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TECHNOLOGIES THAT provide us with the greatest benefits often also expose us to great risks. In the case of the Internet, the risk is to your privacy, your files, your […]

ABOUT FIVE minutes away from home, you voice-activate your VoIP-based mobile phone, set your house's thermostat to a comfy 68 degrees, and preheat the oven. As you pull into the […]

Discusses Web sites designed specifically for Internet users with broadband Internet service. Features of the Web sites; Sites which offer news and entertainment, films, art and animation; Media player programs needed to view features on the sites; Advertising on the sites.

The article reviews the SeaMonkey Internet browser and messenger program from Mozilla.org.

Provides information on Grisoft's free AVG 6 Anti-Virus System, which is available on the Internet. Use of the software to detect viruses in a computer system.

Provides information on the computer security questions posed by high-speed Internet access connections. Reason that high-speed connections are more susceptible to attacks by computer hackers; Availability of services which test a computer's security at the web site of Gibson Research; Software firewall programs from companies such as BlackICE and Symantec which guard against hacker intrusions.

The article offers the 13 ways to simply E-mail management tasks in Microsoft Outlook 2003, Outlook Express 6 and Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5. Most E-mail programs automatically delete messages from the mail server after the users download them to the computer. This means that users do not see all their messages together if they use several different systems to check for mail. To keep the inbox synchronizes, users should set the mail program on each computer they use to leave the messages on the server. It is noted that E-mail signatures are the extra text added automatically at the end of the messages to identify the sender.

Trying to make Windows more secure, Microsoft released Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) in 2003, and Service Pack 2 (SP2) in 2004. Whereas SP1 focused on remedying antitrust violations with bundled Windows utilities, almost all of SP2 is devoted to beefing up Internet security. SP2 does not thoroughly shield one from attacks, but it is definitely worth installing for its firewall improvements, Internet Explorer pop-up blocking, and security-configuration changes. Once one has installed it, he will probably want to tweak some of the SP2 new settings and to know where, the reinforced operating system remains vulnerable. The most noticeable change to Windows XP is its introduction of a new Security Center Control Panel applet. Security Center itself does not do much, but it provides a single location where one can view the status of the Windows Firewall and of Window's Automatic Updates service. If any of these three key security tools has been disabled or is less than fully functional, Security Center changes their corresponding status lights from green to either red or amber. The program also displays a warning icon in the system tray. An amber light signifies a service that is only partly enabled, or that a third-party product handles. INSET: Security Must-Haves.

Presents a guide for the productive use of instant messaging (IM) services and software. Features of several IM services on the Internet; Cost of the subscription to MSN chat service; Ways by which a person can protect his or her privacy and security while using IM services. INSET: Instant Messaging Smorgasbord.

This article offers tips on how computer users can remain firmly in charge of determining which browser Windows opens by default. Windows comes with Internet Explorer (IE) set as the default Web browser. Whenever a user clicks a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) link, whether it's in a document, an e-mail message, or an instant message, Windows uses IE by default to load and display the linked Web page. For security or for any number of other reasons, users may decide to install a different browser and make it the default. Depending on the system's configuration, however, installing a new browser may not automatically set it as the default. Users can change their default browser in Windows XP (with Service Pack 2) to the latest version of any of the four leading alternative browser by following these steps. If a user wants to make the browser Firefox 1.0 Preview Release as their default, they should choose Tools-Options, select the General icon in the left panel, click the Check Now button in the Default Browser section, and choose Yes when Firefox asks whether a user would like to make it the default browser. If a user wishes to be alerted anytime another browser attempts to set itself as the default, they must select Firefox should check to see if it is the default browser when starting, and click OK. INSET: KEEP ALL YOUR BROWSER SHORTCUTS CLOSE AT HAND.

This article provides information on Internet services that offer free downloads of books, music and films. The Internet Archive pulls together several long-standing, independent electronic book libraries, including the Million Book Project and Project Gutenberg. Ibiblio.com's Ebooks collection features technical and historical works, and the Digital Book Index lists 90,000 titles. Most e-books reside in the public domain, though a small number of contemporary volumes have been released by their authors under the Creative Commons license. Alternative country-rock band Wilco offered for a limited time its album, A Ghost Is Born, as a free download through Apple's ITunes. Many more bands allow their fans to tape, digitize, and distribute their live shows online. The Internet Archive's Live Music Archive offers thousands of high-quality live recordings of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Cowboy Junkies, Little Feat and Grateful Dead. Most of these shows are encoded in one of two lossless file-compression formats: Free Lossless Audio Codec or Shorten. Unlike MP3 files, lossless formats lose none of their original recording quality when compressed. Compared with the selection of books and music, free film downloads are a bit slim. Nevertheless, the Internet Archive's Movie Archive offers various films and videos in MPEG format. INSET: FREE-MEDIA TOOLBOX.

Focuses on SpamBayes, an anti-spam program that can be downloaded in the Internet. Antispam method of the program; Features of the program; Information on other antispam programs. INSET: FREE POWERPOINT VIEWER.

Provides tips on how to delete private information from internet folders. Options in covering internet tracks; Application of the computer program Paranoia tab of Tweak UI 1.33. INSET: EASY WORD VIRUS SAFETY.

Offers advice on using the Internet. Ways to share files through Web sites; How to query an Internet time server.

The article offers ideas on protecting a personal computer (PC) from Internet-borne attacks. Users should keep Windows and all other software updated, use a safe browser, and make sure the antivirus software is properly configured, regularly updated and certified effective. One also need a bidirectional firewall program, as well as at least one anti-spyware program. Because it is easy to forget to update a software, many programs include an automatic-update mechanism. To enable automatic updates in Windows XP with Service Pack 2, right-click My Computer, click Properties-Automatic, set a time for the updates, and click Ok. Most antivirus programs also update automatically--all one have to do is provide an Internet connection and keep automatic updates enabled in the program. A virus, worm, or Trojan horse can enter a PC in several different ways, but e-mail is the most common means of infection. To avoid ActiveX dangers, install an Internet Explorer alternative--it would not be vulnerable to ActiveX attacks--and set it as a default browser. Firewalls keep the bad guys out of a computer by shutting the thousands of doorways the machine opens through one's Internet connection. Windows XP's firewall monitors only inbound connections, offering no protection from malware already on a PC.

This article presents tips on using the Internet and avoiding e-mail attacks. According to the author, it is advisable to assume any message as malicious. Next, use a new found paranoia to examine messages critically. Even messages that appear to come from firms where a user has an account, may not be real. Before clicking a link or taking any action requested in a message, determine for certain that the message is genuine. Return addresses, embedded links, and images can deceive. Look for dire warnings and other classic con techniques, undoubtedly accompanied by a link to a bogus Web site where the user will be asked to enter personal information. As a clue, the phishing message may be delivered to an e-mail address that the user don't use with that company or institution. The author emphasized that if a user get a message at an address he or she never registered with, the e-mail is fake. Intuition and a suspicious nature are a good start, but to separate real messages from bogus ones, the user also need to decipher their Web addresses. Another clue is the string of numbers following the URL prefix http://. It should be remembered that every Web site resides at a specific Internet Protocol address. INSET: Nvu Brings Free Web Authoring to the Firefox Browser.