April Fools Day 101 March 30, 2007
Posted by WebBand in Fun.add a comment
The most popular theory regarding the origin of April Fools’ Day involves the transition from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, in 1582, which moved the New Year from March 25 to January 1. Those still celebrating week long festivities on that April 1 were the target of innocent pranks, such as invitations to nonexistent New Year’s parties. Perhaps you’re already planning ahead for next year. Then check out these famous gags for inspiration:
On April 1, 1957, a British news program featured respected newscaster Richard Dimbleby giving a report about a spaghetti harvest. Intrigued by footage of farmers reaping noodles from trees, viewers called the station to ask where they could find their own spaghetti trees.
The April 1, 1985, issue of Sports Illustrated profiled rookie pitcher Sidd Finch, who, when not studying Tibetan mysticism or playing the French horn, could throw a ball 168 miles an hour (65 miles an hour faster than the record at the time). The joke was on readers, who wrote in only to find out that Finch was a figment of the imagination of writer George Plimpton.
In 1996 the Taco Bell Corporation announced that it had bought the Liberty Bell from the federal government and planned to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell. Angry citizens flooded Independence National Historic Park, in Philadelphia, to protest the supposed acquisition.
Whatever you attempt on April 1, bear in mind Mark Twain’s observation: “This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other 364.”
Excerpt from Real Simple/April 2007 Issue
Online Security March 28, 2007
Posted by WebBand in Technology, WebBand.add a comment
Online security is something we all should know a little bit about. But it’s a big arena and can be challenging to understand. Here are a few ideas from Yahoo! on how to keep your PC and your personal information safe. For more information, check out http://security.yahoo.com.
Use anti-virus software and keep it up-to-date
If you haven’t installed anti-virus software on your computer, do it now. Anti-virus software can detect many — but not all — forms of malicious software before they have a chance to affect your computer. We suggest AVG FREE. Check to make sure your software is downloading updates correctly.
Be careful opening email attachments
Consider turning off the feature in your email programs that automatically opens attachments. If you receive an attachment you aren’t expecting, do not open it. Before you open any email attachment — even if it’s from someone you trust — scan it using anti-virus software.
Don’t install unfamiliar programs
Think carefully before installing or running new software, such as freeware or shareware programs available online. Only download software from a source you trust. Malicious software (like viruses and spyware) often masquerade as legitimate and even useful programs.
Be wary of pop-up and email warnings
Don’t believe every warning you read — especially pop-up warnings that you see while you’re surfing the Web. Unscrupulous companies use pop-up ads to display false warnings about your computer. Ignore them.
Do NOT click any button in the pop-up (such as a “Close” or “No” button) or the Close box that may appear in the upper-right corner of the pop-up. Closing a pop-up in that way might actually install a virus or other malicious software on your computer. To close a pop-up ad, press Ctrl-W (if you’re using a Windows computer) or Command-W (on a Mac computer). You may receive an email warning that claims to be from a computer “expert” warning you of a virus. These are usually hoaxes. Do not follow the steps described in any email unless you’re sure the threat is real.
Choose good passwords and keep them safe
Your password is more than just a key to your online account. If your password falls into the wrong hands, someone can easily impersonate you online, sign your name to online service agreements or contracts, buy merchandise with your credit card, or lock you out of your account. Choose a password that would be difficult for anyone else to guess and treat it as personal, confidential information.
Don’t take the bait from phishing scams
Fraudsters send fake emails or set up fake web sites that mimic sign-in pages (i.e. sign-in pages of other trusted companies, such as eBay or PayPal) to trick you into disclosing your user name and password. This practice is sometimes referred to as “phishing” — a play on the word “fishing” — because the fraudster is fishing for your private account information.
Move to WebBand DSL
Lastly, you can move your connection to the new safe and secure DSL from WebBand (we have to put in a plug here somewhere). We scan all of your traffic, both in and out, with a network-level anti-virus program. It catches viruses and removes them BEFORE they arrive at your computer. For more information, check out the information at webband.com.
Improve PC Performance: Defragment Your Hard Drive March 26, 2007
Posted by WebBand in Technology.add a comment
Windows XP stores files on your hard drive in blocks of data called sectors. When a file is stored in several sectors that aren’t located next to each other, it becomes fragmented, and a hard drive with lots of fragmented files can slow down PC performance. The Disk Defragmenter Utility scans your hard drive and rearranges scattered files so the hard drive runs as efficiently as possible. Running Disk Defragmenter once a month is enough for the average home user.
CAUTION: Defragmenting a large partition can take a long time. Plan to run Disk Defragmenter when you’re not using your computer.
Go to Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Defragmenter.
CAUTION: Sometimes Disk Defragmenter conflicts with other programs running on the computer. If this happens, shut down all other programs including anti-virus programs.
Select the drive you want to defragment and click Analyze.
Look at the horizontal bar labeled Estimated Disk Usage Before Defragmentation. Red represents fragmented files. If you see lots of red, you should defragment the disk.
When the analysis is complete, a small window pops up telling you if you need to defragment the disk. Click View Report for more details.
The Analysis Report provides all kinds of statistics about the hard disk. Click Close to continue.
Click the Defragment button to defragment the disk.
TIP: If Disk Defragmenter freezes and won’t shut down, press CTRL-ALT-DELETE to shut down the program.
