Gone Surfin' two-fer

I never got around to posting last month's Gone Surfin' web column, so here it is, together with the current one.

How to Do It is about productivity and life hacking web sites, and Protect Your Computer for Free is, well, kind of obvious. I still can't believe anyone is using those horrible Symantec anti-virus products. Both files are pdfs.

Excerpt from How to Do It:

It's true that the Internet can be a huge time-suck. But it's also home to many sites that can help you meet your goals, work more efficiently and solve problems. I'm not talking about nifty tech tools, but good, old-fashioned tips and advice – many of them related to clearing through the electronic clutter that's supposed to help make life easier but can actually clog it up instead.

“Life hacks” is a newish term that's cropped up to describe tips that make your life simpler. The sites in this month's column include life hacks for everything from how to most effectively pack for a trip, to how to train yourself to wake up earlier.

Excerpt from Protect Your Computer For Free:

I have been blessed with 15 or so years of hassle-free computing. I don't spend hours and hours securing my Windows PC, and I don't spend a lot of money. If you are not especially computer literate, security may seem like too much trouble. But it's really not all that hard, and it's worth it – an unprotected PC connected directly to the Internet can be infected within minutes.

(If you are a Mac or Linux user, you may go ahead and feel smug at this point.)

The only thing I'm worried about is that this column will now jinx me.