So, What's Spyware

Here's another column from the Washington Post. In this one, David Pogue defines spyware for us. For those of us in the daily confrontation, we know what spyware is. Many of the students are asking for help at home.

My recommendations, by site and package:

• lavasoft.com -- Ad-Aware SE
• microsoft.com -- Anti-Spyware
• mozilla.org -- Firefox

The latter is your preferred browser, use it in preference to Internet Explorer. The first two are "spyware" blockers. Our network support firm thinks M/S anti-spyware, while in beta, may start charging in the fall. All are currently free. Using Firefox for the students internet experience is working for us, and fewer are complaining about the speed and pop-ups. Most have learned to recognize and accept the homeland-security-esque MS popups: orange, green, red, and blue, as help, rather than hindrence.

The readily remembered key is REd = REmove and BLue = BLock. I rather suspect this was intentional on the part of some clever designer. Thank you!

Occasional Useful Tech Tools for Students

Just as a start, it seems easier to work here, on a web log, to take notes for the students at Benedictine Academy. Since we are a high school, pictures are a big subject. Our students need ways to post their photos and access them. This report from the Washington Post Technology column is the one that moved me to start filing here.