Tech Tips

September 2003

Internet Glossaries

by Barbara J. Feldman September 29, 2003

From ASCII ( American Standard Code for Information Interchange ) to XML ( eXtensible Markup Language), the Internet has a language all its own. Fortunately there are several online glossaries to help navigate the endless barrage of acronyms and terminology. Try Matisse’s Glossary of Internet Terms, What Is or Net Lingo.

0 comments Read the rest of the tip →

Personal Firewall

by Barbara J. Feldman September 22, 2003

A firewall is a piece of software or hardware that monitors incoming Internet traffic and allows only trusted connections. Whether you have an always-on Internet connection (such as cable) or use dial-up, a personal firewall is necessary for online safety. For product reviews and specifics, try PC Magazine or PC World .

0 comments Read the rest of the tip →

Challenge/Response

by Barbara J. Feldman September 15, 2003

In an effort to control unwanted e-mail, some are turning to Challenge/Response, an email filtering system that checks incoming mail against a white list of approved addresses (such as your personal address book.) If the sender is not on the list, he is sent a challenge email with instructions on how to proceed. If the [...]

0 comments Read the rest of the tip →

2003 World Factbook

by Barbara J. Feldman September 9, 2003

The CIA has released the 2003 World Factbook with information on over 250 countries and regions in nine primary and 134 sub categories. Select a country of interest from the drop-down menu, or peruse the alphabetic gallery of country flags. The Factbook is also available for download in compressed ZIP format.

0 comments Read the rest of the tip →

Windows Security Updates

by Barbara J. Feldman September 2, 2003

In addition to keeping your anti-virus software updated, in the war against computer viruses, it is important to keep your operating system up to date with all the latest security patches. To update your Windows computer, visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ and following the instructions to Scan for Updates. For more specific information about the Blaster virus, try [...]

0 comments Read the rest of the tip →