Students Of Success

Many people think that spy gadgets are good only for amateurs,
wannabes, and intelligence professionals. The truth, though, is
that spy gadgets are extremely useful for the everyday Joe or
Jane. This is because these items, also called surveillance
equipment, can be very useful in helping you defend your home,
family, and property. There is no reason to poo-poo these
gadgets. In fact, if you have a security system of some sort,
you already use spy gadgets to help protect your home.

The spy gadgets most in use by average consumers are home
surveillance related items. These are things like cameras and
listening devices that help you keep tabs on what is happening
inside and outside of your home. These gadgets are not the same
as having a monitored security system where someone else keeps
tabs on your home. These pieces of equipment are part of a
system that you control and that you use to personally ensure
the safety of your home.

Cameras are among the most useful of the spy gadgets. They can
be placed outside or inside the home, and come in a variety of
styles. For instance, there are hidden nanny cams that look like
regular household objects but that are, in fact, recording what
the babysitter does with the kids when you are away. Outdoor
cameras can help you identify vandals and would-be prowlers.

Listening devices, however, also have their place. Often, just a
silent picture lacks context. With spy gadgets in the form of
listening devices, it is possible for you to have sound with the
picture. Additionally, if for some reason the visual is blocked,
a sound can give you information. Just like the hidden cameras,
many listening devices also come disguised as ordinary objects.
Others are guarded when they think someone is listening or
watching. Disguised objects helps you see who the person really
is, since she or he will not realize that someone is paying
close attention.

With the right spy gadgets you can protect your family, your
home, and your property. All you need to do is install a
surveillance system that you operate, and you can protect the
things and people most precious to you with the help of spy
gadgets.

(c) 2005 Copyright www.spyassociates.com. This article is about:
Spy Gadgets. To learn more about Spy and Surveillance Products
visit http://www.spyassociates.com<
/a> Read other related articles at http://spyassociates.bl
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When the Internet first came about, it was realized it could be quite the multi-tasking machine. These days people use it for just about everything, from downloading music to checking e-mail, and virtually making the rest of the globe closer all the time.

As a parent of a young child or a teenager, an issue of security is always on your mind (or at least it should be). While none of us like to speak about it, failure to provide this security has resulted in some children or teenagers being subjected to awkward situations. Not much more has to be said on the subject, but if you want to monitor your child’s activities on the PC, read on.

There are many ways an unknown can get their hands on your child’s e-mail address. You may or may not know it, but chain letters are one of these methods. They are popular among youth, but you should know the truth about chain mail letters. These days, with everyone being on one instant messenger service or another (MSN messenger is popular among youth) everyone seems to have a hotmail address, and chain mail letters usually circulate through hotmail servers. This is not to say they are at fault - of course they don’t regulate these letters. But one chain mail letter has upon it’s header portion the e-mail addresses of all those who have partaken in the distribution of the letter. If one wanted to add some of the hotmail addresses to his or her own MSN messenger, all he/she would need to do is take a random e-mail off the letter (or a few) and add them to MSN.

Voila, an unknown is suddenly talking to your child on the computer. It doesn’t matter who the person is that the unknown added - he/she will find out after they begin speaking to your child.

Kind of scary, isn’t it? I’m not trying to scare anyone, I’m just saying how easy it is for anyone to get ahold of a random teenager’s or child’s MSN address.

There are other ways, too. Chat rooms are another culprit. People meeting all kinds of other people they have never spoken to, but suddenly they’re chatting it up about random subjects. Date lines, 1-800 numbers, text messaging…the list goes on.

So what CAN you do to protect your child? Good question. There is adequate measures you can implement to “keep tabs,” so to say. You could try a keylogger software; this works by logging just about everything done on the computer by keystroke. You could turn on message archiving on msn; this means that any and all conversations on MSN are logged and you can review each of them.

To make sure your child isn’t accessing the wrong sites, you could check the Internet history. These days, some PC users know how to erase this history as it is quite easy. To restrict your child from visiting the wrong websites, you could try a program like Net nanny as well.

If after monitoring your child using either a keylogger or checking their MSN history you realize they are speaking to the wrong people, you can go on their MSN and block and delete this person. Be sure to do both actions. By blocking the unknown, he/she cannot re-add or speak to your child again. And by deleting the person from the list, your child cannot unblock that person. (There are ways to unblock and re-add the contact but it will be more difficult).

