Month: March 2010

20/20 – Day 19: 20 online security necessities

It’s the penultimate day of 20/20 and I’m playing it safe.  Well, helping you stay safe anyway.

In many ways we take the Internet for granted.  It’s easy to forget the need to be secure and safe online.  And it needs more than some anti-virus software.

What do you do to stay safe online?  If you rely on anything that I miss in the list below, let us know in the comments and share the wealth!

Here are my 20 top tools and tips to remain secure while you browse.

  1. Firefox – My web browser of choice.  Do me a favour, if the only browser you’ve used is Internet Explorer, please at least try Firefox.  If you’ve tried Firefox and didn’t like it (I promise not to judge you. 😉  ) then try some of the other browsers out there.  Check Google Chrome or Opera perhaps.  Internet Explorer tends to be targeted more due to the bigger base of users.  I hope you do like Firefox, because several of the security choices below are Firefox plugins that are crucial for the safest browsing experience.
  2. USB stick – Don’t want to leave a personal trail on a public computer?  Want to make sure your setup is as safe as your home one?  Simply install software on a USB memory stick.  A huge range of applications mean you can have a choice of software similar to your home computer, resting in your pocket. Check out Portable Apps for a great suite of programs and Gizmo’s Best Free Portable Applications for most top software.  Armed with portable Firefox and the safety plugins I’m about to mention, and you can secure yourself pretty well in the process.
  3. Encrypted USB – Go even further to securing yourself by protecting your USB stick.  Try USB Safeguard or TrueCrypt for an even safer ride.
  4. Anti-virus – Protects you from viruses. I use Avira and I haven’t been let down by it yet. Fingers crossed it stays that way!
  5. Firewall – Keeps intruders out.  I use COMODO Firewall.
  6. Sandbox – A sandbox lets you run files and programs in an isolated area of the hard drive so any dodgy stuff can’t harm the computer.  If you browse the Web in the sandbox and you get a virus, you can clear the sandbox and come away without a problem.  I use Sandboxie for this.
  7. RequestPolicy – Firefox plugin that stops cross-site requests.  You’d be amazed at how often your information travels between different websites.  When you visit a site, it often connects to many other sites to gather information on screen.  You’ll be amazed at just how many sites some pages want to get information from.  RequestPolicy puts you in control of which sites you allow contact with.
  8. NoScript – This Firefox plugin blocks malicious scripts and stops potentially dangerous content from running unless you allow it.  Again, you’ll be amazed at just how much this tool stops from automatically loading without your knowledge!
  9. Delete Cookies & identifying information – I tend to allow cookies, but have them delete each time I close the browser.  It’s convenient and more private than keeping those cookies lurking about forever.  Configure how you use cookies in Firefox by selecting the Tools menu, clicking ‘Options…’ and checking the ‘Privacy’ tab.
  10. Better privacy with BetterPrivacy – Think you’ve deleted all your cookies? Think again. There are stealth cookies now that live in Flash.  You can’t get rid of these without BetterPrivacy.  I suggest you get it now and banish those tough-to-remove cookies once and for all.
  11. KeyScrambler – Keyloggers can be installed without your knowledge, which track every key you press on the keyboard.  In the (hopefully) unlikely event your keystrokes are being monitored, KeyScrambler encrypts each press into nonsense.
  12. AdMuncher – A lot of people use Adblock Plus for Firefox, but I prefer the standalone software AdMuncher to get rid of adverts.  Not strictly a security tool, but it stops the adverts and stops many connections to ad services.  Can’t be a bad thing, can it?
  13. Different passwords for all services – Don’t use the same password for everything you use.  Yes, you won’t forget.  Yet once one service is compromised, it’s every service compromised.  It’s bad enough being inconvenienced once, so don’t get inconvenienced many times all at once.
  14. Stronger passwords – Lifehacker gives some tips on great passwords.
  15. Use a master password in Firefox – Explained here by dkszone.
  16. LastPass – A password manager.  Helps when you’ve got a lot of passwords on the go and don’t want to remember them all (see Point 13!).  If you’re not keen on this one, try KeePass, another popular manager.
  17. Awareness of what’s private & what’s not – It’s easy to forget which Facebook pages are open for everyone to read and which are private.  Don’t make a mistake and write something stupid (or worse) for the world to see.  Always think about who is able to access the text and content you’re uploading.
  18. Set sensible privacy settings – See above. Facebook has changed its settings a few times recently.  Even if you think you set your profile to completely invisible to anyone except friends, check again now.  Regular checking of privacy settings is required for any website that publishes personal information of yours.
  19. Private Browsing – Some browsers, including the latest Firefox, have a private browsing function so you can surf the Web without the software recording any details and saving any information.  You may need this for some personal surfing, not just looking for weird porn and dodgy downloads.
  20. Use your own caution – Nothing is failsafe.  Even with all the protection above, you may still fall foul of viruses, hacking, and so on.  Exercise caution in everything you do online.  Don’t be casual as you browse and be careful what you choose to download.  If you choose to grab all sorts of pirated software off a messed up torrent and it doesn’t get found by the anti-virus software, all your safe browsing is in vain.
Title image: original by tiffa130 (cc)  /  Bottom image: kreg.steppe (cc)

20/20 – Day 18: 20 things you unintentionally let get in your way

Life is tough.  Half the time you don’t even realise the things impacting upon your decisions.

