By now, most of us are aware of the potential privacy risks posed by Web cookies. But according to a new paper published by security consultancy iSec Partners, traditional browser-based cookies aren't the only technology used to store user data anymore. A number of browser plug-ins offer similar capabilities -- and because plug-ins are nonstandard browser components, users are often unaware that these silent conversations are even taking place.

Browser cookies are invaluable for storing things like usernames and shopping cart contents between e-commerce sessions, among many other legitimate uses. But cookies can also give Web sites the ability to track your surfing habits for the purpose of data mining or other, more malicious goals. That's why modern browsers give users fine-grained control over their cookies -- we can view them, delete them, or even block them completely. These controls don't apply to plug-ins, however, which add nonstandard features outside the customary browser UI.

Multitasking is a farce. When working on a text document, I lose my train of thought with each Pavlovian bell ringing in new messages. Who could it be? Is it something good? Of course I switch to Outlook to find out. I don't just waste time time, I lose my train of thought and progress.

For the simplest solution, I could just close Outlook. But I don't want to deal with opening and closing that application regularly, so I could just turn off all sound. But those desktop alert notices still pop up and pose a distraction, and I might need audio in other programs. Here's how to turn off Outlook's email alerts for new messages. Plus, you can set up custom rules to generate alerts only when important people send messages. Switch to Outlook when you finish other work. Single-tasking is the future.

With only a few days left in the year, I've been looking for ways to upgrade my PCs while still scoring deductions on my 2008 taxes. Whatever your motivation, a few simple upgrades can make you more productive. And these upgrades make more sense than an all-new PC, especially with CES and other tradeshows coming up.

RAM: This is easily the most important upgrade you can make, especially if you short-changed your hardware initially. You should have at least 2GB, but shoot for about 4GB. The 32-bit versions of XP and Vista cap the memory usage there and might not even be able to address all of it. (64-bit Windows can use more than 4GB.) Still, RAM is cheap; your programs will run more smoothly, and you'll be able to have more open at a time. Consult your system documentation to see what kind of memory it takes and if you'll benefit from installing it in pairs. Otherwise, shopping sites often list specific PC models. I always check sites like Ramseeker and Dealram, which aggregate prices from many resellers.

I'm constantly accessing different computers, but I don't need to get up from my chair to swap PCs. Instead of walking between them, a VNC (virtual network computer) setup lets me log into remote machines that are across the room or around the world. Now I can manage software installations, see if a download is complete, or just troubleshoot from anywhere.

Windows XP Professional, and Vista Business and Ultimate include this functionality, called Remote Desktop. (Lesser SKUs can connect to those operating systems, but they can't host a remote computer.) You can also set up PCs with the open, VNC protocol, using a range of software. But those routines often require port forwarding and other network management. I've shirked that level of network management and sampled LogMeIn, which uses its web server so you don't need to know IP addresses or other networking details. Plus a new, albeit paid, iPhone client [app link] drives it all from anywhere.

Just install free host software on the remote PC, and add an optional client installation on your controlling side. You'll then log into the website and see a list of your configured PCs (or Macs). The service works inside the web browser, and other than moderate delays for screen redrawing, it's just like controlling a PC normally. The paid service adds a few extra features, such as simplification of file transfer to a remote computer, but you might never need that upgrade.

With a few, layered choices, Outlook's mail rules automatically sort my incoming messages into a series of folders. Messages from a certain editor about a certain topic go to one folder. Mail that contains likely-to-be-unwanted attachments goes to a junk folder. High-priority messages from people who respect that tag go into a third folder. These are just a few ways to sort mail to keep business moving.

Let's look for messages from a specific person about a certain topic. Before creating the rule, add a new folder if needed. Choose File, New, Folder, type a name, and click OK. If you're using an IMAP server and want folders synced across different devices, first highlight that mail account in the lower area.

It's something of an open secret that Mozilla, the organization behind the open source Firefox Web browser, gets most of its funding from Google -- 91 percent, to be exact. The deal gives Google top placement in Firefox's search engine bar. But now that Google is also shipping Chrome, its own branded browser, some critics are asking whether the search engine giant's deep pockets have allowed it to gain too much influence over the Web browser market.

This week, Mozilla CEO John Lilly admitted that his organization's relationship with Google is "more complicated than it used to be" in light of the current funding arrangement. But Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz goes even further, claiming that because the market is controlled by just a few giant companies -- namely Google and Microsoft -- the Web browser has become "hostile territory" for application developers. Could the days of an open Web be coming to an end?

