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You’ve heard enough about Big Brother to last a lifetime, so
I’ve renamed him Super Snooper to spare you the cliche during
this discussion.

Super Snooper, (Big Brother), is using terrorism as an excuse to
spy on everyone, scan their irises, print their fingers, record
their movements and assign threat levels to each and every one
of us. The latest announcement from the airline industry tells
us of the testing of a huge new database full of facial
recognition files, credit card activity records, airline seating
charts, travel histories, driver licenses, social security
numbers, bank records, employment records and any other
“relevant” information they deem necessary to track terrorists.

The computer all this information is stored on is capable of
noting who you sit near on the plane and if you know anyone else
on the passenger list. It knows if you’ve been sleeping. It
knows if you’re awake. It knows if you’ve been bad or good. So
be good for goodness sakes! Super Snooper knows all-in the name
of security and safety. I hope everything it knows is, not only
true, but unfailingly correct in it’s conclusions drawn from
everything stored in those really deep data piles.

Snooper sniffs the slightest whiff of smelly actions and, using
predictive behavior models, assigns a threat level to you and me
and dear old Auntie Mabel. Well, that’s O.K. with me! It’s all
in our best interest, right? Security and safety are more
important than protecting privacy, right? Right?!

Lest you think I’m exaggerating, hop over to the Washington Post
story from February 1, at the link below and review it for
yourself.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5185-2002Jan31.htm
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It’s not just terrorism that is putting security in the news
headlines and privacy on the backburner. This week Microsoft
announced the appointment of a new Security Czar who takes the
helm as their top privacy protector on April Fools Day. Scott
Charney is a former Department of Justice Cybercrime cop who
calls the top security job at Microsoft, “Irresistable.”

His characterization of his new job is no doubt due to the
horrible security breaches built into Microsoft’s products and
he relishes the challenge of plugging all those many gaping
holes.

For my part, I wish him well and hope he succeeds on a grand
scale since security of Microsoft products is critical if they
gain even the smallest adoption of the .Net Passport system that
requires registration of all MSN products users as it is built
in to their latest iteration of Windows, Explorer, Outlook
Express and required of each of the MSN web services such as
hotmail, bCentral small business services and each of their web
portals.

I predict, without hesitation, that individual privacy and
enterprise network security will be the blockbuster issues of
computing and the web in the coming year. Super Snooper is, like
it or not, going to be snooping and sniffing you, your
grandmother, your kids, your neighbor, your friends, your
enemies and all our biometrics to compare all that information
to profiles of known terrorists. I know, I know, you’re very
harmless and sweet and innocent and honest and true.

It’s those bad guys I’m worried about, so you don’t mind if we
profile you, right? We won’t attach any of that information to
your .Net Passport, your medical records or your tax files.

Really! We promise! Super Snooper is only after terrorists.
Nobody is interested in all that information we have on you.
Betcha it’s totally secure too (on Microsoft IIS server soft-
ware that is completely patched and impervious to hackers or
criminals or even that cybergeek who lives next door.) I know
that because Microsoft has a new Security Czar who starts his
irresistable job on April Fools Day!

Although tornado season is typically during the spring months, any of you who live in tornado alley can attest to the fact that tornadoes can show up any time of the year. They do not discriminate against the cold months of the year. We all know that a very warm day followed by a cold front spells out the possibility of severe thunderstorms or tornadoes.

For your safety and the safety of your family, you should have a plan for a designated safe spot in your house in the event of a tornado. There are a number of things that you need to know before you designate a place as well as a number of things that would be helpful to keep in your designated spot just incase.

One of the safest places to be when a tornado hits is in a storm cellar. You can purchase a pre-manufactured storm shelter and either install it yourself or have it professionally installed. You can also build your own storm shelter. If you choose to do this it is important that you research the appropriate materials to use in order for the shelter to be effective. You can have storm shelters built into your home or in the ground near your home. They also come in various sizes, so you need to think about the size and needs of your family. If you live in a trailer, it is particularly important that you have a storm shelter or know of a community shelter in the area where you can take cover.

If you don’t have a storm shelter, there are certain places in your home that are safer than others. A basement or room that is underground and preferably without windows is the next best thing to a reinforced shelter. If there are windows in the basement, cover them with plastic if you have time and stay away from them.

If there is no basement in your home, you should go to an interior room that is on the lowest level of the home. A closet or bathroom is best. You can also go to an interior hallway in a building on the lowest level. You should stay away from windows, exterior walls and doorways. Stay out of large rooms such as auditoriums, the middle of the grocery store or large hallways. The smaller the room or hallway the better. If there is a heavy piece of furniture in the room, take cover under it.

Protect your head and body with pillows, blankets or mattresses. If you have small children or pets with you, make sure they are well protected as well. Keep a flashlight and a cell phone with you, preferable in your pocket. That way if you are trapped you can call someone for help and you will have a flashlight which will help you be found. A battery powered radio or television is also good to keep in your safe place to keep yourself informed.

Remember to never try to outrun a tornado. Do not stand by a window or out on the porch and try to video it. Get to your storm shelter or safe place immediately if you are under a tornado warning. If you follow these tips and other tips online, you can maximize your chances of being safe during a tornado.

When you’re learning about something new, it’s easy to feel
overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information
available. This informative adware and spyware article should
help you focus on the central points.

Adware is any software application software which makes banners
appear the whole time it is in function. Also, the adware
program can install components that will transmit information
about the user and its behavior and this work on his PC. Unlike
spyware programs, the user is asked when the program is being
installed. Actually, an adware application is the application
that, along with its basic functionality, has a different one,
the one that makes it show commercials once in a while,
downloaded periodically from certain internet servers.

Spyware is a program, usually downloaded from the internet,
which sends information about the user without him knowing it,
every time he connects to the internet. Usually, the packages
sent contain marketing information and not confidential
information, although some programs can do that too.

Even if some applications are both adware and spyware, this is
not a generally true situation. Most of the times spyware
applications have installed themselves and they are working
without the user knowing it, opposing the adware applications
that cannot be installed without the consent of the user.

For a long time quality and free software was installed and used
for free but once the complexity of the programs became greater
their costs have risen till the point the developers just had to
find out methods to diminuate them. One of the easiest ways was
delivering along with their programs application like adware and
spyware. On the other hand, many commercial programs became
usable freely and legally by passing the line to the adware
category.

Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable.
You might also want to consider the following:

>From the harmless intention of showing some commercials and till
elements of analyzing and stocking information about the user
and his software or hardware configuration the developers had to
install on the target computer supplementary modules. If at the
beginning it was only an engine that downloaded commercials and
showed them in pre-calculated windows, the adware industry has
evolved and grew a great bit since then. Now they use different
instruments, from altering your browser and its settings and
till launching background applications that monitor your PC
activity.

Among the effects that follow installing spyware and adware are
the next ones:

- Adding links to various magazines - Adding new commercials on
the web pages, sometimes replacing the existent ones -
Monitoring browser behavior in commercial purposes. - Gaining
access to passwords and credit cards. - Slowing down the
computer. - In some cases they can call telephone numbers with
high costs. - Changing the browser’s homepage in commercial
purposes. - Strange icons and new software might appear on the
desktop.

You can enter their online sites and try the services for free,
then decide what to use.

Hopefully the sections above have contributed to your
understanding of adware and spyware. Share your new
understanding about adware and spyware with others. They’ll
thank you for it.