There are two rules for success:

1.) Don’t tell all you know

Thanks, Shari.  You rock.

“So, what kind of homework do you have tonight?” I asked Sophie as we were driving home from school.

“I just have to take a math test.  But I can do it on my iTouch,” she coolly replied as though this were a normal occurence.

“What?”  I thought I had misheard her.

“I just need to take an online test.  I don’t need a computer, just my iTouch.”

And there, in that moment, I was amazed at how different our kids’ lives are today, compared to when we were their ages.  I still don’t even own a iTouch….

TheSavvyGal.com is a wonderful website for all of us gals who want reliable content on finances, health, relationships, careers, and more.  Having just undergone a revamp, it is now more savvy than ever.  Check it out!

I just read some very alarming statistics*:

5,479 adult internet users experience internet fraud A DAY.

9% of identity theft information is obtained online.

“The emotional impact of internet identity fraud has been found to parallel that of victims of violent crime.” – EMM*

Do you use the same log in for every site you go to?  Evidently, this is not a good idea.  You “should” have a different pass code for each site.  As someone who does, I can tell you that it is a nightmare, and I can never leave my “secret” log in code box behind if I hope to be able to navigate the mess that I have created with different pass codes.  Try being out of town and desperately needing to log in to, oh, I don’t know, your blog’s control panel, and not being able to because you can’t remember what arrangement of your various codes you created to protect yourself.  Sadly, I protected myself from myself.  There must be a happy middle code place.

Do you use upper and lower case and a number in your pass code?

As I tell my kids, “If you have to LOG IN you MUST LOG OFF.”  Their computers are full of viruses.  Do you think they listened?

Speaking of viruses, use anti-virus spyware like Norton or Kapersky if you are PC.  If you are a Mac, bravo!  Move on to the next bit of info.

Forward suspect spam to the company that seemingly sent it.  For example, if you get a Bank of America notice to fill out personal information to verify your account, DON’T DO IT!  Go to bofa.com and send them a copy of the email.  Send it to spam@uce.gov as well.

This conversation with your kids does not need to be uncomfortable.  There is no need to demonstrate how to put anything on, so sit down today and talk about how they can protect themselves and your family from the dangers of the internet.  Identity fraud is just the tip of this iceberg.  Make sure you address porn and chat rooms and facebook and my space, as well.  It will make the password conversation seem to be exactly what it is, elementary, my dear.

Practice Safe Surfing!

*statistics from week 9 of Every Monday Matters.

In the past eight weeks I have upgraded much of my technology – either because something died, I received a generous gift (I LOVE my new MacBook Pro), or because it simply was so antiquated it no longer worked with anything I owned.

Little did I know that you need to know your ABC’s – or in this case NGB’s – for everything to work RIGHT.

Over the past eight weeks I have spent three or four hours on the phone with Belkin.  Two hours on the phone with HP.  And at least five or six hours watching Keith try to be helpful, trying to figure it out by myself,  or letting my kids have a stab at it (they are little techno geniuses in the making).

Finally, after all of those hours, and after the whole configuration not working again and again, someone at HP (the third or fourth person I spoke to, not the first a few weeks ago) finally suggested a reason – something that made sense.

“Your printer has a G card.  Your router is an N.”

“What?”  I said, as politely as I could, my mind now turning to the XBOX 360 wireless adapter we just ordered and wondering what letter was atttatched to it and if that mattered or not.

“What is my Mac Book?” I asked the HP guy, hoping he would know.

“G,” he said.  “Call Belkin.  They can reconfigure your router for you so that it works with both.  And you may need to call Apple.”

“Really.  Does everyone know this?  And if so, why wasn’t it brought up eight weeks ago during the first ‘Hello, my router isn’t working’ phone call?”  Again, i tried to sound so appreciative, masking my utter disdain for the lacking consumer education.  Or was it just my education?

Long story short, I called Belkin.  Again.  For the fourth or fifth time since I bought the device.  Harry – yes, the last person I spoke to when I called Belkin was named Harry as well, they ALL seem to be named Harry -  walked me through it again.  Verified that my devices were G devices, that my router was an N, but that he could help me set it up to work with both.

Walking through the same windows I had visited and altered on previous conversations, he had me change nearly all the settings.  “No,” he said, “This is the best one.”  Why didn’t the last Harry give me “the best settings?”  Believing this Harry seemed no less wrong or difficult that believing the last Harry, so what the hell, I listened, did as instructed and finally heard him say, “You need to pay attention when you are buying equipment to make sure it is compatible.”

I pay attention.  I buy from the companies whose ads I like.  That’s attention enough.  Why don’t the companies themselves team up and say – “HEY!  You – CONSUMER! If you buy that router from Belkin, it will work with these HP/Epson/etc. printers, with these gaming systems, etc., regardless if you have Mac or PC or both!”

I would be GRATEFUL for that.  And if these companies gathered the selections of compatible merchandise – or at least ADDRESSED the issue so that we consumers would not waste nearly a day’s time of our lives trying get them to work, failing and ultimately returning a perfectly good product – I might just recommend them, showcase them, and talk about how they make my life EASIER rather than recounting what they sound like as they hit the floor and break into a million pieces after a gutteral scream.  (No, I didn’t, but it seemed a much more dramatic ending than, “And after all that, it appears the ABCs of my NBGs is in order and all of my hardware now communicates appropriately).

Reading the “Prepare for an Emergency” entry in the Every Monday Matters book gave me the chills given the disasters and aftermaths that have been all over the news lately. Watching the television coverage of everything from Haiti to the local storms and landslides horrified me, brought me to tears, made me feel helpless and afraid, and ultimately, forced me into action.

Disasters, of any magnitude or size are never truly expected, but as we have seen time and time again, they are inevitable. And the only thing that seems to alleviate the fear and anxiety that come up for my family and me is to do what we can to prepare for them.

I admit that it has been quite a while since the last one, so I am planning a Disaster Preparedness Day for my family. On these days we simulate what happens: if there is an earthquake; if someone is drowning in the pool; if there is a fire; if there is a heavy rain and the hill slides; and any other “ifs” my kids or I can think up to prepare for. Aside from the “appropriate” actions that are reviewed on a Disaster Preparedness Day, there are other things that need we need to do as well. Here’s my list.

1. Communication Plan. Choose a person in your area AND outside your area for everyone to call and check in with. Make sure those numbers are in everyone’s phones and on the Emergency List.

2. Emergency List. Have a list by the main phone in the house and one in the car with all pertinent contact information, medical information and life saving instructions-directions-locations (for medicine, supply kits, etc.)

3. Cash. Paper and Coins. Bank ATMs and registers that accept credit cards may go down. Cell phone service may go out. Make sure there is cash (in small bills so it is not necessary for anyone to make change) and coins so that calls can be made at public phones if necessary.

4. Supply Kit. Buy or make one that will last each person in the household 3 days. Make sure everyone knows where it is located. And make sure that it contains something to purify water, for clean water can be more difficult to find that food after a disaster. The supply kit may also be a good place to put the cash and coins. Build a kit with the provided lists or purchase one from Ready, a national public service campaign designed to educate us to prepare for and respond to emergencies. Click here.

5. Practice your Plan. Most kids and adults learn through repetition. In the event of an emergency, if a plan has been practices, panic will be less likely.

“Prepare today…for any kind of tomorrow.” – Every Monday Matters (link)