Sarasota PC Monitor
Review Chairmans Industry Comments (06/04)
The Computer Buffet
by Herb Goldstein, Review Editor
E-mail comments, suggestions, etc. to Herb Goldstein at: revieweditor@spcug.org
EMAIL ADDRESS SEARCH. A great place to start your search to discover somebody's e-mail address is at addresses.com. Among many other address functions you will find at this site is a search that will tell you if an e-mail address you enter is functional. USE WINDOWS UPDATE REGULARLY! Microsoft warns of a score of security holes. Microsoft has released fixes that cover at least 20 Windows flaws, several of which could make versions of the operating system vulnerable to new worms or viruses. At least 6 of the flaws could make the OS susceptible to programs similar to the MSBlast worm and its variants, which have infected more than 8 million computers since last August. Another flaw affects a common file used by Internet Explorer, Outlook, and Outlook Express and opens the way for the type of virus that executes when PC users click a specially crafted Web link.
ZONEALARM 4.5.594. This world-class firewall and Internet-security package has the power to lock your network down tighter than Fort Knox. Improved performance highlights the latest release. A good firewall is a must-have, and it doesn't get better than this!
FOR ALLERGY SUFFERERS. WebMD has some great tips on surviving spring allergies. Learn how to minimize nature's effect on your health by allergy-proofing your home. Also find out which medications work best. http://my.webmd.com/medical_information/condition_centers/allergies
DON'T GO PHISHING! Phishing is an Internet-scam technique in which unsuspecting users receive official-looking e-mails that attempt to fool them into disclosing online passwords, usernames and other personal information. Victims are usually persuaded to click on a link that directs them to a doctored version of an organization's Web site.
EarthLink recently became the first Internet service provider to offer protection from phishing. The antiphisher software is part of EarthLink's ScamBlocker feature, a downloadable browser-based toolbar that includes a Google-powered search engine and EarthLink's Pop-Up Blocker. EarthLink said it also offers a program that keeps tabs on all spyware software on customers' computers.
ICQ 4.0 LITE EDITION WITH XTRAZ. The latest ICQ builds on a solid chat reputation by adding new plug-ins, called Xtraz. Among the cool things that Xtraz plug-ins enable is the ability to animate a digital image of yourself so that it looks like you're talking directly to your chat partner.
IRFANVIEW is my favorite graphics viewing software. Its latest version, 3.9, is available for download at tucows.com. It never ceases to amaze me that a program this good is entirely free. Get Irfanview or upgrade to version 3.9 now!
GETTING YOUR SHARE OF GOVERNMENT BENEFITS? The federal government has a site where you can find out. It includes a somewhat tedious survey form with 62 questions. Once you complete the form, it gives you a list of services for which you might qualify. Although this is a federal site, it includes some state benefits. That section was beefed up on April 29. You'll find the questionnaire at: www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/startQuestionnaire.jhtml
FREEWARE 4U is a site that offers some of the very best freeware in the business. It's well worth a trip from anywhere. Reach it at http://freeware4u.com/modules/mydownloads/viewcat.php?cid=59
THE BEST IN GRAPHICS CARDS. In the horse race that is 3D graphics cards, ATI and Nvidia are usually neck and neck. Recently both came out of the gates with new technologies for hard-core gamers, but this time it was no photo finish. Like Smarty Jones, the new ATI Radeon X800 XT Platinum Edition made it a clean sweep, trouncing the Nvidia GeForce 6800 Ultra, which isn't available in retail cards yet. The Radeon X800 XT Platinum not only performed better, it also boasted a more efficient design, making it the obvious choice at least for now.
NEW INTEL MOTHERBOARDS TO CHANGE PC'S. Desktop PCs have changed little over the years, but Intel believes 2004 could be a turning point for desktop design. The chipmaker, whose processors will play a role in the transition, predicts that two new consumer desktop categories-"entertainment" PCs and "lifestyle" PCs-could gain a foothold as the year progresses.
Entertainment PCs will be designed to emulate a home stereo or video component, such as a VCR, and will serve to handle consumer's audio and video needs by playing music and DVDs, recording TV programs and even showing picture slide shows on a TV.
Most entertainment PCs will be purchased without monitors and will be operated almost exclusively via a remote control.
Lifestyle PCs, designed to inhabit bedrooms and kitchens, will look more like the familiar desktop. The high-end machines will be more stylish, however, and will also be operable via remote control, allowing consumers to use them to write an e-mail and then later play a video or some music. Most lifestyle PCs will also come with multimedia software such as Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center operating system, according to Intel.
