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This August issue is filled with all kinds of tips to help you do all kinds of things, including outsmart scammers, save money, and make the most of your free time.
It starts with a warning about a Windows Live ID scam that's circulating via e-mail, and a reminder to keep up your regular precautions against phishing. You'll also
learn about the purpose of an IP address, and find out how to create compressed files and folders. We think you'll also enjoy the variety in our Great Sites section;
these resources feature everything from caffeine counts in popular foods to 137 years of content from Popular Science.
We think you'll find the information contained in this newsletter to be a valuable tool for enhancing your Internet experience. As always, we appreciate your feedback
and suggestions. Please send your thoughts, comments or questions to newsletter@greenmountainaccess.net.
- The Green
Mountain Access Team
Aaron, Adam, Amanda, Eric, Kris,
Phil, Richard, Seth, Scott, and Tom |
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Win Tickets to Addison County Fair and Field Days
We are pleased to offer our customers the chance to win tickets for free admission to the Addison County Fair and Field Days. Ten pairs of tickets to the Addison
County Farm and Field Days are available. Drawing will take place on August 6.
To be entered into the raffles, simply click here and leave your name and contact information.
We will be exhibiting at the fair, so make sure to stop by, check your e-mail, talk to our knowledgeable staff and pick up some of our famous hats and gliders for the
kids. See you at the fair!
Addison County Farm and Field Days –
August 10 – 14th - New Haven
Don't miss Vermont's largest agricultural fair in New Haven. Children's barnyard, cattle judging, tractor pulls, kiddie rides, crafts, exhibits, live entertainment,
pony and ox pulling, midway, parade, youth activities, and Vermont products dinner. For more information, visit www.addisoncountyfielddays.com.
Free Small Business Technology Seminar In Richmond
Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom/Green Mountain Access will be offering a FREE Internet technology seminar geared for small businesses and home office users on
Thursday, August 19th at the Richmond Free Library (201 Bridge Street, Richmond) from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Presenter Kris Merchant, employee of Waitsfield and
Champlain Valley Telecom, will cover computer networking, ways to protect systems from spyware and viruses, back up strategies, Google search tips, and more.
The seminar is free and open to the general public, but space is limited. RSVP by contacting Kris Merchant via e-mail at
kmerchant@wcvt.com or call 888-866-8554.
Local Yellow Pages Now Available On Your iPhone!
Introducing the new the iPhone application giving you access to the yellow pages of all of our local telephone directories. To download the application, visit the iPhone
App Store and search for WCVTYP. Just another way of we are making it easier for you to "buy local."
New 2010 Mad River Valley Telephone Directory Now Available
The 2010 Mad River Valley Telephone Directory is now available. This year's history section is titled "A Land of Warriors – The Soldiers in the Valley"
and is dedicated to the brave men and women from the Mad River Valley who have served in the military and those that "kept the home fires burning." This year's
history was written and researched by Eleanor Haskin, Jan Pogue and Tammy Field. This year's cover photograph was captured by Dennis Curran. The photograph was taken
overlooking Sherman Road in Waitsfield across from what most people remember as the Great Lakes Carbon or Skagel farm. Additional copies of the telephone directory are
available at either of the Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom business offices as well as various distribution locations throughout the area. View the directory
online at www.vermontphonebooks.com. For more information or to request additional copies, please contact Alan Jones at 496-8328 or via email at ajones@wcvt.com.
And The
Winner Of One Free Month Of High-Speed Internet Service Is
Congratulations Karin Noack for being this month's winner of one-free month of high-speed Internet service. Karin's name was chosen at random from customers who completed our monthly
Green Mountain Access technical support surveys.
Each month, one name is selected at random from customers who completed our online technical support or new user surveys. Survey requests are sent out via e-mail to
customers after calling technical support, or establishing new service. So be sure to fill out those surveys!
New
Business Listings
• 425-2345 Abel and Lovely
• 425-4602 Erin Hyer & Associates
• 434-7425 Michael Marks Law Office
• 453-3148 Forand's Auto Supply
• 453-6395 Munson Earth Moving Corp
• 482-4407 Valley Wings Food Delivery Restaurant
• 482-5001 Energy Futures Group, Inc.
