HOW2 Torment A Telemarketer:

-courtesy of Troy Littrell-

How2 Find What Version Your PC is Running.

UPDATED:
Some set-ups and help sites will commonly ask you what version of Windows your running.  Ever been asked if your computer is 64 , 32 or 86? bit??

There are various versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system. Depending on the version you have, settings or applications on your computer may differ. To check which version is on your computer:

1. Click Start, and Run.
2. In the text field, type winver, and then click OK.

The window that appears will show you which version of Windows installed on your PC (1). If your operating system has a service pack installed, you will see the service pack listed (2).

In Windows VISTA just right click ‘My Computer” and select ‘Properties’.

How2 Start a Compost Pile.

Informative seven step guide to starting your own compost pile.

1. Get Supplies
2. Set Up Your Bin
3. Add to Your Pile
4. Keep it Healthy
5. What About Worms?
6. Prepare for the Seasons
7. Reap the Rewards

According to the U.S. EPA, every American throws away an average of 1.3 pounds of food scraps daily. In addition to this, yard trimmings and food waste combined make up 24 percent of our nation’s municipal solid waste (MSW) stream. Starting a compost pile can happen anywhere, at any time. From your kitchen to your backyard to a worm bin, composting can make a huge dent in your waste and produce a rich product you can use to help maintain your yard, give to friends or even sell at the local farmer’s market or garden center.

 

from the Earth911.com Website (click logo)

How2 Stop Spammers From Stealing Your Email Addresses.

For years I have been telling people why I don't open forwarded mail, or 'chain letter emails'.  Recently I took one of these chain letters and extracted the email addresses that it contained. 

This chain letter was less than a week old when I got it and in that week it had been circulated to 169+ people.  Many probably forwarded it to everyone in their address book which means it was circulated to many more people during that week.  If I can extract 169 names and addresses from a week-old chain letter imagine what a professional 'spammer' can do.  In other words, besides the possibility of spreading and/or receiving viruses in these chain letters you also put your email address and the address of everyone in your address book in the hands of these spammers who have special 'scrubber' programs that intercept internet emails containing large "To" and "cc:" listings.

Spammers know that if they appeal to our heart, our paranoia, and our fears we will pass these emails along and they can then intercept the growing mailing list.

So what do we do?  If you receive something forwarded to you it is my suggestion that you don't open it, don't forward it and you tell everyone on your mailing list to do the same, but if you want to pass something along then:

1. create a new message

2. copy the text of what you want to pass along, not the addresses or "To" and "From" info.

3. paste it into the new message

4. put your address in the "To" field

5. put everyone else's address in the 'bcc' field, not the 'cc' field. 

This way the only address you share with your mailing list and the world is yours, the 'bcc' field hides everyone else's address.

I suggest you do the above even when sending original messages to you email list.

GlennDL

How2 Stop Spam and Clean Up Your E-Mail:

from Kim Komando Show Electronic Newsletter - Feb. 28, 2009

Betty in Lincoln, NE never misses a show on KLIN 1400 AM. She wrote in to say that she's fed up! She's getting way too much spam.

So, Betty would like to limit her e-mail to messages from friends and family. She would like to know how to do this in Outlook.

You want to set up an approved senders list, Betty. Only mail from your approved senders will make it to your inbox. All other messages will be moved to the Junk folder. It can be cleared with a single mouse click.

Setting up an approved senders list is easy in Outlook 2003 and 2007. Just click Actions>>Junk E-mail>>Junk E-mail Options.

On the Options tab, select "Safe Lists Only." This is the first step to limiting the mail in your inbox.

Next, you need to add safe senders. So, click the Safe Senders Tab. Click Add and enter an e-mail address. Repeat for each safe sender.

Make sure you get the addresses right! Otherwise, you won't be seeing any more messages from certain senders. I'm sure your son in Florida never has anything interesting to say!

To be on the safe side, there are a couple of other steps to take. Select "Automatically add people I e-mail to the Safe Senders List." Additionally, select "Also trust e-mail from my Contacts."

That way, you probably won't overlook anyone. And, you don't need to worry so much about mistyped e-mail addresses. Of course, you can add more senders at any time. When you're done, click Apply and OK.

You may have forgotten to add someone. So, I recommend watching the Junk folder for a while.

You also need to worry about shopping online. You want to make sure you receive notifications from stores.

These notifications will likely go to the Junk folder. So, I recommend creating a separate e-mail account for online shopping. Also, use that account when registering with Web sites.

An approved senders list is great for home use. But I don't recommend it for businesses. They can't be sure who will be sending them e-mail. So, businesses need more advanced spam-filtering tools. I have links to several good, free spam filters on my site:

• xTerminator
• Spamato
• Mailwasher