Have you ever tried using a public PC? Some of you might probably answer in the negative. Indeed, going to Internet cafés to surf the Web is starting to become unfashionable these days as portable computers continue to get cheaper.

But don’t expect net café’s to totally disappear soon. No matter how small PCs get, you won’t always find it convenient to carry it around with you. So there will definitely come a time when you’ll be forced to use a computer that’s not yours.

Using a public PC can be dangerous, so you’d better limit the things that you’ll do whenever you’re using one. Public computers are notorious for being a melting pot of viruses, just as public toilets are. Hundreds of people have already used it, so there’s a big chance that one of them might have introduced a worm in the system maliciously or inadvertently.

One of the things that you shouldn’t do when you’re using a computer that’s not yours is to engage in e-commerce. Whenever you buy things on the Internet, sensitive financial data will be asked of you, such as your credit card number. Many worms are embedded in public PCs that capture keystrokes, especially those that are keyed in on online stores. Unless you would want to give a virtual supplemental card to hackers, don’t conduct financial transactions on a PC that other people also use.

You should also think twice in accessing your e-mail or other accounts on a public computer. Again, malware that are designed to capture passwords are often injected into public PCs. Try to limit the things that you do in a public computer. Checking the latest NFL or NBA results is harmless. But checking your bank account balance on a net café can be suicidal.

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Need a laugh?

I’m sure I’ll be getting tons of nods from that query of mine. Laughter is indeed the best medicine, especially if that illness is caused by your boss or by undesirable correspondences from your credit card company.

Before the advent of the Internet, I used to get my weekly dozes of chuckles from Reader’s Digest’s “Laughter is the Best Medicine.” The topic of the jokes varied widely, but there weren’t any about computers back in the 80s. If there were, only a handful of people understood them.

At present, I don’t rely on weekly periodicals anymore to tickle my funny bone. As with almost anything, jokes can easily be fished out on the Web. In YouTube, the videos that are mostly viewed are those that could mimic the effect of nitrous oxide. Needless to say, Web sites, such as www.engrish.com, get thousands of clicks everyday.

Be careful when accessing Web sites or downloading videos on the Net, though. Some Web sites contain worms which could damage your system by simply entering it or if you click any of the links therein. The worms or malware may infect your registry or corrupt your files. Be sure that you have a registry cleaner and an antivirus installed in your PC.

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