Two new software I installed. One is called KeyScrambler Personal. I’m always paranoid about keyloggers – that’s less of a threat in Linux (I still used chkrootkit) – but Windows gives me the screaming heebie-jeebies. So I was quite happy to stumble upon this Firefox add-on which basically scrambles all your keyboard input at the kernel level; so that keyloggers, if any, get a bunch of garbage. Really, it doesn’t gobble up much memory, and an added line of protection – even if not fool-proof – goes a long way ensuring safety of your data.
The second one happens to be Workrave. I’ve loved GNOME’s lock-screen-after-such-and-such-period-of-time feature ever since it was launched. Basically, what it does is that after a specified period of time, it locks down your PC to allow you to take a rest. I, for instance, set it to make me take a 3 minute break every 30 minutes – both are values which the user himself can tweak according to his wish. It was good to stumble across a Windows version of this too. Actually, I’d heard to Workrave earlier too – but its earlier versions didn’t work since they weren’t able to lock the screen. The latest version works. I still haven’t got the funda behind having a sheep as its icon image. Of course, it also comes with skip / postpone break buttons. This is a software which everyone who uses computers should install – not only does it prevent repetitive stress injury (which can happen eventually), but it also prompts you to rest your eyes. Most people blink less when using a PC, and a dry eye isn’t good news (especially for people like me who wear spectacles). Did someone mention “I hit the skip button very often?”