There's good news and bad news regarding U.S. eBanking thefts

These days, all you have to do is blink and you'll miss something on the Internet. I was off-line for a day or two and when I came back on "the net" I discovered that the FBI, working in concert with police officials in Great Britain and the Ukraine moved to break up one of the groups using the ZeuS worm to steal funds from individuals, businesses and government agencies. Brian Krebs, as usual, kept track of all the developments on his KrebsonSecurity blog. If you missed the details of the story in your local paper, you can follow the progress of the story using the links below:
Sep. 29, 2010  "19 Arrested in Multi-Million Dollar ZeuS Heists"   (UK)
Sep. 30, 2010  "11 Charged In ZeuS & Money Mule Ring"   (UK)
Sep. 30, 2010  "U.S. Charges 37 Alleged Money Mules"  
Oct.     2, 2010  "Ukraine Detains 5 Individuals Tied to $70 Million in U.S. eBanking Heists"

The above is indeed great news. According to Krebs, "Investigators say the Ukrainian gang used the software to break into computers belonging to at least 390 U.S. companies, transferring victim funds to more than 3,500 so-called “money mules,” individuals in the United States willingly or unwittingly recruited to receive the cash and forward it overseas to the attackers."

The bad news is that there are still other groups using ZeuS to obtain account and password information, then making fraudulent electronic fund transfers and money mules to move the money out of the country and into the hands of the thieves at the top of the organization. Law enforcement and banking officials need to do a better job of letting users know how these groups operate and how users can improve the security of their individual and commercial accounts to prevent these thefts in the first place.

Once again, if you don't have KrebsonSecurity on your RSS feed or your daily reading list, you're missing an important source of information about keeping your own computers or your company's computers secure.

Learning more about "Good Study Habits"

There's nothing better than a network of people thinking about a similar interest or problem. A hat-tip to Carol Huber, formerly of Pinellas County Schools, who sent me the link to an article on study skills in The New York Times. The September 6, 2010, article, "Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits," by Benedict Carey, points out the wide gap between "common knowledge, " and research on study skills. Certainly there's more to learn or maybe re-learn about helping student retention.

For instance, instead of sticking to one study location, simply alternating the room where a person studies improves retention. So does studying distinct but related skills or concepts in one sitting, rather than focusing intensely on a single thing.

Like a football coach who mixes their team workouts with drills to improve strength, speed and specific skills, a student can benefit when a good learning coach varies the type of material covered in a single session. For example, interleaving vocabulary, reading and speaking in a language class or practice sessions solving several different types of problems in mathematics appears to increase student retention and performance during follow-up testing.

Which may explain why some of the early Computer Curriculum Corporation (CCC) software seemed so effective twenty years ago. The software was programed to "spiral" the student through a subject area and vary the material being presented based on the student's recent performance. The software, with almost infinite patience, could go back and reteach a particular skill if a student needed more practice or quickly move forward if the student demonstrated mastery. There were many areas in some of those early attempts at computerized learning that needed improvement, but I still like their ability to vary the instruction based on student performance and ultimately allow each individual student to progress as fast or as slowly as necessary to master a particular topic or skill.

But back in the present, several of the links within the article may help those who are working hard in schools or homes everyday and are willing to look for new ways to help students retain the knowledge they've worked so hard to learn. Read the whole article at: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/health/views/07mind.html?em&exprod=myyahoo

EFF - More privacy with HTTPS

Released in June as a public beta by the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF) and the Tor Project, the HTPPS Everywhere Firefox extension helps guarantee that your browser is using encryption when visiting 27 sites, including Google Search, Wikipedia, EFF, and many other sites that offer HTTPS.

To learn more and get HTTPS Everywhere:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/06/encrypt-web-https-everywhere-firefox-extension

Zotero: a serious research tool for Firefox

I first learned about Zotero while looking at some promotional material for UberStudent, a new set of learning tools for college or advance HS students. Most people (and I suspect you're in that group) don't need to worry about a new operating system and and a whole CD of new software if you're already focused on research and writing. Most of us who transitioned from 3x5 cards and erasable bond into computer-based writing have likely developed our own system for taking notes and saving bibliographical information in a particular format.

On the other hand, if you're a new college student or returning for a few advanced classes,  Zotero may be worth a longer look. Zotero has a pretty good home page which starts, "Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, cite, and share your research sources. It lives right where you do your work—in the web browser itself." By being a Firefox extension or plugin, Zotero will work on Windows, Mac or Linux systems using Firefox. Additional plugins are available that allow Zotero to work with MS Word, OpenOffice or Neo word processors. As you check out the Zotero home page, note the Center for History and New Media and the George Mason Univ. logos at the bottom of the page. Somebody has thought long and hard about how to help young students write papers. Example? The interface mimics iTunes, something most college students already know how to use.

While on the home page, at least click on the icons shown for "Collect", "Organize" and "Cite" which are three individual tasks that most of us are attempting to accomplish during the process of writing a paper. What blew me out of my chair was (1) how easy it is to add new material from web pages or material already in your computer such as video or PDFs and (2) the list of major styles and journal specific styles already built into the research tool! The format is either there or may be available with another plugin. The last two tools are more interesting from a class or teaching perspective. Tools are available to sync the information among multiple computers, share information within work groups and even publish dynamic bibliographies.

And like Steve Jobs, "...One more thing!" Please play the short video on the quick start guide's first page found at: http://www.zotero.org/support/quick_start_guide. The video may be the best summary of what Zotero can do that I've seen so far. The support pages contain other basic tutorials and videos, support forums, and a blog and you may want to bookmark the page for further reference if you decide to give Zotero a more serious try.

If you've already got your own system for doing what Zotero does, God bless you and use what works for you. I may use some of my own time this Fall to see if I can catalog some of my own permanent references - some of the PDFs, videos and documents that I've collected over the past several years - and get to know Zotero a little better. At least I'm not working on a deadline.

And as for the UberStudent software, I plan to download UberStudent onto a live CD or even a spare computer and see what other new learning tools are available for advanced secondary or college-level students who use Linux. I might find other learning tools I'd like to explore. Maybe everyone currently in education already knows about Zotero which if so, only confirms my suspicion that I've been retired too long and should sit down and shut up. However, like so many other new technological tools, getting the word out about tools like Zotero to the small schools in the hinterlands always takes more time than anyone thinks. Not everything on the Internet can go viral and reach Mountainburg at the same time. We'd have a heck of a traffic jam on that little wire over the mountains!

