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Agifta – Family Gift Registry

Agifta Family Gift Registry

Have you ever wanted to give a thoughtful gift, but couldn't think of a good one? Ever told someone in your family how much you love something only for them to surprise you with… the wrong one? What if you snagged the perfect gift ever for your spouse, but so did your Grandma? Ever had someone ask you what you wanted, but you couldn't think of anything? With a gift registry:

  • It's easy to add things you like on a list through the year as you think about it. Then, when someone asks what you want, just show them the list. They can pick from there or use it for ideas.
  • Friends and family can "claim" things on your list so others don't buy the same thing — all keeping it secret from you so the surprise isn't spoiled.

My family has used this site for 12 years in various forms and it's been a huge help. If you're not already using a gift registry in your family, now's a good time to try!

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TSA Nude Scanners Coming To American Malls

You're kidding, right?

So…

Wait.

What now?

A Yahoo article says that because women's cloths sizing is hard, they're going to nude scan them to figure out what they can wear. Seriously!?

Ms. Shaw, the entrepreneur, is chief executive of a company called MyBestFit that addresses the problem. It is setting up kiosks in malls to offer a free 20-second full-body scan — a lot like the airport, minus the pat-down alternative that T.S.A. agents offer.

Lauren VanBrackle, 20, a student in Philadelphia, tried MyBestFit when she was shopping last weekend.

“I can be anywhere from a 0 at Ann Taylor to a 6 at American Eagle,” she said. “It obviously makes it difficult to shop.” This time, the scanner suggested that at American Eagle, she should try a 4 in one style and a 6 in another. Ms. VanBrackle said she tried the jeans on and was impressed: “That machine, in a 30-second scan, it tells you what to do.”

That's cute. A strip search in the name of getting something to wear? So instead of wasting millions on this disrobing plan, why not standardize women's clothing and use inch measurements like men's clothes? How's that for an idea?

How long until someone hacks these poorly protected machines to record copies of all women scanned and the photos show up on the Internet? Will you put your teenage daughters in them?

This is so, so stupid, I can't believe it's actually true. I really hope this doesn't catch on because if it does, my faith in humanity will suffer yet again.

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Laundry Hacks

You wouldn't use one this large, but this is the idea

Here's a bunch of neat tricks I found today how to hack your laundry:

  • Use a small ball of tin foil instead of dryer sheets to eliminate static
  • Toss a ball or yarn or a tennis ball into the dryer for baster drying times
  • Avoid dryer sheets entirely because they leave a film on your lint catcher that can blow out your dryer.

Be sure to read the comments and check out some of the links there to see other related tips and tricks. Tags: , , ,

Child Predators Shifting to Blackmail

(Image is in the Public Domain)

It seems that online predators are getting tired of savvy kids that know better than to be lured (or they're just getting lazy/impatient). Either way, one police group is warning that predators are shifting to a strategy of blackmail instead.

As always, be aware of what your kids are doing online and know who their friends are. Make sure they know what to do when threatened by someone online.

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Ads Scare Parents Into Tagging Kids With Tracking Devices

Beware the puddle militia! They're gonna git ya!
(Image is in the Public Domain)

Privacy nuts like me have been warning people for years that tracking and tagging of all people will start with the kids. It's easy to teach people to accept personal tracking devices by giving it to them when they're young. But how do you do that? Use parents' practically fanatical protective instinct to protect their kids against a largely imaginary threat.

Companies that use scare tactics, especially when inflaming peoples fears of extreme and rare issues, are complete and utter scum.

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Facebook Security Hole Exposes Private Profiles

(Image used under: Creative Commons 2.0 [SRC])

Even if you did everything right to keep you private photos and information private, a Facebook security flaw allows people to access it anyway.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened and I'd bet that it's far from being the last.

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More Evidence that the UK Has Lost Their Minds

Currently they're planning to add children to the DNA database:

Home Office officials said plans to include primary school children on the DNA record would be kept 'under review'. The DNA database includes 4.5 million samples of genetic material, many taken from people who have been arrested but never charged with a crime. By next year, it is expected that 1.5 million of the samples will be from youngsters aged between ten and 18.

Bloody hell.

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Cyberbullying Law on the Horizon?

(Image used under: Creative Commons 2.0 [SRC])

Congress sticks their noses into a lot of things they shouldn't and not where they should. They are corrupt, inept, and won't do much to protect Americans unless it will make a positive affect on their careers or bank accounts.

Now they're looking at cyberbullying and it's hard to say if that's a good thing or not. Given their history, chances are that it's not.

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Go to Facebook and You’ll Never Escape

(Image used under: Creative Commons 2.0 [SRC])

The New York Times is running an article about Facebook's data retention issues. If you post to Facebook, even if you delete your account later, they keep the data available for public viewing.

It took Mr. Das about two months and several e-mail exchanges with Facebook’s customer service representatives to erase most of his information from the site, which finally occurred after he sent an e-mail threatening legal action. But even after that, a reporter was able to find Mr. Das’s empty profile on Facebook and successfully sent him an e-mail message through the network.
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Massive Multi-player Online Gaming for Kids – Beware

(Image used under: Fair Use doctrine)

There are already plenty of cases of adults or college students who have lost jobs and dropped out of school due to MMO gaming obsessions. Now we're going to unleash this on our kids?

If you're thinking of letting you kid play an MMO, be very careful about what game you choose and be sure to set limits on how and when they play.

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computer security Tutorial
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Security Software

Make sure you have a up-to-date Anti-Virus Program to protect you against bad websites or files.
Sometimes spyware gets in your computer and the anti-virus won't stop it. Use a spyware scanner to find and remove spyware and adware.
Use a software firewall to detect bad code on your computer when it tries to connect to the Internet.
Always keep your system up to date with security patches or none of the rest of your security software will matter.
Use an encryption tool to protect your important data when storing or transmitting it.
Switch to Firefox for your web browsing and you'll be better protected from Internet threats.

Safe Computing Practices

Don't get tricked by fake alerts or clever webpages into downloading viruses or spyware!

... or check out any of my other guides and tutorials by clicking here!

Anti-Virus

A virus can come from files, e-mails, web pages, or even devices you plug in (like thumbdrives or printers) and destroy your files or your computer once they get in. An anti-virus is software designed to detect and prevent that from happening.

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Spyware Scanners

Learn how to detect and remove spyware and adware using a free scanning tool.

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Software Firewall

Learn what a firewall is and why you want one on your computer.

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Operating System Updates

Make sure to keep your operating system up-to-date with security patches or else none of the rest of your security software will be able to protect you.

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File Encryption

Learn how to protect your important files on your computer or when transmitting them with free tools for file encryption.

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Mozilla Firefox - Internet Browser

There are many browser choices out there. Read why I think Firefox is one of the best.

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Fake Alerts

Maybe you've done everything right and you're computer is sufficiently fortress-like, but then you or someone in your family falls for a simple scam that tricks them into directly installing the bad guy's virus! Learn how to spot and ignore fakes!

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