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Do You Keep Personal Contact Info on Your Facebook Page?

GeekSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:43:01 -0700

According to recent reports, the number of Facebook hacks is up - meaning your page and all the information it contains could be at risk. The most recent stories describe hacks on accounts that then use status updates, chat, and messaging to ask friends for money. Even Facebook is concerned; they recently added a blog post on the topic, pointing users to their security page, which includes directions on what to do if your account information becomes compromised.

I consider myself lucky that this hasn't happened to me yet, but I'm slightly concerned about all of the personal info stored on my profile page - namely my address and phone number. I like that my friends can easily find my contact information, and obviously only they can see it, but all of these security horror stories have me thinking that maybe I should delete it.

Cool Idea: This Gate's Gone to the Dolls

CasaSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:00:59 -0700

Berkeley, CA-based construction and furniture company Able + Baker creates custom-made pieces for its clients using sustainable materials and processing techniques. One of its more unique projects was for a friend in need of a custom, and incredibly original, gate.

Josh Ganshorn of Able + Baker notes that the gate was dreamed up due to the fact that the lack of gates and fences had led to passersby "helping themselves" to bicycles and other equipment stored in the backyard of the friend's home. Many of the materials for this project were salvaged, including the beams, some joists, and yes, baby doll heads.

Josh explains,

"The basic structure was easy. I put more effort into the heads. The back of each head was carefully removed, and the face was mounted to a plaque. I tried to mount each head according to its position on the horizontal beam so that each would be looking at a pedestrian coming up the center of the drive. This was important because the eyes of each head are lit and triggered by a motion detector. I spent a little time enhancing some of the heads in other ways. I created a "ring-leader baby head" with handlebar mustache and top hat (made from a frosting container) and a "Baby T," with mohawk and sideburns.

I'm pretty smitten with this project, and I would love to see it at night - I'm sure it scares off potential burglars. It's definitely a unique take on home security, and it's a whole lot more fun than a "This Property Protected by ADT" sign in the front yard. Want to see a closeup of the doll heads? Then read more.

View 3 Photos ›

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Geek Tip: Keep Your Gadget Boxes . . . Just in Case

GeekSugar — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:33:20 -0700

This tip is kind of hard for me to write because I'm very big on recycling any cardboard box that comes through my door and can't be used as storage (when you live in a small place and love buying new gadgets, they tend to pile up).

But when TeamSugar member lydiat had her house broken into recently, she benefited from having held on to the boxes her gadgets came in.

The officer helping lydiat was able to get the serial number for each item from the boxes, making it so if the gadgets are recovered, they'll be able to tell which are hers from the numbers. Of course, if you're short on space, you could also just cut the numbers off the boxes.

Sadly, even though lydiat has employed additional super-geeky ways to find her old gadgets, none have shown up yet.

Oh, and a lesson lydiat and I both learned from this debacle: get renter's insurance immediately.

Picture It: Better Than "I Voted Today" Stickers?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:30:49 -0700

Want to know who voted in Indonesia's elections today? Just look for blue ink on pinkie fingers, and maybe actually be in Indonesia. Details! Voters are asked to dip their pinkies in blue dye, which lasts for days, before leaving. It acts as a security measure (like Iraq's purple fingers) to ensure nobody votes twice. Archaic but efficient! This would never work in the United States; people would complain and complain about finding blue on their white Volvos and silver MacBooks for days - at least until it wore off. Instead we should all get our nails done in festive American flags, like this. Yes. Yes we should.

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Your Two Cents: Is Financial Security the Key to Happiness?

SavvySugar — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:30:21 -0700

Mo money worries, mo problems? A recent study found a link between financial security concerns and satisfaction with one's life. No doy, right? The study concluded that women who spend a lot of time worrying about financial matters were less likely to be happy with their lives - no matter how financially secure they were. The women who said they didn't spend much time thinking about savings, tuition for college or just making ends meet, reported being the happiest of the group.

"Even if you are making a hundred grand a year, if you are constantly worried that you are going to get fired, that you are going to lose your health insurance or that you are simply not sure you are going to 'make it,' you are not going to be happy."

Do you think financial security and the ability to not worry about finances are the golden ticket to happiness, or do you think there are too many other factors that play into your overall contentment with life?
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Protect Your Info With Your Fingerprint

GeekSugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:30:35 -0800

Although there are other ways to secure your passwords and data that live on your computer - like say a password manager or even (yikes) a notebook - I can't think of a cooler or more futuristic way to protect all your personal info than with your fingerprint.

