Finding the correct format for each type of source can be a research project unto itself. While many students know how to cite a book, a work in an anthology, a web page or a magazine, new technology presents the need to find the proper format to cite sources like a Kindle book, or a Podcast.

A “Works Cited” page is a specially formatted alphabetical list of the sources used in a research paper. MLA Style is a set of formatting rules specified by the Modern Language Association, frequently required for written work within the liberal arts and humanities. As a result most college students will be required to use MLA Style for papers written in English classes.

Now, the Modern Language Association has added a new bibliographical specification: How to Cite A Tweet.

According to the MLA, the citation is created as follows:

• Begin the citation with the author’s real name, followed by the author’s Twitter username in parentheses. (If the author’s real name is unknown, the user name is used alone.)
• The next element is the text of the tweet: in quotation marks, in its entirety, without changing capitalization.  Insert a period after the tweet within the quotations.
• The next element is the date and time of the message.
• And the final element is the medium of publication: “Tweet.”

An example MLA Tweet citation

Here’s how it looks in real life:

Gates, Bill (BillGates). “For those of us lucky enough to get to work with Steve, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely. http://b-gat.es/qHXDsU.” 5 October 2011, 5:38 p.m. Tweet.

One interesting aspect of citing Twitter is that, due to Twitter’s data localization, the time stamp is only an approximation of the time of authorship. The time on Twitter reflects the time the message was tweeted in the reader’s timezone (rather than the author’s). The time and date could therefore be “inaccurate” by up to a day.

Also the citation does not include a URL (web address). According to OWL — Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab and an excellent resource on MLA style — “MLA no longer requires the use of URLs in MLA citations. Because Web addresses are not static (i.e., they change often) and because documents sometimes appear in multiple places on the Web….”

It might be added that tweets which are embarrassing or controversial may disappear completely — at least from Twitter, although they may persist elsewhere on the Web.

Do you know more about computers than most of your friends?

If people ask you for help when they have computer questions, get prepared in advance with the latest version of  avast! Free Antivirus featuring new Remote Assistance.

AVAST Remote Assistance: Helping geeks help others

Say goodbye to awkward phone help. Remote assistance puts you in control.

Don’t let your friends “save money” by using outdated security software. Do everyone a favor — install the latest version of avast! Free Antivirus on their computers. Avast will help keep your friends out of trouble, and if they do need help in the future, you’ll be able to remotely assist them  from home.

Although it’s free, avast! Free Antivirus 7 is not a bare-bones program. It has a many advanced tools, including the newly added Remote Assistance feature.

This short video explains how Remote Assistance works

1. Install  avast!  Antivirus 7 on your  friend’s computer.  Remote Assistance is included with the free version of avast! antivirus, as well as avast! Internet Security and avast! Pro Antivirus.
2. You will need to have an AVAST antivirus product on your computer also.
3. The friend needing help opens their avast! console and clicks the “Allow Remote Control” button.
4. Your friend creates a password and give it to you. 
5. The password allows you to take over their computer by remote control.
6. The remote control session is encrypted by and routed through AVAST’s servers. Encryption keeps your communication secure on the Internet and lets you maintain your routers’ firewall protection during the remote session.
7. The person receiving assistance has the ability to stop the session at any time.
8. You help your friend… just like you are there in person!
9. When the session is over, the password is no longer valid.

Using the avast! Remote Assistance Tool, you’ll be able to help friends and family easily, without having to provide complex instructions over the phone.

AVAST Software provides the worlds most popular free antivirus program, chosen by more than 150 milion users. It is absolutely free for personal and non-commercial use.

Anyone who spends a lot of time on the Internet, or engages in activities like online banking, may want to consider the additional security features in  avast! Internet Security .

Photo credit: lunamarina

A different kind of "Hybrid Cloud Technology"

In the 2012 version of Kaspersky Anti-Virus —their flagship product —  Kaspersky has introduced  Hybrid Technology, a new feature that combines the on-board protection of  conventional security software, with new cloud capabilities.

Why is “the cloud” better at providing constant real-time protection? In a funny video, Kaspersky explains how the cloud represents a vast resource of real-time information with intelligence gathered from millions of users around the world via the Kaspersky Security Network.

Hybrid Coud+Sumo technology is available in Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2012 and Kaspersky Internet Security 2012.

Image:  Convair : Model 118 from the San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive

With millions of new potential threats emerging every year, it is important to have protection that provides multiple layers of protection: protection that is continually updated, that is transparent to the user and doesn’t interfere with the important functions of the computer. Kaspersky Internet Security now includes innovative, dual-layered Hybrid Protection to keep you safe from threats that have not even been created yet.