Update: 9/20/10 Lifehacker.com likes the UberStudent software CD. Kevin Purdy writes:

We suggested last week that, for many college students, a used laptop reloaded with Ubuntu is good enough. UberStudent, an Ubuntu installation loaded with student-friendly tools and customizations, is a smart pick for getting your actual school work done.

To read the short Lifehacker review see:  UberStudent Is an Ubuntu System Custom-Built for Students

God will get them for this!...

Last week, the Catholic Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa lost more than $600,000 to the usual type of electronic fund transfer theft. When one of the U.S. money-mules involved in the scheme questioned the transfer, he was told the funds were being transferred to compensate sex abuse victims. See: http://krebsonsecurity.com/2010/08/crooks-who-stole-600000-from-catholic-diocese-said-money-was-for-clergy-sex-abuse-victims/

KrebsonSecurity reports on Sept. 1st that criminals used a computer virus to steal the Univ. of Virginia at Wise comptroller's credentials and then electronically transferred $996,000 from BB&T to the Agricultural Bank of China. Nothing in BB&T's EFT software triggered an alarm and nobody at the bank bothered to check on the legitimacy of the transfer? How many million dollar transfers does UVA-Wise make to Agricultural Bank of China? See: http://krebsonsecurity.com/2010/09/cyber-thieves-steal-nearly-1000000-from-university-of-virginia-college/

Now look. I'm tired of writing about this, but I'm also absolutely convinced businesses and government agencies - whose commercial accounts lack the protections afforded to individual consumers - need to take simple, inexpensive precautions to prevent similar thefts. Brian Krebs spells out ways for businesses to protect themselves in the links attached to the bottom of the UVA-Wise article above.

From the lack of information in newspapers and national news networks, I guess the only people who think this type of crime is a big deal are the victims who have actually lost money. These are preventable crimes that need to be exposed and not hidden from the public.

More Zeus Banking Trojan Attacks

• Earlier this month, AVG's web security reports that the Mumba botnet used the Zeus banking trojan to infect 55,000 more PCs around the world, stealing bank account details and credit card numbers. See: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/02/muamba_botnet_infiltrated/ 

• In February 2010, a Virginia network forensics company, reported Zeus attacks involving 74,00 PC's in 10 federal agencies, 2,500 companies and a number of Fortune 500 firms in the financial, energy and technology industries. See:  http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/18/massive_hack_attack/ 

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From: ArsTechnical.com

One would think that Microsoft users would be rushing down to their local computer store looking for the latest and greatest (and certainly a more secure) computer operating system, but that's really not the case. Ars Technica has the numbers and graphs to show just how resistant Microsoft users are to change. In July 2010, 62 percent of Microsoft users are still using Windows XP, but Windows 7 by rising to 14.5 percent has passed Windows Vista at 14.3 percent of computer users. Macintosh users comprise 5.1 percent of the OS market share and Linux (all varients) rolled back to a 0.93 percent share. Check out additional graphs and the full report at: http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2010/08/windows-7-overtakes-windows-vista.ars

If you are one of 62 percent of the Microsoft faithful who are still using Windows XP and for good reasons still don't wish to upgrade your older computer right away, help is available. Fred Langa, senior editor of the Windows Secrets Newsletter, has an extensive checklist of things you can do to extend XP's usefulness on your existing older hardware for a long time. The list doesn't have to be completed all in one sitting. Instead, it's arranged in a logical fashion and with a little TLC and patience you can extend your computer's long-term health even further. If you're really serious about keeping your Windows XP system, see: http://www.windowssecrets.com/2010/08/12/01-Preparing-Windows-XP-for-the-long-haul

No less an authority than PC World stirs the security soup by pointing out that Linux's open source software is inherently more secure than Windows for small business owners and others like schools and local governments who can't affort a large IT security staff. The fact that fewer people use Linux and Linux's inherent diversity makes a less attractive target for the people who write malware is only part of the answer. PC World's Business Center looks at the PC security issue at: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/202452/why_linux_is_more_secure_than_windows.html

Maybe Linux users should just be thankful that Microsoft complacent customers have become a gigantic "honey pot" that keeps the bad guys with the malware focused on the much larger Windows market and less on Macintosh and Linux systems. At the end of the XP's life span, please stay as safe and secure as you can.

Grownups need more training and kids need adult supervision

Home Computers and student achievement revisited: 
 Several months ago, I sent out a note to several friends in education about the Duke research study which reported that having a home computer does not automatically raise test scores and in some cases can lower test scores of low-income students. Mike Cassidy, Mercury News, had a column on the topic and includes a link to the original Duke study and adds information about a second study by Columbia which also reports lower test scores. At least the second study points out the importance of parental monitoring and supervision. Cassidy's column can be found at: http://www.siliconvalley.com/ci_15634370

The two reports and links to download copies of the two reports are:
Scaling the Digital Divide - Home Computer Technology and Student Achievement
http://www.caldercenter.org/upload/CALDERWorkingPaper_48.pdf
Home Computer Use and the Development of Human Capital
http://www.columbia.edu/~cp2124/papers/computer.pdf

On the same Monday morning, I  also found a hint on where the students may be spending their computer time when they're not supervised. Social networking and blogs have shown a 43% increase in the last year and now take up 22.7% of online time according to a Nielsen Company study. Americans spend 10.2% of their online time on games! See: http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2010/08/nielsen-social-networking-and-gaming-up-email-uncertain.ars

On a personal level, I've still resisted the urge to return to the Facebook-type social networks because of serious security issues previously reported by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Data mining used on social networks can be a trap for the uninformed, careless and unwary. Furthermore, I'm still not sure old Infantry officers are supposed to "twitter" about anything. It certainly sounds undignified for grown men and women.

I once used Facebook to follow a friend from Tallahassee Community College while she was on a 6-month trip to China and wondered how many members of the Chinese and other intelligence services were looking over her "electronic shoulder" as messages were transmitted back and forth to the States. Later I dropped the service entirely when unmoderated comments and posts from other users started tasting as stale as World War II surplus tea bags. Scott D. Harris refers to Facebook and other social networks as a "time suck." Personally, I would also add several other dimensions, but maybe that's just me and I could be wrong.

