From the Editor
Happy New Year to you! This January eNewsletter is designed to help you start 2007 with new ways to boost your Internet knowledge. You'll get a "heads up" about a phishing scam using a bogus Coca-Cola car and cash sweepstakes. You'll learn how to attach files to e-mail messages, and why you sometimes receive e-mail messages containing those little red X's in boxes. Plus, you'll get our picks for helpful sites including one to help you find your risk for major diseases, one to help you connect with charities, and one to help you catch a glimpse of your favorite stars.
Your Local Help Desk
Question: Why do I sometimes receive
e-mail messages that contain an empty box with a red "X" within
the message pane rather than a picture? My friends are having the same
problem.
Answer: Graphics and photos contained within an e-mail
message are often not "stored" within the e-mail message itself
but rather on a remote Web server (computer).
If the message you receive is in an HTML format (supposed to have graphics
or photos as part of the message) and a little box with a red "X"
shows up instead of the image, there may be a broken connection somewhere
between the image link within the e-mail message and the remote Web server
where the image is actually stored.
What causes a broken connection? There could
be a number of reasons including: A typo by the person who keyed in the
Web address of the image's server. When this occurs, the request for the
image goes to a server location where no image exists.
It is similar to looking for a home at 1500 Peach Street when the correct
address is 1500 Peach Avenue. Something on the Web server changed before
you downloaded the e-mail. The graphic was eliminated, its name changed,
or it was stored in a different folder, which changed its path. A power
outage occurred somewhere between your computer and the location of the
image's Web server. You've downloaded your e-mail and then closed your
Internet connection to review your messages.
If images within any of your incoming e-mail messages are stored at a
remote server location, your computer will not be able to access them
since you are no longer connected to the Internet. Newer versions of Microsoft
e-mail client software (i.e. Outlook Express, Outlook, and Entourage)
block graphics from appearing automatically in HTML e-mail messages and,
of course, the red boxes show up in their place. (Click on "Download
Pictures" at the top of the e-mail and the pictures will appear.)
Note: Different e-mail clients and Web browsers use different symbols
for a broken graphic link. For instance, Apple's Safari Web browser uses
a blue box with a question mark symbol.
E-Mail Scam Bogus Coca-Cola Sweepstakes
It may look like an e-mail from Coca-Cola but it's definitely not "The Real Thing." There's an e-mail in circulation, allegedly from a Hong Kong-based Coca-Cola sales and marketing manager, that promotes a sweepstakes to win a Mercedes-Benz ML Jeep convertible and $800,000 cash.
The problem? There is no such sweepstakes and there is no such car as a Mercedes-Benz ML Jeep convertible. It's a phishing expedition, using the trusted Coca-Cola brand as bait, designed to obtain personal and financial information from victims. It used to be that such hoaxes only hijacked the names of banking institutions or services like PayPal and eBay. But now non-financial consumer brands, such as the soft drink giant, are being used without permission by online scammers.
On their website, the Coca-Cola Company states they are "... in no way associated with these e-mails or programs. We are not a sponsor and our name and trademarks are used here without permission." If you receive an e-mail like the one described above, you have a couple of options.
You can do nothing and simply delete the message. (Do not reply to it or unsubscribe.) Or you can report the suspicious e-mail to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at http://www.ftc.gov. As always, you need to be aware of the telltale signs of phishing.
According to PhishTank.com, a collaborative clearinghouse for data and information about phishing on the Internet, look for the following signs:
Generic greeting that doesn't use your name
Link to a website that doesn't start with "https" (The "s" stands for secure.)
Request for personal information like account numbers
Sense of urgency that pressures you to act quickly
Sites of the Month
What's Your Health Risk?
http://www.yourdiseaserisk.harvard.edu - One way to take better care of your health in 2007 is to educate yourself about your disease risks. This site, developed over the past ten years by the Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention, can help you discover your risk of developing five important diseases <ETH> cancer, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and stroke. Simply answer questions about your health, background, and lifestyle with easy-to-use interactive tools and get personalized tips for preventing disease. Knowledge is power and Your Disease Risk gives you the knowledge you need to make smarter, healthier choices.
Track The Travels Of $10s And $20s
http://WheresGeorge.com - Ever wondered where your paper money goes after it leaves your wallet at the checkout counter? Well a guy by the name of Hank Eskin was so curious that he started a website in 1998 called WheresGeorge.com so he and others could track the travels of U.S. currency. All you need to do is enter the denomination, series, and serial number of any U.S. dollar bill, as well as your current zip code. The site will then follow the movement of that bill, giving you the average speed in miles per day and the actual travel time between exchanges of the currency.
Stargazing
http://seeing-stars.com/Awards/ - Hollywood's numerous awards ceremonies are in full swing with the Grammy Awards and Academy Awards in February and the excitement continuing until the Emmy's in June. If you've always dreamed of seeing your favorite stars in person, seeing-stars.com is your insider's guide to making it happen. Here you can find out how to catch a glimpse of the stars as they arrive in their limos, sit in the audience of the American Music Awards, or even watch an actor get his star on the Walk of Fame. If you're really starstruck, check out this site's pages on where the stars live, shop, play, and dine <ETH> and even where they're buried.
Give It A Try
http://justgive.org - If one of your New Year's resolutions is to expand your charitable giving, give this unique site a try. JustGive is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect people with the charities and causes they care about and to increase overall giving. They'll help you find the charities most meaningful to you from more than 1,000,000 nonprofits. You can also buy a charity gift certificate, start a charity wedding registry, track your donations, and get a tax summary at the end of the year.
