Hello Marlowe & Associates Subscribers! During this hectic time of year, racing through the week becomes common for many of us. So in our November issue, we try to help you make the most of every minute. One thing you don't want to race through is maintaining your computer security. We begin with a reminder of how to prevent becoming the victim of cyber criminals that send bogus, and potentially harmful, e-cards. You'll also get tips for speeding up online searches, and learn to quickly place a photo in the message pane of an e-mail. As always, check out the Great Sites links to go straight to valuable tools and information you may need this month. 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 "reply" and type "remove" into the subject line. Here's what's inside our November 2009 Newsletter: A. BE ALERT! - BOGUS HOLIDAY ECARDS MAY BRING BAD TIDINGS B. NEWS FROM THE SHOP C. ASK THE HELP DESK - HOW CAN I STREAMLINE MY ONLINE SEARCHES? D. SITES OF THE MONTH - GREAT SITES TO CHECK OUT IN NOVEMBER E. SHORT TUTORIAL - PLACING PHOTOS INTO MESSAGE PANE OF HOLIDAY E-MAILS F. ON A PERSONAL NOTE The Marlowe.net Team ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A. BE ALERT! - BOGUS HOLIDAY ECARDS MAY BRING BAD TIDINGS Cyber criminals take advantage of the increased number of legitimate e-cards sent during the holiday season to send out their own fraudulent, and potentially damaging, e-cards. These spammed messages may try to lure you into clicking on malicious links in order to compromise your PC with a Trojan horse or virus. Be extra vigilant in the weeks ahead when you get an e-mail claiming, "You've received an e-card," unless you're certain it's from a trusted friend or family member. It only takes a moment to check out an e-card, and it could save you hours of headaches: • Examine the e-card notification closely before clicking on any links contained within it. Are there typos in the message? Does it lack a personalized greeting that identifies you by name? Those are warning signs. • Look at the link you're asked to click on in order to receive the e- card. If it ends in ".exe," it's an executable file—a file that automatically executes code to install and run programs and routines. A legitimate e-card will not have an executable file, so seeing one is evidence of a scam. Do not click on the link. • Check the headers of the e-mail to see if the Web address is different from the one displayed in your Inbox. If it is, this is another warning sign. Should you receive an e-card notification containing one or more of these "red flags," do not click on the link. Simply delete the e-mail from your Inbox. In addition, continue to follow these basic security precautions: • Use a firewall. • Use antivirus and antispyware software and keep it up to date. • Never download or click on anything from any unknown source. • Don't accept an end-user agreement without reading the fine print first; you might inadvertently agree to install spyware or something else you don't want. Exchanging holiday e-cards can be a wonderful part of the season. Just make sure you keep your eyes open before you open those e-card links. B. NEWS FROM THE SHOP Coolest New Toy - An Acer branded Windows Home Server with a one teribyte drive and room for three more. Just $400. These little boxes are very impressive. If you've got two or three computers at home, you ought to look at one of these. I'm searching my distributors' inventory for more. (We also stock the Windows Home Server software if you want to use an old machines as your backup machine.) Windows 7 Systems - I sold our last two Lenovo Windows XP desktops last week. I'm shopping for name brand Windows 7 systems. We still have a limited number of XP licenses on hand. If you have been trying to avoid Vista, now is a great time to upgrade to a new computer system. Windows 7 is definitely "a keeper" ... We've now had it in use at the front desk for a couple of months and it does very well. We are seeing a few minor issues, such as 3rd-party software support, but we expect that to be resolved shortly. Daylight Savings Time went away for the year this morning. It's time to replace your smoke detector batteries. You should also think about having us run a checkup on your computer, especially if you have pets or we haven't looked at your computer since last fall. We offer both a free basic checkup and a more comprehensive $60 full system checkup and update. Please call us for an appointment so we can get your computer back to you as soon as possible. C. ASK THE HELP DESK - HOW CAN I STREAMLINE MY ONLINE SEARCHES? Question: It seems like it takes too long for me to find exactly what I'm looking for when I Google a topic. Do you have any tips on how to speed up the search process and make it more efficient? Answer: Amid the growing Web clutter, it has become increasingly more challenging to wade