PressEnter Newsletter Archives   
> July, 2005

Hello PressEnter Subscribers!

It's July and it's time to celebrate! Here are a few items to add to
your list of things to celebrate: our nation's freedom, drive-in movie
theaters, modernized lawnmowers, reality TV shows, and summer. (See
details below.) We hope you will take some time out of your busy summer
to enjoy our eNewsletter.

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, please
Reply to this message and put "REMOVE" in the subject line. Please e-mail
any questions or comments to newsletter@pressenter.com. If you have any
technical questions, please e-mail helpdesk@pressenter.com.

Here's what's inside our July 2005 Newsletter:

A. P2P Dangers - File Sharing Can Compromise Your Computer's Security
B. PressEnter News - Improved WebMail Service
C. Ask The Help Desk - Why Is My Computer Screen Wallpaper Distorted?
D. Great Sites To Check Out In July
E. Short Tutorial - Images Saved On Your Computer Screen As Repeated "Tiles"

The PressEnter Newsletter Team

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A. P2P Dangers - File Sharing Can Compromise Your Computer's Security

Peer-to-peer file-sharing programs appear to be a godsend: they allow
you to swap digital files with others who have the same file-sharing
software. Thousands of people use peer-to-peer (often called P2P)
programs to exchange music, videos, movies, games, and software. But
P2P programs are seemingly synonymous with trouble.

First, there are the well-publicized copyright infringement issues that
arose when Napster, the first widely used P2P program for exchanging
music files, became wildly popular in the late 1990s. Other examples of
P2P programs are Kazaa, Morpheus, eDonkey, and Gnutella.

Less well-known, but perhaps more significant, is how using P2P programs
can expose your computer to viruses, worms, Trojan horses, adware, and
spyware, and even expose you to identity theft and fraud. How can these
things happen? A P2P network allows users with the same file-sharing
program to access files stored on each other's computers without the
typical network interaction with file servers. This makes file sharing
quick and easy, but these are unsecured Internet connections unprotected
by firewalls, making them prime targets for hackers and virus writers.

It's easy for virus writers to attach malicious code to an innocently
titled file that resides on a file-sharing network. In fact, the infamous
MyDoom virus that wreaked havoc on e-mail systems worldwide in 2004 was
initially spread in this way by unknowing users of the Kazaa file-sharing
program.

The same goes for adware and spyware. These unwanted programs could
be attached to an otherwise useful file downloaded from a file-sharing
network, exposing you to a flood of unwanted spam, ad pop-up windows,
and web browser hijackings.

Even worse, a skilled hacker can gain access to your entire hard drive
through a file-sharing network, exposing you to identity theft and
fraud. A hacker can do this by using access to the files you intend to
share on the file-sharing network to gain access to personal files not
intended for public use. If you have information such as Social Security
numbers and credit card information on your computer, the potential for
identity theft and fraud is very real.

Here's how to protect yourself on P2P networks:

* Be legal. The easiest way to avoid being exploited is to avoid P2P
networks altogether. But if file sharing is important to you, make sure
you only use file-sharing networks and programs in which you have the
copyright owners' permission to buy and exchange the files. Not only will
you avoid violating copyright law, but legitimate file-sharing networks
should be more secure and far less likely to attach adware or spyware
to their files.

* The fine print. When you install P2P software, read the software's
End User License Agreement (EULA) before you agree to install it. Don't
install software whose legalese contains questionable phrases such as
"from time to time," "we may make your information available to third
parties," and "you agree to allow third-party software to be installed
into your computer."

* Access denied. If you legally buy digital files, reject any offers
for software that will enable others to access your files. This will
help block hackers who want to snoop on your hard drive.

* Software protection. Regardless of whether you use a P2P network,
you should be running a firewall, up-to-date antivirus software, and
spyware and adware blockers and scanners.

B. PressEnter News

Improved WebMail Service

Don't forget, starting August 1, 2005, the WebMail link on our homepage
will be updated to link to the new WebMail.

The new PressEnter WebMail has been enhanced with additional features,
such as a spellchecker, an improved address book, and better attachment
handling. Try it out at: http://my.pressenter.com/

Our old WebMail will still be available at: http://webmail.pressenter.com/

If you have any questions, please email helpdesk@pressenter.com or
call our office for assistance.

C. Ask The Help Desk - Why Is My Computer Screen Wallpaper Distorted?

Question: Sometimes I save images off the Internet for wallpaper on
my computer screen. However, the images I save quite often look very
distorted when I stretch them to full screen. How can I avoid this?

Answer: You are probably running into a couple of problems. The first
is that of proportions. If the image you are grabbing from the Web isn't
proportional to your screen, it will look distorted when it's stretched.
Remember, your screen format is rectangular having horizontal and vertical
dimensions. So if you save an image that is much more vertical than
horizontal, the image will look "fat" once it is fitted to your screen.

The other problem is that most images found on the Web are not a
high enough resolution to be used for wallpaper. Many computers, for
example, are set to a resolution of either 800x600 pixels or 1024x768
pixels. When grabbing an image off the Web, the image needs to be close
to the same size as the resolution found on your screen in order to
appear undistorted. If the image is only 250x100 pixels, for example,
there just won't be enough pixels to fill your computer screen in an
undistorted manner, unless of course you are using a very small screen.

