Here is a quick list to help you all out find the info you need fast.

• Need more info on teen tech safety? Done.
• Wondering what the best teen tech trends video is (other than ours)? Done
• More places to learn about how to make your WiFi work + Phishing advice?  Done.
• Check it all out below.

1. Best Online Safety blog: Read Ann Collier’s blog for a weekly update on trending topics.
2. Best Video of Teen tech use today: You have to watch “Growing up Online” from PBS (Best of all you can watch it all online for free!)
3. Keep your network safe at home: Let the government bail you out on this one.  On Gaurd Online (great site for concise info on a number of pertinent topics).
4. Stats, Stats, Stats: Everyone loves stats.  The Pew Research Group has them. (click on topics and find a wealth of statistically drenched reports for tech).
5. The Best Resource of All: Us!  Remember to check out our video, our quick sheets, and of course our bundles.  Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or subscribe to our Email delivery of our content.  Help us, help you!

Thanks again for all of your questions!  Keep them coming at questions@ NoParentLeftBehind.net or ninja@ Nplb.net

I’m writing this article from inside my car, in a car wash. I bought all the extras, plus the undercarriage wash so that I’ll have time to tell you what I need too. Why I am in a car wash you ask?

Well, thanks for asking… let me tell you. It’s because of the spyware… It all started last week. I saw the ad pop up that said that I had won a free new IPod. Seriously, who can resist a free IPod? So, after I filled out the 2 surveys I clicked on that button that said it would make my computer faster… BAM! Kick it up a notch huh? Well, not exactly. Now my computer is running slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter… in the winter… in Alaska.

So, here I sit in the car wash so “they” don’t find me… ya… the spies. Can you think of a safer spot? I didn’t think so. Not only am I enclosed in my car, in a building, but I’m also covered with soap and that’s got to be worth something. Anyway, I’ve got the spyware on my computer and now I bet it’s letting in all of it’s other spy friends, from all over the globe.

So, what do I do now to get it all off of my computer? Well the soap doesn’t seem to be doing a thing but I do have some other options.

Spyware Cleaning Options:

1. Spybot Search and Destroy (make sure it is the safer-networking.org link) http://www.safer-networking.org/index2.html
   • This is a nice little program. Download it, Donate to keep it free, install it, and then do what the prompts say. It will get your computer “fairly clean” in no time.
2. AdAware (click on the Free version) ( www.lavasoft.com )
   • Good 2^nd option. I like to run them both… but then again I’m the paranoid one writing this from the above said car wash.
3. Bit Defender Online Scanner (or paste this link into your browser: http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/# )
   • This one seems to take care of it all… viruses, Trojan horses, Spyware, Adware, you name it. Try the online scanner but make sure that you change the 2nd action to “quarantine” not delete (just in case it is something that you did want).
   • Currently Bit Defender is ranked in the top ten of many antivirus/antispyware articles!

If those don’t work you might go find a professional and let them take a gander, which would be the most prudent thing to do.

You could always take it to a car wash if, but it doesn’t seem to be helping mine… uh oh.. here come that final blower thing. I’ve got to go, until I get this Spyware all removed I’m going to have to go into hiding. I can’t afford anymore car washes.

Good luck, stay clean. Air Dry Done. … Got to go.

Last Links

Bit Defender Online Scanner (see above)

AdAware (see above)

Spybot Search and Destroy (see above)

Microsoft: What is Spyware (decent article on what spyware is and isn’t)

Going deeper: What is Spyware (very nice, concise article on spyware)

So the question is, “Do you really need one?” Valid question.  Thanks for asking.  We’ll get right to it and give you the Pros, Cons, executive summary, and of course some quick links to help you make up your mind if you don’t believe us.  Let’s go!

Executive summary

The Kindle is an electronic reader device for e-books that uses a reflective e-paper type technology that basically makes the screen look and act like paper.  Let’s be honest.  Who really likes to read from a computer screen?  I sure don’t and I have one of the nicest brightest screens around (LED backlit) but it still doesn’t compare to the kindle for readability or for power consumption.  Yep, the Kindles battery can last for days!  It can do this because the Kindle only uses power to put the words on the screen and then it turns off the power leaving your words statically in place.  Turn the page, power flashes on, puts the new page up and shuts back off.

So, “great” you say but why buy it?  Especially at just ofver $350.  Thank you.  Another great questions.  Read the “Pros” below and maybe you can answer it for yourself.

Pros:

• Can surf the web from the Kindle for free… Anywhere (that’s right, download Kindles light browser and surf the web from the Kindle!) The internal Antenna connects to a cell network WITHOUT a monthly fee!  3G network!  Free! Very nice.
• Readability!  The screen technology is even better in bright light, just like paper.  So, read away.
• Amazing battery life. Will let you read any of the 90,000+ books available for almost 7 days without recharging.

