|
How about a little
humor to start this edition...
OK, now to the "serious"
stuff... |
ALERT:
Virus Hoax
"I
am repeating this one because it is still going around and I have had
several calls about it. Feel free to copy this and send it to anyone you
know who has received the fake virus warning to let them know it is not
true."
There's another
virus hoax going around. This one tells you to find and delete a file
called:
jdbgmgr.exe
Don't delete it!
It's a Java debugging file (some Java applets may not work correctly
without it ). Although it's not the most important file on your
computer, it's still probably best to leave it intact.
This gets passed
around by an e-mail that warns the file is a "dormant" virus
and automatically activates on a certain date. It also claims that
anti-virus software can't remove it. Big time hoax.
Why is this a tip
off?
If the file is a
virus and on your computer, then Anti Virus software can get it. Think
about it, if you can find the file, then your Anti Virus software can
too. If it was really a problem, it would alert you.
Remember, just
because it's in a forwarded e-mail, doesn't automatically make it true.
************************* |
About Virus
Protection for your computer:
Here you get the usual warning (again)
to protect your computer from virus programs that can be a
nuisance or worst case destroy programs and data on your computer
and render it virtually useless.
I find that in some cases it is
assumed by computer users that since "I have a virus
protection program on my computer" I am protected from virus
problems.
This is not necessarily so. You must
keep your virus program up to date. The virus program, if it is
never updated, can only protect you from viruses that were in
existence when you obtained the original program. Hundreds of new
viruses are created each month. This means that unless your
virus protection program is fairly new and can update itself
automatically, you must contact the company that provided your
virus program and obtain their up to date virus protection files
on a regular basis. For most of us that is at a minimum of once a
month. Better that you do it weekly if you do a lot of internet
and email on your computer. For most programs this is a free
service that comes with the purchase of the program. Most
anti-virus services must be renewed for a fee on an annual
basis.
If you have questions about how to go
about updating your virus program, or need help purchasing one
feel free to contact me and we can set a time for me to come and
help you with it.
In today's world virus protection is
very important to your computing safety.
Now for an additional note:
Some of the newest viruses and trojan worms now have the ability
to "turn off or disable" your antivirus program so they
can get into your computer and do their work!
So...you may know that you have an anti-virus program on your
computer and also that it is up to date with the virus detection
data, BUT...it may be disabled and you had not noticed it.
How to check this on your computer:
Most all of the virus protection programs that I know about place
a little icon (picture) in your system tray when it is active and
running and protecting your computer. This system tray is the
little area of pictures in the extreme lower right corner of your
computer screen. You can place your mouse on the icons there
(don't click) and a line of text will appear that tells you what
that icon represents. Users of Windows XP operating system may
have to click on the little button in the system tray to expose
some of the hidden icons that are there. See the photo that shows
the button....
If you do not see anything there for your antivirus program,
chances are that a virus has turned it off and that virus or worm
is resident on your computer.
|
 Some
Helpful Information: |
|
| Surge
Protection
You have a surge
protector on your computer. But now you want to know, should you have
gotten one that you can use with your phone lines as well? Is that
really necessary?
It's actually
good advice. When we think of power surges, we tend to picture power
line problems. Well, telephone wires can also carry a dangerous surge
into your computer. I've repaired (and seen) more than a few computers
that were damaged due to telephone line power surges.
Most people
don't know it, but phone line surges are more likely to cause damage
than power line surges. Why? Your computer's power supply acts as a
built in surge protector. Even if a surge gets through your regular
surge protector, the power supply may be able to keep it from doing
any damage.
That's not to
say that you shouldn't have a good surge protector. There have been
lots of computers damaged because they didn't have a surge protector
between them and the wall outlet.
Finally, when
you buy a surge protector, try to find something better than those
little power strip things. Although they are better than nothing, they
are notoriously unreliable and most won't tell you when they are no
longer protecting your equipment. One good surge and your protection
is gone - but they continue to function as a power strip. Most
computer and electronics stores can sell you a good quality surge
protector.
************************* |
|
Here's a little tip my AOL friends might
check out.....
Question:
Is there a way to make AOL Instant Messages a bit more instantaneous?
Answer:
Yes...
Simply
hold down the Control button and hit Enter after you have finished
typing and away your message goes.
Question:
Can you use the same technique in AOL e-mail?
Answer:
Yes...
When
sending an e-mail, you can also use the same mouse-less feature.
