Check for Mac issues here first!

https://www.macobserver.com/columns-opinions/dr-macs-rants-raves/when-your-mac-acts-up-try-this-first/

VLC - A universal media player

A universal media player

New computers include a media player like QuickTime or Windows Media Player. Unfortunately, these players can't handle every type of video file.

There is, however, one truly great program that can play any media file. VLC Media Player is a FREE powerful yet lightweight media player. VLC can handle almost any media format in existence. It will even play DVDs.

VLC does almost everything you need out of the box. However, you can customize it heavily and add more advanced options. For example, VLC can also be used to stream media over a network.

Works on Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OSX.

Get it from http://www.videolan.org/

A trick to avoid getting hacked

I talked to a technical support representative recently when I was hacked. He said a lot of hackers use phishing software that "sniffs" your user id and password from things like your e-mail account. A way to avoid this problem is to regularly scan for trojans and scanning software. An easy way to foil such software is to have a text file on your computer with the user name and password already typed in, and to use the "copy" function to grab each of them, individually, and then the "paste" function to paste them into the login screen you're using. The hacker or software has a hard time following "Copy" and "Paste" keystrokes or mouse clicks (from the Edit menu at the top of your screen). Obviously, the text file should be well protected. I have created a file for all of my bank accounts and e-mail accounts, and haven't had any problems since doing so. Hope this helps others faced with this serious issue.

Good Movie Information Website

If you want to find out a lot about your favorite movies, actors, directors, and things that are movie-related, check out the Internet Movie Database at:

http://imdb.com

When we lived in the L.A. area, an acquaintance of mine with friends in "the business" told me about this website, and it is indeed the most comprehensive site for finding out about a movie before you spend your $9.50 per person (plus snacks) to go see it. The site also has movie trailers, fan movie ratings (0-10 stars), and it's free. You can also see what projects your favorite director or actor is working on now. Interesting - check it out.