Friday, November 29, 2019

Black Friday smart TV buyers should take this FBI cybersecurity advice

Savvy shoppers know that Black Friday presents some of the best deals of the year on pricey electronics like TVs. Overall, the National Retail Federation expects Americans will spend about $730 billion this holiday season.

But new owners of internet-connected smart TVs might not be as good at spotting hackers as they are at spotting deals. The FBI’s Portland, Oregon, field office shared some tips this week for anyone who needs to secure a smart TV.

Their tips, which are also good for existing smart TV owners, are in this article by James Leggate at Foc5NY.com. Check it out and protect yourself.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

This Is Why We Have Daylight Saving in the First Place

In spring we spring forward, and in fall we fall back ... but why?

As the days get shorter in the fall, we set our clocks an hour back to take advantage of the extra morning sunlight. Daylight saving time lasts until spring when the clocks go forward again. At this point, the custom doesn’t seem to mean much besides an extra hour of sleep (or an hour less in the spring), but it all started as a money-saving scheme.

You might have heard that Benjamin Franklin invented daylight saving time, but that’s not the case. In 1784, he wrote a tongue-in-cheek letter to The Journal of Paris sharing a story of being woken up by the sun at 6 a.m., when he didn’t expect it before noon. “I considered that, if I had not been awakened so early in the morning, I should have slept six hours longer by the light of the sun, and in exchange have lived six hours the following night by candle-light,” he wrote. Candles cost money, but sunlight is free, so he laid out a plan to have Parisians get up with the sun in the spring and summer.

Read the rest of Marissa Laliberte's story at www.rd.com/culture/why-we-have-daylight-saving-time/.

Friday, August 30, 2019

9 Reasons Your Password Is Going to Get You Hacked

 

You may feel like your password is safe because it uses letters, numbers, and an ampersand, but don’t be so sure. Here are secrets to why your secure account is more hackable than you think.

  1. Your password is "Password"
  2. You didn't check it's strength first
  3. You use the same password for everything
  4. Your security question is obvious
  5. You use a. common phrase
  6. You didn't use the space bar
  7. You didn't use a mnemonic device
  8. It's not long enough
  9. You didn't use two-factor authentication
Read all the details in Damon Beres' article at www.rd.com/advice/work-career/password-security-weak.

Friday, August 2, 2019

11 Things You Think are Recyclable but They're Not


Hold up—don’t toss those empty containers in the recycling bin just yet! While it’s great to recycle as much as possible, there are some items that don’t belong in that bin.
  1. Some TakeOut Containers
  2. Plastic Bottle Caps
  3. Some Paper Products
  4. Plastic Grocery Bags
  5. Wire Hangers
  6. Ceramics
  7. Some Types of Glass
  8. Styrofoam
  9. Shredded Paper
  10. Some Drink Cartons
  11. Colored Paper
Details are in the article by Rachel Brougham at www.rd.com/home/cleaning-organizing/things-you-think-are-recyclable-but-theyre-not/.