The
Computer Corner
By Duane Stabler (dstabler@bigfoot.com);
this is the 16th article in the series.
Dated January 2002, replication of this article requires
prior approval from the author.
This and previous articles can be found at:
http://www.northstarchapter.org/Computer Corner.htm
As we move
into January 2002 some of us took the time to make New Years
resolutions. I may have one
more resolution for your list!
If you are one of those people who think your use of the
computer makes you exempt to viruses, think again.
This is true especially if you use the internet and email but
even if you simply get files from friends or family via floppy disk.
As we use our computers it is important to realize that there
is an increasing threat to our computers in the form of viruses that
attack our data and sometimes the hardware itself.
I’ve been through this a couple of years ago and I’ve become
very wary of information that is sent to me without knowing what I
might be activating by simply “clicking” on that cute little file
name that I though a friend sent me.
Two
companies that lead the industry in Virus Software are McAfee and
Norton Antivirus sold by Symantic.
Regardless what you choose,
anti-virus programs must be configured to perform various checks and
virus tables should be updated at least every two weeks, depending
on frequency of use. I
do it weekly as it only takes a few minutes.
Never think that just
installing virus software guarantees your data for life; it requires
routine updates that are offered by the software companies as part
of the price of the software but you have to take the time to
download the updates and install them.
Here are some additional tips:
1)
Never open an attachment you are not expecting, even from a trusted
source, as it may have been sent to that person's mailing list
without their knowledge.
This is probably one of the most frequent ways of picking up
a virus. Good virus
software picks this up.
2)
Never open
an executable file unless you are 100% certain as to its contents -
this includes pif and script files, not just exe files.
3)
Don't allow macros to open in attached files - they could be virus
codes.
4)
Turn off the message preview pane in your mail reader, as this
effectively "opens" the message, and could trigger any virus it
contains. If you have
virus software and have it set up properly, the software will catch
this kind of virus but if your virus “signature tables” are not
current you are still at risk.
5)
Send and receive emails in "plain text" only, as HTML messages can
contain virus scripts.
The downside is that the email will not be as colorful or nice to
see for the receiver but it’s safer.
In summary, don’t
worry about viruses if you have taken the time to invest in good
software, have set it up properly and update the virus “signature
tables” on a regular basis.
If you choose to ignore all this, well, don’t say I didn’t
warn you!
Maps anyone? National
Geographic has a website that specializes in maps at:
http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/index.html
Stumpp published
two maps that have been indexed for part of this side of the world .
. . this index can be found at:
http://pixel.cs.vt.edu/library/refs/link/mapind.txt
The
Emigration Lists of Hamburg can now offer a database of the years
1890 through 1898 for your search (click on "Search Now"). The
database will continue to grow to include the following years, until
the data of all emigrants are available, initially of the years 1890
to 1914, and finally of all years between 1850 and 1934.
Unfortunately, the site does require fees to get the data but
it is a source if you happen to have family that immigrated during
the years indicated.
The term "germanic" has come up numerous times in
various discussions...
Linguistically speaking there is a great resource at:
http://www.yourdictionary.com/languages/germanic.html#gerdialects
with anything from Afrikaans to Yiddish ...BUT best of all
there are SWABIAN dictionaries as well at
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/2619/swab_voc.html
Professor Thomas Isern, North Dakota State University, gave Michael
Miller permission to share his recent newspaper columns. To review
the many columns by Tom Isern, go to the following North Dakota
Extension Service website page:
http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/plainsfolk.htm
I am sure most of us will find some useful information in Terry
Sterkel’s “Genealogy Portal”. I haven't had the chance to go
through all of it yet but am looking forward to it. The site looks
to be filled with links associated with our GR heritage.
http://german-russian-portal.org/ .
Social Security Death Index. The October update of the database
contains more than 67 million names and is ready for searching at
http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi/
Want to take command of their computer in 2002? Get a handle on all
things digital? Let the “Digital
Goddess”
show you the way to enlightenment! I’m talking about Kim Komando who
does a wonderful job of explaining all types of computer related
problems. She calls herself “the digital goddess” on the radio show
and in the newsletter articles.
Locally, she is on KSTP 1500 AM radio on Saturday evening. If
that doesn’t work, try subscribing to her newsletter at:
http://www.komando.com/media/newsletter/ .
The
newsletter is copyrighted so I don’t like to extract parts I think
are good. Topics vary
greatly and well worth the investment in time that it takes to
review them.
This newsletter is a free service of The Kim Komando Computer Show.
You can visit them on the Internet at:
http://www.komando.com/
I received an email from Genealogy.com advertising numerous items on
their websites but found the following within the email.
If you are just getting started, this might be worthwhile
investigating.
Quick Research Tips for Discovering Your Family Story:
START WITH WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW
========================
When you're first starting out, collecting information about your
ancestors may seem like an enormous task. But you may already know
much of the information about your close relatives.
TO GET STARTED:
1. The best place to start collecting information is with the most
recent generation. This may be you, your children, or perhaps your
grandchildren.
2. Record the basic genealogical information that you know about
your close relatives:
*Full names
*Birth dates and birthplaces
*Marriage dates and marriage places
*Death dates and death places, if applicable
3. Take these facts and enter them into your family tree software or
other documentation source.
4. When you have collected information about yourself and any
younger generations, then start working backwards with your parents,
grandparents, and so on, as far back as you can remember.
===========================
FIND OUT EVEN MORE ABOUT GETTING STARTED
==============================
The "Getting Started" tip above was excerpted from the Genealogy.com
"How-To" Guide. To read the complete article and get more details,
select the link below:
http://www.Genealogy.com/mainmenu.html
To explore even further, check out these FREE lessons and how-to
articles:
FOCUSING ON RESEARCH GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR
http://www.Genealogy.com/27_karen.html
FAMILY HISTORY BEGINS AT HOME
http://www.Genealogy.com/79_fs-start.html
BEGINNING GENEALOGY LESSON
http://www.Genealogy.com/uni-begin.html