Warning! Download Patch To Fix New Flaw In Internet Explorer “Stopping Today’s PC Spies at the Gate.” An Article from NEWSFACTOR.COM Ask The Help Desk Can You Suggest A Website For Quick Calculations? Sites Of The Month Great Sites To Check Out In November! Short Tutorial Placing Images Into Message Pane Of Christmas E-mail Letter

Hello from PSC The holidays are fast approaching, so this November eNewsletter includes quick tips to help you through the hectic weeks ahead. Learn how to place photos in the message pane of your Christmas e-mail letter. Check out sites with wonderful holiday recipes and entertainment ideas. And because Internet threats never seem to take a holiday, we update you on a flaw in Internet Explorer and explain how to manage browser security. Never got the gift of natural math ability? No problem. The Help Desk features a site for quick math calculations. The goal of each of our monthly eNewsletters is to keep our subscribers informed regarding their Internet connection and to improve their Internet experience. To meet this goal, each monthly newsletter will usually contain information related to: Warnings on a recent virus, e-mail hoax or security issue that may affect you An update on new services and other local interests An answer to a frequently asked Internet related question Some fun, seasonal websites to check out A short, step-by-step tutorial on an e-mail or browser related task 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 HERE. To see what's inside this issue, take a look at the index to the left and thanks for reading! - The PSC Team

Warning! - Download Patch To Fix New Flaw In Internet Explorer

An alarming flaw was discovered in Internet Explorer's Vector Markup Language (VML) coding which allowed hackers and cyberthieves to plant malicious computer code on thousands of websites. (VML is used for high-quality vector graphics on the Web.) By clicking on a tainted website, control of your computer could turn over to the attacker. E-mail spam is being used to lure victims to these websites; many designed to steal account log-ons and other sensitive data. In some cases, the malicious program can be activated by simply opening the e-mail message or having it appear in the preview window of your Outlook inbox.

Microsoft quickly released a security patch for the VML problem and strongly encourages all Internet Explorer users to download and install this patch if they have not done so already. More information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-oct.mspx. This is a good time to remind you that the easiest and most reliable way to help protect your PC from the latest Internet threats is by signing up for Automatic Updates at http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/msupdate_keep_current.mspx. When your computer is connected to the Internet, the Automatic Updates service analyzes the Microsoft software installed on your computer and checks for any high-priority updates you need—both current and past. It then downloads the updates for you and installs them at the time you choose.

This recent VML problem is the latest in a surge of attacks focused on the relatively unprotected Web browsers. Browsers are appealing to cyberthieves because everyone has them and they provide a window to the outside world and a potential way to break into computers. While this exploit targets only Internet Explorer, it is vitally important to stay on top of security issues and install updates promptly regardless of the computer or Web browser you use.

Of course, it is also important to use and regularly update your computer's anti-virus software. Always scan file attachments of all incoming e-mail messages—even messages from people you trust. Many viruses and worms are spread over networks, through attachments, and by sharing storage media such as diskettes, Zip disks, and CDs. You have the ultimate responsibility for protecting your computer against these threats.

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Michael Sharer, of PSC’s Tech Support, follows several websites on a regular basis.  This week, he found an article he thought would be good to share with our customers.  Below you will find a link to a very interesting article titled “Stopping Today’s PC Spies at the Gate”.
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=010000009VGY

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Ask The Help Desk - Can You Suggest A Website For Quick Calculations?

Question: I need to do some calculations for converting standard measurements to metric. What site do you suggest for this?

Answer: There are many sites that contain measurement converters, but one of the simplest can be found at google.com. Simply go to www.google.com. For example, type in "9890 yards in centimeters" (without the quotes) into the search field. Click your cursor arrow on the "Search" button and your answer (904341.6 centimeters) will appear. This tool works when figuring units of measure, math problems, physical constants, and, of course, conversions. Give it a try.

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Great Sites To Check Out This Month

This Site Gets Popular Vote
http://www.uselections.com/ -  Here's a non-partisan site that covers a lot of political ground including voter information, campaign finance updates, news and blogs, poll results, and political humor. Click on any state to see who is running for office. Get links to campaign websites. Read the headlines from newspapers across the country. If you want to stay informed on politics this month, this online resource could be just the ticket.

Too Much Turkey?
http://www.recipegoldmine.com/turkeyleftovers/turkey.html -  Once Thanksgiving dinner is done, what do you do with all the turkey that fills up your frig? Sure, you can make turkey sandwiches. But if you're hungry for something a bit more exciting, get inspired at recipegoldmine.com. From Gobble Gobble Casserole to Mexican Turkey Tortilla Soup, there's a recipe here to please any family.

Play Jeopardy! Online
http://www.jeopardy.com -  If you can't get enough of Alex Trebek and this hugely popular game show, try your hand at the online version. It's fast-paced fun that covers the same kinds of categories you see on TV. Or test your music knowledge with the new online Rock & Roll Jeopardy! You can also find out how to become a contestant, take a 360° set tour, check out the message board, and even buy a Jeopardy! ringtone. Without question, this could be the answer to a dull afternoon.

All Lit Up
http://www.deckthehallsmovie.com/ -  Here's a holiday movie that takes a humorous look at the competitive "sport" of Christmas decorating in the suburbs. When new neighbor Danny (Danny DeVito) sets out to create the biggest holiday light display in the world, it turns the neighborhood into a nightmare. Steve (Matthew Broderick), a suburban dad and Christmas enthusiast, finds his previously well-planned life suddenly turned upside down. In theaters in November, this electrically charged family film has the power to light up the season.

100 Snapshots Every Hour
http://www.tenbyten.org/now.html -  A 2005 Webby Award winner, this fascinating site offers an ever-changing view of world events. Each hour, 10x10™ collects the 100 words and pictures that matter most on a global scale and presents them in a single picture postcard. The pictures and corresponding news bites are retrieved automatically from three international news services - Reuters World News, BBC World Edition, and New York Times International News. Simply click on any of the 100 images to read the corresponding news stories.

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Short Tutorial - Placing Images Into Message Pane Of Christmas E-mail Letter

More people are choosing to send their Christmas cards via e-mail rather than through traditional mailing methods. Many recipients, however, are hesitant about opening e-mail attachments even from friends because of the viruses and worms floating around the Web. What to do? Why not create your own e-mail Christmas card by pasting images (family vacation photos, for instance) into the message pane of your e-mail message? It's easy to do. It's a good idea to only use pictures with a small file size as using large picture files will result in slow download times for dial-up connections.

To add pictures to your e-mail messages, follow these steps:

Using Windows XP SP2 Home Edition and Outlook Express 6

1. Open Outlook Express.
2. Create a new message and prepare it for sending by addressing, giving it a title (subject), and composing a message.
3. Click your cursor arrow at the location where you'd like to place the photo within your message and then click on "Insert" located on the Message Menu Bar. Select "Picture" from the resulting drop-down menu.
4. When the Picture Dialog Box appears, click the "Browse" button to locate the picture you want to send.
5. Click on the picture's location to select it. Click "Open" to return to the Picture Dialog Box.
6. Select from various options to alter the attributes of your photo, i.e. layout, alignment, border thickness, etc. You do not need to select any of them.
7. If you want to describe the picture for "text only" e-mail programs, click in the "Alternate Text" field, type a description of the picture, and then click "OK."
8. Click "OK" once you've completed your settings.
9. Complete your message and click "Send."

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We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted on the happenings here. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE.

Thanks for your business!

Best regards,

PSC
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