With all the phishing and spam web sites today, is becoming very difficult to stay secure while surfing, not to mention that you have to install all kinds of filters to get a minimum protection. So what do we do?

We go on and install every possible app until we find one that will please us?  Makes you mad.

Why not install something on a network level and block the bad from there?

With OpenDNS you can do that right on your home network and they have a great tutorial for every available router.

When i first discovered OpenDNS, i used it to enhance my network for gaming. Their servers are apparently faster and so i used the IP’s provided and i was quite pleased about the performance.
I then started to use OpenDNS on all the machines till i realized that i can install it on the network and enhance the overall performance.

Aside the faster browsing, OpenDNS provides a content filter, which can be managed once you’ve created an account with them and installed their DNS servers – 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 - into your TPC/IP properties of your network as you can see below.

Here’s how you start using it: Start OpenDNS.

As soon as you’ve created your account, you will be taken to your dashboard which will look like this:

On your “Settings” you’ll be able to set the content filtering level. You can block any category that you don’t want such as phishing, gambling and so on.

Check, save and let OpenDNS take it from here and handle it for you. They will blacklist and whitelist for you, while you enjoy your surfing.

I focused a bit on the benefits and settings but there is a lot more in there and there is no catch to it. It’s all free.

If you are the “security freak” type and you think that this alone doesn’t do it for you, i can’t do much to convince you but i can add one more tool to it, a Firefox extension which was recommended to me by my good friend David and is call WOT – Web of Trust.

Web of Trust is a community where users get to vote which web site is safe for surfing, if it can be trusted, if it has a good reputation. After installing this extension, every web site you will encounter that has been marked by the WOT users will display a safety circle.
There too, you can create an account and be a part of the community to help improve the security on the world wide web.

Here’s an example of how a rated web site will look :

Well, that’s it for today. Now go get safe!

The Visual Dictionary Online is an interactive dictionary with an innovative approach.
A quick glance at the index is all it takes to connect words with images.
Explore the 15 major themes to access more than 6,000 images and see words like never before.

Head over there and see it for yourself.

If you’re still curious about the crossbow, here’s a shot explaining it:

via Visual Dictionary Online.

The Christmas is almost here and you didn’t buy any present yet for your loved ones.
If it is because you didn’t have time, then go now and pick one.

But if it is because you have a “present idea blackout” then here are a few gifts you could buy and even though the links provided are to Belgian shops, feel free to inspire yourself:

The Mp3 player Sandisk Sansa Fuze 16 gb = 8GB + 8GB free memory card – 99,90€

Sansa Fuze can be purchased at Het Computer Winkeltje and this is a promotion which won’t last much longer.

If your friend /girlfriend already owns an mp3 player, then maybe a digital camera would be an ideal present.

You can choose from a wide range of cameras at the Forcom Shop, or you can head over to Fnac or HCW and pick another one.

A 60 GB Xbox 360 Pro – also sold at HCW and it is a part of the promotion Cashback Actie – 239,90€

If your friend /girlfriend already owns a 360, then you might want to have a quick peek into their games and see if they own any of the following games, but make sure that they are playing the genre you are about to choose. Some gamers are very picky.

Tip: Most gamers prefer games with a multiplayer option.

If they do not own a 360, but they are PC gamers, then try any of the above and have a look at Spore as well.

Now to hardware….

Western Digital MyBook2 Essential Edition 2.0 1TB – 142,75€ – can be bought at Forcom shop. Geeks would love it!

While we are at Hardware, take a look at this category at HCW . You will find a lot of things being sold at a very good price.

If none of the above pleases you, then you might want to try the book store or the gadget store – you can find some more inspiration here: Find Gift.

Quick note: Mind-mapping is a very helpful tool for people who rely a lot on their visual memory.

It is also the perfect tool to structure, organize and classify your ideas and information.

In order to get this software working, you need to register for a key right here: ConceptDraw MindMap full version offer, and then download the file for Windows or Mac – these are direct download links.

ConceptDraw MindMap works perfect on Vista.

[Found via Digital Inspiration]

Glary Utilities is one of those unsophisticated freeware but with lots of important tools included.

You can cleanup&repair, optimize&improve, erase your tracks, delete&undelete, encrypt&decrypt, split&join files and so on…

But…the one feature that really got my attention is the Disk analysis tool.

Once you get this baby running, it will display everything. You can view at once your machine’s data, more specific, your folders and the files inside them, along with their size.

This tool helped me get rid off lots of junk or files that were taken lots of space and I didn’t need them anymore.

How?

Just right click on any of the folders and you’ll see the Delete option.

I really love this tool, but a word of caution here: Stay off the Windows and System information folders if you are not an experienced  Windows user!
Just focus on the Users and Documents folders.

Once you’ve deleted the files that you don’t need anymore, you can proceed with the cleanup tool to empty your bin and any regkey traces of those files.

If this tool is something you would like to use, then download this app by following the link below:

File: Glary Utilities

Type: Freeware

Size: ± 6 MB

Platform: 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003 and Vista.

