Computer and Library Learning

How Safe Are Your Passwords?

Having a secure password for online accounts is a basic requirement for online security.   While the components of a secure password are straightforward, creating a secure password that is easy to remember, can be difficult.  It's the remembering that is the hardest part.

Generally, secure passwords contain most, if not all, of the following features:

• A minimum of 8 characters
• At least one uppercase letter
• At least one number
• At least one symbol (although some online accounts do not allow for this)

If you want to check your passwords for their strength, have a look at the Password Strength Checker on the Password Meter Website.   Just type in your password and see how it scores.

One easy way to make your passwords more secure is to change one letter to an uppercase and substitute numbers or symbols for other letters in your current password.  For example, you could use a zero for an o, a 1 for an l or i, a 5 for an s, or the @ symbol for an a. For example, password could be changed to P@55w0rd (which changes the score from 8% - Very Weak to 86% - Very Strong).

To be the most secure, we should have different passwords for each online account - but who could remember all those different passwords?   It is possible to have your computer remember your password for you, through software management software or your browser.  However, this will not be of help when using someone else's computer or a public access computer, such as a library computer.  

The security experts at Mozilla (the company that created the Firefox web browser) have created an elegant way to create a secure password, have it be unique on each online website, but still be easily memorized.  The method is to chose a  phrase that you will remember.  If applicable, change words to numbers.  Reduce the phrase to just the first letters in each of the words and then add some symbols.  To make each password unique, add the first letter and the next two consonants of the website to the end of the password. 

For more details on this method, have a look at this video:

 

Related posts:

The Password is Dead...Long Live the Password...

Who can kill the password?

Shoring up the Password

Google's Take(Away) on the Password

 

 

Timely Academic Resources

Most Librarians will tell you that one of the most frustrating reference experiences is trying to help a student who has come into the library to get resources for a project that is due the next day.  Sometimes it happens that there is a wide selection of books on the student’s topic of interest, but many times particularly in smaller libraries, books on their topic are not readily available and would need to be placed on hold and brought in from another branch. For someone who needs timely and reliable resources right away, this is not a helpful option.

An option that is helpful in this situation as well as for anyone who is interested in timely academic resources is to use the databases available through the Toronto Public Library website.  There is a wide selection of databases covering a broad range of topics including some designed specifically for children that are available through the Toronto Public Library’s KidsSpace section of the website. Customers can access these databases from any Toronto Public library computer or from home / personal computers simply by logging in with their library card.

For those interested in academic databases, the following list highlights some of the best databases for scholarly information.

Canadian Business and Current Affairs (CBCA) - Full-text business and general interest articles from popular, academic and business periodicals.

Canadian Points of View - Social issues in Canada. Essays on controversial issues from a Canadian perspective.

Directory of Open Access Journals - Full-text scientific and scholarly journals covering all subjects and many languages.

Gale Virtual Reference Library - Full text research books. Includes Business Plan Handbooks and Grizmek's Animal Life Encyclopedia.

Global Issues in Context - A selection of high-quality articles about international issues and current events, grouped by topic and country/region.

JSTOR - Archive of important scholarly journals, not current editions for arts, science and the humanities.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context - Pro/con essays on current social issues. Great for students writing assignments, presentations, debate preparation, and general research.

 

Recommended Websites at Toronto Public Library and the Hidden Web

Recommended Websites 

(URL: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/books-video-music/recommended-websites/ )

Many Toronto Public Library customers with limited or no knowledge of computers before have gone through the spectrum of free computing training workshops offered at Toronto Public Library
branches, including the series of Web Basics 1, Web Basics 2, and Web Basics 3 workshops that emphasize three different ways of accessing information on the Internet:

1) When you know where you are going (i.e. the URL or the website’s address);

2) When you want to explore (and don’t have a specific website in mind) (i.e. use a search engine such as Bing, Google, or Yahoo! etc.); and.

3) When you want the exploring done for you (i.e. go to a special website or subject directory that links to other websites on the basis of category or topic – e.g. Internet Public Library and yes, Toronto Public Library’s Recommended Websites ).

