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Police chief: Hack your kids' Facebook passwords

Where are your kids tonight? Virtually speaking.

You know they're up in their rooms. But they have laptops. And they've been pouting more than usual lately. So who are they talking to? What are they saying?

The police chief of Mahwah, N.J., James Batelli, believes that you shouldn't be sitting there and wondering. He believes parents should be using any methods they can to spy on their kids.

According to NBC New York, Batelli, who is the father of a teenage daughter, says a parent's biggest mistake can be naivete.

"If you sugar-coat it, … Read more

The 404 737: Where Chinese mothers fight to the finish (podcast)

The 404 is back with our first show featuring all three of us back in our home studio, and it feels great! CBS MoneyWatch's Financial Decoder Jill Schlesinger, aka #AuntJill, makes her 2011 debut and answers a few listener questions about the uphill economic battle in 2011 and planning for your retirement.

We haven't had a chance to talk to Wilson about his month away in China, so he tells us how he got hit by a bus in Guangdong, and would you believe it? His iPhone was not to blame! Sounds like the Asian driver stereotype might actually be true when it comes to Chinese bus drivers.

Speaking of stereotypes, Amy Chua from the Wall Street Journal sparked some controversy for an incendiary article entitled Why Chinese Mothers are Superior so Jill posted her response that examines the surge of wealthy women in China and the effect that strong parenting can have on a country's economy. We all agree with Chua when she says that "nothing is fun until you're good at it." Sage advice!

Finally, Jill answers questions from listeners wondering about reporting taxes without a Social Security number, the best way to save for retirement, how to refinance or purchase a home, and what kind of economic growth we can expect in the new year!

Episode 737 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS VideoRead more

Android lands cloud security from Trend Micro

Trend Micro recently upgraded its security system for desktop computers to rely heavily on cloud-based detection and protection, and now it's bringing that same network to Android devices.

Trend Micro Mobile Security for Android secures your device in four ways. It offers a "safe surfing" feature that prevents phishing attacks and illicit access to your identity and banking information. It also powers the parental controls for Web site content blocking. There's a customized blacklist for call and text filtering, and a download guard that prevents malicious or fraudulent apps from installing on your device.

Trend Micro … Read more

Pick from the hat

Like many free applications, The Hat from Harmony Hollow Software uses software to do something usually done "the hard way." In this case, it's drawing names from a hat, the time-honored method for randomly selecting individual entries from a group. The app can randomize a list of names so no one can complain about who goes first and who goes last. It can also draw individual names or pairs of names for raffles, sweepstakes, and ongoing contests. It does this all without requiring you to actually write down names, cut up the list, and throw it all … Read more

R2-D2 headphones

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Microsoft is expected to show off new tablet computers at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show

Dell is acquiring Compellent Technologies to focus more on cloud storage

Google launches TeachParents.org to help you give the n00bs in your life simple computer tutorials

A new study shows that Americans spend as much time online as they do watching TV

Another study shows that sales of physical disc media will fall by $4.6 billion by the year 2014

The R2-D2 headphones are the perfect gift for the Star Wars geek in your life

Google can fix your mom's PC, sort of

In what must have been some charitably-minded Googler's ambitious side project, the sprawling technology company has launched a sort of digital cheat sheet to solve the apparently ubiquitous problem of being asked to fix all variety of PC- and Web-related problems when visiting parents for the holidays.

The site, called TeachParentsTech, lets frustrated "kids" fill out a form that puts together a "virtual care package" to send to parents that will include links to Google video tutorials for all manner of basic tech support issues. In a post on the official Google blog, Googler Jason … Read more

CNET to the Rescue: How to tweak your relatives' computers

This week, as we gear up for holiday travel, we have a special show on preparing to help out your less-than-geeky parents, brothers, sisters, in-laws, and assorted relatives. You know they're going to ask you for tech support. How do you talk to them? Do you fix their computer? With what tools? We're joined today by special guest Seth Rosenblatt of CNET.com, who can fill us in.

If you have a tech question for CNET to the Rescue, e-mail rescue@cnet.com or call us to get on the next show: 877-438-6688. No question is too basic.

Episode 28: How to tweak your relatives' computers

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Guide for teen-proofing Facebook released

If you are a parent and you want your teen to be able to use Facebook without either of you having to worry that your child is sharing too much personal information, there's a new resource that can help.

A "Parents' Guide to Facebook," being unveiled today, offers hands-on, step-by-step instructions and illustrations, as well as information on safety, privacy, and reputation protection; and it covers the use of Facebook on computers and cell phones. It also offers specific recommendations for configuring privacy settings, noting that the default Facebook settings are not as privacy protective as they … Read more

The 404 686: Where Caroline McCarthy debuts Apple Mac OS X Keyboard Cat (podcast)

The big news this morning is Apple's invitation to a Mac OS X event next week that came with an accompanying image of a lion peeking out of the Apple logo to tease the next iteration of the Mac OS X operating system.

We're letting the CNET experts handle the predictions for what the event will unveil, so instead we're taking bets on the feline-inspired nomenclature for the update: Mac OS X: Tiger Woods; Mac OS X: Pussy Cat; and Mac OS X: Liger are being thrown around, but we're guessing Apple might just go with Mac OS X: Lion.

CNET's social-networking reporter Caroline McCarthy comes on the show today to tell us why she literally ran away from our meetup. Caroline will be running the New York Marathon on November 7 to benefit Camp Interactive, a year-round program that introduces inner-city youth to technology through the inspiration of the outdoors. There are only a few weeks left to donate to her team, so head over to the Crowdrise Web site and help out if you can!

Speaking of protecting children, Apple just filed a patent application for "systems, devices, and methods" that will allow parents to block adult content from text messaging. In other words, no more sexting. The application will take into account the child's age or grade level to determine what words or content should be censored from messages, and the system will even notify the user and administrator when the dirtiness pops up onscreen.

So now that the Facebook movie "The Social Network" has been out in theaters for a few weeks, we can finally talk to Caroline about the validity of its content in relation to screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and Ben Mezrich, author of "The Accidental Billionaires." If you haven't seen the movie yet, this is your warning that this segment features serious spoilers!

Tune in to find out if Mark Zuckerberg is really as much of a jerk as his onscreen counterpart, if Napster co-founder Sean Parker really got busted for cocaine at a Stanford party, and if there's any truth to that scene with the flaming bed. Big thanks to Caroline for joining us on the show, and don't forget to donate what you can to help Camp Interactive!

Episode 686 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS VideoRead more

Kidtops: Best Buy to sell Toshiba Satellite L635

Whether you believe in a kid-oriented laptop probably depends on whether you have kids, and whether you like the idea of them fiddling with your own computer when you're out of the room. Accordingly, your reaction to the Satellite L635 will probably vary.

Toshiba's Best Buy-exclusive Satellite L635 feels at first glance like a larger-scale version of the education-oriented Netbooks we've seen from Intel and others. A ruggedized look, bright colors, and a easy-to-clean keyboard create that impression most of all, but in reality this is a full 13.3-inch-screen laptop that isn't much different under the hood from the low-end doorbusters you might see in retail circulars. We got to check one out recently, and it seemed pretty much like many entry-level Toshiba Satellites we've used before, except for its rubberized keyboard.

Besides size and capability, another key difference lies in its target audience: this is meant for home use, whereas many of the educational Netbooks we've seen, such as the Intel Classmate and HP Mini 100e are institutionally targeted, many of them never even seeing the light of a retail store. The Satellite L635 will be at Best Buy starting September 26. … Read more