RSS feeds consolidate web surfing, pushing the new content directly to you instead of making you bounce between sites. That time saver can make better use of your breaks, even if you're just checking sports updates. But you can make RSS feeds into a business tool, tracking industry events, news, your company, and competitors. I like to use Google Alerts as the cornerstone of these feeds; when a search term hits, Google pushes me an update.

Visit google.com/alerts, and log in if needed with the link to Manage your alerts. Click New Alert, and enter a simple search term into the box. Type the name of your company or a competitor, the name of an upcoming tradeshow, or anything specific that would get coverage. Use the pull-down menu to choose if you want to limit searches to just news sources, blogs, or other targets, and change the Deliver to option to Feed. Click Create Alert.

I've already suggested that you lock your smartphone so that thieves can't steal your business data along with the device. But what if you misplace the phone and someone wants to return it? How thoughtful... They'll be greeted by a prompt for the password, and typically nothing else. Here's how to configure a BlackBerry or iPhone to show your contact info on that screen. Offer a reward for a bigger incentive.

A BlackBerry is better prepared for this situation. You just have to choose Owner in the device options, add your contact info, press the Menu key, and choose Save. The login screen will now include your details.

As the economic downturn pushes PC sales through the floor, one category stands tall: netbooks. This emergent class of mini computer boasts two obvious appeals in the form of portability and affordability. With typical price points well below $600 per unit, a slick netbook is practically an impulse buy for those tech enthusiasts who still have a little change in their pockets. But are these cheap, slim systems right for your business? Let's see.

There can be little doubt that hardcore road warriors need more than a smart phone to really get things done. And sometimes a full-blown laptop just isn't practical for quick work. (Anyone who's had to perch their drink on their laptop's palm rest while reviewing PowerPoint presentations in a cramped coach airplane seat knows exactly what I mean.) So it can be incredibly handy to carry a tiny, 2-pound computer to handle small, simple tasks that don't require a whole lot of typing or processing power.

As if the announcement of Apple's withdrawal from the annual Macworld Expo in San Francisco wasn't enough, now comes another blow: The Apple Expo in Paris has been scrapped. That's ominous news, because although IDG claims it will stand behind the San Francisco show even without Apple's presence, the cancellation in Paris comes just one year after Apple stopped exhibiting at that event.

Apple isn't alone in cutting back on trade shows. Adobe, whose market includes a lot of Mac users, had already pulled out of Macworld Expo. And today Novell announced that it has canceled its annual BrainShare conference in Salt Lake City, which was originally scheduled for March 2009. Novell has struggled to maintain viability in recent years, but has nonetheless sustained the BrainShare show for over 20 years. Is the tradition of tech trade shows coming to an end?

I've given a few tips for ways to configure your router, and a reader asked how to log into a specific model. If you act as your own IT department, that basic step may be the only thing keeping you from administrating simple network tasks. I'll explain the process to get started.

Since manufacturers often use the same default settings for all of their products, here's another reminder to change the SSID and reset the administration password. Anyone in proximity to your network could easily follow these instructions to enter your wireless network, just as you'll use them to initially configure the router.

If reports that President-Elect Barack Obama might have to give up his BlackBerry for reasons of national security sound paranoid, think again. A Fox television affiliate in Washington, D.C. reports that it was able to purchase a BlackBerry from a fire sale at McCain campaign headquarters for a mere $20, and the handheld came with an unexpected bonus: it was loaded with confidential campaign information.

Most of us rely heavily on PCs, laptops, and mobile devices for all aspects of our lives and work. In the process, those devices are likely to accumulate all sorts of information that we'd rather keep private. The trouble arises when we replace our equipment and want to sell off the old. How can we be sure we're not giving away more than we intended?

I'm frequently, needlessly asked to register on sites just to see their content. In my personal life, I have to give my contact info just to view Snapfish photos or a MySpace page. And when working, I'll have to register to view a free newspaper site, find tech support on an obscure forum, or even download product updates for software I bought. I always turn to BugMeNot to slay most of these requirements; the site stockpiles user-generated passwords and logins so you don't have to provide your own personal info. Preston Gralla picked a BugMeNot extension as one of the best add-ons for Firefox, and I agree. Here's how to install and use this extra. (Users of IE and other browsers can still tap the great service just by visiting the site.)

Visit the installation page, and click Add to Firefox . Click Accept and Install. A new window will open, and you should click Install Now. Restart Firefox. When you're faced with a dreaded required login for a free site, right click the username or email address box, and pick Login with BugMeNot. Repeat the process if the first attempt doesn't work; the plugin might have used old information. Otherwise, you should slide right into the registration-required content without paying twice: once by giving up personal information and the second by wasting work time.

