Vuyisile Ndlovu

The other day, a thought occurred to me. How can one hide sensitive information on a computer? The first thing that came to mind was the Hidden file attribute for files and folders, but anyone who knows how to can view those files, and if you’re using Windows XP like I am, it makes the job even easier by telling you that there are hidden treasures in the folder you’re in.

I’m aware that there are many ways to hide files, the methods include, but are not limited to the following;

1) Compressing the file

2) Compressing and encrypting

3) Using file hiding software like Partition Magic or Concealer

4) Placing the hidden files on a separate partition and restricting access to it.

Some of these options are pretty good, but what if you need to hide a file on a shared computer or what if you need to hide the file immediately without the need for additional software that costs an arm and a leg? This is what motivated me to do some Googling and what I found is quite interesting, it is actually possible to hide files in a relatively simple way without the need to purchase expensive software.

The Web and me

What mobile internet means for me?

I’m sitting at the infamous hunger square at the college under the shade of the tall tree near the admin office, my eyes fixed intently on my 2.5” Nokia screen. My class mates are in the same place as I am, but they are engaged in varied, conversations about how they hated the programming lecture, whether or not the next lecturer will be present, what to have for lunch, why they think they’ll fail the next test and so on. One guy calls me and says, as he points to my phone, “Let me guess, you’re on Facebook right?” At that moment I stop to think, “What could have given him that impression?” Then it occurs to me, I’m sat a distance from the others, I’m not involved in their discussions, I have a phone in my hands and I’m concentrating really hard and there’s an occasional smile now and again.

To this guy watching me, this is a sign that I’m facebooking as they like to call it. Apparently, these are the symptoms of a facebooker. For the record, I’m not on FB as I explained to him; I’m actually on a VB programming forum. This guy’s question made me ask myself this? “What is it about FB that makes it so popular among students?”(I cannot think of anyone in my class who does not have a FB account, well except of course for Mathar, I doubt that she has one.)

Really, what does the internet mean to me, to my peers and students in general?

I’ll tell you what it means to me.