November 2007

We are growing again! We have experienced a large increase in web projects over the past two months. As a result, our developers have reached capacity and thus project turnaround time has slowed. We are addressing this by hiring another developer. So, if you know of a web developer who may be interested, please have them contact Brad at 562-430-5716 or bwetherall@clickconsulting.com.

One Laptop Per Child is the goal of one non-profit organization, the OLPC Foundation. They are making this happen by reducing the cost of manufacturing to about $100 or so. How? Through open-source software, scale, and clever hardware design. Developing countries can order them, and the minimum order is 1 million units or so. These laptops are not available to the U.S. market.

What is a Botnet? And, why should I care? A botnet is network of computers that hackers control. They gain control, primarily, by sending out spam that has a link to their website. Once the email recipient clicks the link, the website downloads a virus that gives control of the computer to the hacker.

Well, we know that email is inherently insecure. But, what if we need to email an attachment that should be kept safe. Fortunately, there is a very easy approach to this which uses free software built-in to Windows XP computers. Simply convert the attachment(s) to a password-protected zip file. The process of creating the password encrypts the attachment. The email recipient can only open the file if they know the password. Careful, though, given time and determination a hacker could probably view the contents of your file. This is one simple step that will help keep your attachments secure. To see the specific steps, view the full text of this article.

OK, so you are working on a document at your computer, and you need to step away from your desk for a minute. But the problem is, you would prefer that your fellow employees did not see the open documents. You do not feel like shutting down the computer, or closing everything, or logging-off, so what do you do? Simple. Hit the Windows L keys on your keyboard. The Windows key is usually on the lower left of your keyboard, between the Ctrl and Alt keys. Holding down the Windows key, and then pressing the L key locks your computer, but leaves you logged in and all documents and applications running. We will be sharing more simple Windows tips in future issues.

When I sit down to work on an Excel document, I am efficient. As it turns out, I pride myself on my efficiency. For example, I was at Starbucks this week, and I ordered a refill. (A refill is your second cup of coffee at Starbucks, and only costs 50 cents). When I handed the Barista exact change and my empty Starbucks paper cup with the lid removed, she knew exactly what I wanted and I did not have to speak at all. She said to me: Wow, you are efficient. I beamed: Thank you for the most amazing compliment! My Excel efficiency comes from knowing a handful of keyboard shortcuts. Read the full article for my favorite.