How to keep yourself and your family safe online.

You can make sure your child is safe online by using technical parental controls and creating your own rules. Rules should cover things like which websites they can visit and how long they can spend online. You should also stress the importance of keeping personal information safe.
Computers and other digital technologies like games consoles and mobile phones have parental controls.  These let you do things like:

• block selected websites and email addresses by adding them to a filter list
• set time limits for use
• prevent your child from searching certain words

Contact your Internet service provider or mobile phone operator to find out about any child safety measures they offer.  BT’s security package is called BT Family Protection and is very comprehensive.  Parental Controls are part of Virgin Media Security and are available for free to all Virgin Media broadband customers.  

Parental controls and software will never make the Internet 100% safe. They should not be used as a substitute for communicating safety messages to your child.  Make sure that you talk to your child about their behaviour online and remember, your home is not the only place they will be accessing the Internet!

It’s a really good idea to include your child to set rules for their Internet use. Being involved will help them understand the dangers and give them a sense of responsibility. It will also let them know what kind of websites you think are suitable.  You can monitor your child’s Internet use by checking the history folder as it contains a list of previously visited sites- though many children are aware of being checked on and will delete everything before you can see it!

It is easier to control Internet use if the computer is in a family room rather than in a bedroom.  It is better if the screen faces inwards so that you can see what is going on. You can use child friendly search engines:  http://www.wisekids.org.uk/Kids_safe_search_engines.htm

Make sure you are using a firewall, a good Internet security program  and regular spyware to be on the safe side.  It is important that that your child does not download files without permission as this is the way that viruses can infect your computer.

It’s important your child realises that people online might not be who they say they are and could be dangerous. They should also be aware that any personal information they give out can be used in financial scams or for bullying.

To keep your child safe you should tell them not to:

• give out personal information to people they only know online - this includes name, home address, school, landline and mobile numbers, bank details, PIN numbers and passwords
• supply details for registration without asking for permission and help from you
• visit chat websites that aren’t fully moderated/supervised
• arrange to meet an online friend in person without your knowledge and permission (if you agree to let them, you should always go along with them)
• give any indication of their age or sex in a personal email address or screen name
• keep anything that worries or upsets them online secret from you
• respond to unwanted emails or other messages 

When using social media sites, make sure that the strongest privacy settings are set, and make sure that only friends can see what is posted.  Make sure your child is very careful about what images and messages they post, even among trusted friends – once they are online they can be shared widely and are extremely difficult to get removed.  This could be a source of embarrassment in years to come.  

I hope that if you are concerned, that you research the subject further online.  

This is a very helpful website:  www.thinkuknow.co.uk.   

Much of this article came from http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/keeping-children-safe-online.   

For a wonderfully comprehensive article on the subject do read:

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/11/how-to-keep-kids-safe-online-children-advice. 

What are the dangers faced by children online?

I would like to explore the subject of Internet Safety -a big subject!

I will start with outlining the dangers, and follow this up next month with some advice and solutions to keep your children safe when they are online or gaming.

Children and young people growing up today have never known a world without the Internet and are often a lot more capable than their parents in using technology.  Parents can feel anxiety because they sometimes don’t really know what their child is doing online or understand what the dangers are.

The way children use the Internet is different from most adults.  Their whole lives are arranged online.  They talk to their friends, share their thoughts and feelings and empathise with others on social networks, make new friends online, play games and create virtual worlds, organise their social life, post and view videos, and of course, use the Internet for their education – to search and learn about new topics.

What risks might a child face?

Cyber bullying.  This can occur anywhere and anytime, even in the safety of home.  The messages can then spiral out of control if they are posted online.  Sometimes the sender may unintentionally upset the recipient by not thinking about the consequences of sending the message and acting in haste.  It can happen via texts, abusive phonecalls, chat rooms or forums, picture messaging and social networking sites.

