Archive for April, 2008
Scamming others is a crime some people commit by taking advantage of gullible people. They look for people who they can take advantage of and prey on them. People refer to these people as scammers, although a more descriptive word may be scummers.
The word Scam is slang for fraud or swindle, both words being synonymous with cheating. A Scam, sometimes called a Confidence Game, is certainly not a game for the victim. A Scam involves money or something of value. Scammers build the confidence of their victims with convincing lies and gain the trust of their victims. Once Scammers receive what they want, usually money, they disappear. On the Internet, their website disappears.
Scams are increasing on the Internet and many are serious crimes under investigation by the FBI. Some of the Scams today are those involving investments in real estate, gold, antiques and other items. Emails and Pop-up Ads embedded in webpages offer once in lifetime deals, which require immediate purchase. People make payment and the website disappears or the email address is no good. Avoid clicking or moving your mouse pointer across these ads.
Another Scam involves Internet Auctions, which lead us to believe the items we see are legitimate and valuable. We bid and win the bidding, pay our money and never receive the item. When we attempt to find the auction on the web later, the website is gone because it was a Scam. Those who want to bid on auctions need to use only reputable companies they know.
Travel and Vacation sites on the Internet are not always legitimate sites. They offer fabulous deals. Some people believe what they read and make reservations. Go to the local City Council website of vacation spot for valuable information about reputable travel agencies and other businesses before paying an agency you know nothing about. Fraudulent travel and vacation agencies disappear from the Internet once you make payment.
The Internet is full of Work at Home Scams be wary of these. Most are very easy to identify as Scams. The best way to avoid Internet Scams is ignore the Ads unless you asked for the information. Be especially careful about clicking on the ads on the right hand column of webpages. Scams hide there!
Using the Mozila Browser could help you avoid many phishing scams, in which some website looks exactly like the real one you are trying to access. The Mozila Browser will alert you that the one you are seeing is in reality not the real one, saving you a lot of problems.
The way to avoid Scams is to ignore Ads and deal with people and companies you know. Use eBay for auctions, make purchases on secure sites, look, for “s” in front of the http of website. Do not do business with a site having a free Email service. Legitimate businesses do not use free email addresses and do not hide their identity. If there is no name, address and telephone number, avoid doing business with them.
Copyright 2007 - Andres Berger often writes about the Mozila browser to help people be more secure on the Internet. He also offers a free security course to help people be more protected while surfing the Internet.
Is a computer armoire the most useless piece of computer equipment on the planet? After all, who needs an armoire to house your computer when you can put it on an ordinary computer desk at half the price?
Surprisingly, the choice of a computer armoire is a sensible choice for many people these days. A computer armoire houses your computer safely and discreetly, along with all it’s related hardware, and allows you to make the best use possible of your space.
The modern trends in housing, including real estate prices, house design and modern apartment living, are leading us to make more of limited space. Gone are the days for many families when it’s easy and cheap to include a dedicated study or office in the apartment, and space is at a premium for many of us.
A computer isn’t the most good looking of piece of hardware, and combine a computer with wide screens, printers, faxes, endless wiring and all the other paraphernalia that goes with computers, and they can be downright unsightly.
No problem if you have a dedicated study, or office. Close the door when guests come to visit and all that clutter is out of sight.
No study? No office? What do you do to make sure your house doesn’t look like an office?
Buy a computer armoire. They are designed to be a functional and good looking item of furniture, and at the same time solve your problems of what to do with your computer. A computer armoire, or computer cabinet to some, is usually designed to house all your computer equipment in one place, in a way that is easy and efficient to use, but which can all be hidden away at the close of a door.
You can’t put your computer and hardware on a computer desk bang in the middle of the loungeroom or the bedroom can you? It looks awful. But use a computer cabinet to do so and noone would know it was even there.
Computer armoires come in all sorts of sizes and shapes and designs. Armoires like Broyhill computer cabinets or Sauder computer cabinets are specifically designed to house all sorts of computer equipment in it’s own place, with racks and shelving, and even a height adjustable pull out keyboard shelf. A well designed cabinet will have folding doors that close to conceal it all, but open and fold back along the sides to make best use of space.
