PrimeTime Articles

December 2009
What Did We Search for in 2009
Google has released its list of top subjects searched for in 2009. Topping the list? Michael Jackson! Social networking sites were also high, such as Facebook and Twitter, as people searched to find others. And, interestingly, the largest number of searches made on Google each day, are items that no one has ever searched for before! Most likely, this is another indication that people are doing searches for other people. All of this might show that while we seek to follow interesting people and items that are in the news, by far we spend our time searching for information about ourselves and others around the world. For more information, visit
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December 2009
Holidays are Prime Cyber Scam Days, Be Careful!
During the holidays, the cyber criminals are working overtime to steal your information and money, so during this time of the year, be extra careful. Here are some of the leading scams for which you need to be aware. 1) Charity Phishing Scams - Emails that encourage you to click and give to popular charities, but your money goes to the crooks instead of the needy. Should you wish to contribute; contact these charities directly, do not click on a link from an email. 2) Holidays see an increase in shipping costs so we are seeing and increase in Phishing attacks that ask you to confirm your order by clicking on a link in an email. In some cases, they are asking you to confirm your ID using a credit card number. Don't do it! 3) Malicious Holiday Greeting Cards - This is an old trick, and one that is hard to resist. First, if the greeting isn't from someone you know, delete it. If it is, and the link looks legit, such as www.hallmark.com , do NOT click the link, but type it in instead. And, as a final line of defense, contact the person and thank them for the e-greeting to confirm it really was sent from them, before opening. 4) Remember, you get what you pay for. There are many spam emails going out this season offering fantastic discounts on great items. However, the sites aren't legit, and the sites might not even work. However, by visiting them and clicking on different options, you will be opening your computer up to malware attacks. 5) Don't do your online shopping in public WiFi spots. This is a new and growing concern. The possibility for being hacked has always been there, but it wasn't too profitable to try in the past. However, now that more and more people DO shop online and more and more people are using public WiFi spots, you need to be aware that you might not be on the REAL WiFi network, or that it is not secure. 6) Crooks know that during this time of year, people are looking for holiday specific items, such as free screensavers and ringtones. They will set up a site to offer these with background programs running seeking to infest your computer with Malware. 7) Watch for an increase in online banking and credit and merchant account phishing attacks. They will state that you need to click something to confirm your purchase, your account, or warn of some security situation that might close your account unless you click to confirm. I would ALWAYS assume these are criminal attempts to steal my information. When in doubt, pick up the phone and call the bank yourself. For more information, visit:
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December 2009
New Lens Implants in Britain Gives Users HD Vision
A new procedure has been pioneered in Britain, attaching new silicon-based lens directly to the eye in much the same manner as the procedures doctors use to fix cataracts. However, these lenses can then be fine-tuned after they are attached to the eye over a period of several days. Once the user has "better" that 20/2 vision, the lens are set. If you need reading glasses, the lens implants can even be set to give you the bifocal or vari-focal effect. The makers claim that the lens are permanent and will never need to be removed or replaced. However, personally, I wonder what they do as your eyes get older and worse over time. For more information visit:
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December 2009
Google Googles Opens a New Door into Searching for Information
Google started by allowing people to search for specific information with the searcher entering a word or words into a search bar at Google’s Website. Google then moved to allowing people to search using their cell phones by speaking their search requests. Now, with what they are calling Google Googles, users can take a picture and upload it for information. Billions of pictures have been catalogued and the search engine can recognize books, album covers, artwork, landmarks, places, logos and more. Examples from earlier users included someone taking a picture of a wine bottle and receiving a review of that particular wine. Another example is of a tourist who took a picture of a famous shrine in Japan. They quickly received a description and historical background sent directly to their mobile phone. It's new and not as accurate, but it will improve over time. For more information, visit:
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December 2009
Dell Reveals the Power of Twitter to the Business World
Few companies like to reveal areas of success, but Dell has decided to reveal their success in using Twitter. They have announced that they have now tracked over $6.5 million in sales related directly to tweets they have sent offering specific discounts. They say through the use of social networking sites, they have established some 3 million direct connections with people who represent potential customers. The lesson here for the church is that Twitter can be used for serious accomplishments in marketing, and as the church, we have a marketable message to get out, that Christ is the answer! For more information, visit:
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November 2009
The Internet Turns 40
Fourty years ago, Oct 29th, the first message was sent between two universities (UCLS and Stanford Research Institute) over the Internet. What was that first message? Something like, “What hath God wrought”, or “One giant leap for mankind”? No, the first message was LO. They hooked up the two computers and planned to send the message LOG, for log in. They sent the letter L, and, on the phone, asked if they received it. Yes, they responded. They sent the letter O, and, asked by phone if they had received it. The answer was yes. They then sent the letter G, but had lost the connection before it was received. So, the first message sent over the Internet, 40 years ago, was LO. For more information visit:
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November 2009
Personal Communications Meets Search Engines
The “communications age” had moved past mass communications to personal communications. We don’t want to know just what the experts have to say, but what our friends have to say, think, and recommend. This is why Wikipedia is more popular than any other encyclopedia on the market. The same thought is going into search engines. Google and MS Bing have signed deals to search and display results from Tweets (Twitter). This will be a great way to keep up with what is happening in the news, based upon what is being tweeted. And, a new search engine to be released in a few weeks, will allow you to ask a question and have it answered by people within social networks. This is removing the “research” part of searching. Instead of providing you with a list of sites that have articles with the answer, it allows you to do a search and go directly to those that are live to receive an answer. This could move to something like polling the audience in “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”. For more information, visit:
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November 2009
New Virus CAN Infect your Computer with Child Pornography
Many of those charged with having child pornography on their computers, or visiting these illegal sites, have claimed they were not responsible and that somehow a malware program was installed on their computer and they were unaware of it. In most cases, this defense is viewed with skepticism and they are found guilty. However, one case has shown that this is indeed what happened. Michael Fiola worked for the state of Massachusetts and the system administrator noticed that his computer had 4.5 times more data than everyone else. In investigating, they discovered a large database of child pornography files on his computer. He was fired and charges were filed against him. His tires were slashed, friends shunned him, and he had to endure death threats. However, his wife stood by him, and after liquidating their savings, selling their car and taking a second mortgage on their house, they raised the $250,000 to hire the help them needed to prove he was innocent. The defense was able to show that when the computer was running, a malware program was programmed to visit as many as 40 child porn sites per minute, something that a human couldn’t do. The prosecutors then performed their own tests on the computer and confirmed the findings. The charges were dropped…11 months after they were filed. The Fiola’s lives have been ruined. Why did this happen? First, someone might do this to ruin your reputation. However, it is also theorized that new malware like this is being used by pedophiles to access such files without having to have them on their own computer. The malware may give them access via the Internet that is not traced, such as by visiting a website. SO, now we have to keep our computers updated and protected, not only to protect our data, personal ID and money, but to protect our reputations. For more information, visit:
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November 2009
Internet and Cell Phones are NOT Making Us Less Social
Many have feared that social networking sites, email, texting and cell phone might be hindering personal face-to-face relationships. However, a new study by Pew Research and the American Life Project has shown that we are not loosing personal friends or that one-on-one, face-to-face connection. The study actually shows that the Internet and cell phones aid us in keeping these connections updated and live. But, in their research, the percent of people that still have others close enough to share confident information, of that they feel they can count on, has only declined from 3 persons to 2 persons in the last 20 years. However, the time people are spending with other people in direct contact, has not really changed. Parks, cafes and restaurants have also had the same attendance percentage of the population since 1985, so people are still meeting together. For more information, visit:
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November 2009
The Android Continues in the News
Of course, Google’s Android OS phone has actually been here for a bit, but with each passing month, it becomes a more dominate player in the smart phone industry. Verizon has launched a series of ads to promote their new Android phone, simply called the Droid, and DELL has finally announced their rumored Android phone which will be launched in China, using their nation’s wireless phone system, OPhone. Dell has also announced that the phone will become available in Brazil. Computer manufactures making smart phones makes sense to me since they are the direction mainstream computing is heading. For more information, visit:
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November 2009
Video Ads Grow on the Internet while Google Experiments with Skip-able Ads