Get Kaspersky's Hybrid Technology and protect your data with cloud-based inteligence.

Everyone understands that new Internet threats emerge and disseminate rapidly. Kaspersky’s technology protects you with real-time data from the cloud, with the help of millions of participating Kaspersky users around the world. When a member of the Kaspersky security network downloads suspicious or unrecognizable data, it’s automatically transmitted to the Kaspersky lab for analysis. When needed, real-time protection updates are issued to you, giving you the ultimate protection as new threats emerge.

In addition to cloud-based protection, you also need Core Protection on your computer that can detect problems and analyze suspicious behavior, even if you are offline and cloud-based services are unavailable. This is where Kaspersky will intercept malware from via a USB drive or other device – to block, treat, or rollback harmful activity.

According to Kaspersky, “The result of this hybrid combination is unmatched security that won’t slow you down, leaving you free to enjoy the Internet and your PC to their full potential.”

Kaspersky has been a leader in business security software for years, and is widely recognized as a leader in research on emerging computer threats. Kaspersky has over 200,000 corporate customers located around the globe, ranging from small businesses to large governmental agencies and multinational corporations.

Whether you’re online for shopping, banking, or social networking, you can be sure that your account details are safe, you won’t be lured onto dangerous websites, and the messages you receive from your friends are legitimate and safe.

Key Features of Kaspersky Internet Security 2012

• Combines our essential antivirus protection with premium Internet threat defense
• Prevents hacker attacks with two-way firewall
• Secures your identity while online banking & shopping
• Checks instantly for file, application & website safety
• Rolls back most harmful malware activity
• Keeps your children safe & responsible with advanced parental controls

Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 Gets Highest Rank in AV-Comparatives’ “Whole Product” Dynamic Testing

Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 achieved the AV-Comparatives Advanced+ rating (highest possible) from AV-Comparatives Whole Product Dynamic Testing.

On a continuous daily basis, AV-Comparatives subjects antivirus software to stress tests, with scenarios that closely resemble real-life situations. In the tests covering the second half of 2011, Kaspersky Lab’s product earned the highest rating – Advanced+ – one of the top-three security solutions to have successfully blocked more than 99% of widespread threats.

The test lab’s experts simulated real-life situations, covering both widespread and also previously unknown malicious objects. Scenarios included visiting malicious web pages, and downloading infected executable files. The overall results included both the number of actual threats detected and as well as the number of false positive reactions to clean objects.

After four months of testing, Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 had successfully blocked 99.3% of the malicious objects. Kaspersky Lab’s product has also proved to be one of the best on the number of false positive detections. AV-Comparatives recorded only one case where an object deemed clean was considered suspicious by the program. Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 in fact displayed a warning when trying to open a certain website. For a long period of time this particular domain had been commonly used to distribute malware, so displaying the alert to the user in this case was in fact justified.

Commenting on the excellent results, Nikita Shvetsov, director of Anti-Malware Research of Kaspersky Lab, said: “The dynamic testing of security software reflects precisely those problems that users face in real life. We are pleased to see the results of our product significantly improve in the second half of 2011. This has been a direct result of the day-to-day efforts of our developers and security experts.”

• Protect three computers against the latest threats, for the price of one.
• Norton 360 version 6.0 gets top rank in third-party test of protection and performance.
• For a Limited time, Save 20% on NORTON 360 version 6.0

In January 2012, Symantec Corporation announced the release of a new version of its award-winning Norton 360.

As the product was launched, Symantec commissioned AV-TEST Institute of Germany to conduct a real-world stress test of Norton 360 v6 – and also 11 other leading antivirus solutions.

The multiphase testing measured the protection capabilities of each product, as well as the ability to remove viruses from an infected machine.

Of the 12 products tested, the best overall result was achieved by Symantec Norton 360 v6 with 95 points out of 100.

In the real-world test, most products performed well at blocking new malware infections. In fact, eight products scored above 95%. Symantec’s Norton 360 v6 scored 100% at blocking against drive-by downloads, direct exe downloads, malicious e-mail attachments and P2P attacks. Three other contenders also scored 100%: Bitdefender, G Data and Trend Micro.

In the remediation test, Norton 360 v6 achieved the best overall removal score, tied with Kaspersky.

