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It is often hard to define exactly what is spam in your email program’s inbox. There are the obvious spam efforts dealing with enhancements of body parts or an enhanced sexual life, then there are the not so obvious spam emails, such as a good wishes poem. Some people have said that all mass emails should be banned but that is not practical as many of us request and enjoy newsletters or promotions from businesses. For example, we get newsletters each week covering everything from new scams to new software and technology news so we can stay up-to-date.

Internet etiquette demands that all legitimate email newsletters or promotions have an opt-in/opt-out feature so the end reader can control whether or not to receive the email. Opt-in emails give you the option to be removed from the mailing list or to subscribe to be sure you will continue to receive the email.

In keeping with anti-spam sentiment, I want to remind everyone that this newsletter is fully opt-in. If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe at any time, you can find email links at the bottom of each newsletter and on the Newsletter page on our web site . You can also send an email to learn@windowwalk.com with Subscribe or Unsubscribe in the Subject line.

One note of caution when clicking any link to remove yourself from a mailing list is that in many obvious spam emails the “remove from list” link will take you to an infected web page or may simply indicate to the spammer that your address is “hot” and you will receive much more spam. As always, use caution and common sense when you are online.

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Find out more about our Free Business and Home Software Assessments for Small Business Owners and Home Users.

Visit on the web, send an email , or call 830-9336 to give us your comments and suggestions or to learn more about our effective software training.

SURFIN' SAFARI

Some Useful and Interesting Web Sites

WHAT DOES IT DO?

Quick Descriptions of Popular Software

Skype

You could think of Sype as the big, free Internet telephony company. The software makes it quick and easy to get started. Download, register, install, plug in your headset, speakers or USB phone and start calling your friends. The calls have excellent sound quality and are highly secure with end-to-end encryption. You don't even need to configure your firewall or router or any other networking gear. And it doesn't just work on Windows, Skype is also for Mac OS X, Linux and PDAs using Pocket PC. Talking, sending instant messages or even file transfers work between different platforms like a charm.

SkypeOut lets you make calls to old-fashioned phone numbers all around the world. Landlines, mobile phones... it works with almost all of them. SkypeOut is not free but it is pretty cheap, actually.
You can also forward your Skype calls to a traditional phone or mobile. It won't cost others any extra to call, and you simply pay the standard SkypeOut rate to call the number that you forward to.

Find out more about Skype’s free internet telephone services at www.skype.com.

SAY WHAT!?

Sound Like a Computer Wizard

HARDWARE HELPER

TOP 5 PDAs
(Personal Digital Assistants)

Though it has its shortcomings, the Palm Treo 650 offers solid performance and adds some key features to maintain its reign as smart-phone leader.

Specs: Palm OS 5.4 , Up to 360 min , GSM 850/900/1800/1900 , Cingular Wireless

Small, light, and powerful, the Samsung SCH-i730's high-speed data support and built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi make it an excellent choice for those who have to stay connected at all times, though the crippled Bluetooth support may spoil the party for laptop road warriors.

Specs: Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition , 64 MB, Up to 120 min , CDMA2000 1X 800/1900 , Verizon Wireless

Palm TX

The Palm TX offers a winning package of wireless connectivity, productivity tools, and fun for users of all kinds.

Specs: Palm OS Garnet 5.4 , Stylus , Touch-screen , 5-way navigation button , IrDA , Bluetooth , IEEE 802.11b , Intel 312 MHz , 128 MB

Armed with an Intel processor and EDGE support, the RIM BlackBerry 8700c offers mobile professionals a winning package of performance, productivity, and design.

Specs: BlackBerry Handheld Software , 16 MB, 240 min , GSM 850/900/1800/1900 , Cingular Wireless

The hx4700 offers powerful features and solid performance for on-the-go professionals--just be prepared to pay a hefty price.

Specs: Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition , Stylus , Touchpad , Touch-screen , IrDA , Bluetooth , IEEE 802.11b , Intel 624 MHzXscale , 64 MB

SOFTWARE SEARCH

Microsoft Publisher 2002

Microsoft screwed up by dropping Publisher 2002--its home, home office, and small-business desktop publishing program--from retail editions of Office XP. This easy-to-use designer is available only as a standalone or as part of the Small Business edition of Office XP that some computer makers bundle with their PCs. But thanks to its tight integration with Microsoft Word and multiple color processing methods. Publisher is a must-have upgrade for anyone who needs to design newsletters, brochures, and even simple Web sites for home use or for a small business. With a price just a fourth of Adobe PageMaker's, this is the desktop publisher for the masses. Unless you want professional-level tools, forget PageMaker or Quark; thrifty Publisher is simply less hassle.

