Trojan Horse….Greek Myth Or Computer Nemesis? July 22, 2006
Posted by grhomeboy in Internet Safety.comments closed
We have all heard the term Trojan Horse, but what exactly is it? A Trojan Horse is a destructive program that masquerades as a harmless application.
Unlike viruses, Trojan Horses do not replicate themselves, but they can be just as destructive. One of the most dangerous examples of a Trojan is a program that promises to rid your computer of viruses but instead introduces viruses into your computer.
The Trojan can be tricky. Who hasn’t been online and had an advertisement pop up claiming to be able to rid your computer of some nasty virus? Or, even more frightening, you receive an email that claims to be alerting you to a new virus that can threaten your computer. The sender promises to quickly eradicate, or protect, your computer from viruses if you simply download their “free”, attached software into your computer. You may be skeptical but the software looks legitimate and the company sounds reputable. You proceed to take them up on their offer and download the software. In doing so, you have just potentially exposed yourself to a massive headache and your computer to a laundry list of ailments.
When a Trojan is activated, numerous things can happen. Some Trojans are more annoying than malicious. Some of the less annoying Trojans may choose to change your desktop settings or add silly desktop icons. The more serious Trojans can erase or overwrite data on your computer, corrupt files, spread other malware such as viruses, spy on the user of a computer and secretly report data like browsing habits to other people, log keystrokes to steal information such as passwords and credit card numbers, phish for bank account details (which can be used for criminal activities), and even install a backdoor into your computer system so that they can come and go as they please.
To increase your odds of not encountering a Trojan, follow these guidelines:
1. Remain diligent Trojans can infect your computer through rogue websites, instant messaging, and emails with attachments. Do not download anything into your computer unless you are 100 percent sure of its sender or source.
2. Ensure that your operating system is always up-to-date. If you are running a Microsoft Windows operating system, this is essential.
3. Install reliable anti-virus software. It is also important that you download any updates frequently to catch all new Trojan Horses, viruses, and worms. Be sure that the anti-virus program that you choose can also scan e-mails and files downloaded through the internet.
4. Consider installing a firewall. A firewall is a system that prevents unauthorized use and access to your computer. A firewall is not going to eliminate your computer virus problems, but when used in conjunction with regular operating system updates and reliable anti-virus software, it can provide additional security and protection for your computer.
Nothing can guarantee the security of your computer 100 percent. However, you can continue to improve your computer’s security and decrease the possibility of infection by consistently following these guidelines.
How not to test how drunk you are… July 22, 2006
Posted by grhomeboy in Health.comments closed
Three drunk 19-year olds broke into a police car and stole an alcohol level tester.
They did not manage to use it though, as they were caught red-handed. They had 3 promiles of alcohol in their blood!
New era of cinema in Poland July 22, 2006
Posted by grhomeboy in Movies.comments closed
Over 520 movies will be shown during the Sixth Era New Horizons International Film Festival starting on July 20.
Volver, Pedro Almadovar’s latest movie, will open this year’s Era New Horizons Festival in Wrocław. The festival’s program includes 243 feature-length films and documentaries and 279 short films from 51 countries, mainly from Europe. Some 120 movies will be premiered in Wrocław.
Carl Davis, Bibi Andersen, Sebastian Campos, Jean-Charles Fitoussi, Joanna Bruzdowicz and Andrzej Seweryn are among the festivals’ special guests, and the festival will close with the 2006 Cannes Golden Palm winner, Ken Loach’s The Wind that Shakes the Barley.
The traditional New Horizons competition will have 18 new films directed by the Quay Brothers, Aleksander Sokurow, Lukas Moodysson, Lisandro Alonso, Bruno Dumont and others. The New Polish Films competition, with a prize amounting to zł.100,000, was established by the Mayor of Wrocław and will premiere such pictures as Andrzej Seweryn’s Who never lived…, Krzysztof Krause and Joanna Kos-Krauze’s Savior’s Square and Xawery Żuławski’s Chaos.
The most attractive part of the festival, the panorama of contemporary film, will include the biggest events and discoveries from other international festivals: Neil Jordan’s Breakfast on Pluto, Matthew Barney’s Drawing Restraint 9, Patrice Chereau’s Gabrielle and Paradise Now by Hany Abu-Assad along with many others.
The festival, which was previously held in Cieszyn, will also show documentaries, short films, music, and retrospectives. Viewers can see some 20 films from Argentinian cinema between 1896 and 2006, a series of movies showing the works of Agnes Varda and Ingmar Bergman, documentaries such as Philip Groening’s Into Great Silence, Workingman’s Death by Michael Glawogger, a concert of Manuel Goetschning and Kinga Kiełczyńska, as well as films from Wrocław’s alternative directors Bodo Kox and the Matwiejczyk Brothers.
Not a new invention July 22, 2006
Posted by grhomeboy in Food Drinks News.comments closed
The sausage is a popular item in a typical breakfast. It is easy and quick to prepare. The word sausage originally comes from the Latin word salsus that means salted or preserved. In olden days, people did not have refrigerators to preserve their meat and so making sausage was a way of overcoming this problem.
Sausage is said to be prepared or processed from chopped or ground meat, poultry, or even fish. It is usually made from the scraps that may come from any part of the animal’s carcass, including blood, organ meats, and fat. Usually, sausages are seasoned for their unique flavours. Some use grains or breadcrumbs to change the texture and add their own touch. As for the casing, traditionally, they were made of the intestines of animals. Today, however, natural casings are often replaced by collagen, cellulose or even plastic, especially in the case of industrially-manufactured sausages. Additionally, luncheon meat (such as spam) and sausage meat are now available without casings in tins and jars.
NOT A NEW INVENTION
Some individuals may believe that the sausage is a new invention, but people have been making and eating them at least since the 9th century BC, when it was mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey. Also, it has been assumed that sausages were invented by the Sumerians (today Iraq) around 3000 BC. Plus, there is evidence that sausages were already popular both among the ancient Greeks and Romans during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero. Then, sausages were associated with the Lupercalia festival. The early Catholic Church outlawed the Lupercalia Festival and made eating sausage a sin. For this reason, the Roman emperor Constantine banned the eating of sausages.
Though we are not sure if and when the ban was lifted, it is quite popular today. There are classifications of sausages such as cooked, smoked, pre-cooked, fresh, fresh smoked, raw, and dry. The different classifications are mostly influenced by the availability of ingredients as well as the climate. Some parts of the world with periods of cold climate, such as northern Europe, were able to keep their fresh sausage without refrigeration during the cold months. They also developed a process of smoking the sausage to help preserve the meat during the warmer months.
The hotter climates in the south of Europe developed dry sausage which did not need refrigeration at all. People living in particular areas developed their own types of sausages and that sausage became associated with the area. For example Bologna originated in the town of Bologna in Northern Italy; Lyons sausage came from Lyons in France, and Berliner sausage from Berlin in Germany.
