TECH

The dream of anonymous web browsing - the Tor network

Sven Krumrey

The power of the onion

Whenever we surf the web, we leave traces that not only help Google but also every site we visit learn a lot about us. Whether it's cookies, IP address analysis, the referrer URL (the site we visited before) or the powerful Google Analytics, we're constantly being watched. Anyone who disagrees is forced to resort to measures that may require lots of technical expertise. The Tor network is the easy solution. Read on to learn about its advantages and risks.

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TECH

2 minute tech: TeamViewer, often the last hope

Sven Krumrey

TeamViewer logo

A program to remotely control PCs would be the exact definition but, in practice, "a savior in times of need" may be the better description. TeamViewer connects two (or more) PCs. This means you are able to remotely control another computer from afar to provide assistance. Are you having issues with your PC and know someone who might help but doesn't live around the block? That would be a typical use case for this program. Key advantage: The helper can view exactly what you see on your monitor and even take control of your machine. Video conferencing or file transfers are also possible between connected PCs.

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LIFE

True love - guaranteed?

Sven Krumrey

That's what we'd all like online dating to be

Many are searching for their big love online. My friend Dave* (name was changed at his request) is one of them and has already registered with four different dating services. He keeps me posted on his dating experiences there and I have begun to seriously doubt the validity and integrity of these portals. With slogans such as "Guaranteed contacts" and the premise that members will fall in love at second intervals, I believe there's only one guarantee - there will be considerable costs.

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TECH

Hotkeys - working faster with keyboard shortcuts

Sven Krumrey

When time's pressing

Whenever you observe IT professionals at work you'll notice a common pattern - the mouse gets rarely used. Keyboard shortcuts, also called hotkeys, can save you a lot of selecting and clicking. You either hit keys simultaneously (as with capitalization) or sequentially and save a lot of time and frustration. There are far more shortcuts available than I could ever remember. Read on to find out which shortcuts have saved the day for me so far.

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LIFE

12 quadrillion email addresses hacked! - Fear in advertising

Sven Krumrey

A healthy dose of skepticism is in order

A few days ago, a story first took common IT portals by storm and then spread to big media outlets like wildfire: 1.2 billion email account credentials had supposedly been offered for sale at ridiculously low prices. The focus was on Russian users but it was a world-wide issue. What made my pulse skyrocket and sounded like another data leak may have been something else entirely.

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