Grooming.  Some people are not who they say they are!  Unfortunately, some adults with a sexual interest in children will use the Internet to communicate with them. Online grooming is when a suspected paedophile behaves in a way that suggests they are trying to contact children for illegal purposes.  In the worst case scenario, their online disguise is so good that they then arrange to meet children.

Inappropriate websites.  Children can accidentally find themselves on unsuitable websites, often by accident and sometimes because they are curious.

Losing control over pictures and videos.  This can happen if a young person shares an inappropriate photo or video with one friend and they then share it with all theirs, and then it goes viral.  Some Apps like Snapchat are used to send photos which then vanish after a few seconds, however they can be captured and saved.  The trouble with the Internet is that anything you say or post online is there forever.  It is totally unlike human memory, which fades over time. 

Hacking.  This can happen to anyone, and personal information can be stolen, or addresses used for spamming.

Viruses.  Children do a lot of downloading, and unless they are very careful, they could accidentally allow viruses into the computer.

Loss of security.  Most smartphone Apps request full access to contacts, and photos and location.  Phones come with GPS tracking.  In theory this could allow others to track your child.

Most schools will teach children and young people how to stay safe, but it is important to educate parents to the dangers as well.  It’s a new challenge for parents to face.

For those parents who are on Facebook, I would like to ask you to think about how many friends you have, compared to your children.  Young people have many more friends than adults because they don’t know everyone that they add to their friendship circle.  Sometimes the links are very tenuous.  There is competitiveness amongst young people to have many friends.  This is not always wise. 

How many of you know what your children are actually doing online? 

How many of you have actually played the games that your children play?

How many of your young people are online in their rooms with no supervision?

I find it interesting that many parents let their children play games with a certificate higher than their age.  Some media include semi nudity, sex, drug taking and violence. 

There are many resources online to help parents.  My aim is not to alarm but simply to raise awareness, but if you are worried, do Google “How to keep children safe online”.  I will outline some ideas and solutions to help families with children in my next Blog.

Cooking with your Computer

Cooking with your Computer.

The start of Mary Berry’s Bakeoff on the television has inspired this article.  Cooking programmes are so popular on TV, but you may not realise that if you google “recipe” on the Internet you will have literally millions of recipes to choose from.  I find that I rely less on my cookery books nowadays and more on the web, as I can refine my search for a specific dish and find exactly what I want very quickly.  In fact quicker than when I am looking through my books.

It is very interesting to look through and compare different recipes for the same thing.  I am the type of cook who doesn’t stick closely to recipes, and likes to be creative.   Web recipes are easy to compare quickly. 

I find that the BBC Good Food recipes are very reliable.  All the celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver, Nigella and Delia also have recipes online.  It makes me wonder why people buy recipe books!

Recently I have found that the Guardian newspaper does articles on

“How to make the best …”.  I used this recently for tiramisu but they also cover lots of other recipes.  The articles compare different ingredients that can be used and the researcher does all the hard work in experimentation before coming up with a knock out recipe.  They are exactly as described- truly fantastic recipes that really work.

If your recipe goes wrong, you can google your problem and find the solution to it.  Have you ever found that you don’t have a particular ingredient?   You can find out if one ingredient could be swapped for another.

You can also download Apps to your smartphone for recipes.  I have one called “What’s for dinner?”  It gives you inspiration when you are in a hurry.  There are also websites where you can list the ingredients you have and you will be given suggestions for recipes to cook.

If you are not an experienced cook you may find that you can learn a lot from videos of chefs cooking your particular recipe.  You Tube have lots of great clips, which are entertaining to watch from a variety of places.  There are chefs who start their rise to fame on You Tube.  One such is Yo Yo Max 12, who has a channel dedicated to experimental baking and has lots of very interesting ideas.

There are disadvantages to cooking using a computer however.  One of these is that you may risk damaging your computer by having it in the kitchen.  You may get flour or liquid on it and make it all dirty.  It isn’t a good idea to cover your laptop keyboard in dirt as it will drop through the keys and into the working parts and fan.  I use a cover on my Mac keyboard to prevent this. 