The need for even more student, teacher and parent training:
Fortunately, Cassidy and the two research papers and other reports may actually help us make a case that educators still need to push for more student, teacher and parental training about computers and improved levels of follow-up and student supervision. For that reason, I was particularly pleased to learn that Van Buren (AR) School District invited Ian Jukes to speak to district teachers about how technology is in a period of disruptive change and how their students will live and work in an era when the future is even less predictable than most adults now comprehend. The district even took an extra step - hosting an evening session for parents and interested community members!

At one point during Jukes' presentation, he pointed out the disconnect between the need for schools to teach basic skills measured by state standards and student test scores and the growing importance of teaching higher level skills to prepare our students to work and succeed in a world of ever more rapid change. Most of the evidence leads to the belief that our students will live in a far more dangerous and changing world. Communities and their schools can no longer afford to prepare our kids to live and work in 1955. Jukes concluded his evening presentation with a quote from Erik Hoffer, "In times of radical change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves perfectly equipped for a world that no longer exists.”

Of course, Jukes uses the Internet and technology to share his message with people who want to learn more. He suggested the audience check out the 21st Century Fluency Project at: http://www.fluency21.com for additional information. Be sure to check out some of the articles on the blog. (Access to some materials may require completion of a free registration.) And yes, I've put Jukes' blog with its multiple authors on my daily scan list.

Yet I still harbor a concern. From my perspective of almost 40 years of training and teaching, computers are like table saws. They are both valuable tools. We already know how to make table saws much safer with saw blades that instantly drop down out of the way if they sense a cut into skin. Unfortunately,  we usually don't purchase the safer table saws because of their higher price. At this same point, we don't yet know how to secure Facebook or even our own home computers or business and financial networks. We still need more actual research asking how long-term exposure to computers, smart phones and networks changes how children and adults think, learn and react as they are swept away in the flood of information on the Internet.

I appreciate the access to new information that's already available at my very fingertips. But in my own middle-world, somewhere between the 1940's and the mid-21st century, most table saws and computers can still cause severe damage if used carelessly, thoughtlessly, or without properly trained teachers, parents and other adults to help supervise and keep things safe.

Crooks are stealing bank credit card information at gas pumps

Brien Krebs, in KrebsonSecurity reports on July 20, 2010, credit thieves are now attaching bank card skimmers inside gas pumps. The small circuit boards, apparently include both memory that stores the bank card data and a Bluetooth wireless transmitter that later passes customer's bank card data to an accomplice. The thief can just innocently park within Bluetooth range of the infected pump and use a laptop or smartphone to download the stolen card info. For more details see: "Skimmers Siphoning Card Data at the Pump"

For the past several months, using a credit card or debit card to pump gas in the Southeastern U.S., especially along I-75 or I-95 in Florida and Georgia proved even more expensive for a number of travelers and local residents. Similar credit card skimmers have been found in gas pumps along I-25 near Denver, Colorado. Police have also reported skimmed credit card numbers in Arizona, California, Nevada and Washington, and pay-at-the pump gas can cost you a lot more than you expect.

So far, there's not much you can do until you "Discover" (pun intended) that your card has been used for unauthorized purchases. One Florida gang was using the stolen card numbers to buy expensive gift cards in several Miami Walmarts. If skimmers get your pin number and your debit card number, they can empty your account while you're still on vacation. Alachua County Deputy Sheriff, Lt. Stephen Maynard, suggested to The Gainesville Sun that consumers take their credit cards or debit cards inside to the cashier or consider paying with cash.

Debit cards are the greater risk. Herb Weisbaum writes in an MSNBC "ConsumerMan" report that police in Las Vegas and Washington state, "advise residents not to use their debit card at a gas pump because there’s no way to be sure it hasn’t been tampered with." Weisbaum's article continues:

• Debit cards do not offer the same fraud protection as credit cards. If a crook armed with a skimmer snags your credit card number and uses it to buy things, you can dispute the charges with the credit card company. You won’t owe a thing while they investigate.
• If the crook grabs your debit card number, he can go to a cash machine and pull money out of your checking account. It could take days for the bank to investigate and put that money back into your account. During that time checks could bounce or you might not be able to pay your bills. That’s why the only way I pay at the pump is with a credit card.
• Another safe way to pay is with a gas station charge card. If you must use a debit card, choose the "credit" option. Your debit card doesn't become a credit card; it just means you don't have to punch in a PIN code. That's why it's actually safer. If the thieves get your card number, they won't have your PIN so they can't use it at a cash machine. 

So travelers may not know that gas pump skimmers are in the area and debit card users are particularly at risk. OK, then what can average consumers do to protect themselves? Common sense safeguards include:

1. Go in the store to process transactions and sign all credit card receipts, slower but effective, and you get to stretch your legs a little on a trip.
2. Check all credit card and debit card statements as soon as they arrive for any unauthorized purchases.
3. Put a security code in place on all credit cards so only the owner can use them.
4. Notify your local law enforcement officials AND your bank as soon as suspect you may have been victimized by this type of scam.
5. Immediately cancel any compromised accounts. There are differing protections and time limits depending on the type of cards you use.  Bank debit cards normally carry fewer protections than credit cards, so don't delay!
6. Check credit reports for any negative information that might have occurred from the incident.

Deputy Maynard also told The Gainesville Sun that he plans to stop using his debit card for purchases and said, "Cash is king."

Comparing iPad and Kindle reading speeds

Jakob Nielsen, who normally writes and teaches about web page design, did a small group study of iPad and Kindle reading speeds. It might be an important indicator for anyone interested in the purchase of an e-reader or educators working in classrooms or libraries who have a professional interest in the reading performance. The article can be found online at:
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/ipad-kindle-reading.html

While reading text on iPad and Kindle tablets is faster than in the past, they're still slower than reading printed text. PC screens were much slower for reading long-form text. Like a good friend and former director of media services for a Florida school district usually says, I suspect we'd both like to see a larger, more comprehensive study, but at least it may have be a hint that we should be careful when we use desktop computers or laptops to measure reading speed during computerized instruction and testing.

As one who used to read Washington Post articles and other news on my old Palm Pilot, I still think I'll wait for a tablet-sized device with a useable plug-in keyboard (like my old Palm) and the Android operating system. The next two or three years may really be interesting as computer form factors continue to evolve.