Below is a list of what can get in the way without your full awareness.  It’s hardly an exhaustive list…If only that could be done!

  1. Friends. You love your mates. So you let them dictate some aspects of what happens in your life, even when you don’t realise.  Nothing wrong with this in small doses (hey, that’s why they’re friends).  But draw the line at peer pressure!
  2. Peer pressure. Drawing the line doesn’t always happen because peer pressure is not always easy to spot.  Doing something you wish you weren’t doing?  That could be down to peer pressure.
  3. Alcohol. Students and alcohol…the combination is a cliché in itself.  There will always be a number of students for whom a night of drunken revelling is the pinnacle of entertainment.
    But even if you only get a little tipsy on the rare occasion of craziness, that alcohol gets in the way of your thought process and your body.  As with most things, in moderation is unlikely to do much harm.
  4. TV.  Who doesn’t watch TV?  Few people can admit to watching nothing whatsoever.  I hardly watch television, but still make time for the odd show.  That’s all time sat in front of a box doing little else productive.
  5. Internet. All I need to mention is Facebook and Farmville and Mafia Wars and messaging and YouTube and so on forever and ever and ever…
    You know the Web’s brilliant.  But it can take over your life without you realising.  Be careful not to browse your last breath!
  6. Music. My big weakness lies here.  My taste in music is so eclectic that I don’t have enough hours in the day to listen to everything I love, even if I listened for 24 hours each day.  As soon as I realise the music is unintentionally eating up time, I cut down on my consumption.
    That lasts about a day… :-/
  7. Other people’s opinions and comments. If someone else hadn’t got in the way, you’d probably push on without a second thought.  But now a remark has stopped you in your tracks.  Be it a friend or a stranger, a thought out speech or a throwaway comment, it’s hard to let go of an opinion once it’s out in the open.
  8. Your own opinions.  You get in the way of yourself, you really do.  Adamant you’re right, unwilling to look at alternatives.  You seek affirmation for what you believe rather than finding new ways to succeed.  Who needs enemies when you’ve got yourself, eh?
  9. Outings. Go on, I’ll stay for one more.  Okay, I’ll stop working to see the others for a bit.  Fine, if everyone else is doing it.
    The most organised of people can succumb to unscheduled visits and staying longer than expected.  You can’t get that time back…
    …Neither can you afford to be totally rigid, so be aware of the changes instead of letting them get in the way and spin out of control.
  10. Relationships/Love.  There’s too much to say here.  I don’t think I need to explain, mainly because it’s impossible to find words.
  11. Money. A necessary evil.  The best we can do is temper the beast.
  12. Perfection. The word sounds pleasant enough, but don’t be fooled. Perfection may seem like the ultimate control, but perfection is actually losing control.
  13. Chaos & false perceptions of future certainty. You don’t know what’s around the corner and you don’t know how sudden changes will impact upon your life.  No matter, you probably try to plan abstract events in your head that are so far ahead it’s never going to turn out that way.  Why bother at all?  Because we don’t realise how random the future is.  If you want to see how random, just read “Fooled by Randomness” and “The Black Swan“.
  14. Weather/Time of year. We recently had a lot of snow.  It changed moods.  When you open your curtains and look outside, the state of the weather gets you thinking.  The weather is so changeable in the UK, no wonder we always like to talk about it. I’m not surprised we let it dictate our mood.
  15. What’s expected of you.  It’s rare to find someone who doesn’t care what others think.  For most of us, we aren’t doing what we want to do in isolation, we’re weighing up all sorts of decisions (real and imaginary) that sway what we’ll do.
  16. Your own expectations.  Do you cut yourself some slack?  You probably don’t as much as you think.
  17. Fitting in. It’s not always cool to stand out.
  18. Standing out. It’s not always cool to fit in.
  19. Sex. When it comes to impressing others romantically, we’re known for doing all sorts of crazy things.  Or is that just me…?
  20. Gossip. Hearing stuff on the grapevine is dangerous.  It changes perception, even if you subsequently find out the rumours were untrue.  The damage has already been done.
Title image: original by tiffa130 (cc)  /  Bottom image: InfoMofo (cc)

Students, Know Your Rights!

In light of news that a student did not own the copyright to her dissertation, it pays to be aware of your rights.

