One of the most effective ways of limiting the spam that you get is to use a “throwaway” email address for site registrations and product sign-ups. One easy way to do this is to sign up for an account with Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, or Gmail and use that account only for the above type of transaction, and then use your normal email account for business use, regular correspondence, etc.

Another option is to use a brand new service called 10 Minute Mail. You can go to the site, get an address, use it to sign up for an account, check it to get the confirmation email, and then let it expire. Not only does this give you the benefit of using a separate email account to avoid spam, it has the added convenience of no password or username to remember. Click, copy, paste, done.

The laptop/notebook computer has become an important tool in today’s modern business world. Indeed, the ability to work and connect to information almost anywhere is a valuable asset, but it comes at the cost of security. We’ve all heard and seen stories on the news about stolen laptops containing sensitive information, and it seems like these thefts happen more often than they should.

Therefore, we at badbrain computers have a few helpful suggestions for deterring theft and keeping your data safe.

1. Buy a locking cable for your laptop. This seems obvious, but it is a step many people never think about. High-quality computer locks run anywhere from $30 - $70 and can be purchased at most office supply or computer stores. In addition, most laptops come with a small slot for connecting a “Kensington”-type lock. Lock your laptop to a permanant or unmovable fixture whenever you have to leave it for any extended period of time.

2. Get a laptop bag that doesn’t look like a laptop bag. That bulky, black bag with armstrap and utility pouch may protect your laptop from physical damage, but it does nothing to masquerade the contents. One thing that has become popular in recent years is a simple neoprene “sleeve” that fits over your laptop, which then allows you to carry it in any manner of bag or briefcase.

3. Use external media for important data and store the media away from your laptop. That way, you have a reliable degree of data security and are not kept from working if your laptop is stolen or incapacitated. There are many alternatives to saving to your hard drive, such as rewritable CDs, USB flash drives, and external hard drives. A convenient feature of USB flash drives is that they are often no bigger than a pack of chewing gum, which easily allows you to keep them in a pants pocket or on a keyring.

4. Utilize encryption, especially in conjunction with external media. Encryption will protect your data from prying eyes, which at least deadens the blow to you and your business should your laptop be stolen. There are a number of professional and open-source data encryption suites that we can help you with at badbrain computers.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

It appears that yesterday’s storms brought Northfield more than broken glass and damaged cars. If you are a Qwest telephone and/or DSL customer, you’re more than likely experiencing a major service outage. From what we’ve heard, a fiber optic cable in our area was cut, which would definitely explain the service disruption.

A call to the Qwest technical support line returned few answers. We were told that the earliest a technician could come out to look at our line would be Sunday afternoon, and that call volume from our exchange was “unusually high”. Luckily, we recently installed Vonage internet telephone service, which, when coupled with our Charter Cable internet service, provides us with a link to the outside world. If you are one of the aforementioned Qwest customers, you may be without DSL and long distance service until Monday.

It looks like local telephone service is still functional, so if you are in Northfield and would like to contact us via phone, you may do so at (507) 663-7050. If you live outside of Northfield or do not have a Northfield telephone number, you may contact us at (612) 216-3737. As always, you can also contact us by email here.

Update: Qwest reports that service has been restored to its telephone and internet customers.