Origins: Many web sites offer a service that allows a user to send a customized “greeting card” (or “postcard”) to a relative, friend, or acquaintance, delivered as an e-mail message containing a hyperlink which the recipient follows to visit the originating site and view the card. Sending out phony e-card notifications is therefore an effective method of camouflaging viruses and inducing unwitting recipients into clicking on links that install malicious programs onto their computers.

A wave of malicious messages (like the one reproduced above) sent out in June 2007 employed that very technique, arriving in inboxes bearing subject lines such as “You’ve received a postcard from a family member!” The messages contain URLs that recipients are supposed to visit to retrieve their e-cards, but those URLs actually point to servers hosting a variety of malware (including a variant of the Storm Trojan, “an aggressive piece of malware that has been hijacking computers to serve as attacker bots” since early 2007) that is furtively installed onto victims\’ PCs. (Generally, only unpatched Windows-based systems are vulnerable.)
The underlying worm is the same one that has appeared in messages with subject lines as “Sending You All My Love,” the “Laughing Kitty,” the “Dancing Skeleton,” as well as several game and music download offers. According to spamtrackers.eu:

I checked with McAffe, and they are gearing up for this virus!

I checked Snopes.com, and it is for real!!

Get this E-mail message sent around to your contacts ASAP.

You should be alert. Do not open any message with an attachment entitled “POSTCARD,” regardless of who sent it to you. It is a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which ‘burns’ the whole hard disc C of your computer. This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in hi s/her contact list. This is the reason why you need to send this e-m ail to all your contacts.

If you receive a mail called” POSTCARD,” even though sent to you by a friend, do not open it! Delete it immediately.

This is the worst virus announced by CNN. It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept.

Did you know?

In Microsoft Outlook passing your mouse over a link will show the true address of that link in your status bar. I never click on an email link before confirming it is going more or less where I exptect it to go. I never click on a link with a .ru extension (Russia)

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I think Mahalo can do well. Search is such a large market that even the smallest success is pretty good money. But it won’t be a Google killer, that’s for sure. I don’t know what the answer to this is yet, but it seems likely that an innovative solution in their upcoming platform could help them bridge the search gap and hit their sweet spot.

• Read more on Mahalo

Warm Regards,

–Flash

Larry ‘Flash’ Alexander
http://flashhq.net

970 672-4401 Office
970 690-1356 Emergency
970 928-1894 Fax

Knowing this, I can’t understand why all these online storage companies are so focused on providing consumers backup opportunities. There’s no point. If all our documents are online and stored by online file systems, they’ll be backed up automatically. And available. All over the world, from any net-connected computer. That being said you should know yours truly has just completed the Carbonite free trial and now have over thirty gigabytes safely (I hope) stored on their servers.

There’s a level of trust which needs to be obtained of course. But, I generally trust Flickr, Yahoo, Google, Openomy, etc. I know that once my files are stored, they’re safe. They’ll be replicated across many hard drives. Many machines. Many data centers throughout the world.

Read more from Ian…
http://www.iseff.com/ 

• Read more on Google Apps
• Read more on IBM’s Lotus Symphony
• Read more on Office Live
• Read more on Adobe Share

Are you a do-it-yourself-er? You can view information on installation and upgrading if you need it. If the admin looks a little scrambled after you upgrade just make sure to refresh the page in your browser (F5 on Windows) to reload and get the new styling.

There is a handy mailing list that allows you to receive a friendly message whenever there’s a new stable release for you to enjoy. You can join by visiting this

Merry Christmas to my children Zac and Max and all the cousins down the line. May this new year give all of the things you rightly deserve. May the miracle of Christmas fill your heart with warmth and love.

1. Show up on time. If you tell your host that you’re going to come in on Wednesday morning, show up at that time. If you’re running late make sure to give a call and update your host when you’ll be arriving.
2. Bring a gift. To show your appreciation for the free room and board, bring a gift. It doesn’t have to be big or expensive. Baked goods are always appreciated.
3. Offer to pay for groceries. If your host will be paying for your food while you stay, offer to chip in for groceries. You don’t want to be a complete mooch. Even if your host turns you down, it will show that you really appreciate their generosity.
4. Keep your area neat. Before you leave each day, make sure to make the bed and straighten up your room.
5. Help with chores around the house. Always be willing to help around the house. Help prepare the big holiday meals, wash the dishes, and take out the trash. Don’t wait for you host to say no, just start helping.
6. Disclose your schedule. Let your host know your schedule everyday and do all you can to stick to it. This will help you host plan when to serve meals and how late they need to stay up.
7. Always ask. Remember, you’re a guest. Even if someone tells you to make yourself at home, still ask before you start using things. It’s just good etiquette.
8. Don’t overstay your visit. Try to keep your stay shorter than three days. Your host has things to do and they can’t put their life on hold forever.
9. Strip the bed before your leave. Your host will likely wash the bed linens after you leave. Help make their job easier by stripping your bed before you leave.
10. Leave a thank you note. A short handwritten thank you note can go a long way to show your appreciation.

