22
community
september
2009
Intruder Alert – Safe Computing Practices: Education-- The Best Protection
By Burt Tschache
Do you care to know more about computers and
computer security? Do you desire to discover which com-
puter security programs (free & paid) pass rigorous third-
party testing and receive their certification on a regular ba-
sis? Do you want to know what is going on in the computer
industry from a site that does not sugarcoat the results and
tells you the truth?
I have two sites for you to check out, then. I have
used both of them for quite a few years and find them most
informative and forthcoming. Virus Bulletin (www.virusbtn.
com) puts computer security software through its paces reg-
ularly on different platforms, assuring that it will keep you
and your data safe.
The Register® (www.theregister.co.uk/) is a Brit-
ish-published site and newsletter that delves into all facets of
computing. It is written for the IT audience, but is more gen-
eralist in nature rather than delving into the minutiae for the
more technically-inclined audience. For the more propeller-
headed of us, it has links to dive into the technological pool
as deep as you wish.
Since computer virus and malware creators are re-
ally ramping up their creation of ways to annoy and destroy,
computer security software must go through constant updat-
ing of the virus signature files and methodologies of discov-
ery. Virus Bulletin puts computer security software through
rigorous tests using different operating systems and publish-
es their results, awarding VB100 certification to those appli-
cations that pass.
Each submitted computer security software is tested
for its ability to find those pieces of malware that are “in the
wild” as of a specified date and give no false positives. Even
the top security software will sometimes not pass on certain
operating systems, but as long as they make the necessary
corrections, they will still be considered in the top echelon
of security software.
However, if a company does not address the issues
or declines to submit their software for testing, I would be
less apt to buy or recommend their security software. You
can join Virus Bulletin for free, or subscribe to the expanded
service for $175.00 per year.
The Register®, has a slogan “biting the hand that
feeds IT” that should give you plenty of insight into how the
site goes about business. They are not about spin control as
are many of the corporate websites; they will let you know
what is good and what is not good. If the corporations are
not happy with them for doing so, they can bloody well just
bugger off or make a better product. They have that rather
British sense of humor, sort of a geek’s Monty Python.
It is sites like these that can really assist in the pro-
cess of educating the public about computers and comput-
Vernonia True Value Celebrates
Forty Years continued from front page
They added
the True Value Hard-
ware name brand
about twenty years
ago, and became just
True Value Hardware
in 2000.
So
what’s
changed in forty
years? More credit
cards, less store credit
accounts,
although
the store still does car-
ry accounts for regu-
lars and contractors.
They carry less toys
and furniture now. “I
remember at Christ-
mas-time, the whole
back room would just
be layaway toys,”
said Craig. They still
The Tolonens today; Craig, Mary and Arnie
carry appliances, and
they still sell a lot of lawnmowers. They have expanded their hunting and fishing
supplies, although they used to sell a lot of handguns; now, they just special-order
them. They used to sell electronics-- stereos, radios, televisions and boom boxes.
Those have all gotten too specialized. They used to do a lot more automotive
work. “It used to be all Ford, Chrysler and Chevy, so it was easy to stock parts,
and they were all interchangeable for years and years,” said Arnie. They used to
sell a lot of bicycles. And they used to carry housewares-- pots and pans, dishes
and silverware. They have added a painting department. They’ve added lumber.
“Hardware always sells,” says Mary. “And with the new State Park, we sell a lot
of camping and RV supplies and things.”
Forty years. A lot has changed in forty years. But in Vernonia, it’s still the
Tolonens and the True Value Hardware Store at 834 Bridge Street.
ing. There are many others out there that provide similar
services, but these are among the ones I’ve been using and
have found them solid and reliable in their information; and
in the case of The Register®, also humorous on occasion.
One extra tidbit I’d like to leave you with is to make
sure you only have one antivirus, firewall, spam protection,
Internet protection and adware & spyware protection pro-
cesses running at a time if you are using stand-alone pro-
grams instead of a security suite. Computer security suites
do this as a rule, which is why I tend to recommend them for
novice users.
Burt Tschache is the owner of B&B Computing in
Vernonia. He can be reached at bnb998@msn.com or 503-
429-0817.
Check Out the
Birkenfeld Blues
Revue and Festival
The Birkenfeld Blues Revue and Festival will
be held on Saturday September 5 from 1-11:00 PM. Or-
ganized in cooperation with the Cascade Blues Associa-
tion, the event will feature music by headliners the Terry
Robb Band, as well as Big Monti, Alan Hager,
Bill Rhodes, Frank “Paris Slim” Goldwasser,
and about sixteen other performers. Proceeds
will benefit the Clatsop County Timber Safety
Council Scholarship Fund and the Columbia
County Food Bank. The festival will be held
four miles north of Birkenfeld on highway 202.
“We wanted to do something that
would directly help the kids and families that
have been impacted by the downturn in the
timber industry,” said co-organizer Mike Ingh-
ram, owner of the Birkenfeld Store and Cafe.
“We are hoping to bring an emphasis to the
hard times that have hit the logging industry
and the families that depend on it for their liv-
ing.”
Tickets for the festival are $25 in ad-
Jesse Armstrong was the win-
vance,
$30
at the gate and are available through
ner of the Senior Class Basket
www.ticketsoregon.com.
from the Vernonia US Bank