SENDING AND RECEIVING MONEY ONLINE, IS IT SAFE?

Are you one of those online people who still feels squeamish about giving your credit card number to an Internet merchant? if so, here's something for you to consider. When you last dined out and gave your credit card to the waiter, did you feel insecure? He could have run it a few times to add extra charges or simply copied the numbers and expiration date to be used in some future illegal shopping spree. In fact, using your card just about anywhere runs the risk of your numbers being copied by someone looking to rip you off. But most of us know we're protected against such abuses and we use our credit cards with confidence. And using it on the Internet is no more risky than using it at any legitimate place of business.

Yes there are credit card frauds being perpetrated online and I'm not saying you should be careless. But using some of the same common sense precautions you use when shopping in a store will more than likely yield online transactions without incident. For one thing, know where you are shopping. Deal with a well known and established vendor be it online or in a store. Just as you run the risk of being mugged while shopping in a bad neighborhood, so you run a similar risk when shopping at Joe's Online Porn site. Another safety tip is to look for sites that offer secure web pages that encrypt your credit card data. You'll know you're on such a secure page by a little closed lock icon that appears in the lower portion of your web browser.

But what if you want to buy something from an individual who doesn't accept credit cards? Or someone wants to buy an item you listed somewhere and you want a safe and secure method of getting the cash? The Internet can be very helpful via a service called PayPal. This online service offers a unique way to safely send and receive money from everyday people who aren't set up to process credit cards. The concept is a simple one. You set up your own PayPal account and once established, you can send and receive money to anyone else who has a PayPal account. To set up your PayPal account, you register by entering in one of your credit cards. Once PayPal verifies your card, they ask you to register your checking account via the numbers that appear on one of your checks. PayPal makes a small deposit of a few cents into your checking account and then asks you verify that amount via an email back to PayPal. The process takes a few days but once your account is registered and verified, you're ready to send and receive money to anyone else with a PayPal account.

Be a fan of USB

When I first saw Kensington's FlyLight, I thought I had seen it all when it came to novel devices you can plug into a USB port. I was wrong. As reported in one of my past columns, the FlyLight is a small LED attached to a long, slender bendable shaft that emits a soft glow to illuminate the keyboard of a laptop computer if you find yourself in a dark area and can't clearly see the keyboard. Since that article, they have come out with two other FlyLight models. The Platinum model has a silver colored flexible neck and the other one sports a red LED that won't disrupt your night vision. It's perfect for any submarine commander playing Battleship at night. But I take my hat off to Kensington with their newest offering, the FlyFan. Yes, the FlyFan. With the same long slender and flexible shaft that's found on the FlyLight, the FlyFan has a silently running soft, safe nylon blade fan spinning at its end to circulate a steady stream of cool air at you while you hunt and peck at your notebook's keyboard. And for those submarine commanders who can't bear to part with their Red FlyLights, have no fear. The FlyFan also sports a red LED located in the center of the fan. I'm not sure exactly what people are going think when they see this cute little whirring and glowing thing sprouting out from your laptop looking like a bionic daisy, but I can't stop laughing just thinking about it. $24.99.