In the meantime, Nielsen's article on iPad and Kindle useability may help if you're thinking about moving to an e-book reader.


UPDATE 1: Our own local feedback on tablet computing has been all over the map for the past several days. One of our friends who works with technology and computer networking received an iPad for her birthday last week and thinks it's a wonderful tool. Another friend who deals with research, is very analytical and like my own look at e-readers, is still evaluating their potential use. A third friend and former reporter/editor is seriously looking at the lower priced Kindle ($189) with the software upgrades and improved type, but not with the improved screen of the more expensive DX model (yet). Her goal for a Kindle is mostly for convenience and saving trips to the library or used book store. All are what I'd call "serious readers."

Whatever the future holds for tablets, I don't want to be limited by Amazon's e-book inventory, Apple's online store or any set of vendors. I want to replenish the contents of a tablet from an infinite variety of sources, any video, audio and text in any format that will download and play on a conventional computer. I do most of my current daily reading online and more listening to books on tape and podcasts when Katy and I are on trips, unless she has one of the several books from her "book bag" already in her lap while I'm driving and I'm listening to NPR via Sirius Radio or an MP3 podcast through a single ear-bud.

Maybe I just forgot if I ever heard it before, but I do not remember seeing earlier attempts to quantify the difference in reading speed between printed pages, e-readers/tablets and at the slow end, desktop computers. It's more likely academic research was being done but without any notice by the popular media. The reading speed issue caught my attention because I've always believed that someday, it would be more economical for schools to move beyond textbooks and laptops by purchasing e-readers or enhanced tablets.

The enhanced tablets that students could carry between home and school would contain individualized student lessons as well as expanded resources including text, audio and video materials. These tablets would allow student progress to be monitored, software and student work backed up - even new lessons automatically reloaded by school wireless networks drawing from additional online servers (easily and inexpensively updated from regional or state-level networks). Think of a Florida Online School expanded statewide or even regionally or nationally with broad university participation and public funding for course development. Students could advance at their own pace and on their own vocational path as they grew older. Teachers could actually serve as mentors and advisers more than lecturers.

I may never live to see universal access to educational technology for every student, IF that's what it would eventually be, but I can also safely predict that the future of education will probably NOT take the actual form that technologists or anyone else predicted even 15 years ago. Never the less, age has not dimmed the goal that one day educators can have the tools at their fingertips to evaluate a child's education by what he or she has actually learned - their "entire body of work" - and not by the length of time they remain in school or their performance on a few superficial tests.

Thanks to all who commented via email or in conversations for stimulating a few more ideas into the discussion topic this week. I really appreciate the exchange.

UPDATE 2: PCWorld.com has picked up the story and added some of the questions that might be answered by a more extensive comparison of e-readers, tablets, laptops and desktop PCs. The story has also been picked up by Lifehacker.com and the British e-zine, The Register.

UPDATE 3  The ars technica website reports as of July 19, 2010, "Kindle books are now outselling Amazon's hardcover books in the US." Lowering the price of the smaller Kindle to only $189 has tripled the Kindle's sales in the past month. 

Keyboard stickers can make an old keyboard easier to use

For the last decade or so, a typical computer keyboard will usually last me only about two years before I've worn the letters completely off of six or eight keys. That's not a big problem for a touch typist, but when you've worn away the letters, punctuation marks and symbols off three or four keys on the same row, it starts to get a little more serious. Or it could be that the eyes behind my trifocals aren't as sharp as they used to be. You may notice your own eyes bouncing up and down from the keyboard to the screen and back looking for specific keys. Maybe it's a little of both.

Standard replacement keyboards are not that expensive and almost always included when a new computer is purchased. On the other hand, what do you do if your expensive wireless or ergonomic keyboard is missing a few critical letters or the characters and punctuation symbols on your standard keyboard are getting harder to read? Remembering that a couple of companies make sets of sticky key labels for foreign languages and a number of office or graphics software packages, I looked for "keyboard stickers" on Google. Once I got past the designer keyboard stickers with flowers or flames and the glow-in-the-dark keyboard stickers for those red-eye flights across the continent, I settled on what looked to be a no-nonsense website and checked out www.4keyboard.com.

You can pick from a wide variety of languages, colors, and special applications. They even have stickers for the smaller keys found on netbooks. Compared to the cost of a new keyboard - particularly the $50 or $60 for a new ergonomic keyboard, less than $6 plus shipping for a set of keyboard stickers didn't sound like too much to spend if it would help.

I actually ordered a set of "English US LARGE LETTERING Keyboard Stickers (Upper case)" on sale at $2.66 plus shipping. These particular stickers are available in black, grey and white to match your keyboard. The stick-on key labels arrived in about a week. The "F" and "J" key stickers were even notched to clear the small bumps that help a touch typist find the home row on the set I ordered. I read the online directions and gave myself a couple of hours to work on applying the stickers to the keyboard. You can check out the vendor's online instructions at http://www.4keyboard.com/page_2.html.

After disconnecting the keyboard, I used a little alcohol on a soft paper towel to clean the top of each key. The stickers are fairly stiff but do use tweezers to hold the sticker so that you can more easily rotate and align each sticker individually. Take your time and plan ahead. Sometimes it is easier to rotate the keyboard to help find a steady spot to hold the tweezers and sticker while your other hand aligns the sticker and presses it down when properly aligned. My Microsoft ergonomic keyboard also has several keys that are slightly different sizes than the standard keyboard. In a couple of cases, I used a small razor knife to trim any surplus sticker after the sticker was applied to the key.

NOTE: If you click on the picture, check out the original size of the characters on the Backspace and function keys. You can also see the right-hand shift key sticker was trimmed to fit the slightly smaller key on the ergonomic keyboard.  The very dark black areas seen on the space bar, "N" key and several other keys now covered were worn perfectly smooth by heavy use.

I now have a keyboard that I can read out of the corner of my glasses, and the much larger, high-contrast letters are certainly easy to see. In the unlikely event that the keyboard lasts longer than the current sticker set, I can easily afford to replace any stickers again. In any event, I'll consider the keyboard and stickers a "long-term test."

Beware of Facebook's privacy policy

Just got an email from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) expressing concerns about Facebook's decision to make all online activity on Facebook "social by default." What that means is, "All of your personal information, and all of your online activity, automatically shared by Facebook with anyone, anytime it wants to, without your permission."