Like PowerPoint 2002, Publisher finally offers a print preview so that you can proof final layouts and color separations without wasting paper. Also, Publisher publications now contain both process color (used in color photography) and spot color (used for coloring individual graphic elements such as logos, tables, or lines). As if that weren't enough, 2002 can process as many as a dozen spot color elements in the same document--a big increase from the meager three in 2000.

Publisher remains the best desktop publisher for small and home businesses. It's even a credible, easy substitute for the expensive and difficult HTML editor FrontPage. If you're using an older edition of Publisher, upgrade to 2002 even if you don't move to Office XP. Looking for your first business document designer? This is it.

CNET Rating: 9.0 Spectacular

Read the full review at Cnet.com.

WEB WARY

Viruses, Hoaxes, and Scams

Urban Legends

Urban legends are stories that are either funny and/or contain horrifying content that may or may not be true. These stories usually have a morality or safety theme. They spread quickly, and often have many different variants.

Most urban legends are false -- but some are true.

Email urban legends and email hoaxes usually tell recipients to forward the email to everyone they know. In fact, that's one of the tell-tale signs that you have a false urban legend or hoax!

The following is an example of a hoax that has become an urban legend:

Microsoft/AOL/Intel Email Beta Test

I'm an attorney, and I know the law. This thing is for real. Rest assured AOL/Intel/Microsoft will follow through with their promises for fear of facing a multimillion dollar class action suit similar to the one filed by Pepsico against General Electric not too long ago.

I'll be damned if we're all going to help them out with their e-mail beta test without getting a little something for our time. My brother's girlfriend got in on this a few months ago. When I went to visit him for the Baylor/UT game she showed me her check. It was for the sum of $4,324.44 and was stamped "Paid In Full".

Like I said before, I know the law, and this is for real. If you don't believe me you can email her at jpiltman@baylor.edu. She's eager to answer any questions you guys might have. Intel and AOL are now discussing a merger which would make them the largest Internet company and in an effort make sure that AOL remains the most widely used program, Intel and AOL are running an e-mail beta test.

When you forward this e-mail to friends, Intel can and will track it if you are a Microsoft Windows user for a two week time period. For every person that you forward this e-mail to, Microsoft will pay you $203.15, for every person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will pay you $156.29 and for every third person that receives it, you will be paid $17.65.

Within two weeks,Intel will contact you for your address and then send you a check. I thought this was a scam myself, but a friend of my good friend's Aunt Patricia, who works at Intel actually got a check for $4,543.23 by forwarding this e-mail. Try it, what have you got to lose???

Aisha Haynes
Administrative Assistant
National Policy Association
(202) 884-7640

Editors Note: It is technically impossible to track forwarded email and no company does business this way.

To see more urban legends and hoaxes, click here.

ASK TIZZIE

From the Email Files of our Resident Computer Monster

Question:

What exactly is a web browser program and does it matter which program I use?

Tizzie's Answer:

A web browser program is used to locate and display Web pages. The two most popular browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Both of these are graphical browsers, which means that they can display graphics as well as text. In addition, most modern browsers can present multimedia information, including sound and video, though they require plug-ins for some formats.

Which program to use is purely a personal choice. Most people use Internet Explorer because it is installed with the Windows operating system. Netscape seems to drift in and out of popularity - some versions are very unpopular. The newest browser in the mix is Mozilla Firefox which is touted to be more secure than Internet Explorer. It also has new features to make your browsing experience easier and more useful.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Create Your Own Sound Files

Microsoft Windows (all versions) has a built-in feature called the Sound Recorder. You can use this program to create sound files that can be used in your computer's sound scheme or that you can send to people via email. The sound files can be up to 1 minute in length and save in the WAV format. You can even add a few neat effects, like Echo and Reverse, or change the speed of the sound.

To access the Sound Recorder, click the Start button and click All Programs (Programs in Windows versions older than XP). Go to the Accessories menu item and click Entertainment. The Sound Recorder program should be the first program on the list.