This is what the COOLSITES Toolbar looks like. Click here for more info:
http://luem42.com/toolbar.html Click here to get it:
http://luem42.OurToolbar.com
I have published the January 18 2008 COOLSITES Newsletter #148 by Mark Donaldson.
The following is an excerpt from this weeks newsletter. To see the full newsletter with all of the COOLSITES links please click and bookmark this link:
http://luem42.googlepages.com/coolsites.html and check it each week. Thank you. Mark.
January 18 2008 COOLSITES Newsletter #148 by Mark Donaldson
Either no one noticed or no one thought to remind me that the first three newsletters of 2008 were titled as 2007. I have since changed the online copies. Mark.
Due to a problem with Gmail you may not have received the last few newsletters. I hope you receive it this week. If you didn't than see it online Saturday at:
http://luem42.googlepages.com/coolsites.html
Semper Gratis (forever free)
Wherever you go if you see the user name LUEM42 that's me
COOLSITES is a list of safe, fun, useful, informative and just plain cool websites and programs that are FREE, FREE and FREE. All of the programs and websites I list are free. If I list anything that is so good but isn't free I will list the price with it.
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Pirillo's Picks for February 13 2007
"And if you think that's a lot of links, you should see how many
http://luem42.com/ collects every day. It's enough to make you wanna never leave the house again as long as you live" Yours Digitally, Chris Pirillo
http://chris.pirillo.com/
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Clif Notes Newsletter, Feb 2007
http://freewarewiki.com/ClifNotes
"The COOLSITES Newsletter - find the coolest links here. This fella named Mark Donaldson has been sending out his lists of cool sites since 2003. I'd never heard of him before last week. One day I was Googling myself to see who was posting links to my newsletter, and I found his website. I guess he's mentioned my newsletter at least 3 times. I like the COOLSITES website too, but I think it could use some reformatting to make it a bit easier to read. What I really like is the content there. Mark must really read a lot of stuff on the web and he takes the best links then tells you about them."
http://freewarewiki.com/CoolSitesNewsletter
I have not received a notice of this weeks newsletter from Cliff and there is not one online. I hope everything is all right. Mark.
Latest Newsletter
http://freewarewiki.com/ClifNotesNewsletter080106
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Security News
"Websense(R) Security Labs(TM) has received reports and confirmed that the Storm worm has once again switched lure tactics. The worm has now adopted a Valentine's Day twist in its attempts to infect users with malicious code. For more details on how we protect against Storm attacks, see
http://www.websense.com/securitylabs/blog/blog.php?BlogID=141.
As with previous Storm emails, various subjects and bodies will be used.
For additional details and information on how to detect and prevent this type of attack:
http://www.websensesecuritylabs.com/alerts/alert.php?AlertID=838 "
"National Cyber Alert System Cyber Security Alert SA08-016A Apple QuickTime Updates for Multiple Vulnerabilities Original release date: January 16, 2008 Source: US-CERT Systems Affected * Apple Mac OS X running versions of QuickTime prior to 7.4 * Microsoft Windows running versions of QuickTime prior to 7.4 Overview Apple has released Apple QuickTime 7.4 to correct several vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to gain access to your computer. Solution: Upgrade QuickTime. OS X users should use the Mac OS X Software Update feature to download and install Apple QuickTime 7.4. Consider scheduling Software Update to check for updates automatically (this option is enabled by default). Microsoft Windows users should upgrade to Apple QuickTime 7.4. Description: QuickTime prior to version 7.4 has multiple image and media file handling vulnerabilities that could allow an attacker to run malicious programs on your computer. This could happen by visiting a malicious web site. Upgrading to Apple QuickTime version 7.4 will correct these vulnerabilities. Note that Apple iTunes installs QuickTime, so any system with iTunes is vulnerable. For more technical information, see
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA08-016A.html "
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Security Links
10 Free Online Malware and Virus Scanners - MakeUseOf.com:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-free-online-malware-and-virus-scanners/
10 Tips- Fix credit-report errors - 10 Tips- msnbc.com:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22567255/
Another Quicktime RTSP flaw announced:
http://ct.cnet-ssa.cnet.com/clicks?t=41864847-be56918137808c8d29d61779...633af-b
Apple's first security patches of 2008 fix iPhone, QuickTime:
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/15/Apples-first-security-patche...f-2008-
Here come the HTTP bots:
http://ct.cnet-ssa.cnet.com/clicks?t=41864829-be56918137808c8d29d61779...633af-b
Identity Cloning- Attack of the Identity Clones. Scambusters.org:
http://www.scambusters.org/identitycloning.html
MBR Rootkit targets Windows users:
http://ct.cnet-ssa.cnet.com/clicks?t=41864851-be56918137808c8d29d61779...633af-b
Protect your smartphone from viruses. Kim's Tips:
http://komando.com/tips/index.aspx?id=4337
Update. Comodo Firewall Pro 3.0.15.277 Free Firewall Software Download:
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/
Update. Sandboxie 3.22 run programs in a sandbox:
http://www.sandboxie.com/
Update. Spyware Terminator 2.1.0.285 Beta Free spyware removal and spyware protection - Spyware Terminator:
http://www.spywareterminator.com/
Vulnerability Turns MS Excel Into Open Door for Hackers:
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Vulnerability-Turns-MS-Excel-Into-O...-Door-f
Why are criminals still exploiting an 18-month old patched vulnerability-:
http://ct.cnet-ssa.cnet.com/clicks?t=41864849-be56918137808c8d29d61779...633af-b
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From: Call 4 Action- Top 10 Rip-Offs Of 2007 - Pittsburgh News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh:
If one of your New Year's resolutions is to stop wasting money, Consumer Reports recommends starting with some of the regular products you buy.
