Ever heard of Steganography? It’s the art of hiding secret messages in plain site. In the computer world, we are usually referring to hiding messages within images: actually storing the message in the image.

The picture doesn’t look any different, but with the right software, the receiver can decipher the hidden message. Technically, you could use this procedure to hide your passwords in a vacation picture on a thumbdrive. Even if you lose or someone steals the thumbdrive, your data is safe, because all they see is you and your date on a beach!
Some people in the government worry that terrorists are using pictures on seemingly innocent websites to send messages to each other. Perhaps.

To learn how to utilize this fascinating procedure, just Google the word steganography. Many tools exist online that allow you to easily create your own hidden messages.

I truly love Windows 7.  One of my favorite features, though, are gadgets.  Don’t know what they are?  Think of a gadget as a little program that runs on the side of your screen.  It can be as simple as a clock, or more complex like a network utilization monitor.
It just sits there doing its thing, ready for you to check it out any time.  Windows 7 has some great gadgets and their free!  To see them, click your start button, then “All Programs,” Accessories, and then choose “Windows Sidebar.”
Some of my favorite gadgets are the analog clock, Facebook, and my CPU meter.  Basically, that last one shows me how hard my computer is working.  Don’t go crazy with gadgets, though.  Every gadget you add to the sidebar takes up a little bit of memory and a little bit your computers processing power.  Too many will slow your system down.
But choosing your favorites can give you easy access to information you check regularly.