And they are designed as furniture. A simple computer desk, whilst cheap, isn’t furniture. It’s just that, a desk to put a computer on, and it looks it.
But an armoire is a good looking piece that anyone would be proud to display in their loungeroom. Whether it’s a corner computer armoire, or a wall one, a narrow one or a wide one, you can get them all.
And in a choice of wood colors and finishes, either out of solid wood or manufactured wood. A solid wooden computer armoire in, say, cherry, or any one of a range of other modern furniture timbers, is a fine piece for furniture for your home, with a function.
So if you’re short on space and don’t want a computer desk stuck in your loungeroom covered in computer stuff, consider a computer armoire. They’re more expensive than a simple desk, but worth every cent.
Visit Peters website Computer Armoire Deals, to find out more about Computer Armoires, to find some hot prices and some tips for buying a fine computer cabinet.
If you are on the market for a new wireless plan you may be wondering if a prepaid or contract plan is the best option for you.
There are a few things to take into consideration before you make your final decision.
Pros of Prepaid
There are many good points about selecting a prepaid or “pay-as-you-go” wireless plan.
-No Credit Checks!
Most carriers will ask for your social security number and then run a credit check on you before allowing you to set up an account with them. If your credit score is below what they think is acceptable you will be asked for a deposit. The deposits, depending on your credit score, can be as low as $100 or as high as $1500. There are no deposits required for a prepaid plan.
-No Surprise Bills!
You will never have any surprises at the end of the billing cycle! Always knowing exactly how much you can afford to spend on your mobile phone plan and knowing that you cannot go over that amount is a huge relief.
-No Contracts!
You are not tied to a contract; so if, at any point, you want to cancel your account or switch to another carrier you will be able to without the need to pay a huge penalty.
Pros of Contract
A contract with a carrier locks you into a specific term with them; most commonly 12 or 24 months. There are several benefits to signing a contract with a carrier.
-Free Phones
When you sign a 1 or 2 year contract you can often get a free or at least heavily discounted phone from your carrier! This can allow you to own a much nicer phone, one that is capable of accessing the internet, and email.
-Free In-Network Calls
Most carriers will let you call friends or family for free if they are on the same network as you are. Those that don’t let you do free in-network calls will often, instead, let you have free calls to a specific number of your contacts.
-Cheaper
If you stay within your block of minutes per month you will find that you have a much cheaper rate per call than you do with a prepaid plan.
Cons of Prepaid
-Cost Per Minute & Text
While you will always know how much you’re spending on your prepaid phone, your cost per minute and cost per text message is much higher than it is on a contract plan.
-Limited Selection
With a prepaid contract you are very limited to the type of phone you can pick. You might be able to get a camera phone, but you are not likely to get a phone that you can use to access the internet or check your emails.
-Roaming
If you plan on leaving your home area you might find that you are limited in where you actually have roaming coverage with your prepaid phone.
Cons of Contract
-Credit Check
Before you sign a contract with your carrier they are going to ask you for your social security number so that they can perform a credit check. If you have bad credit you may either be denied service with them or asked to pay a large deposit before they will give you service.
-Breaking The Contract
If are still within your contract and you move to another area or just want to switch to another carrier you will be asked to pay a contract termination fee. This fee can be pro-rated to the number of months left on the contract or it could be a large fixed fee of over $250.
-Upgrade Phone
If you break your phone or want to just upgrade it you will find that the carrier will either ask you to sign a new contract or they will charge you full price on the new replacement phone.
-Making Changes
If you make any changes to your plan your carrier could see this as automatically renewing your contract, locking you in for another two years.
There are good and bad points to both prepaid and contract; you just need to decide which of the two options best suit your lifestyle and most importantly your budget!
