No need to teach cursive writing

Typically changes to primary education in our country is slow to proceed. To my surprise there’s a push to remove cursive writing from school curriculum and it’s gaining momentum. I’m shocked at the support from even older long time educators.
It turns out in New York State our English Language Arts curriculum only requires legible manuscript either print or cursive. I don’t have a background in education but I do know what kids will need to be successful.
I’ve never been a fan of the current D’Nealian cursive or its predecessors. 

Teaching me in 1st grade that a capital Q was written like a number two was the first time I started to question the intelligence of my teachers. I have never seen anyone write the letter Q like that so it didn’t make sense.
My recommendation would still require penmanship but instead of cursive teach the topic of “script”.  What young minds need to know is that there are a variety of “fonts” that can be used to express feelings beyond just words.
Instead of teaching kids a single cursive writing style, allow them to choose a particular font to practice their penmanship. Teach kids how different fonts should be used for different purposes. A font used for a business letter won’t be the same used on a poster to help find a lost puppy.
I’m all for continuing to teach penmanship but get rid of cursive and let young minds expand. Let them know there are many ways to express what they write. Even if for some reason computers disappeared this wouldn’t be useless information. The knowledge of scripts and how to use appropriate fonts will carry on in future language studies in older grades.

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International Support Important to WinPatrol

 

   Support for our friends in Japan

Like everyone we’re anxious to help our friends in Japan deal with their recent tragedy with dignity. Our non-profit of choice is called “ShelterBox”. I first learned about ShelterBox through their affiliation with Rotary International.

“Each box supplies an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and essential equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless.”

For the rest of this week revenue from the upgrades of WinPatrol PLUS will be donated ShelterBox for relief efforts in Japan. If you’ve been considering upgrading to PLUS this is the week to do it.

You might consider this International Week here at BillP Studios. Our focus is dedicated toward our friends outside the United States.

      

There’s a new version of WinPatrol 2011 available. While I’m still looking at a number of unique problems with WinPatrol the newest version provides a fix to Windows 64 bit users with localized versions of WinPatrol. Until now there was a bug in seeing local text on anyone running Windows 64 Vista or Win7. Downloading the new version isn’t necessary unless you use non-English versions on a Windows 64 bit version. Other fixes are on the way.

Update: 20.0.2011.2 Fixed repeating alert that appears related to Windows 7 SP1 and Auto update monitoring

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Time to Install WinPatrol 2011

The last new version of WinPatrol was release in early November, 2010 just before Scotty’s 11th birthday. This week I’m happy to announce to release the new and improved WinPatrol 2011.
Scotty even has a new 2011 look

As more computers are sold with the 64 bit version of Window we've worked hard to keep up and make sure Scotty doesn't lag behind the technology. We found some quirks on 64 bit systems but thanks to support from our friends at Microsoft and other security vendors we’ve created version that runs faster than ever on 64 bit systems.

• Active Tasks
  You'll notice more information available on our list of Active Tasks. Sorting on the module ID you’ll be able to see which DLL files are used by running tasks.
  
  You'll find two new columns and on newer versions of Windows with additional information.  Over the years this has been a popular request and will continue to add information which is useful to all users. Active Tasks is usually the first place you'll check to remove any unwanted programs from reappearing so the more information the better.
  
  
  Zero-Day Alerts
  WinPatrol 2011 responds far better to repeating alerts from unknown sources. These infiltrations can happen to anyone just having a vulnerable application on their computer. Files which are repeating alerts are also tracked to provide quicker creation of PLUS Info for new threats.
  
  
  Delayed Start
  Delayed Start has proven to be more popular than we ever expected. This version fixed on 64 bit systems when moving programs from the Startup Programs list to Delayed Start.
  
  
  Services
  Display bug fixed when changing startup status. Fixed bug in 64 bit Windows when displaying non-Microsoft Services.
  
  
  Activation
  Corrected Internet error message when trying to activate PLUS features. We obviously want to make it as easy as possible to upgrade from the Free Edition to WinPatrol PLUS.  We continue to make it a great deal even for folks short on cash and the future of WinPatrol really depends on continued support from our PLUS members.
  
  
  
Thanks to all our supporters who have been it possible to continue the development of WinPatrol. The economy sucks for everyone but I still believe our WinPatrol PLUS offer can’t be beat.

