ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 10, 1997 TAG: 9704100027
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: COMPUTER BITS
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
A bunch of Roanoke-area computer users this week got an alert about a virus - that turned out to be a hoax. They were warned to watch out for e-mail headed "Pen Pal Greetings" and urged to delete it immediately without reading it.
One expert says it was another one of those urban myths, like alligators in the sewer. He did a quick search of the user groups and found they all came to much the same conclusion.
From his search: "This is a hoax just like the Good Times Virus hoax. It was debunked already, sometime in 1996. And, basically, you can't get a virus from opening an e-mail and reading it, unless it was a program [attached to the message] that you got from who-knows-where that you decided to run."
The best thing you can do if you get a virus warning is to visit the Internet Hoax site and see if it's real, say the experts from the Department of Energy, Computer Incident Advisory Capability group, who run the site. That's where you also can learn about real vulnerabilities.
Parents-kids
Speaking of things that cause panic: It won't be long before the children will be out of school. Arrrgh!!
Find comfort in the Web. It is full of ideas for things children can do, including a Quaker Oats site that lets you design a weekly planner to keep youthful exuberance under control. Because it's a corporate site, you have to wade through a bit of advertising, but it's worth it.
In the first month, the spot had 10,000 visitors, said Susan Schreiber of Bozell Public Relations, which is marketing the site. Because the site spins off of parentsoup.com, it can get busy during kiddie naptimes and after kid bedtimes.
There are chat groups for every type of family and on just about every topic, from post-partum depression to first-time grandparenting, gardening and frugal living. Of special interest to half the population might be F.E.M.A.L.E. Chat on Sundays between 9 and 10 p.m. Its name stands for Formerly Employed Mothers At the Leading Edge.
Finally, those anticipating parenthood can catch up with other first-timers at storksite.com, established by Victoria Kropp, a registered nurse in San Francisco.
Laptop TLC
Barry Cooper, computer columnist for The Orlando Sentinel, learned the hard way that laptops can be fragile. He offers this advice if you plan to buy one:
Read the instructions. The manual will tell you how to handle the machine. For example, you should never pick up a computer by its screen.
Check the quality of the machine. Tug on small latches and covers. If they seem easily breakable in the store, they're sure to pop off during everyday use.
Make sure the screen seems secure when closed.
Buy a quality carrying case. Get a bag made for laptops. It should have lots of padding.
Order an additional power supply.
Take out an insurance policy. Check your homeowner's or renter's insurance. Safeware Insurance, at (800)800-1492, is the largest company specializing in computer insurance.
INTERNET HOAXES
http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html/
KID PLANNER
www.quakerchewy.com/
PARENTS
www.parentsoup.com
PREGNANT
http://www.storksite.com
You can contribute to this column or comment by e-mail to sandrak@roanoke.com or by calling 981-3393 or 981-3237 in the Roanoke Valley, or (800) 346-1234, extension 393, outside the Roanoke area. Previous Computer Bits columns can be found on line at http://www.roanoke.com
LENGTH: Medium: 80 linesby CNB