through pages of search results to find the specific information you're really after. If you typically use search queries of just one or two words, try expanding the number to include additional words that more clearly define your parameters. Google also suggests the following: • Know what to eliminate. If you don't want a particular word to appear in your search results, use a minus sign right before that word. For example, if you want information on Paris, France, but you're not interested in Paris Hilton or Paris, Texas, use the query [Paris - Hilton -Texas]. • Get to definitions quickly. Type in “define” followed by a word, and Google gives definitions from a variety of sources. • Narrow your sites. Let's say you want to read up on the economic stimulus but avoid news stories and commentary from bloggers. Search www.google.com/unclesam and your results will include content only from sites that end in .gov. Google also allows you to specify that your search results must come from a given website. For example, the query [iraq site:nytimes.com] will return pages about Iraq but only from nytimes.com. For more search tips, you can visit http://google.com/support/websearch D. SITES OF THE MONTH - GREAT SITES TO CHECK OUT IN NOVEMBER Common Sense Media http://commonsensemedia.org - Common Sense Media is an organization that recognizes how prevalent media is—enough to become "the other parent" in kids' lives. Their website addresses the situation by providing information and reviews about movies, games, websites, TV, books, and music. You can search by age (2-17) or by media, and there are special sections for parents and educators. Check out community discussions on topics like Internet safety, digital citizenship, and safe social networking. The Blind Side http://theblindsidemovie.com - Looking for a touching movie to share with family this holiday season? The Blind Side is a film based on the true story of a homeless African-American high school student taken in by a wealthy white family. As the student faces the challenges of studying in a new environment and participating on the school football team, the family supports him and moves through challenges of their own. The site features trailers and a synopsis of the movie. Taste of Home http://tasteofhome.com - Here's a site that features the recipes you love—those handed down over generations and shared with family and friends. These are practical recipes because they come from regular cooks, not gourmet chefs. You'll find familiar ingredients, clear instructions, and colorful photos. Search for recipes for the holidays, or by ingredient or course. And don't forget to check out the videos on how to make a pie crust, poached eggs, quick and easy chili, and more! SMARxT Disposal http://smarxtdisposal.net - It might surprise you to learn that improper disposal of medications can have harmful effects on humans, wildlife, and waterways. SMARxT Disposal is a partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and two pharmaceutical associations. Their site describes the problems that can occur with traditional methods of medication disposal, and offers details about how to dispose of medications properly. Watch the informative video and check out the FAQs to learn more. Personal Travel Assistant http://yapta.com - Your Amazing Personal Travel Assistant (YAPTA) is ready to help you find and track flight and hotel prices, and explore travel deals. The free service not only watches fare prices for you, but also continues to follow them after you buy a ticket. This means you'll always get the lowest fares possible, and may be able to claim a travel credit based on a little-known airline policy. Use the easy interface to enter your travel preferences and start tracking prices. E. SHORT TUTORIAL - PLACING PHOTOS INTO MESSAGE PANE OF HOLIDAY E-MAILS IMPORTANT NOTE: Before following these instructions, PLEASE resize your photos and make them smaller. a 100k photo will look great on the screen and will send 100 times faster than a 10 megapixel photo straight from your new camera. If you plan to send your holiday greetings via e-mail (rather than snail mail) this year, you'll probably want to include a favorite photo along with your famous "here's what we did this year" letter. Keep in mind that you're not limited to using an e-mail attachment to send a photo. You can paste a photo directly into the message pane of the e-mail so there's instant impact when your family and friends receive it. Simply follow these steps: Placing Photos into Message Pane Using ... - E-mail Program: Outlook Express 6 - Computer Operating System: Windows XP 1. With Outlook Express open, create a new message by clicking your cursor arrow on the "Create Mail" icon. 2. Begin composing the e-mail message (addressing, filling in the subject line, and writing a message), and then click your cursor arrow at the location where you'd like to place the photo within your message. Click on "Insert" located on the menu bar. Select "Picture..." from the resulting drop-down menu. 3. When the Picture window opens, click the "Browse..." button to locate the photo you want to place. 