With so much work relying on file attachment emails--text documents, images, spreadsheets, and more--many people have the urge to compress everything. That instinct used to pay off when connecting over dial-up, but typical Internet speeds now mean that you and the recipient may spend more time compressing and uncompressing than seeing any net gain. This is especially true with some file types that are already heavily compressed. Consider the total size and if the file is common on the web before deciding to bother with compression. In most situations, you're better off skipping that process.

Size is a limiting factor overall. Both your outgoing mail server and the recipient's incoming server need to handle that clot of data. In general, you'll be fine sending and receiving attachments that are 5MB or smaller. You'll probably be able to send 10MB. I've gone even higher in a pinch, but those messages are prone to be blocked. In that case, either post to an FTP server, break multiple files into different emails, or try compressing the attachments.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security) encrypt your email connection so that your password and messages are scrambled to eavesdroppers. If you're only connecting through a wired, office PC, you'll face little exposure with non-encrypted mail. But even with a wireless laptop on a known network--or especially Wi-Fi on a temporary network out in the world--encryption is essential. Without that protection, it's trivial for a hacker to intercept and read your data.

SSL should already be available from your mail host, although it's often not required. And for compatibility, many mail clients leave it off by default. Here's how to be sure you're making that secure connection.

I like the idea of keeping a Wi-Fi network open so visitors can be welcomed into the warm Internet like Elijah to a seder. But for your business, you'll likely want restrict access as much as possible to minimize the risk of stolen data. A Wi-Fi network without a password sends information in-the-clear, meaning that anyone nearby can read it. Here are several ways to close your network's windows to keep pests out.

Hide the SSID. The first, simplest step to keep people off your network is to make it vanish like Lost Island. Connect to your Wi-Fi router's settings page, and visit the wireless settings. Set it to hide your SSID broadcast. When connecting a client, you'll have to manually type the SSID. But since the network isn't listed for you, it won't be listed for casual eavesdroppers either. Still, be aware that it's easy to find hidden networks with a few more steps, so this will only stop casual bandwidth opportunists.

Earlier this week, Washington Post blogger Brian Krebs stunned the computing world with the revelation that Apple had quietly been recommending anti-virus software for users of Mac OS X. This news flew in the face of popular wisdom (and Apple advertising), which holds that only Windows users need fear malware and other online attacks. But the shock didn't last long. Apple quickly went into spin-control mode, claiming that the online Knowledge Base article in question was out of date and that Macs were indeed perfectly safe out of the box.

Apple enthusiasts breathed a sigh of relief, while detractors grumbled various opinions, the gist of which amounted to "pride goeth before a fall." So who's right? Is Mac OS X the impenetrable fortress that Apple makes it out to be, or is it really a lurking malware death trap?

Microsoft Office has so many users that its file formats have become de facto standards. Even alternate operating systems and applications have had to humbly adopt the competitor's format. So I still get annoyed, even two years after its release, that Office 2007 "upgraded" formats and broke this standard. Even now, you'll still run into situations where clients or coworkers don't have the latest version of Office or a patch for an old one. They won't be able to open your documents or import them into an incompatible application. Here's how to set the default file format back to that standard.

In Word 2007, click the circular Office Button in the upper-left, and press Word Options. Click Save, and use the pop-up menu to set the format to Word 97-2003 Document. That switches from the dreaded .docx format to the older, more compatible .doc style.

It's official! Late last week, the economists at the National Bureau of Economic Research convened to examine financial trends over the last 12 months. Their conclusion? The decline in economic activity since 2007 "was large enough to qualify as a recession." In fact, the Bureau said, the decline was not just large, but consistent. One of the best measures of the health of the economy is the number of people employed in paying work, and that figure has decreased in every month since last December.

Naturally, IT jobs are no exception. Recent studies show declines in the number of available jobs across the board of IT categories. Hiring freezes, layoffs, and salary cuts are becoming commonplace -- and for many IT departments it couldn't come at a worse time. So what can small and midsized businesses do to weather a shrinking economy while still making the most of technology?

Intuit's QuickBooks small business accounting software runs the back office for many of North America's 31 million small businesses. Now Intuit plans to expand globally by targeting 10 Asian countries, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea. Collectively, these 10 Asian countries have 250 million small businesses.

You won't see many notebook computers in the street stalls of Jakarta. Yet even a street sweeper has a mobile phone. So Intuit plans to grow globally by developing mobile-based versions of QuickBooks at its Global Business Division office, based in Mississauga, Canada.