The less catchy title of this blog is “DON’T USE OPEN PUBLIC WIFI!!!” Doing so may expose you, quite literally, to the world. I am the mother of a teenager– a really smart teenager who is proficient at Snapchat®, Instagram®, WhatsApp® and a host of other applications (Facebook® of course has been left for we older folks). I vainly tried to explain the dangers of open wi-fi to this smart person a few days ago, to be met with an eye roll and a “c’mon mom, it’s no big deal. Free wi-fi is everywhere if it weren’t safe I would know”. [maxbutton id=”1″ ] Well, dear reader and dear daughter, it is indeed true that open wi-fi (i.e. wifi that you don’t need a password to access) is EVERYWHERE, and this is likely why the many warnings of danger have been so ignored. We love our free wi-fi, and the free public wi-fi has been a magnet for business for every café and coffee shop around. But the dangers ARE real. And if your phone is set (as many are) to automatically connect to available wi-fi, you are literally walking naked down the aisle of a big bus, in full view of every person you pass. Now that I have your attention, let’s…
Read MoreBGS Attorney Dave Schaps presented the Roseville Area Optimist Club’s inaugural “Optimist of the Year” award to Club President Don Salverda at the November 3rd Club meeting. Salverda is a former Ramsey County Commissioner from the Roseville Area and President of Don Salverda and Associates, a personal and professional leadership consulting firm. Both Dave and Don are founding members of the Roseville Area Optimist Club, and worked to charter the organization in January. The purpose of the club is to be a friend of local area kids by promoting activities that bring out the best in ourselves, the community and in our youth. The 10 member Optimist Club board, of which Dave serves as the Club Secretary, unanimously agreed that Salverda should receive the first award due to his great work in building the Club to almost 70 members in eleven short months. This accomplishment was truly a feat warranting recognition. The Club meets for a networking lunch and to hear a speaker on the second Friday of every month at the Roseville Radisson. There are over 1500 Optimist Clubs world wide and 23 in Minnesota. The Roseville Club is made up of a number of people including leaders in business, local government and local non-profit groups. For questions about this article or…
Read MoreThese days, everything is subject to being overhyped – cars, diets, clothing, the next snowstorm. When advertisers use words like “amazing”, “breathtaking”, and “life changing” we barely take notice. But having traveled to Nebraska to witness the total solar eclipse, I can tell you that those words, in all their glory, are not strong enough to describe the experience! Last Friday August 18th we began our eclipse road trip. Seven us (me, my parents, husband, niece, teenage daughter and her friend) took two cars and headed to the tiny town of Mullen Nebraska, located in the totality. We booked our three rooms at the Sandhills Motel in Mullen A YEAR AGO. The drive was gorgeous, through the sandhills, and we were delighted with the folks in Mullen and the small town’s events. We didn’t stay in Mullen for the eclipse however, as the weather forecast on the day of the eclipse warned of 70{a0c01d20c42349884e67ff80c137866b0a9fe47aaae8f8a86a605a369ae487c3} cloud cover. So we hopped in our cars and drove west, following RVs and campers clearly headed the same way, out of the clouds and into the sun. An hour later we turned off the little highway on to a dirt road that led to a park, and found a field with a few other cars parked on the…
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