1. Cut out aluminum foil in desired shapes.
2. Arrange the turkey in the roasting pan, position the foil carefully.? (see attached picture for details)
3. Roast according to your own recipe and serve.
4. Watch your guests’ faces…??

New credit card scam. Verified by Snopes.com, famous for debunking urban legends - http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/creditcard.asp

The Holiday Season is just a little bit down the road and the bad guys are already trying to get free stuff by using your credit. I just received this so thought I’d forewarn you and forward it on. New Credit Card Scam Snopes.com says this is true. This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want. Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it. This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you’ll be better prepared to protect yourself.

From Snopes.com:

We all receive emails all the time regarding one scam or another; but last week I REALLY DID get scammed! Both VISA and MasterCard told me that this scam is currently being worked throughout the Midwest, with some variance as to the product or amount, and if you are called, just hang up. My husband was called on Wednesday from “VISA” and I was called in Thursday from “MasterCard”. It worked like this: Person calling says, “This is Carl Patterson (any name) and I’m calling from the Security and Fraud department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I’m calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card issued by 5/3 bank. Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in Arizona?”

When you say “No”. The caller continues with, “Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?”

You say, “Yes”. The caller continues . . . “I will be starting a fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 800 number listed on your card 1-800-VISA and ask for Security. you will need to refer to this Control #”. Then gives you a 6 digit number. “Do you need me to read it again?” Caller then says he “needs to verify you are in possession of your card. Turn the card over. There are 7 numbers; first 4 are 1234 (whatever) the next 3 are the security numbers that verify you are in possession of the card. These are the numbers you use to make internet purchases to prove you have the card. Read me the 3 numbers.” Then he says “That is correct. I just needed to
verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions? Don’t hesitate to call back if you do.”

You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the card number. But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we glad we did! The REAL VISA security dept. told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $497.99 WAS put on our card.

Long story made short . . . we made a real fraud report and closed the VISA card and they are reissuing as a new number. What the scam wants is the 3 digit number and that once the charge goes through, they keep charging every few days. By the time you get your statement, you think the credit is coming, and then its harder to actually file a fraud report. The real VISA reinforced that they will never ask for anything on the card (they already know).

What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from “Jason Richardson of MasterCard” with a word for word repeat of the VISA Scam. This time I didn’t let him finish. I hung up.

We filed a police report (as instructed by VISA), and they said they are taking several of these reports daily and to tell friends, relatives and coworkers.

Feel free to pass this on.

Only a few small businesses can afford to have in-house website design skills. Most of the small and medium businesses depend on external website design firms to fulfill their website design needs.

As you start looking for a web designer, it is recommended that you get preliminary specifications for your website needs done. Consider how you want to portray your business to your customer. What image and branding is suitable for your business. What information do you want to convey through your website. Consider if you want to have E-commerce on your website or do you just want to provide information through your website design. Once you have done your preliminary work should undertake the following steps to find a web developer:

Undertake a google search using keywords like website design, website designer, website developer, website development. Speak with other business owners who have good websites and ask for references look in local yellow pages if you want to find a website development firm in your area.

Make preliminary inquiries with a number of web designer or web design agencies: Some steps you can take to pick a website designer or a website developer to create your website.

Check Portfolio:

On short listing some website design firms, you should check their website design portfolio. Look at the creativity in the web design examples that are posted in their web development portfolio. Check if phone and fax numbers are provided. There are a lot of part time website designers and website developers in the market. Although they are capable of doing a good job, but more often than not you will find that the deadlines and product delivery may suffer. Also it is possible that after some time that freelance website developer might move on. Although freelancers are cheap, it is always recommended to go for a professional website design agencies.

Discuss your needs with the selected website designers:

You should set-up a visit or a tele-conference with the selected web designers. Discuss your requirement, initial plan and their recommendations for your website.

Ask for a Proposal:

Once your have finished yourdiscussions, invite 2-3 of the short listed web design firms to send you a website design proposal with their recommendations and prices. To make sure that you are comparing apples with apples, check on the functionality offered by each of the website development firm. More often than not a cheap website proposal will be offering less functionality than a more expensive one. Also make sure that they are capable of developing a user-friendly design. Web usability is equally important as functionality. You should try to establish the agency that offers the best value for money.

Proposal review and order:

Try and evaluate which website designer is offering the best value for money. Who is offering a search engine friendly design? Also try to gage which website developer can offer good customer service. After sales service is equally important. Also make sure that any website programming is covered by a good after sales warranty. It is common for websites to have programming bugs when they go live. There is nothing wrong in them as long as the website development firm fixes those bugs as they are highlighted.

FLASH HQ provides web services (or website solutions) built around any of the above three Content Management Systems. The solution provided is based on the customers requirements to ensure the best website design experience for our customers.