KCNET NEWSLETTER 05/02/04 TECHNICAL PAGE
VIRUS AND OTHER STINKY STUFF TECHNICALLY SPEAKING INTERESTING SITES
VIRUS AND OTHER STINKY STUFF Friday, April 23 - Friday, April 30 According to Sophos, a leader in Anti Virus Software development, 25 new/improved viruses which required Anti Virus upgrades were released into cyberspace via email.
KCnet's antivirus program caught and "defanged" 4,605 email viruses yesterday. This was just one day and is similar to every day lately. Viruses are still coming in by the buckets. Nearly 30,000 spam messages were refused.
Name: W32/Bagle-AA Aliases: Win32/Bagle.AB, WORM_BAGLE.Z, I-Worm.Bagle.z Type: Win32 worm Date: 28 April 2004 A virus identity (IDE) file which provides protection is available now from the Sophos website, and will be incorporated into the June 2004 (3.82) release of Sophos Anti-Virus. Customers using Enterprise Manager, PureMessage and any of the Sophos small business solutions will be automatically protected at their next scheduled update. Sophos has received many reports of this worm from the wild. Information about W32/Bagle-AA can be found at: http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/analyses/w32bagleaa.html
Name: W32/Netsky-AA Aliases: W32/Netsky.aa@MM virus, INFECTED I-Worm.NetSky.ab Type: Win32 worm Date: 27 April 2004 A virus identity (IDE) file which provides protection is available now from the Sophos website, and will be incorporated into the June 2004 (3.82) release of Sophos Anti-Virus. Customers using Enterprise Manager, PureMessage and any of the Sophos small business solutions will be automatically protected at their next scheduled update. At the time of writing, Sophos has received no reports from users affected by this worm. However, we have issued this advisory following enquiries to our support department from customers. Information about W32/Netsky-AA can be found at: http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/analyses/w32netskyaa.html
WORM_BAGLE.X From Trend Micro Virus type: Worm Aliases: W32/Bagle.z@MM, w32.beagle.w@mm, W32/Bagle-W, Bagle.y Damage Potential: High Distribution Potential: High Description: As of April 26, 2004 11:22 AM PST, TrendLabs has declared a Medium Risk Virus Alert to control the spread of this BAGLE variant. Several infection reports indicate that it is spreading in Europe, Latin America, and the US. This memory-resident worm propagates via email and network shares. Upon execution, it drops the following files in the Windows system folder: * Drvsys.exe * Drvsys.exeopen * Drvsys.exeopenopen It may also create more copies of itself with the string open appended in the file names of these additional copies. The email it sends out has varying subjects, message bodies, and attachment file names. It uses specific user names followed by the domain of the recipient's email address to spoof the From field. It sends two attachments. One of them is a picture of a girl in .JPEG format. The other attachment is a copy of this worm with any of the following extension names: * COM * CPL * EXE * HTA * SCR * VBS * ZIP Below is a sample email screenshot: It also searches for target email addresses in files having certain extensions. However, it skips those addresses that contain particular strings. This worm drops copies of itself using specific file names in folders that contain the string shar in their folder names. This routine is an attempt at propagating via shared folders. It terminates several antivirus and security programs. It also creates a separate thread that listens to port 2535 for commands from remote users. It then tries to connect to several Web sites. This worm deletes several registry entries that WORM_NETSKY variants and other normal applications use to automatically run. After January 25, 2005, it also deletes a certain registry key and entry in what appears to be an attempt at uninstalling itself. This UPX-compressed malware runs on Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, and XP. Solution: AUTOMATIC REMOVAL INSTRUCTIONS To automatically remove this malware from your system, please use the Trend Micro Damage Cleanup Services. Note: If you are not a Trend Micro customer, please download and use the fixtool for WORM_BAGLE.X. MANUAL REMOVAL INSTRUCTIONS Restarting in Safe Mode On Windows 95 1. Restart your computer. 2. Press F8 at the "Starting Windows 95" message. 3. Choose Safe Mode from the Windows 95 Startup Menu then press Enter. On Windows 98/ME 1. Restart your computer. 2. Press the CTRL key until the Windows 98 startup menu appears. 3. Choose the Safe Mode option then press Enter. On Windows NT (VGA mode) 1. Click Start>Settings>Control panel. 