Link to NCKCN.COM
 

Inside This Issue

E-Mail Virus
Watch for Fake Microsoft Outlook Update

NCKCN To Continue Dial-up Service In Select Areas With 33.6kbps Access

This Month's FAQ
What's The Polite Way To Decline A Facebook Friend Request?

Sites Of The Month
Great Sites To Check Out In March

Short Tutorial
Preventing Colored Lines in Forwarded E-mails



   

Hello NCKCN internet members

It's time to "March ahead" and continue learning about the Internet with a little help from our eNewsletter. It starts with a warning about a fake Microsoft Outlook update that's currently circulating via e-mail, including a review of the dead giveaways that identify it as a scam. Next, you'll find out about the mechanics (and etiquette) of declining a Facebook friend request, as well as how to remove those annoying colored lines from a forwarded e-mail before sending it to others. Be sure to check out the Great Sites for a championship resource, a keyboarding training ground, an out-of-this-world opportunity, and a healthy variety of recipes.

The goal of each of our monthly eNewsletters is to keep our subscribers informed regarding their Internet connection and to improve their Internet experience. We think you'll find this information interesting. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click here.

To see what's inside this issue, simply scroll down the eNewsletter or click on the links within the index to the left. Thanks for reading!

- The NCKCN Team
 
  
 

 

E-Mail Virus - Watch for Fake Microsoft Outlook Update

A spam attack is now circulating e-mails that appear to be sent from Microsoft Support, advising users of a new security update for Outlook/Outlook Express. Recipients are told that this is a critical update for stability and security, and are given instructions for opening the attached zip file to complete the installation. In actuality, the only thing that would get installed in this process is the malicious Bredolab.Y virus and a rogue antivirus program called SecurityTool—both of which could cause serious problems with your computer.

Phoney Update
If you receive an e-mail like this that claims to come from Microsoft, delete it and do not open the attachment. Keep in mind that Microsoft NEVER sends patches or security updates as e-mail attachments. Any e-mail asking you to install such items should be considered a dead giveaway of fraud.

In addition, Microsoft advises the following precautions:
  • Keep your firewall turned on.
  • Keep all your software and your operating system up-to-date.
  • Keep your antivirus software up-to-date.
  • Keep your antispyware technology up-to-date.
To learn more about how to get authentic Microsoft security updates, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.aspx

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NCKCN To Continue Dial-up Service In Select Areas With 33.6kbps Access

NCKCN will continue to provide dial-up services in the Beloit, Jewell, Lincoln and Belleville areas for as long as it's technically feasible. However, in order to continue to provide dial-up access in those areas, all dial-up will be accessed with 33.6K modem banks. We can no longer support 56K technology due to the prohibitive cost. In many of the areas it's almost 40 times more costly to support 56K technology than 33.6K. With the decreasing number of members actually needing dial-up services, it just becomes way too expensive to keep the 56K access. With the coverage of accessible broadband in our area, most members who still have to use dial-up access, don't actually benefit from the 56K technology and will be better served with the older, more stable 33.6K.

The Jewell and Belleville areas are already 33.6K only. The Beloit and Lincoln areas will soon become 33.6K only too. Although some members in the Beloit and Lincoln areas may notice a decrease in speed, most will probably see an increase in speed or notice nothing at all. The dial-up access numbers should not change, and you will not need to do or change anything on your end. In the next few years, however, there will come a time when even 33.6K will have to be discontinued, but as always, we try to be sensitive to the needs of our members and strive to provide the best service possible. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

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This Month's FAQ - What's The Polite Way To Decline A Facebook Friend Request?

Question: People I knew (and didn't particularly like) in high school have been contacting me about being a friend on Facebook. What's the polite way to decline a Facebook friend request?

Download Graphics to View Answer: The mechanics of this are pretty simple. You have two options for responding to a Facebook friend request. You can either click on Ignore or Confirm. When you click on Ignore, the friend request is removed from your inbox and the requester receives nothing. When you click on Confirm, the requester receives a notification of your decision.

So, if that former classmate is paying attention and notes that a friend notification regarding you never shows up, he or she can figure out what happened. However, you probably don't need to be too concerned about hurt feelings. Chances are good that this person was sending friend requests to everyone they ever knew, and in a few days, won't even remember sending one to you.

Everyone uses Facebook differently. Some people want to collect as many friends as possible, and others want to limit their Facebook interaction only to close friends and family. Do what feels comfortable for you.

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Sites Of The Month - Great Sites To Check Out In March

Trouble Typing?
http://keybr.com - Is your hunt-and-peck typing method amusing to your friends? Typing (or keyboarding) is an important skill, and this site helps you improve your speed and accuracy. It will give you sample text or you can import Web content to practice on. With each session, you'll see your words-per-minute rate and number of mistakes. You can also view a chart showing your progress and see the letters that cause you the most trouble.