Ctrl+Enter will send your e-mail off to its eager recipient.
|
|
Most users never use their "WinKey" (those two keys
between the ALT and CTRL);
but they can come in handy! Here's how:
| Key combination: |
Result: |
| [WinKey] |
This will pop up the Start Menu |
| [WinKey] + [E] |
Opens Windows explorer |
| [WinKey] + [R] |
Opens the window that lets you execute files |
| [WinKey] + [F] |
This will show the find dialog box |
| [WinKey] + [Ctrl] + [F] |
This will show the "find computer"
box |
| [WinKey] + [M] |
Minimize all open windows |
| [WinKey] + [Shift] + [M] |
Restore minimized windows |
| [WinKey] + [Tab] |
Shifts through the taskbar buttons, press
[Enter] next |
| [WinKey] + [F1] |
Shows windows help |
| [WinKey] + [Pause] |
Shows the system dialog box |
| [WinKey] + [D] |
Minimize / Restore all windows |
|
|
Here
area some neat photos you can save to use in your email messages if
you are so inclined...
|
|
E-mail
Hoax
If you get
something in your e-mail that you're not sure is truth or a hoax
warning, check it out with the site below. They have a search engine
that will help you quickly determine what's real and what's not.
Additionally, it's a cool site to browse through.
Search the Archives for "email"
http://www.urbanlegends.com/
| Tip: |
| So you need to find someones long distance phone
number?
How about a free lookup on the web?
Go to:
www.teldir.com
and look it up.... |
| |
|
| How
about Halloween fun too?
|
|
The "Keyboard Shake"
How many of you know about the "keyboard shake?" It's
purpose
is to remove crumbs, paper particles, etc., from (mostly) between
the
keys of your keyboard. Here's how to do it: hold up the keyboard
about
a foot above your desk, turn it upside down, and...shake!! You'll be
amazed at the "stuff" which drops out of your keyboard!
|
| More
Halloween animated photos....
|
|
|
|
|
Question? What's the quickest way to close multiple open
programs
and shut down my computer?
Answer: Alt-F4 - Each time you press ALT-F4 another program
will
close, and finally you'll get the "Shut Down window." Then
just hit the
Enter key to shut down! Pros can close 4 open programs and shut down
in less than 6 seconds!
|
|
Skip
The Recycle Bin
(Use
this one with caution...you could hate yourself in the morning)
Every now and then you
need to really delete a file. Right now!
Well, most people
delete the thing, then go to the recycle bin and remove it from
there. It works, but there's a better way. (AND MORE DANGEROUS
WAY IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL)
Next time you are 100%
sure, without a doubt, for certain, that you
want to delete a file, hold your Shift key down while you
delete. The file will be deleted from your computer - skipping the
Recycle Bin completely.
**************************
|
Ever
want to increase your browser's font size?
Do you find the text on some Web pages too small to read? If
so, you're in luck because there's a very easy way to customize the
font size to your liking with Internet Explorer 5.0 and higher. All
you need to do is open your browser and choose View | Text Size.
Then, select a size from Text Size submenu. While the
default is Medium, you can choose from the other options (Largest,
Larger, Smaller, and Smallest) depending on your preference. Once
you make a selection, the Web page you're viewing will immediately
change to reflect the new font size you just chose.
|
Web Page tip:
When on the Web and looking at a lo-ong page (many
screens worth), and you're looking for some specific
information, try CTRL + F; it opens a search window
where you type what you're looking for and your cursor will stop
at the first instance it finds.
F3 will take you to each subsequent instance.
|
Now
for some interesting things to do on the internet....
Click
on the blue underlined lines (links) to quickly go to these web
sites...
NOTE: If any of these web sites
require your computer to have the "Java Virtual Machine"
installed, you can get it here..... http://java.sun.com/getjava/
|
Calculators
Oh no, not
another educational link! Well, sure some calculators are for school,
but some can be for fun. At this site, you’ll find both.
The top five
serious Calculators are:
Interactive Periodic Table
Tax Calculator
Scientific Calculator
Interest Calculator
Driving Distance Calculator
The top five
fun Calculators are:
Typing Test
Typing Test 2
Ancient Chinese Birth Chart
Planetary Age Calculator
Pig Latin Converter.
There are many
more! So check it out!
http://www.myparentime.com/calculators/calculators.shtml
|
|
| Does
It Work? Archive
This is a site
that archives the articles of Karl Rundgren. He's the guy that tries
out those "As Seen on TV" products and lets you know if they
really, truly work.