It is probably a good idea copy and paste the recipes you plan to use into a Word document and print them out.  You can then compile a folder of your favourite recipes and make your own cook book.

If you are following recipes from You Tube, you will need to pause the programme frequently.  It may be a good idea to watch the whole thing first so that you have an overview to make it easier for yourself.

So if you are itching to be on the Bakeoff, use the power of the Internet to help you!  Don’t forget that you can order your ingredients online too.

The Downside of Smartphones

The Downside of Smartphones

Last month I wrote about smartphones and all the wonderful things you can do with one.  They do have a downside however, and I thought it would be interesting to write my thoughts on the matter!

I'll admit it; I use my smartphone all day long.   I check my email, texts, Facebook, apps for weather, look up addresses, listen to music and podcasts, take photos and call people with mine!

I'm not the only one who looks at my phone all the time, but I am an older user, so am also very aware of situations when they are not appropriate.   This is not the case with everyone.   I turn mine off every night, and switch to silent in restaurants, cinemas, theatres and during lessons!  I also try not to walk and text, and when with friends, would put my phone away.

In a study of 1,600 managers and professionals, Leslie Perlow, PhD, at the Harvard Business School, found that:

• 70% said they check their smartphone within an hour of getting up.
• 56% check their phone within an hour of going to sleep
• 48% check over the weekend, including on Friday and Saturday nights.
• 51% check their phone on holiday.
• 44% said they would experience "a great deal of anxiety” if they lost their phone and couldn't replace it for a week.

She has written a book entitled “Sleeping with your smartphone”, How to Break the 24/7 Habit and Change the Way You Work.

It is not uncommon to reach for the phone as the first thing to do on waking, or to use a phone while on the loo!  (I wonder sometimes about the germs on them- this certainly is a negative!)

The amount of time that people are spending looking at their phones and their intense relationship with them raises the question 'why?’  We really have to ask what is so compelling about smartphones?  The answer is probably that they are addictive.

Computer technologies can be addictive because they're "psychoactive."  That is, they alter mood and often trigger enjoyable feelings. 

Email, in particular, gives us satisfaction due to what psychologists call "variable ratio reinforcement." That is, we never know when we'll get a satisfying email, so we keep checking, over and over again. It's like gambling – we are waiting to get a pleasurable result. 

Smartphones, of course, allow us to seek rewards (which includes photos, videos, news updates) anytime and anywhere.

This type of behaviour is not harmful until the addiction means that the phone is never turned off, and the person using it is always in a state of readiness in case it chimes or beeps because an email or a text or some other message or Facebook updates appears, and they are constantly checking.   Email protocol deems that they should be answered quickly, but 24 hours isn’t so long to wait- it doesn’t have to be instant!

Sleeping with a phone next to your bed can cause disruption to sleep as it may at any time make a noise, but is also emitting radiation, which could perhaps lead to health problems.

Walking while texting is dangerous and could lead to road traffic accidents, as people are distracted.  (They are also less likely to hear cars if the phone is being used as an iPod).  Texting while driving is not uncommon and so many people still use their phones without adequate hands free, and there have been some really tragic accidents.

I can’t help feeling a little sad when I look around me, especially amongst groups of young people when everyone seems to be looking at their phone rather than engaging with those around them.   Also being parted from a smartphone can cause some people huge anxiety.

Perhaps those of us who are heavy users should try one phone free day a month.  Maybe even take a holiday where there is no signal or Wi-Fi!

Computer Corner with Mrs PC Can a smartphone change your life?

The step to owning a mobile phone is not as great as the step to owning a smartphone such as an iPhone.   Smartphones are quite life changing and very addictive, but they are not always the best phones for making calls and their battery life is extremely short, mainly because they can be used in so many ways.