Special thanks to Microsoft for their 64 bit support assistance and to folks who submitted detailed bug reports including screens shots of any problems they experienced.

 

Download here

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People Really Fall for International Scams

One of the scams I’ve heard a lot about lately is the “I ran out of money and I’m stuck in Europe”.  This is the scam that occurs once someone has stolen an Email or Facebook account. A message is broadcast to friends and family with sad news and a plea for help. An elaborate story is created which ends with a request to send a money wire to another country. It can happen to anyone and enough people fall for it that it continues to be popular.

A family member was actually the target of another international wire fraud scheme. This one goes after people looking for low cost comfortable shelter for their family.  The scammer finds a house and then collects a deposit from multiple renters.  Thanks to real estate services like Realtor.com, Zillow.com and even Google Street View it’s not hard to post a photo of a house while claiming to own it

 
This home was posted on Craig’s list for rent. When we contacted the real owners they were very surprised.

While checking Craig's List for apartments in our home town this listing seemed almost too good to be true. Luckily, we’re a small town and even though this particular family member isn’t the most internet savvy person he still knew a scam when he saw it.

Here’s the letter he received when he inquired about checking out the new listing.

Thanks for your interest and inquiries about my house,Yes the house is still available for rent and we are looking for a responsible person/family to occupy and maintain the house.Myself and wife just traveled to I am one of the coordinator of United State Missionary Organization and decided to rent/lease our property because i have been posted to United Kingdom, by the United State Christian Organization for (Worldwide Missionary Outreach).Presently  We are now in United Kingdom, but We wanted to sell it before and later changed our mind to rent it out for investment purposes since we might still come back some time 5years or more to come.So we have ordered them to stop all advertisement and remove it from the market about the home for sale and that will be effective asap. So i wouldn't want that to bother you at all..We could not find an honest agent to hand over the place to before leaving so i and my family decided to post the advert online. We will be away for 5 to 6 years or more that is why I have made up my mind to put up my house for rent to whom ever that will take good care of it.
Property Type: Single Family Home
3Bed, 3 Bath | 2,348 Sq Ft on 0.16 Acres (6,969 Sq Ft Lot )
AMENITIES:
Air Conditioning
Balcony/Patio/Deck
Ceiling Fans
Dishwasher
Double Oven
Garbage Disposal
Pets Allowed
Storage
Washer / Dryer
Rent: $900 including utilities
Security deposit:$1300
RENTAL APPLICATION FORM
TENANT'S PERSONAL INFORMATION
FIRST NAME: __________________
MIDDLE NAME: __________________
LAST NAME: __________________
PROFESSION: ________________
CELL PHONE:______________________
HOME PHONE:______________________
DO YOU HAVE A PET:____________________________
DO YOU HAVE A CAR____________________________
OCCUPATION:____________________________
PRESENT ADDRESS: ___________________________
WHY ARE YOU LEAVING:
___________________________________________________
____________________
PREVIOUS ADDRESS: ___________________________
PREVIOUS RENT: _______
HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND STAYING: ____________
WHEN DO YOU INTEND MOVING IN: ______________
HOW SOON CAN YOU HAVE THE TOTAL MOVE IN COST SENT TO
ME?
I CERTIFY that answers given herein are true and complete to the best of my knowledge. I authorize investigation of all statements contained in this application for tenant screening as may be necessary in arriving at a tenant decision. I understand that the landlord may terminate any rental agreement entered into for any misrepresentation made above.
Thanks and Remain Blessed

The scammers even found out who owned the house and created a Yahoo Email account using their name. We played along and asked if he could come see the house.  He received the following reply.  As we’re learned over the years most scams come with their share of spelling errors.

well thank you for the response to my email but i must let you know this as i told you in the last email that am not in the state now and the keys and the document to the house is with me here in uk but i can send you the keys and the document if you can let me trust you and you are not going to disapoint me because i dont want to trust the agent i gave the house to let it out again.due to what has happened between me and him because i gave him the house for just 800 and he was calling it $1600 and that was why i decided to let the house out myself .but just let me know if you are still intrested and i will know what to do then

The scammer continued to reply to Emails but ultimately wanted a deposit wired to them before the house could be viewed.  We were the only one to report this recent scam but local Police Chief Thomas Rush was quick to remind me of a similar rental scam which occurred last year. In that case, over five different people showed up at a local house claiming they were new occupants.

