Sanus VM3B Extending Arm TV Mount Review
September 25, 2008
Take the bad reviews with a grain of salt. Maybe they got a defective product or something but this mount has been excellent for me. I have two of them, purchased months apart, and have no problems whatsoever. Very solid aluminum build, with the rare ability to adjust the tension with a knob rather than have to go track down tools. However it does come with Hex screws if you wanted to replace the knobs with something people can’t adjust (say for a school or institution or the like). Mounted in a stud with the 2″ Hex head bolts it comes with makes this mount extremely sturdy with no play at all. It certainly feels like it could hold more than 30 pounds even fully extended. However now it is only holding my 19″ Philips LCD (17 lbs).
The tilt mechanism works perfect and will constantly hold at any angle. One side note that I discovered is that the washers (between the knobs and the receiving female threads) have square insets that must be lined up with the square parts of the receiving female threads in order to obtain a tight functional fit. This may have been the root of those that have problems with the tilt function.
With only the basics of handyman know-how this is a very easy install (find a stud, level, drill with a 3/16″ bit, then use the supplied hex wrench to screw in the supplied screws). It does come with drywall anchors to mount without a stud but I would be careful about trying that, especially if a stud is accessible.
http://www.amazon.com/Sanus-Systems-Mount-Articulating-Displays/dp/B0002ZHF0G/
Philips 19″ LCD TV Review
September 25, 2008
I bought this Philips 19″ LCD TV (the new model for 2008 – model number 19PFL3403D/27) and had the same odd problem as some other reviewers. Had it for a two weeks or so and then out of nowhere it wouldn’t turn on. The little power light would flicker almost like it couldn’t get over the first hump of a power draw. Anyway, I returned it without any problems and got a replacement (although this time with a two-year extended warranty covering everything – even damage I caused – for about $30 from Walmart). That way if there is that power issue you again I’m covered past the receipt return period. That being said, I still would recommend this TV over any other 19″ LCD. The specs are better than almost everyone else and it is a very good looking (body), well made TV that has an amazing 720p HD picture. Even with regular over-the-air (or over-the-cable via the QAM) digital channels without a cable box. Don’t let the sporadic power issue you prevent you from buying this as even with that issue I still highly recommend this TV if you want a 19″. Also keep in mind that this (and probably most) TV doesn’t save your settings if you unplug it.
http://www.amazon.com/Philips-19PFL3403D-27-19-Inch-HDTV/dp/B00140U1LS
No optical sound with Logitech Z-5500 after updating Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi driver
July 7, 2008
Question:
I recently updated my Creative Sound Blaster sound card (PCI Express X-Fi Xtreme Audio) on Windows Vista Home Premium (on a Dell XPS 720) and now I no longer have any sound from my Logitech Z-5500 speakers via the optical cable. How did I fix it?
Solution:
The answer is to repair (NOT re-install) the driver via the provided software CD. The original update brought my driver version to V. 6.0.1.1283. I then promptly lost all sound, except with headphones in to the computers auxiliary jack (not the sounds card’s jack). I then checked “roll back driver,” in device manager, but still no sound. Re-installing also did not help. For some reason, the only thing that brought my sound back was to select the repair option on the driver CD. It brought my diver version down to V. 6.0.1.1281 and then all sound was restored on the Logitech Z-5500 speakers via the optical cable.
Here is the Download Driver section of Creative for the SB X-Fi PCI Express:
http://support.creative.com/downloads/welcome.aspx?nDriverType=0&nOS=26&nLanguageLocale=1033#Drivers
Identity Theft
January 29, 2007
Every minute, in the United States, 19 more people become the victims of identity theft. That means that every year about 10 million people have their identity stolen.[i] Identity theft is the number one concern of all consumer who contact the Federal Trade Commission. According the U.S. Department of Justice Statistics, identity theft is now passing drug trafficking as the number one crime in the nation.[ii] Clearly identity theft is a major concern of American consumers, and their concern is not unfounded. In fact, 49% of consumers feel that they do not know how to adequately protect themselves from this crime.[iii]
What exactly is identity theft? Identity theft can be described as using someone else’s personal information such as social security numbers, names, address, or user names and passwords to establish or change financial accounts, or to conceal their own identity for criminal activities.
