Security is a hot topic today, at least partially thanks to the Internet.  It’s not that the Internet is good or bad – it’s neither – but rather because of the connectivity that the Internet provides.  Just as the car made it possible for criminals to seek out targets farther away than horses could carry […]

As a security guy, I can’t help but find Skype interesting.  Some people love it, others hate it.  Individuals flock to it, yet many corporations avoid it.  Some privacy advocates herald it, yet some in the open source community slam it.  Oh, and it uses encryption. I don’t remember how it came up, but I […]

I received an interesting email from a reader. To paraphrase, the question is how one can go about removing all personal information from a laptop prior to crossing the border so that, in the event the computer is searched, one’s email, contact lists, documents, browsing history, etc., remain private. It’s an interesting question partially because […]

Despite the growing popularity of digital SLRs, many people prefer a smaller and lighter camera.  There are also times that carrying an SLR just isn’t practical. The DMC-LX3 fits perfectly into this niche.  It’s small enough to fit a jacket pocket, yet offers creative controls that will satisfy advanced photographers. The DMC-LX3 sports an f2.0-f2.8 […]

There are few absolutes in security and privacy and I spend a lot of my time weighing benefits and risks. There is often no right answer and we’re often left contemplating how to best manage risks so that business can continue. But, every so often, there’s an exception. Like late last week, when I was […]

I use a lot of Adobe products. Lightroom, Photoshop, Premiere and Acrobat to name some. So, when blogs started buzzing about an Acrobat vulnerability, they grabbed my attention. And, when my distinguished colleague Larry Seltzer at eWeek.com wrote that “It May Be Time to Abandon Adobe”, I began to wonder if the sky was falling. […]

Back in the fall I started work on a virtualization project.  I’ll write more about it in some future articles, but in terms of background, I wanted to build a VMWare ESX-based system to make testing software products easier.  ESX is a server virtualization product that allows me to run multiple virtual machines on one […]

The Net has been thundering over the last few days about a security issue at Google, and some users have reported receiving the following email: Dear Google Docs user, We wanted to let you know about a recent issue with your Google Docs account. We’ve identified and fixed a bug which may have caused you […]

I’ll level with you: I’ve had a tough time finishing this review.  I’m a strong proponent of fair, balanced and unbiased reviews.  I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to test a lot of great camera gear.  When people ask me about digital SLRs, I’m usually quick to point out that Canon, Nikon and Olympus […]

The Internet is a great place to shop. But, at times, it can be difficult to tell if you’re looking at the Web site of a reputable business or a fraud. Criminals and the ethically challenged are increasingly taking advantage of this fact to separate you from your money. The scams are numerous but you […]

If you’re new to Photoshop, you know that some tasks involve a steep learning curve. And most of us who have been using it for years could still learn much more about it. Adobe Photoshop CS4 one-on-one by Photoshop expert Deke McClelland, published by O’Reilly Media, is a 500-page book that will teach you everything […]

Some of the most interesting security debates involve anonymity and privacy.  Everyone seems to have a different idea about what those words mean.  For example, some people think anonymity is a binary thing – you’re either anonymous or you’re not.  But when I think of anonymity I think of two axis. The first is how […]