EFF has published analyses of how the various Facebook changes affected your private information, including a video teaching you how to make your data private again, a translation of Facebook's jargon, and a guide to Facebook "Connections." The following four articles are recommended if you have any concerns or questions about Facebook's most recent changes: 

Facebook's Eroding Privacy Policy: A Timeline: How Facebook's privacy polices have changed from 2005 to April 2010.  

How to Opt Out of Facebook’s Instant Personalization: Step-by-step directions (and new video) on how to navigate Facebook's more complicated privacy settings to protect yourself from all the various "Instant Personalizations."

A Handy Facebook-to-English Translator: In a world where "the default is social," plain English terms like "public information," "visibility," or "connections" do not always mean the same thing this week that they meant two weeks ago. Do you really want your "Likes" and so much of your other personal information on Facebook to be public?

Six Things You Need to Know About Facebook Connections: "Connections" is such an innocent-sounding word. The blog post explains how connections allows your personal information to be shared with far more people than ever before, including people you don't know, regardless of whether you want them to.

Leave it to free enterprise. I'm not sure the FBI, CIA or NSA could have build a better system for sharing your newly "public information." I dropped out of Facebook months ago and while I deleted my Facebook account, nothing on Facebook really disappears.  I've had two well-meaning individuals want to share information from a YouTube account that I've never intentionally made public because it has NO video stored there. I haven't used it yet!. How did they find out I had a YouTube account? They're both on Facebook and apparently YouTube and Facebook now are "plugins" exchanging info with all the other corporate and government plugins. How many more reciprocal plugin accounts are being shared without my knowledge? How many of your other accounts are being shared? 

Anyway, that's why I've always paid my dues to EFF every year. To find out more about the Electronic Frontier Foundation and all the things they do, visit: http://www.eff.org/

Update: As I was writing this post, I discovered that Today@PCWorld has added a post, "New Facebook Social Features Secretly Add Apps to Your Profile," which reports that Facebook is now adding Facebook apps to user profiles without the user's knowledge or permission. 

If you visit certain sites while logged in to Facebook, an app for those sites will be quietly added to your Facebook profile. You don't have to  have a Facebook window open, you don't need to signed in to these sites for the apps to appear, and there doesn't appear to be an option to opt-out anywhere in Facebook's byzantine privacy settings.

Software added to our computers without our permission used to be called spyware or malware. Facebook now says that secretly adding the stealth apps is a bug, and apps are no longer being added, "however any unwanted applications that were previously added will still need to be removed manually."

Apparently EFF and 14 other consumer protection groups have launched a formal complaint against Facebook with the Federal Trade Commission. If Facebook's management cannot grow up and clean up their act, it may be time for the FTC or other adults to intervene. There's a reason that more corporate and government networks are already blocking Facebook and as a result of Facebook's lack of discipline, poor record on user privacy and now lack of rigorous software testing. It's about time!

It's everywhere! There is no escape!!

It looks like old dogs and young pups will both need to learn a few new tricks!

For those who thought they could avoid joining the more than 400 million residents of Planet Facebook, abandon all hope. Social media — complete with Facebook-like status updates, profile pages and networks of social connections — is coming to your office cubicle.

The SiliconValley.com "First Edition" had a short note and link to the original article: "Facebook-like status updates coming to the office" 

The article includes info on Lotus Connections, Sharepoint 2010 and Socialtext. Maybe the larger companies can work out a few kinks in the privacy and security issues with Facebook, Twitter and other less business oriented social software programs. While it is entirely optional, Ubuntu 10.04 LTS has social networking - broadcast and chat accounts - baked into the OS with access from the top level menus. The fact that social networking is included in all installations of this important long-term-support release speaks to how popular the Ubuntu developers think social networking has already become.
_ _ _

Updated - While business and other organizations move in the direction of social media, The New York Times has an article on the implications of social media on children:

The question on researchers’ minds is whether all that texting, instant messaging and online social networking allows children to become more connected and supportive of their friends — or whether the quality of their interactions is being diminished without the intimacy and emotional give and take of regular, extended face-to-face time.

What are the implications of more and more electronic communications between children? They obviously have some impact on relationships. Do social networks and texting potentially slow the development of social skills in children? Does this new means of communicating between friends help shy students come out of their shell? For the April 30th article with references to distinguished authors and books on the topic see: "Antisocial Networking?" by Hilary Stout.
_ _ _ 

In either case, I wasn't overwhelmed with Facebook when I tried it a while back. On the surface it allowed a friend's visit to China to be quickly and easily shared with friends from halfway around the world.  Technology always looks good until you can find and evaluate all the hidden costs. Actually I abandoned ship during the first round of Facebook privacy concerns, so I haven't rejoined the revolution... yet. But those of you who are (still) actively working with large organizations - corporations, non-profits, schools or voluntary associations - may find yourself needing to know more about this growing phenomenon from a business and a professional standpoint. I hope the articles will help and keep looking for those hidden costs.

These banking credentials thefts are getting too close to home!

Last Thursday, April 22nd, I read that the outbreak of online bank transfer thefts had hit western Arkansas at the First National Bank of Fort Smith and a local alarm company. I can't help but wonder why these stories are not starting to show up on TV news or local newspapers. It's difficult for business people to take proper actions on their own to protect their financial transactions unless they know about the nature of these crimes.

This morning, I learned from another KrebsonSecurity news story that Aaron Jacobson at  Authentify has posted the list of 43 business victims linked to a Google interactive map. As Krebs points out, these online banking thefts are clustered mostly in the Northeast and Midwest.

My own first thought on viewing the map was for the victims. These business people are trying to pay creditors and make payrolls only to find their bank accounts looted. The thefts are located far enough apart that it's easy for local political news and traffic accidents to push the stories off the front page. These thefts are just quiet, middle-of-the-night online banking transfers. The money moves from a business account to the accounts of several money mules who then forward the cash overseas in return for a small "commission."

There are no smoking guns or violent car chases, so there are no videos on the nightly news, no pictures and no front page stories. I can't help but wonder what the news media would say and what would be the FBI's reaction if the old Dillinger gang or Bonnie and Clyde had hit that many banks across the nation. But under the current banking law, the banks aren't the victims, their newly impoverished individual account holders are the victims!

