Best Practices for Disposing of Old Computers

Best Practices for Disposing of Old Computers

Newer and faster laptops, phones and tablets are being released every day it seems, but what are we supposed to do with the outdated devices we no longer want to use? The security of proprietary and personal information and environmental issues are the primary concerns when disposing of unwanted computers. Here are some guidelines we recommend when phasing out computers from your business or home.

Deleting a File Does Not Actually Erase Information

When you delete a file from the hard drive, the operating system only deletes the information that describes where the file is located. Simply deleting files, emptying the recycle bin or reformatting the hard drive is not enough to cover your digital tracks. In addition to documents, photos, videos, and private information that is accessible on your computer; there is also your Internet browser?s cache, cookies and history; email contacts and messages; and the recycle or trash folder.
Don?t take a chance with the security of your business and personal information. A Computer Troubleshooters technician can complete any of the following strategies when trying to secure your personal information on an old device.

The most cost-effective and commonly used strategy is the use of a software utility that overwrites the hard drive with random characters and binary data anywhere from three to more than 30 times. These utilities are typically referred to as data destruction software, hard drive eraser software or disk wipe software.

Another effective but more costly solution is degaussing. This is the erasure of information through the use of a powerful magnet. Degaussing disrupts the magnetic domains on the drive, which erases your data while also rendering the drive permanently unusable.
The physical destruction of a hard drive is the only way to absolutely and forever ensure that the data is no longer available. There are contractors who will perform this task on site, using the appropriate tools and safety precautions. We do not recommend this type of hard drive destruction by consumers.

Donate or Recycle Your Old Computer

Extending the computer?s lifespan through re-use provides the highest environmental benefit. There are many ways that bridge the digital divide by providing schools, non-profit organizations, family members, and students with needed technology.

When you donate or recycle an unwanted computer, there are a lot of details you will need to be concerned with such as; maintaining the security of information that was stored on the computer, or locating local technology recyclers.

Don?t feel overwhelmed by all of these details. Let your local Computer Troubleshooters take on the burden. One of our professional technicians will be happy to explore the various options available to you when deciding how best to dispose of an unwanted computer or laptop.

? If your computer is less than five years old chances are it can be put to good use. Most organizations have specific technology needs, so inquire in advance regarding donation guidelines.

? Most charitable contributions are tax deductible and computers are no exception. Business donors can generally deduct the un-depreciated value of the computer and individuals can deduct the current market value of a computer. Remember to retain your receipt for tax records.

? Consider donating your unwanted computer to a refurbisher who is equipped to repair and upgrade older computers. Certified refurbishers ensure that equipment works well and will pass on ready-to-use equipment at little or no cost to individuals and organizations. It is recommended that you remove your hard drive from any system that you donate to a refurbisher to ensure the security of your data.

? Even if a computer cannot be reused or refurbished there are reputable technology recyclers that can ensure valuable raw materials are recovered from old computers and that any waste is disposed of in an environmentally-safe and responsible manner.

? Let your local Computer Troubleshooters do all the work for you. Our technicians are trained experts in making sure your personal information is secure and responsibly disposing of unwanted devices.
Click here to find your local Computer Troubleshooters technician.

Source: http://ctcoffsharbour.technology-solved.com.au/blog/2013/03/23/best-practices-for-disposing-of-old-computers/

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Do Not Underestimate the Power of PR

By Anna Bessonova, March 22, 2013, Leave a Comment

Editors Note: I sat down for lunch with ?Anna Bessonova (@Annasnova), former writer at ArcticStartup, currently working at Finland?s PR Agency of the Year ? Netprofile. We were talking about the value of proper communications and PR, and this is the guest post that resulted.

Amazingly many just love to trash PR. It?s expensive, its value is hard to measure and it?s not always clear how hiring a PR professional would help your startup. Besides, while people like to influence others, they don?t like the idea of being influenced. That is the double-edged sword that makes PR such a hotly discussed subject.

In the startup context the never-ending debate usually comes down to whether or not Public Relations (or any form of Communications activities) are worth paying for. At the end of the day, most of the communication tools are free, you?ve been on Twitter and Facebook for years and you can easily reach out to a tech blogger through a tweet. Besides, who can better know how to talk about your company than you?

Loans for a Niche Market

If interest-only loans were issued too freely before the foreclosure crisis, their availability now is restricted to a privileged few.

