Full Metal Jacket Computing - Taking Charge of your Computer's Security

Pushing the power button on our computer, tablet or mobile device initiates our television endorphins that have for years allowed us as viewers to passively watch our favorite programs. Right now, any one of us can think about a favorite TV show that captures our attention. With a push of a button, and a little channel surfing, the screen is soon filled with our favorite actors or program of interest.

So, now imagine, instead of settling into that comfy chair, you must put on layers and layers of protective gear, before it is safe to watch your favorite program! Well, of course, that's just crazy, right? Or is it, really? Sitting in front of the television has always been a passive sport. Hasn't it? With the exception of someone yelling at the television on game day, the television experience is passive, right? So, what am I getting at? What I'm getting at is that none of us really feel the need to put on a full metal jacket before pressing the on button.

The passive you and me, then press the power button on our computer, tablet or smart phone and we expect to have a similar passive experience as we had as a TV viewer. It is at this point, that our television endorphins kick-in and mislead us to think that switching on our computing device is going to be the same passive experience as watching television. Not so – not by a long shot! No matter what your television endorphins are telling you, computing is a full metal jacket experience!

What is meant by full metal jacket relates to the dangers that lurk on your computer or mobile device and what steps are needed (i.e., security, anti-virus, anti-malware) to insure that when you or I turn on our device, an intruder has not made off with our sensitive information, or rendered our device inoperable. Online banking has become a necessary reality for most of us, but even if your computer or mobile device isn't used for online banking, it is a good idea to take the necessary steps to protect you and your family from potential predators. So, while television has conditioned us to a degree to be more passive and less interactive experience, our computing life requires a different degree of participation.

OK, so here are a few important tips and questions to ask yourself before you turn on your computing device the next time.

1. Do I have unknown pop ups suggesting I buy an Anti-virus software? Many times this is a sign that your computer or device is infected by a fake or misleading program masquerading as an anti-virus program.
2. Am I being redirected to unknown websites, when I open my browser? This is often a sign that your computer or device is infected with malware.
3. Is my computer or device acting unusual or odd? Sometimes, your computer can be used by a rogue program to carry out attacks on other computers, or to send spam.
4. If I have anti-virus installed on my computer, why isn't it working? Not all anti-virus programs are effective. It has been my experience that many of the more popular anti-virus programs that come installed on many systems are not reliable. Don't choose an anti-virus program, because you like the name, or because it came with your computer.
5. Am I having trouble getting my email, or am I losing emails? Viruses and malware can cause file corruptions that can keep you from accessing your email or scan for private information.
6. Am I unsure about updates needed on my computer? Updates are necessary to help protect your computer from intruders, yet some updates are misleading such as when you are prompted to update your media player, flash player or drivers, when visiting a website.
7. Do I have someone I can trust to evaluate the security on my computer or smart device? If you do not have someone that you can trust to evaluate your security for your computer, tablet or smart device, your computer or device may be compromised leaving you or your family vulnerable to an unwelcome virus, trojan, worm or malware attack.

Thanks! That's all for this time. Keep in mind that next time you power up your computer or smart mobile device, that it is a full metal jacket experience and requires effective security and protection.None of us can afford to be couch potatoes any longer, when it comes to securing our computer or mobile device. Don't put it off any longer. Addressing your computer's security is no longer an option, it is your best course to better computing. 

Windows XP Support has ended

Support for Windows XP has officially ended. On April 8, 2014, Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 was officially retired. So, if it isn't broken why fix it? The answer to this is in two parts. First and foremost, because in the world of computing today, our computers are susceptible to any number of threats, and with the ending of support for Windows XP, updates/patches will no longer be available to Windows XP users. This is not good, because without regular patches to XP, hackers will find new places to compromise XP and make your computer their playground. So, unless you live in China, where approximately 70 % of computers still run Windows XP, it's time to upgrade to another version of Windows.

Second, is the commercial business aspect of an aging XP operating system. At some point, decisions are made by a software company to end support for a product. The reality is that any durable good that is offered in the marketplace must have a projected life-cycle. Windows XP has served many of us well and now it is time for its successor’s Windows 7 and Windows 8.This is a reality of the ever changing computing world in general, namely that you can expect technology to shed the past in favor of the future.

Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) was the last supported version of the 13-year-old OS. That's right 13 years have passed. For those XP home users or companies holding on, until they update their operating systems, there are not any good options for waiting any longer to upgrade. For one, Windows XP will take its place along side of Windows 98,Windows 95 and Windows 2000 as operating systems that are ill-equipped to navigate the changing computing environments of mobile and cloud computing. Those operating systems spoke to a different generation of CPUs, motherboards and chip sets as well; however important these operating systems were in the past, they have now faded from the landscape. This means that Windows XP will not be able to accommodate the new generation of processors ahead, nor the changes that are coming on the horizon for computing technologies. And two, the absence of Microsoft support supplying patches for XP will present a constant security threat to any remaining XP users.

