Whenever you are doing work on a server, security should be at the top of your list. For obvious reasons, a server is the absolute worst place to have a malware infection. To help minimize the risk, you should always be smart with your browsing habits.

If you are working on a Windows Server OS (a true server OS, not XP or 2000 acting as a server) and using Internet Explorer, make sure you are using IE with the Enhanced Security feature enabled. This is an option available in the Add/Remove Windows Components section. Alternately, you can use Firefox with the NoScript plugin installed. Both will disable javascript unless you manually allow the site access to run it. Linux users will also want to take advantage of Firefox with NoScript to protect themselves.

Again, it is almost best to browse with ‘paranoid level’ security when working on a server. You should only go to sites you know and trust anyway, but you never know what could be lurking on that site in the rare event it has been hijacked.

When Twitter’s servers are barfing (which happens multiple times per day, we are greeted with this weird picture of a bunch of tweety birds carrying a whale. It is cute, but it doesn’t really communicate what is really happening.

So, I have hereby nominate the following graphic to replace the whale. I call it: Twitter FAIL.

I love Twitter, but like a lot of people, I’m getting tired of the downtime. Twitter just raised $15 million in VC funding. Put it to good use, Twitter, or the poachers will be after you.