I have talked a number of times about how important it is to protect your computer from viruses and other malicious threats. Of course, most computers come with something installed, but it is vitally important that you make sure that whatever you have is updated at least weekly if not daily. Most antivirus and spyware programs can be set to update automatically and this is the best way to go. If you use a free program that cannot be set to update automatically, then it is important that you go it manually.

Many Internet Service Providers (ISP) provide some security software free and you should certainly take advantage of this. I like to check the online version of PC Magazine for their recommendations. Here are a couple of interesting articles to check out from them.

Eleven Ways to BodyGuard Your PC

Nine Ways to Wipe Out Spyware

I also get a couple of RSS feeds from PC Magazine which often have interesting info.  CNet is another good source for information about technology stuff in general. Download.com also is a great source for software.

Do you have a favorite “trusted” source for software? Why don’t you share with us?

Until next time!

Janice

As Earth Day approaches, newspapers and other news sources are highlighting ways to “Go Green”. The Today Show had a great feature today on what to do with electronic items that you no longer want. Check out their website for more information.

Janice

In my continuing effort to pass on useful information from the internet, I wanted to tell you about a program I saw advertised in a TV ad the other day. The program, “My Safe Florida Home” is administered by the Florida Department of Financial Services. According to the ad and the website, it is possible for any Floridian whose residence is a single-family, detached, site-built home to get a free wind inspection. One of the benefits of receiving a free wind inspection through the My Safe Florida Home program is identifying the potential insurance savings available to you based on the current structure of your home. Many insurance companies provide discounts or credits for construction features proven to reduce damage from hurricanes. There are also grants available for qualifying residents that will pay for some types of hurricane protection.

I suggest that each of you check this out for yourselves and see if this is something that might be useful. I know that I am going to take a closer look for myself as I am always interested in saving a little money!

Janice

Looking to learn a new skill? This month, we are offering a wide range of computer classes.

• Basic Computer Skills  Tuesday, April 1, 10:00 am
• Introduction to Microsoft PowerPoint  Wednesday, April 2, 6:00 pm
• Advanced 3-D Modeling  Saturday, April 5, 2:00 pm
• Introduction to Microsoft Excel  Wednesday, April 9, 6:00 pm
• More Basic Skills  Thursday, April 10, 10:00 am
• Internet 1  Tuesday, April 15, 10:00 am
• Web 2.0 What is it?  Wednesday, April 16, 6:30 pm
  

All the classes are held in the Computer Lab on the first floor of the library. No sign-up is necessary; there are 8 computers and the first 8 people will be able to join the class. So come on down and learn something new, you’ll have fun, stretch your brain a little and meet some new people!

Janice

I saw something interesting on the Martin County Public Library site and thought I would pass it on to all of you! It is a Savings Calculator showing how much your library saves you each month. It is provided through the State Library of Florida and is really pretty darn interesting. Go ahead and give it a try!

Did you even know that we had a state library? We do and it actually is a wonderful archival source as well as providing a variety of services for the people of Florida.

I saw an article in the paper on Sunday and found it interesting. When I went to the website listed, it was even more interesting! How many of you have or have had a neighbor next door that drives you crazy? Or maybe they are really sweet? Bottom line is they are someone you would love to tell the world about! You finally have that chance! Go to RottenNeighbor.com and check it out.

This website was started only about a year ago but when I typed in West Palm Beach, a map appeared with a number of little red and green houses on it. It seems that the red houses designate a “rotten” neighbor and the green ones designate a good neighbor. All very interesting.

According the people behind this website, “RottenNeighbor.com is here to help. It’s the first real estate search engine of its kind, helping you find troublesome neighbors before you sign the paperwork on your new house, condo or apartment.”

Gotta admit, next time I move, I just might have to come back and check out the neighbors!

Do you often listen to music online or like to download songs? There are still places that you can do this for free! PC Magazine has just posted an article called Get Free Music! that lists 12 different websites where you can find music-streaming services that are not only free and legal (like all radio) but customizable. I don’t know about you, but I always feel a little better about trying out something online that is recommended by this magazine or one of the other well-known technology magazines.

Interested in checking some of them out? Here are several of them and the complete article is linked above.

Jango, TheSixtyOne, Musicovery, BoomShuffle, finetune, last.fm, skreemr, songza, Pandora, Slacker, and Imeem.

I just read a post from The Whimsicallibrarians blog that I thought I would share with you. The blog is maintained by a librarian who used to manage our Youth Services department and now is a branch manager for the Fairfield Public Library in Fairfield, Connecticut.

She had just returned from a conference on developing health information for library patrons and wanted to share some websites with her patrons. Though the conference was for Connecticut librarians, the websites she shares are great sources for any of us.

So take a look at the websites she suggests, I think you will be glad you did!

Janice

We have a great selection of computer classes coming up in March. We, of course, have the Basic Computer Skills and More Basic Skills classes during the day. For those of you who work, we are offering the Microsoft Word class in the evening this month. The class will be held Wednesday nights, March 12, 19 and 26 at 6:30 pm. On March 5 at 6:30 pm, I will be offering a beginning class on Microsoft Vista for those of you who have bought new computers or have updated to Vista. Also, I have a brand-new class “Intro to 3-D Modeling” which will be taught by our Artist in Residence: Matthew Hyner. This class will give an introduction into using Google Sketchup, available free from Google. No registration is required; all classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

 I would like to offer an invitation for those of you who are already competent in computer and internet use. Come share your knowledge with others! Whether you would like to help out in a class or actually teach a class, we need you!!!! If you are interested in learning more about volunteering in the computer lab, email Janice at collinsj@mycitylibrary.org

I have written about the Technobuddy (Bill Husted) before as I always find his articles interesting. Even those of us who consider themselves to be fairly technology literate can find useful info in his articles.

Last week, his article was called “Take pain out of hunt for tech help” and he offered some great advice on how to get what you need from tech help. His “Seven Rules for Surviving an Encounter with Customer Service” are well worth reading!!