Cooking Outside the Box
http://backofthebox.com - This site contains thousands of recipes literally taken from the back of food product boxes. You can search for recipes under food type, reader favorites, or "quick and easy." You can also check out the helpful cooking hints. If you'd like, let the recipes come to you by subscribing to the Recipe of the Day or the weekly newsletter.

Healthy Eating With the Biggest Loser
http://nbc.com/the-biggest-loser - March is National Nutrition Month, and you can celebrate by finding out more about healthy eating. One way to do so is to visit the Biggest Loser site, where you can join the Biggest Loser Club. Club members gain access to ideas for better food choices for weight loss and health, as well as recipes, meal ideas, exercise demonstrations, interactive assessments, ways to handle everyday food challenges, and other resources.

"Four" Events and More
http://ncaa.com - Visit this site to get all your college sports information in one place, including scores, statistics, rankings, and videos. Check on tickets and get details on the three big championship events coming up in April: the Final Four in Indianapolis, the Women's Final Four in San Antonio, and the Frozen Four in Detroit. Still want more? Visit the site's shop to find clothes and accessories from your favorite teams.

Be Part of the Next Mars Mission
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/participate - In the fall of 2011, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will launch the Mars Science Laboratory rover to help determine the "habitability" of the red planet. On this site, the Laboratory invites the world to participate in the mission by following its progress on Twitter, submitting your name to be included on a microchip on the rover, becoming a virtual citizen of Mars, or competing in the Pathfinder Innovation Challenge.

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Short Tutorial - Preventing Colored Lines in Forwarded E-mails

When a rich text e-mail has been forwarded many times, it can be full of vertical colored lines on the left side. These items detract from the e-mail's appearance and can be annoying to recipients of the message. Follow the steps below to adjust your settings to prevent colored lines from appearing in your forwarded e-mails. You'll also find notes on how to "clean up" an e-mail from someone else before you send it on to other people.

Preventing Colored Lines In Forwarded E-mails Using ...
E-Mail Program: Outlook Express
Computer Operating System: Windows XP
  1. With Outlook Express open, click your cursor arrow on the "Tools" menu and select "Options..." from the resulting drop-down menu.

  2. When the Options window opens, click on the "Send" tab.

  3. Within the "Mail Sending Format" section, click on the "HTML Settings..." button.

  4. When the HTML Settings window opens, uncheck the box next to "Indent message on reply." Click "OK" to return to the Options window.

  5. Click on the "Apply" button and then the "OK" button to close the Options window.
NOTE: If you receive an e-mail that already has colored lines from being previously forwarded and you want to eliminate them before forwarding it, address the message as normal. Then select all of the text in the message by clicking in the body of the message and pressing the Ctrl and "A" keys on your keyboard. The contents of the message will be highlighted. Click on the "Format" menu and drop down to "Decrease Indent." Repeat as needed.

Preventing Colored Lines In Forwarded E-mails Using ...
E-Mail Program: Windows Mail
Computer Operating System: Windows Vista
  1. With Windows Mail open, click your cursor arrow on the "Tools" menu and select "Options..." from the resulting drop-down menu.

  2. When the Options window opens, click on the "Send" tab.

  3. Within the "Mail Sending Format" section, click on the "HTML Settings..." button.

  4. When the HTML Settings window opens, uncheck the box next to "Indent message on reply." Click "OK" to return to the Options window.

  5. Click on the "Apply" button and then the "OK" button to close the Options window.
NOTE: If you receive an e-mail that already has colored lines from being previously forwarded and you want to eliminate them before forwarding it, address the message as normal. Then select all of the text in the message by clicking in the body of the message and pressing the Ctrl and "A" keys on your keyboard. The contents of the message will be highlighted. Click on the "Format" menu and drop down to "Decrease Indent." Repeat as needed.

Preventing Colored Lines In Forwarded E-mails Using ...
E-Mail Program: Mail.app
Computer Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5
  1. With Mail.app open, click your cursor arrow on the "Mail" menu and select "Preferences" from the resulting drop-down menu.

  2. When the Preferences window opens, select the "Composing" tab by clicking on its icon.

  3. Under "Responding," uncheck the box next to "Increase the quote level."

  4. Close the Preferences window by clicking the red dot in the upper left corner.
NOTE: If you receive a message that already has the colored lines from being previously forwarded and you want to eliminate them before forwarding it, address the message as normal. Then select all of the text in the message by clicking in the body of the message and pressing the Command and "A" keys on your keyboard. The contents of the message will be highlighted. Click on the "Format" menu and drop down to "Quote Level" and then "Decrease" from the submenu. Repeat as needed.

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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!

Thank You

The Staff at NCKCN




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NCKCN - North Central Kansas Community Network
109 North Mill
Beloit, KS 67420

785-738-2218

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