It is method #3 that will be the focus here as we look at the “Recommended Websites” section of the Toronto Public Library website. “Recommended” means that Toronto Public Library librarians
have selected said websites for inclusion in a designated website category, evaluating the quality of the information presented, and monitoring those websites for potential changes. Customers using “Recommended Websites” have the option of searching by keyword(s) or can browse by subject categories to move from the general subjects to the more specific ones. Here are the general
subject categories as listed on Toronto Public Library’s Recommended Websites (with the number of listed websites in parentheses as of May 18, 2013):

Arts and Crafts (1,395)

Book Information, Literature and Electronic Books (337)

Business, Finance and Economics (1,719)

Canadian Theatre Record (139)

Computers, Internet and Search Engines (313)

Education, Libraries and Literacy (393)

Engineering and Technology (196)

Environment and Ecology (312)

Genealogy (1,015)

Geography, Travel and Tourism (622)

Government and Politics (685)

Health Topics from A to Z (1,393)

History (836)

Homes, Do-it-yourself and Consumer Information (541)

Homework Help (494)

Immigration, Citizenship and Newcomers (161)

Job Search and Careers (1,469)

Languages and Language Learning (179)

Law (100)

News, Media and Newspapers (2,155)

People and Communities (530)

Philosophy, Religion and Beliefs (431)

Quick Information (275)

Science and Mathematics (1,323)

Social Sciences (353)

Sports, Recreation and Hobbies (507)

Toronto and its Neighbourhoods (1,411)

 

As an example, let us focus on the Computers, Internet and Search Engines category. When entering this category, one now finds more specific subject categories (with the number of selected websites listed in parentheses as of May 18, 2013):

Artificial Intelligence  (4)

Communications and Networking  (7)

Dictionaries (6)

Education and Training  (21)

Email (6)

Free-Nets (3)

Hardware (14)

History and Biography  (14)

Newsletters, Magazines and Journals  (11)

Operating Systems  (11)

Organizations and Associations  (14)

Programming (9)

Search Engines and Directories  (72)

Security (13)

Software (28)

Word Processing Tutorials  (10)

World Wide Web (94)

 

Now let us focus on the Search Engines and Directories category which breaks down further as follows (with the number of websites per category in parentheses as of May 18, 2013):

French Language Search Engines and Directories  (9)

Meta Search Engines  (8)

Regional Search Engines and Directories  (7)

Search Engines (8)

Software Search Helpers  (4)

Subject Directories  (14)

Subject Directories - Canadian Focus  (5)

 

Subject directories (or recommended websites by category) websites are not always fully searchable or visible on the Internet through the use of a search engine that indexes the “Surface Web” or the “Visible Web”. Along with subscription databases and websites requiring membership to access
additional content, such sources constitute part of what is referred to alternatively as the “Deep Web”, the “Hidden Web”, or the “Invisible Web”. For those interested in learning more about the “Hidden Web”, consider the following titles available from Toronto Public Library collections:

 

  

The hidden web: a sourcebook / William O. Scheeren, 2012.

The author contended that many researchers, students, and even some librarians possess superficial searching skills of the Internet. Scheeren argued that the ability to use the Hidden Web in school and public libraries is essential as the most current and qualitative information is often found there. This book evaluated and subdivided various sources based on subject category, accompanied by resource
descriptions.

 

The hidden web: finding quality information on the net / Maureen Henninger, 2003.

Henninger took the reader beyond surfing the Internet to seek information. In addition to discussing search syntax and Boolean language strategies, the author addressed the presence of the “Invisible
Web” comprised of databases and some search engines that could be used by web users for free or for cost, depending on the source in question. Henninger provided search examples.

Learn to Use Microsoft Office: Safari Tech Books Online

Many of our patrons take our classes on Microsoft Office programs, such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint and are left wanting more. No wonder, as there is so much these computer programs have to offer.

A popular and accessible source of electronic books and videos on technical topics is Safari Tech Books Online.

eBooks, often with interactive features built into them, as well as videos are available by clicking on Downloads & eBooks on the home page. You will be steered to a list of all the eBook collections of the library, including Safari Tech Books Online. Click, then enter your library card number and PIN in the next page.

Click "Continue" to proceed to the eBook and video collections proper:

You can select to view books or videos.

These materials can't be downloaded. They are streamed ebooks and videos.

You will agree, after working through some of the titles offered through Safari Tech Books Online that self-learning can be fun and very effective!

 

Snapshots in History: April 30: Remembering the World’s First Website on the WWW

 







(Source Credit: CERN – URL: http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html )

 

Those of us who use the World Wide Web to view webpages might want to take a brief moment to celebrate the twentieth (20^th) anniversary of the world’s first website. On April 30, 1993, in a desire for an “open web”, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (known by its French acronym CERN) released royalty-free the software and technology needed to run a web server to put websites on the Internet, accessible through a basic web browser. In celebration of the 20^th anniversary, CERN launched a working version of the world’s first original webpage.