Super Bowl Legend
http://snopes.com/business/bank/superbowl.asp - Legend has it that annual stock market trends are predicted by the winner of the Super Bowl. According to what's known as the "Super Bowl Indicator," a triumphant team from the old American Football League (now the American Football Conference) foreshadows a down market, but a winner from the old NFL (now the National Football Conference) means the bulls are coming. Learn the origins of this famous legend here and take a look at how accurate the "Super Bowl Indicator" has been in the past at predicting Wall Street's ups and downs.
In This Edition
>Your Local Help Desk
>Tech Tips & Tricks
>Sites of the Month
>Crockpot Caramel Apples
>Feature of the Month
>E-Mail Scam
>Internet Classes
Feature
of the Month:
SCTV LIVE is back!
Call in to answer trivia questions! If you answer correctly, you just
may win a prize!
Watch SCTV LIVE
Every Friday
5:30 - 6:00 pm
Call 320-351-7288 for your chance to win
SCTV Channel 19 is only available with diversiCOM Cable Television.
To order, call
351-1460
Free Internet Classes
Courtesy of diversiCOM
Browsing Only
Eden Valley High School
Computer Lab Room 127
January 8, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
E-mail Only
Eden Valley High School
Computer Lab Room 127
January 9, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Browsing Only
Sauk Centre High School
Computer Lab Room 14
January 15, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
E-mail Only
Sauk Centre High School
Computer Lab Room 14
January 16, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Browsing Only
Melrose High School
Media Center (Library)
January 29, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
E-mail Only
Melrose High School
Media Center (Library)
January 30, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Call to register:
351-1460
Crockpot Caramel Apples
INGREDIENTS
14 oz. of caramels
1/4 cup of water
8 apples
8 sticks
Optional: nuts, mini chips, coconut, etc...
DIRECTIONS
In crockpot, combine caramels and water. Cover and cook on high for 1-1.5 hours, stirring frequently.
Wash and dry apples. Insert stick into stem end of each apple.
Turn control to low.
Dip apple into hot caramel and turn to coat entire surface.
Holding apple above pot, scrape off excess caramel from bottom of apple.
Place on greased wax paper to cool.
Once the caramel has set you may roll the apples in the toppings of your choice.
Tech Tips and Tricks
Attaching Files (Attachments) To E-mail Messages
Not sure how to attach files to e-mail messages? Follow the steps below and you'll be a pro in no time!
Adding Attachments Using Outlook Express 6 On Windows XP SP2
1. With Outlook Express open, create a new e-mail message. Prepare it for sending by filling in the recipient's address, the subject, and the body of your message.
2. Click your cursor arrow on the "Attach" button in the toolbar. (It looks like a paper clip.) The "Insert Attachment" dialog box will appear. (Alternately, you can click on "Insert" in the menu bar and select "File
Attachment" from the drop-down menu to open the "Insert Attachment" dialog box.)
3. Click on the drop-down arrow next to the "Look-in" field and select the directory where the file you want to attach is located.
4. Once the file you want to attach shows up in the main part of the window, click on it to highlight it. (Hold the shift key down while clicking to highlight multiple files.) Then click the "Attach" button.
5. The file you selected to attach should now show up in an "Attach" field below the "Subject" line field. If you want to attach additional files to the same e-mail, begin with Step 1 again. Click on the "Send" button to mail the message with the attachment(s).
Adding Attachments Using Thunderbird 1.5 On Windows XP SP2 And Mac OS X 10.4
1. With Thunderbird open, create a new e-mail message. Prepare it for sending by filling in the recipient's address, the subject, and the body of your message.
2. Click your cursor arrow on the "Attach" button in the toolbar. (It looks like a paper clip.) The "Attach File(s)" dialog box will appear.
3. Browse to the file you would like to attach by clicking on the drop-down arrow next to the "Look-in" field. Select the directory where the file you want to attach is located.
4. Once you find the file you want to attach, click on it to highlight it. (Hold the shift key down while clicking to highlight multiple files.) Then click the "Open" button.
5. The file you selected to attach should now show up in the "Attachments" field to the right of your message's address info and subject line. If you want to attach additional files to the same e-mail, begin with Step 1 again.
Click on the "Send" button to mail the message with the attachment(s).
Adding Attachments Using Netscape 7.2 Mail On Windows XP SP2 And Mac OS X 10.4
1. With Netscape Mail open, create a new e-mail message. Prepare it for sending by filling in the recipient's address, the subject, and the body of your message.
2. Click your cursor arrow on the "Attach" button in the toolbar. (It looks like a paper clip.) The "Attach File(s)" dialog box will appear.
3. Browse to the file you would like to attach by clicking on the drop-down arrow next to the "Look-in" field. Select the directory where the file you want to attach is located. Note: On the Macintosh, you get what looks like a standard Macintosh "Open" dialog box. There is no "Look-in" field.
4. Once you find the file you want to attach, click on it to highlight it. (Hold the shift key down while clicking to highlight multiple files.) Then click the "Open" button.
5. The file you selected to attach should now show up in the "Attachments" field to the right of your message's address info and subject line. If you want to attach additional files to the same e-mail, begin with Step 1 again. Click on the "Send" button to mail the message with the attachment(s).
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Disclaimer
We do not have financial interest in, or endorse, any of the sites, or products offered by the sites, listed in this customer newsletter. No opinions expressed on these sites should be considered to be the opinion of diversiCOM Mainstreet Communications or it's employees. This is a free service of diversiCOM Mainstreet Communications to enhance your Internet surfing experience. It is our policy to not share your e-mail address with any third party for any reason.
©2006 Cornerstone Publishing Group, Inc.