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Facebook CREEPS Stalking you?

Every day folks on Facebook are tricked into downloading applications that just aren’t safe.  Facebook has become a breeding ground for malicious applications which are easy to distribute.

Today the popular scam comes along in a message that says

“I've just seen who STALKS me here on Facebook. You can see who stalks you too!”

If you click on the link that comes with this post you’ll see the following and you should not continue to Find Our More.

 

FIRST, you should remove the post from your wall so your friends don’t find it and click on it.

The X won’t be obvious, but when you roll the mouse over this area it will show up and you can remove the post from your wall.

NEXT, send your friend a nice note suggesting they change their Facebook password.  This can happen to anyone so it’s not their fault. If they don’t get on Facebook often consider giving them a call.

LAST, expect more of the same kind of posts in the future. The popular trend seems to be ways to see who is looking at your Facebook page and OMG, there’s something you have to see.
I’d have to say more than half the posts that start with OMG are bogus.

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What Everyone Missed at CES 2011

Most of the press this year has called this past CES either the “Year of the Smart TV” or the “Year of the Tablet”. Personally, I didn’t see anything that knocked my socks off.  I did however notice off in the corner technology that I think will be the next big thing.

For many years my tech career revolved around convergence of your TV and the Internet.  My work in the 90’s at Microsoft and Gateway was pre-appphone and the infiltration of WiFi networks in every home.

My prediction the next huge growth in the tech market will be “Home Automation”.

Until now the industry standard has been something called X-10. You can still buy X-10 modules at Radio Shack but it never reached wide scale acceptance. The main problem with X-10 is dependability. Signals are sent along your electrical network and I found many new tech appliances conflicted with X-10 signals. The protocol is limited and the modules vary depending on their power usage.

Now that most of us have WiFi and app phones it’s an ideal environment to control even legacy devices within our home. Most of the focus at CES was using Home Automation to save energy.

General Electric demonstrated a new energy hubs called “Nucleus” using technology from ZigBee to monitor and control your energy use.  The majority of companies seem to like the ZigBee protocols but they’re not alone.

Verizon showed off their new FIOS based automation system which will be going to trials this month in New Jersey.

 

The other protocol trying to make a mark at CES is called “Z-Wave”. The Z-Wave Alliance announced 21 new members including Black & Decker, Schlage, Yale and Trane.

Expect to see a Home Automation war between Z-Wave and ZigBee who has a head start on members including Intel, Pioneer, Sony, Samsung, Whirlpool.

All I know is the technology exists and I want a simple, inexpensive way to control my home from anywhere.

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New Facebook Design Makes You Share More

Even Mark Zuckenberg admitted on CBS 60 Minutes the new Facebook homepage is designed to get you to share more information.  He should be very happy today because it’s working like a charm.  I’ve seen updates that show most of my friends have been adding details of their personal and profession life.

Here’s an example of what my new home page looks like when “I” go to it.
This is what I see on my Facebook homepage

You’ll notice there are two items which appear to be missing information. Facebook put it right on top and makes it easy to just click and update my work and current city.  My instinct like most people is to click and update this information so my friends can see it.

But guess what?  If I look at my home page with a different account it doesn’t look like I’m missing information.

This is what friends see on my Facebook homepage

When viewed by my friends only the information I want to display will appear. It doesn’t make me look like I’m not cooperating. The changes in Facebook are designed to entice you to share more information.  Everywhere on the page you’ll find “Edit” links encouraging you to add more information.

You’ll also notice the photos of me are different. There is no way to edit the photo bar to pick which ones appear.  Facebook really needs to add this feature.

If you’re shy and you don’t like the photo bar there is one option. Go to the Facebook Privacy settings and click on Custom Settings.  Scroll down to “Photos and Video’s I’m tagged in” and click Edit Settings.  You can set this option to “Only Me” and that will do the trick. Unfortunately, it removes the photo bar and also removed the photos from your regular photo album as well.

If you’re going to use Facebook remember, you control what information you share.   At least if everything works as advertised that’s true. Zuckenberg also fosters an environment where developers race a clock to get things done. That really doesn’t give me a lot of faith in his promise to protect my privacy.

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