Many people are aware of the role of British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee in creating the World Wide Web (or W3) while he was working at CERN in 1989. Following the launch of the CERN webpage which was hosted on Berners-Lee’s NeXt computer at the time, there were over 500 web servers by the end of 1993 with the World Wide Web making up only 1% of Internet traffic while other activities involved remote access to computer networks, email activity, and file transfers from one computer to another workstation. In 2013, there are approximately 630 million websites.

In the early days of the World Wide Web, there were no search engines to help find information. However, on the first website, there were 17 subject areas from which to look for information:

Aeronautics; Astronomy and Astrophysics; Bio Sciences; Computing; Geography; Law; Libraries; Literature; Humanities; Mathematics; Meteorology; Music; Physics; Politics and Economics; Reference; Religion; and, Social Sciences.

What about the “open web”? Stephen Shankland, writing on cnet.com, noted that proprietary technology has found a place on the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web Consortium (or W3C) has developed recommendations with the goal of royalty-free implementation and the avoidance of patented technology. For example, when Unisys wanted patent royalties for developing GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) files, W3C helped to develop an alternative called Portable Network Graphics (PNG). Patents also exist in video compression codec with an industry standard called H.264 (or AVC - advanced video coding) for which individuals using the standard in hardware, software, streaming etc. must pay royalties to patent holders through Motion Picture Experts Group LA (licensing authority). Shankland also discussed digital rights management (DRM) which can place limitations on the copying of television programs, music sharing, or watching a rented movie after the expiration of 24 hours. The Free Software Foundation, Creative Commons, Electronic Frontier Foundation and other bodies have urged W3C to keep its standards free of DRM. However, controversy is swirling around Tim Berners-Lee’s support of a proposal being debated within W3C to add digital rights management to the new version of hypertext markup language (HTML) called HTML 5.

Canadian-British science fiction author and blogger Cory Doctorow, writing about HTML 5 on The Guardian’s Technology blog, argued that the addition of digital rights management to the HTML 5 standard will have major impacts “that are incompatible with the W3C's most important policies, and with Berners-Lee's deeply held principles”. Doctorow is well-acquainted with W3C’s patent-free approach and argued that when W3C members hold title to a patent that becomes part of a W3C standard, licensing should be offered without stringent conditions. However, this desire is in direct conflict with the intent of digital rights management to impose strict conditions on browsers, such as “robustness” against end-user changes, thereby preventing the use of free, open source software. Consequently, popular browser technologies such as WebKit (used in Chrome and Safari web browsers) and Gecko (used in Firefox browsers) would be legally restricted from implementing the emerging W3C standard. Doctorow also questioned the effectiveness of DRM in preventing copying. The desire of an “open and neutral Internet” which Berners-Lee developed without permission is in direct conflict with digital rights management which necessitates permission for the right to create and innovate.

Undoubtedly, the World Wide Web and its place on the Internet will continue to evolve, influenced by participants with differing viewpoints on the patent debate and digital rights management. What do you think? Have your say here on the Computer and Library Learning Blog.

Protecting Yourself from Online Scams

While the Internet is a great way to find information and keep in touch with friends and family, it has also has the potential to be used for criminal purposes.  Luckily, there are ways to protect yourself while online.   The website Mashable recently posted a great list of things to watch out for in your email in 10 Red Flag You're About to Get Scammed. 

For more information on the different scams that are out there - including phone scams - have a look at the Canadian Anti-Fraud Website and click on Scam Types. 

The Identify Theft section of this website also has excellent information, including the steps that someone should take if they suspect that their identity is being used by someone else and a downloadable Identity Theft Statement that can be used to notify banks, credit card and other companies that identity theft has occurred.

One type of scam is called Phishing.   According to Wikipedia, phishing is defined as " the act of attempting to acquire information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money) by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication".   This video is a somewhat humorous look at the danger of Phishing (and internet dating):

 

 

Keeping your information secure while online shopping is also very important in preventing having your information compromised.  The Ministry of Consumer Services, Ontario has a list of Consumer Protection Brochures for you to use.  Have a look at the Home, phone and online shopping online and the Protecting Your Identity brochures.

 

For more information on keeping safe while online, have a look at one of these books:

Using the Internet Safely for Seniors for Dummies by Linda Criddle and Nancy Muir. 
This guide will help readers steer safely through onlines hazards so they can shop, visit, invest, explore, pay bills, and do dozens of other things online - more securely. Learn to protect yourself from online predators, create strong passwords, find reliable information, spot e-mail and phishing scams, and much more. Also available in Large Print.

