Remote Control Scams in 2023

Remote control scams are alive and well in 2023. I blogged about this just a year ago, but this is important enough to go over again. A remote control scam is where someone is out to steal your money, and they use remote control software to get into your computer. Once they have access to … Read more

Sharing a URL

Everyone needs to be familiar with sharing a URL. Let’s go over the basics of this process, plus a extra tactic that makes sharing a URL even better. What Is a URL? URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. But before you nod off on me, let’s just agree that you can also call it web … Read more

Xfinity Scam – “50% Discount”

There’s a scam going around right now, promising a 50% discount on your Comcast/Xfinity bill. You might see this scam in your email, Facebook feed or even get a phone call! In any case, please know that it is not a legitimate offer. It is too good to be true. Anyone duped into calling the … Read more

Canary Tokens

Miners used to bring canaries with them deep underground, to help detect dangerous gases. If the bird perished, the humans knew to retreat before they too suffered harm. Nowadays, the canary-in-a-coalmine concept extends to other type of alerts & security “tripwires”, such as Thinkst‘s Canary Tokens. Offered as a free service, this website allows anyone … Read more

What To Do About Phishing Websites

I am seeing a rise in phishing websites; here’s some info on what you watch out for! When you use a search engine, cybercriminals can game the results. They have ways to get their fraudulent websites to rise to the top of the page, and one method for this is simply to pay for ad … Read more

Steam Tweak to Reduce CPU Usage

Some clever people over on Reddit have figured out that the Steam Client sometimes gobbles up too much of your CPU. If you see Steam using too many resources in Task Manager, try these steps. This “Steam Tweak” may help to reduce your CPU usage

Dish Network’s 2023 Outage

If you’re having trouble with Dish Network lately, you’re not alone. On 2/23/23, Dish was hit with a ransomware attack, and they’ve been struggling to recover from it for over a week now. You may notice troubles or outages pertaining to: Ransomware attacks can take significant time and effort to bounce back from. Last year’s … Read more

Will I Have to Pay for Facebook?

I get this question occasionally: Will I Have to Pay for Facebook? No. Facebook is going to remain free for all to use. Facebook’s Help Center clearly states this. If you read somewhere that Facebook is going to begin charging everyone for access, that’s just an old hoax that gets passed around every few years. … Read more

How Long Should My Computer Last?

Many people ask me, “How long should my computer last?” And I could answer rhetorically with “How long is a piece of string?” but that won’t satisfy. I can do better. Let’s go over some concepts and ballpark ideas that will help you plan and manage your expectations for your computer’s lifespan. Things Fall Apart … Read more