HOEI

Today’s message from DVD host Omar Wasow is titled “Windows Vista IS for Dummies, buy a MAC if you really want to get some work done.”

Fox News ran a short segment today titled Picking a PC. The guest of the segment was Omar Wasow whose claim to fame comes from being the host of the Windows Vista for Dummies DVD. Wasow also credits himself with teaching Oprah Winfrey how to use email according to this news story.

The Fox News hosts along with their guest (Mr. Windows Vista for Dummies) actually give MAC the big endorsement. The most interesting part of this HOWTO pick a PC story is that when Wasow is asked which machine he uses, his answer leads him to admit that he is a MAC user. He does slip in there that he uses Windows too, but his reaction shows a clear preference for the MAC “Road Warrior ” machine. The Dell laptop shown in the clip gets the worst press of all as being the cheap choice for the college kid.

When ranking the security status of a PC on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most vulnerable, this PC ranks an 87.

This is a screen capture from the Windows Update site for one of my laptops shortly after installing Windows XP Professional and adding Service Pack 2.  Choosing to ignore these updates leaves a PC very open to attacks especially if the machine has not anti-virus software and a firewall is not running.

Visiting the Windows Update site is a good first step to securing a PC.  There are a few other things that I would highly recommend when building or buying a new PC.

1. Purchase and install an enterprise grade anti virus application and subscribe to automatic signature and software upgrades.
2. Install a client based firewall application, especially if you will be connecting to public networks.
3. Use VPN software and SSL (https) web sites as much as possible when on public WiFi. (more HOWTO details to come on this subject)
4. Update your other third party applications on Windows regularly and enable automatic updates where possible. (i.e., iTunes, QuickTime Viewer, Java run-time, etc.)
5. Verify that your PC is not trying to automatically reconnect to Windows Network shares at logon.

I can not impress upon you bloggers how important number three is for those of you who frequently log onto your blog software via http (tcp port 80) over a public wireless access point from a hotel, coffee shop, or your favorite lunch location.  The software to enable a hacker with the capability to capture your user ID and passwords over a public access point is widely available and very easy to use.   The same from utilities can be used to capture unencrypted passwords used when accessing email, ftp servers, and web site control panels.

I found this bizarre behavior in the title bar of my “My Yahoo!” page.  It seems to only happen in Firefox and I can not recreate at will.  It has happened several times in recent weeks, but I have not been able to find any information on why this mysterious counter appears. The counter will continue incrementing for hours if you do not close the browser.  Any help identifying the cause of this behavior would be greatly appreciated.

Do you have a blog? No. If not and you have the slightest interest in owning a blog then continue reading.

I will take you from where you are right now to owning a blog and writing your first blog post in three (3) minutes.

It’s Fast and It’s Free!!!

All you need is a valid email address and three minutes of free time. That’s it. Let’s get started by watching the YouTube video posted below to learn how.

Having trouble viewing this? Download a copy.

This is the first in a series of what will hopefully be many lessons on blogging. This lesson is as basic as blogging lessons get. The filming and editing on this lesson was done by me personally and is very basic. I have partnered with Chad from Chadfusious Says to get a more professional look and feel for Blog Community College (BCC) lessons in the future. Future lessons will include:

• Registering a domain name
• Adding a counter to your blog
• Adding pictures and videos to your blog posts
• Building a blog with WordPress
• And much more

Some of the filming of future lessons has already been completed. While Blog Community College is currently running on Google’s Blogger server, it will soon be transferred to blogcommunitycollege.com. That will be a lesson in itself.  Stay tuned for more from Blog Community College.