Phishing Scams

How can it be that no one can catch the hackers who create bogus e-mails, causing you to leak your life secrets and credit card accounts? In every article I read, the bottom line is usually "There is no way to catch the crooks, because the messages are sent in bulk, usually from masked or bogus e-mail addresses."

Phooey! as one of my favorite clients would say.

Now Zone Alarm and Trend Micro, two reputable software firms, have at least some protection to offer. As always, don't click on links in e-mails you don't trust, and never give your personal information to anyone via e-mail, even if it seems to be from your own e-mail provider.

Check out Zone Labs' ZoneAlarm Security Suite, zonelabs.com and
Trend Micro's PC-cillin Internet Security trendmicro.com

Tech Partnership for Small Business free seminar

Microsoft has joined with the U.S. Dept. of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency and is hosting free tech seminars around the country, primarily for minority and women-owned businesses.

The next Chicago-area event is June 14, 2005 at 7 p.m. at the Westin River North.
I'll be out of town that day but I hope some of you will be able to go I've attended Microsoft-sponsored events in the past, and always find them generous in sharing information.

Sign up at www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=102412
or read more at their site: http://www.biztechconnect.org/default.aspx

E-Mail newsletters as marketing tool

I gave a talk this morning at The Glenview Chamber of Commerce. Our topic was effective searching beyond Google, and the value of e-mail newsletters as a marketing tool.

Like with any good business communication, the first rule is always: Have something to say.

Beyond that, anything goes. Sign up for my free newsletter by hitting the big blue Subscribe button at my web site www.cclarity.com. You can always unsubscribe if you don't want to see it again.

What you'll find, though, is an example of a quick, consise efficient way to keep your name in front of clients and prospects, and the opportunity to share your knowledge. It takes only a few minutes once you choose the e-mail newsletter program you want to use. Most are free too. What better way to build business while you're on Summer vacation.

Cheers,

Helen Gallagher

A note about RSS

RSS - Really Simple Syndication

I love my daily newspaper, web sources for news, and mountains of magazines, but there's too much information to keep up with. We have to filter through "everything" to get to just the news and information we want. So, along comes RSS - "Really Simple Syndication," as a method to distribute filtered news feed. Here's a primer on RSS and what it can do for your news-gathering and your needs as a writer:

Imagine a whole new style of news. One where the web prowls all the news sites and brings you just the areas that you're interested in.

With RSS feed, you can go to one web site and find fresh content from all the sites it scans for you. You determine the areas you want to monitor, such as health care, Social Security legislation, the population of Borneo, and you can be sure you won't miss any news on those topics.

Where does the news come from? Most web sites and blogs now have RSS feed. Poynter.org quotes a Pew Internet & American Life Project survey in November," five percent of Internet users use RSS. And you can count on that number to grow, as more sites add feeds."

If you're just starting out, try RSS with a web-based reader, the top reader today is Bloglines.com, where you can sign up for free.

E-mail worse than marijuana?

Feeling goofy?

CNN reports today that a British survey found people distracted by phone calls, email and text messaging suffer a greater loss of IQ that a person smoking marijuana.

In 80 clinical trials, Dr. Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist at King's College London University, monitored the IQ of workers throughout the day.

He found the IQ of those who tried to juggle messages and work fell by 10 points -- the equivalent to missing a whole night's sleep and more than double the 4-point fall seen after smoking marijuana.

"This is a very real and widespread phenomenon," Wilson said. "We have found that this obsession with looking at messages, if unchecked, will damage a worker's performance by reducing their mental sharpness.

" Wilson said the IQ drop was even more significant in the men who took part in the tests.

"The research suggests that we are in danger of being caught up in a 24-hour 'always on' society," said David Smith of Hewlett Packard.

"This is more worrying when you consider the potential impairment on performance and concentration for workers, and the consequent impact on businesses."