2. Double-click the System icon. 3. Click the Startup/Shutdown tab. 4. Set the Show List field to 10 seconds and click OK to save this change. 5. Shut down and restart your computer. 6. Select VGA mode from the startup menu. Note: To remove the startup list menu, change the Show List value to 0. On Windows 2000 1. Restart your computer. 2. Press the F8 key, when you see the Starting Windows bar at the bottom of the screen. 3. Choose the Safe Mode option from the Windows 2000 Advanced Options Menu then press Enter. On Windows XP 1. Restart your computer. 2. Press the F8 key when prompted. 3. If Windows XP Professional starts without the “Press select operating system to start” menu, restart your computer. 4. Press F8 after the Power-On Self Test (POST) is done. 5. Choose the Safe Mode option from the Windows Advanced Options Menu then press Enter. Removing Autostart Entries from the Registry Removing autostart entries from the registry prevents the malware from executing during startup. 1. Open Registry Editor. To do this, click Start>Run, type Regedit, then press Enter. 2. In the left panel, double-click the following: HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Software>Microsoft> Windows>CurrentVersion>Run 3. In the right panel, locate and delete the entry: Drvsys.exe = "%System%\ Drvsys.exe" Note: %System% is the Windows system folder, which is usually C:\Windows\System on Windows 95, 98 and ME, C:\WINNT\System32 on Windows NT and 2000, and C:\Windows\System32 on Windows XP. 4. Close Registry Editor. Additional Windows ME/XP Cleaning Instructions
More about Bagel W varients from Sophos MANY DIFFERENCES HERE FROM ABOVE. W32/Bagle-W is a member of the W32/Bagle family of worms. When first run W32/Bagle-W will display a fake error message containing the text "Can't find a viewer associated with the file". W32/Bagle-W copies itself to the Windows system folder with the filename drvsys.exe and then runs the worm from that location. The following registry entry is created so that the worm is run when a user logs on to Windows: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\ drvsys.exe = drvsys.exe W32/Bagle-W recursively scans all fixed drives for WAB, TXT, MSG, HTM, SHTM, STM, XML, DBX, MBX, MDX, EML, NCH, MMF, ODS, CFG, ASP, PHP, WSH, ADB, TBB, SHT, XLS, OFT, UIN, CGI, MHT, DHTM and JSP files and then extracts email addresses from these files to be used for the mass mailing component of the worm. The email sent by the worm will have the following characteristics: Subject line may contain the following text: Hello! Hey! Let's socialize, my friend! Let's talk, my friend! I'm bored with this life Notify from a known person ;-) I like you I just need a friend I'm a sad girl... Re: Msg reply Re: Hello Re: Yahoo! Re: Thank you! Re: Thanks :) RE: Text message Re: Document Incoming message Re: Incoming Message Re: Incoming Fax Hidden message Fax Message Received Protected message RE: Protected message Forum notify Request response Site changes Encrypted Document Message text may contain any of the following messages: I Like You! Don't you remember me? Kewl :-) I need a friend... I just want to talk with someone... I like reading the books and socializing, let me talk with you... It's time to find a friend! Ready to accept a new friend? :-) Like me, odore me! I study at school, I like to spend time cheerfully even if not all so well, I hompe and trust, that all bad when nibud will pass and necessarily nastanet there would be a desire. I like to feel protected, to understand, that near to me the man, which both in sex, and in life knows what to do. It is possible to fall in love with such the man for ever. Cometime I write a poem, play the gitar. I love a traveling, I like a romantice and I want to meet, comeday, my big love I am kind, fair, careful, gentle also want to create family. I love animal (cats, dogs), the literature, theatre, cinema, music, walks in park. I have recently got demobilize from army and also I am going' to act in a higher educational institution Searching for the right person,for real man, who will really cares and love me. I am a honest, kind,loving,with good sense of humor...etc.,looking for true love... or maybe for pen friend. I am looking for a serious relationship. I am NOT interested in flirt and short-term love adventure. I love, as the good company, and I dream about romantic appointment at candles with loved. I still believe in love. I'm a young lady of 20 years old i'd like to find my second part!!! I am simple girl who are looking for serious relation with responsible and confident man. I am ready to give all my love' and carering for a right person