Copyright 2005 Private Mail Services
Long gone are the days that we could feel secure and know for certain that we had privacy. With the digital age upon us we can no longer be so sure that our privacy is secure. Recently Google has admitted their organisation holds user data indefinitely. This causes concerns as now we know Google has information on us that we do not want anyone to know about.
We can simply blame this all on the big corporate companies; they seem to be a very good escape goat however, this is not the case; your privacy is totally up to you. Certificates ensure that all the data that is transferred between you and the internet is secure and encrypted. Recently in New Zealand there was a short certificate outage on a banks website. During this outage only one out of 300 users took this security warning seriously.
This is a rather large concern, as many users on the internet have the same belief that their data is safe and secure. By the end of 2005 it is estimated identity fraud will cause up to 5 trillion dollars world wide. We, the users of the internet must keep ourselves safe, secure and pay attention to those security warnings. I have compiled some good tools and tricks that will help keep you much more anonymous and secure.
1) Get rid of the internet explorer:
First and foremost Microsoft Internet Explorer is the highest risk to your internet experience. Not only is the most popular internet browser, but is also the most popular for attacks from Viruses and Spyware. Internet explorer is also too integrated with the windows operating system. Have you ever wondered how a dialler or online casino got onto your desktop?
I personally recommend Opera; they have a nice clean browser. The usability is easy and best of all, it uses tabbed browsing.
2) Protect your Connection.
Make sure you have an active firewall operating; Firewalls stop intruders from entering your connection and causing havoc. Hackers can easily gain access to an unprotected network and steal private information.
With the release of SP2 for Windows XP, Microsoft have incorporated a free personal Firewall. If you have broadband your router should have an inbuilt Firewall, and make sure this is enabled, Zonealarm also offer a free Firewall. You must always do what you can to protect yourself.
3) Don’t share those files:
One of the most common security flaws besides running Windows XP, is having File sharing enabled. To disable File Sharing please do the following:
Click Start Menu, select settings.
Click on Network Connections.
Right-click on the Local Area Connection icon and on the menu that appears, choose Properties.
In the General tab under “This connection uses the following items”, highlight “File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks”. (If File and Printer Sharing is not listed, then file sharing has not been setup). You may skip the rest of these instructions.
Click Uninstall.
When you are asked if you are sure you want to Uninstall File and Printer Sharing Click Yes.
You may now close the Local Area Connection Properties window.
You must restart for your computer for the effects to work.
3) Hide your IP address:
Your IP address is just like your phone number, it links directly back to you. There are many reasons you may wish to hide your IP address. Preferable you do not want to be tracked around the web, it’s just as bad as having a GPS in your mobile phone.
I have found a great tool that gives free anonymous surfing: Primedius. This tool is free for a limited time. I don’t guarantee this service but I believe it performs to basic anonymous web-surfing standards.
4)Check those certificates:
Your internet connection is not secure, the data that travels between you and the site you may be browsing may pass through over 25 other computers. If you are sending very confidential information such as credit card payments, make sure the address starts with an https. Also check that the padlock on your browser is locked, and is valid for the specific site. This will ensure that you have a 128 bit encrypted connection with the website.
If you want secure email you may also have your emails encrypted too. A good free vendor is Hushmail. Your email security is more at risk than your web browsing; you must ensure your emails are safe.
5) Kill the spyware
Spyware are little programmes that can easily be picked up by surfing any website or downloading files. Spyware can pickup information from where you surf to your credit card details, this information then can be sold.
Microsoft has released a beta version of their upcoming anti spyware removal tool. This too works well, and I highly recommend this tool. Zonealarm also offer a free online spyware detector.
The information I have passed to you should be seriously considered. The internet is a very unsecure environment; you must ensure your data is safe from outside prying eyes. Make sure you are careful with any transaction you make. Never fool for any kind of email promotion, anyone who tries to sell to you through spam advertising is not trustworthy. Also make sure to check the links from anything you click on, I have found numerous fake Paypal sites that try to steal your login and password.
Remember… it is up to you!
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Steve is the owner and operator for Private Mail Services.
http://www.private-services.com We endeavour to keep your personal life totally safe and private.