Read the full story at:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/04/22/text.iq/index.html

Spring Electronic Recycling 5/21/05

The next SWANC electronic recycling event:

Saturday, May 21, 2005
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Winnetka Public Works building
1390 Willow Road
Winnetka

Bring old computers, printers, monitors, other electronics.
Remember to erase all data from computers before donating or recycling!

Is it the pillows or the wireless connection?

Most of us choose a hotel based on convenience, distance, price, and of course, great pillows or those Heavenly Beds of the Westin chain. But there's a new criteria: Do they charge for wi-fi?

If you're like me you think wi-fi should be free in places where we are already paying to use their services. They don't charge extra for lights or air conditioning, which is always excessive in hotels. Why not make us even happier and more productive with wi-fi.

Here's a list of hotels that do offer free wi-fi:
http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2004/11/2/201522/957/Title/
Best_WiFi_Hotels_2004

Helen

Are you productive, or just busy?

Recent studies have compared the productivity of the average American to those relaxed, sophisticated Europeans who really know how to live. The research always shows the same thing: We just rush, rush, rush through everything we do, not taking time to enjoy anything.

When it comes to interacting with computers, many people feel they are wasting vast amounts of time at the computer with nothing to show for it. So who do you think conducted the newest productivity study? Microsoft, of course!

While the study was done with over 38,000 people in 200 countries, addressing worker productivity, I can't help but see parallels to our work with the computer.

Does this sound familiar? The Microsoft study found the top time-wasters were:

• Unclear objectives
• Lack of team communication
• Ineffective meetings

For many, that is exactly what happens when you face your computer.

• Unclear objectives = What am I trying to do?
• Lack of communication = Why won't the computer let me?
• Ineffective meetings = This was a big waste of time!

A client recently said "I'm thinking of all the things I'd rather be doing than sitting here fighting the computer." Well, "gather your wits about you," as my mother used to say, and make your computer time the best part of your day.

Start with a goal in mind, not mindlessly wandering the web until your eyes are tired. Believe that you can achieve something by knowing where to click and use the Help files, and stay focussed on the task until it's done. Then take a stretch break before you tackle the next task.

The spin from the Microsoft survey is that worker's claim their productivity is directly related to their computers: 55 percent worldwide, 61 percent in the U.S. That makes me happy because it proves my point that focussed time at the computer, when you know what you want to accomplish will result in satisfaction, getting the job done quicker, and leaving you with more time to enjoy the rest of life.

You can gain the computer skills needed to accomplish your goals, and the energy you put into learning will result in quicker projects, better tracking of your data, and the confidence to know you have mastered technology.

Microsoft's Johnny One Note - or Etch-A-Sketch?

Since the launch of Office 2003, Microsoft has had a clever product called OneNote. Using a notebook metaphor it is a program to grab all your notes and stuff them in one place, just like in a real binder.

If you collect random bits of information such as book reviews, recipes, computer tips, expense account fragments, and brilliant ideas, OneNote lets you organize your information into categories. It imports data in just about any format, you can type notes anywhere on the page, capture images, and even write on the screen if you have a tablet PC

It can be a wonderful tool for students with calendars, outlining, and with paper-intensive work for attorneys and researchers.

Learn more at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX010858031033.aspx

You can download an 80 MB free trial from Microsoft or buy the product at retail for around $85.

Once all your notes are all in one place, it's up to you to make something wonderful happen. In most testing I've observed with clients, OneNote becomes a jumble of junk. It's easy to find but still just a pile of notes, especially for the organizationally challenged among us.

I have tested OneNote and if you've used Lotus Notes you already know how it works. It's actually too much forced structure and too much clutter for me. I still prefer Jot+ Notes, a simple searchable free-form program you can download from KingStairs at www.kingstairs.com. It is a real work horse without getting in the way like clumsy Microsoft products.

Remember, there are thousands of good software providers. Microsoft isn't the only player. So support companies that provide affordable, bug-free, creative solutions.

Microsoft's SP-2 - now or later?

Well, do we have a choice?

Many of us have been disabling the update of Windows Service Pack 2 but as of April 12th, Microsoft announced it will be "delivering" the update whether we want it or not. Our eight month "grace period" is ending.