who is going to love and respect me I am a beautiful, sexual girl with very big ambitions and dreams. I can make happy anyone man... I am a student. I'm studying international relationships. I would like to find an interesting and active man for serious relations. Sitting at home it is not for me. I like to go out to the theater, cinema, and nightclubs. I'm so bored, let me talk with you... You are my prince :-) You are cool :-) Read the attach. Your file is attached. More info is in attach See attach. Please, have a look at the attached file. See the attached file for details. Message is in attach Here is the file. For more information see the attached file. Attached file will tell you everything. For details see the attach. Attached file tells everything. Further details are in attach. There may be two attached files one is a jpeg file that contains a picture of a woman and the other is a copy of the worm. The worm will create the following copies of itself in folders on the infected system that contain the string "shar" in their name: Microsoft Office 2003 Crack, Working!.exe Microsoft Windows XP, WinXP Crack, working Keygen.exe Microsoft Office XP working Crack, Keygen.exe Porno, sex, oral, anal cool, awesome!!.exe Porno Screensaver.scr Serials.txt.exe KAV 5.0 Kaspersky Antivirus 5.0 Porno pics arhive, xxx.exe Windows Sourcecode update.doc.exe Ahead Nero 7.exe Windown Longhorn Beta Leak.exe Opera 8 New!.exe XXX hardcore images.exe WinAmp 6 New!.exe WinAmp 5 Pro Keygen Crack Update.exe Adobe Photoshop 9 full.exe Matrix 3 Revolution English Subtitles.exe ACDSee 9.exe
Why NETSKY? - WORM_NETSKY.Y From Trend Micro WORM_NETSKY.Y is a new, NETSKY variant that uses its own Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) engine to propagate via email. This memory-resident worm is currently spreading in-the-wild and infects computer systems running Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, and XP.. Upon execution, it creates a registry entry that allows it to automatically execute at every system startup. It also drops copies of itself in the Windows folder using the following file names: * FirewallSvr.exe (26,112 bytes)– copy of itself * f**k_you_bagle.txt (35,784 bytes) – base64-encoded copy of itself This worm uses its own Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) engine to propagate via email. It gathers email addresses from files with the following extension names in all available drives: * ADB * ASP * CFG * CGI * DBX * DHTM * DOC * HTM * HTML * JSP * MBX * MDX * MHT * MMF * MSG * NCH * ODS * OFT * PHP * PL * PPT * RTF * SHT * SHTM * STM * TBB * TXT * UIN * VBS * WAB * WSH * XLS * XML It uses the obtained address as its recipients, and to spoof the "From:" field of its email messages. The email it sends contains the following details: From: Spoofed email address Subject: Delivery failure notice (ID-<random letters and numbers>) Message body: --- Mail Part Delivered --- 220 Welcome to [%domain%] Mail type: multipart/related --- text/html RFC 2504 MX [Mail Exchanger] mx.mt2.kl.%domain% Exim Status OK. (followed by one of the following) * New message is available. * Partial message is available. * External message is available. * Delivered message is available. Attachment: www.%domain%.%user%.session-%random 8 char%.com Note: %user% and %domain% are taken from the obtained target address %user%@%domain%.xxx. It may launch a Denial of Service (DoS) attack against the following Web sites on April 28-30, 2004: * www.educa.ch * www.medinfo.ufl.edu * www.nibis.de This worm also has backdoor capabilities whereby it opens port 82 to receive remote commands. The worm’s code contains the following text strings: ”Hey, bagle what’s up? “No ideas?” “Greetings from out Team” ”19.04.04 11:45 Russia”
IF YOU SUSPECT THAT YOU HAVE A VIRUS OR IF YOU HAVE NOT SUCCESSFULLY SCANNED YOUR DRIVES FOR VIRUSES LATELY... THIS NEXT SITE IS FOR YOU. Free Virus scans. Trend Micro, more commonly referred to as Housecall, offers free virus scans and in most cases can fix damage down by a virus or worm that your computer may have contacted. The program works well. The first time one uses the free program it is necessary to download a small program. Trend Micro walks you through the process. Then the virus scans are quite simple for each return. You should disable any anti virus program that you have running. If you do not have a virus program I recommend that you use this program first and then download one of the free programs listed above of install any anti virus program you have purchased. Go to http://housecall.antivirus.com/ then choose the link "Scan without registering". Follow the directions.
