Think you have a password that’s really hard to crack? You may not want to use it more than once. Turns out, some websites have “back doors” that allow unscrupulous people who work for the website to see your username and password. And, some of these folks are plugging that information into other websites—like banks, Paypal accounts and Facebook—to see if they work there, too. The safe solution: Use a different password for each of your online accounts.

[photo: CarbonNYC]

Keeping tabs on your health by eating right, exercising and busting stress isn’t the only way to live longer. It’s also important to…
* Skip an indoor lightning bolt. Stay away from the toilet, sink and bathtub during thunderstorms. If lightning hits close to your home, a deadly charge can jump through the plumbing and zap you, according to the National Weather Service.
* Avoid a car accident with a dashboard mount. Reaching for an unsecured object—like your cell phone, sunglasses or iPod—as you drive makes you eight times more likely to swerve out of your lane, a Mayo Clinic study shows.
* Escape a fire by checking smoke alarms. The most common reason a house fire results in serious injury: no early warning. While most homes have smoke alarms, nearly a third have no working batteries, reveals a Morehouse School of Medicine study.
* Protect your health by dodging cigarette smoke. Think only smokers have a higher risk of heart disease and cancer? Not so! Secondhand smoke is also harmful since it contains the same deadly toxins that smokers breathe in, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

[photo: atomicjeep]

If the weatherman calls for thunderstorms, leave your MP3 player at home. The metal on these devices is a powerful conductor of electricity, which means even a nearby lightning strike can send a surge of electricity straight up your headphone cables and zap you, causing serious injury, according to a report in The New England Journal of Medicine.

 Tip: Turn off your cell phone in a thunderstorm. Holding it next to your ear when lightning strikes nearby can shock you, too.

[photo: Larry Johnson]

Received an email from “uscourts.com” or another government-sounding address alerting you that you missed jury duty and instructing you to open an attached subpoena or risk going to jail? Don’t click on it! Doing so instantly downloads a virus onto your computer that steals your passwords and online banking data and sends it directly to the thieves who sent you the email, warns Oregon Attorney General John Kroger. Bona fide jury duty summonses—and summonses for missing it—are delivered only by U.S. mail, never by email or phone.

[photo: Toasty Ken]

Tired of begging your kids to do things that are good for them—such as brushing their teeth, taking their vitamins, buckling up in the car or drinking their milk? Tel Aviv University have found the problem—and the solution! In their recent study, they found that kids aren’t motivated when you tell them about the long-term benefits of doing daily good-for-you tasks—for instance, avoiding cavities, being healthy and staying safe in an accident. However, they discovered that kids will do what you want when there’s an immediate fun benefit—even a small one! So, if you need them to brush their teeth, get a toothbrush that lights up or a fruit-flavored toothpaste. Have trouble getting them to take their vitamin? Let them pick one shaped like their favorite cartoon character. They won’t buckle up in the car? Attach a toy to their seatbelt. They won’t drink their milk? Get them a silly-shaped straw to sip it through!

[photo: azrainman]

Scientists from the University of Trieste in Italy deciphered a secret code in your dog’s tail: A wag to his right means he’s excited to see you. A wag to his left, however, signals he’s anxious and it’s better to back off. The researchers explain that different sides of the brain govern different emotions, producing the particular wag.

Would you believe? Like left- and right-handed humans, dogs have a predominant paw, too. Males are usually left-pawed, while most females are right-pawed.

Less than one-half of one percent of all car accidents end in the water. Still, in the off chance it happens to you, knowing what to do can save your life. First, don’t wait for help—you usually have under two minutes to get out and rescue crews won’t be able to reach you in time. So, start by unfastening your seat belt. That may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many times rescuers have to do that for people, says auto expert Lauren Fix, author of Lauren Fix’s Guide To Loving Your Car, Everything You Need to Know to Take Charge of Your Car and Get On with Your Life. Then, before the electricity shorts out, roll down the window and climb out. If the car has already begun to sink, climb into the back seat and break the rear window to get out. “Because the engine is the heaviest part of the car, the front is the first to sink, so you’ll have more time if you escape from the back.” Window won’t roll down? Don’t try to open the door; not only is it difficult to do, which will waste precious seconds, opening it causes water to rush in, which can make the car flip over. Instead, kick out a side window—which, unlike the windshield, will shatter upon impact—and aim for its weakest spot: the upper corner.

Tip: Make a quick exit with the ResQMe keychain, which has a spring-loaded metal spike that breaks your car window and a stainless steel blade that cuts jammed seatbelts if you’re trapped in your vehicle. ($16.80 for two, amazon.com) 

[photo: au_tiger01]

Enjoy connecting with pals on Facebook, Myspace and other social networking sites? Crooks love it when you do, too, since these sites make it easy to scam users. Luckily, protecting yourself is as easy as…

* Skipping some profile questions. According to the Internet security company Webroot, 33% of us have at least three pieces of information posted in our social networking profile that can help thieves steal our identity, such as our birthday, mother’s maiden name, current and previous address, and where we went to school. Simply skip profile questions that ask for these and other personal pieces of information and avoid sharing them in your posts.
* Not announcing when you’re going away. In Arizona, a man recently posted that he was leaving town on a long trip and when he came home, he found his home had been burglarized. Play it safe by never disclosing upcoming trips, even if they’re short ones to the mall or a movie.
* Never clicking on links in emails. Cyber-crooks are sending out emails with the message “You’re on this video” or “Is this a picture of you?” to get recipients to click on a link. Often, they’ll hijack a friend’s account so it looks like someone you know sent it. Unfortunately, if you click the link, it takes you to a fake log-in page that steals your username and password so they can hijack your account, too.

[photo: Sephraim]

Surprising as it sounds, folks who listen to pop and rock music while driving are less likely to speed and have minor accidents than those who listen to country, blues, classical and even easy listening, reveals a recent British study. What’s the link? “Pop and rock songs are usually energizing and mood-boosting, which increases your alertness and makes you more aware of your surroundings,” explains ethnomusicologist Elizabeth Miles, author of Tune Your Brain®: Using Music to Manage Your Mind, Body and Mood.

[photo: tandemracer]

One of the fastest growing crimes can leave you penniless overnight. Called skimming, a device that’s secretly attached to a debit card swiper steals your bank account information and PIN, then sends it to thieves who use the information to create clone cards and drain your checking and savings accounts, says Paul Stephens, spokesperson for the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. “Even if you report the loss quickly, under federal law, banks can wait up to two weeks to restore the money you lost, resulting in bounced checks, overdraft fees and an inability to pay your bills.” That’s bad news for the 51% of us who use debit cards regularly. Want to stay safe? Then ditch your debit card and use cash or credit cards at stores, restaurants, movie theaters, gas stations and anywhere else you’re paying for goods or services, advises Stephens. “With these payment methods, you’re not giving anyone the information they need to clean out your bank accounts.”

Tip: Need to get cash from an ATM? Stick to those that are inside bank branches or are monitored by video cameras since thieves prefer to target unattended machines. 

[photo: KOMUnews]