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Greetings from
Polar's E-Connections Team
We think
you'll find the information contained in this newsletter to be a valuable
tool for enhancing your Internet experience. If, however, you'd prefer not to
receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE. |
E-Mail Virus - The Atak Mass-Mailing Worm Adds A New Twist
The recent discovery of
the "Atak" e-mail worm has some anti-virus companies on the alert
regarding the release of similar deviant malware. The Atak worm, although not
considered a high risk mass-mailing worm at this time, does put a new wrinkle
into the virus/worm detection business of anti-virus software companies.
Most developers of e-mail worms incorporate layers of "armoring" or
encryption within their worms' code. The intent is to make it very complicated
for anti-virus software companies to write detection and repair software
programs for computers which have been infected. The Atak worm goes beyond the
typical armoring techniques. It actively attempts to detect whether anti-virus
software is scanning for its presence within an infected machine. In fact, if
the Atak worm determines that it is being analyzed by anti-virus software, it
stops running and automatically shuts itself down. In other words, it attempts
to go into a "stealth mode."
Thankfully, all of the major anti-virus software companies quickly discovered
and developed remedies for the Atak worm. However, anti-virus software is only
as good as its most recent updated version. If you have not purchased an
anti-virus software program, we highly recommend that you do so right away --
especially if your computer is Windows-based. Secondly, computer users must be
vigilant about downloading the most recent anti-virus scanning updates. New
variants of e-mail viruses and worms are discovered daily. Regular anti-virus
software updates (never go more than a week without an update) are imperative
for the protection of your computer and its contents.
Help is HERE! - Check It Out
Polar's Helpdesk services
are available to all Polar Internet customers. Whether you use
dial-up or one of our High Speed Internet services, our Helpdesk
is here for you! If you are having problems with your internet connection or need
assistance with your services, our Helpdesk staff will help get you back on
track.
Call our Helpdesk toll free at 1-888-700-7652
Helpdesk Hours:
Monday-Friday: 8:00AM-9:00PM
Saturday: 8:00AM - 4:00PM
Idea - Print out your E-Connections and keep this important information
near your computer or e-mail station!!
Ask The Help Desk - What Is Desktop Wallpaper?
Question: A friend of mine said
something about his desktop wallpaper. What is he talking about?
Answer: Desktop wallpaper is the image that appears on your
computer screen behind all of your icons and windows. Every computer comes with
some choices built in, but most any picture will work. Desktop wallpaper can be
created by using scanned pictures, downloading images from your digital camera,
or even using pictures you download from the Web.
Desktop wallpaper is not the same thing as a screensaver. A screensaver
activates after a computer is left idle for a period of time. It covers the
entire desktop (including icons and menu bars) with movable images or other
screen effects. The moving images prevent any stationary images located on your
desktop display (like icons or menu bars) from appearing on the screen too long
and thus causing "burn-in." Burn-in can be a problem on CRT and
plasma monitor displays. You know your screen has burn-in when you can still
see the menu bar or icons when your computer screen is black.
Great Sites To Check Out
This Month
Origins Of Common
Expressions
http://idiomsite.com/ - An idiom
is a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a particular
language or region. We use them all the time but most of us don't know their
origins. Some common idiom expressions include "living high on the
hog," "put a sock in it," "under the weather,"
"skin of your teeth," "mum's the word," and "sleep
tight." Find out the origins of these and many more idioms at this
enlightening site. So "go the extra mile," pour yourself a "cup
of Joe" and have a "field day" browsing this website "'til
the cows come home."
Please Pass Me The Pickles
http://ilovepickles.org -
Pickling is one of the oldest forms of food preservation. It was first discovered
thousands of years ago by the Mesopotamians. North Americans now consume over
2.5 billion pounds of pickles each year! Are you looking for some creative ways
to add "pickling" to your next salad, appetizer, bread, entree, or
even dessert? (Sauerkraut chocolate cake anyone?) This site, developed by a
trade association for the pickled vegetable industry (called Pickle Packers
International, Inc.), includes recipes, fun activities for kids, and, of
course, some pickle trivia that should come in pretty handy at your next dinner
party.
Name Your Baby
http://BabyNameGuide.com/ -
August has historically been the most popular month of the year for babies to
be born. If you or a friend or family member are expecting soon, this could be
a valuable site to check out. BabyNameGuide.com is a great resource when it
comes to naming children. If you are looking to go with the masses when it
comes to name selection, "Jacob" has been the most popular name for
boys since 1999. (Michael held the top spot from 1964 - 1998.)
"Emily" has been the most popular girl's name since 1996 replacing
"Jessica" which held the top position the previous seven years. How
about your own name? Did it make the top 100 list?
Play Fun Dr. Seuss Games
http://seussville.com/ - Here's
a fun game site for the younger kids in your family. (You can play the games
too when the kids are out of the room and you get your turn on the computer!)
Click on the "Playground" link of the site for access to five easy
click-and-play games with a Dr. Seuss theme. (You'll need the Flash program
installed onto your computer to play the games.) Also, the
"Biography" section of this site provides an interesting look into
the eventful life and imaginative mind of Theodor Geisel -- Dr. Seuss.
Major League Baseball Races Are Heating Up
http://mlb.com - August is a great time
of the year to watch the boys of summer play some ball as the pennant races
really begin to heat up. Major League Baseball's official website provides
up-to-the-minute scores and stats, links to every team's official club site,
schedules, stadium seating charts and online ticket sales, autographed
auctions, photo galleries, and a fun section for kids.
Short Tutorial - Saving Web Images As Your Desktop
Wallpaper
Have you seen a Web image
you really like? Did you know there's a really nifty way you can save it as
your desktop wallpaper? For PC Internet Explorer users, simply right-click on
the image and choose "Set As Background." If you are on a PC and
using Netscape for your browser, right-click on the image and choose "Set
As Wallpaper." The background of your computer screen will now be the new
saved image.
If you get tired of using this image, right-click on the desktop and choose
"Properties." With the "Desktop" tab selected, choose the
wallpaper you want from the list that appears. Click "Apply" and then
click "OK."
If you want your Web-based wallpaper back again, right-click on the desktop,
choose "Properties," and then click on the "Desktop" tab.
There will be a list of pictures for you to choose from under a picture of the
monitor with the current background selection. Now choose "Internet
Explorer Wallpaper" or "Netscape 7.1 Wallpaper" from the list.
You'll note that these selections won't appear until you set a Web graphic as
your wallpaper. Windows stores just one image under this selection, so if you
choose a new wallpaper image from the Web, Windows deletes the previous one.
Make sure your selected image is big enough and proportioned correctly. If it
isn't, it will look blurry or distorted.
If you are using a Macintosh running OS X, right-click or option-click on the
image and select "Download Image To Disk." Then, under the Apple
menu, drop down to and select "System Preferences..." Click on the
Desktop icon and then, where it says "Collection," click on
"Desktop." The picture you downloaded to disk should be there. Click
on it to select it and then close the window.
Note: Many online images have copyrights associated with them, so you'll need
to first get permission from those site owners to copy an image from their site.
Not to worry ... there are many free images available online.
We hope you found this
newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted on the
happenings at our shop. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these
bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE.
Thanks for your business!
Best regards,
The E-Connections
Team
Polar E-Connections
(We have used our best efforts in collecting and preparing the information
published herein. However, we do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any and all
liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, whether such
errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident, or other causes.)
©2004
Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.
Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this eNewsletter are
trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners.