Who needs beaches?

March Break is looking pretty exciting from here. Libraries have so many great programs planned, how will you decide which ones to go to? Many will fill quickly, so if you see something that appeals, register!

We are offering drawing workshops and advice with Mark Oakley in Bridgetown on March 13, and in Annapolis Royal on March 14. Local guitarist Caleb Miles will be teaching guitar workshops in Kentville on March 13 and Wolfville on March 15. Actor John Dunsworth (have any of you ever seen Trailer Park Boys?) will be doing a workshop in Bridgetown, and later in the week, you can learn to write plays.  If crafts are more your style, try making a Sock Monkey in Kentville or jewelry in Kingston, or perhaps a yarn pom-pom in Annapolis Royal.  Maybe you’d rather decorate a cupcake in Wolfville?  Or attend an art workshop in Berwick? 

We’ll be showing the movie HUGO in Bridgetown (March 6) and in Berwick on March 16.  And celebrating another great book, we are hosting a Hunger Games Party in Kentville on March 18. Bring your friends and see who is the last standing in our Cornucopia Challenges.  This program is going to be so much  fun, and there will be cupcakes! 

If you enjoy looking at the stars, head over to Annapolis Royal on March 14. Keji interpreter Colleen Anderson will be pointing out some cool stuff! Speaking of science, did you know that Mad Science will be in town on March 16? Find them at the Windsor and Wolfville branches.

Girls can have tons of fun at GirlPower in Middleton and Berwick. Ages 12-18 are invited to play x-Box Kinect at the Teen Lounge in Lawrencetown. There’s a Sleepover at the library in Bridgetown, a Magic Show in Kentville, board games in Port Williams, and lots of storytimes to choose from. There are computer classes and games all week long, and there’s a treasure hunt, too. 

Did we mention that all of these programs are FREE for you to attend? Many of our programs have been made possible by sponsors and grants, and we really appreciate that!   For a link to a printable flyer with all these activities, click here, or ask for a copy at your local library. See you during March Break. 

Tech Advice - Malware/Spyware prevention

The AVRL Systems Support Team is back, as promised, with the final step in protecting your computer. 

Step 4: Malware/Spyware prevention

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  With malware (aka spyware) this is especially true because there are programs out there that are so difficult to get rid of and get so deep into your operating system, you are actually better off wiping out the computer and starting fresh. 

There are many programs that can help secure your computer against potentially unwanted software.  They prevent the installation of spyware and help guard against security exploits.  While you can safely run more than one program to defend against malware, running too many could drag your system down to a crawl.  We have a few favorites that we run regularly that work well together and do not cause the computer to lag. 

 

Spywareblaster is a passive protection; it works by blocking the installation of certain kinds of malware.  You run the program, update it and apply protection.  That’s it, close the program and you are good to go. You do have to remember to check for and apply any updates once a week, if you would like to have this done automatically; you can purchase a key from the developers that add this function. You can watch a tutorial here. 

Spybot Search and Destroy is one of the oldest and most popular antispyware programs. It offers both passive protection through an “immunization” function and a scanner that will scan your hard drive and try to fix any problems it detects. Updates are released regularly and you should try to check for updates about once a week and remember to apply the immunization. 
*** When installing, make sure you read through all of the install screens and uncheck “Use system settings protection (TeaTimer)”.  TeaTimer is a good theory, but it seems to slow down the computer and you get way too many pop-ups asking about changes to really be effective.

Malwarebytes is what we reach for when nothing else works.  The free version is an on demand scanner which means that you have to manually update and scan your computer.  You can also subscribe to the paid version that provides real time protection and the ability to perform scheduled scans. Its’ scanning engine, though a bit slow, can detect and repair almost any threat it encounters. Here's your video tutorial.