Social Media for Seniors : Personal and Business Communication through Social Networking by Rilana Groot
This is a guide for older Internet users on such topics as creating an account on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn; adding personal information and photographs to a profile; configuring privacy settings; and creating a blog using WordPress.

Elements of Computer Security by D. Salomon.
Elements of Computer Security examines the physical security of computer hardware, networks, and digital data. Introduces the different forms of rogue software, discusses methods for preventing and defending against them, and describes a selection of viruses, worms, and Trojans in detail. It also investigates threats to network security and explores the subjects of authentication, spyware, and identity theft and discusses key issues about privacy and trust in the online world.

How to be Invisible: Protect Your Home, Your Children, Your Assets and Your Life by J. J. Luna. 3rd Edition.
This book covers methods for protecting yourself from information predators and how to secure your bank accounts, business dealings, computer files, and even your home address. This new edition covers new dangers from using smart phones, e-book readers and other electronic devices as well as protecting your Facebook, Twitter and online banking accounts.

Security Awareness: Applying Practical Security in Your World by Mark D. Ciampa. 3rd Edition.
This book presents a basic introduction to practical computer security for all users, from students to home users to business professionals. Security topics are introduced through a series of real-life user experiences, showing why computer security is necessary and providing the essential elements for making and keeping computers secure. Going beyond just the concepts of computer security, students will gain practical skills on how to protect computers and networks from increasingly sophisticated attacks.

Sociopathic Media: what constitutes online harassment?

People are human, and make mistakes.  Often we say things we regret (or must soon appear to regret). If your outburst is simply muttered angrily, you might get away with it by relying on the ASSCAN... formula (my favourite variation of which is "Act Surprised, Show Concern, Admit Nothing, Deny Everything, Demand Proof"). 

However if your outburst is readily accessible online you might as well forget that! You're going to need to be careful what you psot.  A New Brunswick principal has recently warned students not to post slights against teachers on social media sites.  The principal has made it clear that legal action is not out of the question.

A librarian at McMaster is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with a publishing house that didn't care to be characterized as "second rate" in his blog posting. The case is becoming ever more complex going beyond the usual scope of slander and libel versus academic freedom to include "academic mobbing"  which seems to be sophisticated combination of ostracism and bullying and legal harrassment.

More alarmingly, a woman in Montreal took a picture of a wall and posted it on instagram.  The wall just happend to display a violent graffito caricturing a police commander with a bullet wound prominent on his forehead.  Although the woman denys making the graffito -she says she only posted a picture of it- she's looking at criminal harassment charges.

And more recently, Newfoundland and Labrador MHA Gerry Rogers was thrown out of the House of Assembly because she was an unwitting member of the facebook group "Kathy Dunderdale Must Go!"  Someone other than Ms. Rogers made what were taken to be death threats on the message board for the group.  Ms. Rogers sole connection was that she was added to the group by another person. 

Ms. Dunderdale has said "it is up to every MHA to monitor the comments posted on facebook groups to which they belong."  She also says that the government understands how facebook works, but one must wonder if they do.  I myself have started a several groups on facebook and it used to be that you asked friends to join. One day a couple years back I was horrified to see that people I thought I was inviting were in fact "being joined". Yeah,it's that easy! 

So the lesson here is watch what people think you say, and be careful what you get accused of doing!      

The Many Features of LearningExpress Library!

LearningExpress Library is an online database available through the Toronto Public Library website. Users can access the database at any branch or on personal computers. Simply login with your TPL card, and let the learning begin!

The database is organized into various Learning Centers and includes practice tests, skill-building courses and eBooks. There are a variety of Learning Centers available including Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College Students, Skill Building for Adults as well as English Language Proficiency and Citizenship.

In order to access the resources available, you must first register with LearningExpress using your email address. Once registered you can login to the database to download exercises and resource guides and keep track of your progress.

In addition to academic exercises, LearningExpress also has a great collection of Job Search and Career resources. There are general business writing and resume guides as well as career-specific training exercises for a variety of professions including Cosmetology, Law Enforcement, Nursing, Real Estate and Teaching.   

With such a wide range of topics available LearningExpress has something for everyone!

For more information on how to use or access the database visit any Toronto Public Library branch, or use the comment feature below to ask a question and we will get back to you with the answer. 

“I’ve Taken Move That Mouse – Now, What Can I Do to Practice?”

