| Identity theft a 'very real' problem
Even though information can be difficult to safeguard in some instances, there are many other situations where a thief can take advantage of someone's trust or carelessness. Thieves can find personal information through mail theft and dumpster diving, he said.
Others simply look over shoulders, or use camera phones to photograph financial information at the bank or ATM.
Many people fall victim to phishing, Hamp said, where a thief will create an e-mail that looks like correspondence with a person's bank, asking to verify personal information.
Secured sites have lock icons at the bottom of the screen," Hamp said. "If you are on a secure site, the (icon) will be locked."
Hamp said any financial site that asks current customers about their financial information is a scam.
Electronics show offers lots of tech to make users drool
If it was bigger, faster, easier, smaller, wireless, cheaper or "green" it was on display at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show. I didn't see everything, but I saw enough to know that I don't want CES to leave Las Vegas. Ever.There were gutter-cleaning robots and booth after booth of sleek, sexy phones and wireless accessories. Much of the hype went to a massive 150-inch television (that's 12 1/2 feet diagonally) from Matsushita, but the top gadget award went to a tiny memory card that automatically sends your pictures to a computer or photo sharing site.The Eye-Fi card (www.eye.fi) looks like a standard 2 gigabyte SD memory card, but it's also a mini Wi-Fi card that connects your camera to a wireless network via a computer running the Wi-Fi Manager software. The price is $99.99 and it's available at many retailers.
Photo finish as Kodak unloads stake in film
Eastman Kodak Co has transferred its entire stake in Lucky Film Co Ltd, China's largest maker of photographic film, to end the two companies' four-year partnership.
Guangzhou Chengxin Venture and Investment Co took over the 20-percent stake, or 68.4 million shares, for US$37 million and then transferred a five-percent stake in Lucky to an investment company named Hongyu for 67 million yuan (US$9.3 million), Lucky said in a statement to Shanghai Stock Exchange yesterday.
Lucky's parent held a 43.16-percent stake after the transfer, the statement said.
The company's share price plunged 4.98 percent to 14.68 yuan yesterday while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 1.43 percent to 4,320.77.
Kodak invested US$100 million in Lucky in October 2003 believing that big potential existed in the film market in China.
Wal-Mart Announces Three 'Black Friday' Events Starting Early ...
BENTONVILLE, Ark., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For the first time ever, Wal-Mart is moving the traditional "Black Friday" shopping event up one day early, aiming to catch early-bird shoppers as the turkey hits the table. Also today, Wal-Mart announces one of its "Secret In-Store Specials," available this Friday -- a KitchenAid Classic Stand Mixer for $139 - and posts on-line its entire "Black Friday" advertising circular, full of great savings on hundreds of items. Three Days of Black Friday Deals, Starting -- Online Thursday: On Thanksgiving Day, shoppers can go to Walmart.com (http://www.walmart.com) to find online specials on many of the season's hottest items in electronics, toys, apparel and home, with free shipping through its Site to Store program.
Carav PMP Sports 5MP Camera!
I am telling you, these fellows are crazythey integrated a 5 MP camera in what appears to be a rather common looking portable media player. Carav electronics says nothing to me, since they kept a low profile on the market. Still, they have recently popped out the CMV9301 PMP, which looks more than decent, but not on such a high level so as to be able to compete .
Adults have long way to go to rival teens' technology grasp
In type that scrolls up the screen like the preface for Star Wars, a YouTube video reads, "For years, parents could not text message. They could not figure out how to record a voice mail. They could not even connect to the Internet without using AOL." Warning that parents are adapting to technological gadgets, it flips to a short clip of a man learning to use the video capabilities on his cell phone. "Watch with caution," it closes, "and pray that your own parents do not gain these powers."Techno-tweens and teens can relax.According to a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, there's a long way to go before adults embrace interactive online media to the degree that teens have.An estimated 64 percent of those ages 12 to 17 have created some form of online content.While only 8 percent of adults have created a blog, 28 percent of teens have.While 55 percent of online teens have a profile on a social network, such as Facebook or MySpace, only 20 percent of adult users do.And while 27 percent of teens have created or worked on their own Web pages, 14 percent of adults have.The report also gives insight into some popular stereotypes.Boys indeed post more video files and play more online games, but girls dominate the blogosphere and photo postings.Teens from single-parent or lower-income households are more likely to blog than affluent teens in more traditional households.Although e-mail is losing relevance, traditional modes of communication, such as land lines and face-to-face contact, still matter.And content creators aren't so wrapped up in the virtual world that the real world suffers -- they're more likely than their less-creative peers to participate in school clubs and to hold a part-time job.Amanda Ryan, a 17-year-old senior at Canyon del Oro High School, estimates she spends about two hours a day on the computer, half doing research for college applications and half networking.She has a blog, where she posts digital photos.
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