1. Keep the Family Computer in a public space instead of in your child's bedroom. 2. Make sure your Kids know what information is safe to disclose online and what isn't. 3. Don't let your kids be cyber bullies. 4. Just like in real life, don't talk to strangers online. 5. Update your security Software.
It seems that e-mail messages and Web pages are fated to run two or three lines longer than a printed page, ensuring a steady waste of paper and ink. Some Web browsers will try to prevent this, but most mail programs don’t. Instead, the print-preview command in your browser or mail program can tell you how much paper will emerge from the printer: In Windows, go to the File menu and select “Print Preview;” on a Mac, go to the File menu, select “Print...” and click the Preview button in the print dialog box. You can then see what will appear on each page of the printout, and if the last page will only yield a few lines of irrelevant text (like those long disclaimers at the end of e-mails from lawyers), you can tell the computer to skip that page in the print dialog.
*-- Rob Pegoraro, Consumer Technology Columnist Washington Post*
Internet Provider
Back when everybody used dial-up Internet access, your choice of Internet provider had nothing to do with your TV options. Now, however, one affects the other. For example, satellite TV usually costs less than cable TV--but if you can’t get a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connection for your Internet access, cable-modem Internet service will cost much more when purchased without an accompanying cable-TV subscription. Conversely, telecom providers that offer voice, Internet and TV service (such as cable operators Comcast and Cox, or Verizon’s Fios fiber-optic system) will offer discounts if you get all three services from them. Once you’ve found a mix of telecom providers that works, remember to survey your options again every year. And, if your bill goes up, let the company responsible know that you’re not happy: Many readers have told me that they’ve gotten a break from their cable company after they griped about its latest rate hike.