Computer Associates, another reputable and reliable anti virus developer introduced a new free program which allows anyone to do a virus scan without downloading any software or registering for an anti virus program. You must use Internet Explorer for access to Computer Associates and to perform the scan. This is a good one and very simple to operate The address is http://www3.ca.com/threatinfo/virusinfo/scan.aspx
Free Virus programs to download Quite a few KCnet members use these programs and like them. Be careful if you download a virus program and you already have one installed on your computer. You need to at least disable the program already installed. http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php Another good free program to take a look at is: http://www.free-av.com/
This list from Trend Micro represents the top 10 reported threats April 16, 2004 to April 22, 2004) 1. WORM_NETSKY.P 2. WORM_NETSKY.D 3. WORM_NETSKY.B 4. HTML_NETSKY.P 5. WORM_NETSKY.Q 6. PE_FUNLOVE.4099 7. WORM_MOFEI.B 8. PE_VALLA.A 9. WORM_NETSKY.C 10. PE_NIMDA.E
Tried and Untrue Viruses and Warning Letters of Impending Doom. Believe it or not, the amount of harm done by sending false computer virus alarms and letters of impending doom to your thousand closest friends can be just as damaging as the alleged virus (if it even exists!); if you remember the story of the boy who cried wolf, you understand why. If you think you've got the scoop on the latest new devastating virus or latest doom warning, check it out at the Web sites below before taking it on yourself to alert the world. If the virus is as terrible as you think it is, odds are the virus fighters already know about it and -- good news here! -- your antivirus software provider probably knows about it too and already has an update for it. Sophos supplies this current information about actual hoaxes. Look at them. Read about them. If you are sent one of them, delete it.
Here are a few sites of many that can help you determine if an email is a hoax or real. http://www.quatloos.com/ http://www.snopes.com/ http://www.urbanlegends.com/ulz/ http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBHoaxIndex.html http://vil.nai.com/VIL/hoaxes.asp http://kumite.com/myths/ http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html http://www.scambusters.org/VirusHoaxes.html http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/hoaxes/ http://www.truthorfiction.com/
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: Gone phishin' This is an excerpt in CNET News Week In Review. It popped my eyeballs. (Mike) Your personal finances may be at risk too, since the number of "phishing" e-mails circulating on the Web has increased from 279 to 215,643 during the past six months. Phishing is an Internet-scam technique in which unsuspecting users receive official-looking e-mails that attempt to fool them into disclosing online passwords, usernames and other personal information. Victims are usually persuaded to click on a link that directs them to a doctored version of an organization's Web site.
