The Older Geek

FBI To Shut Down Internet March 8, 2012: True or False?

21. February 2012

You may have heard rumors circulating that the United States FBI will shut down the Internet on March 8, 2012. Is this true or false? Well, both. It depends. If your computer is infected with the trojan program DNSChanger, then you will experience an Internet “shut down.” If your computer is clean, you will not [...]

What Is Cloud Computing?

26. December 2011

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“The Cloud” and “Cloud Computing” are the latest buzzwords in consumer computer-speak: what exactly does it mean? You may already utilize cloud computing and not be aware of it. As a matter of fact, if you own a smartphone or tablet, play online games or maintain a blog, you are part of “the cloud.” The [...]

Would You Rely on Facebook For Important Messages?

9. December 2011

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Would You Rely on Facebook For Important Messages?

I’ve mentioned several times across my blogs the disdain I have for Facebook as anything more than a casual social networking venue. My opinion is more solidified by an article I read on Slate. The writer lost her very expensive laptop in a taxi and she figured it was lost forever. No, a good Samaritan [...]

Saying Goodbye to Google Friend Connect

7. December 2011

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Google Friend Connect will soon be no more. It was one of the few Google social networking products that I actually liked, so I am sad to see it go. The demise is set for March 1, 2012. Google is calling the removal a “house cleaning,” but I see it more as a “redirect.” According [...]

Hostgator Black Friday 2011

24. November 2011

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I have been with Hostgator for over four years now. I have never been so happy with a company. When I was with other web hosting services, I had quite the stressful times when my websites were frequently down. One company would disable ALL my websites if the traffic on one of them spiked! It [...]

Understanding the “Fair Use” Copyright Law

26. August 2011

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Understanding the “Fair Use” Copyright Law

I’ve been online for over many years. I was online before the days of Napster, Kazaa, and BitTorrent. Back then, it seemed everything was free and open. We were just happy to BE online, you know? Guys wrote amazing software and offered it for free just for sheer joy of being able to write the [...]

WordPress TimThumb.php Script Vulnerability

3. August 2011

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WordPress TimThumb.php Script Vulnerability

If your WordPress theme utilizes the well-known and popular timthumb.php script, update your theme as soon as possible. The TimThumb script is a relatively common function. It resizes images on WordPress blogs according to your theme’s custom settings. I use the script on a few of my blog themes. According to the TimThumb develeper site, [...]

Why You Should Make Regular Backups Of Your Website

23. June 2011

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Why You Should Make Regular Backups Of Your Website

Everyone sings the same old tune… “back up your data, back up your data.” Honestly, between all the backing up we have to do with our hard drive (photos, documents, emails, etc etc), it is very laborious to have to back up our blogs, too. It’s even more arduous if you have lots of blogs. [...]

Guest Post: Chetan Kapur Focuses On Niche Topics And New Authors

9. June 2011

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From time to time, I feature guest posts from various writers on various topics. Here’s one about an up-and-coming book retailer. Chetan Kapur Focuses On Niche Topics And New Authors Big box stores dominate the market these days, and bookstores are no exception. The vast majority of books are purchased at big name stores, with [...]

Apple Devices Keep Detailed Logs of Your Activities: iSpy Extraordinaire

2. May 2011

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Apple Devices Keep Detailed Logs of Your Activities: iSpy Extraordinaire

Surprise, surprise. Another Big Brother company is watching our every move, storing the data and keeping it in a safe place for anyone (except the user, of course) to access. In case you haven’t heard, Wired.com reported that Apple devices (iPod, iPhone, 3G iPads) track and log your location and data. When you sync your [...]

Men vs. Women in Cyber Space

25. April 2011

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A very wise man once said there is nothing new under the sun. Despite our “advances” in technology and global social networking, this proverb still rings true, especially when it comes to men and women and the Internet. According to various studies by Pew Research, eMarketer, AVG, and The Washington Post, men and women view [...]