Video is number one. People will tolerate a video ad on the Internet more than one they are required to read. However, ads are ads and they are annoying, right? Well Google is taking a different view of advertisements, and while they include them at the beginning of YouTube videos, they are starting an experiment. If you don’t like the ad, or you have already seen it, you can click a button and skip it! This puts the pressure on the advertiser to create ads that are entertaining or informative to the point that we WANT to view them. Google will also track exactly WHEN users decide to skip the ad, helping those that create ads determine when they lost their audience. When video ads were first produced and used on TV, they knew the audience had little choice but to watch or raid the kitchen for a snack. However, now that many use digital recorders, TV ads can easily be skipped. With Google’s new incentive, it will provide ad makers the opportunity to gain vital feedback on what works and what doesn’t, and for viewers, it gives them the control they want to skip annoying ads, or those that they have already seen. For more information, visit:
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November 2009
Verizon Announces New Droid Phone Release Nov 6
If I didn’t already have an iPhone, THIS would be the phone I would check out. It runs the Android OS from Google, and will be a definite competitor to the iPhone. First, it has the same type of interface, but with a real keyboard. PLUS you can run multiple applications at once, something the iPhone can’t do. And, it is backed by Google, who today announced their new GPS service to run on their phones that will provide real time turn by turn directions, putting them in serious competition to TomTom and Garmin. The phone will run around $199. Of course marketing is everything for the success of the phone, and Verizon is promising a big push. For more information, visit:
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November 2009
Online Christmas Shoppers Be Warned, Some Xbox 360s Banned
Last week Microsoft found a way to ban Xbox 360’s that had been modified to play pirated games on the Xbox Live service. For some time, hackers modified the Xbox 360’s which allowed users to download pirated games and play with others on Microsoft’s live site. However, Microsoft has now found a way to detect the pirated games and by some reports Microsoft banned 600,000 Xbox’s from their Live service. So, if you are buying an Xbox 360 on EBay, be sure to ask if it is banned from the Live service. Then be sure to pay for it using PayPal, so that IF it won’t work on the Live service when you receive it, you can file a claim. For more information, visit:
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October 2009
Google Shows 10 – 30 BILLION videos a month
A new report from an independent research company reported that Google shows 10 billion videos a month to American citizens. However, Google, who normally remains silent about their traffic, reported that worldwide, they show 30 billion videos a month, 1 billion a day! Do you have a video up on YouTube? You should, we need Christians to video their testimonies, post them on YouTube, and then put the link to their video in their email signature, Facebook site, etc. For more information, visit
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October 2009
Viper Announces New iPhone App to Start Your Car
Whenever we hear of some new car application that has come out for a luxury car, we think we will never use it ourselves. Yet, yet it normally begins to be standard in a few years for those cars that WE buy. Viper has announced a new iPhone app to start your car. No more losing your keys! It takes an adapter kit installed in your car, but you could start your car from anywhere, even from across the country. This might be cool if they make it so we can unlock our cars this way (like Onstar can). I could call my wife and she could unlock it! For more information visit
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October 2009
Google’s Wave
Google is up to something again, and this time it is creating interest long before it is actually ready to be released. Google calls it the “Wave”, and promises it will be a new way to communicate. The Wave combines email, chat, blogs, photo-sharing, and more, all combined into one application. It sounds like a social networking site on steroids, taking emails and allowing them to have the same features as an online document. This means that several people can comment or a document at the same time, adding their own edits. One of the things I think it has that might be very unique is the ability to provide such communications in real time by people speaking a variety of different languages. The biggest problem with Wave is that it might be too much to take at one time, making it more complicated to use than most will want to undertake. Wave presently has bugs and is still in development with beta testers, but Google believes it will be released by the end of the year. From what I can understand so far, I predict Wave will be used by some, but might be a pass for most, at least for next year. I have seen a lot of exciting products and services hit the market, but IF the concept is too new and different, most will not move into its use unless it promises to provide something that can’t be accomplished presently. I am not sure that Wave offers anything all that new, at least not for now. For more information, visit
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October 2009
New iPhone App Will Do Instant Background Checks