• 496-2955 Northern Reliability LLC
• 496-3235 Mad River Environmental Strategies LLC
• 496-5096 Katie's Virtual Services
• 496-6522 McLean Electric
• 496-6672 Brigid Bridal
• 496-9099 Legacy Glass
• 496-9713 The Wooden Spoon
• 583-1962 Steep Management |
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The Wooden Spoon Waitsfield
Lisa Friedman, chef and owner of The Wooden Spoon has been sharing her passion for good food with friends and clients for the past ten years. Lisa and her team pride
themselves on attention to detail and helping clients make their event a unique and impressive occasion. From informal gatherings to elegant weddings or corporate
functions, The Wooden Spoon can design the perfect menu for your needs. The Wooden Spoon also offers hands-on cooking classes. Whether you have a passion for food, the
desire to improve your cooking talents, or would like to focus on more nutritionally sound meals, The Wooden Spoon offers customized cooking classes to suit every taste.
Corporate team building cook-offs and parent-child "how to" classes are also available. Call 496-9713 or visit www.woodenspoon-vt.com for more information. The Wooden Spoon is ready to serve you!
Abel and Lovely Shop and Gallery - Charlotte
In June, Kristin Baker and Melissa O'Brien opened Abel and Lovely, a unique business that reflects their shared love of the creative and their desire to provide a
community space. The shop features an ever-changing mix of art, photography, vintage collections, home goods, furniture, textiles, letter press paper, "lovely soap,
" chocolate sauce, and their own branded products such as T-shirts and mugs. Creative workshops for adults and children are also in the works. The name of the store
pays tribute to the brothers Abel and Noble Lovely who were postmasters in the Charlotte Post Office located in the same building in the early 1800s. Abel and Lovely is
open Thursday – Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and is located on 694 Church Street in Charlotte. Visit their website at www.abelandlovely.com or call 425-2345.
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Warning! For Windows Live ID Users
If you receive an e-mail like the one pictured at the link below that appears to be from Microsoft Customer Support, be careful. There are fraudulent e- mails now circulating that have a subject line about confirming your e- mail address for Windows Live ID. They are not from Microsoft as claimed, and are simply part of a phishing scam.
http://www.cornerstonenow.com/newsletter/section-a/2010/10-08_sectionA.jpg
Ironically, the e-mail's message pretends to actually be concerned about the security of your personal information and recommends that you don't click on the links
placed in the e-mail. Instead, it says to copy and paste the desired link into your browser's address bar.
Microsoft reminds users that it will never ask you to provide your username, password, date of birth, country, credit card information, or other personal information
via e-mail. And you should never enter your password anywhere besides the official Windows Live ID sign-in page.
Here are additional tips to help you avoid phishing scams:
~Your first level of defense is to secure your computer. To do this, keep your firewall turned on and make sure all of your software (including antivirus and antispyware
software) is up to date, along with your operating system.
~Do not click on links within an e-mail unless you're absolutely certain about the source, and don't reply to suspicious e-mails.
Scammers know that a small percentage of users will fall for their tricks. Armed with information, you don't need to be one of them.
This
Month's FAQ What Is An IP Address?
Question: What exactly is an IP address and what is its purpose?
Answer: An Internet Protocol (IP) address is an electronic serial number that takes the form of four numbers separated by dots; an example would be
12.345.678.90. Every machine connected to the Internet--computer or any other Web-enabled device--has a unique IP address. Wherever you browse online, send an e-mail or
instant message, or download a file, your IP address functions like a vehicle license plate to enforce accountability and traceability. IP addresses are used by routers
to forward messages from one computer to another over the Internet.
Short Tutorial Creating Compressed Files And Folders
Compressing files and folders decreases their size so they take up less storage space and can be transferred to other computers more quickly than uncompressed files.
