’s event, shareholders are certain to have plenty of questions regarding the technology giant’s plans for the present…and the future.
Google Slashes Nexus One Phone Fees but why are They Still Cheaper for Europeans?
February 24, 2010 – Have you wanted to try out the Google Nexus One Phone but were concerned about early termination fees? The good news is that Google informed the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), on Tuesday, that they’ve slashed their previously insulting termination fees. Google has also updated their Terms of Sale page for the Nexus One. After reviewing the terms laid out therein, though, what was unchanged in the Terms of Sale become more interesting than the changes themselves.
Read the rest of this Geek Shui Living article on MWD Technology News, by clicking the image below.
Should Google Executive Convictions Worry Social Media Providers?
February 24, 2010 – Yesterday an Italian court ended a closely followed case involving Google executives. A guilty verdict was handed down, which means each of the three men convicted face six months in prison.
What was the crime? According to the prosecution, four Google executives were legally responsible for a computer user’s ability to upload a video, in which a young man with Down Syndrome was was bullied by four classmates. The court’s opinion reflected their view that the act infringed upon the victim’s privacy.
According to a Reuters report, Alfredo Robles, the Italian prosecutor, told reporters afterward, “A company’s rights cannot prevail over a person’s dignity. This sentence sends a clear signal.” While Google insisted that it removed the video immediately upon receiving complaints, the Italian government maintained the video remained online for up to two months after being notified.
Announcing the “Virtual Karma Counts” Contest Program
February 22, 2010 – Today, Geek Shui Living is proud to announce the inauguration of what we hope will be the first of many contests. What are these contests, you ask? Well, we want to give away free stuff to our loyal followers. We would be remiss not to acknowledge that its the retweets of Geek Shui News articles, blogs, etc. that help drive traffic to our site and spread the word about the wonders of Geek Shui Living. So, we decided that we need to give something back to those who help us. While we hope that, in the future, prospective technology partners throw a few distributable gifts our way (hint, hint), we’re committed to taking the hit in our pocket, for now!
Since we have a natural tendency to go over the top, with just about everything we do, we decided contests should be no exception. So, we’re giving the program a name befitting of Geek Shui Living’s message. It will henceforth be known as the Virtual Karma Counts contest program. Why Virtual Karma Counts? Well, part of Geek Shui Living’s philosophy is that one should have a healthy balance between their real and virtual worlds. Accordingly, what you do with Information Technology, or “IT”, really dictates how “IT” treats you. If you’re good to others, it will eventually come back to you. If you’re bad to others…well…you get the gist. So to help you build your virtual karma (You didn’t know you had any, right?), we’ll ask you to do something for us. In return, you might just be the winner. Sounds easy, right? Well, read on to find out the rules for our inaugural contest.
AppAware Delivers Android App News Directly to Users
February 23, 2010 – Android owners will breathe sigh of relief knowing they’ll no longer have to scour the universe to find new Android Apps. In fact, they won’t have to do anything at all now that AppAware has been released.
The latest offering for the Android crowd reportedly provides users with the ability to statistically see what others are using most. Additionally, users can optionally track, via the #AppAware Twitter hash-tag, what Android Apps are being downloaded most, have been recently updated, or have been removed.
Its definitely a win for Android owners and developers, since both can be more in tune with what’s popular and unpopular. If it functions as well as its developers hope, Android users are likely to readily embrace it. Ultimately, useful and well-designed additions apps such as this can only help the platform popularity creep ever-closer to the iPhone’s position, as King (or Queen) of the Smartphones.
Apple App Store No-Skin Policy May Drive Users to Jailbreak
Apple had Better Control by Approving the Skin that Got in
February 23, 2010 – Last week, Apple made public its decision to purge it’s huge App Store of what they consider to be “overtly sexual” content. The change doesn’t just apply to applications submitted in the future. It also applies to ones that are (or were) currently available. Beginning last week, developers began receiving notices from Apple, notifying them that some applications would be taken down. What are the new content guidelines, and will they actually reduce the amount of control Apple exerts over iPhone development?
