Work At Home Pondering on Internet Age

As powerful and useful as the internet can be in today's fast paced world, we ought to be careful when it comes to internet security. Whether you are a work at home mom or not, you should protect all your email and website accounts by updating your password on a regular basis.

Few days ago, I received an email from an acquaintance seeking for some urgent monetary help and in the email, she was said to be robbed to gunpoint and not having a penny to get home. A look at such email will tell you that it is all fake and someone had hacked her email account. I sincerely hope that no one will be naive enough to send money to the account number in the email.

I can't deny that the internet has become an important for me as a work at home mom as my business depends on it. But sometimes, I think I need to step away from being connected and remember how I used to lead my life before. I wouldn't want to become addicted to the internet or feel uneasy when connection is disrupted. Infact, I do feel 'lost' when the internet was down for 2 days a week ago. I read that some teens become depressed when they become too dependent on social networking sites. They chat, make friends and enjoy their circle of virtual friends that if you remove them from this circle, they can sink into depression. For more info on such treatment, click here.

So as we enjoy the convenience and power of technology, let's not become 'addicted' to the internet for surely life must contain a balance of old and new.

choosing the right web hosting provider

After a long break since November, I'm nudging myself to get on with my online business. What I need is momentum and discipline together with a clear mind of how to get started.

With so many plans in mind for my online business, I would need to look into a good webhosting apart from the one I'm having now. In the last couple of years, I witness a sprung up of webhosting companies - large and small - into the virtual world. With so many hosting options available, it can be hard to decide which is best and suitable for my online business needs.

We've heard about green wedding, green birthdays but it sounds a little weird when I first learned about green web hosting. For those of you who like a quick overview of which top web hosts to choose, Web Host Geeks has the answers all at one glance for you. Apart from learning about the features, special highlights of the web hosting package, you can also read reviews of the respective web hosts. This would help to speed up your research in locating the right web hosting provider in this busy e-marketplace.

Malaysia Today blocked!

Since last night, I haven't been able to access Malaysia Today, Your Source of Independent News. As usual, I suspect that the server is hacked or down for some 'dirty' reasons.

A moment ago, my blogging buddy dropped me a note on the new URL for Malaysia Today:

http://202.71.97.141/2008/ or http://mt.harapanmalaysia.com/2008/

According to Malaysia Kini, there is an order to block Malaysia-Today:

"In a rare move, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has ordered all internet service providers (ISPs) to block controversial online portal Malaysia Today."

Doesn't the government know that there is such thing called 'mirror sites' and would they think that RPK would only host his valuable resources and information in only one server. Don't they know that the internet is borderless? This is the power of technology. Yes, it changes and it influences, faster and more powerful than the human mind can fathom and imagine.

spam text messages are annoying

Lately, I've been getting lots of text messages on sale annoucements via my mobile phone. It seems that sms marketing is getting popular to the extent of retailers spamming mobile users with too announcements and messages. What annoys is that some of these messages are sent late at night and it can cause unnecessary worries for the recipient. If only the mobile phone can be set in a anti-spam mode like our emails and we don't need to be bothered with messages from unknown sources and senders.

a visit to the computer mall

Take a walk in the computer mall in Low Yat or Seksyen 14 and you will be tempted to buy the latest, lightest, coolest, most high tech laptop. We were in the computer mall in Seksyen 14 last weekend and I had to keep myself away from those cool digital stuff! Everyone wants a laptop with the best laptop memory configuration at the lowest price possible. The lightest gadget steals the show and the one with the most features attract the tech savvy. For me, I'm happy with my Macbook Pro since it's been living up to my expectations. Except for slow loading with Photoshop, it's one of the coolest laptops I've ever had.

online everything

In the US, people use the internet for everything - almost. They use it to shop, do their banking, pay auto insurance online, do their research, book air tickets, accommodation, online education, online flowers ordering..etc. Thus, broadband is affordable and almost every household has a computer and an internet connection.