It is probably easier to make a list of what I use mine for on a regular basis:

Phoning

Texting

Email

Internet browsing

Listening to music or stories on audiobook

Taking photos.  The latest craze is the ‘Selfie’ or photo of yourself which is usually shared instantly on Facebook

Looking at photos stored on the phone

Showing photos to others and sharing via email, facebook etc

Making movies

Checking my diary and important dates on the calendar

Getting the phone to remind me of important dates or events with a tone

Setting the alarm on the phone to wake me up,

Using the timer function in the kitchen

Using the calculator

Looking up a phone number or address in Contacts (Address book)

Writing a note or reminder

Navigating using Google Maps when I am lost

Using the compass app to know which direction I am travelling

Buying a new song on iTunes

Checking Facebook and commenting on Facebook, sharing stories and messaging

Checking BBC News and Weather App

Deciding which star I am looking at with Star Walk App

Facetime and Skype- free calls and messaging

Reading on the Kindle App

Recording my run or walk to see how far I have been and how fast I went

Online Banking

Using the phone as a torch

Checking my passwords in the Password App when I have forgotten them

Games (not very often)

Using the phone as a radio with Radio Player

Catching up on Podcasts- especially the Archers

Using Shazam App to find out what song is playing on the radio

Discovering which bird I am looking at with my Bird identifying App

Learning a new language

Recording a voice memo, concert and playing it back

It’s no wonder that people rarely have them out of their hands and are constantly looking at them!

There are of course a whole host of other things that you can do on a phone using different Apps available.  I have used various ones such as currency converters and translation and local travel guides, shopping Apps and newspaper ones, Apps to test your hearing or your reflexes, QR readers to scan barcodes and get information, the list is endless. 

None of this is difficult, there is a whole new world out there waiting for you if you have yet to take the plunge.

There are however many other things that smartphones can be used for with added accessories.  I had some time to spare in the Apple store the other day and decided to do some research.  I discovered that I could buy colour changing bulbs, turn my iPhone into a controller and experience multicoloured mood lighting at home!  I could also use my phone in conjunction with other equipment such as wristbands which record the calories that you use in a day, or the exercise that you do and encourage you to be fit and healthy.  There are ones to monitor your heart rate, sleep, baby, pet, house and much more.

A little research shows that you can turn your iPhone into a satellite phone, Wi-Fi hub, microscope, night vision camera, Gameboy, amplifier, 3 D camera.  It is really quite remarkable.

 I find it intriguing that all this is possible.  It isn’t that long ago that mobile phones were huge and expensive luxuries- how quickly things change!  Even if you choose not to own one, it’s still interesting to know what you can do using one!  If you do have one already, you might now be tempted to get more out of it and use yours in a different way.  A smartphone can change your life!

eBay has been hacked. Your password is no longer secure.

Please change your password now! Top left, where it says "Hi, and your name", click the downward arrow and choose account settings.  From there look at the menu on the left and choose Personal information.  Then choose Password.  Type in the old one and then the new one twice and save.

How hackers exploit 'the seven deadly sins' Professor Alan Woodward By Prof Alan Woodward Department of Computing, University of Surrey

Viewpoint: How hackers exploit 'the seven deadly sins'

By Prof Alan Woodward Department of Computing, University of Surrey 
Copied from the BBC News today 

The phenomenon of "social engineering" is behind the vast majority of successful hacking.

This isn't the hi-tech wizardry of Hollywood but is a good, old-fashioned confidence trick.
It's been updated for the modern age, and although modern terms such as "phishing" and "smishing" are used to describe the specific tricks used, they all rely upon a set of human characteristics which, with due respect to Hieronymus Bosch, you might picture as the "seven deadly sins" of social engineering.
Apathy: To fall for a confidence trick, or worse, we assume others "must" have taken the necessary steps to keep us secure.
Sadly this leads to a lack of awareness, and in the world of the hacker that is fatal. When we stay in a hotel and we programme our random number into the room safe to keep our belongings secure, how many of us check to see if the manufacturers override code has been left in the safe?
It's nearly always 0000 or 1234 so try it next time.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

If you're not the paying customer, you're very likely to be the product”

Curiosity:

Humans are curious by nature. However, naive and uninformed curiosity has caused many casualties. Criminals know we're curious and they will try to lure us in. If we see an unfamiliar door appear in a building we frequent, we all wonder where it leads.