© Private Mail Services 2005
http://www.private-services.com
Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of Sketchandtravel.com and Bookpleasures.com is delighted to have as our guest, Dan Goldman, Guitarist, Song Writer, Poet, Arranger and a musician of many other talents.
Dan is here to discuss his world of music and travels.
Norm:
When did your passion for music begin? What keeps you going?
Dan:
I can’t quite remember when my passion began. It seems to have been an inborn appreciation. My earliest memories are of listening to old records and 8-track recordings that my parents had kicking around the house - anything from Kenny Rogers to Neil Diamond sparked my interest at the time. My father played piano,
and I always loved listening to his romantic, albeit, slightly schmaltzy touch.
I’d press my ear against the soundboard to get the most out of the vibrations.
Norm:
Who were the musicians that influenced you?
Dan:
There are too many to mention; but if I had to narrow it down, I’d say, in order of appearance: The Beatles, The Who, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, my uncle Issac, Classical guitar repertoire including Bach and most of the Spanish composers, Joni Mitchell, Jim Hall, Bill Frisell and on and on.I’m currently into Wilco, Joanna Newsom, Lisa Germano, to name a few.
Norm:
When on tour, do you notice any differences in audiences from one city to the next, and if so, would you say that this may due to their geographical location.
For example, how would you compare audiences in Vancouver to those in Toronto or Montreal insofar as your music is concerned?
Dan:
Yes, I’d say the main difference lies in how saturated the market is. In Calgary, for instance, where there isn’t as much traffic in terms of touring bands, I tend to get a warmer and more appreciative reception than in Toronto, where, although I play plenty of great gigs, the audiences are somewhat numbed by the sheer volume of musicians around. Then again, performances are always
different and anything I think is the rule is always put into question as soon as I play an unexpectedly great gig in the least likely situation.
Norm:
What challenges or obstacles do you encounter while traveling and performing?
How did you overcome these challenges?
Dan:
I get nervous a lot. I’m fine when I’m actually performing, but I generally get stressed a couple of hours before the show. It’s really important for me to eat and rest appropriately so that the stress doesn’t take a toll on my performances. I generally try to put aside a certain amount of time every day that I’m on tour to warming up or to my sitting (meditation) practice.
Norm:
Which is your favorite city to perform in? Why?
Dan:
I can’t say that I have one. Anywhere where the people are receptive and supportive becomes the best city.
Norm
How do you get the inspiration for your song and music writing?
Dan:
I love music. It’s not hard to get inspired, what’s hard is following through and staying consistent with my writing practice. I find that the only way to get to where I want to be expression-wise is to spend the time it takes; and you never know how long that’s going to be, so you just keep going!
Norm:
What was the first piece of music you ever wrote? What was the reaction?
Dan:
I can’t remember. It was probably something in the classical guitar idiom. I’ve always made sure to ask people who I knew would be supportive - a stacked deck, if you will, in my favor.
Norm:
Do you set yourself daily, weekly, yearly goals? If so, what are some of your goals?
Dan:
Yes, I definitely have to set daily goals, otherwise a whole day passes me buy, and I feel like I’ve done nothing. These goals are rewarding because I can say, for example, I’m going to work on words for an hour, and then at the end of the hour I’ve done it - it might all be shit, but at least I’ve stayed with it, and
it’ll likely turn into something good at some point. In contrast, saying that I want to tour the world by the time I’m 33 is a bit more difficult to materialize. Ultimately, I know that if I keep writing and touring, I will get led to greater accomplishments in my craft as well as a greater fan base with more touring opportunities.
Norm:
You are a guitarist, song writer, poet, and arranger. Which of the above do you prefer and why?
Dan:
At this point, I’m a singer-songwriter. It’s what I practice on a daily basis, and it’s how I’m starting to become known.
Norm:
I understand that in Canada there are Music Festival Travel Grants as well as other travel grants that assist professional Canadian musicians to perform at festivals outside their province or territory of residence.
Apparently, these grants are given to introduce experience artists to new audiences at an early stage of their career to a wider public. Have you ever received this assistance and if so, could you tell our audience how beneficial have they been from the point of view of furthering your career?
