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January 2003
 

E-Mail Hoax
Shark Attacking Soldier Is An E-mail Hoax!

E-Bill Enters Final Testing Stage
Looking For Customers To Participate In Service Trial

Ask The Help Desk
Why Are Some URL Links Within E-mail Messages Not "Clickable?"

Sites Of The Month
Great Sites To Check Out In January!

Short Tutorial
Sending Messages To Groups Of Contacts

  

Hello Scatter Creek InfoNet Subscriber

Happy New Year everyone! We want to take this opportunity to thank each of our customers for choosing us as your connection to the Internet in 2002. We value each and every one of you and thank you for your continued patronage. We look forward to partnering with you in 2003!

The goal of each of our monthly eNewsletters is to keep our subscribers informed regarding their Internet connection and to improve their Internet experience. To meet this goal, each monthly newsletter will usually contain information related to:

  1. Warnings on a recent virus or e-mail hoax that may affect you
  2. An update regarding any new services we are making available
  3. An answer to a frequently asked Internet related question
  4. Some fun, seasonal websites to check out
  5. A short, step-by-step tutorial on an e-mail or browser related task
We think you'll find the information contained in this newsletter to be a valuable tool for enhancing your Internet experience. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE.

To see what's inside this issue, take a look at the index to the left and thanks for reading!

- The Scatter Creek InfoNet Team

E-Mail Hoax - Shark Attacking Soldier Is An E-mail Hoax!

You may have heard about or even seen the e-mail containing a photograph of a soldier being attacked by a leaping shark as the soldier attempts to climb a ladder which leads to the safety of a hovering military helicopter. The background of the photograph shows a section of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

This photograph is a hoax. Here's a version of the text that has been included with the photograph:

  AND YOU THINK YOU'RE HAVING A BAD DAY AT WORK!!

Although this looks like a picture taken from a Hollywood movie, it is in fact a real photo, taken near the South African coast during a military exercise by the British Navy.

It has been nominated by National Geographic as "THE photo of the year."


The photo is actually the digital manipulation of two photographs. The first photo is that of the soldier climbing the ladder of a U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter as it hovers over the San Francisco Bay. The second photograph (the one with a shark jumping out of the water with its sharp teeth looking, well, very sharp) was taken by a photographer at False Bay, South Africa. The creator of this e-mail hoax digitally combined the two pictures and sent it out over the Web. The hoax claims that the photo was nominated by National Geographic as their "Photo of the Year." It wasn't. The hoax also claims the picture was taken off the coast of South Africa but we're not quite sure how the Golden Gate Bridge made it down to South Africa.

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E-Bill Enters Final Testing Stage - Looking For Customers To Participate In Service Trial

Scatter Creek InfoNet is in the final stage of testing a new service called E-Bill. With E-Bill, customers will be able to view and/or pay their bills via the internet. Payment options will include credit card and bank deduct. You will also have the option of not receiving a paper copy of your bill. The testing results have been very positive and we are now ready to do a service trial. If you are interested in trying this new service, please e-mail support@scattercreek.com.

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Ask The Help Desk - Why Are Some URL Links Within E-mail Messages Not "Clickable?"

Question: Sometimes I get e-mail from friends that contain URLs (links to websites) within the message. Most of the time these URLs show up as clickable links. When I click on the underlined link, my Web browser opens up and I am sent off to a website. Sometimes, however, the URLs do not show up within the messages as clickable links. I have to copy the web address and paste it into the address bar of my browser. Why do the URLs not always show up as clickable links?

Answer: In most cases, this has more to do with the e-mail software you are using than the person who sent you the message. Older versions of Netscape Messenger, for instance, won't show a clickable link within a received e-mail message unless the sender types "http://" in front of the web address. Most newer versions of e-mail software will show a clickable link within a received e-mail message as long as the URL looks like a valid web address, regardless of whether it has "http://" in front of it.

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Great Sites To Check Out This Month

What Is Your Ideal Weight?
http://dietitian.com/ibw/ibw.html -  It may be a little too soon after the holidays to find out if you are overweight. This site provides a great "weight calculator" to help you determine your ideal weight range. The calculator takes into account your age, skeletal structure, height, current activity level as well as a host of other factors. You simply enter the data and the calculator provides you with a detailed analysis along with helpful suggestions. Time to hit the stationary bike!