We might be tempted to open it and find out, but in the online world that might just be a trap waiting for an innocent user to spring it. A colleague built a website that contained a button that said Do Not Press, and was astonished to find that the majority of people actually pressed it.
Be curious, but exercise a healthy degree of suspicion.
Gullibility: It is often thought of as a derogatory term, but we all suffer from this sin. We make assumptions.
We take others at face value, especially outside of our areas of expertise. Put a uniform on someone and we assume they have authority.

Phishing scams can involve spoof emails designed to make users reveal their passwords

Give an email an official appearance by using the correct logo and apparently coming from the correct email address, and we might just assume it's real, regardless of how silly its instructions might be.
All of this can be easily forged online, so make no assumptions.
Courtesy: We quite rightly all teach our children to be polite. However, politeness does not mean you should not discriminate.
If you do not know something, or you feel something doesn't feel quite right, ask. This principle is truer than ever in the online world, where we are asked to interact with people and systems in ways with which we are quite unfamiliar.
If someone phones you out of the blue and says they are from your bank do you believe them?

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

If someone has a problem with proving who they are, you should immediately be suspicious”

No. Phone them back.

And by the way, use a mobile phone as landlines can remain connected to the person who made the call in the first place and so while you might think you're phoning the bank on a valid number you're just talking to the person who called you.
Greed: Despite what we'd like to think we are all susceptible to greed even though it might not feel like greed.
Since its inception, the very culture of the web has been to share items for free.
Initially this was academic research, but as the internet was commercialised in the mid-1990s, we were left with the impression that we could still find something for nothing.
Nothing is ever truly free online. You have to remember that if you're not the paying customer, you're very likely to be the product. In the worst case, you might find that you have taken something onto your machine that is far from what you bargained for.
Many pieces of malware are actively downloaded by owners unaware that the "free" product contains a nasty payload, even if it also appears to do what you expected of it.
Diffidence: People are reluctant to ask strangers for ID, and in the online world it is more important than ever to establish the credentials of those whom you entrust with your sensitive information.

A call from IT support might actually be from hackers based in a different continent

Do not let circumstances lead you to make assumptions about ID.
For example, if someone from "IT support" calls you and asks for your password so they can help fix your problem, how do you know they haven't called everyone else in the building first until they found you who has really got a problem?
This is a well-known attack. If someone has a problem with proving who they are, you should immediately be suspicious.
Thoughtlessness: Thinking before you act is possibly the most effective means of protecting yourself online. It is all too easy to click that link.
Stop.
How many of us when reading an apparently valid link in an email would bother to check whether the link is actually valid or whether instead it takes you to a malicious site.
It's horribly easy to make links look valid so try hovering your cursor over the link for a few seconds before clicking to see what the real link is: the true link pops up if you give it a moment.
As cynical as it may sound, the only answer is to practise your A-B-C:

• Assume nothing
• Believe no-one
• Check everything

With more Christmas shopping expected to be done online this year than ever before, you should watch out for those that would exploit the deadly sins.
Don't give criminals the chance to ruin your holiday season, and remember that a little bit of paranoia goes a long way online.
Alan Woodward is a visiting professor at the University of Surrey's department of computing. He has worked for the UK government and consults on issues including cybersecurity, covert communications and forensic computing.

Mice

We take it for granted nowadays that you interact with a computer using a mouse.  A mouse is a pointing device, which rolls on a surface and displays a pointer on the screen which allows you to point to what you want and select it.  It features 2 buttons and a wheel in the middle, which can also be used as a button and a cord if it is one that is plugged in.

Mice come in many shapes and sizes, and some are built in, as in the case of laptops.  I thought it was a worthy subject to talk about as mice are often overlooked, and can be more useful and interesting than you might think!

