Personal Data Security

Passwords on Documents and Spreadsheets

Suitable Passwords

One of the problems with passwords is that users forget them. In an effort to not forget them, they use simple things like their dog’s name, their son’s first name and birthdate, the name of the current month- anything that will give them a clue to remember what their password is.
For the curious hacker who has somehow gained access to your computer system this is the equivalent of locking your door and leaving the key under the doormat. Without even resorting to any specialized tools a hacker can discover your basic personal information- name, children’s names, birthdates, pets names, etc. and try all of those out as potential passwords.
To create a secure password that is easy for you to remember, follow these simple steps:
1. Do not use personal information. You should never use personal information as a part of your password. It is very easy for someone to guess things like your last name, pet's name, child's birth date and other similar details.
2. Do not use real words. There are tools available to help attackers guess your password. With today's computing power, it doesn't take long to try every word in the dictionary and find your password, so it is best if you do not use real words for your password.
3. Mix different character types. You can make a password much more secure by mixing different types of characters. Use some uppercase letters along with lowercase letters, numbers and even special characters such as '&' or '%'.
4. Use a passphrase. Rather than trying to remember a password created using various character types which is also not a word from the dictionary, you can use a passphrase. Think up a sentence or a line from a song or poem that you like and create a password using the first letter from each word.
For example, rather than just having a password like 'yr$1Hes', you could take a sentence such as "I like to read the About.com Internet / Network Security web site" and convert it to a password like 'il2rtA!nsws". By substituting the number '2' for the word 'to' and using an exclamation point in place of the 'i' for 'Internet', you can use a variety of character types and create a secure password that is hard to crack, but much easier for you to remember.

Tips :
Check out this site

http://www.securityawareness.com/passwrd3.htm

Destroying your Data on an old Hard Disc

Watch these video clips and see how it is done.

First
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lVnFlFrqhE
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9vzuPN2e3k&feature=related
then
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqxtWhWTxnc

Enjoy.. but be safe!

Sylvia Feb 09

Picasa - Create a Video show

Picasa Video Option

Select the photos for the project and have them in the Tray. If it is a complete Folder then highlight the Folder – Edit – Select ALL

Next Click on Video Icon in the list at bottom of screen

Select the Slide Tab and Edit the Title slide. Edit Text, change font, background colour etc and experiment with options

Next Click on the Video Tab to see the options to include music, transition style, slide duration etc.

The play bar at the bottom will allow you to view the slide show. It is easy to move slide location by dragging to position

On the Slide Tab you can Add or delete any slides

Captions can be added to any slide
Play thro until satisfied and then click Create Video, Be patient as it has a lot of work to do. When 100% complete you will see several options including uploading to YouTube

Picasa Stores the Videos in a Folder under My Pictures Picasa Videos


Experiment and have a lot of fun. The video format is WMV which means Windows DVD Maker will accept the file to burn to a DVD for playing on your

Hofmann Album Software Update

Hofmann New Program

Download from

http://www.hofmann.es/en/album/album.asp

NEW VERSION with more album capacities! Novelty: the Digital Mug. More functions, e.g. undo option, alignment,... More backgrounds!
Downloading the program is very easy: you only have to click on any "Program free download" link on this website, select "Run" and follow instructions.
Once the installation process has been completed use your digital or scanned photos to design your album, poster or canvas. The powerful program offers plenty of covers, layouts, backgrounds, masks, filters, text options and other functions. If you are using the program for the first time, you may simply try everything out. There aren't any wrong choices and you will soon control all functions. If you wish so, take a look at the "Quick guide" or the "User´s manual" at the icons bar.
User Manual Can be downloaded

Notes on how to create a Copy of your Album in Video Format

When you have completed each page use a screen capture program to save
A good screen capture program is Screen Hunter and can be downloaded from

http://screen-hunter.uptodown.com/en/ There is a good Help file but it is useful to set the TO: options before starting to ensure each screen capture is stored as a JPG File and in sequence. You can set the filename sequence and location

Use Photostory or Picasa Video option to produce a video slideshow of your pages. Do not forget to add some good music!

Sylvia Feb 09