The main reason a thief seeks to steal a persons identity is for financial fraud. This is usually accomplished by a thief establishing a bank or credit card account under the victims name, running up purchases to the credit limit, and then leaving the bill unpaid. The bank or credit institution then seeks payment from the unknowing victim, whose identity was used to start a fraudulent account. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, a victim spends an average of over 600 hours and $1,400.00 of out of pocket expenses in an effort to restore their credit.[iv]
The second reason why a thief may steal one’s identity is to take on the victim’s identity to commit a crime, cross a country’s border, get special permits, or to hide one’s own identity from authorities. These include activities like, computer and cyber crimes, organized crime, drug trafficking, alien smuggling, money laundering and even terrorism. A related reason why identity theft has become so common and is on the rise is because only one out of every 700 criminals will be caught and prosecuted for their crime.[v]
Several methods are employed by criminals in identity theft. It may be from a gas station or restraint receipt that you accidentally forgot or threw away without destroying it. Although less common now than a few years ago some companies still print your full credit card number and name on the receipt. With that information a criminal can easily place an order over the phone or online. Even websites that seek to make transactions secure by asking for the card holder’s address or phone number, can easily be bypassed if the criminal simply looks up the victim’s address and phone number in the phone book or through and online directory. Your credit card can be "skimmed", meaning a device is placed on the outside of the legitimate card reader to copy your personal information as you use your card in an ATM or gas station pump. Personal information can also be memorized or copied by waiters or sales clerks, taken directly from your mailbox, and they could even be taken from the files and records of your employer, landlord, hospital, or financial lender.
One of the more common methods as of late is to con you into giving the criminal your person information yourself. This can be through spoof emails – emails which appear to be from a legitimate company or service, and are often built on the premise of possible errors with your account, which requires one to log onto a carbon copy of the site with which you are familiar – or through fishing sites which unknowingly redirect you to a “carbon copy” re-login page, causing you to think you simply need to re-login to your financial lender’s website. In reality you have just give the thief all the information he could possibly want by looking at the information registered with that institution. Yet another way a thief may use your computer to steal your personal information is to exploit security holes in any software that you may have on your computer. The thief may install software that logs every keystroke that you make or looks through the files stored on your computer for any useful information. While these may seem like high-tech hacking tactics in reality they are very easily learned skills that can be found abundantly on the internet and use free downloadable programs. Any tech-savy teen with a little time on their hands is more than capable of using the aforementioned methods.
Some thieves even take the trash of likely targets, which they then sift through look for discarded pre-approved credit cards or any other information that they may use to piece together the victim’s personal information.
Laws like the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 and The Fair Credit Reporting Act were enacted to help protect consumer’s identities. However, the ultimate responsibility (and also the most effective defense) lie with the owner of the identity, you. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act requires a national system of fraud detection and alerts, and also holds credit agencies responsible to identify patterns of fraud. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies such as, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, to provide an individual with a free copy of their credit report, at their request, once every 12 months or if they believe they have been the victim of fraud. This report can be obtained from http://www.annualcreditreport.com.
To prevent this epidemic problem from happening to you, you must take a proactive approach. Simply telling yourself that it won’t happen to you will not work. Each individual must take the necessary steps to protect their own sensitive personal information. These steps include:
- Monitoring your back and credit card statements and checking your credit report periodically for unauthorized accounts.
- Never give out your Social Security number unless you absolutely have to.
- Do not put anything but the required name and address on your checks and keep an eye on your checkbook while it is laying out and while you are writing a check. Someone can easily write down or memorize your address and account number in the time it takes to write a check. Also guard your deposit slips. Not only do they often have your name, address and account number printed on them, but they can also be used to withdraw money from your account. A thief must simply write a bad check, deposit it into your account and use the “less cash received” line to withdraw your money.
- Don’t carry your Social Security card or passport in your wallet or purse, and some experts suggest that you photocopy everything that you do carry in your wallet or purse to make recovery and canceling easier.
- Never give out personal information over the phone if you did not initiate the call and remember that a financial company will never ask you to email them your account information. If you do need to log in to their services, in response to an email, do not click the links in the email but rather type the address into your web browsers address bar.
- You should have your name and address removed from mailing lists by going to the Mail Preference Service (https://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing) and also remove your name from “pre-approved” credit offers by going to https://www.optoutprescreen.com.
- Be sure to shred – not just tear in half, but shred by cross cut – any credit offers or mail with personal information that you do receive before throwing it away.
- If you are ever denied credit, find out why. By law if you are denied credit the company must send you a credit report containing why you were denied.
- React quickly if you suspect that your identity has been stolen, or you see charges on your financial statements that you did not make.
In regard to computer related security there are several easy thing that you can do to protect yourself online.
- One of the simplest things you can do to protect your personal information is to use a secure password (one that is 8-13 characters long and includes a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and symbols) and change that password every 60 days or so.
- Be sure your computer software, especially web browsers, are up-to-date by going to http://update.microsoft.com/ or the equivalent website for your software vendor.
- Look for digital security certificates, like VeriSign, when entering sensitive information.
- Never give out personal information unless you know who you are dealing with.
By taking a few simple steps to ensure your personal information is protect, you can save your self a great deal of time, effort and money by preventing identity theft from ever happening to you in the first place. As out lives become more and more involved with online registrations, website purchasing, and the ease with which digital data may be transferred or intercepted, it is more and more important to ensure that each individual is doing everything possible to protect their family, their money and their property by being aware of current security precautions.
[ii] http://www.baylor.edu; March 29, 2006, Jonathan Lopez
[iv] Ciampa, Mark. 2005. Security + Guide to Network Security Fundamentals. Thomson Course Technology, Canada.
[v] Ibid.
