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Help
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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. |
Help Reduce Viruses And
Worms - Microsoft Corp. Provides
Free Monthly Security Update Alerts
Beginning in October 2003,
Microsoft Corp. initiated a new systematic program of posting security bulletin
updates on its website on the second Tuesday of each month. You can see this
page by going to http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/default.mspx.
Prior to October 2003, security notices advising users to download updated
security patches, etc. were posted on a random basis within the security
section of the Microsoft.com site.
If you run any of Microsoft Corp.'s software programs on your computer, i.e.
Windows, Internet Explorer, Office, MSN Messenger, etc., be sure to go to http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/default.mspx
either on or shortly after the second Tuesday of each month for the latest
Microsoft Security Bulletin.
An even better idea is to sign-up to have a "Microsoft Security Updates
Alert" e-mailed to you each month by Microsoft Corp. Simply go to http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/alerts.mspx.
You'll have the choice of signing up for either the "Simple Terms"
monthly e-mail notice, which is geared toward home users and small businesses,
or for the more technical version. In either case, the Microsoft Security
Updates Alert e-mail is sent to subscribers on the first Tuesday of each month.
As a reminder, authentic Microsoft Security Bulletins NEVER INCLUDE SOFTWARE
UPDATES OR PATCHES AS ATTACHMENTS. Malicious individuals have been known to
send "spoof" e-mails that appear to be coming from Microsoft Corp.
The message of the bogus e-mail encourages the recipient to download the
accompanying attachment to prevent the possible infection of a virus or worm.
When the recipient opens the attachment, his/her computer is infected. Resist
the temptation to open the attachment! Always go to the Microsoft.com website
to download any Microsoft-related patch or service pack.
Send And Receive E-mail
While On Vacation! - A FREE,
Service Provided By Polar
Did you know that you can
access your e-mail account while on your family vacation this summer? Any Polar
Internet customer can download and view their e-mail from any computer
connected to the Internet by going to www.thinkpolar.com
and clicking the cursor arrow on the Webmail link. Simply enter your Polar
Username and Password on the resulting login screen and you'll be free to send
and receive e-mail messages from anywhere.
This is a FREE, added value service provided by Polar to each of our Internet
customers. Have a great summer vacation!
Ask The Help Desk - What Is FTP And How Does It Work?
Question: I've heard that the spread of
the Sasser Worm back in early May was unique in that it spread to other
computers via FTP instead of by e-mail. What is "FTP" and how does it
work?
Answer: FTP is the acronym for File Transfer Protocol. It's a
communication language that allows computers to easily transfer files from one
to another either over a local network (a group of connected computers --like
within a company) or a wide area network (like the Internet). FTP is used quite
often, especially by companies, when transferring large files that would be too
large to send as e-mail attachments. Other common communication protocols that
you may have heard of are the "HTTP" protocol (HyperText Transfer
Protocol) used to transmit web pages and "MAILTO" protocol used for
sending e-mail messages.
In the case of the Sasser worm, the infected computer took advantage of a
vulnerability in Windows to FTP itself (rather than sending itself via e-mail
as most worms have previously done) to computers whose owners had not patched
their PCs to fix that vulnerability. (See the first article above for more
information on "patching" your computer.)
Great Sites To Check Out
This Month
Cooking By Numbers This
Summer
http://cookingbynumbers.com/frames.html -
This is the perfect recipe site for families on the go this summer. You simply
put a check mark next to the ingredients you have available both in your fridge
and in your cupboard and then click on the "Find Recipes" button.
Dozens of simple recipes then appear based on the ingredients you have
available. It really is "cooking by numbers!" The site also has a fun
"Tomato Attack" game you can play while your meat is defrosting in
the microwave.
Cheyenne Frontier Days
http://cfdrodeo.com - Looking to
take an "old west" trip this summer? Why not head out to Cheyenne,
Wyoming for Cheyenne Frontier Days going on from July 23rd through
August 1st? It's billed as "The Daddy Of 'em All -- The World's Largest
Rodeo and Western Celebration." Nine straight days of rodeo action
includes over forty bucking bulls and over seventy saddle and bareback broncs
in each performance. Plus, nightly concerts by stars such as George Strait,
Kenny Chesney, Randy Travis and Brad Paisley. See this site for all the details
... and giddyup!
Great Abbott And Costello Site
http://abbottandcostello.net/ -
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were one of the most entertaining comedy teams in
show business history. First partnering in 1936, the straightman/clown act was
successful in radio, on the broadway stage, in film, and later on television.
They were the first non-baseball-playing celebrities to be inducted into the
Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. in great part due to their infamous
"Who's On First" routine. This site includes downloadable radio
shows, humorous e-cards, scripts of popular routines, whimsical audio clips,
and more. It's a very fun site.
License Plates From Around The World
http://worldlicenseplates.com -
This site isn't the most aesthetic, but it sure is comprehensive. Just like its
domain name implies, this website provides images of license plates from most
every country in the world. The site also includes plates from all U.S. states,
Canadian provinces, military forces, and more. Many of the images are of
vintage plates. So, if you've ever wanted to see what the license plates from
the Vatican, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Estonia, or Chile look like, this is your site.
Lance Armstrong Goes For Record Six Straight Tour de France Wins
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2004/tour04/index.php?id=default -
Are you looking for a fast way to drop a few pounds this summer? Why not race
in this year's Tour de France? These guys will burn up to 9,000 calories a day,
make well over 320,000 peddle strokes, and go through over 40,000 water bottles
during this month's 2,109 mile (3,395 km) event. Over fifteen million
spectators will line the roads to watch 198 cyclists compete -- making this the
biggest bicycling event of the year. Adding more excitement and drama to this
year's event is the U.S. Postal Service Team's Lance Armstrong's quest for his
sixth consecutive win. Visit this site often to catch minute-by-minute reports,
see action photos, read daily tour diaries, and catch live coverage.
Short Tutorial - Reducing The Clutter On Your Bookmarked
Favorites List
If you've been surfing the
Web for a while, you've probably accumulated a large number of bookmarked
Favorites on your browser. The list can become almost unmanageable over time.
Wouldn't it be nice if your browser sort of kept things neat for you? Internet
Explorer 6 in Windows XP has a hidden feature that will do just that -- reduce
the clutter of bookmarks you have collected. (This feature is not available for
Netscape or Mac users.) You can make setting changes so your Favorites list
only shows the favorite sites you visit most often. It doesn't eliminate your
less frequently visited bookmarked pages, it just stores them out of the way
for you. Here's how to set this up:
- Open Internet Explorer 6 (using Windows XP only).
- Click your cursor arrow on the "Tools" menu.
- Drop down to and select "Internet Options."
- When the "Internet Options" window appears,
click on the "Advanced" tab.
- Look for "Enable Personalized Favorites
Menu" and click on its check box. This will limit the number of
visible favorites.
- Click on the "Apply" button.
- Click "OK" to close the "Internet
Options" window.
- Enjoy your simplified "Favorites" menu.
To reverse
this option, open the "Tools" menu and select "Internet
Options" again. Then, when the window appears, click on the
"Advanced" tab. Now uncheck "Enable Personalized Favorites
Menu" by clicking on its check box. Next, click "Apply" and then
"OK". Your bookmarked Favorites should all appear as before.
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.