So before you
buy you might want to read these articles. Here are some of the
products you'll find tried and tested:
Out’n
Clean
Perfect Pancake
E.Z. CD Scratch Remover
Mystic Tan
Hairgami
Universal Inkjet Refill Kit
Hair off Mitten
Pro Trim Paint Roller
Fix A Flat
Turbie Twist
Nicoderm CQ
OxiClean
That’s not
even a third of the list. Check it out!
http://www.krbctv.com/diw_archive/
Mini
Putt-Putt
Need some
relaxation? Can’t sneak out for a game of golf? Are you secretly
addicted to golf video games? Well, this will certainly fill your
craving. And for those of you, like me, who just like to go out
putt-putting, this is great.
Putt your way
through all 18 holes and have your score calculated for you. Playing
this reminded me why I don’t keep score normally. Enjoy a little
game of Putt-Putt today!
http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~pyang/flash/miniputt.swf
|
Passenger
Ships of the Great Lakes
The Marine
Historical Society of Detroit, Michigan, proudly brings you this site
on the passenger ships of the Great Lakes. For those living
on one of the Great Lakes there is a certain pride in the
industry that once thrived here, and still partially does. Plus, this
site has fabulous pictures of ships.
Choose from a
list of different ships and then be whisked to the next page that is
complete with a picture of the ship, information on its make, and the
ship's history.
My favorite here
I think is the Tashmoo. It's sleek design appeals to me. So take this
trip into history and enjoy these lovely ships.
http://www.mhsd.org/passenger/
|
Daily
Planners
Run out of Daily
Planners? Or just looking for free ones that you can print? Well if
so, this is the site for you. You can print out everything from a
grocery list to a list of important numbers. All completely ready to
be filled full of your personal, pertinent information.
My favorites to
print out here are the To Do List, Daily Appointment Sheet, Monthly
Bills, and Software list. I especially like the software list because
it has an area for the title, registration number, and password.
I realize the web site is "women" oriented,
but heck - Guys need lists too, right fellows?
Another site
that will help save you time. Check it out!
http://www.digital-women.com/daily-planner/
|
AnyWho
Here's a handy
one! Need to find someone? Check out AnyWho. Just type in the fields
you know and it will attempt to find the person or business you're
searching for. It doesn't always work, but who knows, you may find
your long lost Uncle Fred.
http://www.anywho.com/
|
Household
Recipes
Want to impress
someone? Want to find out how to get those nasty stains out? Or how to
clean the chandelier you were hanging from all day?
Well, this site
has all that and more. At Household Recipes, you can learn all those
secret recipes to make cleaners, repellents and all those other
recipes grandma would never give you. Here you can find the recipes
for: Air Freshener, Lavender Linen Water, Leaf Preservative, Bug
Spray, Plant Food, Rabbit Repellent and much, much more…
http://www.recipegoldmine.com/house/house.html
|
|
Pop
Cap Games
Need a little fun to spice up your life? Well here at Pop Cap games
you’ll find exactly that – FUN. These games are FREE and easy,
load right in your browser for hours of entertaining delight. Better
yet they’re Java games so you don’t need any plug-ins or have to
download anything to enjoy them.
There are at least thirteen free addictive games. A copuple of good
ones are are:
Alchemy – Where you turn the board from lead to gold using rune
symbols.
Diamond Mine – Where you swap gem positions to make matches.
But there are many more. So take a gander and enjoy!
http://www.popcap.com/
|
Mini
Clip
Oh I know, it pains you to see it, another game site. If you enjoyed
Pop Cap’s games, you’ll really love Mini Clip. For some Friday fun
why don’t you try Acno’s Enegizer – that’s the game I’m
currently addicted to. For those of you at work, if you need some
stress relief try Paintball.
The other favorites you can enjoy are Flashman, Park a Lot II, Grid
Iron, or Blobs. Mini Clip is definitely a really cool, really free
game site, enjoy, and let the games begin.
http://www.miniclip.com/Homepage.htm
|
| Welcome
to America
Welcome to
America has most of the welcome signs in each state, information on
that state, and much more.
It also comes with easy viewing options, you can either use the side
bar to travel through the site state by state or you can use the
navigation at the top to travel through different sections. I found
the side bar was easier because you seem to get all the information at
once.
So go ahead and check out these fabulous signs, I think my personal
favorite was Hawaii because it‚s huge sign saying Aloha. Enjoy!
http://welcometoamerica.us/
|
| SimSlots
You can play
slots for free, there are nine slots on the main page, and then you
can go through he free slot pages to play different ones. Your
favorites might be the Candy
Store, which is on the main page, and the Pirates,
which is on the fourth free slot page.