(You might think of this process as the electronic version of using vacuum-compression storage bags for extra clothes or blankets.) It's particularly handy, for example,
when you have a long list of files to e-mail to someone, since you'll be able to attach just one compressed (or zipped) folder with everything in it instead of
attaching 10 or 12 files individually. To create compressed files and folders, follow the steps below:
Creating Compressed Files and Folders Using ...Computer Operating System: Windows XP
1. Using the "My Computer" method, click your cursor arrow on the "Start" menu and then click on "My Computer."
2. When the My Computer window opens, locate the file or folder you would like to compress.
3. With the file or folder selected, click on the "File" menu. Select "New" from the resulting drop-down menu and then select "Compressed
(zipped) Folder" from the secondary drop-down menu.
4. When the compression is complete, your new zipped file will appear; the icon for the file or folder will appear to have a zipper on it. Type a name for the new
compressed file and press the "Enter" key.
5. Alternately, you can right-click on the file or folder you would like to compress and select "Send To" and then "Compressed (zipped) Folder"
from the resulting pop-up menu.
Creating Compressed Files and Folders Using ...Computer Operating System: Windows Vista
1. In Windows Explorer, right-click the file or folder you would like to compress.
2. When the pop-up menu appears, select "Send to . . ." and click "Compressed (zipped) folder" from the submenu.
3. A compressed file is created using the name of the folder or file you are compressing. The icon for the compressed file or folder looks like a bundle of books with
a belt around it to indicate its compressed status. (Note: If you have a separate compression application installed, the icon may look different.)
4. You can add files or a folder to an existing compressed folder. Simply drag and drop the files or folder on top of it and the new material is automatically added.
Creating Compressed Files and Folders Using ... Computer Operating System: Windows 7
1. In Windows Explorer, right-click the file or folder you would like to compress.
2. Go to "Send to . . ." and click "Compressed (zipped) folder."
3. A compressed file is created using the name of the folder or file you are compressing with the file extension ".zip" added to the end. The icon for the
compressed file or folder has a zipper on it to indicate its compressed status. (Note: If you have a separate compression application installed, like WinZip, the icon
may look different.)
4. You can add files or a folder to an existing compressed folder. Simply drag and drop the files or folder on top of it and the new material is automatically added.
Alternate option:
1. In Windows Explorer, click to go to the folder in which you would like to create a compressed file. This can be any folder on any drive.
2. Right-click anywhere in the pane of Windows Explorer that lists the folders and files. Make sure you do not click on a sub-folder.
3. From the pop-up menu, go to "New" and then click "Compressed (zipped) Folder." A compressed folder named "Compressed (zipped) Folder.zip
" appears. The icon has the "zipper" image, indicating it is a compressed file. This is an empty compressed file, waiting for you to add material to it.
4. Rename the file in some way that is meaningful to you.
5. The file now can be treated like any normal folder; you can drag other folders or files into it or out of it. The folders or files you drag into it will be
compressed.
Creating Compressed Files and Folders Using ... Computer Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5
1. In the Finder window, click your cursor arrow on the file or folder you would like to compress.
2. Click your cursor arrow on the "File" menu and select "Compress '[the name of your file or folder]'" from the resulting drop-down menu.
3. When the compression is complete, your new zipped file will appear with the existing file or folder name and will now show the extension ".zip" added to
the end of its name. The icon for the file or folder will appear to have a zipper on it.
4. Alternately, you can right-click on the file or folder you would like to compress and select "Compress '[the name of your file or folder]'" from the
resulting pop-up menu.
Alternate option:
1. Click your cursor arrow on the file or folder you would like to compress.
2. Right-click your cursor arrow on the selected file or folder and select "Compress '[the name of your file or folder]'" from the resulting drop-down menu.
3. When the compression is complete, your new zipped file will appear with the existing file or folder name and will now show the extension ".zip" added to
the end of its name. The icon for the file or folder will appear to have a zipper on it. |
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Vermont
Festival Of The Arts July 28 Labor Day Mad River Valley
Entertain the soul, enlighten the mind, energize the spirit, with 125 exhibits, performances, workshops, demos by a variety of Vermont artists. From the summit of
Sugarbush Resort to Mad River Valley, this annual festival has about 50 events for kids, 50 free events and 50 stunning locations. That adds up to plenty of ways to
craft your way through Art in August at one of the premier Vermont festivals, in Waitsfield, Warren and surrounding towns. The August 2010 festival includes both weekend
and weekday events in: contemporary art, landscape art, fine art galleries, art exhibitions, culinary arts, cooking classes, painting classes, craft arts, literary
gatherings, photography exhibits, art education, art in barns and art in open studios. For complete details and a list of events, visit www.vermontartfest.com.
