SchoolCounselor.com eNewsletter #52
December 13, 2005

Welcome to SchoolCounselor.com, an electronic newsletter designed to advance counselors' level of technological literacy, application, and integration. You will find practical solutions and answers to technology related problems, especially as they apply to your job as counselor. If you would like to share a tip or trick, or if you would like to ask a question, email Russ Sabella at newsletter@schoolcounselor.com.

En Español:

http://tinyurl.com/8o8au

RAM disk is not an installation procedure. ~Author Unknown

The Internet is the world's largest library. It's just that all the books are on the floor. ~John Allen Paulos

Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks. ~Author Unknown

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Security Overview Part 5: Anti-Spam

Sources:

Spam Abuse Network: http://spam.abuse.net/

SpamCon Foundation: http://law.spamcon.org/

E-mail Addresses: http://www.emailaddresses.com/email_nospam.htm

Spam is flooding the Internet with many copies of the same message, in an attempt to force the message on people who would not otherwise choose to receive it. Most spam is commercial advertising, often for dubious products, get-rich-quick schemes, or quasi-legal services. Spam costs the sender very little to send -- most of the costs are paid for by the recipient or the carriers rather than by the sender.

There are two main types of spam, and they have different effects on Internet users. Cancellable Usenet spam is a single message sent to 20 or more Usenet newsgroups. (Through long experience, Usenet users have found that any message posted to so many newsgroups is often not relevant to most or all of them.) Usenet spam is aimed at "lurkers," people who read newsgroups but rarely or never post and give their address away. Usenet spam robs users of the utility of the newsgroups by overwhelming them with a barrage of advertising or other irrelevant posts. Furthermore, Usenet spam subverts the ability of system administrators and owners to manage the topics they accept on their systems.

E-mail spam targets individual users with direct mail messages. E-mail spam lists are often created by scanning Usenet postings, stealing Internet mailing lists, or searching the Web for addresses. E-mail spams typically cost users money out-of-pocket to receive. Many people - anyone with measured phone service - read or receive their mail while the meter is running, so to speak. Spam costs them additional money. On top of that, it costs money for ISPs and online services to transmit spam, and these costs are transmitted directly to subscribers.

One particularly nasty variant of e-mail spam is sending spam to mailing lists (public or private e-mail discussion forums). Because many mailing lists limit activity to their subscribers, spammers will use automated tools to subscribe to as many mailing lists as possible, so that they can grab the lists of addresses, or use the mailing list as a direct target for their attacks.

The main problem with spam is that it inundates our mailboxes and robs us of time and control over our mail. At the very least it’s annoying, at best it negatively impacts our productivity and drains our resources. Also, there are now various laws that regulate and/or prohibit spam. For instance, on January 1, 2004, the CAN-SPAM Act, went into effect in the US. This law puts specific requirements on senders of commercial e-mail, including providing a valid physical postal address, honoring unsubscribe requests within a specific time frame. The downside of the law is that it pre-empts stronger state laws and places enforcement in the hands of the FTC, state Attorney's General and ISPs. Check out other state and federal laws at http://www.spamlaws.com/.

What You Can Do About Spam

There is a good chance that your school already has installed a spam filtering solution. Following are other methods for reducing spam in case you have other e-mail accounts you want to protect and/or you can practice in addition to the mechanisms already in place:

Use Spam Filters. There is available an array of both hardware and software filters that will help you to remove spam before it ends up in your inbox. For instance: 

          •         Thunderbird e-mail client is a free program that comes with a built in Junk or Spam filter.

          •         Microsoft Outlook 2003 now comes with a Junk e-mail filter, read more here. For Outlook express, click here.

          •         SpamAssassin is generally regarded as one of the most effective spam filters, especially when used in combination with spam databases. Even simple text-matching alone may, for most users, be sufficient to correctly classify a majority of incoming mail.

          •         Cloudmark spam and phishing solution.

          •         Qurb has received PC Magazine's Editors' Choice Award three years running (2003-2005), and also won their Best of 2003 award.

          •         Spam Shield is an anti-spam product for Outlook and Outlook Express.

Report Abuse. There are steps you can take to assist the US government with enforcing existing laws that are broken by spammers.

•         Spam that is fraudulent - offering products that don't work or don't exist, pyramid schemes and so on - - can be sent to the US Federal Trade Commission at uce@ftc.gov.

•         Spam that promotes stocks can be sent to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at enforcement@sec.gov..

•         Spam containing or advertising child pornography is illegal in most of the world under existing law. In the US, you can report suspected criminal activity to the Federal Bureau of Investigation via this form. You can also file child-pornography-specific reports with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children here.

Also ... 

•         Just hit delete. If you're only getting a few spam messages a day, the best solution is probably to just chill out and hit delete. Yes, it's annoying. And no, it's not right. But it's just not worth the effort to banish spam unless it's really impacting your ability to use e-mail effectively.