Just let your child know what you have done and that it is for their own safety.

Remember, it’s up to you to ensure your child has a safe browsing experience.

I am a young, aspiring computer engineer into Internet Marketing, hardware, software, web design, SEO and just about anything related to computers. Please come check out my growing PC forum at http://www.markspcforum.com

It seems that not a week goes by without some headline racing across our TVs about internet fraud or theft. It’s never going to stop, but one of the best ways to protect ourselves from this modern menace is to develop and use effective passwords on all financially sensitive websites.

Numerous articles have been written addressing this issue, and many offer similar, and good, advice:

• Don’t choose a word found in the dictionary
• Add one or more numbers
• Use one or more capital letters
• Make it at least eight characters
• Add a symbol.

A password utilizing this criteria might look something like this: G8iwn2*B. Although this is a strong password, has no meaning and is therefore difficult to remember. So the question arises: how do we utilize the above criteria while creating something memorable and difficult to crack?

One of the interesting things about the English language is that a single sound can be spelled many ways. Take the long E sound, for example, as in see. It can be spelled e, ee, ea, ey, ei, i, ie. Or how about the SH sound, as in sheet. Try sh, s, ti, ci, si, ch. Here is how to incorporate this apparent flaw of English to create strong and memorable passwords.

First, choose a meaningful name, the shorter the better. Let’s say your maternal grandmother’s maiden name was Cox. We are going to take the letters of her name and spell them phonetically. C becomes See. O becomes Oh. X becomes Ex. So C-O-X becomes SeeOhEx. Do you see it? Say it out loud if you have having trouble.

If she was born in 1918, we can incorporate those numbers like this: 1See9Oh1Ex8. Perhaps your grandmother was rich, so we’ll add a dollar sign: 1See9Oh1Ex8$.

Another security tip is to change passwords periodically. Because the same sound can often be spelled several ways, the password above can morph to: 19SeaOaEks$18. Can you still see the C-O-X?

So now we have a password that:

• is not a word found in the dictionary
• uses more than number
• incorporates more than one capital letter
• is more than eight characters
• has a symbol
• and is meaningful!

More Tips For Success:

• Once you have formulated a possible password, open your word processing program and practice typing it. Your goal is for it to flow smoothly off your fingers so you no longer need to think about it.
• Spend time trying to get a mental picture of what your password looks like. Write it down and study it to help cement the image into your memory. Be sure to shred the paper later.
• Make sure you can easily sound out the phonetic parts and that the phonetic parts make sense to you.
• When entering passwords online, distinguish between high security sites and low security sites. Your online subscription to Amateur Boating Today does not require a complex password. Don’t use one for sites don’t need it.
• For a higher level of security, don’t use obvious words, such as your favorite pet, your child’s name, or your first name.
• Good word choices include short words from your family’s past. Some examples: your father’s first car (Ford becomes EfOhArDee); the name of the city where your cousin was born (Dover becomes DeOhVeEeAr); the first name of your mother’s best friend in high school (Gayle becomes JeeAyWyElEe). Choose something that still has meaning for you and is not so obscure that, after setting it up on a site, you later scratch your head and have to call tech-support. Don’t forget to add a significant number and symbol.
• If you have trouble with the phonetics of a particular word, either chose an easier word, or browse through a dictionary to help you find alternate spellings for particular sounds.

Good luck and happy passwording!

About the Author:

Jennifer A. Thieme, owner of Solid Rock Accounting Services, is a Certified QuickBooks Advisor and a Registered Tax Preparer. She has been in the bookkeeping and tax field for nine years. She considers the diagnosis and resolution of accounting-related problems her specialty. Her articles have appeard in the Intuit ProConnection Newsletter. Contact her via http://www.jenniferthieme.com with your accounting related questions.

With all of the emphasis in the past few years on Homeland Security, many people have overlooked the importance of home
security. While it might not make the first story on the news,
when your house is burgled, safeguarding your home soon becomes
the most important issue in your world.

The Facts

There’s no reason to wait until it happens to you. According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, about 75% of all crime
in the United States is property crime. In 2003, there were 14
million thefts of property. In 83% of these crimes, the burglars actually entered the home or some other building to steal property.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, residential burglaries in 2003 averaged $1600 in property or cash loss
per incident. This does not include repair of locks, doors,
windows, and other destruction. Are you willing to give $1600
(not to mention the security of your home and safety of your
family) to a burglar?