For me, the internet has become part of me. Whether it's for leisure, personal or business, it's frustrating when connection is down for a day. You can feel as if the earth stops revolving (I'm exaggerating :P). On the other hand, online banking, online shopping or online financial services are efforts to live a green lifestyle - less paper, less trees to cut and less waste - that's what it means.

technology can't alter some things

It's amazing that you can now take notes with a digital pen on paper - this is technology! But no matter how advanced technology can be, we still use a lot of ink pens in the office and home. I suppose this is why you still get alot of pen souvenirs from trade shows and promotional stands. Just like print is not replaced by digital media, it is hard to replace the traditional use of pens and pencils. Technology may not alter some habits - at least not now.

get your own hosting

After blogging for more than a year, I am rather pleased with all the wonderful lessons learnt, nice friends whom I got acquainted with online and the unexpected monetary returns.

There's one thing I strongly recommend if you are thinking of blogging on a more serious note. That is, you should at least host your own domains instead of using the free blogging platforms. This was my very first blog which explains why I'm still updating it faithful on a regular basis. Plus, this is a personal blog where I share my life, experiences and what-nots. But after this first one, I then move on to 5 blogs within a year and hosted them with Hostgator.

Since I'm sharing the hosting account with DH, I chose the unlimited domains plan, the cheapest being the Baby Croc Plan. I have never quite had any problems with Hostgator unlike some of my friends, who often experience hiccups from their hosting companies. For Unlimited Domain Hosting Only $9.95 a Month, I believe it's a good deal. Of course you may tell me that you can find unlimited hosting cheaper elsewhere but what I can say is that Hostgator has rarely any downtime or loading hiccups. Even if there is, it is often restored very quickly and the support has been excellent so far.

So if you are serious into getting a hosting plan, check out Hostgator, Unlimited Domain Hosting Only $9.95 a Month
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have fun with Groovle!

I am quite certain that many of you use Google to search for information in your daily life. Personally, I use it everyday to search for anything under the sun, from stock images to health information, to online shopping, reviews, researching on new educational toys for Clayton, download music..etc.

What some of you may not know is that you can actually Personalize Google in your PC or laptop. I added one of my favourite photos and the greeting page will automatically appear once I launch my Firefox in the morning. You can feel free to add a celebrity photo, a motivational image or anything personal or sentimental to you cos it's your own page. Plus, it's free and you can even move the search box to any place on the page. Personalize it to your liking and make it your own unique greeting page when you start your PC. Check it out now and have fun with Groovle!

are you into skins?

In the last few weeks, I have been reading reviews and asking friends about PDA phones and such. I'm planning to upgrade my cell phone and being someone who is not so updated on the tech news, I prefer to check out users' reviews and recommendations. These days, a cell phone is more than just a communication device. We can see it in our lifestyle and many people will take great lengths to beautify their digital devices like buying cell phone skins, mp3 skins, laptop skins, Xbox skins and more. if you take a look at skinit, you will be lost with so many different skins designs, depending on what you want to use to reflect your personality and style. Looks like I should consider getting one for my Macbook Pro...

leading provider of security administration solutions

Since most of us are users of the internet, we cannot take computer security for granted. I have to admit that I have been irritated with lots of junk in my mailbox everyday and some of those mails are luring people to release their personal password information.

All the more should internet and computer security be taken seriously to protect any privacy intrusion from unauthorized sources. Companies like Symark meet the security requirements of sarbanes 404 acts for effectiveness of internal controls for financial reporting purposes. Being a leading provider of security administration solutions for IT platforms, Symark is matched with its expertise and dedicated support towards their business clients.

Data Recovery New York to the rescue!

How frustrating it is to experience technical errors on your computer and laptop when you are in the midst of work or doing something. This is especially so if you are a heavy user on the PC all day. These days, it can even easier to lose data in the computer due to any technical faults, human error, incompatible software in the system, virus attack, bugs...etc. Personally, I had experienced the loss of data when my previous iBook experienced a system clash. The technical didn't know what happened and instead of recovering my lost data, he reformatted my entire hard disk! I guessed that was the easy way out for him!

It's good to know that a Data Recovery New York called DataHotline specializes in recovering loss of data for Hard Drive, Server Storage, CD-Rom, Floppy Disk, Zip Disk, Digital Camera, PDA and even Cellular Phone. Isn't it great? Besides, the company also gives priority to Raid Data Recovery Service. All you need to do is to send your device or equipment to these experts and let them conduct a thorough evaluation. And if you are pleased with the reports and quotes, DataHotline will proceed to recover your lost data right away!

block those pop-ups!