A staple of the jumbo market, interest-only loans continue to be used by affluent borrowers to help them manage irregular cash flow, reap a tax benefit, or free up cash for investment elsewhere.

In particular, people in the financial services industry who derive most of their compensation from yearly bonuses commonly rely on interest-only loans to keep their mortgage payments manageable the rest of the year. "Then they take some of that bonus and pay down their mortgage each year," said David Adamo, the chief executive of Luxury Mortgage in Stamford, Conn. "And their monthly payment then also goes down."

Thus, interest-only loans have evolved into a financial tool, and no longer a means to affordability.

Freddie Mac stopped backing the loans in 2010 after suffering big losses; as a result, fewer lenders offer them. Those that do have strict qualifying standards. Lenders generally require that the borrower have at least 30 percent equity in a property, and a minimum FICO score of 720. Determination of ability to pay back the loan is based on the fully amortized payment, not the interest-only payment.

Additionally, "a lot of lenders will want to see assets to cover as many as 24 months' worth of principal, taxes and insurance payments," said Richard Pisnoy, a principal of Silver Fin Capital, a brokerage in Great Neck, N.Y.

Interest-only loans are primarily adjustable-rate products with an initial fixed period when only interest is due. Available in 5-, 7- or 10-year terms, they "are generally done for 10 years so there's no payment shock in the near term," said Tom Wind, the executive vice president for residential and consumer lending at EverBank, a national lender based in Jacksonville, Fla.

Interest rates are usually an eighth- to a half-percentage point higher than on fully amortized jumbo loans. After the fixed term is up, the mortgage re-amortizes, and both principal and interest are due.

On a $700,000 loan with a fixed rate of 3.875 for the first 10 years, the monthly payment would be $2,260, as calculated by Mr. Pisnoy. After 10 years, based on the same rate, the payment would rise to $4,195. If over time the rate adjusted upward by as much as five percentage points (the usual cap), the payment could reach $6,700.

To avoid such a scenario, however, borrowers generally put money toward their principal balance ahead of time, or refinance out of the loan before a full payment is due.

Two lenders ? Community National Bank and National Cooperative Bank ? offer interest-only loans for co-ops in the New York market. Demand is weak, however, because so many co-ops take a dim view of such financing, said Jordan Roth, a senior branch manager of GFI Mortgage Bankers in Manhattan.

"We're finding a number of co-ops that are becoming more conservative when it comes to the mortgage products they will allow their prospective buyers to use," Mr. Roth said. "Very rarely do you find one that allows an interest-only mortgage in the current market."

More lenders may yet decide to get out of the interest-only segment. Under rules issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, beginning next January, lenders will face greater legal exposure on interest-only loans that go into foreclosure.

But mortgage executives played down that risk, citing the high qualifying ratios for these loans. "These are very strong loans," Mr. Wind said, "and that's creating availability among smaller lenders as well as larger banks."

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100582195

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New Archbishop of Canterbury enthroned

LONDON (AP) ? The new archbishop of Canterbury was formally enthroned Thursday ? and questions about the Church of England's opposition to same-sex marriage greeted his promotion.

Justin Welby is the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury, serving as head of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the world's 77 million-strong Anglican Communion.

Welby was formally enthroned at the 900-year-old Canterbury Cathedral in southern England before politicians, including Prime Minister David Cameron and religious leaders. Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, also attended.

Dressed in a cope, stole and a gold-colored silk mitre, Welby symbolically struck the cathedral's west door three times with the end of his staff to formally request admission to the cathedral.

As the doors opened slowly, a choir welcomed Welby with a psalm.

The new archbishop later declared to the service that he solemnly committed himself to the service of the Anglican Communion.

Earlier in the day, Welby talked to the BBC about some of the issues that have dogged his predecessors and led to deep divisions within the church.

He acknowledged that many gays have enduring relationships of "stunning" quality ? a fact he said that has "deeply challenged" his own views on gay marriage.

He also predicted in a Channel Five interview that there will be a female archbishop in the future despite the failure to pass legislation backing the idea last year.

From Rome, Pope Francis sent a message congratulating Welby and calling for a meeting in the near future.

"Please be assured of my prayers as you take up your new responsibilities," the pope said.

The enthronement also drew protesters angered over government welfare cuts, waving signs bearing messages such as "cuts are crippling me."

Police said a 47-year-old man who allegedly ran at a car taking guests to the ceremony was arrested on suspicion of breaching the peace.

