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03/16/2015 Christopher Soghoian There seems to be a new data breach in the news every week — a major company hacked, millions of usernames, passwords or credit card numbers stolen. There isn’t much that you, as an individual, can do to stop hackers from stealing the data you entrust to companies. However, there are some easy things you can do to significantly reduce the harm from such breaches. Outsource your passwords to a robot The human brain can only remember so many passwords, not to mention we’re actually really bad at picking good ones. So, too often we just reuse passwords across multiple sites. This is a Very Bad Idea. Once hackers break into a website and steal a database of email addresses and passwords, they can then try to use those same passwords to login to other sites. This is a huge problem, because so many of us use the same password for our Facebook, Google, Twitter and online banking accounts. The solution instead is to use a password ...

by Julia Layton      Laptop Image Gallery Keeping your laptop cool protects your hard drive -- and your lap -- from getting burned. Images courtesy of  TSA Overheating laptops have gotten a lot of press over the last few years. The problem first gained popular attention around 2006, when reports of  laptops actually catching fire  started trickling in around the globe. The problem there was faulty  batteries , and companies like Dell, Sony and Acer had to initiate major recalls. The general issue of hot  laptops  is separate from those bad batteries, but laptop "explosions" certainly brought attention to the basic cause: Scorching heat is a bad trait for something that sits on your lap. People have actually gotten burned [source:  BBC ]. Short of that, hard drives are damaged by excessive heat. But if the problem isn't a bad battery, what's making these laptops so hot? You've probabl...

By   Toad Hollow Photography   on   7 Feb 2014   Another wonderful week has passed us by in the world of photography, and Toad Hollow Photography has been looking in all corners of the internet to find links to helpful tutorials, reviews, special features, great photography and interesting blogs to share with here with everyone.  This week’s list features the work of exceptionally talented artists, and we hope you enjoy checking out these pieces as much as the Toad did in bringing this list to you. Earth and Water | Twelve Apostles | Great Ocean Road  by  Hadi Zaher , on Flickr TUTORIALS Compositing Full Length Portraits into Scenes  – this video tutorial is just over 9 minutes in length and it shares some great tips and tricks on this particular technique.  The results are quite astounding with a very natural look to them. How to Mix Daylight with LED Light  – this informative video presentation discusses the applicatio...