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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, October 7, 2007
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please have a mammogram or take someone you love to have one.
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Windows Update E-mail Scam
This Week's Topic: Cleaning Your Computer Screen
Question: Selecting Partial Lines
Websites of Interest: October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month; History of the Supreme Court; Thinking Games; Sandcastles
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Special Feature: Windows Update E-mail Scam
The following warning is from worldstart.com
The hackers involved with this scam are pretending to be Microsoft and they're sending out fake e-mails, telling users they need to install a critical update right away. They give you a link to follow, which takes you to a false version of the Windows Update Web site. You are then presented with a series of links you can use to download the update, but in all actuality, you're downloading a Trojan virus and other malicious programs. If your computer becomes infected with the virus, the hackers can then obtain complete control of your PC.
Now, there are a couple things you should look out for when it comes to this particular scam. First, the hackers usually try to send this e-mail out right around the time when a monthly update is scheduled to arrive. And in case you haven't noticed, we are now in a new month and the new updates will be coming out next week sometime (right around October 9, 2007). So, keep your eyes out for any unusual e-mails within the next week or so, because if it's going to happen, it will be soon.
Also, keep in mind that Microsoft will never send you an e-mail about their updates. The updates will always show up in your taskbar and nowhere else. Don't be fooled by a look alike Microsoft image. Like we always say, just use some common sense when you're going through your e-mails. If something looks suspicious, delete it and forget about it. If you do that, you'll be just fine!
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Today's Topic: Cleaning Your Computer Screen
Question: My computer screen needs to be cleaned. It is a new one and does not have a glass screen like my old one did. Can you give some tips on cleaning?
Answer:
Special care needs to be taken with any computer screen that is not glass. This includes laptops, flat panels and flat screens. The following is from about.com:
Flat screen monitors, also known as LCD monitors, are a little different than their CRT cousins when it comes to cleaning. Your standard CRT monitor has a glass screen and be cleaned in pretty much the same way as you would any other glass in your home or office.
Flat screen monitors, however, require a bit of special care when cleaning. Their displays are much more sensitive and are easily scratched and damaged.
Follow the easy steps below to safely clean your flat screen monitor in just a few minutes.
1. Turn off the monitor. If the screen is dark, it will be easier to see the areas that are dirty or oily.
2. Use a dry, soft cloth and very gently wipe the screen. A great choice would be the microfiber type of cloth used to clean eyeglasses. See Tip #1 below for kinds of cloths to avoid.
3. If the dry cloth did not completely remove the dirt or oil, do not press harder in an attempt to scrub it off. Pushing directly on the LCD screen can often cause pixels to burn out.
4. If necessary, dampen the cloth with distilled water or with an equal ratio of distilled water to white vinegar. See Tip #2 below for products to avoid.
Many companies also sell small spray bottles of special cleaner for flat screen monitors but the vinegar mixture is usually just as effective.
5 The plastic edge that surrounds the screen can be cleaned with any multipurpose cleaner but take care to avoid contact with the screen itself.
Tips:
Avoid using paper towels, toilet paper, tissue paper, or something like your shirt to wipe the LCD screen. These non-ultrasoft materials can easily scratch the screen.
Avoid cleaning products that contain ammonia, ethyl alcohol, acetone, toluene, ethyl acid, or methyl chloride. These chemicals can react with the materials that the LCD screen is made of which could yellow the screen or cause other kinds of damage.
Never spray liquid directly on the LCD screen or it could run inside the monitor and cause damage.
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Question: Selecting Partial Lines
Is it possible to highlight the first word or two on several lines? When I try to highlight, the whole line is highlighted. I only want to select the first word on each line in the whole paragraph.
Answer:
Yes, you can do that. Hold down the Alt key, click where you want to start the highlighting, hold the left mouse button down, and drag to the right and down to where you want to stop highlighting.
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Websites of Interest:
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Visit these websites for breast cancer information, facts, statistics, symptoms and treatments, early detection, mammography screenings, and much more.
http://www.nbcam.com/
http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/
http://tinyurl.com/l65of
History of the Supreme Court
The main role of the highest court in the Land is to protect and interpret the U.S. Constitution. This website has info on over 200 years of the Supreme Court's history.
http://www.historyofsupremecourt.org/overview.htm
Thinking Games
Stretch and strengthen your brain with this collection of online games, puzzles, and challenges to help people of all ages keep their minds sharp.
http://thinks.com/
Sandcastles
Just for fun, some amazing works of art in sand.
http://www.rense.com/general76/sandcastles.htm |
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