The Need For Malware Detection and  Removal

In their report, the AV-TEST Institute noted that during a year of their normal research, they catalog about 20 million new malware variations. Given the wide variety of threats associated with computers, and today’s Internet-connected lifestyle, consumers can no longer rely only on a detection-and-prevention-only security solution. According to the AV-TEST Institute:

It is possible that a PC can get infected, even if up-to-date anti-malware software is installed because signatures are provided only every few hours, which sometimes may be too late. Infections create financial loss, either because sensitive data is stolen or because the PC cannot be used for productive work anymore until the malware has completely removed from the system.

Therefore remediation techniques become more important to get an infected PC up and running again. In that process it is imperative that the cleaning process is reliable in two ways:

1. The malware and all of its components have to be removed and any malicious system changes have to be reverted
2. No clean applications or the system itself must be harmed by the cleaning process

Fulfilling these two requirements is not easy…. Symantec achieved the best overall removal score.

(All tests based upon the combined effort of the core product and additional removal tools and rescue media, if available.)

Norton 360 version 6.0 highlights

• Norton Identity Safe – Helps you use secure passwords for all your online activity. It automatically remembers, encrypts and enters user IDs and passwords to protect you from online threats.
• Norton Management – Cloud-based functionality helps you remotely manage select Norton products with greater ease and control.
• Bandwidth Management – Non-critical Norton updates will not be downloaded when you’re connected to metered networks, conserving your monthly data allowance.
• Improved Backup – You’ll back up your critical files faster and easier.

Pricing and Availability

Norton 360 version 6.0 can be installed on up to three PCs. The price includes a three PC license, a one-year subscription, Symantec’s protection updates and one full year of Norton’s “best-in-class” customer support.

For a Limited time, Save 20% on NORTON 360 version 6.0
or
Try a Norton 360 v6 download before you buy:
Norton 360 Version 6.0 30 Day Opt-Out TrialWare

The suggested retail price is $89.99 for the standard edition including 2GB of online storage space and $99.99 for the premium edition including 25GB of online storage space.

All Norton 360 users with a valid product subscription are eligible to download and use the latest product versions and updates, released during their subscription period.

About Norton by Symantec

Norton from Symantec provides solutions that enable consumers to secure all aspects of their digital lives, including software for PCs, laptops and mobile devices – as well as live tech support services and online backup.

About Symantec

Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) is a publicly-traded, global leader in corporate and consumer protection, providing security, storage and systems management solutions to protect and manage valued digital assets of every kind. According to Symantec, “Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored.”

—–

Source: AV-TEST Institute, January 2012 Real World Protection and Remediation Testing Report. (AV-Test GmbHA is a leading independent lab for IT security and anti-virus research.)

If you’re a Facebook user, and if you access your account through an unsecured Wi-Fi network, your Facebook profile could be vulnerable to session hijacking by a nearby hacker with packet-sniffing tools (like Firesheep). Unsecured wireless connections are convenient (at places like Starbucks, bookstores, or that free wireless network on your college campus) …but they come with serious security risks.

At home, you can (and should) prevent this type of attack on your personal wireless network by using WiFi encryption on your router. We recommend WPA2, which is much more secure than the weak, outdated WEP protocol.

But, when you’re using free public Wi-Fi, you’re probably not using WiFi encryption, so you’re vulnerable. On these networks, you should avoid sending and receiving any personal data (including passwords and email), unless you’re using HTTPS – which stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. HTTPS provides an encrypted communication between your browser and the network web server.

HTTPS is the protocol that your browser uses automatically when you are doing online banking, or shopping at major Internet retailers like Amazon. It’s also available for Gmail users. And now it’s available on Facebook as well.

Secure Browsing on Faceboook

Randy Abrams, security expert and blogger at ESET has reported on a number of Facebook security issues in the past. Recently he posted a short tutorial to show how to increase your Facebook privacy settings. You should follow his instructions, so you can use HTTPS automatically when you log into Facebook – then you can update your profile securely when you’re on a public WiFi network.

But be aware that Farmville, Mafia Wars, and other Facebook apps may compromise your secure connection, not to mention your privacy.

Visit the “Threat Center & Blog” at  ESET for more information on keeping your data private and your computer secure.  ESET is famous for its highly-rated antivirus products: According to PC World it’s “…the best proactive protection by far.”

Do you want to save money on textbooks? Don’t buy books — Rent them!

If you’re a college student who wants to save money by renting textbooks, you can save even if you rent from eCampus.com using coupon code discounts:

With eCampus.com you have the choice:

• Rent textbooks
• Buy a new textbook
• Buy used textbooks, and
• Sell your books back when the semester is over.

For full-time students the cost of books can be as much as $1000 per semester, so book rental can save a lot of money…. and you can have more fun on Spring Break with more cash in your pocket.