It can happen to anyone. Whether you live in an urban, suburban, or rural area, you are a target of burglars. What are you going to do about it?

The Options

Never underestimate the resourcefulness of an intruder. Simply
locking your doors and windows isn’t enough. If you can think
of a way to get into your home, surely someone who makes crime
his living will be able to as well.

You also shouldn’t overestimate the resourcefulness of neighbors. Neighborhood watches are fine, but how many of your neighbors spend every hour you aren’t home watching your house? How would they distinguish between a furniture delivery and a robbery? Can you tell just by looking if someone is simply walking for exercise or casing houses for possible burglary attempts? Even houses less than a mile from police stations are easily robbed.

There are more effective options that will prevent break-ins and make your home secure.

Home Alarms

A simple loud noise will not deter a criminal. Your neighbors
are likely to turn up their televisions to drown out the sound.
Battery and even electrically operated sound alarms are easily
thwarted by criminals.

If you are going to use a home alarm, you should use a monitored system. When you decide between monitored home alarm systems, you generally have three choices – a do-it-yourself system, a national monitoring system, and a local home security company system.

The do-it-yourself installation systems are by far the cheapest. You need a bit of technical know-how, and you need to know how an intruder enters. When you buy your own equipment, you have your choice of companies to monitor your system. Some systems let you program additional numbers to be called when the alarm is triggered, which isn’t as helpful as you’d think. By the time you or a neighbor is able to react and call the police, your burglar is usually long gone. It’s best to stick with the pros.

National alarm system monitoring services (such as ADT or Brinks) are the most popular. Common customer complaints include being taken advantage of on installation. The national companies contract installation with independent dealers. Many ADT and Brinks customers have reported outrageous quotes, having to negotiate with the installer, and advertised specials being worthless. Other problems include monitoring errors and slow reaction time. When an alarm is triggered, the company calls you to determine if the alarm went off by accident (the large majority of home alarm triggers are accidents by the home
owners). If they cannot get you on the phone, they will then
call the proper authorities. Unhappy customers have reported
no calls at all or very delayed calls. These companies also
require you to contract with them for a specified amount of
time, usually 2-3 years, even if you are unhappy with their
service.

Local alarm monitoring systems are usually less expensive with
higher levels of customer satisfaction. A local company will
have fewer customers, so you are more important to them. You
will get a less expensive, yet completely effective installation by an actual company representative. Because these companies rarely require long-term contracts, you have more freedom to change monitoring companies. Knowing this, they will usually charge less per month and put forth more effort to keep your business.

Any home alarm system comes with a useful lawn sign indicating
that your home is protected by an alarm system. This, alone, is a form of prevention as a thief is more likely to hit a house without an alarm system. Alarm systems are also great for fires and other emergencies. Usually as an added feature, you can hook smoke alarms up to your monitoring system. If a smoke alarm goes off, the fire department is notified. This is
especially beneficial during the night or if you leave pets at
home during the day. Panic buttons are good if you happen to
be home during a break-in or you have a medical emergency. You
should also get a break on your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance when you have a system installed. Monitored home alarm systems are definitely worth the investment, but you shouldn’t stop there.

House Sitters

Even if you have an alarm system, house sitters are invaluable.
If you leave your home to go on vacation, your best defense is
having actual people in your home. The majority of burglaries
in the United States happen during the day while people are at
work. Criminals will take the easiest route. If people are in
their targeted home, they will move on to a house that appears
empty. The problem with traditional house sitting services is
that they simply make one or two trips to your home a day to
collect mail, open curtains, water plants, and throw off
criminals. That still leaves about 23 hours in the day that
your home is vulnerable to intrusion or fires.

The best house sitting option is to have people living in your
home. If you have a friend or family member stay at your home
full-time throughout the length of your vacation, you will worry less about burglaries, fires, and other problems such as coming back to a flooded home because of a broken hot water heater.

Having a house sitter also cuts down on preparation time and
expenses before your vacation. You won’t have to have your mail stopped (all a criminal has to do is watch your postal carrier skip your house to assume you’re on vacation), buy and set light-timers, or even board the dog.

