Sorry for the few days of blogless existence...been shoveling the snow....

The transistion from summer to fall and fall to winter always gets me sick.  My body just doesn't like the transition.  There is not much I can do.  Between the change of the seasons, my four kids, and my co-worker and friend Mike's kids, there is enough sickness to go around.  There is not much I can do about it, so I just try to get through it.  As I thought about viruses, I thought I might share a little on my approach to virus protection on my PCs...

Well, I don't use virus protection.  Call it unsafe, call it crazy, but I don't.  Let me explain myself.  Back when viruses first came into popular existence, I was managing about 40 users and their PCs.  We installed whatever available antivirus software existed at the time, but reinforced self-protection through training, diligence, and testing.  I hammered into those users the basic rules of protection (not opening unknown stuff, not running unknown programs, not visiting sites that are not reputable or known, etc).  Through all of that, I became diligent myself...very diligent.  I am extremely cautious when it comes to anything I am not familiar with.  For years, I have used wisdom and caution to protect myself from any viruses, malicious software, etc. and for years I have been virus free.

Does this mean I don't check for viruses? No...i do check for them (even though  I can't remember the last time I have found a virus), but I do not have any virus scanning software installed on my machine or running that is constantly checking files and processes for viruses.  I am not a big fan of installable virus scanning software (like Norton Antivirus, McAfee, AVG, etc.) because:

• These programs are generally resource intensive and use memory, hard disk space, processor speed...which robs other areas of my PC.
• These programs are costly...over the years, renewal fees add up.
• They can offer a false sense of security if a new virus gets past the virus protection.

I have chosen self-protection over program-protection.  How do I protect myself?  Here's what I do:

• Frequently run free online virus scanners such as TrendMicro's Housecall, the new safety section at Microsoft's Live.com site, BitDefender, and Kapersky.  These are free tools and are kept up with the latest virus definitions.  These tools also offer other useful checks that protect from malicious attacks.
• Frequently run spyware scans.   AdAware, Spybot, and TrendMicro's Housecall do a great job in eliminating spyware. I have noticed that any one tool may be inadequate, but using all three is a good approach.
• Keep up to date with ALL Microsoft updates through Automatic Updates or by checking at Windows Update.
• Never relax my standards of close examination of everything that comes into or is run on my machines.

Will I get burned one day?  Maybe...and it will be my fault.  But for now, I will enjoy a fast machine, a clean machine, and virus free living.

If you think I'm crazy and want to have virus scanning software, Mike recommends EZ Antivirus by Computer Associates.  It does not take up a lot of resources on your computer and they offer a the first year trial for free.

Do not adjust or remove your virus protection software without fully understanding the implications involved.  I am not responsible for any affects viruses may have on your PC.

This morning I found myself reminiscing about my college days.  Vicki and I went to different colleges and we spent a ton of money talking on the phone.  Even though we tried to schedule and carefully measure the time we spent on the phone, sometimes calls went much longer than we anticipated and our phone bill reflected it. 

I have been reminded lately about all the great (and free) tools that we have available to us to (that were not easily available back in college).  Email, IM, blogs, personal websites, etc...so many tools available to help us develop and maintain relationships.  While the addition of these tools to my life has been helpful, I also think it has been detrimental in some ways.  i.e if I try to use these tools as a "lazy" way of maintaining relationships.  I need to remember that relationships require time, energy, effort, and sacrifice...and sometimes I forget.

I do not begrudge these tools...but welcome them in their proper place....overused and they can be damaging...

When these tools become a permanent replacement for a handshake, a hug, energizing conversation, a shared meal, facial expressions, vocal inflections, eye contact, or a game of cards or ping-pong, then perhaps these tools have gone too far.

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends

Last night as I was setting up this blog, Vicki (wife) asked, "What are you going to write in a blog?".  I thought for a moment and responded, "I don't know....whatever I want, I guess".

After she went to bed, I thought about it for a few minutes.  What will I write?  Who will read it?

Who knows.

Then I went to bed.