ZoneAlarm ForceField was designed to help you surf safer and without a trace.

No web history and no information is shared anymore with other users, so nothing will be stored on your computer anymore.

With numerous protection layers, Forcefield will shield your computer from the Internet against phishing, spyware and other treats.

Forcefield features and advantages :

• Browse anywhere without a care
• Surf safely on any PC – even public ones
• Secure online transactions
• Bank and shop security
• Private browser
• Dangerous download detector  
• Dodge all evil, uninvited downloads
• Walk away from any machine without a trace
• Advance anti-phishing, anti-keylogger and anti-screengrabber technology.

Be aware that Forcefield is in beta.

If you do decide to install it before the final version arrives, don’t forget to make a restore point.

Platform Windows XP, Windows Vista

Freeware

Today I will be talking about the beta version of ContactOffice, a virtual office pretty much with the same features as Mail2web plus some more.

The main difference between these two is that ContactOffice doesn’t require you to sign up for another e-mail address, but Mail2web does.

When using Contact office, you will be able to use your e-mail address with which you’ve signed up with to send and receive your e-mail, and signing up for a yourname@contactoffice.com e-mail is a free option.

Another option, just like Mail2web, is the ability to retrieve e-mails from other accounts into one place.

Here’s a shot of the main home page:

There are 4 main versions of ContactOffice, ranging from Individual version for a single user (no data sharing) to Education version for 1000 users and more.

These are some of the main features, but not all offered to the single user

• Groups – Create internal groups or intercompany groups to share files and data.
• Messages – Retrieve, send+receive e-mails, SMS, Fax
• Calendar
• Address book
• Documents – Store and share all files types
• Virtual drive – Access your online documents easily from a special folder on your operating system desktop
• Forums – Secured forums that can be only accessed by the group members.
• Chats- Secured chats between group members
• Notes
• Bookmarks – Store your bookmarks online to access them from any computer – Import and export features work with all Web browsers
• Tasks
• Phone Calls – Send phone messages to your group members in a structured way
• See also the Web Features List.

There’s more to it, so if you wish to explore it, just visit http://beta.contactoffice.com/ and click on the flash Demo.

Personally, I love this service and I will be using it.

Few days back i was looking for some online courses offering more than the HP ones i am taking at the moment.

After doing some search, together with my friend David, I stumbled into a great one, offering some really great courses -

WebJunction.com

When i say great, i mean complete courses, very detailed and so very well explained, with lots of relevant and accurate information, videos and exercises.

When i got started with it, I just couldn’t stop.

Call me crazy, but i am enrolled at the moment on 15 courses, and already started 4 on “Self-Paced: End User Business Skills Development” courses category, such as Management Skills, Negotiation, Project management, Motivation Methods and Strategies and 1 on “Self-Paced: End User Home and Small Business”, and that is Interview Skills.

Maybe I will never need to use any of the info i will get from those courses, but then again…you never know.

Of course, is not all about Business in there. There are a variety of courses one might be interested in, as you will see below.

Some of the courses are very long, containing up to 10 units or more, each unit having lots of chapters.

One might get scared because of that, but trust me, everything in there is worth learning and knowing.

For every Unit you complete, you get a diploma released by MindLeaders.

This is a preview of what you will be able to learn:

Online Course Groups

• Facilitated: E-Learning Institute Courses
• Self-Paced: Basic Computing & Applications Series
• Self-Paced: End User Business Skills Development
• Self-Paced: End User Home and Small Business
• Self-Paced: Managing Public Access Computing
• Self-Paced: Networking Series
• Self-Paced: OCLC Western/OCLC CAPCON
• Self-Paced: Sustainability, Advocacy, & Outreach
• Self-Paced: Technical Collection
• Self-Paced: Unix and Linux Series
• Self-Paced: Using the Internet
• Self-Paced: Web Development Series
• Self-Paced: University of North Texas Le@d Courses
• Video: Business Skills – Essentials
• Video: Business Skills – Management
• Enrollment by Course Group

All courses are completely free, so don’t miss the chance to learn.

Technorati Tags: Education, Online courses, Free courses, Business courses, Computing

I love this guy! If is a girl who’s blogging there, I love her too!

Who ever is blogging , has done an amazing job on putting a sweet 45 Freeware Design Programs list together with some of the nicest freeware and open source apps.

Included in the list : Image editing freeware, Illustration, Authoring tools, Animation , 3D Modeling, Flash tools and other useful apps you might need if you are into design.

While you are there, check out the list: 85+ Killer resources every designer should know.

Great lists!

Found via Lifehacker .

Technorati Tags: Lists, Web Design, Freeware design, Design tools

Update : I’ve got 3 1 Pownce invitations left to send.

If someone wants one…someone who actually is willing to use it, then contact me and i will e-mail you an invitation.

Those of you who are already on Pownce and willing to add me to their friends list, here’s my link : http://pownce.com/ctrinity/

And for those of you who don’t know what Pownce is, visit the web site. Is like a geek heaven.

Let’s go Powncing now!

Technorati Tags: Pownce, Social networks, Pownce invitations