How to make multiple profiles in Mozilla Firefox

Multiple profiles is not visible as in Microsoft Edge Chromium, according to https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Firefox/Multiple_profiles

Enter "about:profiles" to create a new profile or update. 

How to disable HTML5 autoplay in Chrome and Firefox

I don't like many web sites automatic play the video in HTML5. I just slow me down and annoy.

To disable it:

For Google Chrome: No way to do it unless I install the add-on plug-in or extension. I don't like that. So just be patient to wait for Google provide that feature or try Eloston extension

For Mozilla Firefox: Set media.autoplay.enabled to false in about:config (Source: http://superuser.com/questions/670214/how-can-i-disable-html5-content-in-popular-browsers-like-firefox-and-chrome ).

Note: Never, never run or enable Adobe Flash player.

How to disable Adobe Flash in FireFox, Google Chrome, Safari and Internet Explorer

Adobe Flash is a nice product and essential tool to surf the web. However, it have big security issues recently. Many security experts recommend not install it. I cannot get rid of Adobe Flash since sometime I need it. So, I make a change to browser to enable them on demand.

Firefox: Type "about:addons" on address bar or Ctrl-Shift-A to manage Add-ons and set "Shockwave Flash to "Ask to Activate"

Google Chrome: Type "chrome://plugins/" on address bar

Safari: Go to References -> Security -> Click on "Plug-in Settings..." next to "Internet Plug-in" check box.

Internet Explorer: Internet Options -> Program -> "Manage Add-on" button

GPS & CELL PHONE

Got this story by email, don't know it's true or not.  But somethings are useful. Here are my suggestions: 

1. First, alway think twice before click on any link or text back.
2. Second, put your password on your cell phone or any mobile devices such as tablet, iPad, iPod Touch.
3. Third, make a new email to use on smart phone only. In case your phone lost or stolen, people cannot use that email to reset your account password.
4. Last, don't put you home address, birthday on your address book, Facebook, LinkedIn or anything not necessary. When I search for map direction on the web, I used the public location nearby such as school, store or supermarket as my home address.

* * * * * 

This gives us something to think about with all our new electronic technology.

GPS

A couple of weeks ago a friend told me that someone she knew had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard.

When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house.

The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.

Something to consider if you have a GPS - don't put your home address in it.. Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station) so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen.

MOBILE PHONES

I never thought of this.......

This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet... Etc...was stolen.

20 minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says 'I received your text asking about our Pin number and I've replied a little while ago.' When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.

Moral of the lesson:

Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list.

Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc....

And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back

Also, when you're being texted by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you..

A Safe Job Search

Just got this useful message from Monster.com, I repost here For Your Awareness (FYA):

Monster makes protecting job seekers a top priority. We'd like to remind you of what you can do to help keep yourself safe during a job search. 

Know What to Avoid
Some employment scams appear as job postings or classifieds while others may target victims through unsolicited email. Below are the most common scams: 

Money-Laundering Scams
Money launderers offer "jobs" with commissions or pay as high as $2000 per day to process checks on behalf of foreign nationals. They recruit local citizens to "process payments" or "transfer funds," because as foreign nationals, they can't do it themselves. Learn more about money laundering scams here.» 

Reshipping Scams
Reshipping scams typically require job seekers to receive packages of stolen goods-frequently consumer electronics-and then forward the packages, often outside the United States. Those who fall for reshipping scams may be liable for shipping charges and even the cost of goods purchased online with stolen credit cards. Read more about reshipping scams here.» 

Pre-pay/Work at Home Scams
Although there are genuine jobs working at home, many "offers" are not valid forms of employment and have the simple goal of getting victims to make an initial "investment." Find out more about avoiding these scams.» 

Protect Yourself 
What seems like a lucrative job offer could cost you your savings and more. Learn to identify the signals of an employment scam to protect yourself. A few simple steps and a little bit of information can keep your job search safe and effective! Learn more by visiting Monster's Security Center. 

If you see a questionable job posting or suspect misuse of the Monster website, please report the suspected fraud to Monster. 

If you think you have been a victim of fraud, immediately report the fraud to your local police and contact Monster, so steps can be taken to ensure your safety. We also recommend that you file an online report with The Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National White Collar Crime Center. More information on how to conduct a safe job search is available through the Federal Trade Commission's website. You can also check out LooksTooGoodToBeTrue.com.

Further reading:
Should I provide my social security number when I apply job online?

Should I provide my social security number when I apply job online?

The answer is NO.

First, I'm not sure my social security number is safe on their site. Is it a legitimate web site?

Second, it's not make sense. Any one asks his or her date the social security on first date? From application to interview and from interview to the job offer is a long and tough process. Hiring manager will interview about 1% job applicants and will extend job offer to 1 or 2 candidates among people they interviewed. I will provide my social security number only I accept the job offer and start fill out W-4 Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate and I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification forms.

Provide social security number, driver license, your home address and birth date are not guarantee you get the interview. However, you have more risks.