Textbook rental is a great option for general-ed classes (when you know you will not need to keep the book to use as a reference in future classes). Renting books also is a great choice for new editions of textbooks, when used copies are expensive, hard to find, or non-existent.

For example, a popular algebra textbook — College Algebra (5th Edition) by Robert F. Blitzer is about $112 at  Amazon.com (ISBN: 0321559835):

College Algebra (5th Edition, 0321559835) by Robert Blitzer at Amazon.com

The same textbook can be rented for only $32.19 at eCampus.com:

College Algebra (5th Edition, 0321559835) by Robert Blitzer at eCampus.com

Visit eCampus, use coupon codes for maximum savings, and have a successful semester — and have a great Spring Break!

If a computer lacks the power to run the latest software — or when a PC just seems slower that used to be — many people decide that it’s time to simply buy a new computer.

RAM Upgrade: Cheap Fix For A Faster Computer

Sometimes an under-performing PC or laptop can give us the excuse we want to upgrade to a new machine; on the other hand, it might be possible to spend less money and make your older computer feel as good as new.

When your computer seems to be slow, there are several things that you should try:

• Ensure that your computer is free of any viruses, spyware or malware.
• Check to see whether your computer is burdened by unnecessary background processes (which often show up as little icons in the system tray, down in the lower-right corner of your screen)
• Perform normal preventive maintenance, such as freeing up as much hard drive space is possible, and defragmenting your hard drive
• Investigate the possibility of upgrading your computer’s RAM to provide additional memory and better performance

Keep your computer longer by adding RAM

If your computer is fundamentally healthy, but you would like to extend its useful life by another year or more, you should definitely investigate whether it’s possible to add additional RAM your system.

RAM (which stands for random access memory) refers to the hardware component that provides memory for your computer. Your computer’s memory is where it stores the program code for your operating system (for example, Windows Vista) plus the code for the currently-running applications, and the data used by those applications.

Upgrading your computer’s RAM can provide one of the best, most cost-effective, methods for improving your system performance. When your computer does not have enough physical RAM, it begins to use the hard drive to create “virtual memory” to supplement physical memory (i.e. RAM).

Modern computers depend upon the virtual memory to enable us to run multiple applications at the same time: the programs we have open but are not using (also called backup applications) get swapped out to virtual memory, while our current tasks are placed into high-performance RAM memory.

When the programs that were using require more RAM than we have available, the computer begins to overuse virtual memory – this results in a huge performance hit to our computer.

Fortunately, RAM upgrades are not too expensive, and don’t necessarily require professional installation.

If you’re considering a RAM upgrade, you’ll want to do the following:on the

• Determine the amount of RAM you have
• Determine the type of RAM you have
• Determine the speed and maximum amount of RAM your computer can handle
• Determine the amount of RAM you require
• Determine the amount of RAM you will buy

RAM Upgrade… How-To Do It Yourself

Microsoft has a good, step-by-step tutorial called “RAM: Add more memory to your computer” which can guide you through this process.

Another good place to start (if possible) is by checking with the company that manufactured your computer. Dell, Gateway, Hewitt Packard and other major computer manufacturers usually provide detailed information on their support websites. In many cases, you can visit the website, enter your computer’s serial number (usually found somewhere on your computer), and you’ll find out the amount of RAM installed in your computer when it was sold, and the type and amount of RAM it is capable of supporting.

With that information, you can begin price shopping, buy the memory you need, and install it yourself. You can find many helpful video tutorials that will show you how.

This New York law (like the federal FOIA, and similar laws in other states) enables individuals to request a wide variety of information from governmental agencies: information that might include details on the use of tax dollars… or information about policies, decisions, and programs which affect members of the public. This type of law is commonly used by journalists, authors, and nonprofits to conduct research.

In this case, Chegg.com had requested detailed information about course grade distribution, with specific information about faculty, course section, and semester — but without information that could identify individual students. This request was perfectly compatible with the New York state law; therefore, Prof. Phillips’s employer (the State University of New York at New Paltz) was obliged to provide the data requested.

CourseRank.com to Publish Grades, Ratings, Reviews

The request by Chegg.com was evidently made to over 500 colleges and universities on behalf of CourseRank.com, a free course scheduling tool purchased by Chegg in 2010. The grade data will be used to create content for CourseRank.

Professor Phillips — who is also a journalist, former public radio reporter, and the author of the book Public Radio: Behind the Voices — wrote about her reaction in The New York Times. As she put it, “The thought of it made me squeamish. I had always considered grades a private matter. I didn’t dwell on the question of whether I was an easy grader or a hard one — I simply tried to be fair.”

