July 18, 2008
Clark was recently disturbed to learn that your personal info can float out in cyberspace long after you think it has been removed. This is because of caching issues.
Search engines send spiders out across the web to find info that's stored on servers all over the world. Then they present that info to you during a web search.
But the spiders only crawl certain parts of the web every few days or weeks. So info can be stored or "cached" in cyberspace even after it's gone from the original server. In most cases, there will be a lag before it disappears completely.
When it comes to browser security, Clark uses a free tool available at Finjan.com.
It prevents him from going to mistyped addresses where danger may lurk, and it goes beyond just looking at URLs to look at the actual code on a page.
Meanwhile, here's one low-tech suggestion to beat keyloggers. A keylogger is a program that gets secretly installed on your computer when you visit bogus websites. It can be used to track every keystroke you make and steal valuable passwords.
This trick involves typing passwords out of order or adding extra characters that you goes back and erases before logging on. Say for example your password is "jane." Instead of typing "j-a-n-e," try typing something like "j-a-x-n-x-e." Then go back and manually erase the extra characters (the x's) using your mouse, not the keyboard, and you just may trick someone who may be remotely monitoring your keystrokes!
July 9, 2008
Have you ever heard Clark talk about technology using lingo that befuddled you? If so, he's come up with an internet access glossary that explains some of the "techspeak" you commonly hear on the show.
The penny-pincher may be a self-professed techno-idiot -- he doesn't exactly know how anything works -- but he knows how to connect the dots between different technologies to get the cheapest results.
One caveat: Sometimes Clark's passion for cheap and new technology can bring you more frustration than savings!
For example, Clark once talked Christa and her husband into using early VoIP technology at home to save money on calling. But her husband got frustrated because it was difficult to use and didn't always work. Likewise, Clark's wife became upset with him just the other day. She needed to use her cell phone to call into a telephone conference line, and he had a cheap (yet difficult) workaround.
So know that if you want to go cutting-edge to save money, you are a pioneer and there'll be more effort involved. Most people want ease -- and that will usually cost you.
May 28, 2008
Clark recently spoke about protecting yourself online against cyber-criminals. Now technology columnist Walt Mossberg has compiled a handy list that reinforces the message. Below are some excerpts:
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May 28, 2008
The Blu-ray technology is not selling all that well, between it being too expensive and a serious dearth of titles in the format. Clark says let the early adopters have the bragging rights and hang back for now.
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May 19, 2008
Clark has been a real nuisance for MySpace and Facebook over the years. He thinks they created a dangerous environment for teens, and was shocked by how reluctant they initially were to stop Internet predators.
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