INews Newsletter - Oct 25, 2002
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* * * I N e w s * * *
A publication of Internet Nebraska, composed and distributed by
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Volume 5, Number 6 October 25, 2002
Welcome to another issue of INews. This newsletter communicates service
bulletins, announcements, and other useful information to our customers.
Please let us know what you think of it. Archives of INews are located at
http://www.inebraska.com/inews
In this issue: Bugbear Virus Alert
Reading and Using Newsgroups
Halloween on the Internet
New Technologies Buzz
Reminder from the Bean counters
Mr. Internet
*** Bugbear Virus Alert ***
Do you use Microsoft's Outlook Express email client to check your email, or
use Internet Explorer version 5.5 or 5.01 to browse web pages? Do you run
file sharing programs such as Bearshare or WinMX, or have a shared drive on
your system?
If you answered "yes" to any of the preceding questions, then you may be
particularly vulnerable to a new and aggressive virus that has been
spreading like wildfire through email systems worldwide. This new virus is
known as "Bugbear" and sometimes "Tanatos". Merely running anti-virus
software may not be enough to keep your computer safe from infection, since
the virus attempts to terminate firewall and virus-scanning software,
including the powerful Norton Antivirus utility.
If you think you may be infected, don't hesitate to scan your system.
Symantec's Antivirus Response Center, or SARC, has an excellent utility to
detect and remove the virus at the following URL:
http://sarc.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.bugbear@mm.html
The virus-laden file is relatively easy to spot, since the size of the file
is always 50,688 bytes, and it is usually the only message attached to its
email. Of course, scanning your computer's files is not enough to prevent
infection in the first place. Bugbear can enter your system through files
downloaded by way of your browser, infected email messages, or from
networked drives.
Users with virus detection and removal software will want to update their
software, as well as install the latest Internet Explorer patches to cover
holes in Internet security. Now is also a great time to consider
additional protection from email viruses. Internet Nebraska offers Postini
MailFilter at the cost of one dollar per month to scan all messages coming
from outside of the Internet Nebraska network. Not only does Postini catch
viruses, it will also reduce the volume of junk email coming into your
inbox. If you would like more information about Postini MailFilter, please
check out the following URL: http://www.inebraska.com/postini/
Please take special notice of the fact that Bugbear can send messages you
keep privately stored on your computer and re-send them to random
addresses, potentially putting much private information at immediate risk.
Additionally, infected messages may be masked as having been sent from
someone other than the true sender, since Bugbear uses its own mail-sending
software to propagate.
*** Reading and Using Newsgroups ***
Reading news is one of those value-added goodies we find many IN customers
don't know about. We're not talking about CNN here; we're talking about
tens of thousands of hobby groups where folks post messages for each other
on subjects ranging from ancient history to this week's Sopranos episode.
If people are interesting in a topic, there's probably a news group for
it.
Usenet news first came into existence in 1979 to provide a forum in which
people could exchange information about the UNIX operating system. It
started with just two discussion forums on computers located at the
University of North Carolina and Duke University. It really took off in
1986 with the advent of NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol). NNTP
allowed people to read and post news without actually running a news
server. Before NNTP, one had to have an actual news server running to read
and post news. Currently, there are tens of thousands of newsgroups, each
devoted to a different topic.
The first step to reading news is to acquire a news reader. In most cases
the mail program that you are using (Outlook Express and Netscape
Messenger) already have news readers built into them. This article will
explain how to configure these programs to read news from the news server
that is provided with your Internet Nebraska account.
Configuring Outlook Express to read news:
To configure Outlook Express for news,
1. Pull down the Tools menu.
2. Choose 'Accounts'.
3. From the 'Internet Accounts' window, click the 'Add' button,
then click the 'News' option.
4. It will then ask you for your name. Note that you do not have to
put your real name here, you can put in anything that you like.
5. It will then ask for your email address. When putting in your
email address, you may want to modify it a bit to protect it
from spam robots. For example, you might want to enter
@nospam.inebraska.com.
6. Enter the NNTP server as news.inebraska.com.
Do NOT check the service requires authentication box below.
7. Click Next and then Finish.
Once you have closed the Internet Accounts window, it should ask you if you
would like to download newsgroups, tell it 'Yes'. This may take a few
minutes depending on the speed of your connection. Once the list has
appeared, you can scroll through and highlight groups you are interested in
reading. After you have all the groups you want highlighted, click on
'Subscribe". You can also filter newsgroups by entering words in the box
labeled 'Display newsgroups which contain:'. For example, by typing "unl"
in that box, it should bring up the newsgroup "nebr.sports.unl". When
you've added all the newsgroups you want to join, they should appear on the
left with your mail folders. Simply click on them to open them up and
happy news reading!