Thus, I follow the advise from others to enter the phrase 'Available upon job offer' or '000-00-0000' on the online application. If the validation rule is not allow me to bypass the social security number, I will not bother to apply and file a complaint to FTC. Why hiring company or recruiter talk about job requirement, experience, skills, salary, benefit, and company culture first?

Congress should make a law to prohibit company collect the social security number on job application.

Good luck with your job search.

More info:

• http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100317150012AAsb8v3
• http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/02/06/you-want-my-social-security-number.htm 
• http://www.soyouwanna.com/apply-jobs-online-social-security-number-required-6540.html
• https://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs25-JobSeekerPriv.htm/

Don't click on the link from any email begin with "wow this is crazy you should give it a look"

Recently I got many emails claimed from my friends, my relatives and my family. Their subject line had a simple word such as "hi", "hey", "Fwd:" or "re:". The body had only one sentence begin with these words:

"wow this is crazy you should look into this ..."

"you should check this out ..."

"this is crazy you should give it a look ..."

"check this out wow ..."

"wow this is crazy you should give it a look ..."

Since senders are in my contact list, these spams bypassed spam filter and landed in my inbox. All from Yahoo account and sent from oversea. It looked like these Yahoo emails were hacked. If you are using Yahoo, check your Sent folder to see any unauthorized emails sent out. If your Yahoo was hacked and sent the spam, you should:

1. Changed your password immediately.
2. Scan your computer for virus, trojans. For Windows computer, download Microsoft Security Essentials, a free anti-virus software from Microsoft, at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials. For Mac OS computer, download Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition at http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/free-tools/sophos-antivirus-for-mac-home-edition.aspx. For Ubuntu, GNU/Linux get ClamAV,  an open source (GPL) antivirus engine designed for detecting Trojans, viruses, malware and other malicious threats. 

I agreed with James Snider in his blog post:

In today’s world, you just can not click links or open files that people email you. There are no trusted people. Viruses get on their computer and they will never know it.

Not only Yahoo email users had this problem but Hotmail too. Greg Lirette detailed his experience in "Spam sent from my Hotmail account".

That why I'm using Gmail and two-step verification and separate Yahoo, Hotmail accounts for difference tasks: social, testing, mailing list subscription, registration, personal finance, professional ...

For more info:

1. Prevent Sending Spam with my Yahoo Account? (http://superuser.com/questions/413734/prevent-sending-spam-with-my-yahoo-account)
2. The Palantír byjamessnider (http://jamesbsnider.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/the-palantir-8/)
3. Yahoo! Account Help - What to do if your account is sending spam (http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?locale=en_US&page=content&y=PROD_ACCT&id=SLN3417&impressions=false)

We the People on WhiteHouse.gov

I'm usually never sign any online petition due to security and privacy reasons. I don't trust any petition on the internet at all. This time, I signed up with We the People on WhiteHouse.gov.

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/

Please note the domain name WhiteHouse.GOV and the key or lock pad on the address bar when using the secured protocol (HTTPS). It authenticated the official government web site. To protect my privacy, I just stated my name and state.

Signed up with We the People on WhiteHouse.gov web site did not mean I supported all Obama policies. I support the United States constitution and our government. It means I trust our government. I believe our elected officials listen to us.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

I just read this article "Cybercrime Easier Than Ever" from SecurityNewsDaily.com. Here is some excerpts:

Today, people can buy credit- and debit-card information for as little as $2 per card. To learn the size of a card’s available credit line or attached bank balance, it’ll cost you $80 for smaller amounts, more than $700 for accounts with balances of at least $82,000.
... (snip) ...
So how can you avoid becoming a victim? The first step is to install antivirus software on your computer, no matter which operating system it runs, and make sure that virus definitions are automatically updated. Free antivirus software can be downloaded from reputable sources such as CNET.

Second, create a separate administrator account for your computer, and use it only for installing software. Do everything else using limited accounts that can’t affect the computer’s operating system.

Lastly, use common sense. Don’t open e-mail attachments you’re not expecting. Don’t buy unusually cheap software. Check the URL — or Web address — whenever you go to a website. And remember that banks will always call you, never e-mail you, if there’s a problem with your account.

If you're interesting in reading complete the article, visit http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/making-money-from-cybercrime-easier-than-ever-0506/

Google I/O 2010

Since Google I/O 2010 soldout early, I could not attend this great developer event. I watched the I/O keynotes live on the GoogleDevelopers YouTube channel from my office. With two computers, I multitasks: listened to speaker while worked on my desktop.

What I learn from Google I/O 2010:

• HTML5, VP8, webM
• Google TV
• Chrome Web Store
• Google Web Toolkit integrate with Spring Roo
• Using Google Wave to collaborate
• Google Apps Engine for Busines
• Google Google Storage for Developers

and of course, my favorite, Android development.

There are a lot of technical sessions I need to view this weekend. I'm so excited about Google development. I tell myself I will not miss the next Google I/O.

Cloud Computing

One of the thing I will pay more attention this year is cloud computing:
Amazon web services
Microsoft Windows® Azure