Monitor Buying Guide A ZDNet study and a very informative one at that. What is an LCD? LCDs, or liquid-crystal displays (also called flat panels or flat screens), are thin sandwiches of glass containing a liquid-crystal material. When exposed to electric current, the molecules of liquid-crystal material change their alignment to either transmit or block light, which ultimately creates an image. Each pixel is composed (in most cases) of red, green, and blue subpixels. LCD monitors cost more than same-size, old-school CRTs, but they offer a few significant advantages. Here's how LCDs stack up, for better or worse. Pros: Thin and stylish - Energy efficient - Relatively lightweight, especially in larger sizes - Crisp image - More display area (a 15-inch LCD is equivalent to a 17-inch CRT) - No refresh-rate flicker - Little or no low-frequency electromagnetic emissions compared with a CRT - Perfect screen geometry - No convergence problems Cons: Relatively expensive - Fragile - Limited viewing angle - Color rendition may be limited or inconsistent - Moving images may smear - May flicker from inability to synchronize with signal correctly - Image quality is greatly reduced when running in nonnative resolution, because the image must be scaled to match the pattern of physical pixels
What is a CRT monitor? The original CRT (cathode ray tube) technology was invented more than 100 years ago and has been greatly refined since. Inside a color CRT, three electron guns shoot streams of electrons at the screen. A mask blocks the electrons so that the beam from one gun hits only red phosphor dots on the screen, just as the beams from the other guns only hit green or blue phosphors. By controlling the position of the beams and how fast they turn on and off, a CRT can create pixels of varying sizes, so it can produce different-resolution images with little loss of image quality. Although they're big and boxy, CRTs are inexpensive--and indispensable for some computing tasks such as video-editing and gaming. Here's a look at the good and the bad in CRTs. Pros: Relatively inexpensive - Rugged - Unlimited viewing angle - Generally good color rendition - Moving images do not smear - No flicker from problems with synchronizing with a signal - Can display different-resolution images with relatively little loss of quality More low-frequency electromagnetic emissions than LCDs Cons: Large and bulky - Energy inefficient - Relatively heavy, especially in larger sizes - Pixels are not clearly defined at any resolution - Less display area (a 15-inch LCD is equivalent to a 17-inch CRT) - Refresh-rate flicker is below 75 Hz; flicker is more severe with larger monitors - Nearly impossible to get perfect screen geometry, especially with flat-faced CRT designs - Almost impossible to get perfect convergence of red, green, and blue beams on all parts of the screen There is a ton of buying information and some good tips to determine your needs. http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/4520-7610_16-5084364-2.html?tag=tnav
Change the view of a displayed folder With a folder open (either from My Computer or Windows Explorer), click View on the file bar. Click the desired view: Thumbnails, Tiles, Icon, List, Details. The folder being displayed will have the new view. Now apply the view to all folders With a folder open (either from My Computer or Windows Explorer), click Tools on the file bar. Click Folder Options in the drop-down box. The Folder Options control window will be displayed Click the View tab. Click the "Apply to all folders" button in the Folder Views section of the View tab. A confirm box will be displayed to change the view of all folders to be like the folder you have displayed Click Yes. Click OK at the bottom of the View tab to close the Folder Options control window.
Search using Google without opening your browser This is a pretty neat little Gizmo. I've installed it and like it very much--unless one is dancing, one step always beats two steps. We downloaded, installed and explored the program in the Users Class. It got an approval stamp from most. The down side was a loss of about an inch of lower toolbar space. No biggie as far as I'm concerned. (Mike) Google Deskbar enables you to search with Google from any application without lifting your fingers from the keyboard. Installs easily in your Windows taskbar. Key Features: * Search using Google, even when your browser isn't running * Preview search results in a small inset window that closes automatically * Access Google from any application by typing Ctrl+Alt+G * Use keyboard shortcuts for multiple Google searches, i.e., Google News (Ctrl+N),Google Images (Ctrl+I), or Froogle (Ctrl+F) http://toolbar.google.com/deskbar/index.html
I can't postt a page without something from Worldstart. There are two good Worldstart tips next. (Mike) What is over-clocking? Is this okay to do to my computer... I mean it won't hurt it will it? Overclocking is a popular way to get a little more performance from a system. It is often called pushing or speed margining. Sometimes you can force your CPU to run faster than intended, but it does carry some risks such as over-heating, so you should become familiar with all the pros and cons before you attempt it. You don't want all your crucial data going up in smoke! Overclocking is possible because reputable companies are conservative in their speed rating. Chip manufacturers want to be sure that the chip will run safely at the advertised speed. Overclockers attempt to exploit this conservatism, sometimes successfully and sometimes not. Attempting to operate hardware in a way that it was not designed to is very risky. Your PC's Circuit timing is very delicate and you can cause subtle problems by messing with it. The average person may not even notice the small performance improvements. You may get a 6-10% speed improvement, but will it make any difference? If you use your PC primarily for games and graphics, then you might benefit from overclocking. However, I don't think overclocking is necessary or recommended for the average user. It should definitely NOT be attempted by a novice.
