Before I quit for the night/day whatever here's my advice on not getting busted....all of which I'm quite sure have been previously posted on in various forms and threads:
On the Computer:
1. After logging out, go to control panel in the start menu, double click internet options, if you're using IE 7 like I am then there'll be a button labled delete. It's under the browsing history section. Click that and another menu will come up giving you a menu of all the things you can delete. At the bottom is a button labeld delete all. Hit that, and make sure you check the box where it says 'also delete files and settings created by add-ons. Then click ok...it'll take care of everything for you. If you have a previous version of IE then you might have to delete cookies and browsing history one at a time.
2. Consider reformatting your hard drive once in a while. Your computer stores old addresses, folders, registries and the like, while these arn't necessarily harmful they can slow down the performance of your pc. An added bonus is that once you reformat data can't be recovered....but make sure you back up needed files and whatnot.
3. Get antivirus/spyware eliminating programs and keep them up to date.
Buying Your Gear:
1. Pay Cash. It's as simple as that.
- Various themes on this might include giving a trusted friend money and having him or her buy stuff.
- Consider buying piecemeal...that is one piece of equipment at a time, or spread it out over a large radius....your lamp setup at a hydroponics store on one side of town, and the bulbs at a local home depots or lowes.
2. Never, ever order online.
- The one exception I could see to this is buying seeds....and even then in my view it's a crapshoot.
Growing/Harvesting:
1. Find a secluded area. This is preferable, if you've got land take advantage of it's remoteness
2. (Outdoors) Don't lump your plants all together in one site. From what I hear cannibus plants reflect more light than other plants for anyone who happens to be scanning.
3. (Indoors) Make sure your growroom is well ventilated and odors are well taken care of. There are lots of great articles here about ventilation and odor control.
Finally:
1. Exercise common sense. No one ought to know you're growing but you.
Anyhoo, like I said, it's all been posted before, but I think this is a nice summary.