Dan:
Yes, I’ve received some assistance from the Canada Council for the Arts and it has been extremely helpful. I got a tour grant last year, for instance, which allowed me to tour across the country. Although the tour wasn’t as well organized as I’d hoped for, it did provide me with a new network of people across the country who have since become very supportive, including my current manager, Candace Elder.
Norm:
Do you think there is some kind of a connection between music and travel?
Dan:
Absolutely. Traveling, whether physical or emotional, provides a new
perspective, or a new backdrop, if you will, to your old script. It makes your story seem a little more vibrant, and therefore, worthy of being documented, which of course, is one of the main purposes of art.
Norm
What is next for Dan Goldman and is there anything you wish to add that we have not covered?
Dan:
I have a tour beginning in August that I hope will bring me from coast to coast. I’m also working on some new songs and am really excited to record them in the new year.
Thanks Dan and good luck with all of your future endeavors. Thanks Norm
To read more about Dan or listen to his music CLICK www.dangoldman.ca
About the Author
Norm Goldman is the Editor of the travel site www.sketchandtravel.com and the book reviewing site www.bookpleasures.com
Did you ever sit down with some popcorn and flip on a classic Disney movie with your sibling, cousin, or small neighbor? Or maybe you were just all alone on a Friday night with a slightly slanted party hat on your head. Whichever it was, did you ever think, “Hey! That was pretty weird…that seems odd to be in a Disney movie.” Well don’t shake that feeling off because for once your right! There are plenty of Disney movies where they make you wonder about what the movie is really all about and it gets you to say “hmm…That’s not right.” Disney isn’t as innocent and child-loving as you may think, my friend. it’s actually quite a corrupt money-making corporation that throws propaganda wrapped in mouse ears towards your little loved ones. I’ve decided to narrow down Disney’s brainwashing techniques towards little children into three categories that I feel are the clearest.
The first theme that influences children’s views of themselves is beauty. All of the classic princesses are beautiful beyond compare and are very dolled up with fancy clothing and makeup. This sends the message to little girls everywhere that they must dress like this and look like this in order to find there prince charming. There is not only an issue of being not pretty enough, but also being too pretty. In Snow White, the princess was too pretty for her own good and was to be killed immediately. The evil villains in these movies are depicted as ugly and in several cases said to be witches. Now children have the intention that witches and their witchcraft are evil. In “The Little Mermaid” Ursula is displayed to be a witch and is also fat. Little children are now lead to believe that all fat people are evil. There is a lot more on this specific theme but I’ll move on to the next which is sexism. The princesses have stereo typical girl roles and always find themselves being in trouble and needing to be rescued by a handsome prince, showing that all women are helpless and cannot do anything by themselves. They are projected as being very vain and doing all the housework. Ariel had to change from being a mermaid to a human for her prince Eric, but why couldn’t prince Eric change for her? A main scene that sticks out in my head is in “Peter Pan” when Peter has like eight girlfriends. Tinker bell, Wendy, Tiger Lilly, and the five other mermaids. I mean come on! That’s just not right. This is showing children that they should not be nice to each other but fight for there man and be jealous and catty towards each other. Tinker bell was so jealous of Wendy that she tried to kill her, which brings me to my next theme being violence. In all the classic Disney movies, there is some sort of battle against good and evil at the end. The movies don’t show appropriate ways of dealing with conflict and kids under seven can’t distinguish fantasy from reality which shows them that this is a good way they can solve there problems. In “Snow White” the evil queen gave Snow White a poison apple which is intended to kill Snow White. This causes little children to fear apples and deprive them of there necessary daily intake of nutrition a growing child so dearly needs.
In every Disney movie, it ends with everyone smiling and rejoicing and there is always a happily ever after. This isn’t the case in the real world, as you all probably know, but children don’t know this and these classic Disney flicks don’t prepare children for the hardships of real life. There are plenty of other themes Disney uses to brainwash children, so the next time you’re watching a Disney movie look a little bit closer, because you might see something you never thought was there.
Daggi Pulz is co-webmaster at http://www.links2see.com an online family directory. She can be contacted at Daggi@links2see.com