How intrusive are back ground checks, and who should be able to do them? The answer is, they are very intrusive and anyone can have access to a large database of personal information for a price. A new iPhone application is being introduced with the intention of helping people who are doing Internet dating. So, if you are out on a date and find the person interesting, but want to be sure they have been telling you the truth, you can pull out your iPhone, enter their name and phone number, and receive a list of items about your future relationship. The application will be called DateCheck and will have a “Sleaze Detector” feature that will inform you if the person has a criminal record including sexual assaults, drug arrests, or drunken driving. Seems like a good idea, right? DateCheck can continue to provide additional information, such as if the person lives alone, or with roommates, parents, or even a spouse. However, it can do more. It can give you a Net Worth indicator, and will provide information from online social networks including Facebook, MySpace, Flickr and LinkedIn to create a summary of information about the person. Anyone else think that this has gone too far? I haven’t even mentioned the really bad thing about all of this. Many data-mining companies have a lot of the information wrong about us, yet they share and sell it to others, normally without our knowledge, and relationships can be broken or jobs lost based upon inaccurate information. We have laws to protect us when it comes to our credit reports, limiting who can view our credit reports, and providing us a way to challenge the information if it is correct. There are no such laws to protect us from personal data brokers, nor any laws in place to allow us to fix incorrect information. For more information visit
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October 2009
Social Networking Sites Security Risk Rises
If you are a Facebook or Twitter user, you need to be aware that the number of people getting their accounts hijacked is on a sharp rise. There is actually nothing new here, the methods are very similar to the attacks that have come through email in the past, except people need to be aware that they are happening in this new area as well. Once one account had been hijacked, it has spread. If any of your friends’, friends’, friends’ friends fell victim, you are at risk. Once one account has been hijacked, the hacker sends a new update to all of their friends (Facebook or Twitter). It might suggest you go view a funny video, or check out a survey, or visit a website. Most people are clicking crazy… after all, it came from a friend. The site you are sent to is a phishing site. Some ask for information, others simply infect your computer with malware to enable them to steal your information. Once you are a victim, all of YOUR friends will receive an email or update from you and the cycle goes on and on. This is especially difficult when it comes to Twitter, because there are many tools to make the REAL URL tiny, so you can’t warn or filter out bad sites that are being used to spread the ID theft. So, we are simply going to have to back off “clicking” links from our friends, unless we contact them to ensure it is really safe. For more information, visit
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October 2009
WiFi Direct
A new WiFi will be coming to market next year, and it will be called WiFi Direct. To connect to the Internet or another device via the Internet, there needs to be a WiFi hotspot with a router that allows you to connect to it, in order to connect to another device. With WiFi Direct, devices will be able to connect to each other even if there is no WiFi hotspot or router in the area. WiFi direct will be able to find other devices within 300 feet. This will be a real important application for smart phones since many applications are already on the market allowing you to connect and share data with other smart phones, but only if you can both access a WiFi hotspot. WiFi Direct will be much like BlueTooth, except it will be faster and will reach out to a much larger distance. For example, BlueTooth applications are available for smart phones, but the devices need to be within a few feet to work. For more information, visit
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October 2009
Ready for a New TV? How About 3D
The Japan Consumer Electronics Show is going on this week, and the big buzz in technology is centered on 3D TV’s, specifically because major brands are announcing release dates for their models to hit the marketplace next year. Sony and Panasonic are both showing specific models that will be for sale. The flat panel TV’s work a bit differently from the methods we are familiar seeing in theaters, but you WILL have to wear a pair of electronic glasses to get the affect. Movie and game makers are gearing up to provide content for the new TV’s, and this will be important if people are going to be expected to drop $10,000 for a new TV with nothing to watch. For more information, visit
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October 2009
Google Changes Logo to Barcode Today (Oct 7, 2009)
If you visit www.google.com today, you won’t see the normal logo. Instead you will see a bar code. Google has replaced their logo today in honor of the anniversary of the first bar code patent, Oct 7, 1952. Interestingly today, I started using a new app for my smart phone called RedLaser. When I open the app, it uses the camera feature in my iPhone to scan any barcode and instantly give me the price of the item if I were to purchase it online. For example, I scanned a box of band-aids and was given the price for that exact box, brand and count, and where I could purchase it online from eight different online stores. And the prices ranged from $4.49 down to $2.39. You can use the application to scan barcodes on items in your home, or use it while out at a store. This could be very valuable for book purchases, since you can scan the barcode on any book at a brick-and-mortar bookstore and compare the price with such sites as Amazon.com. RedLaser is available for the iPhone, but I am sure there are similar products available for other smart phones. For more information, visit
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October 2009
Time to Change Your Email Password!