Over the years, many Toronto Public Library customers with little or no computer experience have enrolled in the library’s introductory workshop Move That Mouse at different library branches across the City of Toronto. Staff instructors continue to deliver this workshop to interested library patrons but also try to emphasize the need for these patrons to practice the computer skills that they have learned in the workshop after the workshop and before any other subsequent workshops offered by the library such as Web Basics.

Those who have their own personal computer might have little trouble finding time to practice computer skills at their convenience. For those customers who do not own their own computer, Toronto Public Library branch locations offer computer and internet access which customers can access with a valid Toronto Public Library card.

Once you are on a computer with internet access, then what? Go on the Internet and try the BBC Absolute Beginners’ Guide to using your computer.

 

 

(Source Credit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/abbeg/abbeg.shtml )

Follow the guide’s steps in using the computer mouse, learning about computer components, correct posture to follow when sitting at the keyboard and monitor, learning about the computer keyboard, scrolling practice, and a guide to using browser windows.

 

Here are some titles listed in the Toronto Public Library catalogue:

Absolute beginner's guide to computer basics [4th ed.] / Michael Miller, 2007. Book.

 

 

 

Buying a computer for seniors: for the over 50s / Karen Holland, 2010. Book.

 

 

 

The complete idiot's guide to using your computer-- for seniors / Paul McFedries, 2012. Book.

 

 

Computer basics absolute beginner's guide updated for Windows 8 [6th ed.] / Michael Miller, 2013. eBook.

 

 

 

Computers for seniors for dummies [3rd ed.] / Nancy Muir, 2013. Book.

 

 

 

Computers for seniors for dummies [2nd ed.] / Nancy Muir, 2010. Book. Also available in Large Print.

 

 

 

Computing for Seniors / Martin S. Matthews et al., 2011. Large Print Book.

 

 

 

Computing with Windows 7® for the older and wiser: get up and running on your home PC / Adrian Arnold, 2010. Book.

 

 

Is this thing on?: a computer handbook for late bloomers, technophobes, and the kicking & screaming / Abigail Stokes, 2011. Book.

 

 

Laptops for seniors for dummies / Nancy Muir, 2010. Book.

 

Laptops for the older and wiser: get up and running on your laptop computer / Bud E. Smith, 2010. Book.

 

 

Macs for seniors for dummies [2^nd. ed.] / Mark L. Chambers, 2012.

 

 

Windows 8 for seniors for dummies / Mark Justice Hinton, 2012. Book.

YouTube Reaches One Billion Monthly Users

On March 20, 2013, the world’s most popular video-sharing service YouTube announced on its blog that “YouTube now has more than a billion unique users every single month.” The Google-owned service noted that “(n)early one out of every two people on the Internet visits YouTube.” This puts YouTube in a similar position to Facebook which recently reached one billion active monthly users in October 2012 and increased to 1.06 billion active monthly users in January 2013.

 

(Source URL: https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://ssl.gstatic.com/think/docs/gen-c-connects-on-youtube_infographics.pdf&embedded=true ; Also available as a PDF at http://ssl.gstatic.com/think/docs/gen-c-connects-on-youtube_infographics.pdf  )

 

The Google Agency Blog published a blog post entitled “How does Gen C watch Youtube? On all screens, all the time” on March 20, 2013 that addressed increased YouTube usage on account of “Generation C”, aptly named by Nielsen for the 18 to 34 year old demographic that places an importance on being connected. According to the Google Agency Blog, Generation C places importance on connection (with a variety of devices to watch YouTube), creation (including creating, watching, and uploading videos on YouTube), community (driven by what is popular on YouTube to share video content with family and friends), and curation (finding content on YouTube and elsewhere that is important to them).

 

 

The Google Agency Blog reported that Gen C watch YouTube on their smartphones in conjunction with other activities. For example, 41% access YouTube while waiting for someone or something, 18% during commuting from school or work, and 15% while ignoring commercials that are running on television.

 

 

47% of Gen C smartphone users actively access YouTube as a destination for finding videos, while 9% have accessed videos for social reasons as it was shared by friends in an email, and 18%  have watched a video because it was shared on a social networking site. For those of you who are new to the Internet and to using a computer, Google and YouTube are trying to entice brand marketers to reach Gen C consumers (who have made YouTube an important website destination) with options such as TrueView video ads and One Channel design (that provides access to advertisements regardless of the device used).

To view a PDF copy of the research document “Introducing Gen C: The YouTube Generation”, click here.

Please share your thoughts with the Computer and Library Learning blog on how you spend time on YouTube.