•         Don’t forward chain letters or other urban legends.

•         Before subscribing to a listserv or newsletter, check out the privacy policy.

•         Don't respond to spam.

•         Don't post your e-mail address in "plain" form anywhere on the Web. Instead, you can disguise your e-mail address by writing it in a convoluted way so that humans can still read it, but bots can't. For example, instead of writing "russ@example.com", use "russ AT example DOT com".

•         Keep a "private" e-mail address which you share only with close friends and family. Never use this private e-mail address on any site.

•         Use a feedback form on your website instead of providing a contact e-mail address.

•         DON'T follow "remove me" instructions. While reputable e-mailers will offer you a way to get off their e-mail lists, spammers just use their "remove me" instructions to validate your e-mail address as "live," thus paving the way for even more spam. So, no matter how much spam annoys you, don't bother responding -- it just makes the problem worse.

•         Watch out for pre-checked boxes. When you buy things online, companies sometimes pre-select check boxes to indicate that it's fine to sell or give your e-mail address to responsible parties. Clear the check box if you don't want to be contacted.

•         Use the internal Rules or Junk e-mail filter provided by your e-mail software to automatically delete or quarantine emails with certain words or phrases, or from certain e-mail addresses, so that you don’t have to even become aware of them. For example, to learn more about this feature in Microsoft Outlook, click here. For your Yahoo! Mail account, go here. For Microsoft Hotmail, check this page out.

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TIPS AND TRICKS

Most Word Processing Programs: Move Among Sentences and Pages Better

Next time you're using your arrow keys to go from one area of a sentence to another (left and right arrows), hold down your CTRL key. Instead of moving one space at a time, you'll go one word at a time. If you're using the up and down arrows to go from line to line, holding down the CTRL key will make your cursor jump from paragraph to paragraph. Finally, if you hold down the SHIFT key while you do this (i.e. hold down SHIFT + CTRL at the same time), you select text as you arrow along.

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Microsoft Word™: How do I get Word to stop helping me type?

1.       There are several places to look to turn off Word's various automatic features:

2.       Choose AutoCorrect (or AutoCorrect Options) from the Tools menu, then click on the AutoCorrect tab.

3.       Clear the check boxes for the AutoCorrect items that you want to disable.

4.       Do the same for the AutoFormat As You Type tab.

5.       On the AutoText tab, clear the Show AutoComplete tip check box.

6.       Choose Options from the Tools menu, then click on the tabs and clear any check boxes for features that you want to disable. For example:

7.       Edit tab (Tabs and backspace set left indent).

8.       Spelling & Grammar tab (Check spelling as you type and Check grammar as you type). When these features are on, spelling and grammar that Word does not recognize are underlined with wavy red and green lines.

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Renaming a File

There are three ways to do this:

1. Hold down the Alt key and double-click the file to open the Properties box. Type the new name in the name box.

2. Click the file name once to highlight, click a second time to make it available to change, then type in the new file name.

3. Right-click the file and choose Rename. This will highlight the file name allowing you to type in a new one. (This is what I do, seems the easiest).

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Alphabetize icons in your start menu

Quickly and easily alphabetize the icons in programs on your start menu by right clicking within programs on the start menu and clicking on "Sort by Name".

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Microsoft Word™: How do I change the default document font?

You have a favorite font that you switch to with every new document? Quit it and make it the default font:

1.       Choose Font from the Format menu, then set all of the attributes you want for your default font.

2.       Click the Default button.

3.       Word will inform you that this change will affect all documents based on the Normal template.

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Microsoft Outlook: Add Holidays to your Calendar

By default, Outlook does not display holidays on the calendar. Most people prefer having holidays listed in their calendar for reminders, planning work schedules, deciding upon holidays, and so on. If you want holidays listed, you can add country specific holidays to your calendar.

1.       Open Outlook.

2.       From the tools menu, click Options.

3.       On the Preferences tab, click Calendar Options as shown in the figure.

4.       Click Add Holidays.

5.       Place a check beside the appropriate country/countries.

6.       Click OK.

7.       Click OK to close the Calendar Options dialog box.

8.       Click OK to close the Options dialog box.

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Microsoft Excel™: Point to Value Thresholds in a Cell

You can use conditional formatting to alert you to significant changes in cell values. For example, in a worksheet that tracks students' grades, conditional formatting can draw attention to quiz averages that have fallen below a passing grade of 60 percent. To apply conditional formatting so average values below 60 percent are displayed in red, follow these steps:

1. Select the cells you want to format.

2. Go to Format | Conditional Formatting.

3. Under Condition, choose Cell Value Is.

4. Select Less Than from the first drop-down list, and enter 60% in the text

5. Click Format and change the font color to red.

6. Click OK twice.

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Gizmo Project

Gizmo Project uses your Internet connection (broadband or dial-up) to make calls to other computers. With the click of a mouse, you’re connected to friends, family, and colleagues anywhere on earth. It’s just that simple. You talk clearly. For as long as you want. For free.

http://www.gizmoproject.com/

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WORTHY WEBSITES AND SOFTWARE

Neevia Document Converter eXpress

Neevia Document Converter eXpress makes it possible for anyone to instantly convert their files to PDF or Image without the need of installing special software.

