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Monday, October 25, 2004
The End of Spam! Viruses! Even Email?

Maybe. It could happen. At least this is one of the theories or predictions behind the use of RSS technology. One that I believe in or anticipate will happen.

What is RSS? RSS or Really Simple Syndication (or Rich Site Summary) allows websites to share (or syndicate) their content to anyone who requests it.

RSS is being used to distribute timely information like news stories, headlines, or blog items. Yahoo, CNN and many other news sites are syndicating their content. One of the major benefits of RSS is that you don’t have to visit all of your favorite websites to get the content you want. All you have to do is request an RSS feed from each site and view the results all in one place, called an aggregator or RSS reader.

The End of Email

Email is antiquated. It’s good for what it was, but with viruses, spam and phishing we need something else. RSS is the answer.

Currently email is pushed to us. We really don’t have a full-proof system to accept only the email we want. Sure we can setup filters and such, but some filters end up filtering out the good email. With the advent of RSS email, you would request to have email sent to you, thus eliminating unwanted email including spam, viruses and phishing.

And if you did begin to get unwanted content, such as advertising, all you would have to do is cancel the RSS feed.

Say Goodbye to Email Newsletters

RSS would say goodbye to the email newsletter. RSS only works if it’s requested. So instead of signing up to have an email newsletter sent to you, you’d sign up to receive the same content via RSS. Since you would be requesting the newsletter or asking permission to view the newsletter, spam and viruses would be eliminated.

More Information on RSS and Readers

RSS (About.com)
RSS: News You Choose (CNET.com)

Mike Swartz says, “Check it out.”

Posted by: Michael Swartz at 10:12 am

Comments: None | Filed under: Web General


Friday, October 15, 2004
Google’s Desktop Search

UPDATE: (12/20/04) I have removed Google’s Desktop Search due to the following announcement: “Security hole found in Google desktop search“. I would advise others to remove it as well, until we know for certain the application is safe. Note: The Google Desktop Search is still in beta, so we can’t blame ‘em too much.

You may of may not have heard, but Google just released (in beta) a desktop utility search, based on their proprietary searching capabilities.

I just downloaded it and ran a test search. Pretty cool. The search utility is a separate program, but also an additional choice when you go to Google.com. I like that – no bulky application to search for.

I read the Search Day article about the new tool and it said, “At the moment, only files on your primary hard drive (the C: drive for most people) are indexed. Those on additional hard drives won’t be searchable.”

Not true. When I read this, I was rather disappointed because we have created two separate drives on our systems so that, on one hard drive, we have the C: drive functioning as the Operating System/Application drive and the D: drive as the Data drive; where all our data files are kept. This way, in case of a shutdown, we can reinstall the operating system and applications without affecting our critical data.

Well, when I did a test search, files on my D: drive showed up. Excellent!

It will be interesting to see if it indexes my email. I am using Goldmine as my email and know that Google’s Desktop Search only indexes Outlook email.

Since it’s still in testing mode (beta), I had a couple of requested updates:

  1. Index all files. Don’t limit to just Microsoft office files.
  2. I would like to see more choices of how I want my search performed. To be able to select only the D: drive or selected folders.
For more information, visit Google’s Desktop Search About page.

Mike Swartz says, “Check it out.”

P.S. I’m looking forward to more innovations at Google especially how Google will be able to personalize my searches.

Posted by: Michael Swartz at 12:47 pm

Comments: None | Filed under: Web General


Tuesday, October 5, 2004
Prevent Spyware - The Easy Way

Spyware has taken center stage this week at the State and Federal level. Two new bills are designed to combat the ever growing nuisance on spyware.

I offer the easiest solution to the spyware problem…

Use an Alternative Browser

Stop using Internet Explorer and switch to another browser. I recommend Firefox. It’s the most compatible browser to Internet Explorer and it will prevent or cut down on spyware.

The Firefox browser is also new, utilizing the latest browser technologies. Internet Explorer is 3 years old. I just read that Microsoft will stop making new versions of Internet Explorer for people who have older versions of Windows.

Once again…more reasons to switch to an alternative browser. Read my recent post about why I switched.

There’s even a movement online about switching to other browsers.

Another recommended method for getting rid of spyware is to remove it. Download Ad-Aware and/or Spybot. Run these applications regularly to eliminate spyware.

Mike Swartz says, “Check it out.”

Posted by: Michael Swartz at 12:40 pm

Comments: None | Filed under: Web General


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