The fact that you’re reading this probably means that you’re on the Internet right now.

And that your intelligence is probably at least above-average.

But I have no idea whether you’re a good and admirable person or not.

For all I know, you may be a cybercriminal. [more...]

A few of my local grocery stores often offer deeply discounted prices on specific items to shoppers who have signed up for the store’s shopper card.

Here’s how it works: In exchange for filling out a registration form with your name, address, telephone number, email address, etc., the store gives you a plastic card the size of a credit card. Then, every time you shop at that store, you are eligible to receive huge discounts on [more...]

Regular readers of this Journal know that I don’t trust online services with any of my private or confidential data.

And although I post messages in online computer support forums nearly every day, I have no need to participate in any “social networking” sites.

Judging by the emails that I receive, most users of online services and social networking sites [more...]

Regular readers of this Journal know that I’ve never trusted free online service providers like Google or Yahoo! with any of my personal or confidential data.

And I have absolutely no interest in storing any of my data — confidential or not — “in the cloud.”

So, instead of using online applications that [more...]

Chutzpah: n. (Slang) — 1892, from Yiddish khutspe “impudence, gall” from Heb. hutspah. The classic definition is that given by Leo Rosten: “that quality enshrined in a man who, having killed his mother and father, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.”

You would be hard-pressed to find a corporation that [more...]

In its latest public admission that its operating systems are woefully insecure against malicious attacks, Microsoft has issued a new security advisory with a special instruction:

“Microsoft told Windows XP users (yesterday) not to press the F1 key when prompted by a Web site, as part of its reaction to an unpatched vulnerability that hackers could exploit to hijack PCs running Internet Explorer (IE).”

It seems to me that if you’re still using [more...]

It’s been proven over and over again.

Sports fans can’t do it.

Political pundits can’t do it.

Even television meteorologists with college degrees and [more...]

The Web has a lot to offer — from email and Web surfing, to shopping and bill-paying, to Web site creation and social networking.

But we all know that it also has several annoying features; things that aren’t bad enough to make you stop visiting the sites that you like, but are bad enough that you [more...]

Regular readers of this Journal know that I’m a staunch supporter of computer users’ privacy rights.

And it drives me crazy that an increasing number of those users are willing to trade the security and confidentiality of their private data for a little added convenience.

Many of you have written to tell me that you [more...]

It wasn’t the first time that he had done it.

Or the first time that he was caught.

In fact, this is the second time that he will be punished — with what is possibly the longest prison sentence ever handed down for such an offense: [more...]