So, while Windows XP may not be broke, it is for all intensive purposes a thing of the past. If you have been holding on before upgrading from Windows XP, now is the time to bite the bullet and give Windows 7 or Windows 8 a try. Windows 7 is a good choice for many prior XP users, since it has a similar interface it won't take long to get the hang of navigating through its menus. Windows 8, on the other hand, sports a very different interface and is still getting the kinks worked out of it. As of this writing Windows 8 has an update that will transform Windows 8 to resemble the Windows 7 interface. Windows 8 navigation has proven to be a daunting change for for many windows users – but that is another story. Either way, since the support has ended for Windows XP, users are now forced to choose to migrate to a new operating system from XP. There is one important thing to take into account when making the change to Windows 7 or Windows 8.

There is not an upgrade path from XP to Windows 7 or 8. This means that you or your IT person will need to backup all of your critical files, data etc and reload your programs into the new operating system. All of your settings will be lost and you will have to start fresh. Additionally, numerous issues can crop up concerning software and device drivers that worked well with XP that may not work with Windows 7 or 8 operating systems. For example, your wireless card may not operate with Windows 7 or 8, if a driver has not been created for it. So be prepared for possible changes that need to take place that could stall your connectivity to the internet.

All in all, changing to the new operating systems can be a positive experience, if you or your IT person plan well. In the coming blogs, I will pick up where I left off discussing virus, malware and security threats. Understanding the threats that exist in our everyday computing environments will help us to successfully defend against malicious code that will bring our computer to a crawl, take over our browser, force annoying pop ups or try to steal our private information. Although I focused on the XP operating system, the support for Microsoft Office 2003 has also ended. Popular software applications, like Microsoft Office 2003, also present a greater security risk, since Microsoft has ended its support. Eliminating this vulnerability is important as well and vital to system security. So, with that end, farewell to Windows XP and Office 2003 and I hope that whatever changes you decide to make will be good for you.

It's a Wonderful Life : The Sequel. Viruses and the modern day Mr. Potter.

A short blog today! It's a Wonderful Life is a 1940s Frank Capra film starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. If you missed this movie when it first came out - as did I - you may want to catch it! Why? It may help you, when things are looking bleak. So even if you haven't seen this superb movie yet, read on, because what I have to say today is all about your computer and the modern virus!

The world of today has changed drastically since the 1940s, but some things stay the same with regard to villains and heroes. In the movie, there is a villain named Mr. Potter. If I may, I will compare Mr. Potter aka really evil villain to the modern virus. So what is a virus? Viruses are parasites that tend to do bad things. If you or I get a virus, we may need to go to the doctor who will prescribe some medicine or be forced to - ouch - give us a shot. 

As I had mentioned, the villain in the 40's movie It's a Wonderful Life is named Mr. Potter. Mr. Potter is a heartless, greedy, cold, selfish villain motivated by money and greed. Fast- forward 68 years and Mr. Potter has only replicated himself and morphed into about a gazillion or so viruses percolating in the wild of our 21st century digital landscape! What does this mean to you and to me? It means that we are very wise if we guard against the likes of the super villain of today.

Today the super villain is lurking in our email, favorite website, or application disguised as either an enticing email attachment, innocent link/ad, or free downloadable program. If the modern day Frank Capra were to do a cast calling for It's a Wonderful Life: The sequel, he may be inundated by auditions from the likes of "Melissa "(virus), "I Love You"(virus - caused about 10 billion in damages), Klez (virus) and many many more. Please, say it isn't so - Lionel Barrymore move over!

Running short on time today! In my next blog I will dig down deeper into a discussion about virus threats to your computer and how the modern day Mr. Potter (wicked & souless) virus can invade your Wonderful Life!

Pavlov's Mouse - The Laws of Computer Learning

Computers are a different animal. Perhaps, the best way to describe this is by telling you about a friend of mine. This friend is a highly successful professional. My friend is also intelligent, but has trouble with what may be termed "Computer Basics". So, I ask myself, "Is my friend not very smart?' I know that intelligence is not what is keeping my friend from grasping "Computer Basics", but something else.

That something else, I would like to call Neuroskips. What are "Neuroskips" you ask? Neuroskips are Receptor Disconnects. What are Receptor Disconnects? Receptor Disconnects are broken or under-developed pathways of association. Under-developed pathways of association are memories that fail due to cognitive disassociation. Many of us have heard of Pavlov's Dog. Ivan Pavlov was a Russian Physiologist who studied classical conditioning - or put more simply the first basic laws of learning. Pavlov had noticed that his dog started salivating when he came in the room, even when he didn't have any food.

