What's a Computer Virus?

Today's main Good Question was "What's a Computer Virus?"  Click on the presentation below for concepts, examples, crapware, and suggestions of what you can do about it.

Send Questions to:  ask@NSCSeniorSurfers.Com.   (clicking on this link only works if you have an email client/program configured.  It doesn't work if you only use Web mail in which just type it in the address bar.)

I should never mention BitCoin.  <grin>  Here's the link to the Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/02/25/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-latest-bitcoin-crisis/  For an more in-depth presentation of what BitCoin is and how it works, refer to my May 2013 presentation, "BitCoin" revisited.  You'll find it over on the right hand side of this page.

Netflix & Comcast: http://www.extremetech.com/computing/177073-why-netflix-streaming-is-getting-slower-and-probably-wont-get-better-any-time-soon

And Verizon sucks too:

http://consumerist.com/2014/02/11/netflix-streaming-speeds-getting-worse-for-comcast-and-verizon-fios-customers/

Personally, I think Comcast and Verizon are slowing down Netflix because they both have a streaming service they want to sell to their customers.  It's anti-competitive, but with no rules they can do whatever the *@&$ they want.

Trace where an Email came from here:  http://whatismyipaddress.com/trace-email

Have multiple Anti-virus checks on a file here:  https://www.virustotal.com/  My virus file is now showing 35/50 tests as virus, it was only 5/50 when I first got it.

Interesting Maps, I've shown several of these:  http://twistedsifter.com/2013/08/maps-that-will-help-you-make-sense-of-the-world/  Here's the map of Girls names by State over time:  http://jezebel.com/map-sixty-years-of-the-most-popular-names-for-girls-s-1443501909 And boys:  http://jezebel.com/map-six-decades-of-the-most-popular-names-for-boys-st-1450787771

Recommended: 

                Malware Bytes:  http://www.malwarebytes.org/downloads/  (Use the Free version, not the Pro or trial version)

                AdwCleaner:  http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/adwcleaner/  Watch which button to click!

                Should I Remove It:  http://www.shouldiremoveit.com/

Lastly, have you been "Pwned?"  https://haveibeenpwned.com/   If so … change the password on the compromised account ASAP!

Pinterest and Instagram

Here are the overview slides from Jodi's presentation:

And a couple of promised links: Gladys Hardy's call into Ellen "I love Jesus but I drink a little": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp1KVPkrimQ  and a followup:  "Gladys is the Real Deal" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq423MBrfNs

Growing Up Online

Ned showed a interesting Frontline video from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/
Although a little dated (one should substitute 'Facebook' for 'MySpace') it certainly high-lighted the differences between our generation and the current one. As stated previously, "Stuff happens / Thinges Change" :-)
Study Guide:  http://kobreguide.com/growing_up_online/

Keeping Secrets

How to keep a secret on the Internet and your Computer.  What are the threats, what you can do about those threats, and what you can't.  This was not really 'technical' and mostly just common sense; but it's good to rigorously look at how information flows across the digital superhighways of the Internet.
I'm sorry I ran out of time and had to rush through the Truecrypt demonstration.  But bottom line, if you want to *securely* save secret information on a computer, Truecrypt is the way to go.  Just use a good password!  :-)