Configuring Netscape Messenger:
To configure Netscape Messenger to receive newsgroups,
1. Open Messenger.
2. Pull down the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
3. Click the 'Add Account' button.
4. Select the 'Newsgroup account' option.
5. Enter a name and email address. You do not have to use your real
name or address. When putting in your email address, you may want to
modify it a bit to protect it from spam robots. For example, enter
@nospam.inebraska.com.
6. Enter the news server, news.inebraska.com, then click on Next.
7. Click Finish, and then OK.
Now that you are back to the main Messenger screen, you will want to click
on the news.inebraska.com account that appeared beneath your folder list on
the left. Once you have clicked on it, you will want to select the
'Subscribe to newsgroups' option. The interface here allows you to filter
your search results and add newsgroups by clicking on 'Subscribe'. Once
you have selected the newsgroups to add, click 'OK' to be brought back to
the main screen. All the newsgroups you have selected should appear on the
left below your mail folders. Simply click on the name of the newsgroup to
download messages.
Newsgroups are like email in the fact that you can read and compose new
messages, as well as reply, forward, and attach files to your posts. The
best way to get started with newsgroups is to subscribe to a few and hop
right in and start reading. Available news readers are by no means limited
to just Outlook Express and Netscape Messenger (although they are normally
in place on your computer). There are plenty of news readers available for
download on the Internet and there are news readers like "tin" available to
users who use the shell access provided with your Internet Nebraska
account.
As with most of the Internet, certain newsgroups are rife with questionable
material. Please exercise discretion when browsing them.
Links and Sources:
RFC 977: Network News Transfer Protocol
(http:/www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc977.html)
Usenet Software: History and Sources
(http://www.faqs.org/usenet/software/part1)
Outlook Express 6 (http://www.microsoft.com/ie)
Netscape 7.0 (http://www.netscape.com)
Download.com's News readers Section:
(http://download.com.com/3150-2164-0.html?tag=dir)
*** Halloween Fun on the Internet ***
Halloween Costume Ideas
Halloween is quickly approaching and soon there will be ghosts and goblins,
witches, and vampires coming to a house near you. If you are like many
parents searching for a Halloween costume idea for you or your children, or
even looking to buy Halloween accessories, then you will be interested in
the many novelty web sites that cater to your needs. Nearly all of the
major Halloween novelty sites offer a wide selection, convenient payment
options (some even offer PayPal -http://www.paypal.com), and speedy
shipping to ensure your gift or costume arrives before October 31.
If you are looking for a costume for yourself or the kids, then Halloween
Mart might be the place for you. They have a wide variety of costumes for
just about every member of the family - babies to adults - and a large
selection of Halloween decorations. For more information and product
listings, click on the link below.
http://www.halloweenmart.com/
Halloween Gifts.com has a huge selection personalized clothing, as well as
Halloween gifts for just about everyone. Check them out at:
http://www.halloweengifts.com/
Maybe you are looking for that perfect costume, but don't want to spend
much money on it. My Simon.com (http://www.mysimon.com) has a special
section this time of year for all the bargain hunters out there looking for
a good deal on Halloween apparel. They've put together a list of vendors
who may have a lower price on the costume you've had your eye on. My
Simon.com allows you to view the various online retailers and helps you
decide what costume you want at the price you're willing to pay.
http://www.mysimon.com/guide/index.jhtml?&cid=halloween
*** Integrated Computer Systems - Advertisement ***
ICS, an A+ Authorized Service Center serving western
Nebraska for over 14 years, is ready with over 40 years
of combined experience to professionally and expertly meet
your computer needs. From large networks to stand alone
PC's, ICS proudly offers their knowledge and expertise to
work for you. Whether it be Windows (95, 98, 2000, NT, ME),
Novell or Unix, new installations, trouble shooting,
networking, print sharing or repair, ICS will be there to
assist you or your personnel on arriving at the best
possible solution to fulfill your needs.
Located in North Platte, Integrated Computer Systems serves
over a 100-mile radius reaching communities such as Kearney,
Valentine, Thedford, Mullen, Sidney, Ogallala, McCook, Grant,
Imperial, Gothenburg, Lexington, Chappell, Sutherland, and
Hershey, to just name a few. So give us a call at 534-1500,
toll free 800-400-1527, or stop in and see us at 101 South
Chestnut.