So honest business people are still losing money with each new incident, bankers bemoan the criminal activity, declare the loss is the business owner's responsibility and the short-handed and short-sighted news media show cute pictures of children playing in the local park. I'll let the bankers, MBA's and lawyers among you sort out the details and the legalities of commercial bank accounts. There ARE ways to prevent this sort of scam and both sides involved in this type of transaction need to use them! See the update at Arkansas is NOT immune to cybercrime!

I'm just sorry that it will take many more local and regional victims before the risks of online banking becomes important enough to reach the front page.

Microsoft builds a Fix it Center application to guide fix common computer problems

You can link to Microsoft Fix it Center Online BETA to download the latest offering from Microsoft that promises to make troubleshooting a computer a little easier for beginners. After downloading the executable file, double-click on the FixitCenter_Run.exe file to start the installation process which only takes two or three minutes.

The installation asks the user to create an online account for additional help and support in the event that the Fix it Center cannot resolve a problem automatically using the software installed on the computer. The online account is free and it normally takes only a few more minutes to set up a new Microsoft Online account, if you don't already have one.

Another part of the setup process gathers information about your computer to preload up to 27 small troubleshooting applets or wizards to guide the process. In my case, with my smaller than normal "travel-sized" installation of Windows Vista, the program installed 11 "troubleshooters." The automated troubleshooters have simple descriptions, and the Fix it Center user interface has a large help button. The directions were easy to understand and include sample screens.

To learn for myself how the process worked, I ran the first item listed, "Common system maintenance tasks" The wizard ran through a short list of common maintenance issues from broken shortcuts and disk errors to setting the clock. If a problem is found the user has the option of allowing the program to fix the problem or not. No problems were found (thank goodness). Other items I could have checked included computer slowdowns, networking and printing.

Administrators have added troubleshooting options available - more than ordinary users. (See the Fix it Center Help - Learning the Fix it Center interface for more details.) One of the help options presents a feedback screen that asks what can be done to improve the application. Overall, everything looks simple and easy to install and use. It's something that might be useful for new and even a few intermediate users. At least it's something to try before calling for tech support or your family technical guru. ...Well, at least it's a start.

Thanks to Lifehacker for the information and links. The site is one of the online places I regularly check.

A copy of this entry is also posted on Fort Smith Seniors blog site.

"The State of the Internet" in 5 minutes, 21 seconds

I found the video (embedded below) while looking up info on new features found in Ubuntu 10.04 on Tech Drive-In. I wanted to see what I might be missing or haven't learned about yet in the new Ubuntu release planned for the end of April.

The video, prepared by Jesse Thomas for a conference presentation in February, highlights how fast the Internet has grown, particularly during the last year. Using multimedia to present a number of facts very quickly, who knows, this video may go viral. By the way, this video has the "full size" button in the lower right corner. Some of the slides are easier to read using the full screen.

JESS3 / The State of The Internet from JESS3 on Vimeo.

A copy of this entry is also posted on Fort Smith Seniors blog site.

An early start with Ubuntu 10.04

Even experienced computer users can have a "bad day." Two weeks ago I managed to mangle my desktop OS when something hiccupped while downloading several updates to the networking software. Kernel panic. CPU went to 100 percent. System wouldn't shut down. To condense the next several minutes of troubleshooting into a single sentence, it looked like the easiest way to resolve the issue quickly was to spend 15 or 20 minutes and reload the OS.

That's not as drastic as it sounds. First off, I had a fresh backup of the home directory from the day before. Even better, since the home directory and all the current files were on a separate partition, so I could reformat and reload just the partition with the OS without harming the other working files. I might not even need the backups. Once the decision to reload was behind us, the next question was what version of the OS should I install?

The desktop was originally running Ubuntu 9.04 when the confusion started, which was about a year old. I could have reloaded with Ubuntu 9.10, released in October 2009, which is running very smoothly on my laptop. I had already been hearing good reports about the next release of Ubuntu, 10.04, nicknamed Lucid Lynx. Ubuntu 10.04 is still only available as a Beta version for testing, and not recommended for a production computer in daily use. Having had good experiences with earlier Ubuntu Beta's, I decided to move forward - not backwards.

Downloading the 10.04 Beta, I burned a copy of the OS to a CD and within 30 minutes was looking at the test version of Ubuntu's "latest and greatest" operating system. It booted right up and seems to have given my aging desktop a vitamin shot. The new version 10.04 boots noticeably faster, shuts down even quicker. The new OS still has a couple of wrinkles and I've filed a few minor bug reports. The best news is that the normal series of OS update over the past two weeks have shown visible progress. Ubuntu 10.04 already seems very stable and I'm looking forward to the final release on April 29th. Lucid Lynx is one of Ubuntu's long-term-support (LTS) releases and security and other updates will be provided for an extended length of time.

A few applications from the Ubuntu repositories that aren't automatically loaded with the new OS were checked off my checklist of installed software, and as usual, I tweaked a few configuration files. In summary, I saved time in the long run by jumping ahead to the new version a little early. So far everything seems to have worked out very well. My personal seven-year migration to a free Linux OS certainly paid back the investment with interest these past two weeks.

The ease of the upgrade has pushed me to reconsider some of my recommendations for intermediate and advanced computer users. I'm still reluctant to recommend Ubuntu or any Linux OS system to outright beginners. I want people to have access to a modern, secure operating system that anyone can use and anyone can have free for the asking. I want people to enjoy their computer without constantly worrying about the next virus or other malware attacks.

I also want new Linux users to have a successful experience transitioning to their new OS. If someone doesn't already know where to find and download a free copy of the OS software, or doesn't know how to burn a CD with the operating system to load on their computer, they probably wouldn't know how to use the appropriate Linux forums to get help nor how to resolve questions about their version of the OS. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

If this sounds harsh, it's really meant to be realistic. Time -- not money -- is the most important resource any computer user has to invest. If you enjoy learning new things and are willing to spend some of your own time to learn, exploring Linux and particularly Ubuntu, can be a very rewarding experience. If you're willing to invest in yourself, then the learning process can be as much fun as the feeling of accomplishment as you master any new skill or any new OS.

From my recent experience, this new version of Ubuntu, 10.04 - Lucid Lynx - may be the Ubuntu version that makes me change my mind about the minimum skill level needed for most people to use Linux. The Ubuntu system of regular improvements, delivered on schedule, has provided great advances in usability. This LTS version was built for stability.  Throughout the process, the Lucid Lynx version of Ubuntu has been easy to use and shows great potential for wider acceptance by hardware manufacturers and by consumers.