The publication has released its Top 10 rip-offs for everyday items.
Although rip-off No. 10 has caused a few health scares, that's not why Consumer Reports recommends you toss bagged salad for good in 2008.
The publication said consumers are paying way too much for salad greens that don't stay fresh for very long.
Rip-off No. 9 are those cheap monthly plans the wireless companies offer. With all of the fees, Consumer Reports said, they cost 30 percent more than advertised.
The No. 8 rip-off is the toothpaste that claims to whiten your teeth. None of the special brands Consumer Reports tested works any better than the normal stuff.
Rip-off No. 7 is the automatic shower cleaner advertised on TV. The only thing it cleans, according to the magazine, is your wallet.
Expensive car batteries come in at No. 6. Apparently, they don't work much better than the cheaper ones.
Rip-off No. 5, are the quick stain remover sticks. According to Consumer Reports, the stains usually stay.
Gift cards from banks come in at No. 4. Unlike the ones issued by individual stores, bank gift cards often expire quickly and come with hidden fees.
Rip-off No. 3 is "wild salmon" fillets. Consumer Reports said "wild" salmon is out of season in the winter, meaning the stuff in the stores is often farm-raised.
Expensive packaging, like the no-waste squeeze bottles for condiments, comes in at No. 2. Evidently, you get more out of a jar.
And Consumer Reports' No. 1 rip-off are shrinking cereal boxes. Companies like Kellogg's are decreasing the box size but not the prices.
One more note if you like using fancy razors. Consumer Reports also tested Gillette's new, five-blade fusion razor and found that it doesn't work much better than the older one.
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/14953738/detail.html?rss=pit&...;psp=ne
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From: Mouse Print. DTV Coupons The Consumer Catch-22:
http://www.mouseprint.org/
For the next year, you will hear repeated public service messages about analog television service being elminated on February 17, 2009. It will be replaced by digital TV service (DTV), and all TV stations will only broadcast in digital format. The problem: what if you only have an old-fashioned TV? Will it go black a year from now?
Easy answer: it might if you get your signal using rabbit ears or an old-fashioned antenna. The solution: get a digital converter box that will take the new digital signals and convert them back to analog. To help with the expense of buying these boxes, Uncle Sam has set up a coupon program to offer each household up to two $40 coupons toward the purchase of digital TV converter boxes.
*MOUSE PRINT: Some key facts are buried in the fine print or not well disclosed, including:
1. You cannot combine the coupons toward the purchase of a single box (each will cost between $50 and $70 approximately).
2. The coupons expire 90 days from their mailing to you, and expired coupons will not be replaced.
3. There are only 22.5 million coupons unless Congress authorizes 11.25 million more.
4. While some boxes have already been approved, more are expected.
5. Many if not most retailers do not have the boxes in stock yet.
Translation: The consumer has a dilemna. The coupons are available now, but the boxes are not. If you order your coupons now, the 90 day clock will begin to run on them when mailed, but you will likely have fewer choices of boxes and brands. If you wait for a better choice of boxes, all the coupons might be gone. And, initially, boxes are not likely to be on sale. Later in the year competition will likely be more stiff, and prices may drop low enough for the coupon to cover nearly the full cost.
Ideally, the coupons should have had no expiration, so the sharp consumer could order them now, but have time to choose more wisely from a fuller selection of converter boxes when they become available.
The trick is to get a coupon as late in the program as possible without the supply having already been exhausted. No easy task.
For more information on the details of the coupon program, including an application form, visit
https://www.dtv2009.gov
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Windows Secrets Newsletter • Issue 137 • 2008-01-17
The following topics appear in the free version
TOP STORY MSN drops parental controls for paying customers
E-mail and IM blocking features lost in MSN
Microsoft's paid services do carry advertising
KNOWN ISSUES Get still more built-in performance tools
Get a pre-fab aggregation of XP system tools
Find computer management tools in My Computer
Some great MS utilities that aren't in Windows
WACKY WEB WEEK A modern-day love story
http://WindowsSecrets.com/comp/080117
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From: TOURBUS Volume 13, Number 17 -- 10 Jan 2008
"I've been a huge fan of Lavasoft's free Ad-Aware for the past three years and have strongly recommended that you download, install, and use the program frequently. Ad-Aware is a program that scans for, and removes spyware and malware from, your Windows-based computer. In his most recent Washington Post Security Fix blog entry [see
http://tinyurl.com/3y75ul ], Brian Krebs points out something that I forgot to mention earlier: It's time to upgrade from Ad-Aware SE to Ad-Aware 2007. Why? Lavasoft stopped shipping updates for Ad-Aware SE on December 31. Yikes. Fortunately, the upgrade process is relatively painless. Just download the free Lavasoft Ad-Aware 2007 at
http://tinyurl.com/3xsz48, install it, and ... well ... that's it. The installer removes the old version and installs the new version. That's the good news. The bad news is that if you're still running Windows 95, 98, or 98SE, or ME, you're kind of stuck. Your old version no longer works, and the new version only works on Windows 2000, 2003, XP, or Vista. Fortunately, Spybot Search & Destroy--available for free at
http://tinyurl.com/yrwy2 --still works with legacy versions of Windows."
If you have 98, like me, you can still use the old version you just can't update it's scan list. Mark.
http://www.InternetTourbus.com
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COOLSITES 91 cool links
I harvest what I believe to be the best links from the best sources that are safe, fun, informative, useful and just plain cool. I categorize them and edit their descriptions for clarity.
To see the full newsletter with all of the COOLSITES links please click and bookmark this link:
http://luem42.googlepages.com/coolsites.html and check it each week. Thank you. Mark.
General