This Eikon To Go digital privacy manager for your Mac or PC, keeps all your stuff under wraps from prying eyes by locking your laptop, and will only unlock when you put your unique fingerprint on the reader.

But if you aren't the computing on-the-go type, you can also pick up Eikon's desktop fingerprint scanner to lock away all your files at home as well. The best part? The mobile manager is only $50 dollars. It's the perfect gift for the business traveler that really needs some protection - of the digital kind, of course.

Dear Poll: Is It Better to Be With Someone Who Loves You More?

DearSugar — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:00:00 -0700

In the June issue of O magazine, one reader asks Cindy Chupack, author of The Between Boyfriends Book, if having a partner who is more in love with you than you are with him is actually a good thing. Since I've heard this relationship myth more times than I can count, but never have seen it actually work out, I found myself nodding along with Chupack's answer. She writes:

I understand the appeal of being the person who loves less. It seems safe. How could he ever hurt you if he feels lucky to have you? You've got the power. . . . But at a certain point, when it comes to love, my experience is that you're in or you're out. And if you're out, you need to ask yourself, "Why am I still in?"

I'd much rather be crazy in love then stay with someone just because they're head over heels in love with me, but I do agree that the latter provides a heartbreak safety net. Do you buy into the old adage that it's better to be with a man who loves you more than you love him?

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Face Screening Coming to UK Airports For Summer Travel

LibertySugar — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 09:00:40 -0700

This summer, airline passengers in the UK will be screened with face recognition technology, instead of being checked out by passport officials. The hope is that widespread use of the technology will improve security and speed up travel time.

So how will it work? Unmanned gates will screen passenger faces and match images to those stored on computer chips in biometric passports. Anyone on a police list will not be let though, along with an unknown number of "false negatives." The lines will be open to those with EU and UK biometric passports.

Can machines do a better and faster security job than humans? Even if they can, I'm not sure whether biometric identification is the "silver bullet" to terrorism, or a risk to civil liberties. Also, unlike a regular passport number, if you lose a biometric id you've lost it for life.

Do you trust unmanned clearance gates? Are you worried that this technology could be breached? And on a whole other level, do you think a significant number of airport personnel will eventually lose their jobs?

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Ask Casa: A Home Security System for My Rental? (Part 1)

CasaSugar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 05:30:02 -0800

Arielb38 wrote to me asking,

I am about to move into a new rental in a new neighborhood, very different from where I have been living for the last 15 months. I was wondering if you are aware of any places that do a comprehensive review of home security systems. My roommate wants one, and I've never had one and don't really think that it's necessary. Looking at some of the consumer complaints about both ADT and Brinks makes me cringe, and I would rather not be stuck in an expensive, manipulative contract. I know it's not really your thing, but if you have any tips, or feel inclined to pose the question to your readers, I would be grateful.

To offer some advice for Arielb38, and to hear my response, just read more

Even though I've lived in some really rough neighborhoods in the past, I've had the good fortune to never have had my home broken into (though I have been held up at gunpoint). Two of my rental homes had functioning security systems (which the landlords paid for). Our house currently has no security system besides our dog. I also know of families who don't have security systems installed, but have placed signs in their windows advertising that they have an alarm. This may work, to a degree: The Greenwich Study of Residential Security found that homes without alarms were 2.7 to 3.5 times more likely to be burglarized, and that the most effective deterrent was the alarm monitoring company’s yard sign. For more tips on home security systems, go here.

My first word of advice is to find out the crime statistics in your new neighborhood. You can easily access this information through your city's police department website. After that, if you still think you need a security system, talk to your landlord about having him or her install a system and possibly increasing your rent slightly to offset the cost. Your landlord can reset the code for new tenants after you move out.

To see more tips, tune in later today for the rest of my home security advice.
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Do Tell: When Were You Most Excited to Be Home?

DearSugar — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 07:00:00 -0700

Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz coined the term, "There's no place like home" and I think everyone can relate to that feeling. Whenever I'm gone for long periods of time, even if I'm on a fabulous vacation, I always look forward to coming home. The comfort of having your own things, your own space, and getting back to your own routine is what makes home so special, so ladies, do tell, when were you most excited to be home?

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