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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, March 30, 2008
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Identity Theft on the Internet – Protect Yourself
Tip #1 Never Put Personal Or Financial Information In An Email
Tips & Tricks: Windows Vista: Add a Second Time Zone to Your Clock
This Week's Topic: Outlook Express - Attach Files Using Drag and Drop
Question: System Sounds
Websites of Interest: Price Comparisons; April Fools Day; Birthdays; Wikitravel
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Special Feature: Identity Theft on the Internet – Protect Yourself
Identity theft is a relatively new crime but is becoming one of the worst ones out there. Last year alone, over three million US citizens were victims of identity theft, with over 3 billion dollars in loses.
It’s very easy to be victimized by this crime, considering how clever some of the scams can be. While the majority of identity theft is done offline (most people’s information is taken from their garbage cans!), the Internet is also used by scammers. And, with the high-tech tools they have, information can be stolen without you even knowing about it.
Over the next seven editions of this newsletter, we are going to discuss ways that identity thieves use technology and the Internet to trick people into giving their personal information. If you follow these tips, you can avoid identity theft while getting the most out of using the Internet.
Tip #1 Never Put Personal or Financial Information In An Email
Scammers can hack into email servers and read email. They can intercept email as it’s traveling across the wires. There are hacking programs that can find a password in a matter of seconds.
Never put financial or personal information in an email. Use the phone to give information (make sure you initiated the call!).
Make sure your email password is secure. A good password consists of random letters and numbers. And, if your email program allows, use a combination of upper and lower case letters and symbols.
Use several email addresses. Keep one for family and friends, one for financial transactions (ex. Online banking; paypal), one for shopping, and another for registering at websites. Free email addresses are available at Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail.
A little vigilance will keep you safe out there.
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Tips & Tricks: Windows Vista: Add a Second Time Zone to Your Clock
In Windows Vista, you can set your clock to display the time for up to three time zones.
To do so, right click on the time in the System tray (in the bottom right hand corner). Click Adjust Date/Time. In the Date and Time window which you now see, click the Additional Clocks tab at the top of the window.
Click the checkbox next to Show this clock. In the Select time zone option, click the down arrow to the right and then click to select the time zone you want to display.
If you would like to display another clock, click the second Show this clock and select the time zone you want.
Click the OK button when you are done.
To see the additional time zones you selected, click the clock in the System tray.
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Today's Topic: Outlook Express - Attach Files Using Drag and Drop
Open Outlook Express and sign on to your account as usual. Once you are in your Inbox, click the Create Mail button. This will open a New Mail window. Restore it so the window fills approximately half of your screen.
Open Windows Explorer. Restore it so the window fills approximately half of your screen. Move the two windows so they are side by side.
In Windows Explorer, open the folder containing the file you want to attach to the email. Point to the file and hold down the left mouse button. Keeping the mouse button pressed, drag the file to the Outlook Express message window. Release the mouse button; the file will drop into the email window.
Outlook Express will automatically add the file as an attachment. Create your email as usual. When you are done, click the Send button as usual. The email, along with your attached files, will be sent to the recipient.
To learn how to size windows, visit our Newsletter Archives:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/012008.html
To learn how to move windows, visit our Newsletter Archives:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/091403.html
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Question: System Sounds
I like to listen to music CDs on my computer while I work but the other sounds can be annoying. The sounds I’m referring to are the beeps and pongs that play when programs do things, error messages, etc. Can I turn those sounds off but continue to listen to my music?
Answer:
Yes, you can. Here are the steps to do so:
Right click on the little gray speaker icon that is in the System tray (that’s the bottom right corner, next to the clock). A menu will open.
If you are using Windows XP, click Open Volume Controls. The Volume Control window will open; look for the Wave area. Below that, you will see a slider, and below that, a Mute button. To turn system sounds off completely, click the Mute button. A checkmark will appear and you will no longer hear anything other than your music playing. Click the X button to close the window.
If you are using Windows Vista, click Open Volume Mixer. Look for Windows Sounds. You will see a slider below that. Below the slider is a button with a picture of a speaker on it. Click that button. A small red circle/slash will appear indicating that the system sounds are turned off. Click the X button to close the window.
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Websites of Interest:
Price Comparisons
At these websites, you can get comparison pricing for just about any item you’re shopping for. These sites scour the Internet looking for the lowest price.
http://www.bizrate.com/
http://dealtime.com/
http://ibuyernet.com/
http://www.nextag.com/
http://price.com/
http://www.pricegrabber.com/
http://pricescan.com/
http://www.streetprices.com/
April Fools Day
Tuesday is April Fools Day. What is April Fools Day and how did it begin? See what this website has to say:
http://www.web-holidays.com/aprilfools/articles/a1.htm
Birthdays
Can’t remember someone’s birthday? Look them up at this website.
http://birthdatabase.com/
Wikitravel
Visit this website for travel information, guides and articles written by travelers from all over the world.
http://wikitravel.org
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