Seven Bridges Road - A Cover of Steve Young's Original Version

What do your facebook pals like on Pandora?

This is interesting to me. Last week Facebook announced that they would host the results of like buttons that your friends push on sites like Pandora, IMDB and others so that someone could post a piece of code on their site or blog (see below for the Pandora example) and, when you visit the site you will see your own friends reporting. Interesting.

Cablevision offers a new channel, your computer

Cablevision has thrown in it's lot with the Internet. They will begin to offer a service that allows users to send the content of their computer screens to their television sets.

Many households have a video game console, Roku, Slingbox, Apple TV or computer hooked to their televisions but not all families have the tech savvy or interest in adding Internet content that way. So, here comes Cablevision with a solution that allows their customers to click a button on their computer to send the contents of the current screen to their TV. Naturally, the main reason to do such a thing would be to watch video on a site like Hulu or through Netflix streaming video.

It sounds like a good idea for customer retention. Just as many Americans are dropping their landlines because they already have cellphones, an increasing number of us are disconnecting cable TV and satellite connections for a computer and an Internet hookup. I know my provider, Dish Network, just offered a couple of hundred dollars worth of discounts in exchange for a contract to stay with them for two years. This could be the beginning of a number of consessions from pay TV services, so keep your eyes open.

Equifax Alert: The "Jury Duty" Scam

While you should remain vigilant of all potential identity theft threats, some are especially alarming. The "Jury Duty" scam is remarkably easy to fall for. Learn how it works so that you can stay safe if you receive this ominous call.

Imagine this scenario: you receive a call from a jury coordinator informing you that a warrant has been issued for your arrest due to your failure to appear for jury duty. When you explain that you never even received a summons for jury duty, the coordinator asks for your Social Security number and date of birth in order to verify your information and cancel the warrant. Of course you're willing to provide this information; there's obviously been a mistake and you want to avoid arrest at all costs. Problem is, this is all part of the scam. There never was a warrant, and you've just had your identity stolen.

This scam has been reported in 11 states so far and is growing. So if you receive a phone call that seems suspicious or threatening, don't panic. Simply ask for more information, the caller's supervisor, or a number at which you can reach them after doing more research. Nothing foils an identity thief like an educated response.

Thanks to Commissioner David Millron of Avondale Estates, GA for this information.

Security Essentials for your Parents' PC

Gina Tripani from Smarterware.com wrote a good post on this one stop shop internet security software that is available for free now from Microsoft. She is one of the smartest software folks I know of so I'd be happy to take her suggestion. I haven't tried it yet and I'm also pretty happy with Panda's new Free Cloud antivirus which gets pushed updates around the clock, that still requires an antispyware/antimalware client or two, though.

Anyway, have a look at this new product or just watch a video about it here.

A simple thing you can do to improve communications

Add a signature to your email. A “signature” is a block of text at the end of your emails that contain all your contact information. It saves your recipients the hassle of asking for your address and phone number or searching for them on your website.

Here's what mine says at the moment:

--
Best regards,

Alan Thornton
Decatur Computer Help
On-site Computer Troubleshooting
(404) 932-4348

http://www.decaturcomputerhelp.com - site
http://decaturcomp.blogspot.com/ - blog
twitter: @decaturcomp

Referrals appreciated

You'd be surprised how often I try to give someone this info and they say that they already have it. Doing this is one of the best uses of 2 minutes work time I can imagine.

Twitter

The most common question I hear about Twitter is, "What it it?" Followed closely by, "Why would I want it?" and, "How would I use it?"

I think the best answer is, Twitter is a very quick and simple way to communicate with a group of folks you enjoy.

The account is free. The posts are so simple you can send them from your cell phone. Posts are short (limited to 140 characters) and encourage folks to be clever and precise, unlike what I'm doing here. (chortle, chortle)

Still there is enough room for a short statement and a link to a website, article, photo, video or the like.

During an event like the Oscars or Election Night, it is fun to either chat back and forth with your chosen friends or to watch the comments of the entire Twitterverse on a site like Twitscoop.

There is a short video on the subject here that may explain things better than I have.

Oh, and there is one more question that I should mention. The main question that Twitter asks you is "What are you doing?" You'll be surprised at the diverse answers.

...and one more thing, if you want to follow my posts there, just add "decaturcomp" as a person to follow, I'll get a note and follow you back, then we'll be able to keep up with each other. See you there.