Get Fit By Starting A Running Program
http://runnersworld.com/home/0,1300,2-60-63,00.html -  So, you've decided to do some running to shed those extra holiday pounds, or to just feel more fit? If you are a beginner, or if it's been a while since you've hit the roads, the "NewRunner.com" section of Runner's World Magazine's website is a great place to start. The site includes articles on running form, breathing techniques, motivation, weight loss, shoe selection, the run/walk plan, heart rate training, clothing and training for your first 5K race. Remember to check with your physician before starting any strenuous physical exercise program.

Celebrating 100 Years Of Flight
http://www.centennialofflight.gov/ -  The national "Centennial of Flight: Born of Dreams - Inspired by Freedom" celebration commemorates 100 years of aviation history. It's the 100th anniversary of Orville and Wilbur Wright's historic achievement at Kitty Hawk. Cross-country tours, air shows, seminars and television specials will occur at locations throughout the U.S. in 2003. Check out this site for up-to-date information on celebration activities and links to other sites related to the history of flight.

Know What Movies Are Rated Before Renting Them
http://mpaa.org/movieratings/ -  Are the kids wanting to go rent a movie at the local video store but you aren't sure of the movie's rating, i.e. G, PG, PG-13, R or NC-17? The Motion Picture Association of America provides an extensive database of movies on their website along with corresponding ratings. Simply type in the title of the movie and the rating will appear. The site provides information on movies released since 1968, the first year the current rating system was used.

Why Buy It When You Can Make It?
http://sewing.org -  This site is perfect for anyone interested in sewing, from the person who is just learning to sew to the seasoned seamstress or seamster. Developed by the Home Sewing Association, the site provides dozens of step-by-step sewing lessons. Each month, the website also lists new sewing ideas, provides links to charitable sewing projects and details the latest in sewing tips and trends.

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Short Tutorial - Sending Messages To Groups Of Contacts

Do you find yourself sending messages to the same group of people all of the time? Do you get tired of going through your address book each time to select the individual e-mail addresses of your associates within this group to add to the "To:" field?

Both Outlook Express and Netscape Communicator provide a method of putting e-mail addresses into a "group." You can then select the name of the group and everyone in the group will receive the message without having to type in each individual e-mail address. It's a great shortcut! Here's how to do it:

Using Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0 Client Software via Windows 98

  1. Open Outlook Express.
  2. Click on the "Address Book" button on the Outlook Express tool bar or select "Address Book" from the Tools Drop Down Menu. The Address Book Window should appear listing your contacts in the lower pane of the window.
  3. Click on the "New" button on the Address Book Toolbar and select "New Group" from the drop down menu. The New Group Form should appear.
  4. Type a name for your new group in the Group Name field. Work, Family or Friends are good examples. Don't use a name like "Bozos I Work With" because the name that you use for the group is the name that will show up in the "To" field of the message.
  5. Click your cursor arrow on the "Select Members" button on the right side of the window. A double paned window will appear.
  6. Highlight a name from the listed contacts in the left hand frame and click the "Select" button at the top between the two panes. This will move the highlighted contact into the Group Pane. Repeat until you have all the contacts in your group that you want. Click "OK" when you've finished.
  7. To prevent spammers from harvesting your contacts' e-mail addresses, put the group in the "BCC" field instead of in the "To" field of any new e-mail you wish to send to the group.
Using Netscape Communicator 4.7.x via Windows 98
  1. Open Communicator.
  2. Got to "Communicator" on the Netscape menu bar and drop down to "Address Book." The Address Book Window will open.
  3. Click on the "New List" button and a "Mailing List" window will open.
  4. Click in the "List Name" field and give the mailing list a name. Be careful to use a name that won't embarrass you or your contacts. The name will show up in the "To" field of the e-mail you send them.
  5. Type in the addresses of the contacts you want to include in this mailing list or drag them over to the mailing list from the list of contacts in the Address Book.
  6. When you have the contacts in the list that you desire, click "OK."
  7. To prevent spammers from harvesting your contacts' email addresses, put the group in the "BCC" field instead of in the "To" field of any new e-mail you wish to send to the group.
These basic principles will work for most email client software (although the exact steps will vary) for both Windows and Macintosh.

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We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted on the happenings at our shop. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE.

Thanks for your business!

Best regards,

All of Us at Scatter Creek InfoNet



©2003 Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.

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