Find a fantastic selection of cell phone accessories and the perfect one you are looking for at http://www.wonderfulcell.com
While Generation Mobile has been texting their thumbs off and compiling friends on Facebook, cell phone companies like T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon have been competitively scurrying to deliver the Next Cool Thing in social networking. The winner for 2008, according to Silicon Valley insiders at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco this week is the JYGY (pronounced “jiggy”) free text messaging tools that work on every service and every phone.
The free mobile texting enhancement, created by the Atlanta-based JYGY, lets cell phone users instantly create a mobile group text chat of 3 to 50 friends, instantly blast text or picture messages to their groups, poll friends, connect with their My Space or other social networking pages and a few other proprietary JYGY micro-apps. It’s called social networking 2.0 because it’s mobile.
Now generation M’ers can send a photo of a proposed new BF (boyfriend for those of you over 24) or a potential shoe purchase to 5 or 50 of their friends simultaneously as a quick poll to see if he, or they, are Hot. They can do it with their cell phone and it takes about 10 seconds. What’s more, instead of simply texting back and forth between two people, JYGY’s free tools lets chatterers add another one, five, or fifty more people into the real time text conversation and OMG, JYGY’s free!
“Web 2.0 is about people and JYGY brings the next step in social networking to Generation Mobile” said Mikael Vinding, JYGY’s CEO. “With JYGY we have something that actually enhances your mobile phone experience rather than simply creating links to games or whatever.”
A new alliance with Facebook, the social networking mega site of the moment, is what really put JYGY on the map. Facebook’s several million users by definition are completely up on how to make the most of their networks of friends and they are also quick adopters of new technology that makes their personal networks more interactive.
“With the Facebook application” said Mikael Vinding, “social networking is no longer just uploading photos and videos. It’s true real-time human interaction and very very mobile.”
On the business side, the JYGY Facebook launch, combined with a simultaneous new set of JYGY iPhone features has put JYGY in front of millions of texting teens, social networking devotees, and ever-watchful venture capital firms, mobile carriers, and others who make a living by catching the latest tech wave.
What it all means for the Atlanta-based tech company is yet to be seen but for now, with JYGY at the hands of millions, the company’s development group is working 18 hour days to keep new JYGY features coming. On the horizon are JYGY shopping features, a new style of network dating, and some niche projects for large media companies.
Even as he addresses day to day JYGY business, Vinding is JYGY’s most vocal evangelist; crossing time zones and continents more often than most people cross the street. After several years of investment and development Vinding says he is enjoying his “Belle of the Ball” moment in the mobile user generated content space.
JYGY is free to everyone at www.jygy.com. No downloads are required; simply type in your mobile number, check a few boxes, and anyone can be powered like Generation M.
About JYGY - Atlanta-based JYGY is an emerging leader in the mobile user generated content and mobile social networking fields. No downloads are required to use the service and its carrier grade mobile social networking plaform is approved on all US wireless carriers. http://www.jygy.com
It’s in the back of everyone’s mind, but have you checked into the facts and reports? Studies have shown some types of cellular phones to be harmful and possibly cancer causing agents. Although there are governing bodies that are supposed to regulate and protect us, consumers, from harmful substances, we should still examine what is really at stake.
First of all, let’s take a look at what it is in cellular phones that may be an apparent risk. Cellular phones operate like a radio on radio frequency (RF), and some emit harmful levels of RF, while most cell phones do not. The Federal Communications Commission regulates a maximum amount of RF that can be transmitted. It is important to note that cell phones do not emit ionizing radiation, the kind that damages DNA, which has the ability to cause cancer, so rest assure.
In the old days, we carried around transportable telephones, called “bag phones.” These bag phones are known to emit too much RF that has raised question of safety. Fortunately, today these are extremely hard to find, in fact, I haven’t seen one in about 10 years. Most of the handheld cell phones we use today have an antenna built inside the phone where it is shielded for our protection to minimize RF transmission to some level. Cell phones that are in use today have been altered to operate on a lower level of RF frequency than those of the earlier days, like bag phones. This lower level of RF frequency has been deemed safe.
