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Have you been
looking for a
helpful site for
Microsoft Office
Tips & Tricks?
These sites have a
searchable tips
database, as well as
the ability to sign
up for daily tips
via e-mail or RSS
Feed.
Excel Tips:
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For Your Amusement
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"A computer lets you
make more mistakes
faster than any
invention in human
history - with the
possible exceptions of
handguns and tequila."
-Mitch Ratcliffe
"Home computers are
being called upon to
perform many new
functions, including the
consumption of homework
formerly eaten by the
dog. "
-Doug Larson
"640K ought to be
enough for anybody."
-Microsoft Chairman
Bill Gates, 1981
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Did You Know? |
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For those of you who are
frustrated with
receiving emails with
defanged
attachments, here is an
easy tip to solve the
problem. Just save the
attachment, then rename
it by deleting the
defanged part.
For example, change
testfile.DEFANGED12345-doc
to testfile.doc by
removing the
"DEFANGED12345-" part.
You will notice that as
soon as you do this, the
icon will return to what
it should be. |
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Isn't
E-mail "Instant"? And
Why Do I Still Get Spam? |
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In our
February newsletter we
gave you an overview of
how a network works on a
very basic level.
To further your
knowledge, this month we
will explain how e-mail
works, so
that you can better
understand why it isn't
necessarily "instant"
delivery.
When
you connect to the
Internet and open
your e-mail
software, be it
Outlook, Outlook
Express, or even a
web interface, the
same basic processes
happen. You compose
your e-mail, put in
your addresses, and
click send. But
what happens then?
As soon as you click
send, your software
or website connects
to the mail server
that it is
configured to send
e-mail from and
hands it off.
As
the server takes the
hand off, it scans
the e-mail for
viruses and checks
your address and the
content of the
e-mail against its
spam filters. Once
assured that the
e-mail is safe it
checks the recipient
address domain (johndoe@domainname.com)
to find out where it
is supposed to send
the e-mail. Once it
knows where the
e-mail is going, it
then places it in an
outbound queue to
that domain.
Unfortunately, it
may not be a
one-stop trip, as
there are hundreds
of servers and
routers needed to
reach geographically
disparate places.
Upon
arrival at the
recipient's server,
the e-mail is again
scanned for viruses
and checked against
spam filters to
ensure it is safe.
Once that has been
determined, it
is delivered to the
recipient's mailbox.
With
such a detailed
process, how then do
we get so much
spam? Programs
called bots and
mailer-daemons
existwhose entire
purpose is to send
out unsolicited
e-mail to any e-mail
address they can
find. They often do
so by disguising
e-mails to look like
they came from a
safe e-mail
address. For
example, have you
ever gotten an
e-mail addressed to
you from yourself?
Or perhaps a "System
Undeliverable"
message from someone
you never sent
e-mail to? That's
e-mail address
spoofing, and it is
quite popular among
spammers.
Additionally, the
spam filters
provided by Service
Providers, while
good, can only be so
tight, otherwise
they would report
too many false
positives and you
would miss many
legitimate e-mails.
To
help your own
personal amount of
spam, there is
anti-spam software
that integrates with
various e-mail
programs to help you
better control the
spam being
delivered. Programs
such as CA Anti-Spam
further filter what
makes it through
your service
provider so that
only legitimate
e-mail makes it into
your inbox...the
rest is placed in a
spam folder and
automatically
deleted 30 days
after receipt.
There
are also options for
businesses that host
their e-mail
internally, such as
a Barracuda Networks
hardware spam
firewall, or a
subscription service
such as Postini.
Both filter your
e-mail by
redirection before
it even gets to your
server.
For
more information on
spam filtering for
your business or
home, please feel
free to
contact us.
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Helpful Links
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We occasionally like to
bring you links
to helpful websites and
gadgets that you may
find useful. Below is a
list of some of our
current favorites.
-
Logitech IO™ digital
pen
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Delicious and
Stumbleupon -
social bookmarking
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Spacetime - 3D
searching and
browsing
-
Process Scanner
- free download lets
you search for and
identify all the
processes that
should, or should
not, be running on
your computer
- First ever
rechargeable backlit
keyboard -
Microsoft Wireless
Entertainment
Desktop 8000 -
wireless keyboard &
mouse with 4 USB
ports, 2.4GHz
Bluetooth, Battery
Status Indicator.
-
Ccleaner.com -
freeware for
registry cleaning
and computer cleanup
- Help files for
many software
applications do not
work on Vista
computers because
Microsoft
discontinued use of
Winhelp. If you
have this problem,
try
HelpExplorer -
there is a free
single user edition
that allows you to
view your old help
files.
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Bugmenot.com -
allows you to access
websites without
compulsory website
registration
- Share
screenshots or
screencasts
www.jingproject.com
- Resize any
window to predefined
size with free
download called
Sizer
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Browsershots.org
- see how your
website looks in
various web
browsers.
- Wireless
headsets -
Plantronics CS70
for landlines
- New technology
for mobile wireless
headsets -
jawbone technology
has noise
cancellation for
background noise -
separates your
speech from other
sound nearby. Also
enhances incoming
audio and adjusts
dynamically.
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Spotlight On: Erick
Anderson
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 Automated
Horizons wants you
to know more about
the consultants you
are working with.
To that end, we have
initiated a
"Spotlight On"
segment, which we
hope will help you
get to know each of
our staff a little
better. This month's
profile is on Erick
Anderson.
Erick leads our
Network Engineering
team. He handles
network design and
troubleshooting, web
server design and
installation,
hardware
troubleshooting, and
just about
everything else.
Unlike many computer
geeks, Erick is able
to effectively
communicate with
clients regarding
their technical
needs, aside from
the occasional
Spanglish that he
uses.
Erick, a native of
Puerto Rico,
has nine years
of computer
networking
experience. He
worked as a
Technician in San
Juan for 2 years and
completed one year
of civil engineering
studies at the
Universidad
Politécnica de San
Juan, before moving
to Virginia in 1998.
He received his
Associate of Applied
Science in Computer
Networking two years
later and began work
as the Manager of
Information Systems
for a medium-sized
manufacturing
company in Roanoke.
Erick joined the
Automated Horizons
team in May of 2002
as a Network
Engineer, and we
haven't had a dull
moment since!
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