Mice have been in wide use since the 60’s.  Their early history is fascinating, and stemmed from the military.  If you are interested, do look this up on Wikipedia!  They started as 5 pin bowling balls.

They can be used in many ways- most of which you probably already know, but perhaps not!

·      Hovering over text with a mouse will often reveal information that is hidden.  Try this to see what date a photograph was taken.

·      Single left click, used to select.

·      Double left click, if done quickly will allow you to open programmes.   You would do this automatically to open an icon on the desktop, and you need to do so to open a folder.  You can also use double left click to select a single word in text.

·      Triple left click will select a sentence or paragraph in text.

·      Right click will bring up a menu.  This menu will change according to what you are doing.

·      Click the middle button- can also be used to select.

·      Click and drag- used to move things around in your folders or on the desktop.

·      Roll the middle button to travel up and down on your screen.  Many people overlook this feature.  It is so useful and easier than any other method when it comes to moving about on the screen.

·      Clicking while holding down another key to select multiple files.

·      Gestures- gamers will be familiar with these- swiping might make your character move to the right or left.

·      If mice have other buttons on them, these can be set up to do shortcuts.

Different type of mice include:

·      Optical or LED.

·      Laser.

·      Ergonomic.  These are comfy and designed to avoid RSI.

·      Gaming.  These come set up with lots of programmable buttons.

·      Wand, doesn’t need to be on a flat surface.

·      Ball mouse, great for very young children or those who struggle to control a mouse because of a shake.  They are large, and you use a finger to move the ball rather than move the whole mouse about.

They can be cordless or connected by a wire.

There are things to consider about using a mouse.  Make sure it isn’t too small for the size of your hand.  Make sure you are comfortable when using it.  I very often teach people who are using cheap and tiny mice, and they wonder why they are struggling.  For older people, the bigger the mouse, the easier it is.  Also just because you are using a laptop with inbuilt mouse doesn’t mean that you can’t plug a mouse in!  Many people find trackpads tricky on laptops.  It is easy to catch them with your wrist and do things that you hadn’t anticipated, so if this is happening to you, plug in a mouse and give it a try!  You can also disable the trackpad on your laptop to stop problems of accidentally clicking on something.

Mice can be adapted to your needs.  If you are left handed, you can set them up the opposite way.  You can also make the cursor (pointer arrow) larger or blacker so that you can see it better on the screen.  If the mouse is moving too fast, you can slow it down.

Hope that after reading this, you will have learned something new, and will look anew at your mouse and discover it’s true potential! 

It's never too late!

87 is not too late to learn how to use an iPad!

Confessions of a neighbour.

A man received the following text from his neighbour:

I’m so sorry Bob.
I've been riddled with guilt and I have to confess.
I have been tapping your wife, day and night when you're not around.
In fact, more than you.
I do not get any at home, but that's no excuse.
I can no longer live with the guilt and I hope you will accept my sincerest apology with my promise that it won't happen again.

The man, anguished and betrayed, went into his bedroom, grabbed his gun, and without a word, shot his wife and killed her.


A few moments later, a second text came in: Damn predicted text!    Obviously  I meant "wifi ”

Have you ever dropped your phone down the loo?!

I expect if you have owned a smart phone, that you might have had an incident with it at some stage- perhaps you have dropped it and smashed the screen, but this is much less damaging than contact with water.  Sadly I dropped my brand new iPhone down the loo after only a week of owning it 3 years ago.  Water damage happens quite often, and it invalidates any warranty! 
I advise you to put your phone in a waterproof case to prevent the accident from happening, but
if it happens to you, turn off the phone, take out the battery if you can, and leave it to dry in a sealed bag of rice.  Do not shake the phone to remove water or use a hair drier on it!
A revolutionary new business called "Reviveaphone" offers a special bag for doing this which will also remove corrosive mineral deposits from your phone.  It costs around £15 and has been backed by Dragon's Den.