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Thompson: Tips can be a great gift that keeps on giving
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I've said this before, but it's worth repeating. When you read this column I know that your first thought will be, "How can this tip help me?" Let your second thought be, "Can this tip help someone I know?" Share the love, baby.

If you're a parent and have kids who are active on the Internet, I've got a tip for you. Check out a product called Securespot. It's a device that goes between your modem and your router. It protects all of the computers attached to your router from viruses and spam. The best thing about it is the parental controls. You can access the controls from the Internet wherever you are. The controls allow you to turn off Internet access, check usage, restrict Web sites and even restrict instant messaging. Securespot also allows you to control gaming consoles that are connected to the Internet. You can find the product at most computer retailers or online at D-Link.

Tony Renfro shared this cool Web site with me: Worldometers. As the name of the Web site implies, it has a large collection of meters giving you such information as world population, national debt and number of toilets flushed around the world.

Tim Thompson lives in Gainesville. E-mail Tim your ideas for tips, tools or tricks.