I may be a little behind on updating the three websites that I help maintain, but I've got a new, stable computing platform that I can use to catch up.

SteadyState software not available for Windows 7

If your library, school or Internet caf‎é uses SteadyState, Microsoft's free application to help keep public access computers safe, the wizards of Redmond apparently decided not to update the free software for use with Windows 7. WindowsSecrets.com has the full write-up in the current edition of its newsletter. Some SteadyState users plan to stay with Windows XP or Vista so they can continue using SteadyState rather than spend money that's not in their budget for commercial 3rd party applications. The article mentions that one individual on the Microsoft SteadyState forum was "able to install SteadyState on Windows 7 systems by using the new operating system's Vista or XP compatibility mode. But at this time, it's not known whether all features — particularly Windows Disk Protection — will work."

The article also includes several common sense guidelines for people who occasionally use public PCs and Wi-Fi networks.

I remember that during Hurricane Katrina, a number of the emergency computer stations were established in refugee facilities for evacuees to contact relatives or search for other family members. The temporary computer stations booted from a Live CD without access to the local hard drives. Users accessed the Internet for email, browsing and any applications added to the Live CD. Even if a Live CD "wandered off," it was cheap enough to make a few spare copies that were easily replaced. That seemed fairly bulletproof at the time. Linux systems, like Windows, can be set up to run in "guest" mode with password required administrative access and limited access to local storage or other changes. With some 77 million Americans using a library computer or a public Wi-Fi access to reach the Internet last year, as reported in the article, it may be time to look for other, less expensive, options for schools, libraries and government facilities.

Arkansas is NOT immune to cybercrime!

Brian Krebs, the former Washington Post reporter now writing at KrebsonSecurity.org, has confirmed that cyber-criminals struck an Arkansas regional water utility and a New Jersey town recently moving money from the government accounts by online transfers.

...On March 4, organized crooks stole roughly $130,000 from North Garland County Regional Water District, a public, nonprofit utility in Hot Springs, Ark. Again, thieves somehow broke into the utility’s online bank account and set up unauthorized transfers to more than a dozen individuals around the country that were not affiliated with the district.

The investigation continues and the public utility and bank have recovered about half of the losses. You can read the complete article at: http://www.krebsonsecurity.com/2010/03/organized-crooks-hit-nj-town-arizona-utility/#more-1918

Update: 3/30/10  I can't say it any better. "Online Thieves Take $205,000 Bite Out of Missouri Dental Practice." Brian drills down into the details (pun intended) at: http://www.krebsonsecurity.com/2010/03/online-thieves-take-205000-bite-out-of-missouri-dental-practice/

A public library in Florida, a school district in New York, a manufacturing firm in Texas, a water utility in Arkansas, and those are just a few recent cases. Keep in mind that commercial accounts are handled differently than consumer accounts. Brian reminds us, "Let me be clear: The advice was aimed not at consumers, but at small to mid-sized companies that may not have a full-time IT/security staff, and who rely on one or two people to handle their bank accounts and payroll online."

This type of online computer theft uses infected computers to make electronic transfers from uninsured commercial bank accounts. If a cyber-thief gains access to your login and password, the commercial account holder is on the hook - not the bank. The bank was following "your instructions." These crimes are happening from coast to coast, but you're not reading about the details in many daily newspapers or on national TV news programs. You can find more examples in Brian's earlier articles in the Washington Post at: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/small_business_victims/

I haven't found any better articles regarding how small businesses, government agencies and non-profits can try to protect themselves than Brian's earlier articles on the topic. My suggestion is review all three of the articles and do what you think works best for your organization.
"Avoid Windows Malware: Bank on a Live CD," WashingtonPost.com, Oct. 12, 2009
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/10/avoid_windows_malware_bank_on.html
"E-Banking on a Locked Down (Non-Microsoft) PC," WashingtonPost.com, Oct. 12, 2009
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/10/e-banking_on_a_locked_down_non.html
"E-Banking on a Locked Down PC, Part II," WashingtonPost.com, Oct 20, 2009
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/10/e-banking_on_a_locked_down_pc.html

Free software for new Windows computers

Question: B.R., I just purchased a new computer. What can I do to help prevent virus infections and other security problems?

First of all, most new computers you purchase in a store or online come with Windows and several other applications preinstalled. The list may include a trial version of a security suite. That's OK, if you want to pay to use the program after the trial period runs out. Usually, I'll remove the programs I don't want to keep and free up the space for the software I want to use. I don't want anything on the new computer that doesn't provide frequent software updates and if possible I want applications to maintain themselves or at least notify me when new updates are available.

I use mostly free or open source software everyday on the Windows computers I maintain. You can already find links to the two starter kits mentioned below on my webworkshop home page. This blog post is intended to go beyond just listing the links. Now to get down to work...

While I tend to avoid the larger (bulky and frequently hard to remove) security suites like Norton and McAfee, people can "roll their own" system with a number of free security applications, using the top performers in each category. The two so-called "starter kits" discussed in this article are actually CNET reviews of various free security and windows applications. I'll run through the list in a minute. But before the Ethernet cable or wireless connects, keep in mind that my computer is already hiding behind a small 4-port router/wireless access point. And as I've run through the initial router set up, I've changed the name and password on the router from the factory default. I've also written down the new settings in a special network notebook I keep in my home office so that get back into the router and check the settings if I need to further tweak the network. The latest Windows Secrets security baseline was just released this week (3/28/10) and is a good place to start. See: http://WindowsSecrets.com/comp/100318

If your new computer system is for a business and the hardware and software costs can be deducted as a business expense, save time and effort by going for the security suite such as the top three mentioned in the Windows Secrets article. Home users and students on a limited budget can still save money selecting from a shelf-load of free security software intended for personal use. Unless your corporate IT department recommends otherwise, I always recommend that the average home and school user set Windows' Automatic Update feature to retrieve and install all Windows patches and updates automatically. Expert users who use corporate software may well need to be more cautious.

Next we'll use CNET Security Starter Kit which contains links to most of the software mentioned below after the jump. (Click the "Read More" below to continue.)