You may be asked to sign away the copyright and ownership of your work when you begin studying.  This could be through signing an intellectual property (IP) release. Your work may no longer strictly be considered your work.

photo by threephin

photo by threephin

All institutions have different rules.  Some let you keep all rights while others want you to give up ownership.  Students are not properly briefed on this in most cases.  The strange situation generally leads to no issues, but that doesn’t mean there’s no problem in this.

I recommend you do the following things:

  1. Don’t sign any document/contract/agreement unless you understand what you’re signing.  If you don’t understand, question it.  It’s hard (if not impossible) to later argue that you didn’t realise what you were signing.  However, if the understanding is fundamentally changed or the contract is simply unfair, the contract can be argued and could be worth nothing.
  2. Check your university’s IP policy.  If you’ve already signed away rights, it’s best you know.  Even if you haven’t, it’s best you understand how the university regards work that you consider your own.

Due to the recent case mentioned above, I question whether universities should be granted an individual, unique say in regulations.  Surely it would be reasonable, easier to understand, and in the interests of students for the issue of copyright and ownership to be made standard across all institutions?

There is an ethical point in this particular case and I don’t have enough information to understand whether or not large parts of the student’s work was used without enough attribution to the author.  The author was apparently credited as the third author on the paper, but was this enough?  Is this even relevant?

Some people argue this is all standard practice.  I don’t think that’s the point.  Deeming something standard practice doesn’t make it reasonable.  Until a case like the one above gets properly tested in court, I fear there won’t be a proper resolution to the problem.

Whatever the score, make sure you’re in the know.  If you have a choice, don’t automatically sign away your rights.

20/20 – Day 17: 20 ways to improve induction

The first days at university are daunting.  With so much going on and so many things to do, the induction process is either a whirlwind of excitement or a whirlpool of horror.

In today’s 20/20 post, I highlight 10 ways institutions can improve the induction process and 10 ways students can get the most from the first days in a new place.  Some unis are better than others at welcoming their students.  If everything on the below list is already covered, a shiny gold star to them!

10 tips for universities

  1. Stop bombarding.  The Fresher experience is overwhelming at the best of times.  Throwing every last possible piece of information in our direction is not going to make us feel at ease.
  2. Make it fun, not frantic.  The phrase “There’s loads to do!” can be spoken both positively and negatively. Let’s make it the former, please.
  3. Improve the registration process if it’s not already quick and easy.  Hours of queues, hours of paperwork, hours of boredom.  If that’s how students see their university for the first time, it’s not a good sign.  Give them a great experience from the outset, even when completing necessary administrative tasks.
  4. Explain the university ethos. What sets this university apart from the others?  How do you shine as an academic institution?  If your students don’t know, how can they help your identity flourish and how can they set themselves apart from any other student in the country?
  5. Highlight what’s expected from undergraduate study.  The transition between school and uni is a big one.  It’s not good enough to mention that in passing as you welcome everyone through the door.  Introducing a primer on undergraduate study should be a priority.
  6. Make introductory sessions short and snappy. And INTRODUCTORY! No need to bamboozle and talk about concepts we don’t yet know or care about.  Give a brief outline without the jargon and leave the detail for the literature or later sessions.
  7. Work with the Students’ Union, not as well as them.  Overlap is pointless, it’s money down the drain, and it highlights an imperfect bond.  Give students the confidence that the university and the Students’ Union operate on similar terms and similar ground.  The student experience should start with collaboration, not clashes.
  8. Introduce a one-stop query shop for incoming Freshers.  Many new students don’t know where to turn, even when they’ve been given the tools.  Remember the first point about bombarding?  Help students with a central point for any and all queries.  And keep improving student ambassador and new student outreach schemes.
  9. Get students acquainted *before* they arrive! The online possibilities are massive. Use them!
  10. Stop playing cool and exciting. Be informative and welcoming.

10 tips for students

  1. Take stuff. You may not realise you need it. And if you really don’t need it, someone else you meet might need it (and will be ever so grateful).
  2. Read stuff.
  3. Keep stuff.
  4. Focus on the newness, not the overwhelmingness. The whole clichéd “You’re all in the same boat” is a cliché because it’s true.
  5. Understand that you’re allowed to find it daunting. Everyone should be a bit afraid and out of their comfort zone if they do it right.
  6. Never be afraid to ask.
  7. Got an unsatisfactory response? Ask someone else. Keep asking until your question is properly answered by someone. It won’t take long; there will be lots of people happy to help.
  8. Think baby steps, one step at a time. You don’t have to understand everything straight away. You’ve got several years for that.
  9. Prepare a checklist of what you want to do, need to find out, and require in order to prepare.  Slowly, but surely, start ticking things off as you go along.
  10. Don’t act clever or play the fool.  You’ve got years to impress people and go crazy.  Rushing in like a loon on Day One won’t impress anyone.

How would you improve induction for Freshers?

Title image: original by tiffa130 (cc)  /  Bottom image: David Reece (cc)