New MyDoom Virus Swamps Internet to Attack a Company
It's being passed through Kazaa and email at a rate that surpasses the Sobig virus in an attempt to bring down the servers for SCO - a company that develops a version of the Unix platform. The attack may be in response to SCO suing the creators of Linux for ownership of the similar technology behind both systems.

The virus, also referred to as W32.Novarg.A@mm comes as either a .bat, .cmd, .exe, .pif, .scr, or .zip file, and sometimes as an attached folder that holds one of these files. Once infected, the virus will allow backdoor access to your machine. To avoid it, be careful what attachments you open, close down Kazaa, and make sure you have a firewall installed. Be very careful when opening attachments!

Pentagon's Internet Voting System Ruled Too Insecure to Use
Although it could be compromised in a number of ways, the Pentagon is still going forward with their SERVE system that allows soldiers overseas to vote via the internet. The system could be attacked by viruses, worms, spoofing, or Denial of Service attacks.

Email Scam Threatens Loss of FDIC Insurance
If you don't send the FDIC your current bank account information right away, you could lose your bank account insurance because of a suspected violation of the Patriot Act. That's what you're supposed to believe if you read this bogus email purported to be from the FDIC, but actually comes from servers in Russia. If you get it, forward the email on to the FTC and they can help stop this stuff.

A Review of MSN Premium
The service offers a software package of various tools for the, not advanced, but not beginning user. It combines a firewall, anti-virus software, and picture editing software, access to Encarta online Encyclopedia, Money Plus, Bill Pay, and Outlook Connector into a flashy interface. It sounds like it could be nice for some people, although most people already have these features. The picture editing software could be nice if it improves on MS Paint, but the big pull is access to Money Plus and the Outlook Connector.

Microsoft Has the Solution to Spam: Make Senders Pay
When Bill Gates claims the end to junk mail is near, he doesn't say that it comes at the cost of making people pay to send email. All email without a verified "stamp" to prove the email was paid for to send. It might do the trick, but who would agree to this and have to pay for all the emails they send?

Is Spam Nonsense a Good Sign?
Although for some people, the quantity of spam getting through has not changed recently, but the content has indicated that the people sending the stuff are running out of options. The current trend of junk mail being filled with gibberish and misspellings may indicate that the people sending this stuff don't have any high-tech ideas to get their email by in a coherent state, and have resorted to a weaker technique that isn't as effective.

Music Composition Software
There's a large rush to pick up Apple's new GarageBand sound editing system because of Apple's reputation for making quality software. So far the program seems to be worth the hype, although it may not be advanced enough for some users. Also, GarageBand may not work for Windows Users and those looking to avoid the cost of purchasing iLife.

For Windows users, there have already been plenty of options available for high end programs. Cakewalk is probably the most popular, having plenty of features and still usable for the laymen music editor. Cakewalk allows for easy recording onto multiple tracks with plenty of equalizing adjustments, support for 24-bit/96 kHz audio, and a real time mixing console. That last part means that you can edit the sound of a particular part while the song is playing, avoiding the problem of having to go back in to the song and manually edit the waveform at a particular point to get that effect.

Acid is another program for sound editing, but it's a different variety. It's aimed at those interested in sampling and looping sounds. It provides a lot of the same features as Cakewalk (support for high end sound, plenty of extra tracks available), but is has more options for creating and replicating sound loops and for importing MIDI sounds.

For those looking for a free application, Windows or Macintosh, Audacity provides an application that does most of any simple projects anybody would want. Multiple tracks, various sound effects, copy and pasting sound waves, ability to save as various output types, and numerous other tools. It may not have the real-time editing ability, support for as many tracks, or as high sound quality, but for most purposes, those things won't be necessary.

Audacity

XP's Missing Desktop Icons
Maybe after a recent upgrade or installation you've found that most of the standard icons are missing from the desktop. Some people like it this way, but we find it useful to have things like Network Neighborhood and My Computer right where you can see them. To make them shown, right-click on the Desktop, click Properties tab, select Desktop and then hit Customize Desktop. In the General tab, choose the icons you want shown, then hit Ok, and Apply or Ok again.

Batch File Renaming
If you need to change the name of a large amount of files, all the same way, one would think this sort of thing can be automated. It may be able to be done with a DOS batch script, but since DOS isn't so great to work with, it's better to use one of the few small programs available for just such a task. Bulk Rename Utility will do just that, very quickly and it's a simple program that doesn't get in the way.

Bulk Rename Utility

Leave Folders Open After Restarting
If you have the same folder open every time you use your computer, you might as well leave them open even after you shut down and restart. XP usually closes all those folders while shutting down but here's how you can make sure they stay open. Open a folder or Windows Explorer. Go to the Tool menu and select Folder Options. Select the View tab. In Advanced Settings there's an entry for "Restore previous folders at logon" that you should check. Then click OK and you're done.

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If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions regarding this newsletter, email suzanne@surfsecret.com.