Cons:

• A bit ugly and only black and white.  The electronic ink technology hasn’t gotten color down, maybe in a few years.
• The price.  $359.00 currently but you do get free access to 3G wireless networks in the USA.  Definitely a perk.
• Can’t flip a page.  It still doesn’t replace a book for sure. Can’t flip ahead to see how many pages till the end of the chapter.

Overall it still doesn’t replace a book but for avid readers and commuters you can’t beat it especially since you can surf the web, check email and read your books all on one device without a monthly fee… I guess you just pay for it up front.

Last Links:

• Amazon’s official page with specs and a video http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00154JDAI/ref=pe_36320_11963560_pe_t3
• A well written review on Squido0 for the Kindle 2  http://www.squidoo.com/AmazonKindleReview
• How the Kindle 2 works. Hey you better be able to tell people how it works when they see you reading this cool device.

Below is a guide to my favorite free software as well as recommendations for the best mic for your given purpose.  Feel free to comment and ask a question if your specific question is not made clear.

Top free podcasting software:

• WavePad Sound Editor (free version) or Pro — for basic recording, cleaning up audio, and cutting.
• Audacity– This open source music program has lots of great features and plenty of tutorials on YouTube to get you going but is a bit harder to use than wavepad.  I find it overkill for most of my appilcations.
• Reaper — A basic mixing program for multiple tracks.  Take your recorded wavepad files and insert them into here to mix multiple tracks or sound.  Great for creating audio dramas or for looping electronic tracks.  Reaper is a free full version but nags you to buy it.
• Sony Acid XPress — free version of Sony Acid (another track mixing software) only  allows you to mix 10 tracks.
• Celtix–  Celtix is a script specific word processer.  It basically helps you format a audio drama easily and quickly (free)

Mics

• I find the Blue SnowBall mics to be the best for the price.  They have various models ranging in price from under $50 (snowflake) to over $300.  The basic white snowball is just under $100.  The $20 popfilter is especially helpful if you tend to pop the mic a lot.
• The Samsung GM1U G-Track mic comes out on the top from my research and music pals but I haven’t specifically tried it.
• If you want clearer vocals and you’re not content with the performance of your mic you might just need to get a decent preamp.  They can cost more than good microphone so you may want to see if you can buy it from a local dealer that has a good return policy if you don’t like it.

Last links

Additional resources in .pdf

• Podcasting resource guide
• Podcasting extra resources

If you have any questions or find a great preamp or mic for a good price please add a comment and let us all know how you like them.

Did you know, “1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. last year met online.”

Did you know, “There are 200 million registered users on MySpace… If MySpace was a country it would be the 5th-largest in the world.”

Did you know?

Well, I didn’t. That’s for sure until my teaching colleauge sent me the link to this video called ”

2008 Latest Edition – Did You Know 3.0 – From Meeting in Rome this Year” I put embedded the video for you here on nplb.net, just click on the video tab or check it out here. You can also find it on YouTube, but there are a lot of different versions.

So

My teaching buddy just showed me this video amazing with some of the stats from above. Really makes you think about the whole World is Flat thing. Who are our kids competing with for jobs in the future? What jobs will there even be in the future? And how are we suppose to most effectively educated them for jobs that aren’t even around yet?

Crazy stuff but great to think about! Let us know what you think. Post a comment and lets start a conversation!

In 1936, canned meat pioneer Jay C. Hormel sponsored a contest to find a name for his company’s new spiced ham product. The winner of the grand prize of $100 was Kenneth Daigneau (brother of the company’s vice president), who combined the “sp-” from “spiced” and the “-am” from ham (cf. turducken).

In 1970, an episode of the BBC show Monty Python’s Flying Circus included a skit in which every item on a Viking cafe’s menu included this same spiced ham product. During the skit, the establishment’s patrons broke into a song whose refrain was a seemingly endless repetition of the product’s name.

In the 1980s, history is foggy but it seems that proto-chat rooms saw the lyrics of the Monty Python song posted in full, repeatedly. For computer geeks (most of the people using proto-chat rooms in the 1980s) the name of the spiced ham product became synonymous with mass repetition. Programmers took to using the term to mean overrunning a computer’s memory with too much data.

In 1994, lawyer Larry Canter flooded early Internet message boards with an advertising message in what was reportedly the first use of the Internet for mass marketing. One angry recipient supposedly posted a message suggesting that every recipient of the ad send a can of a certain spiced meat product to Canter in protest.

