FRUGALITY AND SAFETY IN A POST-RATIONAL AMERICA

Frugality is in vogue and is going to be a necessity for a lot of folks these days. If you are using Windows, MacOSX, or Linux, save yourself a bundle of cash and download the free OpenOffice suite. It can open Microsoft office documents, and documents created by OpenOffice can be opened by Microsoft Office.

As you well know Microsoft Office does not come cheap, even in upgrade forms. This free suite will save you hundreds of dollars, in a time when dollars are becoming harder to come by. OpenOffice can be downloaded for free here:

OpenOffice

Safety is a concern for all of us in this troubled world and online, one has to be cautious. One way to add to your protection is to have an active firewall. A firewall will allow or block traffic for a computer or a network. It will help promote a secure access to the network. There are a number of firewalls, and many are free.

Windows provides a firewall utility with Windows XP and Vista. Some online ISP's provide a firewall as part of their package. For instance Comcast.net provides a free security suite from McAfee if you are a client of theirs. This free McAfee suite is only available to Windows users however.

There are also free firewalls available for download. One of them that are very popular and highly rated is Comodo.  Comodo is not a one trick pony —  it also provides a free internet security package, including Antivirus, Website Authentication, Email Security Certificate, Secure Email, and Internet Security.

The price is right, so help yourself.  Comodo can be freely downloaded here:

Comodo

On the Macintosh side, of course MacOSX has a built in firewall, like Windows.  However I prefer to utilize a commercial package like "Doorstop X Firewall" and "Who's There Firewall Advisor".

The beauty of the Firewall Advisor is that it provides detailed information about the source of the attempted intrusion. Sometimes these intrusion attempts are spoofed, but Firewall Advisor actually shows a map in its statistics to inform you where on the globe the actual attempt came from. I find this extremely useful and worth the price. Info can be found at the link below.

OpenDoor Security

Please be careful for your security. Little Snitch is another great Macitnosh product that will catch outbound traffic and you can stop info in its tracks, by setting an instant rule to prevent such.

LittleSnitch

Here is a link that shows a group of Chinese sponsored hackers willing to do whatever they can to compromise all of us:

The Dark Visitor: Inside the world of Chinese Hackers.

Note that it tracks Chicom government sponsorship of hacker attacks.  Even Chicom support of Russian hackers working inside China:

Russian hackers in China

Then there's the survey released this week (11/11) of 70 of the largest Internet operators in North America, South America, Europe and Asia.  This is the  Worldwide Infrastructure Security Report, produced annually by Arbor Networks, a company in Lexington, Mass., that provides tools for monitoring the performance of networks. 


The report found that malicious attacks were rising sharply and that the individual attacks were growing more powerful and sophisticated.  It shows that the largest attacks have grown steadily in size to over 40 gigabits, from less than half a megabit, over the last seven years.  The largest network connections generally available today carry 10 gigabits of data, meaning that they can be overwhelmed by the most powerful attackers.

Fellow TTPer's, you can see we live in a dangerous world, and it's getting more so. Be safe and be diligent.

Speaking of security – what are your plans if you lose clean water for a period of time? Here is an item I purchased that will bring you clean water from pond scum, literally. Nothing is more important to life this clean water and clean air. Below is one source of product to provide you clean water.

Lifesaver

Stay protected and learn to protect your family. A good source for this is the NRA. I am a second amendment believer and a proud member of the NRA. To learn more go here.

NRA Official Journal and Columns

Continue to love your country and take care of family and friends, including our group of fellow TTPer's under the very capable tutelage of Jack Wheeler.

To your safety in life.

Marco