If you use a Web based email service, such as Hotmail, Gmail, AOL Yahoo or others, you might want to consider changing your password. In fact, security experts now suggest you do so every 90 days. Recently a list of 10,000 Hotmail email accounts with passwords was posted on a Web site. It was determined that Hotmail security was not breached, but rather these people had fallen prey to a phishing attack (a site that looked exactly LIKE Hotmail) and people entered their user name and passwords voluntarily. It was hoped that this was just a Hotmail attack, but not additional lists of 10,000s of email users for Gmail and Yahoo are being posted as well. It appears that some of the names are actually old or unused; however, if your name was on the list, some of the Web email companies are forcing you to change your password. For more information, visit
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September 2009
Parental Software is Accused of Spying
I strongly encourage parents to use monitoring software if they still have children or teenagers living at home. These products watch what is said in chat, IM, social networking, email, etc., and if inappropriate information is being sent or received, it will notify the parents. However, one company has admitted that they are using the data to help marketing firms get a better picture on what young people are talking about. The software, sold under the Sentry and FamilySafe brands takes the private chat information and sells it to those that want to know what movies young people are talking about. Information such as this as well as what food they like, what clothing styles are being mentioned, computer games, etc., is valuable to those that develop products and those that market them. The company claims that there is no invasion of privacy since they do not reveal the name or personal information on whom or where the information came from, however, all of the other ParentalSoftware companies have quickly announced that they have policies expressly prohibiting the sale of such information. For more information, visit
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September 2009
ABC News Reports on Christian Email Ethics
Someone in the news noted that Christians are doing something special when it comes to emails. It seems that even though there wasn’t a plan, promotion or campaign, many Christian married couples have adopted a single email address to serve both the husband and the wife. For example, their email address might be jackandjill@yahoo.com. Couples are doing this as a way to provide accountability. We know that many times, temptation can come in the form of an email from an old girlfriend or boyfriend, or can begin with a little flirting. By sharing the same email address, both the husband and wife see and share in all emails that arrive, removing the opportunity for temptation. The report also shared that many couples have made commitments to include each other on every other aspect of new technology communication tools, such as Facebook and Twitter, being sure to inform their partner of their activity and inviting them to be a “friend” in order to monitor. For more information, visit
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September 2009
Google’s Android Phone Moves Forward
It is time for a mobile computing OS standard. The value of a smart phone is moving away from the style of keyboard, screen clarity, or even the phone network. The value of a smart phone is in the applications, and Apple has proven this with the iPhone. And the iPhone COULD be the standard OS for all mobile devices to come, except that Apple has once again provided us with a great product and locked it into a limited market (AT&T). Google’s Android OS has all of the advantages of the iPhone, and is finally making some substantial moves into broader based use. The three major mobile phone manufacturers (Samsung, Motorola, and LG) have all announced new Android-based devices for the marketplace. In addition, Sprint and Verizon have both announced new Android-based phones coming to the market soon. Once again, Apple may have shown us the way with the best device, only to lose the market because they lock things up with a single segment of the marketplace. For more information visit
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