Yes, that PC cleanup app you saw on TV at 3am is a waste

their next play is to make it seem like everything is wrong with your PC

via Yes, that PC cleanup app you saw on TV at 3am is a waste | Ars Technica.

Beware of phone scammers calling on behalf of Google

A new phone scam is underway where people are receiving phone calls by people who state that they calling on behalf of Google. These callers state that they received your name and number from the Google Database and that Google had detected that your computer was infected or had a problem.

via Beware of phone telephone scammers calling on behalf of Google.

How millions of DSL modems were hacked in Brazil

How millions of DSL modems were hacked in Brazil.

Log into your router once in a while and check for "firmware" updates.

Global DNS Propagation Checker - What's My DNS?

whatsmydns.net is an online service that allows you to instantly perform a DNS lookup to check a hostname's current IP Address and other DNS information against a selection of random name servers around the world. This is especially useful to check the current state of DNS propagation after making changes to your domain's zones.

via Global DNS Propagation Checker - What's My DNS?.

Details for North America - Internet Traffic Report

Details for North America - Internet Traffic Report.

FYI, in case your uploads/downloads are unusually slow, you might check this, above.

Hackers leak 6.5 mln LinkedIn passwords

Hackers leak 6.5 mln LinkedIn passwords

Time to change your LinkedIn password.

eHarmony, too, apparently.

Easy updates

For updating a bunch of software programs/apps at once, I like to go here (ninite.com), download their “Installer”, and run that customized “ninite” installation file for an easy update of apps.  I like this better than waiting for those individual programs to prompt me that they’ve got an update available.

Anyway, here’s the link:

http://ninite.com/?select=firefox-glary-ccleaner-flash-quicktime-flashie-java-air-silverlight-.net-shockwave-malwarebytes-reader-notepadplusplus-dropbox-teamviewer-imgburn-gimp-audacity-itunes-filezilla-essentials

You can add or remove apps from this list before downloading your copy.

Music converter for your computer

This looks very useful for those of us with "old" music on vinyl and/or tapes:

http://www.jr.com/product/productDetail.jsp?navProduct=ion_record2pc&redirect=1#productTabDetails

 

Symantec advises disabling pcAnywhere software

Symantec advises disabling pcAnywhere software.

Personally, I advise against using anything by Symantec/Norton or McAfee.

Kaspersky or Microsoft Security Essentials, Malwarebytes and TeamViewer can replace anything by Symantec, and do a better job of it.

Stop American Censorship

Stop American Censorship.