shindo_hikaru's BLOG

So you got a new computer with the latest technology, but before you discard the old one, make sure you completely eliminate information from the hard drives.

   Before you trade in or dispose of your old computer, the hard drives should be wiped of sensitive, private information. Data contained on non-functioning computers could fall into the wrong hands much to the embarrassment of the previous user.

   “Even though data can be lost due to physical damage or human error, it’s not irretrievable,” says Bill Margeson, president and CEO of CBL Data Recovery Technologies Inc. “That’s why it’s especially important that computers changing hands, either for reuse or disposal, are properly cleansed of all personal information.”

   Repeatedly deleting data, repartitioning or reformatting the hard drive will not erase data completely. Until data is actually overwritten by new information or a signal, programs that read disk sectors directly can still recover lost data. The guaranteed ways to destroy data or make it completely inaccessible are to degauss, wipe the drive, overwrite files or to simply destroy the storage media itself. 

   There are software programs that can destroy data completely like CBL Data Shredder that offers a free application for Windows that eliminates the possibility of resurrecting computer data. To download CBL Data Shredder for Windows, go to www.cbltech.com.sg.

Of course, in a less busy world we’d all grab some extra shut-eye. But sleep could have more effect on your health than you think:

It could make you thinner The less sleep you get, the higher your body mass index tends to be. Research showed that people who sleep 5 hours a night were found to have 15% more ghrelin (a hormone that boosts hunger) in their bodies and 15% less leptin (which suppresses it) than those sleeping 8 hours.

It could boost your memory Sleep plays a key role in making new memories stick in the brain. A Harvard experiment showed that subjects taught complex finger movements such as a piano scale recalled them better after 12 hours’ sleep than 12 hours’ wakefulness.

It can fight colds, ulcers and even cancer Good sleep boosts the immune system. Melatonin, produced when you sleep, is a cancer-fighting antioxidant. Night-shift workers may have up to 70 times greater risk of breast cancer. Also, the chemical to repair damage to the stomach lining is secreted during sleep, so staying up all night regularly could raise your risk of ulcers.

It can slow down ageing Persistent sleep debt affects carbohydrate metabolism and hormone function in a way that may increase the severity of age-related chronic disorders. A large-scale study concluded that people who sleep 6 to 7 hours a night lived longer than those sleeping less than 4.5 hours.

It could keep you orderly If you’re a child, that is. The depression and low self-esteem often associated with just being a teenager actually correlate with sleep shortage. Young kids who sleep poorly are more than twice as likely to take to drink and drugs in adolescence.