Your kids may come to you starry-eyed about FreeiPods.com. Don't worry - according to Wired News, it's not a scam, but rather a "customer acquisition" program. As Wired puts it, advertisers have discovered "it's more effective to spend $50 million on gifts than to blow the cash on TV ads." In this case, people get free iPod minis for choosing and participating in one of 10 different free trials … [Read more...] about Free iPods?!
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Microsoft’s big patch & family PCs
Since Microsoft's releasing SP2, its major PC security patch for Windows XP, today, many families might wonder, "Should we download it?" (Of course some of your PCs are set to download MS updates automatically, so you'll suddenly have it at some point.) The simplest answer seems to be yes, but there aren't really any simple answers in the world of computers. The Washington Post's tech columnist … [Read more...] about Microsoft’s big patch & family PCs
Summer spam: More porn
The amount of porn-touting spam in our in-boxes has risen 350% since June, The Register reports. That number's from email security company Clearswift. Porn spam requires special vigilance because - besides kids' exposure to inappropriate content - porn email is also "a popular carrier for malicious code." Just another reminder to kids and parents not to click on any links in these emails or … [Read more...] about Summer spam: More porn
Blogs’ downside
I'm showing my age and parental bias, but to me the story of 20-something x-rated blogger Jessica Cutler is a good example of how blogging with your friends can go very wrong. For Jessica, the Washington Post reports, having her blog found out by boyfriends and, eventually, clients on Capitol Hill was bad news (getting fired, losing a lover) and good news (a Playboy pictorial this fall and a … [Read more...] about Blogs’ downside
Tech appeal to young voters
The goal of Rock the Vote, MTV's non-partisan partner, is to get 20 million 18-to-24-year-olds to the polls this US presidential election year, and it figures technology can only help. First it reached people via mobile phones (see RTV Mobile and its Mobile Photo Blog, which covered the Democratic National Convention last month). Now it's IM. According to Wired News, RTV is using Rock the … [Read more...] about Tech appeal to young voters