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WHAT YOUR MOTHER NEVER TOLD YOU ABOUT VIRUSES

We've all seen them - those emails and messages telling us that a new virus is spreading and it will wipe out your hard drive. Pretty scary stuff. If you are like me, you dont want to take any risks, but you also don't want to jump at shadows. How can you tell the difference? Having some information under your belt is the first step (I hope there's room under that belt, you might want to loosen it a notch.)

The first defense against viruses is a good virus checker. It is truly worth the investment to go to your local software store today and purchase one. And send in that registration form, that way you are entitled to the updates for all the newest viruses. I can't make a recommendation as to which one to buy, so do a little checking on the packaging. Something that I have set up with mine is that it checks all files before they are saved to my hard drive and checks the boot sector before I shut down. And regularly check the web site for your software for updates. Remember Mom telling you, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?" Mom was absolutely right.

Ok, we've installed our virus checker, what does it do? The company who developed the virus checker has to know about the virus that it is trying to detect. If you are the very first person to receive a particular virus, your checker won't detect it. What the company has done is write software to deactivate a particular virus. Therefore, until they've found out about it, they can't have their marvelous programers (usually former hackers) write the magic coding to neutralize the bad guys. This is why it is so important to check for the newest updates for your checker.

Now some facts. Most people I have talked to are afraid of email, after all, anyone can send you something, and your email package downloads messages without intervention from you. What can you do to protect yourself? The really good news is that you don't have to do a thing. A virus can't be spread in a email. Now this doesn't mean you can't get a virus from an email, but just by opening your email message a virus can not be activated. Reading your email is like reading a recipe. When you read a recipe, does it automatically mix up that dish and bake it? No, although some days that would be wonderful. Opening your email only lets you read it, it doesn't start anything (no baking here.)

Still a little leary about those emails? Good. Just don't be afraid to open the email to read it. What you shouldn't do is activate an attachment from someone you don't know. That's where you get a virus. Attachments are files that are not part of your email, but added to it. Not all attachments are capable of carrying a virus. A photo of Great Aunt Martha can't have a virus hidden in it. But an executable file can.

I've received messages that I shouldn't go to a certain web site because it will install a virus to your machine. Let's think about this calmly. First, if it could do that to your machine, wouldn't it do that to the machine it was stored on? Secondly, if you read a book about the end of the world, does that make the world end? No. Neither will reading a web page. What could get you in trouble is if you save something from that web page to your hard drive (such as an application.) I have a feeling that the owner of the web page starts those rumors to get more activity to the site, or that someone is really mad at them and starts the message.

Now my thoughts on chain letters. In themselves, they really aren't terribly harmful. Their real harm is what they do to the internet. Just imagine that at any one time the internet can carry a certain number of messages (whether email or someone requesting to look at a web page.) If you participate in sending chain letters, you are clogging the internet. We've all been on when we've wondered why it took so long for something to download. Chain letters are one of the main culprits. Be a good netizen and don't send any on that you receive.

Besides what they do to the internet, let's think about some of them. I've received some saying that if I send it on the Cancer Society will donate 50 cents for cancer research. Now think about this realistically -- isn't the Cancer Society the one who does the cancer research? Why would they be donating their funds for research and who would they be donating it to? I've also received messages saying that little Timmie is dying of cancer and that he wants this message to go around the world or some such thing. The creator of these messages want to see what havoc they can create and see how long these message will circulate. Again, be a good netizen and don't pass these on.

The number one rule regarding viruses and such is to think. Don't passively believe everything you read. Just because you received it from someone you trust, doesn't make it true. The culprits are counting on us to blindly act like sheep. If you have questions about whether a rumor is true, check it out. If you are concerned about a virus, check with your virus-checker company or the sources I've mentioned previously.

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LOVE ON THE INTERNET

Just the term "Love on the Internet" sounds exotic, doesn't it? You picture yourself sitting at your keyboard typing witty repartee to that handsome/beautiful person across the country or on the other side of the world. In your mind as time goes by you develop a deep and caring relationship. As the story closes the final line is, "And they lived happily ever after. THE END."

It is possible. I do know several couples who have met over the internet and have plans to soon be or are living happily ever after. It is also possible to meet with heartbreak and disillusionment. This section won't have a bit of "techie" info. It will have personal information. After all, this may be a technical medium, but the person using it is very real and that's who I want to talk to.

The written word has always been a wonderful way to develop a relationship and to get to know someone. Some of our greatest writings and poetry are love letters. The internet increases the speed of this correspondence. What used to take days for a letter to reach someone now only requires minute seconds. And they said the art of letter writing had died. ("They" haven't seen my inbox.) I have never written as much as I have since I started using the internet.

There are lots of ways to meet people on the internet. One of the easiest is in chat rooms. As you've probably already gathered, my favorite is Yahoo Chat. To find places to chat, just do a search using chat as your criteria. There are also personal ads that you can join. It's just like the newspaper, except it reaches the whole world. Check out several to find the one that you are comfortable with. Each will have it's own comfort level and the types of people that gather will be similar usually. Pen pals are another way that you can meet a variety of people.

You've found your spot and now are ready to begin your search. Here are a few guidelines and some things I consider "absolutes" for you to follow. Most of this is from personal experience and watching what happens with my friends. These will get your started. GOOD LUCK!

My wish for you is that I can someday write about you and honestly say ----They lived happily ever after.

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