"UPDATE: Time is running out! Please note that the mechanism to temporarily disable delivery of Windows XP SP2 is only available for a period of 240 days (8 months) from August 16, 2004. At the end of this period (after April 12, 2005), Windows XP SP2 will be delivered to all Windows XP and Windows XP Service Pack 1 systems.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) contains major security improvements designed to provide better protection against hackers, viruses, and worms. Windows XP SP2 also improves the manageability of the security features in Windows XP and provides more and better information to help users make decisions that may potentially affect their security and privacy. Because of these significant improvements, Microsoft views Windows XP SP2 as an essential security update and is therefore distributing it as a “critical update” via Windows Update (WU) and the Automatic Updates (AU) delivery mechanism in Windows. Microsoft strongly urges customers with Windows XP and Windows XP Service Pack 1-based systems to update to Windows XP SP2 as soon as possible."


Or.... they'll do it for you!

As before, our advice remains:

1. Don't use the Microsoft products that make you vulnerable to security breaches: Internet Explorer, Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Media Player.

2. Order the free CD from Microsoft to load the update when you want, so you can undo the process in one 'system restore' instead of piecemeal when it downloads and applies the updates.

3. Keep backups, of course, and be ready to do a system restore if it unravels any of your work.


We are not responsible for any problems resulting from the installation of the Service Pack, or avoidance of the installation. Each user needs to make their own decisions, and you can read much more about this at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/
maintain/sp2aumng.mspx

Flat-Panel Monitors a Pain in the Neck?

Prices continue to drop for those sleek, space saving flat-panel monitors, but don't get skimp on features when you're shopping. It's exciting to see a 15 or 17 inch LCD monitor under $200 but be sure the height and size are appropriate for you. Only the higher priced models have an adjustable slider to control the height. If you can't try it out by sitting at a desk with the monitor you're buying, make sure you get one you can tilt or adjust.

The top of a monitor should usually be about even with your eyebrows, so your head, neck and shoulders aren't strained. CNet has done the work for you, with an exhaustive review of the best flat-panel screens, fully adjustable no matter what your preference.

Learn more at http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3000_7-5554722-1.html?tag=nl.e404.

Anything's better than balancing that new monitor on phone books!

And the Oscar Goes to Netscape for Best Browser

Because of yesterday's New York Times article, there's a lot of talk about web browsers, and more to choose from than the default Internet Explorer that Microsoft ships pre-loaded on every PC.

Read the full article if you wish, at http://www.nytimes.com/circuits/ but note this:

All the recent articles about browsers are missing the obvious choice: Netscape. Both Foxfire and Mozilla are built by the same people who first developed Netscape at the University of Illinois almost twenty years ago.

Netscape is free, available by download or CD at www.netscape.com and has MORE features han all the competing browsers:

• Increased security
• Junk mail filter
• Pop-up stoppers
• Search the web by clicking any word on a web site
• Tabbed browsing
• Save all tabbed pages as a group of bookmarks

and because the mail is integrated, you don't have to use a separate program like Outlook Express for e-mail.

So why all the talk about paying $30 for a browser with tabs? Beats me. I've got 86 percent of my clients happily using Netscape and nobody misses out on a single feature of IE.

Top 25 Innovations

CNN lists the top 25 innovations of the past 25 years as:
1. The Internet
2. Cell phone
3. Personal computers
4. Fiber optics
5. E-mail
6. Commercialized GPS
7. Portable computers
8. Memory storage discs
9. Consumer level digital camera
10. Radio frequency ID tags
11. MEMS
12. DNA fingerprinting
13. Air bags
14. ATM
15. Advanced batteries
16. Hybrid car
17. OLEDs
18. Display panels
19. HDTV
20. Space shuttle
21. Nanotechnology
22. Flash memory
23. Voice mail
24. Modern hearing aids
25. Short Range, High Frequency Radio

You can read the full article at http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/01/03/cnn25.top25.innovations/index.html

New Virus Disguised as CNN News

Remember when a virus was the worst thing that could happen to your computer? Today we are battling spyware, data miners, and malacious programs that hijack your browser and track your online activity. But viruses are getting more sneaky too, and more harmful.