In case you are still leery and not convinced that cell phones are safe, there are some precautions you can take by investing in some neat cell phone accessories. These cell phone accessories include; an external antenna that sits on the outside of your car, wired earpiece, or even Bluetooth technology earpiece. The external antenna that sits outside of your car is a good defense against exposure to RF emissions because the metal and windows between the car and window act like a barrier that shield the RF emissions. Next, the wired earpiece is a bit of a hassle, but with this the phone remains away from your head, and some feel that it eliminates risk of brain tumors, which is a belief that is hard pressed for a lack of facts based on studies and research aimed to discover whether or not cell phones are linked to cancer. The Bluetooth earpiece is an increasingly popular cell phone accessory, which serves the same purpose as the wired earpiece, but without the wire, in other words, it’s a wireless earpiece. There is also a lack of facts that support that this wireless technology is a hazard, and many studies have been conducted to test the efficacy of its use. Personally, I feel that the Bluetooth allows better mobility.
To conclude, whether or not you believe there is some health hazards associated with cellular phones, there are protections enacted by the FCC, and big business has an ethical duty to provide us with products that are safe. If you feel that you must invest in some further precautions in order to limit your exposure to RF emissions, the cell phone accessories above are a great start.
Find a fantastic selection of cell phone accessories and the perfect one you are looking for at http://www.wonderfulcell.com
The registry is a vital component of the Windows operating system that comprises important system, user, hardware, and software configuration information. Each and every operation on your Windows computer runs through the registry by accessing, modifying, adding and removing information from it. Ideally, the data that is no longer required should be removed from the registry. However, in real life this rarely happens and over a period of time your registry gets filled up with loads of unwanted, obsolete, and invalid data. This eventually results in a bloated registry that may corrupt and fragment the registry files and generate several computer errors. At times, registry problems may get so severe that they cause system failures and render your Windows computer unbootable.
To prevent these problems and maintain a healthy registry you need to perform a registry cleanup. Discussed here are some of the tasks that you can perform to clean the unwanted registry data.
Get Rid of Unwanted Programs
Whenever you install a software program or utility on your computer, some information is added to the registry. As a result, if you frequently install programs on your computer, the Windows registry will grow rather quickly. To prevent this, it’s recommended that you uninstall unwanted and unused programs from your computer. This will not only help you maintain a healthy registry, but also enable you to free up valuable disk space.
To uninstall these programs, you can use the Add or Remove Programs that can be launched from the Control Panel.
Use a Third-Party, Windows Uninstaller to Delete Unwanted Orphan Files and Registry Entries
Just removing unwanted programs is not the complete solutions. Quite often uninstalled programs leave behind certain files, folders and registry entries on the system. This unwanted orphaned data not only clutters your disk but also has adverse effects on the Windows registry.
There are several things you can do to get rid of this data. To remove these unwanted files and folders, open the Windows Explorer window, navigate to the Programs Files folder and then check if the folder of the program you uninstalled exists here. If it does, delete it. You may also check the Start menu, Desktop, and the Quick Launch bar for program’s shortcuts, and delete them if you find any.
You may also opt for a reliable third-party, Windows uninstaller program to scan and remove all unwanted, orphaned program data and registry entries.
Use Windows Repair Software
Your Windows computer has a Registry Editor (regedit) tool that enables you to perform a registry clean up to some extent. However, this tool does not consist of any automated feature to perform registry maintenance, and the chances of errors in manual registry editing are quite high.
To take care of this problem, and to help you maintain a healthy registry, there are several third-party registry cleaner tools available that enable you to easily perform the following registry maintenance tasks:
• Perform a thorough and automatic scan of the registry and clean up all unwanted data from it.
• Repair erroneous registry entries and as a result resolve several computer errors.
• Defrag the registry to compress it and to speed up data access.
• Back up the registry on regular basis to ensure that you can easily fix it in case of a problem.
The registry is a critical component of your Windows computer. Use the methods explained in this article to maintain a healthy registry and enjoy high-performance, error-free computing experience for a long time.
RegistryRepairTips.com has done the research so you don’t have