_____

AP writers Cassandra Vinograd and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/archbishop-canterbury-enthroned-164850967.html

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Mosque blast kills senior Syrian imam in capital: TV

BEIRUT (Reuters) - An explosion at a mosque in the Syrian capital on Thursday killed at least 15 people, including a senior pro-government Muslim cleric, state television and activists said.

Syria TV said a "terrorist suicide blast" hit the Iman Mosque in central Damascus, and Mohammed al-Buti, the imam of the ancient Ummayyad Mosque, was among the dead.

Buti, a government-appointed cleric reviled by the Syrian opposition movement, delivered the official weekly Friday mosque sermons on state television.

In one of his televised speeches, Buti described those fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad as 'scum'. He also used his position to call on Syrians to join the armed forces and help Assad defeat his rivals in the country's two-year-long rebellion.

Video released by Syria's al-Ikhbariya channel showed dozens of limp bodies lying on the bloodied carpet of the mosque, as emergency workers rushed in to give survivors first aid. Mangled limbs lay among the wreckage.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of activists across Syria, said around 15 people died in the blast in central Damascus.

The Observatory said it was unclear if the explosion was caused by a car bomb or a mortar shell. Dozens more were wounded in the attack it said.

The Iman mosque is also next to the offices of Assad's ruling Baath party as well as other government compounds.

Locals were panicked after the blast late on Thursday and described seeing ambulances rushing to the area while traffic came to a standstill. Residents near the mosque said the strong, acrid smell of gun powder still hung in the air.

"RECEIVING GOD'S WRATH"

Buti, 84, led the funeral prayers for Bashar al-Assad's father, the late President Hafez al-Assad.

The imam's critics saw him as a religious mouthpiece in support of Assad. When the revolt started in March 2011, he quickly threw his support behind the Assad family, which has ruled Syria for more than four decades.

Buti was a Sunni Muslim, the sect which makes up the majority of Syria's population.

Sunnis have led the revolt against Assad, a movement that began as peaceful protests but devolved into bloody civil war that has sparked sectarian bloodshed between Sunnis and Assad's minority Alawite population.

It was unclear who was behind the Damascus blast, although Syria TV immediately accused "terrorists," a term frequently used to described rebels. If opposition fighters were responsible, it would signal the ease with which they are able to strike in the heart of the capital compared to a year ago.

Some opposition activists argued the rebels could not have been behind the attack, and called it a government plot. They said it was unlikely that rebels, many of whom are deeply religious, would target a mosque.

"The regime eliminated Buti," said Leena al-Shami, a Damascus activist speaking on Skype. "One of the last things he said is that Assad is the prince of Muslims and Syrians fight with him, as in jihad (holy war).

"I don't think Buti could have done more, his role was over. Now the regime wanted to make a martyr of him."

Some locals recalled one of Buti's more memorable sermons from early on in the revolt, in which he told President Assad he had a vision that Syria would 'receive God's wrath', but would survive.

(Reporting by Erika Solomon; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/explosion-hits-mosque-central-damascus-syrian-tv-173324186.html

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Oman's Sultan pardons all jailed activists: state news agency

MUSCAT (Reuters) - Oman's Sultan Qaboos pardoned on Friday all dissidents jailed for defaming the ruler or taking part in protests, in the latest effort to defuse unrest inspired by Arab uprisings elsewhere.

The official Oman News Agency did not say how many prisoners would be freed, but activists say courts sentenced at least 50 dissidents to jail terms of up to 18 months last year.

"His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has issued a royal pardon for those convicted of defamation, information technology crimes and unauthorized rallies," the agency said.

Last week a court freed on bail eight activists, part of a group of prisoners who went on hunger strike last month saying they had been sentenced unfairly. The court ordered a re-trial.

In recent months the government has sought to ease public discontent by announcing plans to limit the number of foreign workers and sharply raise the minimum wage for locals in a drive to increase employment of Omani citizens.

Oman, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz through which some 40 percent of the world's sea-borne oil exports passes, has also pledged to create tens of thousands of public sector jobs.

But delays in implementing the promises have kept protests simmering, with some anger focused on the 72-year-old sultan.

(Reporting by Saleh Al-Shaibany; Editing by Amena Bakr and Alistair Lyon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/omans-sultan-pardons-jailed-activists-state-news-agency-103614829.html

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Video: Cyprus Revealing Market Flaws?

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/51259784/

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