There is a 1 MB file size limitation so make sure you do not upload files that are over this limit.

http://convert.neevia.com/

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Writely

Writely is a free service that allows you to edit and publish documents online, either privately, in collaboration with specific people, or publicly on the Internet.

http://www.writely.com/

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Microsoft Word™ Calendar Template

2005-2006 school year calendar (monthly themes, July-July)

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC100072591033.aspx

also, check out the 2006 photo calendar with graphics (12-pp) at

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC011752321033.aspx

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MailFrontier Field Guide to Fishing (PDF)

With the MailFrontier" Field Guide to Phishing", you ll find clear, concise explanations and visual representations of sneaky, dangerous phish that may find their way to your computer. To help you identify these nasty threats and trust your other incoming mail at the end of this field guide are some suggestions on how you can protect yourself, as well as other phishing resources for more information." This is a must-read!

http://www.mailfrontier.com/docs/field_guide.pdf

Also see http://www.mailfrontier.com/docs/dont_take_the_bait.pdf

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LearnOutLoud.com

LearnOutLoud.com provides audio and video learning. Browse over 9,000 educational audio books, MP3 downloads, podcasts, and DVD videos. This link connects you to the free ones!

http://www.learnoutloud.com/free

This link will take you directly to the self-development category:

http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video/Self-Development

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PC World Guide to Purchasing a Digital Camera

If you're searching for the perfect DIGITAL CAMERA gift, or maybe you want one for yourself, this SUPER GUIDE will leave no question unanswered. Brought to you FREE thanks to DURACELL.

http://www.marketing.pcworld.com/duracell/

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Hide the Annoying Office Assistant

From Degunking Microsoft Office, by Christina Palaia and Wayne Palaia [ISBN: 1-932111-95-6]. 2005, Paraglyph Press.

If you’re stuck with that whacky paper clip as an Office Assistant, you’ll want it to go away and never come back—the thing is just creepy looking with its sly smirks and springy eyes. (You can now choose between nine incarnations, from cheerful Dot to Mother Nature herself.) If you think the animations prove distracting (as we do) and you’d rather use the Help menu when you’ve got a question, you can easily hide the assistant. Just right-click it and choose Hide from the context menu. If you get lonely and want your pal back, on the Help menu, choose Show the Office Assistant.

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Anatomy of Excel Data Analysis: Creating and modifying simple graphs.

Sometimes we take for granted what users know. While Microsoft Excel™ may be familiar to you, if you are on a help desk you will have to explain how the application works to users that fall within a vast range of skill level and knowledge. This series of Excel tutorials can make that training much simpler. This installment of the series shows you how to create and use Excel's built-in graphing functions.

http://techrepublic.com.com/i/tr/downloads/home/lowe_excel-graphs_1.pdf

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Free Web Page Editors

I use Microsoft Frontpage 2003 to do my website development. This program is powerful, relatively easy to use, and much cheaper than its competitors. However, you might want to check out several free alternatives:

– Nvu (http://www.nvu.com)

- Amaya (http://www.w3.org/Amaya/)

- Selida (http://selida.camelon.nl/)

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JUST FOR FUN

Blifaloo

Here you will find a ton of games, jokes, puzzles, free stuff, activities and interesting information to temporarily relieve your boredom.

http://www.blifaloo.com/

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KCRW

An auditory feast featuring a cornucopia of eclectic sounds from bebop to baroque, served up with compelling interviews and live performances from a dazzling array of artists from around the world.

http://www.kcrw.com/music/

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Games for the Brain

Play neverending quiz and memory games to train your thinking skills.

http://www.gamesforthebrain.com/

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Ctrl-Alt-Delete

Curious about how Ctrl-Alt-Delete came into existence? Watch this

short video, and don't miss Bill's reaction:

http://www.bassfiles.net/ctl-alt-del.mov

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HP Activity Center

Fuel your creative side with hundreds of FREE print projects offered by HP.

Also from HP ... Create your family holiday card. Embellish holiday card templates with your favorite family photos. HP Photosmart Essential makes it easy to create and share. Simply drag-and-drop your favorite photos into these wonderful holiday cards. Share the joy of the holidays with your loved ones.

Additional templates or addins at

http://www.hp.com/united-states/pse/plugins.html

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POSTERS

SchoolCounselor.com now carries posters for your office, school, or home that focus on topics or ideas such as diversity, faith/spirituality, inspiration, landscapes, and children http://www.schoolcounselor.com/posters.htm

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SUBSCRIPTION

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PRIVACY POLICY

http://www.schoolcounselor.com/privacy.htm

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