Podcast

006 PC Mike Podcast: Hacking Isn’t as Bad as You Think…It’s Worse!

Steve Weisman – one of America’s foremost experts on cybersecurity and online scams – says hacking isn’t as bad as you think — it’s worse.

That’s just one of the foreboding comments from Weisman on PC Mike Podcast 006, where he was our featured guest in light of all the recent hacking incidents making news, including just this week when U.S. Military’s Central Command was allegedly cyber attacked.

The biggest problem?

“The Internet wasn’t really created with security in mind,” Weisman tells PC Mike.

Weisman is a lawyer, college professor at Bentley University, and among the country’s leading experts on scams and identity theft. He has written several books relating to scams and identify theft and is a columnist for USA Today. Also, he is the founder of Scamicide.com, a website dedicated to informing the public about the dangers of scams and providing the public with the latest information about this important topic.

Attorney and cyber expert Steve Weisman
Attorney and cyber expert Steve Weisman

In the interview, we learn how the government and business try to keep you from knowing how bad the problem has become and what you can do to protect yourself. Also, you will hear Weisman address:

– Startling revelations about hacks much more frightening than the Sony hack

– How credit card companies cover up the extent of their vulnerabilities

– How it is safer to use a credit card online than to give it to a retail sales person, waiter or waitress

– How the IRS loses billions annually in an easily fixable scam

– How 100 or so computer geniuses around the world are behind so much chaos

– If the kinds of technology you use can make a difference (credit card vs. debit, Mac vs. PC)

– [spp-tweet “The most practical and easy-to-follow advice you will ever hear on how to set foolproof passwords”]

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Also From PC Mike Podcast 006:

Here Comes Windows nine, er, make that 10

Ever hear of Windows 9?

Nope. And you never will as Microsoft plans to unwrap a new preview version of Windows 10 in Redmond, Wash.,  Jan. 21.

Why did they skip 9?  Because, perhaps, of Apple’s OS X? Having windows 9 would make it somehow seem behind Apple’s operating system, or X. That’s what I think, as do many others in the tech press.

Lenovo and Dell have already issued ringing endorsements for Windows 10, claiming customers are anxious to upgrade to the new OS, especially after the controversial and not-so-hot Windows 8. One of the appeals is the return of the Start menu, and a stronger focus on the desktop.

A mobile version appears to be on the way, too.

After all, ever since Microsoft dumped Windows Mobile, the company has been on a mission to deliver an operating system that worked just as well on mobile devices as on desktops and laptops.

I give my full rundown on what Windows 10 is expected to have. Look for it on store shelves by early summer.

Apps of the Week: Getting it Write – Sans MS Word

If you thought Microsoft Word was complicated, wait until you try Scrivener. But then again, despite a steep learning curve, this little $45 writing software is the best I’ve ever seen. Whether white papers, blog posts, poetry, screenwriting or penning the next great American novel, Scrivener is like a writing studio, a one-stop program for Macs or PCs that is also a project management system for your articles and papers, as well as a research center. You can try it out free for a month, but, from my experience, it will take you that long to learn it. Once you have, though — wow!

Despite the silly name, WorkFlowy is a note taking piece of software that boldly claims to organize your brain. It’s a desktop app and an online app for Apple and Android that collects and organizes notes, shopping lists, and documents. It’s the best note-taker I have ever found. Best of all, it’s free.

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Here’s how:

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Thank you!

Mike is a veteran journalist whose video "PC Mike" reports have been distributed weekly to all 215 NBC-TV stations since 1994, making him one of the most experienced tech reporters in the country. His tech stories and videos have appeared on MSNBC, CNBC, the Today Show, The New York Times, USA Today and in numerous national newspapers and magazines. In addition to the PC Mike tech blog, he also publishes the Roadtreking.com RV Travel Blog in which he travels North America in an RV reporting about interesting people and places.