CST News
The very observant amongst you will have realised that the newsletter is a day or two late – I usually try for the 15th of the month. The story below will explain it all.
What a month it has been!! We have had Dave’s resignation take effect and so been a staff member down. Then many of you will be aware that Blake became unwell and has spent a fortnight off work. Add to that the fact that I was down for my heaviest teaching load at Telford during this period and it all boils down to the fact that we have been very busy here. We have in fact been that busy that I have been forced to do some techie work on occasions – this is not work that I enjoy but unfortunately needs must!
I also owe a huge vote of thanks to the staff at ProSouth in Dunedin. Lawrence and his team of Dave and Brendon have stepped up to the mark and gone above and beyond the call of duty to help us out here. Many of you with urgent enquiries will have been helped by one of these three young men and will realise how good they are. The really ironic thing is that as I write this newsletter (late for obvious reasons), I get a message that Brendon is away sick! We hope you get better quickly Brendon.
What a cold and wet couple of weeks it has been. I feel for our farmer clients – especially those dairy farmers who have calves on the way and cows up to their hocks in mud. It is also obviously cold enough that grass growth will be minimal, requiring extra feed for newly calved cows. We hope it comes right soon!
We Think We Have Had It Cold Lately
In January, 2005, trees, cars, streets and ships were all coated in ice during winter storms that hit Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
What is This?
See the answer below.
How To Shop Safer and Smarter Online
Shopping online is now easier than ever. It seems that practically all retailers have some form of an online store ready to show and sell their wares. From PCs to tablets to smartphones, we’re able to lean back and browse in comfort.
But this shopping bonanza also presents a fertile field of opportunity to cybercriminals. When you’re ready to buy, they may be poised to steal. Before you give up on the great deals online, here are some tips for online shopping to help keep you (and your finances) safe when you fire up the Internet.
Make sure the online checkout is secure – When you add an item to an online store’s checkout, you should be taken to a secure page. This allows you to enter your payment information with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption.
You can find this in the site’s web address. Look for “https” at the beginning of the URL. This is the same encryption that many banks use. Along this line…
Be wary of unknown sites – Amazon and other high-profile ecommerce sites know the value of ensuring their site security is top notch. They also have the budget to throw into their site maintenance to help it stay that way. But practically anyone can set up an Internet site today. That doesn’t mean it’s secure, however.
If you’re thinking about buying from an unknown retailer, do a sanity check first. Search for reviews on the retailer. Are there any? Are they positive? If so, look for the security signs we just discussed. If you see none, it could be the site’s designer doesn’t know what he’s doing (someone’s 12-year-old nephew, perhaps?). Or worse—it’s a criminal who knows exactly what he’s doing.
Either way, point your browser elsewhere—fast.
Keep your antivirus software up to date – What does malware have to do with online shopping? Maybe plenty if you’re infected with a keylogger. This insidious software can record every keystroke and secretly send back information to the cybercriminals who made it. This includes any credit card or other payment information you’ve tapped out into the most secure shopping sites.
Can a secure site prevent this from happening? No. The malware is on your computer. Make sure you have the active security installed to detect it, or better yet, prevent it from being installed in the first place.
Want to help ensure you stay safe online? We sell a couple of products to help in your defence against cybercriminals. Talk to us about the protection our NOD range will offer. Also do not believe the old story that you own a Mac and they do not get affected – not true. Why would the big companies offer Mac products if they were immune?
How You Love Someone
Just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.
Ralph and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool. Ralph suddenly jumped into the deep end.
He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there.
Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled him out. When the Head Nurse became aware of Edna’s heroic act, she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now considered her to be mentally stable.
When she went to tell Edna the news she said “Edna, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you’re being discharged, since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of the person you love. I have concluded that your act displays sound mindedness.
The bad news is, Ralph hung himself in the bathroom with his bathrobe belt right after you saved him. I am so sorry, but he’s dead.”
Edna replied “He didn’t hang himself, I put him there to dry. How soon can I go home?”
Lego Constructions
Who cannot admit to enjoying a play with the children’s Lego on occasions? I certainly used to enjoy helping my sons, and daughters at times, as they played with the Lego. Have a look at these constructions – mindblowing. How many hours?
http://www.techrepublic.com/photos/lego-creations-at-brickworld-indy-2012/6353717?tag=nl.e101
And yes – the picture below is Lego chocolate!
An Observation From My Techie Week
I admitted at the outset that techie stuff was not my favourite part of this business. However, having been forced into it, I would make an observation. I was amazed at the number of really slow computers we were asked to work on. Some were slow because they were old and people understood that. Some were slow because they were full of spyware and other computer infections and that was why they were in with us.
However some were relatively new and still slow. Obviously people had bought new computers and were disappointed in their performance after having been told they were going to get a fast new computer by the salesman. A couple of quite new computers that I saw during the week could not even be made quicker with more RAM – they are simply slow processors and will not go faster. I got frustrated and I was only working with them for a while – how the owners get on amazes me. I would be hunting for the nearest brick to throw at them!
Laptops and computers are like everything else – you get what you pay for. If the product is cheap, it is so for a reason!
Canon Printer Specials
If you want a shiny new multifunction printer, now might be the time to do it. Canon is offering a cashback deal to our customers.
Buy one of our Canon MG5560 printers – wireless with separate colour tanks for $139.00 and claim a $30 cashback from Canon. Add a full set of inks and double the cashback to $60.
This deal is also available for the following models:
MG 3560 normal price $99.00
MX726 normal price $129.00
Sales must be dated prior to 28 September and received by Canon before 10th October
What is The Picture Answer
A knight mare!
Finally – a wish for all the difficult people in your life.