Now, the slots
on the main page are the ones where you can submit entries into their
monthly prize drawing. I don’t bother with that cause I’m just not
a believer in sweepstakes and the like; however, the site gives you
fifty credits to start and when you run out you just hit add credits
and you get fifty more. I know you want to ask how much this costs to
play... Well, that’s the best part!
It’s free.
So have fun, sit back, relax, and enjoy.
http://www.simslots.com/
|
| An
Atlas of the Universe
Have you ever
wondered what the universe actually looks like? Now you can with the
Atlas of the Universe.
The page
contains nine different maps to give you an idea of what the universe
actually looks like. The nine maps start with the nearest stars and
then move out ward farther and farther away from the Earth. You can
even see the negative version of these maps. And there's even a
glossary to explain some of the terms used on the page. Have fun with
your look into the galaxy.
http://anzwers.org/free/universe/
|
| Wonder
Screens
Welcome to the
site where you can download free wonder screens!
You’re
probably wondering what a wonder screen is. Well, it's an active
desktop wallpaper, for lack of a better description. There is a
further explanation on the site's sidebar.
The best part is
that it’s all free. Click the preview link to see the screen before
you download it. You will also find a FAQ running along the side bar.
You can also download free stationary from this site. Enjoy!
http://thundercloud.net/activescreens/
|
|
|
Here is a list of Web sites that may
well be useful and/or interesting.
Sarasota, Florida website
Everything you want to know about Sarasota restaurants, movies,
attractions, accommodations, etc.
www.4sarasota.com
*********
Ancestor's Attic
This web site has a lot of information to
help you get started and continue searching for your family tree
http://members.aol.com/Tuffsearch/Genealogylinks.html
**********
And now....the rest of the story....
Paul
Harvey – The Voice of the Millennium
If your prefer
radio broadcasts for your news, you can get that here too. A very
informative site, give it a gander.
http://www.paulharvey.com/
|
|
|
Some
AOL Time Saver Keystrokes:
Want to move
around AOL quicker and easier? Here are a few time savers to help you
along…
(Hold the Ctrl key and press the letter key once and let go of
both keys to complete the action)
Ctrl+G - Find another member's profile
Ctrl+I - Send an Instant Message
Ctrl+K - Keyword
Ctrl+M - Write Mail
Ctrl+L - Locate another AOL member
Ctrl+N - Open Notepad
Ctrl+O - Open Documents
Ctrl+P - Print
Ctrl+R - Read Mail
Ctrl+S - Save a file in your documents
|
| Kewl
Box Games
A while back I
told you about a game called Santa Balls, (formerly Elf Bowling). Well, now you can check out
more games by Kewl Box. At this site, you’ll find Braving the
Elements, Sketchy Snow Sledding, Frendz, and many, many more. Two of
my favorites were...
Flip the
Mix - You have to match M&M’s and beat Red’s score.
Flip the M&M’s by color so that you have at least a match of
three. This one is as addicting as Gems.
Star War
Villains Swappers - This is a puzzle game where you have to
swap pieces of the puzzle until you solve it. Your goal is to do it in
the fewest moves.
You can download
the games from the web page to play anytime on your computer, or play
them online by choosing the link you want to use. It takes a while for
the game to load the first time you play it.
Sit back relax
and play some games. Enjoy!
http://www.kewlbox.com/games/index.cfm
|
| Terra
Fly
Are you ready to
explore a digital earth? Well at Terra Fly, you can do just that. Type
in the address and be ready to soar.
Using Satellites
to view the world you get a nice image of where you are while you fly.
Flying on this site is free, but there may be a charge if you actually
want to order the picture you are seeing. Please read the frequently
asked questions on the site to get the full details.
I viewed my
house and was surprised at all the different things in my town that I
recognized from the air, looking down on my house was strange. It’s
like viewing the world from the window of an airplane except there’s
no plane. Enjoy your bird’s eye view of the world!
http://www.terrafly.com/
|
| Net
Cooks
Welcome to Cyber
Soup, where you’ll find tons of recipes from all over the World Wide
Web. I didn’t think I could find any more fabulous cooking sites,
but I did. Unlike some of the other sites that I’ve run this one is
an international recipe database. You can get recipes here from all
over the world.
I also really
loved the conversion table that they had built into the sidebar - be
sure to try it out.