Note that most site owners have copyright restrictions regarding their
site's content (text and images) so you must first get permission before
grabbing an image to use as computer screen wallpaper.

D. Great Sites To Check Out This Month

Head To A Drive-In Movie Theater This Summer
============================================
http://DriveInTheater.com/

Do you remember the fun times you had going to the drive-in movie
theater on weekends with your family or friends? There were over 5,000
drive-in movie theaters located across the U.S. and Canada back in
1958. Today there are less than 600 left in North America but they are
still great fun. Check out the site's database listing of drive-in
theaters and then treat your family to a night of old-fashioned fun
while vacationing this summer. The kids will love the experience and
so will you.

Visit A Lawnmower Museum
========================
http://lawnmowerworld.co.uk/

Those of you who are really into lawnmowers have probably already
got this site bookmarked. For everyone else, this is the link to the
British Lawnmower Museum. Yes, an actual museum dedicated to nothing
but lawnmowers. Check out the "Gallery" section for interesting
pictures of antique cutting contraptions. It'll make you appreciate
the improvements that have been made in lawn mowing technology since
the early twentieth century.

Calculating Your Social Security Benefits
=========================================
http://www.SocialSecurity.gov/

There's been much debate regarding the long-term solvency of our
Social Security System. Most agree that the funds will be depleted
at some point in the future because of the changing ratio in the
number of people working versus the number of people retiring. If you
have not yet retired, have you ever figured out what you can expect
in monthly social security income based on the current system?
SocialSecurity.gov can calculate this for you. Simply go to the
"Calculate your benefits" link and enter the requested information.

Sign The Declaration of Independence
====================================
http://archives.gov/national_archives_experience/charters/declaration.html

The U.S. National Archives Records Administration restores and archives
important government documents from our nation's history. Celebrating
the anniversary of our declaration of independence during the month
of July provides a great opportunity to see and learn more about our
historical treasures. Go to the Declaration of Independence area of
this site and click on the "Join the Signers of the Declaration"
link. There you can add your name to the ranks of the 56 original
signers who stood for freedom and then print off your copy to show
friends and family.

The Cut - The Next Hit Reality TV Show
======================================
http://cbs.com/primetime/the_cut/

The new CBS TV show The Cut appears to be the next hit reality TV
series. During each weekly episode, clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger
pits fashion-savvy contestants against one another in real fashion
world challenges to find the next great trend setting designer. One
contestant is eliminated each week. For more information about the
contestants, each episode, and some behind-the-scenes drama, head to
this site.

E. Short Tutorial - Images Saved On Your Computer Screen As Repeated "Tiles"

As the FAQ in the "Ask The Help Desk" section above explains, it can
be difficult to grab images off the Web to use as wallpaper without the
images appearing distorted on your computer screen. Rather than trying
to stretch pictures to fit your computer's screen, an alternative is to
"tile" your selected image. This process saves the picture repeatedly
in rows on your screen as a background. The result may be cluttered but
probably preferable to the distorted alternative.

To tile an image as your screen's wallpaper when using a PC and Internet
Explorer as your browser, simply right-click on the chosen picture and
select "Set As Background."

If you are on a PC and using the new Firefox browser, right-click on the
image and choose "Set As Wallpaper." When the "Set Wallpaper" dialog box
appears, look for the "Position" menu. It will list "Stretch," "Tile,"
or "Center" as options. Choose "Tile" from the list. Click on the "Set
Wallpaper" button. The background of your computer screen will change
to multiple rows of the picture you selected.

If you get tired of using this image, right-click on your PC's desktop and
choose "Properties." With the "Desktop" tab selected, choose the wallpaper
you want from the list that appears. Click "Apply" and then click "OK."
(This works whether using Internet Explorer or Firefox as your browser.)

If you are using a Macintosh running OS X, right-click your cursor arrow
on the image (if you have a two button mouse) or click on the image
while holding down the "ctrl" key (if you have a single button mouse)
and select "Download Image To Disk." Next, go to the Apple menu then
drop down to and select "System Preferences..." Click on the Desktop
Screensaver icon and click on "Choose Folder" in the left hand pane of the
window. Click on "Desktop." The picture you downloaded to disk should be
there. Click on it to select it and then click on "Choose." Next to the
preview picture you'll see a button that says "Fill Screen." Click on it
and four choices will appear: "Fill Screen," "Stretch to fill screen,"
"Center," and "Tile." Choose "Tile" and then close the window.

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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 office. If, however, you'd
prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, send us an
e-mail at newsletter@pressenter.com and type "REMOVE" in the subject line.

Thanks for your business!

Best regards,
The PressEnter Newsletter Team
PressEnter! Internet

Web: www.pressenter.com
E-mail: <newsletter@pressenter.com>

(We have used our best efforts in collecting and preparing the information
published herein. However, we do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any
and all liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions,
whether such errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident,
or other causes.)

(c)2005 Press Enter LLP
(c)2005 Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.

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