Those of us who use the internet alot may be annoyed with those pop-ups that appear in some sites. Sometimes, I can't even close the window of the pop-ups and those flickering images are distracting and disturbing. There are some others which contain adult images which may be inappropriate for minors. DH is suggesting that I install a popup blocker to eliminate to problem. As the name suggests, the software blocks any pop-up which helps to minimize these frustrations. Check out the link if this is your concern too.

a cool device named Temperature@lert

I used to work in a multimedia environment where the room is dark most of the time with servers, computers, 3D graphic machine, printers all housed in one place. The only reason why I quit working in a place like that was because I could not withstand the stuffiness and the heat on those days when the air con failed to work. I only wished the Temperature@lert USB Sensor with Email Alerts was invented at that time as it would help to monitor the temperature of the multimedia room and avoid those discomforts. It was unpleasant to work in a room like that and somehow, the boss didn't think it was a big problem.

Temperature@lert is linked to the PC via a USB port and will alert the user via a windows application when the temperature is not within your desired range.

I thought it would be great to use this in a flower cold room or an organic shop cold room where coolness is key to the freshness of the products. This can help to keep products at optimum quality and the owner can be alerted should anything go wrong the temperature of the cold room.

NOD32 - the best in computer security

Yesterday morning, DH received an email from one of our business associates. But when he saw that the subject title was left empty and there was an attachment to the email, he was skeptical about opening it. These days, there are all sorts of virus and they are annoying. We both had experienced computer crashes due to viruses planted by spammers and spies.

It came to my attention that NOD32 is the next up and coming security software that can protect computers and files from these risks and attacks. To date, the software has won raving reviews and tested to be the best in its respective security software categories. Most importantly, the software is quick to detect any unknown viruses coming into your computer system and upholds your computer security to the highest.

Hide Your IP Address for personal security

How many hours do you spend online everyday? If you are like me, sending lots of emails, visiting websites, blogging, uploading and sending images everyday, then it's about time to consider your privacy and security in the worldwide web! In the online world, our 'identity' is represented by our IP addresess which can led to a revelation of our identity, which includes personal details. After checking out http://www.hide-my-ip-address.com/, I discovered that my identity can be hidden by bothersome spammers and hackers.

One of the ways to avoid these risks and security problems is to install 'hide IP address', a software that hides your identity so that you can go online without being known. In other words, you can surf in privacy without any fear or worry that your profile will be tracked.

the BEST in Dish Network Satellite TV

In our of my earlier posts, I wrote about the battle between the two 'boys' in my house, one is three years old and the other is in his 40s. Somehow or rather, they both were 'quarelling' over the satellite TV and insist on watching each's favourite program.



It's amazing how Dish TV has played such an important role in our lives today, especially if you are staying in a country with lousy local channels. But today, I was shocked by an attractive and 'hard to resist' Dish Network Satellite TV Summer Special. This company is giving away up to $1,399 freebies! All you have to do is to sign up as a first time subscriber with Dish Network and you can qualify for a $75 cash gift plus one of the five fabulous gifts including an Apple iPod, DVD Player, DVD Portable Player, a set of sleek Home Theatre System and a $50 Visa Gift Card.

These summer offers don't just end here though. You still get free installation, free HD DVR and Dual Tuner DVR Receiver upgrades, (savings of $1,000 in total), free activation, free HD Programming for 6 months, free Dish Network system and free HBO and Cinemax for 3 months! How do you resist a real deal like this? Satellite Solutions Network guarantees the best deal in Dish Network TV and stands by its excellent customer service and support.

To find out more or to order instantly, you can do so online or call 1.866.869.3109. Summer offers end on 31 August 2007.

I want Airinet broadband!

High speed broadband internet is almost a 'must' these days for most of us who are online more than 12 hours a day. I often get frustrated over slow speeds and worse still, interrupted connections every now and then. In the last few months, DH and myself have been checking on faster internet speed connections in our area but we are often told that installation is in progress. Malaysians can lament with me on this issue - our internet connection and server is simply pathetic.

How I wish we can have wireless broadband - yes - I mean 'WIRELESS', which means no modem needed, just like the one in Airinet Network, which is super fast and only cost $25 a month, serving the Pueblo area in Colorado. For only $25 a month, you get limitless access PLUS 100Mb email and hosting with any monthly plan. With Airinet broadband internet, you can surf and get connected anywhere, anytime, with no cables or telephone wires needed - how convenient is that?