Excerpt from Yahoo! Tech (http://tech.yahoo.com/gd/improve-pc-performance-defragment-your-hard-drive/166293)
Google Search March 21, 2007
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How do you find stuff online? One of the best ways is to use Google. Google is a well known and powerful search engine. Type in your request and boom; dozens of results appear. While it’s pretty easy, sometimes it’s hard to find the right result. There are some tools setup within Google to help you find what you want.
Specify
Let’s say that you’re looking for a place to eat. You love Chinese. If you searched for Chinese food using Google, you’d have more than 84,000,000 results (yes, that’s million!). It will take a while to find the right restaurant. But let’s add “spokane” to the search (i.e. Chinese food spokane) and the results narrow to 447,000. If you know you’re going downtown, you can add that to the search and we arrow it to 137,000. You get the point! The more specific you can be, the easier it will be to find what you are looking for.
More than Searching
Google has created some interesting tools. Here are just a few and all can be found at http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/features.html:
Calculator: Need to add or substract? Type 2574+25741 into the search bar and hit search to discover the answer is 28315.
Definitions: Need to find the definition of a word? Simple type “define” and the word and Google will bring back several definitions.
Images: Need to find an image for your next newsletter? Type in the topic and then click the images link. Google will bring back a list (by photo) of images it found.
Spell Checker: Google automatically will recognize a word that is spelled wrong and provide possible options.
Maps: Type an address into the search bar and Google will pull a map of the location.
Weather: Type “weather” and the city you want a forecast for and up will come a five-day outlook.
Google is a great tool for finding stuff online. But it does so much more!
St. Patrick’s Day March 14, 2007
Posted by WebBand in Spokane.add a comment
On March 17th, we celebrate everything Irish. St. Patrick’s Day has always been a fun holiday in our house. Maybe it’s the “slice” of Irish in us or just the fact that we enjoy any reason for a good party. In any case, we cook up the corn beef and down a few “pints” in honor of St. Patrick. But what is the real reason we have St. Patrick’s Day? I wasn’t sure, so I did some research and thought I would share it with you.
I found some very interesting sites with information on St. Patrick and the celebration of his death day – yes, March 17th is the day he was supposed to have died. Here are a few links:
http://www.history.com/minisites/stpatricksday/
http://www.st-patricks-day.com/index.asp
http://www.tartanplace.com/stpat.html
Spokane has a rich tradition of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick is a charitable, non-profit organization that was started in 1979 by a small, but dedicated group of people. Their primary goal is to organize the local St. Patrick’s Day Parade and ceremonies in Spokane honoring those of Irish ancestry, and to provide donations to area non-profit organizations to help support the community.
The parade this year is on Saturday, March 17th, 2007 at 12 noon. For more information, check out The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick’s website. Hope to see you at the parade!
http://www.friendlysonsofstpatrick.com/
Next week: Using Google Search
Spring Cleaning March 12, 2007
Posted by WebBand in Technology.add a comment
Spring is close at hand. Why not include your PC in your spring cleaning list this year. It is something we often forget, but something that can mean the difference between a computer lasting a few years or many years. Here is a great article on how to go about cleaning your PC:
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/18696/weekend-project-clean-up-your-pc-physically-i-mean
Daylight Savings Starts Sunday March 9, 2007
Posted by WebBand in General.add a comment
Spring forward…Fall back….
It’s ingrained in our consciousness almost as much as the A-B-Cs or our spelling reminder of “i before e….” And it’s a regular event, though perhaps a bit less regular than the swallows coming back to Capistrano.
Yet in those four words is a whole collection of trivia, facts and common sense about Daylight Saving Time.
In 2005 and 2006, Daylight Saving Time begins for most of the United States at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of April. Time reverts to standard time at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday of October.
But this year, Daylight Saving Time is extended one month and begins at:
2 a.m. on the Second Sunday in March (March 11th)
to
2 a.m. on the First Sunday of November (November 4th)
The new starts and stop dates were set in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The idea was that if you had more daylight in the evening, you’d use less energy. I’m not sure if it will, but come Sunday, don’t forget to move your clocks forward an hour!
For more information see this FAQ at News.com.
Tax Time March 7, 2007
Posted by WebBand in Technology.add a comment
When I was in 8th grade, I learned to complete a 1040 long form. I remember thinking, “Will I ever be able to do this by myself?” Taxes are a complex thing to do, but technology has made it easier.
The first big break came with programs like Turbo Tax. These programs walked you through your tax preparation and helped you find all your deductions. Over the years, they have become very good at it. The entire process could take as little as an hour or several days depending on how complex your return was. These programs are still available and get better with each year. Yahoo has done a nice review on two of the most popular:
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/devlin/7565;_ylt=An8Edv.i6dtkMxrxpfh.yVIxLpA5
Last year, Turbo Tax came out with an online version of their software. You didn’t have to purchase and install it; you can do it in your web browser. The process is very similar and just as complete as the software version. One of the nice features is doing all your tax work and finding out what you owe or get back BEFORE paying (you only pay when you submit a return or print the forms).
Another new item this year is free taxes. Believe it or not, if you qualify, you can do and submit your taxes for free. I didn’t qualify, but I was able to get a pretty good deal (I paid a total of $9.95 this year – last year it was $39.95 for basically the same thing). Check out the information online to see if you qualify:
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/devlin/7679/how-to-file-taxes-for-free
Taxes don’t have to be difficult or expensive. Remember, April 17th (tax day is a little later this year) is approaching quickly, so use the tools available and get your maximum rebate!
Here are a few more links that you might want to check out:
http://www.hrblock.com/
http://www.taxact.com/
http://turbotax.intuit.com/
Next Wednesday: St. Patrick’s Day History
