[MikesWhatsNews] MWN #471

MikesWhatsNews, 15, 04, 2002
in today's issue #471
Watch Out For Snooping Spam
Digital Gallery Live
Baggin' the Bargains at Unclaimed Baggage
Problem In The ZoneAlarm Content Filter
Connected Home EXPRESS
Arx Fatalis game
102 Ways To Kill Your Computer
CCC     Budget 
        Do Not Download To Desktop 
________________________________________________________
NOTE: Any time you see the "  ++ ",  it means there is more of the

article, or story, on the linked site. Mike
________________________________________________________

      *** Please excuse any format and link oddities ;  ****
     ( some links may have   =3D   added to them, but they still
work) 

There is a complete archive of past MikesWhatsNews newsletters 
available to members on the Yahoo page, it is searchable by word 
or issue #. Here is the address direct to the messages;
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MikesWhatsNews/messages
________________________________________________________

Watch Out For Snooping Spam    By Stefanie Olsen 
 Special to ZDNet News    April 4, 2002, 1:40 PM PT

Watch out--the spam choking your e-mail in-box may
be loaded with software  that lets marketers track
your moves online, and you may not even be aware
that you've been bugged. 

Web sites have long planted bits of code called
"cookies" on consumers' hard drives to tailor
Internet pages for returning visitors and better
target ads. Now, enhanced messages that share the
look and feel of Web pages are being used to
deliver the same bits of code through e-mail, in
many cases without regard for safeguards that have
been developed to protect consumer privacy on the
Web. 

"All of the security and privacy issues on the Web
now relate to e-mail," said Adam Shostack, director
of technology at Zero-Knowledge Systems, a
Montreal-based privacy and security company. "The
shame about this behavior is that it's going on
surreptitiously and people are not given an obvious
way to opt out."

Read more here:
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-876183.html

Reprinted from CNET.com, with permission from CNET,
Inc., copyright 1995-2001

From: Christie's; hackfix-virushelp 
________________________________________________________

LIVEN UP SPRING WITH GREAT CLIPS
http://www.microsoft.com/insider/mi/DesignGallery.htm
Find colorful birthday images, animated letters for Web pages, or 
childhood-themed photos from the featured April clips on 
Digital Gallery Live.

From; Microsoft Insider
________________________________________________________

Baggin' the Bargains at Unclaimed Baggage
http://www.unclaimedbaggage.com/home.htm
What happens to lost luggage left behind in airports? 
If the airlines aren't able to contact the owners (after 90 days
of
"intensive" searching), the items might turn up at the
one-of-a-kind store "Unclaimed Baggage"
[ http://www.unclaimedbaggage.com/home.htm ], located in
Scottsboro, Alabama (and online). Half the fun is the
unpredictable inventory that may include a Conway Twitty CD,
digital video camera, torque wrench kit, military oxygen mask, or
pair of Calvin Klein jeans. Besides purchasing the forgotten
items for yourself, you can also enter the site's online contest
called "What Is It?" by trying to correctly identify a
mysterious item packed and forgotten by a former traveler. And
this is also the place, of course, to find travel tips to help
you become a foolproof packer.
From; DUMMIES DAILY: Internet
http://www.dummiesdaily.com
________________________________________________________

Problem In The ZoneAlarm Content Filter 
<http://www.oxygen3.com/Oxygen_eng.asp?nombre=20020409eng.htm&oper=
positive>
Madrid, April 9 2002 - According to Security Focus a vulnerability
has 
been discovered in MailSafe, the ZoneAlarm content filter. 

The MailSafe function in ZoneAlarm, one of the most widely-used 
firewalls, allows content filtering and the blocking of certain
files 
according to the parameters established. One of the most usual 
practices is to block all executable files, mainly '.exe' files.
However, 
an attacker (or a worm created specially for the purpose) could 
breach this protection layer if a dot ('.') is included after the
full 
file name. So the file "malicious_file.exe" would not be blocked
if 
it appeared as follows: "malicious_file.exe.". 

ZoneLabs has now corrected this problem which affected versions 
prior to 3.0.118. To update the product adequately and correct the

vulnerability, go to the "Check for Update" option in ZoneAlarm. 

