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  • Keep Your Computer Updated

    In the past couple of days, with all the press about the April Fools Day Worm, several people have asked me how to keep their computers protected. The short answer is, you can't.  If someone has the right skills/knowledge, has enough time and the motivation to break into your PC, they probably will. You can however, make it less attractive to do so by keeping your computer up to date with the latest security patches and by connecting from behind a firewall/router. Besides keeping your anti-virus software up to date you should also keep your computer, web-browsers (I like Fire-fox ), and any other Internet software up to date. Most programs will prompt you when it is time to update.

    Today, I received a prompt to install an update for the Adobe Flash Player. Normally, this kind of update prompt I might ignore, that is, until I noticed it was a security update.(click and install this update) Flash generates those fancy animations on websites and it is very common to have the Flash Player installed on a PC.. It is also common to incorporate Flash on websites and Flash has become more relied on in recent years. In the process, the language used to develop Flash applications has evolved and become more complicated, thus opening it to possible security exploits.

    The bottom line is, keep your computer updated. Most Internet programs have a "Check for Updates" link under the help tab. For Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer click "Tools" and then "Windows Update". Click the "Express Install" button to check for updates. Make sure "Automatic Updates" are turned on.

    It is also good to scan your PC from time to time for mal-ware (hidden software that tracks your Internet usage). I like Ad Aware. Download, install and run once a month or so.

    Microsoft Windows Update - http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us

    Adobe Flash Player Update - http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb09-01.html 

    Fire-fox Web Browser - http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/

    Ad-Aware - http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware.php 

    BTW: If your still on Win 98 you are SOL, because MS no longer updates Win 98 or Win 2000 machines.

    Posted Friday, April 03, 2009 1:02 AM by Richard | 0 Comments
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  • Cougars of the Valley

    Last year I reported on an email hoax titled, "Here Kitty, Kitty" which purportedly showed a mountain lion looking through a glass door in Simsbury. That email was in fact a hoax. Last week I met with Bo Ottmann, the founder of a local organization called Cougars of the Valley. Bo is convinced that Mountain Lions are established and do exist in Connecticut and he is out to prove it. Bo is soliciting the public and offering a $50.00 reward to anyone who photographs a mountain lion with an identifiable Connecticut landscape.
     
     
     
    In an article titled "Connecticut Cougars: State Biologist Insist there Aren't Any Despite Many Reported Sighting" published by the Hartford Courant last January, staff writer Steve Grant explores the possibility. A more recent article titled, "Mountain Lions in Connecticut" written by Brigitte Ruthman and published in the Republican American also explores the possibility that Mountain Lions do exist in Connecticut. Both articles include interviews from Connecticut State Biologist Paul Rego, who adamantly denies the possibility of Mountain Lions in Connecticut and Bo Ottmann who insist that they do inhabit Connecticut.
     
    Having personally seen tracks of what I believe to be a Mountain Lion at both my home in Barkhamsted and my parents home in Simsbury, I believe Bo. I own a large German Sheppard and the tracks I've seen in the snow are much larger than my dog's prints. Apparently I am not the only one who believes Bo. In an earlier article written by Bridget Ruthman there are 72 comments, the majority of which claim Mountain Lion sightings within the state. Several other websites are devoted to the subject and have numerous credible claims of sightings. Two of the sites; NorthEast Cougar and New England Mountain Lion Bulletin Board allow users to report Mountain Lion sightings.
     
    Ottman believes that the Connecticut DEP is reluctant to admit that Mountain Lions exist in the State due to the cost associated with protecting an endangered species and the amount of land and other measures that would be required. The DEP denies this claim and says that there simply have not been any confirmed sightings.
     
    With the increase of wildlife populations in recent years including Bear, Bobcat, Coyotes and others, it is conceivable that Mountain Lions are among them. Attached to the bottom of this post is a PDF file with descriptions, drawings and other Mountain Lion information. Please report any sightings to Bo Ottmann and keep your camera handy, you never know when your path may cross that of Connecticut's most elusive resident.
    Posted Tuesday, January 20, 2009 5:15 PM by Richard | 0 Comments
    Filed under: ,

    Attachment(s): Cougars2.pdf

  • The Great Hayes Corn Maze

    Hayes Corn Maze 
     
    This past weekend while taking a Sunday drive through Granby, my family and I stumbled upon the Hayes Corn Maze. My son loves figuring out printed mazes, so it was a must see for us. None of us had ever experienced a corn maze which you can actually walk through.  We sure are glad we took the time to stop in and check it out. Walking the corn maze was a lot of fun!
     
    The Hayes Corn Maze is located on Sweet Pea Farm and was designed by Stanley Hayes. Each year Stanley designs a new maze based on a theme. In years past the themes have varied from agriculture, with "All About Cows", to History, with "The Granby Oak". This years theme was based on "The Circus".
     
    Entering the Maze 
     
    After you enter the maze you come to a small clearing where there is an old tractor tire encircling two signs. One sign is an informational sign and the other is a multiple choice question based on the theme. The lettered answers coincide with the entrances to the next leg of the maze. 
     
     
     
    Sign close-up
     
    Path Marker
     
    Answering the question correctly will lead you down the correct path and to an answer panel confirming you are correct. Answer incorrectly and you will end up at one of the many dead ends requiring you to back track to the question panel and try again. Each question has four possible answers and associated paths. There were five questions. I didn't time it but I think it took us about half an hour to get through.
     
    One of the many possible paths
     
    Maze Explorers
     
    The Hayes Corn Maze is open Friday, Saturday and Sundays with special hours on holidays. Prices are $7.00 for Adults and $5.00 for children. Kids four and under are free! Check their website for more information.
     
    Corn
     
    In addition to corn, Sweet Pea Farm also operates a dairy and produce a variety of different cheeses. They offer several flavors of Chevre and Feta cheese. Their Feta cheese took the Silver Medal in the 2008 Big E Cheese Competition.
     
    So study up on your circus trivia and head over to North Granby for a picnic lunch (tables and drinks are available) and an adventure through the Great Hayes Corn Maze! It's a great time you won't soon forget!
     
     
    Posted Monday, September 08, 2008 6:00 PM by Richard | 0 Comments
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Richard English is a veteran web designer and programmer and the owner of Great-Webs.Com. Rich runs FarmingtonValley.Net, a local community website, as a community service for the residents of the Farmington Valley and surrounding towns in Connecticut.

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