Hitting the Target Have you ever needed to get at a program's folder? Usually, it involves opening Windows Explorer, then the Program Files folder, then sifting around through all the sub-folders until you find what you're looking for. Heck, even then you sometimes have to sort through more sub-folder before you actually get to where you want to go. There's gotta be a better way, right? Yup, there is. After all, this wouldn't be much of a tip if I would have answered "no"! Anyhow, to quickly get to a program's folder, hold down the ALT key and double-click the program's icon. A "Properties" screen will be displayed. Hit the "Find Target" button. Windows will open the folder for you. Now you can see all the files in the Program Folder, including the main program (.exe file).
Why you shouldn't turn off your PC Brian Cooley, Editor at Large, ZD Net Here it is again except this time the "Leave It ONers" get the Aye nod. On the other hand, $120 bucks is one fourth of a new computer so in four years you could replace the old one witht the latest & greatest and at the same time feel good about conservation. (Mike) Off or on? Where else but CNET would a discussion of whether you should turn your PC off at night become the hottest thread in the history of our user forums? My position in the debate: I say, forget the thing even has a power switch. Leave it on. That way your machine is instantly available, just like every other tech product you own. It also lets backup programs, antivirus apps, and spyware cleaners do their thing thoroughly every night without slowing you down--or vice versa. That's how the pros run machines after all. The cost? The average PC draws something like 60 watts in normal operation. At the average national rate of 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, that's $6 a month running all the time. Add in a monitor, and you might round up to $10, much less for an LCD. So we're talking maybe $120 per year. What about wear and tear? The only part of a PC you really worry about breaking is the hard drive. My Seagate Barracuda is a 600,000-hour part (as measured by its mean-time-between-failures rating). That's about 69 years, always on. I've also noticed that PCs are like jetliners--they almost never crap out when cruising, but you have to watch those takeoffs and landings. Cycling the power on a PC is when you should tighten your seat belt. But if the benefits of instant-on and background housekeeping don't turn you on, here's a more human-based reason to never shut down your machine: It takes my computer 48 seconds to boot. During that time, if you're like me, you sit there, pretty much staring at the BIOS and Windows screens. Maybe you're even mouth-breathing. Done just once a day, that's 4.9 hours of looking stupid, every year. I'll gladly play $120 to take that off my resume..