SASSER WORM GETS AROUND. Sasser and its variations are network-aware worms that do not require e-mail or user interaction to spread. The worms use a bootstrap effect by infecting new machines first, then downloading the full code from a previously infected machine. Sasser (w32.sasser.a) and Sasser.b (w32.sasser.b) are both 15,872 bytes long, and they randomly scan local networks and the Internet to look for additional systems to infect. This scanning could slow normal traffic on the Internet. Vulnerable systems include Windows 2000 and Windows XP that have not had the Microsoft Security Bulletin patch MS04-011 installed and that are not running desktop firewall software. Sasser does not affect any other version of Windows, nor Linux, Unix, Mac OS, or any other operating system.
ULTIMATE PAINT is a full-featured 32-bit Windows graphics program for image creation, viewing and manipulation. You can download different versions, the latest of which is shareware, however an older, freeware release is also available on its website. See what extras UP gives you compared to other paint programs, take a look at its cool plug-in effects, register the shareware version and browse the tutorials. You can read about the main differences between the freeware and shareware releases at http://ultimatepaint.j-t-l.com/
THE OLDER VERSION of your software may in many instances be better than the newer one you are using. It is common to find upgrades that introduce problems you didn't have before. Now we all know that the answer to all of life's problems can be found on the Internet, this one included. To step back to a previous version of your software, here's a site that probably has it: www.oldversion.com/
CHANGE FONT SIZE QUICKLY IN WORD. In Word and PowerPoint you can use the shortcut keys Ctrl + Shift + < and Ctrl + Shift + > to (respectively) decrease and increase the font size. Here's another trick: Use Ctrl + [ (the left-square-bracket key) to decrease the font size by one full point, and Ctrl + ] (the right-square-bracket key) to increase font size.
So what's the difference? Using the first set of shortcuts (with the less-than and greater-than keys) changes the font size to the next font size shown in the drop-down font size list in the toolbar. Thus, a 28-point font would increase to 36 (and then to 48, and so on) using Ctrl + Shift + >. The same text would increase to 29 points, then 30 points, then 31 points, and so on, using the Ctrl + ] shortcut.
For a quick font change of several points, press and hold the Ctrl + square-bracket keys. The font will continue to increase/decrease until you release the shortcut keys.
This font-changing shortcut comes particularly handy in Word. To change the amount of space between two paragraphs, make sure paragraph marks are visible (Open the Tools drop down menu, choose Options, pick the View tab, go to the Formatting marks section, and check Paragraph marks). Click on the paragraph mark (the backward "P" symbol) and use the Ctrl + square bracket shortcut to increase or decrease the amount of space the blank line uses.
TRACKING GAS PRICES. American motorists facing record-high pump prices are cruising new Internet sites created to help steer them to the cheapest gasoline in town. Web sites like GasBuddy.com and Gaspricewatch.com give consumers a free, up-to-the-minute way to track prices at retail outlets that line the nation's highways. The sites have enlisted an army of volunteer "spotters" who scout and contribute prices collected as they commute to work or duck out for lunch.
SPYBOT 1.3. The latest version of Spybot - Search & Destroy adds some truly useful features to an already excellent app. This free program still checks your system against a comprehensive database of adware and other system invaders, but it works much faster now (in our testing, three minutes versus 10 minutes previously). It also features several interface improvements. Scan results now appear arranged by groups in a tree, and a sliding panel lets you instantly view information about a selected item to help you decide whether to kill it or not. The Immunize feature blocks a plethora of uninvited Web-borne flotsam before it reaches your computer. Other useful tools, including Secure Shredder, complement the program's basic functionality for completely destroying files. Hosts File blocks adware servers from your computer, and System Startup lets you review which apps load when you start your computer.
ALPHABETIZE YOUR FAVORITES. If you collect a lot of links under Favorites in Internet Explorer, you'll end up with a messy list. In Internet Explorer, click on the word Favorites in the menu list (not on the word Favorites that is next to the star). Right-click any link in the list. Click "Sort by name." This process will first alphabetize any folders. Then it arranges the individual listings.
MICROSOFT SP2 TO LIMIT PROBLEM. Microsoft will include several security enhancements in Service Pack 2, a Windows XP update. Among other things, the enhancements will block pop-ups. Microsoft will also limit the use of ActiveX scripts. These are often used by spyware writers to install toolbars and startup files. Service Pack 2 is due out this summer.
INTERACTIVE MAPS. National Geographic is known for bringing the world to its readers through pictures and stories. They've taken it one step further by providing an interactive world atlas. Enter a country, continent, city or even US ZIP code. You'll find information on the area, population statistics, environmental information and more. You can zoom in to city level or all the way out to world level. http://plasma. nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/
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Copyright 2004. This article is from the June 2004 issue of the Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL 34277-1889. Permission to reprint is granted only to other non-profit computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication the reprint appears in, please send to above address, Attn: Editor. For further information about our group, email: admin@spcug.org/ Web: http://www.spcug.org/
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