I’m sure you’ll love their international cooking links, as well as
their easy interface for finding that elusive perfect recipe. Happy
Cooking!
http://www.netcooks.com/
|
| Corn
Field Maze
It’s that time
of year again! Fall is slowly coming upon us and so are the cornfield
mazes. Corn Field Mazes, you say? Yup, this site will tell you all
about these strange things. You can even find a cornfield maze near
you.
From this site
you can visit different sites about cornfield mazes, check out mazes
in the news, visit a maze, or learn how to make your own. Definitely a
strange site, but with tons of interesting things to see and do. Check
this one out for some autumn fun… Enjoy!
There is one in
Ocala, FL that might be a fun trip for you to take, but hurry, they
aren't open very long in the Fall.
http://www.cornfieldmaze.com/
|
| Bad
Fads Museum
Welcome to the
Bad Fads Museum where you can take a look at all the bad fads of the
past. This site is divided into four central units: Fashion,
Activities, Collectibles, and Events. Follow an alphabetical listing
of bad fads in Fashion and you’ll experience every thing from
Afro’s to Zubaz. Are these a blast from your past?
Upon entering
this site, I was most fascinated by what activities were considered to
be bad fads. There I found 3D movies, unicycles, fallout shelters, and
hacky sack just to name a few. Go experience all the bad fads
provided. This one was unique!
http://www.badfads.com/home.html
|
| The
Movie Mom
Another fabulous
site to help make sure you know everything about the movies and videos
your children are seeing. This site features reviews for children ages
2-18 and slogan that reads “Helping Families share great movies,
great times, and great conversations”.
A nice feature
on this site is that it easily divided into sections, for better and
faster navigation. Are you interested in New Releases, or an old
favorite rental? Don’t know when it came out or what section you can
find it in? Use the search engine. Whatever the case, there are well
written reviews on the movies that your children want to see.
http://www.moviemom.com/
|
| Better
Grammar
Is it your or
you're? Its or it's? Bare or bear?
If you've ever
wondered about proper word usage, here's a site that can help. They
have an excellent collection of common grammatical errors that you can
browse through.
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/
|
| Fun
Trivia
I wanted a fun
way to challenge my mind. So I went surfing around and found Fun
Trivia. What does it entail? Lots and lots of trivia question for you
to answer and keep your mind sharp.
With thousands
of trivia puzzles, and question for you to solve, you’ll never get
bored. You can even think of your own trivia questions and make up
your own puzzles for people to solve.
Yes, you do have
to register, but it’s free. You pick an I.D. and a password, fill in
your full name (or make one up), your city, your country, and your
e-mail address. Then you enter the member's area where you can play
and create to your hearts content.
You won’t get
bored here, enjoy!
http://www.funtrivia.com/
|
| Screen
It!
Finally, what
parents all over have been looking for - a way to read reviews for
films, DVD's, and music written specifically to let you know what your
children might be seeing or hearing. The easy way to decide if a film
or album is appropriate for your children to view or hear.
This site is
divided into sections by genre such as: New Movies, All Movies, New
Videos, All Videos, DVD, and Music. Choose the area you would like to
view, then read the review on the subject of your choice. It goes
through each selection and allows you to review every aspect of the
movie or song to then make an informed decision as to whether it is
appropriate for your child.
It even tells
you how likely it is that your child will want to see or hear the
piece in question. Check it out!
http://www.screenit.com/
|
|
Finally -This one might come in
handy for the Holiday Season:
Candy
Usa
Do you have a
sweet tooth? Well if so, you can visually feed it at this site. Learn
how to make candy crafts, read candy statistics, find candy recipes,
as well as candy trivia. Read up on Nutrition and Health information
where they answer such questions as:
"Is my
candy safe?"
And cover topics
like:
"Psychology"
foods, Chocolate Does Not Raise Cholesterol, and Snacks, Chocolate,
Candy and Kids, and many more. Check out this very tasty eye candy.
http://www.candyusa.org/
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|
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| The above items submitted
for your consideration by: |
|
P.S. I would like to ask for your assistance in getting referrals.
Perhaps you already know of someone who could benefit from my
services? I would be pleased and grateful if you would give them my
number.
Personal Computer Training,Beginner to Advanced, Internet and Email,
Software Programs, Finance and Stock tracking,
Digital photos and Cameras, Web Site Creation Assistance, Special Projects,
Buying Assistance, System Setup and Installation
Software Installation, Troubleshooting Assistance, Internet Connection Installation
"Senior Friendly" Services
Learn how to use your computer to do the tasks that you want to do.
Call Jules Porchey "The Computer Man" at 927-1428
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