Beware of Online Identity Theft

Online identity theft normally enters your computer through some form of computer virus or viruses. It can steal your bank account number, your online password, credit card data or even your complete email address book details and more.

They can even use your computer to hack into others, thus shielding their identities from law enforcement agencies. Why they want your information? Simple, there are buyers out there willing to pay for it. Personal data can worth a fortune in the underground economy. It was reported in the Straits Times that hackers bought and sold S$422 millions July last year to June 2008 – as reported by a security company.

Some advice:
1) Never put confidential or sensitive information/data into your computer, unless you are very sure your computer is well protected with Firewalls, with updated and good set of anti-virus program.
2) Be careful when downloading or opening an image or picture or PowerPoint (or any) file, even from your best friend. If your computer anti-virus program gives you a warning, read the warning carefully before you click “Next”. You may be opening a back door for the virus embeded in the image/picture or files (from emails) to enter your computer and permanently reside in it. It will start to cause mischief once you trigger the program to run.
3) When you join any online interest group or social networking, like the FaceBook, do not enter any sensitive information into your personal profile.
4) Nothing is Free in the Internet world. Before answering “Yes” for any freebies or free program from the Internet, check “who” or “which” company you are talking to. The so call free program may contain virus that may cause you trouble later or completely upset your computer operating system.

SAR and your Mobile Phone

Radio wave exposure and Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) information.
Nowadays mobile telephone manufacturers have taken the SAR issue into their design consideration. The SAR requirements are based on scientific guidelines that include safety of all persons, regardless of age and health.

The radio wave exposure guidelines employ a unit of measurement know as the Specific Absorption Rate or SAR. Tests for SAR are conducted using standardized methods with the phone transmitting at its highest certified power level in all used frequency bands.

While there may be differences between the SAR levels of various phone models, they are all designed to meet the relevant guidelines for exposure to radio waves.

SAR data information for residents in countries that have adopted the SAR limit recommended by International Commission of Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), which is 2 W/kg averaged over ten (10) gram of tissue (for example European Union, Japan, Brazil and New Zealand).

Some mobile phone models available in Singapore do meet the above-mentioned standard at around 1.5 W/kg (10g).

Internet Surfing (Offer of Free Services)

Internet surfing is like travelling around the world – you go from country to country, town to town, shop to shop, places of interest, etc. The only difference is; you are not there in person.

Nothing is free – as the saying goes. So, while you are surfing the Internet, something just “pop-up” and offer you a “non-solicited” offer of a “free-scan” – will you accept it? After all, it is just another computer scan done by another service provider.

You may be in for a surprise! Once you allow the outsider (this service provider) to take control of your computer system, they can say what they want to say to you – like “your computer is infected with da-da-da-da number of viruses, to remove them, it will cost you $xx”. You don’t believe your computer is that bad, so you ignor the comment. Next day, you turn on your computer again, it behaves differently, worst off then before (you accepted the “free service”). You try to find the last thing you have done and to delete it – you couldn’t find or delete it.

Sometimes getting a proper anti-virus program may help to remove the problem. Sometimes you are not that lucky, you may have to get someone to re-install all the programs in your computer again. One of my friends actually got caught this way.

North to Alaska

Click picture of Rotary Snow Plow in action (in YouTube)

One of the best ways to go North to Alaska is to take an Alaskan Cruise. When we were there in summer of 2007, we didn’t quite know what the big machine (above) is about until we came home and view some YouTube video.

During the curise tour, we landed on four towns/cities, namely Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Whittier in Anchorage (Alaska).

We also had a train ride on the White Pass & Yukon Route in Skagway. Click here to see The White Pass – Yukon Railway amazing route.

“Live Your Life And Your Dreams Will Come To You”

My daughter posted me Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture on Youtube. A touching lecture.

For those of you who missed out on the wildly viral YouTube of his Last Lecture, his subsequent book, ABC special, and numerous media reports, here is his homepage. He died July 2008 of pancreatic cancer.

He gave an inspirational speech about his childhood dreams, his life, and his influences, knowing he was about to die in a few months.

Correct Way of Cooking Noodles

Seow Boon wrote …
HEALTHY EATING EVERYONE

The correct way to cook instant noodles without harming our bodies and health. `Normally, how we cook the instant noodles is to put the noodles into a pot with water, throw in the powder and let it cook for around 3 minutes and then it’s ready to eat.

This is the WRONG method of cooking the instant noodles.

By doing this, when we actually boil the ingredients in the powder, normally with MSG, it will change the molecular structures of the MSG causing it to be toxic.

The other thing that you may or may not realize is that, the noodles are coated with wax and it will take around 4 to 5 days for the body to excrete the wax after you have taken the noodles.

CORRECT METHOD :
1. boil the noodles in a pot with water.
2. once the noodles is cooked, take out the noodles, and throw away the water which contains wax.
3. boil another pot of water till boiling and put the noodles into the hot boiling water and then shut the fire.
4. only at this stage when the fire is off, and while the water is very hot, put the ingredient with the powder into the water, to make noodle soup.
5. however, if you need dry noodles, take out the noodles and add the ingredient with the powder and toss it to get dry noodles.

Secrets of Happiness

from an old ST article …

THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE …
– Spend the least time alone.
– Pursue personal growth and intimacy.
– Judge themselves by their own yardsticks, never against what others do or have.

THE FLOW OF LIFE
Life satisfaction occurs most often when people are engaged in absorbing activities that cause them to forget themselves, lose track of time and stop worrying.

“Flow” is the term that psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined to describe this phenomenon.
A life of many activities in flow is likely to be a life of great satisfaction.

“One of the happiest men I ever met was a 64-year-old Chicago welder with a fourth-grade education,” he says. The man took immense pride in his work, refusing a promotion to foreman that would have kept him from what he loved to do.

read more …

How the Stock Market Works

Once upon a time in a village, a man appeared and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys at $10 each.  The villagers, seeing that there were many monkeys around, went into the forest and started catching them.  The man very gentlemanly bought thousands of monkeys at $10 each, but as supply started to diminish, the villagers slowed down and eventually stopped their efforts.

The man then announced that he would now buy at $20. This renewed the energy and efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again. Soon the supply diminished even further, and people started going back to their farms.  The offer was then increased to $25 each, but the supply of monkeys became so little that it was a almost a miracle to even spot a monkey, let alone catch one.

The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50!  However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would transact on his behalf.   In the absence of the man, the assistant assembled the villagers and told them:  ” Look at all these monkeys in the big cages that the man has collected.  I will sell them to you at $35 each, and when the man returns from the city, you can in turn sell them to him at $50 each.  Deal or no deal?”

The excited villagers, smelling a quick-profit killer opportunity, immediately rounded up all their savings and bought all the monkeys.  Then they never saw the man nor his assistant again, and there were just monkeys everywhere!

Ladies and gentlemen:  Now you have a better understanding of how the stock market works.

10 Symptoms not to ignor – on health

1) Unexplained weight loss
2) Persistent fever
3) Shortness of breath
4) Unexplained changes in bowel habits
5) Mental status changes
6) New or more headaches especially if you’re over age 50
7) Short-term loss of vision, speaking or movement control
8) Flashes of light
9) Feeling full after eating very little
10) Hot, red or swollen joint

Do talk to your doctor if you think you have any of the above.
More details, click link

Sweet Corn Frikadel with Prawns

ACSians can Cook. This dish, submitted by Lohman, was first tried out in the “Cook In” @ Hwa Luck’s residence on 30th May, 2007. As it was so good, everyone present requested the chef for the recipe. Try out yourself. Click the photo or here for the recipe.