In 2008, people are resigned to receiving a ton of unwanted email. However, there are ways to get rid of spam… for the most part. Here’s how….

1. Don’t just give away your email address to everyone! Please don’t sign up for the email foreclosure listing with your real email address. No, No, NO. Use a spam email address. Just go to gmail or yahoo and sign up. Don’t know how? Better buy the bundle to learn it all now. (selfless bundle plug). Anyway, just use that email address to sign up with unknown online vendors, ecards, etc. Or get yourself a new email address and start with a nice spam-free fresh slate.
2. Use the Antispam feature on your email service to flag things as spam and help us all. You flag it as spam on email, I flag it as spam, Jim in Canada flags it as spam… pretty soon the tool learns that it’s spam and Julie in Seattle doesn’t ever get the spam. Make sense? You can also just flag it on your own email software (like Outlook or Thunderbird) Outlook has a “junk mail” feature that is ok, but we like Thunderbird better. It has a great “learn” tool that pretty much eliminates spam after you teach it for awhile. Download it and then check out the spam tool how to here or here. (or buy our bundleJ ).
3. Unplug your computer, move to Hawaii, and eat lots of spam (they really like spam over there). That will solve your spam problem but might create some other ones.P.S. Todd likes spiced ham luncheon meat … and old radio jingles promoting it:
   http://www.spam.com/assets/it/au/jingle.au

Last Links

• Gmail email sign up page here. We like gmail, nice as a secondary spam email for all those shady signups too.
• PC Magazine AntiSpam section (lots of good software but it may be harder to use than the steps above.
• Thunderbird- It’s free, fast as a bird, with a thunderous personality… actually not really, but we do like it!
• Best Sushi in Hawaii (for when you get tired of the spam) Kintaro, in Kapaa, Kauai. Or the Kilauea Fish Market if you’re up in Kilauea… oh yummy.

]]> http://www.noparentleftbehind.net/2008/11/eliminate-spam-from-your-email/feed/ 1 http://www.noparentleftbehind.net/2008/01/protect-your-computeran-intro/ http://www.noparentleftbehind.net/2008/01/protect-your-computeran-intro/#comments Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:11:32 +0000 schreiberm http://www.noparentleftbehind.net/?p=69 Tax Shelters, Bank Vaults, Safety Locks, Security Systems, Seat Belts… I’ve used them all. Why, because I want to be safe, I want to protect my money, my kids, & myself. Basically I want to keep my world safe. So why is it that I now also have to protect my computer? Protect my eyes from the Viagra adds, and kids from the rest. It’s not enough to just hook my computer up and go exploring, now I need to keep yet another thing safe.

Sometimes I wonder if I have enough time for all of this. I bet you wonder the same thing, and that’s why we are here. To Help You Out! Yep you.

How?— By giving you -Simple, quick, and effective advice on keeping your techno-world safe.

You bring the questions and we’ll bring the answers! What a deal huh.

Let’s get started–

There are 3 basic things you need to protect your computer, especially if you have it plugged into an Internet connection 24/7.

1. A Firewall.

A Firewall is just a piece of software that you load on your machine to keep people out. Think of your computer as a big house with lots of doors and windows. Now some of these doors and windows need to be open so that you can see outside your house, maybe check the weather, and so on. You also need a mail slot that allows mail to come in, maybe a doggie door for your pouch and so on. Computers are similar. They need places open too, email, website traffic, and the like. Each one of these “openings”, these virtual doors and windows, has a number associated with it called a port. Port 25 = sending mail, port 110 = receiving mail, port 80 = web traffic.

• Simply put, firewalls close up and lock down all the extra ports that you don’t use so that people can’t gain unauthorized “entry” into your safe little computer house. Make sense? Good.

2. Anti-Virus software

• Nobody wants a virus especially if it makes your computer sick. Basically there are a lot of reasons people write viruses. The biggest ones are to challenge themselves and then gain a reputation. There are rare cases when they get financial gain from a virus (one that harvests info from your computer that is then sold) but most of the time it is just to say that they did it.
• What to do? Get a good antivirus software that doesn’t slow down your computer.

3. A knowledge of good and evil (in the techo-world)

• This one is tougher. How are you suppose to know what is good and bad?
• First of all, be slow to click and quick to research.
• Be a little paranoid for now but don’t stay that way.
• Learn from this site and others how to be net-savvy.

Resources: My favs as of 2008

1. Firewall: Comodo Pro http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

2. Antivirus: Bit Defender

http://www.bitdefender.com/site/Products/showSolutions/1/

3…Knowledge: This site. For faster knowledge check out the bundles. They’ll get you up to speed quick!

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