Hmmm. At least PayPal should have asked a security question or for verification of birthdate or some other data during the process of resetting the password.

Oh.

One more: All (or nearly all?) system configuration is handled by editing text files. No registry editor and endless trees to navigate.

There's a GNU software called autoconf which automatically detects a lot of your system settings. This is important because GNU/Linux runs on a wide variety of hardware. Compiling ensures that the software works on YOUR hardware. The other alternative would be to have you select the right file to download or purchase…

I've done something very similar to 4 before. A nightly backup saved my ass.

Our ancestors also had the protection of an ozone layer. [en.wikipedia.org]

The link for "Mac OS X 10.6 Hardening Tips" tells you how to configure your system. The link for "Security Highlights of Windows 7" is just a list of features of Windows 7, as if its purpose was to convince people to upgrade to Windows 7; it does not tell you how to configure or use those features.

These are non-confidential publications. Even if NSA follows these guidelines for their own computers, nothing says that they do not use additional undocumented methods of securing and monitoring their systems.

Some sites use your birthday as a security question for recovering a lost password or updating your account profile.

The fact that you haven't had any problems is no indicator that your forging method is secure. I use one simple alphabet-only password on many online forums, and haven't had any problems, either.

Take a look at Password Safe. It creates random passwords and stores them in an encrypted database on your own computer. Completely local application that does not need to be installed. [passwordsafe.sourceforge.net]

It's not illegal in the sense that your local, state, or federal gov't has laws about it, but credit card companies (VISA, Mastercard, etc.) often mandate in their contracts with retailers that credit card prices must be the same as cash prices.

Ask any computer scientist. There's nothing wrong with starting at 0.

I need an app to wake up my daughter and get her dressed for school. Ensuring that she finished her breakfast and brushed her teeth would be a plus, although I could do that manually in a pinch.

Well, you have to admit, "I got rid of some trash cans" was a pretty weak example. A little more effort, and we could add some better examples of "changing my ways" rather than just "throwing out my trash [cans]".

Make sure you sue the right party. In one apartment complex I lived in, part of my security deposit was held due to "damage" which was actually incomplete repairs ordered by management. Unfortunately, the live-in manager was an employee of the owner, and the owner's real address was a gated home where nobody lived. In…

From the linked NYT post: "The calculations take account of the fact that each child is, in turn, likely to have more children."

I wish two-factor authentication would work with feature phones. One of my banks does this by sending a time-limited code via SMS.

RAM still generates heat when powered on (any circuit does, unless you are using superconductors). But the heat is minuscule compared to that generated by CPU and HDD.

Some lower income people are getting refunds not due to excessive withholding but due to refundable credits.