*** Schaefer's TV & Appliance Center - Advertisement ***
Schaefer's is an independently owned and
operated television, appliance, and home
theater retailer in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Born out of a small corner drugstore four
decades ago, Schaefer's TV & Appliance is a
22,000 square-foot "superstore" today,
specializing in commercial/professional-grade
appliances, whole house sound systems, home
theater and central vacuum systems. The
Born out of a small corner drugstore four
decades ago, Schaefer's TV & Appliance is a
22,000 square-foot "superstore" today,
specializing in commercial/professional-grade
appliances, whole house sound systems, home
theater and central vacuum systems. The
success of Schaefer's is key to repeat
business. If a customer happens to have a
problem with a product, Schaefer's will bend
over backwards to get it solved. Our service
center is the largest in the city, and has been
voted Lincoln's #1 servicer for 10 years in a
row! A knowledgeable sales staff, express
delivery, easy financing, and our customer
service representatives are just a few of the
ways in which we at Schaefer's distinguish
ourselves from the rest. Stop by our showroom
at 48th and R in Lincoln, or call us at
and see for yourself.
-- http://www.schaeferstv.com/index2.htm
*** New Technology Just in Time for the Holidays ***
If you want to push graphics to the limit for the newest online games being
released for the holidays and spring, you definitely want to check out
ATI's new Radeon 9700. It is currently the highest performing card on the
market, but comes with a hefty price tag of $399. If you want to play
Everquest 2 or Star Wars Galaxies, and your video card is much more than a
year old, you're going to need a new one. The Radeon does more than give
you the best gaming performance. It also has support for multiple monitors
and provides the best video playback available. A warning though: the chip
is made with over 100 million transistors which means heavy power
consumption. Be sure that you have a good power supply before purchasing
this card. For reviews comparing the ATI 9700 Pro to Nvidia's GeForce 4
line, visit a hardware website such as http://www.tomshardware.com or
http://www.extremetech.com .
On November 15, Microsoft will launch its Xbox Live service. It is a
subscription-based gaming service that costs $49.95 for a 1-year
subscription. All you have to do is connect your Xbox to your broadband
connection and put in any of the new Xbox Live games that you want to
play. Games that will be available include Halo 2, Phantasy Star Online,
and NBA2K3. You will also be able to download exclusive content and
add-ons for games to your Xbox hard drive.
For more information go to http://xbox.ign.com/live.html
There are plenty of new computer technologies that are going to be
available for purchase this Christmas. If you are in the market for a new
computer or to upgrade your current one, be sure to check out the website
http://www.gotapex.com. There you'll find a database of special offers
from many brand names such as Dell and Crucial. It's updated daily, so be
sure to check it often if you're looking for something. Gotapex finds some
really nice deals and posts coupon codes that sometimes allow you to save
up to 25% on of a new computer. Gotapex does not sell anything themselves,
but provides links to different online stores for you to visit.
*** The Capital Soccer Association - Advertisement ***
Capital Soccer Association specializes in
teaching soccer. However we recognize that
soccer, or any other youth sport is merely
one tool in the development of a young
child. Teamwork and sportsmanship through
knowledge and proficiency of the game are
our main goals.
-- http://www.capitalsoccer.com/
*** Accounts Department Helpful Hint . . . ***
Now is a great time to sign up for DSL! At $9.95 a month for 6 months,
this price can't be beat. Combine that with the promotions available from
Alltel and Qwest, and DSL makes a great early holiday gift. For full
details, see our DSL promotions listed on our homepage at
http://www.inebraska.com .
*** Mr. Internet ***
Q: I have your MailAgent, and it does a great job of blocking the
spam. However, when one of my friends gets a virus, I get lots of
virus-infected emails from them. Is there anything I can do to
stop this?
Answer: Yes, we do offer another service. For only a dollar a
month, MailFilter does spam and virus filtering. If you already
have the MailAgent, then we can put just the virus filtering
portion of the MailFilter onto your account for another $1/month,
and leave the spam filtering to MailAgent, which does a better job
of spam fighting, anyway. By subscribing to both services, you
will be protected from most viruses coming from your friends, and
have the best spam fighting mechanism we've seen.
Internet Nebraska strongly recommends you have an anti-virus
program such as Norton or McAfee on your local machine, and
that you keep that program updated weekly.