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2013's computer security risks: What you need to know (and do)

The Internet is a marvelous, but scary and dangerous, place. And there's a good chance that most of what you think you know about staying safe is out of date.

Here's a summary of the major risks I've seen for individual users recently, and some tips on how to protect yourself against them. (A business or government will of course face more, and more sophisticated, threats- this article is about individual users, with mobile gadgets or home PCs.)

A quiet day at the rail station

I have a soft spot for the railway.

Maybe it's the cruical role it played in creating a united Canada out of a disparate collection of territories, the sense of history, the tangible links to a past era.

Maybe it's the sheer industrial power of it- machinery built to last a lifetime, getting underway with a diesel rumble that you feel in your bones, the brutal honesty of purely functional design with few concessions to aesthetics.

Or maybe it's just the pleasure of hopping between cities with one's dignity and one's schedule intact, with space to stretch out and relax, occasionally catching a glimpse of the traffic jam on the 401 as you fly past it at a buck-thirty-five.

Is the resolution war over?

It seems the megapixel wars may be drawing to a close, at least in the upper strata of the market. With the exception of the 36 MP Nikon D800, the digital SLR market has more or less settled in the 16 to 22 MP range- and this number is no longer prominently featured on every flyer. This is good; it's a sign that the digital market is maturing and moving away from the ill-advised marketing metrics of its early years.

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