INTERESTING SITES: Budget101.com Daughter Wendy sent this to me. She said it is the best site for "Frugal Freddies" like us. I don't know about the "us" but it is a site for folks that like home remedies for solving the little things in life. (Mike) Budget101.com Thousands Make your own Mix Recipes, Jar & Kitchen Gifts, credit repair, Coupons, Budgeting Articles, Inexpensive Gift Ideas, Gag Gifts, Money Saving Recipes, & Free Debt Reduction Resource! http://www.budget101.com/
A Book shows sneaky uses for ordinary objects to solve problems Here is a second site from daughter Wendy. A magnet will attract legitimate U.S. currency because of iron particles in the ink. Have you ever feared that $20 bill the cashier is checking with her counterfeit pen will be rejected and in turn cause you loads of embarrassment? If you have experienced that uneasiness, Cy Tymony's book, "Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things," tells you how to determine if your currency is legitimate before trekking to the store. Tymony's book is filled with helpful insights on how to turn household items into unique gadgets and gifts. He tells how to open a door with a toy car, turn a penny into a radio and change milk into plastic. Take a look. http://www.sneakyuses.com/pages/1/index.htm
A Paradise For Your Furry Friends! KCnet Techie, Ken Dale, found this site. Even if you have no furry pet the site is interesting. (Mike) Hamsters, gerbils and mice are our furry domesticated friends. They make great pets, but sometimes get neglected when you're busy playing all-night quake-fragfests and spending all-day reading other people's blogs. Now your small rodent(s) can always be by your side when using the computer! The PC HabiCase allows your gerbil, hamster or mouse to live INSIDE your computer. Ample room is provided for climbing, or your pet can hang out in one of the two "play pods" located at the front and top of the case. Heat from your CPU ensures your rodent will be warm and comfortable in a climate controlled environment. http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/habicase.shtml
The History of Eating Utensils Thanks to Amanda for this one You know we use utensils to eat just about everyday of our lives, except for those times when we eat with our hands. But how often do we considered their history? Where did they come from? Who invented them? I think about these things. Well, today we're going to explore the History of Eating Utensils. You can explore: Forks, Knives, Spoons, Chopsticks, and Portable Cutlery. I was curious so checked them all out. Did you know that the Greeks had the first recorded forks, they only had two tines and were mostly used for carving meat. Then in the Middle East forks made their appearance during regular dinners. Knives are by far the oldest eating utensils, seeing as how they date back to prehistoric times. Read about how knives evolved into the ones we use to day with the Knives section. Chopsticks on the other hand, "were developed about 5,000 years ago in China." And "Spoons have been used as eating utensils since Paleolithic times. It is most likely that prehistoric peoples used shells or chips of wood as spoons." I'll leave Portable Cutlery for you to discover on your own. The pictures on this site are really cool. They show you the utensils throughout the ages. I loved looking at the Turkish spoons made of shell and wood. Some of the pictures you can click on to get more detail. Very neat! Dig in! http://www.calacademy.org/research/anthropology/utensil/index.html
Rubik's Cube Java Applet This one from Gary n' Patti. It is as hard as the real Rubik Cube. If it did you would see here a simulation of Rubik's Cube that can be twisted with the mouse. Click a cubelet face, move the mouse in the direction you want the slice to move to, and release the mouse button. Press the Ctrl key at the same time to move the whole cube. http://www.town-usa.com/arcade/rcube/
Birds and the bees Kim Komando suggests this one. It is appropriate for the season. It's spring! Most people think happy thoughts of buds on trees, flowers blooming and green grasses. For allergy sufferers, it's generally thoughts of itchy eyes and runny noses. WebMD has some great tips on surviving spring allergies. Learn how to minimize nature's effect on your health by allergy-proofing your home. Also find out which medications work best. TO VISIT THIS SITE, GO HERE: http://my.webmd.com/medical_information/condition_centers/allergies
MOVIE CLIFF NOTES *WARNING* - The ending to these films will be revealed! The whole story, from beginning to end, in a quick 5 minute read. You'll be able to lie about seeing any movie quite convincingly. The spoilers are written for the latest releases. http://www.themoviespoiler.com/
Where's the money? Another Kim Komando. This is amazing. You filed your taxes and now you're waiting for the refund check. Another day passes and it hasn't been deposited in your bank account or your mailbox. Stop guessing and find out exactly when it should arrive. Just enter your social security number, filing status (single, married, etc.) and the exact amount of your refund. The IRS will let you know whether it received your return. If it has, it will let you know if your return has been processed and, if so, the status of your refund. TO VISIT THIS SITE, GO HERE: https://sa.www4.irs.gov/irfof/lang/en/irfofgetstatus.jsp