Yet she also noted the irony of the situation. From her perspective, “The Freedom of Information Act, long cherished by investigative reporters, had become a tool for a textbook-rental company to draw traffic to one of its Web sites. And there I was, a professor of journalism, being muckraked.”

Garbage-In, Garbage-Out?

In the end, it was more than than her personal discomfort that led Phillips to conclude that the practice of putting grade data online, though legal, was ill advised. She provided a number of reasons, including the fact that data without context can be misleading… generating impressive-looking but meaningless statistics.

One question that she did not address was whether she thinks students are likely to actually use the information in selecting classes.

Students entering college today are continually exposed to vast quantities of information: Information ostensibly intended to facilitate decision-making… but information which is often imperfect, inaccurate, biased, or otherwise of limited value.

CourseRank.com publishes college grade distribution data

Whether it is trying to make sense of conflicting 1- vs.5-star ratings on Apple’s iTunes App Store, or contradictory reviews the latest film, students are accustomed to receiving (and weighing) information from a variety of sources before making their own choice.

Many experienced students know first-hand what it’s like to enroll in a class taught by a professor highly-favored on RateMyProfessors.com, and then have a terrible experience… or conversely, take a class from a professor with a terrible reputation, but have a very good learning experience.

Ultimately, aggregate grade-trend info may help make the website more interesting, but in most cases is likely to do little to help students choose specific classes. The traditional method of seeking advice from other students (and faculty members) at their own college or university will gain students more detailed and meaningful data on which to base their class-choice decisions.

Sources:

Lisa A Phillips. The New York Times. 2011. “A Professor Disagrees With Putting Grades Online”. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/education/edlife/09notebook-t.html.>
New York State Department of State. 2008. Your Right To Know: New York State Open Government Laws.<http://www.dos.state.ny.us/coog/right_to_know.html>

If you are like most students, your computer is an essential part of your daily life, and you can’t afford to let a virus infection slow you down.

Kaspersky: A Global Leader In Computer Security

Founded in 1997, Kaspersky has become a world leader in the development of advanced information security technologies. For years, Kaspersky has received top scores in independent lab tests.

Kaspersky is preferred by business users around the world, because they understand the dangers associated with computer malware, and they demand reliable and effective protection.

But it’s not just computers at the office that need real protection.

The Files On Your Computer Deserve To Be Protected Too

The files on your computer or laptop may be more valuable than your computer itself!

• Your digital music collection (which alone could be worth hundreds of dollars)
• Irreplaceable photographic images or video
• Personal financial records
• Academic work representing countless hours you’ve invested in your education.

You can take advantage of the same technology that resides inside many of the world’s most respected computer security solutions, including BlueCoat, Juniper, Borderware, F-Secure, Sensory Networks, Sonic Wall, ClearSwift, and Tumbleweed.

Includes Features Not Available In Free Antivirus Products

Because they need their computers every day—and because they are heavy Internet users—students need more protection than many at-home users.

Kaspersky has recently become more popular than ever with students and other non-business computer users. Last year, Kaspersky’s overall sales more than tripled. Today, Kaspersky protects more than 200 million users worldwide.

For users with an Internet lifestyle, who need more than basic file scans to protect their computer, Kaspersky includes the following features:

• Transparent real-time protection against viruses, spyware, trojans, worms, rootkits, bots
• Small hourly updates so your computer’s performance is never disrupted
• Detects and helps repair program vulnerabilities
• Scans all websites and emails for malicious software
• Checks instantly for safety of files, applications and websites
• Rolls back most harmful malware activity
• An intelligent two-way firewall that defeats malicious software and hostile websites
• Special online-banking mode secures financial transactions
• Parental security controls

Kaspersky has included features to provide protection against ever-increasing and sophisticated threats found on the Internet. Unlike some firewalls, which only protect your computer from threats on the outside,  Kaspersky’s firewall also provides protection in the opposite direction by controlling what’s inside your PC as well. In the event of malware infection, it can prevent a rogue process from sending out your personal information. It’s an extra, crucial layer of defense to protect your personal information from hackers and identity thieves.

32-bit Windows users can take advantage of Kaspersky’s new Safe Desktop. It’s an extra layer of sandbox protection for suspicious or unknown applications, files, and websites. Safe Desktop is completely walled-off from your data and PC settings, so you can check out anything suspicious with confidence that no changes will be made to your system.

The features listed here only begin to summarize the full range of protection Kaspersky provides. Visit their website for detailed product information, and be sure to check out the savings you can get when you purchase your antivirus directly from Kaspersky.

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