What's new
Beyond Big Brother (fixed from last month)
The next time you need directions and would like to actually see where you are going, visit http://maps.google.com and enter an address .Under the picture - click on Street View. This is a STREET LEVEL VIEW of your destination. Incredible as it sounds, Google has had thousands of people photographing streets in their towns and cities, and have somehow put together the world's most complex jig-saw puzzle! This is beyond eerie. As they "tweak" the site, they improve it; Since last month Google has added One-Ways in some parking lots as well.If you prefer a bird's eye view of your house or business, visit http://maps.live.com and enter an address. Now click on "Bird's Eye" - and you will see an aerial picture of your location. In some cases you can go as close as 60 feet from the ground. Want to live dangerously - install the 3D viewer for a "roller-coaster" feel.
Beyond Big Brother
The next time you need directions and would like to actually see where you are going, go to http://maps.google.com and click on Street View. Goggle has incorporated a street- level view into its map feature. This is beyond eerie. Try it out - type in 292 Main St, 01532. Our office is on the southwest corner.News & Views
Microsoft Exec: 'We Really Botched' Vista Campaign (CRN Daily - Feb 13, 2008)
Microsoft is defending itself from a class action suit filed by consumers who claimed they'd been deceived by the 'Windows Vista Capable' marketing campaign, which was designed to help consumers choose PCs with sufficient power to run all the high-end features of Vista. Microsoft worked with computer manufacturers to "certify" which machines could run Vista -except the concept of "useful to the customer "was not factored in. Therefore machines certified to run Vista - did so poorly. Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Windows Product Management, had this to say: "I PERSONALLY got burnt ... Are we seeing this from a lot of customers? ... I now have a $2,100 e-mail machine".
Please. Talk to us before you purchase your next machine.Security
Why are chain letters a problem?
Identifying Hoaxes and Urban Legends
The most serious problem is from chain letters that mask viruses or other malicious activity. But even the ones that seem harmless may have negative repercussions if you forward them:- They consume bandwidth or space within the recipient's inbox
- You force people you know to waste time sifting through the messages and possibly taking time to verify the information
- You are spreading hype and, often, unnecessary fear and paranoia
What are some types of chain letters?
There are two main types of chain letters:- Hoaxes - Hoaxes attempt to trick or defraud users. A hoax could be malicious, instructing users to delete a file necessary to the operating system by claiming it is a virus. It could also be a scam that convinces users to send money or personal information. Phishing attacks could fall into this category.
- Urban legends - Urban legends are designed to be redistributed and usually warn users of a threat or claim to be notifying them of important or urgent information. Another common form are the emails that promise users monetary rewards for forwarding the message or suggest that they are signing something that will be submitted to a particular group. Urban legends usually have no negative effect aside from wasted bandwidth and time.
Timely Tips
Clean up your Desktop!
Microsoft XP has that annoying feature of archiving items on your desktop that have not been used in more than 60 days. The feature exists because those items may be slowing down your machine! Files that are stored on your desktop are kept in memory of the machine for faster access - a benefit if you want to open a file quickly - but detrimental in that you will run out of memory quickly if you have too much on your desktop.A better practice is to store all you files under "My Documents" and put a shortcut on your desktop to retrieve the files.
GMP: Good Maintenance Practices
Back up!
Yes - we are starting to sound like a broken record - but too many people are not backing up their data! This past month we had to recover data from four computers that failed to start up! We were able to get most of the data from all of the machines - but it was no small task. It is less expensive and easier to protect the data before the computer crashes than after the data becomes "toast".You have a lot to lose - let us help you protect it!