PC Questions and Answers: Learning from each other

The first trial "PC Questions and Answers," workshop, quickly nicknamed "The Doctor is IN," provided a free walk-in computer Q&A clinic Wednesday afternoon, March 3rd. I was joined by the very knowledgeable P.J. Williams, a librarian who deals with technology at the Fort Smith Public Library. All the questions were throughly aired. The spontaneous and unrehearsed session was considered a success with seven participants attending. Some of the major discussion topics included:

I don't have a computer. Should I purchase a laptop or desktop?
That question has filled entire chapters in several books! Google lists 22,000,000 articles, blogs and entries for the search term "laptop or desktop."One of the most comprehensive easy-to-read guides can be reached at Consumer Reports online "Computer Guide". A subscription is required to get to specific ratings (well worth the annual subscription fee) or you can visit your local Fort Smith Public Library and use their subscription. Bottom line: it depends on what you want to do with your computer. Let Consumer Reports help you work through that decision.

What brand of computer is more reliable?
Reliability ratings based on input from thousands of consumers just like you are included in the Consumer Reports ratings mentioned in the above question. Almost every computer magazine writes hardware and software reviews. In addition to Consumer Reports, I use CNET, PC Magazine, PC World Online among many others. Keep in mind that quality and reliability can vary between different models of the same brand and even individual machines. Make sure your machine comes with a strong warranty backed by a reliable company. I'll save the question you're just about to ask concerning extended warranties for another Q&A session. 

How do I make sure personal data files are removed from the hard drive prior to recycling the old computer?
I thought a former governor's staff used the best solution when they allegedly smashed the hard drives taken from their computers in the Arkansas Governor's office and buried them in a land fill. That certainly tends to derail any future Freedom of Information Act requests.

Computer technicians usually have software that can erase and write over hard drives a number of times making it very difficult for crooks to recover information about your bank accounts and investments. You'd be surprised at what computer techs have tripped over (and some have shared with others) while they were working on someone's personal computer. It's OK to be a little paranoid about where your financial, medical and other personal data files end up.

Jason Fitzpatrick, weekend editor for Lifehacker, posted a comprehensive article, "Properly Erase Your Physical Media," in February 2009 which goes into more detail than you may want to know about erasing a hard drive and includes links to software programs that offer ways to properly erase your hard drive, and yet leave it so that it can be reformatted and reused. If you're aware that your data can be stolen from a computer or hard drive you recycle or give to a charity, you're smarter than 40 percent of the people who sell hard drives on eBay.

All in all, the small size of the group meant that the discussions were lively, informal and people could ask several follow-up questions. There is still one question about a glitch in Internet Explorer that we're still working on. I think I've found a possible answer to test on the errant machine. I'll post an update later if it works. Not a perfect score, but nobody knows everything. I'm sure there will be more we can learn from your questions.

The next PC Questions and Answers is scheduled for April 7, 2010 at 1:30 P.M. in the Fort Smith Library Computer Lab.

A version of this entry is also posted on the Fort Smith Seniors Blog

Free audio books online

Going on a long trip? Don't have time to visit your favorite public library? Thanks to a blog post about free audio books on Lifehacker.com, you can still load up your iPod or favorite MP3 player with audio books before your trip. The free, public domain books at BooksShouldBeFree.com are organized by genres or visitors may search by author or title. Several titles I checked are available with links to etext and other resources. Registration required.

UPDATE: 3/8/10 - The electrons hardly have time settle down in the above paragraph when the Fort Smith Times Record Sunday edition reports that "People Flock to Library For More Than Just Books." The front page story by Ben Bouldon explained that library computer use is up 22.9 percent in 2009. People are coming to the library "for Internet access, services, and programs and to borrow books, DVDs and other items."

According to Jennifer Goodson, Director of the Fort Smith Public Library, the library began offering Library2Go, in down-loadable audio and e-book formats in 2009. The library offers over 40 online book, magazine and research resources to anyone with a Fort Smith Library card. Additional details are available at www.fortsmithlibrary.org

If you live in another location, check with your local public library to see what online resources are available in your particular area. You will likely be pleasantly surprised. 

What are your rights if you purchase digital books?

As someone who normally writes notes in margins of articles and and carries sticky notes for books I've borrowed, there are a number of issues that need to be settled before we all rush out waving our Master Cards at Amazon or Barnes and Noble to purchase a new electronic library. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has just released a two page checklist with additional background information you might wish to review first.

From the Electronic Frontier Foundation's EFFector Vol. 23, No. 5, February 19, 2010 editor@eff.org

~ Digital Books and Your Rights: A Checklist for Readers
Over the last few months, the universe of digital books has expanded dramatically, with products like Amazon's Kindle, Google Books, Internet Archive's Text Archive, Barnes and Noble's Nook, and Apple's upcoming iPad poised to revolutionize reading. But while this digital books revolution could make books more accessible than ever before, there are lingering questions about the future of reader privacy, consumers' rights, and potential censorship.

What questions should consumers ask before buying a digital book or reader? EFF has published "Digital Books and Your Rights," a checklist for readers considering buying into the digital book marketplace.

Full press release: http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2010/02/16-0

Full report on Digital Books and Your Rights:
https://www.eff.org/wp/digital-books-and-your-rights

If you are interested in e-book readers and digital books, I hope you'll take a look at the checklist and share the report with others interested in digital books as a consumer or someone interested in libraries and possibly electronic textbooks.

Hope the information helps...

Welcome to the updated Web Workshop...

I've been working on several blogs recently and it finally dawned on me that maintaining a blog was much easier than maintaining a multiple page website. I'd rather spend a little more time outside enjoying Arkansas, or looking at new ideas rather than buried in the elements of HTML or web page design. The blog format also makes it easy for questions, comments and the exchange of ideas. If you're never made a blog comment, look at the "Tips for Beginners" section at the bottom of the page for a few helpful pointers.

So the plan is to post any updates on this blog. Topics may include education, politics, maybe a few observations about sports cars and racing, other things that catch my interest and an occasional rant. My original web workshop space will contain more permanent features and storage for any class materials from an occasional River Valley Seniors class or workshop. In fact, if you actually visit my original web workshop, you find a similar note and a link back to this site. Some of the articles on the original site will still be linked from this blog and remain available. Think of this site as the new "office and workspace" for the workshop and the old site as the "parts department" and long term storage.

I hope the new arrangement will allow more frequent updates and make the workshop easier for everyone to use and share. Thanks for visiting. I hope you'll find something useful. - BR