Myspace Proxy Web Blog

Spyware and other types of malware are more than just a pain in the neck - they can cause other programs to malfunction and even make your computer unstable. And of course there’s all the privacy issues that go along with it.

Spyware is often installed without your knowledge or consent and in many cases can’t be removed from your computer without specialized software tools.

When the people that distribute it need to resort to tricking you into installing it, there’s obviously very little there to warrant your trust.

The best defense against spyware is common sense. Always be watchful when you download software from the internet. Don’t install software from unknown websites that you don’t know if you can trust and be sure you always read through the license agreement. Sometimes the license will disclose that spyware is installed along with the program (although usually not in so many words) but they’re counting on the fact that hardly anyone ever reads the license anyway.

Check for “spyware free” guarantees on software you download. Obviously, anyone can say something is spyware free even when it isn’t, but if a website has gone to the trouble to say so, it is more likely to be safe than if they hadn’t.

How can you tell if you have spyware on your system? You may see pop-up advertisements even when you aren’t browsing the web. Your homepage may have been changed without your consent. New toolbars are installed on your web browser which you didn’t request. Your computer may be sluggish or mysteriously reboot on its own. Though, the last effect is usually a virus.

If you do get infected with spyware, there are ways to get rid of it. A number of companies make software designed to get rid of it. These programs will scan your computer and check through their database of known spyware for any matches. These databases get updated frequently as new forms of spyware are found.

Many are free, though sometimes the paid versions have more automation features such as removing spyware on receipt rather than requiring a manual scan. None will find every piece of spyware on your system, since they rely on a database which has to be populated according to someone’s judgment. And, one man’s spyware is sometimes another’s welcomed advertiser.

Some types of spyware are exceptionally hard to get rid of. They can make changes to settings on your computer that help to “protect” the spyware from being removed. In some cases, you need to manually delete the files to get rid of them for sure.

Obviously, this is something that you should only attempt if you are quite knowledgeable. You wouldn’t want to remove something that is critical for your computer to operate.

Once your system is spyware free - help keep it that way. Some of the spyware removal tools include utilities that can protect your computer from being exposed to spyware. Much like virus scanners, they monitor changes to your system files and alert you of any suspicious activity.

And of course, always be aware of the risks before you accept any free offers for software on the internet. You never know what the real cost is for that free program.

Our computers have become a necessary part of our lives. We use them for doing work, corresponding with friends and family and even for entertainment. Over time, most computer users create many file that are important documents which could cost both time and money if lost. Data backups are the best way to ensure you don’t lose any of those files.

Many people think of backups as something large companies or computer geeks do.

Or they might plan on doing it when the get the chance. Every one of those people has either already lost data due to some kind of problem with their system or they will one day. Every piece of computer equipment has a lifespan and is going to fail one day or another.

When that happens, you’ll be faced with one of two things. On one hand, you’ll have a backup of all your critical information and can restore it all back onto your repaired computer or a new replacement. On the other hand, you’ll lose the financial information, music, digital photos and all the other important files on your computer.

There are a number of things that can cause data loss. There’s the obvious hardware failures, where something in the computer breaks down but there are also things such as floods, fires or even your dog bumping the power off button at the wrong moment. You could also be the victim of a virus or spyware that wipes out all your files.

Often the only way you’ll get your data back is by having a backup copy. And even if a data recovery service can get it back for you, it can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars for them to do so.

What Should You Be Backing Up?

In most cases you don’t need to backup every single thing on your computer. It can take a lot of storage space, and take a long time to complete the backup. The critical files to backup are all the things you have created, such as word processing documents, digital photos and spreadsheets, and any software you can’t reinstall from the original CD or DVD.

But backups need not.

The easiest way to do backups is to use the backup software that comes with the operating system. Windows has a free, usable backup program while similar ones are available for Mac, Linux and others. The software is easy to use and backing up is a simple matter of selecting which folders to backup. It even has a scheduler so backups can be automated to occur at convenient times.

If you want something with more features, there are plenty of programs you can purchase. These paid versions often include additional features, such as the ability to backup only the files that have changed since the last backup was done.

Some types of data are a little more difficult to backup. Email is a good example. Some email programs don’t actually store the messages on your computer - they’re stored on the server instead. In these cases, you can usually export the messages into a file on your computer that can then be backed up.

Backups can be saved to almost any type of drive or media - writable CD’s, DVD’s, USB memory sticks or removable hard drives for example. If you’re really stuck you might even be able to backup your files to a floppy disk. Word processing documents and spreadsheets don’t take up very much space at all.

Running a daily backup may seem like one more thing to accomplish in your already busy day, but the first time you lose a file that you need and don’t have saved, you’re going to wish you made the time.

Smileys are used frequently to add emotion to the text we write today. Making a colon with a capital D : D makes a big smile to emphasis how we feel about the subject we are expressing. Semicolons are used for a wink ; and left parentheses for a frown ( or right parentheses for a smile ).

The difference between emoticons and smileys is that emoticons are not made of text symbols but are instead little pictures that express emotions. You can find them at smiley Central.

Thanks to the use of text messaging on cell phones, instant messaging (IM) and message boards the use of smileys and emoticons for informal written communications has soared.

It is rare to find a youth that is not well versed in the meaning and use of smileys and emoticons on the internet and in messaging today. The youth were the first to use them and spread their popularity.

The expressions have evolved quiet a bit since the early development of these symbols. At first they only expressed happiness or sadness, but now they can express nuanced emotions like disbelief, anger, playfulness and surprise.

The use of these expressions seems to disproportionately favored by females rather than males. The cause for this may be that females feel more comfortably expressing emotions, or perhaps they are more familiar with nuanced telecommunication techniques,

Those who criticize the use of emoticons as being detrimental to the depth of human communication do not address the benefits of using them for quicker messages with more intimate text messages.

Use of emoticons has hit a plateau as all the smiley text combinations have been discovered. The future or more nuanced symbols lies in message forums that have longer text messages with new symbols required to display the range of emotions expressed.

If you want to increase security while using public Wi-Fi hot spots, Anonymizer is the solution that will provide secure and anonymous web browsing.

Now Anonymizer consists of two parts, a client-side application and Anonymizer web proxy servers. Together they create a 128-bit encrypted SSL tunnel between the client and the Anonymizer web proxy servers. This SSL tunnel ensures your Security and Anonymity: The SSL tunnel encrypts all traffic that traverses the digital link from the computer to the Anonymizer server, protecting user information while transiting the connection and using a web proxy server hides the computer’s IP address, which protects the user’s online identity and prevents tracking of Internet activities.

Latest news is that Anonymizer was recently sold to Abraxas Corporation and is mentioned in the news release below:

“Richard Helms, CEO and Founder of Abraxas Corporation today announced the acquisition of San Diego-based Anonymizer, Inc.”

“We are very pleased and excited about bringing the very talented Anonymizer team on board. Their products and services in trusted anonymity are second to none and perfectly complement our existing risk mitigation technology offerings. Anonymizer has developed a complete portfolio of capabilities focused on protecting online identities and privacy. They were the first to bring such a service to market, and, after 12 years of perfecting it, have become the undisputed market and technology leader. Since its inception, Anonymizer has protected millions of global Internet users.”