Don’t have a friend or family member who can stay at your home?
There are services available that match up people and live-in
house sitters. It’s as though someone is renting your house
while you’re on vacation, only they generally don’t pay you
rent. They will pay utilities, mow the lawn, take care of your
mail, pets, and home while you’re away. They will notify you of any problems. The services help you screen candidates and find the perfect person, couple, or family willing to take care of your home.

The Solution

The very best prevention you can implement is a combination of
24-hour home alarm monitoring and a house sitter if you are going to be away for any length of time. Don’t become a statistic. Start protecting your home today!

Copyright © 2005, Ian White

Author Ian L. White specializes in helping people who are
interested in finding a house sitter in their town, or for more
information about the benefits of house sitting. To find out
about these services, visit http://www.housecarers.com today.

Registration is free for homeowners (and they’ll never have to
rely on cousin Eddie again.

If you are worried about telephone bugs, then you need to make
sure that you have the right counter surveillance equipment.
This will allow you to protect yourself from eavesdroppers who
want to listen in on your conversations. If you want to stay
private, then you need to be on the look out for telephone bugs,
especially since these bugs may work beyond just your phone
calls and May, in fact, also double as room monitors. The first
piece of equipment you need when searching out telephone bugs is
your eyes. You need to be alert and look around. Watch people
who enter your home. Do they show a great deal of interest near
your phone? Someone borrowing your phone to “make a quick phone
call” can easily bug it. Most people go into another room for
this sort of thing, protecting them from listeners as well as
from prying eyes. If you suspect someone may have been able to
tamper with your phone, you can take the phone apart fairly
easily to look for bugs (or just buy a new phone). Another thing
to look for when attempting to uncover phone bugs is innocent
looking contraptions nearby. Is there always a cell phone
charging near the phone? Do you have a new phone jack adapter?
These are tip offs that the equipment may be spy gear instead of
what it looks like. You can also use your eyes outside your
home. Does it look like there is an extra wire somewhere that is
tapping into your line? Check around for these sorts of
telephone bugs is also important. Telephone bugs often either
use some of the power used by the phone or transmit a signal. A
bug sweeper can help you locate these types of bugs. Some money
invested in a good sweeper can help you with your counter
surveillance needs as you locate intruding spy bugs. This
sweeper either detect an increase in power drawn by the phone
(to power the bug) or detects frequencies used to transmit
signals carrying your conversations. You need to be on your toes
if you want to protect yourself from eavesdroppers using
telephone bugs. (c) 2005 Copyright www.spyassociates.com. This
article is about: Telephone Bugs.

If you don’t want to spend a lot of cash on a home security system, but you want intruders or possible burglars to be deterred from your property, then a camera dummy security might be just what you need. With a camera dummy security, thieves will think that your home is protected but will not be able to tell the difference between your fake security cameras and the real thing. This is a cost effective way to keep intruders away from robbing your home.

Some of the camera dummy security systems can be mounted easily with a few
screws and support braces, and will give the appearance of looking just like a real
bona fide security camera. These decoy cams will look like the real thing, with
realistic stickers and blinking lights. You can even find fake cameras that have
motion detectors installed in them, so even though they are not transmitting video,
they will still be motion activated and move as if they are filming the suspect.

You will be surprised to find that a camera dummy security can save you a bundle,
and mostly you can find what you need for under a hundred dollars. Intruders will
be fooled and diverted from your property, and you will have the peace of mind of
knowing that you are protected.You might be surprised to know that you don’t need
to spend a lot of money to give the appearance that your home is protected by
alarm systems and cameras. With fake security cameras, you can mount a security
system that will appear to the untrained eye as being realistic and always capturing
video. If you have a small store or even want to make your household staff think
they are being monitored at all times, they will be on their best behavior around
your fake security cameras.

There are many different styles of fake security cameras to choose from. You can
secure your home with fake cams for as little as 15 dollars a
camera. This is a great idea if you are short on cash but still want to make your
home look protected. Another great use for fake security cameras is for movie or
theatrical play sets. Your audience will believe that your dummy cameras are real
and you don’t have to spend a lot of money on props!

For more information on Home Security Products, visit our site at:

www.best-home-security-online.com

J.J. Nielson is a successful graphic artist and published internet author. She has worked
in the entertainment security field, as well as with private investigators.