An In-Depth Look at Public Wifi Insecurity

Recently, I wrote about the vulnerability of public (or "open") Wifi. Now a reporter for CNN has written an article demonstrating how the wifi-eavesdropping tool called Firesheep actually works.

The article is here.

I hate to be the guy who rains on everyones parade (like we need more rain!), but this is (capital I) Important.
If you are in a Starbucks, or some other place with open wifi ("open" means unencrypted), you need to know that there is a risk in going to websites which require a user name and password to get in. Like Facebook, Twitter, your bank, your email, etc.

Gmail is an exception, because you can go to https://www.gmail.com and set up an encrypted session before you put in your user name and password.

If you use the Firefox browser (which you can get here), there is an add-on you can get that will tell you when someone is using Firesheep; it is called Blacksheep, and you can get it here.

Computer Maintenance

Diane, from Real Feng Shui Solutions, has asked recently about "blowing out your computer." (Note that this is different from "blowing up your computer.")

Computer get dusty, just like anything else in your house, so you need to occasionally dust them. However, you cant just take a feather duster to them and call it good.
What you need to do is get a can of compressed air from your local office supply store (it will say on the label "computer duster" or similar).
Once you have it, turn off the computer. Using short bursts of air, clean the dust from the outside areas of the case; anywhere you see dust, blow it away.

Diane also asked about opening up the case and blowing out the dust from the inside. This is a good idea, but there are precautions that must be taken, for your safety and the safety of your computer.
The easiest way to do it is to slide the side panel of of your computer where it sits, and blow the dust out. However, some cases are harder to open than others.

First, check to see if the side panels are held closed with screws, it probably is; you will need a fairly small Phillips head screwdriver to undo them.
Most computers have 2 side panels than can be removed, you want to remove the side panel that is opposite (further away from) all the plugs in the back of your computer.
The panel will slide toward the back of the computer, often with a click or thud as it releases.

Once it is opened, you will see the innards of your computer.

DONT TOUCH ANYTHING!

The static electricity in your finger is enough to seriously harm several of the components inside your computer.
Before you start blowing out the dust, touch a metal part of the case; this will safely discharge any static electricity you have built up.
Now, blow out the dust with short bursts just like you did on the outside. You should blow from an angle to allow the dust to have a way out instead of billowing up in your face.

If you are going to venture into the crevices of your case in pursuit of dust bunnies, always touch a metal part of the case before putting any part of your body (or the can of air) inside the case.

Remember, turn the computer off first, and always touch a metal part of the case before you touch anything else and you should be safe.

If, however, you do touch something and you feel a "zap," back away from the computer and call me. Dont turn the computer back on until you have a computer professional inspect it.

I know this is wordy, but I hope it answers your question Diane.

RSS, Feeds, and Suscriptions

I'm taking a break from the Inside Your Computer series this week, to talk about bookmarking, feeds, and RSS.
I have been asked how I keep track of all the things I read. Some customers have asked me about "feeds" and "subscriptions," so I am going to take this time to explain them and what you can do with them.

A "feed" is a continuously updating source of information, like "newsfeed." The most
common type of feed is called RSS: this stands for Really Simple Syndication. When you
see the orange symbol to the right, that means that page is followable.

You dont need to enter an email address for an RSS feed, but you do need a program that will let see and read your feeds.
This program is called an aggregator, or "feed reader." Most email programs have one built in, including Gmail.

As for what i do, I just grab the bookmark icon (called a "favicon") and left-click drag it to my list of bookmarks.

Inside Your Computer, Part 2: Motherboard

The next component I am going to talk about is the Motherboard.

What is it: The motherboard is a printed circuit board that contain all of the circuits, sockets, plugs and power couplings needed to make the computer run. Basically, its where you plug everything in.

Where is it: Inside the chassis (which is what the tower/box/case is called) the motherboard is attached vertically along one of the long sides of the case so that the other components that plug into the motherboard have enough space without banging into the case or the other components, as well as having enough room for airflow to cool everything.

If you have any questions, please put them in the comments. Thank you.

Inside Your Computer, Part 1: Power Supply

Q: Whats a computer without power?
A: A boat anchor.

The first part of the computer I am going to talk about is the power supply.

What is it? The power supply is an electrical transformer that takes house current (120 volts AC) and turns it into 12, 5, and 3.3 volts DC, as well as other voltages depending on what hardware is hooked up.

Where is it inside the computer? When you take the cord from the wall and plug it into the computer (or any electrical appliance or gadget), you are plugging into the power supply.

Why does it make noise, why does it have a fan in there? Power supplies are noisy because they must have a cooling fan to keep the internal components from overheating. The faster electricity moves through wires and circuitry, the hotter those wires etc. get. If they get too hot, the components could melt or otherwise fail.

Inside Your Computer, Introduction

In this series, we will take a look inside your computer and explain what the components are and what they do.

I will also tell you which parts can be replaced easily and talk about some cautions you will need to know before putting any hands inside the box.

If you have any questions, please put them in the comments, and I will answer them either in the comments or in the next post.

How much RAM is enough RAM?

With the advances in speed and capabilities, as well as the transition from 32-bit to 64-bit computing, this isnt as easy a question as it used to be.

First off, what is RAM? Random Access Memory is the workspace your computer uses to do everything it does.
RAM is often confused with the Hard Drive. The hard drive is storage, whereas RAM is where the files that have been pulled out of storage are worked with. Just like in an office where you pull a file out of the file cabinet and take it to your desk to work with it.

So, how much do I need? This depends on three things: the version of Windows you have; the age of your computers motherboard; and how much money you have.

If you have Windows XP, the most you can have is 4GB, regardless of the other factors.
If you have a really old computer with Windows XP, then the maximum is between 2GB and 4; a little investigation is required to find the exact amount you can have.

If you have Windows Vista, you have to look in "Computer Properties" to see if you have 32-bit or 64-bit; the first is restricted to 4GB, the second may or may not be.

If you have Windows 7, and you bought it at a store, then you have 64-bit and you are only restricted by your budget and the motherboards circuitry.

How much do you need? For Windows XP and 7, 1GB will do, but more is better.
For Windows Vista, 3GB; and more will make your life easier.

There you go.