4. Select the photo's file location (example: MyDocuments/Pictures/ Summer09) and click on the photo to select it. Then click on the "Open" button. 5. Next, you can describe the photo for "text only" e-mail programs by placing your cursor in the "Alternate Text" field, typing in a description of the photo, and then clicking the "OK" button. The photo should now appear in your e-mail message. 6. Finally, complete your e-mail message and click the "Send" button. Placing Photos into Message Pane Using ... - E-mail Program: Windows Mail - Computer Operating System: Windows Vista 1. With Windows Mail open, create a new message by clicking your cursor arrow on the "Create Mail" icon. 2. Begin composing the e-mail message (addressing, filling in the subject line, and writing a message), and then click your cursor arrow at the location where you'd like to place the photo within your message. Click on "Insert" located on the menu bar. Select "Picture..." from the resulting drop-down menu. 3. When the Picture window opens, select the photo's file location (example: MyDocuments/Pictures/Summer09) and click on the photo to select it. Then click on the "Open" button. (Note: the photo description (File name:) will automatically be entered for "text only" e-mail programs.) The photo should now appear in your e-mail message. 4. Finally, complete your e-mail message and click the "Send" button. Placing Photos into Message Pane Using ... - E-mail Program: Mozilla Thunderbird 2.0 - Computer Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Mac OS X 1. With Thunderbird open, create a new message by clicking your cursor arrow on the "Write" icon. 2. Begin composing the e-mail message (addressing, filling in the subject line, and writing a message), and then click your cursor arrow at the location where you'd like to place the photo within your message. Click on "Insert" located on the menu bar. Select "Image..." from the resulting drop-down menu. 3. When the Image Properties window opens, by default the "Location" tab should be selected. Next, click on the "Choose File..." button to locate the photo you want to place. 4. The Select Image File window will open. Select the photo's file location (example: MyDocuments/Pictures/Summer09) and click on the photo to select it. Then click on the "Open" button. 5. The Image Properties window will reappear and the "Image Location:" field will contain the photo file path. Here you can describe the photo for "text only" e-mail programs by clicking on the "Alternate text:" radio button, typing in a description of the photo in the field provided, and clicking the "OK" button. The photo should now appear in your e-mail message. 6. Finally, complete your e-mail message and click the "Send" button. Placing Photos into Message Pane Using ... - E-mail Program: Apple Mail - Computer Operating System: Mac OS X 1. With Apple Mail open, create a new message by clicking your cursor arrow on the "New Message" button. 2. Begin composing the e-mail message (addressing, filling in the subject line, and writing a message), and then click your cursor arrow at the location where you'd like to place the photo within your message. Click on the "Attach" button located on the message toolbar. 3. When the drop-down menu appears, navigate to the picture you would like to attach and then click on the "Choose File" button. The picture will appear in the message where your cursor arrow was placed. If you don't like it there, you can click and hold the photo to drag it to a new location. 4. Finally, complete your e-mail message and click the "Send" button. F. ON A PERSONAL NOTE Fall is really trying to get here, making it worthwhile to try to spend some time outdoors. I had the opportunity to do a "Coast to Coast" bike ride last weekend, going from Ormond Beach to Sunset Beach in Tarpon Springs on my bicycle. It was great fun. The Richey Concert Band plays their annual Sims Park concert today at 2:30pm. This one is my favorite of all their concerts because of how nice it generally is to sit under the trees. The concert is free to all. Enjoy the "Chamber of Commerce" weather we get this time of year and have a very safe and Happy Thanksgiving later this month. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted on the happenings at our shop. Thanks for your business! Best regards,, Rob Marlowe Marlowe & Associates and GulfCoast Networking, Inc 6335 Grand Blvd New Port Richey, FL 34652 Internet Support: 727-232-1558 COmputer Sales & Service: 727-847-2424 (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.) Portions ©2009 Cornerstone Publishing Group, Inc.