The new virus reported today, is called Crowt-A. It pulls headlines, subject lines and other content from CNN.com. Once opened, the virus can then scan the user's address book and try to email itself to those users.

The virus' subject line and attachment share the same name, researchers say, but change continually to match headlines from CNN.com's home page.

The virus can also plant spyware on your computer. In addition to emailing itself to other users, it installs a "backdoor Trojan function that cansend data such as keystrokes to a remote user -- a practice sometimes used by hackers to obtain sensitive information such as passwords.

Use reputable anti-virus software and be sure it's working. My #1 recommendation is ETrust from Computer Associates at www.ca.com. If you have an active subscription to Norton or McAfee, keep updating the virus definition files and make sure it is protecting your e-mail.

Wow! There's a Patron Saint just for us

Isadore of Seville, known as Schoolmaster of the Middle Ages, is also the patron saint of computer users.

Born c.560 at Cartagena, Spain, he lived centuries before technology, but was proclaimed Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIV in 1722, and became the leading candidate for patron of computer users and the Internet in 1999. Initially a poor student, Isadore gave the problem over to God and became one of the most learned men of his time.

It's good to know St. Isadore is watching over us.

If you're looking for a patron saint, here's where I stumbled across the site that boasts over 4,000 saints. http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/indexsnt.htm.

Of course, I wasn't actually looking for a patron saint.I found it while looking for something else. Isn't that often the path to information these days?

How to Read a Web Site

It's fun to watch someone read the newspaper. Some methodically turn pages from start to finish, section to section. Others grab the business section, sports, or crossword puzzle, then wander to editorials, local news and get lost in the wanderlust detail of the weather page. Me, I start and stop several times during the day, always interrupted, but can pick up right where I left off when I get a few more minutes to read.

Yet, web sites, containing much the same mix of loosely organized information, seem to leave people transfixed. I'm a frequent observer of people's navigation behavior and have noticed what I call the 30-second stare.

First the eye looks around the page for something, anything, appealing. Behind the eye, the brain is saying "Why am I here? What am I supposed to look at? If I click something, how will I get
back here?"

Then, the glazed look begins and the mouse is thinking: "I don't know what to do next."

Then, the click, often taking the person away from that page, forever.

You put a lot of time into the look of your web site, but like the newspaper, which produces new material every single day, you need something of value on every page, and have to give people a way to navigate where they want to go, not just where your logical mind feels they should navigate. And, always give them a way out, but invite them back. It's disappointing to follow a site for several pages and then not be able to get back to an interesting page.

So start the New Year off with some quality reading -- of your own web site. Make sure it measures up to your standards, and is also pleasing to your clients. Check the traffic your site receives through your web host, and pay special attention to which pages receive the most hits, and what pages cause people to exit the site.

Avoid Online Holiday Scams

SBC has posted these updated warnings for holiday scams. Stay smart and don't fall prey to any online tricks this year:

Identity Theft. Thieves are able to "steal" another person's identity by illegally obtaining sensitive personal information such as credit card or Social Security numbers, often from discarded credit card statements, utility bills or personal checks. Phishing. Also known as "spoofing" or "carding," Phishing is a new, but fast-growing form of Internet fraud. Online scammers "fish" for consumers' financial information and password data by sending consumers e-mails that appear to be from well known companies. The e-mails often contain links taking consumers to Web pages that have been disguised to look nearly identical to legitimate companies' sites. "Do-Not-Call" List Scam. This scam involves a call from a person claiming to be a state official or member of a consumer advocacy group who asks consumers if they would like to be included in the state or federal do-not-call list. The caller then asks for personal information, like Social Security or bank account numbers, explaining that it is required for enrollment in the registry. 809 Area Code Scam. This ongoing scam encourages consumers to respond to e-mails, pages or voice mail messages from a phone number with an 809, 284 or 876 area code to claim prizes or receive information regarding a family member. Consumers who return the calls — often to the Caribbean, Canada or other countries — are often charged extremely expensive international calling rates. Internet Threats. Consumers should be wary of a variety of Internet threats, from destructive Internet worms and viruses, to online auction scams, money transferring schemes, and more. SBC companies offer in-depth information about existing and emerging online problems affecting adults as well as children.