________________________________________________________

Connected Home EXPRESS
http://www.connectedhomemag.com/
   Brought to you by Connected Home Magazine Online, the unique 
resource to help you tackle home networking, home automation, 
and much more.
________________________________________________________

Arx Fatalis  game~demo  Size: 151.0MB
<http://www.arxfatalis-online.com/> flash site ~ or
<http://shareware.lycos.com/games/demo/preview/249767.shtml>

Arx Fatalis is a first-person RPG, which plunges the player into
an 
amazingly complex fantasy world. Arx Fatalis combines intelligent 
storyline with impressive medieval surroundings. The user-friendly

interface allows the highest interactivity possible. Arx Fatalis
creates
a state of intense immersion that allows the player to feel that
all 
his actions have a direct consequence in the Arx game world. 

The goal of the game is to destroy the secret cult of Akbaa: the
god 
of devastation and chaos, and thereby prevent his return to the 
physical world. Should the player fail, the demon is bound to
impose 
his reign of terror upon Arx. The player, assuming the role of the

potential hero, fights inside an underground fortress using wooden

clubs, swords and magical items to defend himself against
creatures 
including goblins, trolls, ratmen and other vicious opponents.
But, 
brute force is not always the best way to succeed and the player 
has at his disposal the innovative new "onscreen gesture based 
magic system" to assist him in his progress through the game. 
Using the mouse, burning runes can be drawn in mid-air. A series 
of these gestures combine to create powerful magic spells that
will 
protect the player or empower him to defeat his enemies and pursue

his quest. 

In addition to the struggles against demons and monsters there are

numerous opportunities for interaction with the creatures and 
objects inside the fortress helping the player to rediscover his 
memory, solve puzzles and fulfill quests. Collecting experience
points 
enables the player to appropriately craft his hero's skills and
abilities 
and to develop his overall persona. Dare to enter the world of Arx

Fatalis. Explore underground cities, secret temples, lost
civilizations, 
dwarf mines and discover the magic of Arx Fatalis... 
++
________________________________________________________

102 ways to kill your computer
http://www.theregus.com/content/archive/10041.html

Thanks to everyone who sent us their killer computer links. 
We've compiled them all at the end of this article for ease of 
reference. 

NeXT please 
The casings for NeXT Cubes are as light as plastic (reader Sean 
Lukes writes), but phenomenally difficult to destroy, as they are 
made out of solid magnesium. Yet when he was a columnist for 
NeXTworld magazine, Simson Garfinkel wrote an article on his 
attempts to set the magnesium casing in an old Cube ablaze. 
It took a very hot blowtorch and other preparations, but he
finally 
got it going, and boy does magnesium burn! 
++
From; The Register US http://www.theregus.com 
________________________________________________________

Christies Computer Corner thanks to Christy;
1stpicksoftware-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=subscribe

Budget 
http://budgetsupport.home.att.net/
Win95/98/ME/NT/2k
Freeware 

If you are looking for a program that helps you control your
finances, Budget is for you.  This easy-to-use program will do
everything you need to balance your budget.  The program is
designed for anyone with several
accounts to manage or just one.  Not only does Budget allow you
to keep track of over 150 accounts, you can
also do several other things.  Make deposits, write checks,
transfer funds, enter pays and balance your checkbook with one
simple program.  Easily switch between accounts as well.


~~~~~~~

Do Not Download To Desktop 

Never Save Downloaded Files or Email Attachments Files to Your
Desktop

When downloading files of any kind, especially through your
browser, never save them directly to your desktop. Likewise, ZIP
files should never be extracted or dragged out of the zip archive
directly on to the desktop.

Some .EXE files are self-extracting compressed files. If such a
file is saved to the desktop and the file is "unzipped", all the
files may extract onto the desktop, creating a nightmare of
confusion for you. Some self-extracting files may give you the
option of deciding what folder to extract into. You should always
try to extract into a new folder to avoid desktop chaos. 


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________________________________________________________

Antivirus software is a good choice to scan your system for
possible 
viruses, however no virus scanner is 100% effective as
manufactures 
cannot keep up with the rapid change of viruses that happens
daily.
Be sure to update yours regularly.
http://www.hackfix.org/software/antivirus.html
________________________________________________________

Please feel free, to offer constructive criticism, as that will
help me
keep it interesting.
I also welcome any submissions about new products, web pages,
or articles of interest.

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If you believe something to be miscredited, or you know the author
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This is when you will want to
go to the webpage indicated in the article, ++ ,for 'the rest of
the story'
***MfM*** indicates that I am adding my own information to a 
                  particular article.
~~~~
Mike ~ It is a good day if I learned something new.
Editor MikesWhatsNews see a sample on my web page
http://www3.telus.net/mikebike
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