Commentary

Using a PC, create a free WiFi hotspot for sharing

I was recently doing one of my cyber security presentations at a professional meeting in a posh Dallas area hotel, and there was a need for several users to get online for research purposes. As the speaker, I had a hard-wired Ethernet connection allowing me to access the Internet, but the available WiFi connections in the room were weak and slow, making it difficult for the others to connect to the Internet.

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Tee it up for Tom and the kids

Monday, March 19, is an important day in Southeast Texas for all those concerned about the welfare of the boys and girls who live in the area. The Tom Mulvaney Golf Tournament is on tap beginning with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. at the Beaumont County Club. The event is a prime fundraiser for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for children) and depends on this fun-filled day to help meet the many needs of an ever-expanding population.

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Two free, helpful utilities

I have to admit that the most frequent sources of ideas for this column are interesting questions asked by callers on my weekly radio show on KLVI (6 p.m. Mondays, 560AM), and e-mails from readers of this column. In a somewhat unusual move for me, I will respond to two of those inquiries in this column.

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Do we teach reading, writing, and arithmetic – or children?

A friend sent this to me and I was attracted to the truth it shared. Although it is a work of fiction originally published under the name Elizabeth Silance Ballard in 1974, this tale cobbled together from the real-life experiences of the author and her contemporaries contains life lessons that still hold value for us today.

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Unbelievable

The idea of bunting, tulle, satin and organza being used in an educational setting at Central High School is not outside the spectrum of reality, but claims that these items and more were used to help boys become men is a little far-fetched.

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Texas Consumer Complaint Center can help you

Q. I remember reading about an organization at the University of Houston Law Center that can help with consumer problems. Can you please give me its name?

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Another free Office alternative

Over the years, I have written about several free alternatives to Microsoft Office. Many of my students cannot afford the roughly $100-plus that it costs for a student version of Microsoft Office, and a lot of senior citizens, small businesses and individuals that I work with cannot afford the $250-plus for a commercial version of Microsoft Office.

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Google privacy policy asks if you want to be tracked

In the past few days, there has been some controversy in the media and on the blogs about Google’s new privacy policy, Google overriding the Safari browser’s “do not track” feature, and other potential privacy issues. While many Internet users are aware that the “free” online services such as Google and Yahoo!

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SpiriTed coming to area congregation

If your heart, to be merry, needs a medicine as the Scripture promises, then organizers in Southeast Texas might just have the perfect prescription for you. Promised in exchange for only 59 minutes of your time is the opportunity to laugh, cry, giggle, think a bit, smile, nod, agree, wonder, realize, chuckler, muse, and even poke your neighbor in the ribs. You are also invited to clap your hands, stomp your feet, and then just laugh some more.

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