Okay, maybe this is something only a geek would love. BUT, we all use the Internet (if you don’t, you’re not reading this anyway.:) and, it seems, we do want to experience the fastest Internet connection possible. Well, Google has a plan. When we connect here on Earth, speeds are fast. From space can be a different story, although it is already happening with a protocal called Bundle Protocol. In an interview with Vint Cerf, of Google, it is being taken seriously behind those hallowed walls or, rather, up in space. Read more of that interview here.  Google says they new they would be implementing this type of protocol as far back as 1998! And now they are looking at the, literally, launch, this year (2011).  Read more about this in Popular Science’s article here.

If you are interested in learning WordPress, keep an eye out for classes beginning March 31 and April 1. Two separate classes (one for evening learners and one for morning learners), will begin respectively.

Cost: $100 — 12 hours / 6 sessions of approximately 2 hours each.

Class size is limited. Call 406-777-4335 to reserve your seat!

*If you are new and bring a friend, deduct 20% from your class fee!
**Alumni can reserve a seat for 1/2 off the class fee!

Microsoft doesn’t like it much that Google won a Huge GSA contract. Huge, in that, they (Microsoft) have lost years of business. On the other hand Mr. Rizzo, Microsoft’s Senior Director of Microsoft Online Services, has this to say: “There’s no doubt that businesses are talking to Google, and hearing their pitch, but despite all the talk, Google can’t avoid the fact that often times they cannot meet basic requirements.” Rizzo writes. “For instance, in California, the state determined that Google couldn’t meet many of their basic requirements around functionality and security. Rather than address deficiencies in their product by developing a more robust set of productivity tools, Google cried foul instead of addressing these basic needs.”

You can more about this here.

Veteran’s Day.  A day off — for some.  For our military, they are hard at work, defending our country, as they have for more than 200 years.  Here in Stevensville, Montana, the American Legion Post 94 and the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 94 will be hosting a community dinner — for any who would like to attend.  Doors open at 5:30 and the program and dinner begin at 6:30 pm. Location: the American Legion Hall on Middle Burnt Fork outside of Stevensville. . . .

. . . When I was growing up, my Daddy never shared much about his experiences in the war – and he was in two of them - WWII and Korea.  In his latter years, he has shared some, but I am sure he has not shared most of the horror and terror he experienced while at war.  His grandson attempted to extract some of his stories but, in the end, most were too painful, or memories forgotten.  On Veteran’s Day, 2010, at 84, he is speaking at Lone Rock School, where he will be honored for his service. 

Let us remember our military this Veteran’s Day. Those serving, those who have served, those we have lost. Let’s not forget them. Thanks Daddy.

In the last week, we have seen an increase in virus/security threats change from ‘Elevated’ to ‘Severe.’ 

Elevated means “An existing vulnerability becomes more serious because new exploit code has been published. There is new malware activity, but it is not widespread;”  and Severe means “An unpatched or recently patched vulnerability can be exploited by a worm, and systems worldwide are at risk to be targeted by a particular worm.  A high incidence of new malware that potentially can cause damage has been reported. (McAfee, 10/08/2010).

Well….we have certainly seen our share this week.  3 computers had rootkits that were pernicious and seemed to take forever to remove, but they are indeed gone.  Two more had trojans; one of the 2 had 39 trojans! 

Of course, we don’t merely remove the viruses.  We clean the computer, perform the updates, optimize it, and make the computer ‘happy’ again so its owner will be happy too!

Many of these problems can be avoided by having a good anti-virus installed on your computer.  Infections can also be avoided by healthy Internet surfing habits.  Avoid downloading freeware and shareware programs (yes, there are some that are excellent, but be careful and vigilent).

Signing off,

Bev The Geek

Of course I like BevtheGeek.com’s hosting plans the best (starting as low as $2.79/mo) (unapologetic self promotion:)!  But I also like to give my readers a fair choice in plans and Modwest has just revamped their shared hosting service to include single hosting plans.  Month to month is a little spendy ($14.99/mo).  However, they do have a Sale going on now for $6.95/mo if you purchase for 24 months.  Most of us purchase for at least 3 years anyway, so there is definitely a savings.  I have two clients who use Modwest for their website hosting and, except for the complexity in backing up the databases, they have had a 100% uptime with good connectivity.  The one drawback is that they are not available 24/7 for support with the $6.95 plan, but the upside is this plan offers no resource limits.  If you are in the market for a 24/7 plan, Modwest provides that service in a different plan.  Check out their new hosting either by clicking on the Modwest ad over on the right, or Click Here.

If you need to create video demos from your computer without spending a fortune, you might want to check out Wondershare Democreator.

SCORM compliance for under $80 for an academic license.  Check it out HERE.