April begins with the silly practical jokes of April Fools’ Day and there’s no reason we can’t continue that light-hearted attitude throughout the month. To help keep a spring in your step, check out this issue’s cool-as-a-spring-breeze Pinterest pins plus websites featuring Earth Day, egg recipes, outdoor entertaining, and the Hope diamond. You’ll also enjoy two amazing videos about a lucky tornado survivor and brave tower climbers.
Of course, it can’t be all fun and games. We also include a heads-up about emails claiming to be from lenders or landlords with malicious attachments, educate you about new domain names, and teach you how to turn on private browsing on your browser.
We think you’ll find the information contained in this newsletter to be a valuable tool for enhancing your Internet experience.
Here’s what’s inside our April 2014 Newsletter:
MALWARE ALERT – DON’T MOVE OUT IF YOU GET ONE OF THESE EMAILS
NEWS FROM THE SHOP
THIS MONTH’S FAQ – WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND THE NEW DOMAIN NAMES?
SITES OF THE MONTH – GREAT SITES TO CHECK OUT IN APRIL
TWO TO VIEW – A COUPLE OF AMAZING VIDEOS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS
SHORT TUTORIAL – HOW TO TURN ON PRIVATE BROWSING ON YOUR BROWSER
The Gulfcoast Networking Team
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MALWARE ALERT – DON’T MOVE OUT IF YOU GET ONE OF THESE EMAILS
One of the latest tricks from spammers involves threatening email messages about eviction. These emails claim that recipients have been evicted from their homes and must vacate their premises within a specified time frame or risk further legal proceedings and fines. Recipients are instructed to open an attached file to view more information about the eviction, and the message is designed to panic people into doing just that.
The attachments are not eviction notices or lawsuit letters but actually .zip or compressed files, which contain an executable .exe file. If you were to click on the .exe file, malicious malware would likely be installed on your computer. This malware could destroy your computer files, enable spammers to access and take control of your computer remotely, and expose you to theft of your personal and financial information.
Under NO circumstances should you ever open any .exe file sent to you from an unknown source. Today’s virus programs can actually destroy not just computer files, but also hardware such as hard disk drives and motherboards. If an eviction notice email like this shows up in your inbox, do NOT open any attachments or click any links that it contains.
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NEWS FROM THE SHOP
Windows XP support ends effective April 8th. If you are still using a Windows XP machine you should treat yourself to a brand new Windows 7 machine from Gulfcoast Networking. Windows 7 works like you do and there is no need to completely relearn how to use a computer like you would if you went to a big box store and bought a Windows 8 machine.
Brand name Windows 7 machines are available starting at $499.95 and great custom built systems with three year warranties are available starting at $824.95.
The latest Intel NUC systems are available with conventional hard drives. this means you can have up to 1TB of storage in a desktop computer just a little over 4″ square.
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“Toasty” Handwarmers
Are A Slice Of Heaven
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775850605038/
A Sweet Easter Treat:
Eggs In Brownie Nests
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775850605181/
This Craft Project May
Be Your Cup Of Tea
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775850613992/
You haven’t started pinning on Pinterest yet and you want to get started?
To sign up, go here https://pinterest.com/join/signup/
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THIS MONTH’S FAQ – WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND THE NEW DOMAIN NAMES?
Question: For years, most website addresses ended in .com, .net, and .org. Lately, however, I’ve been seeing more variety in domain names. Why is that?
Answer: What you’re describing is the expansion in the number of generic top-level domains, known as gTLDs. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) decided in 2012 that the 22 existing gTLDs — including .com, .net, and .org — weren’t enough. So, ICANN decided to allow up to 1,400 new gTLDs. ICANN claimed, “These additional gTLDs will enhance competition, innovation and choice in the Domain Name space, providing a wider variety of organizations, communities and brand new ways to communicate with their audiences.”
As you’ve seen, new gTLDs such as .app, .sports, .club, and .healthcare have already started to launch. Many more of these domains are in the process of being brought to market; it’s a long and complicated procedure that’s designed to include protections for trademark holders and give average users a fair shake at getting the names they want.
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SITES OF THE MONTH – GREAT SITES TO CHECK OUT IN APRIL
Unearth Earth Day Ideas
http://www.epa.gov/earthday/take-action.html
Each year, Earth Day — April 22 — marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. If you’d like to join the celebration, take a look at this site. You’ll find ideas
on how you can take “greener” actions at home, work, school, and stores as well as when you’re on the road.
Get Cracking With Egg Recipes
http://www.cookinglight.com/food/top-rated-recipes/healthy-5-star-egg-recipes-00400000048762
Eggs take center stage during the Easter season so don’t scramble to come up with new recipes at the last minute. Instead, check out these top-rated egg dishes from Cooking Light. They include Mediterranean-Style Poached Eggs, Mini Frittatas with Ham and Cheese, and Double Vanilla Meringues.
Go Outside and Play
http://www.backyardsimple.com
Are you experiencing spring fever? The best treatment may be to throw an outdoor party for family and friends. This site is brimming with fresh ideas for backyard entertaining including easy Mason jar lights, grilling tips, serving sizes for a crowd, budget-friendly food, lawn games, and more.
Mystery of the Hope Diamond
http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/show/136360/mystery-of-the-hope-diamond
April’s birthstone is the diamond and there’s no more famous one than the huge, blue-gray Hope diamond. Take a sneak peak here at the Smithsonian Channel’s documentary about the world’s most celebrated jewel and learn about the legendary curse that’s plagued its owners.
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TWO TO VIEW – A COUPLE OF AMAZING VIDEOS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS
http://www.eNewsletterHome.com/_eNewsletter/2014/1404_VIDEO_A.htm
Happy Post-Tornado Surprise
This older woman in Oklahoma is being interviewed after a tornado destroyed her home in 2013, and she thinks her dog is gone. To her surprise and delight, the dog emerges from the rubble during the interview.
http://www.eNewsletterHome.com/_eNewsletter/2014/1404_VIDEO_B.htm
A 1,768-Foot Vertical Commute
Fair warning: If you’re afraid of heights, don’t watch this video! The rest of you will be fascinated by the footage of workers climbing a tower, step by step, in the open air to begin their workday on one of the world’s tallest towers.
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SHORT TUTORIAL – HOW TO TURN ON PRIVATE BROWSING ON YOUR BROWSER
Private, or incognito, browsing is designed to keep your browsing history away from the eyes of casual snoopers. In other words, someone who jumps on your computer won’t see where you’ve been online. Every major Web browser – Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Opera – have private browsing. When you turn this feature on, your browser won’t record your browsing history and will ignore ad-tracking cookies.
For instructions on how to turn on private browsing, click on the links below for your browser.
Internet Explorer
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/Internet-explorer/products/ie-9/features/in-private
Chrome
https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95464?hl=en
Firefox
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/private-browsing-browse-web-without-saving-info
Safari
http://support.apple.com/kb/ph5000
Opera
http://help.opera.com/Windows/12.10/en/private.html
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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 shop.
Thanks for your business!
Best regards,
Rob Marlowe, Senior Geek
Gulfcoast Networking, Inc
6335 Grand Blvd
New Port Richey, FL 34652
727-847-2424
(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.)
©2014 Gulfcoast Networking, Inc.
Portions ©2014 Cornerstone Publishing Group, Inc., used with permission.