Best anti-virus & spyware protection

At CNET.com today they listed the top 100 products of 2004. Clients worred about computer viruses and spyware, especially those with children, take note. The best program in this category is not Norton or McAfee, its:

Best antihacker software Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2005 Let's be clear: Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2005 is the best Internet protection bundle currently on the market--period. It includes first-rate antivirus, firewall, antispam, and spyware-blocking tools, plus a host of extra security features--all for about $20 less than comparable roducts F-Secure Internet Security, ZoneAlarm Internet Security, McAfee Internet Security, nd Symantec Internet Security. Read more at www.cnet.com/Top_10_software/ 4520-6022_1-102337-4.html?tag=nav

Take a look, both for peace of mind and to save the cost of a service call to repair your system, or to wipe out your entire computer and start over. The first of the year is a good time to gain control of the necessary responsiblity of protecting your computer investment.

Holiday Gift Guide

One great thing about computers is they provide us with lots of nifty gift ideas for the holidays.

If you need stocking stuffers for the family, here are some tips for the most-wanted items:

Digital cameras @ $100 to $400
USB Jump Drive, backup memory sticks @ $19 to $60
Charger for rechargable batteries
More memory for desktop or laptop computers
MP3 players to listen to downloaded music @ $100
Computer games from Scrabble to Madden NFL, all under $50
Blank CD's
Combo printer under $150
A year's subscription to The Wall Street Journal online @ $79

Office Max has an online catalog, free shipping for orders over $50 and gift ideas ranging from a keychain-sized AM/FM radio for $7.00 to elegant pen sets, CD's, DVD's, games, laptop computers, and DVD players and recorders. www.officemax.om

Don't forget, you can shop online and still patronize your local retailer. Most shops have a web site, and where I live in Glenview, I can purchase anything from unique Irish imports at Irish Connoisseur to books from Alibi and The Bookstall in Winnetka.

Many charities also allow contributions via the web. It's not too late to make a donation for 2004

A Necessary Precaution

At a business meeting tonight, sitting across from some wonderful people, I was thinking about the power of networking and the reliance on person-to-person communication even in today's fast paced world. Computers emulate this human life form with the electronic version of neighborhood chats, friends helping friends, and people learning from each other.

Much has been written about Windows SP2, and I've posted a few related articles here is my blog. Common wisdom is that the Microsoft patch is essential for all XP users, but that some precautions are required.

What does this mean for you?
Read what your neighbors are saying at updatexp.com or winsupersite.com.

A recent survey compiled by PCWorld.com, with over 3,000 site visitors who own WinXP and have installed Service Pack 2 on their machines led to these results:

" ... Service Pack 2 is an important upgrade with many desirable features, especially for the security-minded. If you follow Microsoft's installation guidelines and check the lists of known conflicts in advance, you'll probably get through the experience unscathed -- or at worst have to overcome only mildly irritating conflicts.

Percentage survey respondents who installed SP2: 62%
Percentage of those who had no problems: 74%
Percentage who reported mild problems: 10.3%
Moderate problems: 9%
Severe problems: 4%
Most common problem: Malfunctioning software
Favorite new feature in SP2: Pop-up blocking
Least favorite: New security features that conflict with 3rd-party security software "

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,117990,pg,2,00.asp

So if you have a problem you'll be in the minority, but check the sites listed above for solutions to common problems. Most problems I've seen at Computer Clarity are firewall conflicts or Norton being disabled by Microsoft. Both are fairly easy to resolve with a little research.