Addison County Farm and Field Days August 10 14th - New Haven
Don't miss Vermont's largest agricultural fair in New Haven. Children's barnyard, cattle judging, tractor pulls, kiddie rides, crafts, exhibits, live entertainment, pony
and ox pulling, midway, parade, youth activities, and Vermont products dinner. For more information, visit www.addisoncountyfielddays.com.
Rabble in Arms - August 21 - 22 Lake Champlain Maritime Museum
Stroll the grounds and chat with 18th-century reenactors as they share their knowledge and skills. Learn about the way of life for those in the American Revolution - men
in battle, camp followers that accompanied and assisted the troops, and the shipbuilders and blacksmiths that prepared the fleet. Step aboard Benedict Arnold's gunboat
replica Philadelphia II in North Harbor for shipboard life demonstrations and more! Meet the Authors Thomas Barker & Paul Huey: The 1776-1777 Northern Campaigns.
Their newly published Contemporary Maps of Mainly German Origin will be available for purchase and signing. For more information, call 475-2022 or visit www.lcmm.org.
Bristol Rescue Squad Open House August 22 - Bristol
Bristol Rescue Squad will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary of service to our 5-town community (Bristol-Lincoln-Monkton-New Haven-Starksboro) with an Open House!
Sunday 22 August 2010, Noon to 4:00pm, at our Squad building, 45 Monkton Rd in Bristol. All are welcome! Fun for the kids, tours, and food. Contact Carolyn Knight at
453-2513 or secretary@bristolrescuesquad.org for more information. |
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Curb Your Caffeine
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/AN01211
If you're like most adults, you probably drink some combination of coffee, tea, soft drinks, and energy drinks each day. While these beverages can give you a
boost, too many of them can be harmful to your health. Mayo Clinic's "caffeine content" site recommends no more than 500 to 600 milligrams of caffeine per day.
This helpful site also shows you the amount of caffeine in many popular brands, including foods and medications you might not have considered.
Get It Write
http://www.paperrater.com
High school and college students will appreciate this handy tool. PaperRater analyzes academic papers for plagiarism, spelling, grammar, style, word choice, and
readability. This free service is maintained by linguistics professionals and graduate students, and allows you to correct many common mistakes before you turn in your
papers. The site also includes a vocabulary builder and a blog with helpful writing tips. It's like having an English professor at your service 24/7!
137 Years of Popular Science
http://www.popsci.com/archives
Rocket ships, dinosaurs, sports medicine, computers, and the future of technology--Popular Science has covered it all in its 137 years. Now, the magazine has partnered
with Google to offer its entire archive for free browsing. Each issue appears just as it did at its original time of publication, complete with period advertisements.
It's a fascinating trip down memory lane for science buffs.
Cool Summer Treats
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/desserts/frozen-treats/Main.aspx
There's nothing more refreshing on a hot summer day than a cool, creamy treat. This site offers dozens of recipes that feature ice cream, including ice cream sandwiches,
sherbet, sorbet, and ice cream pies and cakes. For each recipe, you can read reviews, write your own, save to a recipe box, or share with friends. You can also check
out videos, and subscribe to the baking newsletter.
Dog-friendly Destinations
http://www.dogfriendly.com
Remember poor Snoopy being turned away by the sign that read "no dogs allowed"? Don't let this happen to your pooch! This travel site lists accommodations,
parks, attractions, stores, and outdoor restaurants where dogs are welcome all over the world. You can search by location (country, city, state), or by destination, such
as campgrounds, beaches, attractions, and dog parks. And don't forget to check out the site's blog for the latest dog news. |
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