Pavlov, remember he is the Physiologist, believed that there were certain things "hard-wired" into his dog that the dog did not need to learn, such as, salivating in the presence of food. This idea of something that does not have to be learned, but is already genetically hard-wired is referred to as "Unconditioned Response". Neroskips fit into this senario, but are derived in part by "Conditioned Responses" which are responses that are learned. I believe that many first time computer users have experienced their first Neuroskips based on conditioned responses. Remember that conditioned responses are the opposite of unconditioned responses in that they are learned. While Pavlov noticed his dog salivating, had he been alive during the age of desktop computers, his studies in classical conditioning may have included a mouse instead of a dog.

After the blinking cursor came the mouse. The early macintosh computers had introduced the mouse and a "user friendly" computer experience while the IBM desktops relied on DOS. While DOS was limited to a keyboard only input, the introduction of the mouse in the early mac desktops gave Pavlov's dog a run for its money. The mouse embraced - to a degree - the human conditioned response of depth, spacial movement, touch and feel. Xerox had tested the mouse years before with children, but like many innovations the mouse was sidelined until resurrected by the early macintosh desktop operating system. This is where Neuroskips come in. Neuroskips is a word I have invented to help describe what I have observed related to the laws of computer learning. Computer learning involves Pavlov's concepts introducing some variations that come with experimenting with a mouse instead of a dog.

If we were to gauge a person's very first experience using a mouse, we would see a Neroskip in action. The Neroskip happens when the human conditioned to the 3 dimensional world around us all collides with the virtual world of the mouse. Neroskips cause the first time mouse user to anticipate the mouse pointer to be in a different area on the screen than where the mouse pointer actually is. The first time mouse user by continuing to follow "Conditioned Responses" related to the natural world has Neroskips in the virtual world of the computer. The laws of computer learning can therefore be deduced from a sort of Pavlov's Mouse experience that we all have encountered.

When our associations are built upon conditioned responses in the external world, our first encounter with a mouse lends itself to a better understanding of why my intelligent friend, who though being intelligent, still struggles with computer basics. It would seem that my friend is experiencing a further complication of Pavlov's Mouse. The conditioned responses that have been learned by my friend in the real world are creating Neuroskips that are in direct conflict with the laws of computer learning in the virtual world.

Put more plainly, the fundamental barrier to computer learning is created when a divide exist between conditioned responses of the real world and the interaction with the virtual world of computing. The laws of computer learning and thus Neuroskips apply not only to my intelligent friend, but to myself and everyone who becomes a computer user. The answer to overcoming the Neuroskips first experienced in Pavlov's Mouse appears to depend on how hardwired our conditioned responses are. Software and computers are constantly changing and evolving. The interface of yesterday's operating system - say Windows XP- elicits repeated neuroskips when encountering Windows 8.

Getting to Know You!

My first experience with a computer was staring at a blinking cursor. The computer was there looking at me, as if to say, "What are you going to do?" I remember typing something like an algebraic equation and "presto!" something appeared on the screen after a few moments! I was both fascinated and a bit underwhelmed at the same time.

There was of course the other box - the television. I remember watching the Captain Kangaroo show as a child. This was of course long before the advent of Skype, so I reached out with my imagination having long conversations with both Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Green Jeans. Fast-forward a few years and my wife is looking over my shoulder as I write this reminding me that I should write young. Yes, and she is always right. Anyone ever hear of Pong? Pong is like the great grand daddy of interactive games. My brothers and I played it for hours on our large console TV - it was before the blinking cursor, it was great! Pong was way, way better than those vibrating football games that carried a felt football. OK, write young. So, here goes!

Oops, I'll rewind just a little bitsey bit more, OK? I remember a friend who had been very excited about completing his education in keypunch. The only problem was that about the time my friend graduated from learning keypunch cards for computers, software programming was born. I still remember the look on his face as he decided to join the Navy and leave the world of computers behind him.

Over the years, I watched the personal computer continue to evolve. Some of the first desktop computers would make someone a great boat anchor. I bought one of these boat anchors and took it apart to see how it fit together. I managed to get it back together and get everything working again. I had around that time went to work for a company that had bought a new desktop computer, but wasn't sure what to do with it. There was very limited software and only a few commands. I was one of the company's sales persons, but recall color coding the keys of the keyboard and writing instructions on what keys to type and what it would do. This was of course a chance for me to say "Hello, computer!" and discover what was under the hood of the newest technology.

I remember the office staff, the way they looked at the computer and kept their distance some. It was sort of like the Norman Rockwell painting " The Street was never the Same Again". Yep.