…Hide what's on your monitor at work

By Levi Sumagaysay

Got BLOS (boss looking over shoulder) trouble? Here’s how to quickly hide your fantasy football league Web page, your IM conversation, or your Facebook profile.

1. Use keyboard shortcuts or Quick Launch The Windows button + D takes you to your desktop. Or minimize all your open windows by clicking the Windows button + M. Use the good ol’ Alt + Tab combo to switch among open windows -- assuming at least one of those windows has something work-related on it. Or use Quick Launch on your task bar, which you can quickly click on to call up your work email application, for example.

2. Install software There is a wealth of freeware and shareware out there; many of these applications have “boss” in their names. Magic Boss Key, Anti Boss Key and Aether Antiboss all allow you to press a key to quickly hide what’s currently on your computer monitor. But such software is probably only effective if what you’re trying to hide is something local to your computer. If you’re watching Hulu or YouTube, beware. Kevin Dohina, who works in tech support at Dash Navigation, says, “Bandwidth abusers are pretty easy to spot on the network.” In other words, your boss might talk to the IT department and find out what you’re up to.

3. Accessorize StealthSwitch, which looks like a video game controller, lets you use what is basically a foot pedal that you can program to do things such as close windows, mute the sound, hide icons or a taskbar. Hide it behind your trash bin underneath your desk, and you’re good to go. “A genius idea,” says Dohina. That is, if you can get away with it. Some workplaces forbid plugging outside devices into company-owned computers. Another alternative is a USB to VGA adaptor, a gadget that plugs into a USB port on your computer and lets you have alternate displays, such as one for reports and one for gaming.