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Mid Day Special

Heh, this is mua’s favourite ‘honey porridge’. Contrary to belief, it isn’t as bad as it looks. It’s basically oats, milk and honey. Usually my poor man’s food when I’m feeling broke (or rather, having spent too much money in the last few days), today there’s the extra bonus of a banana!

To Market, to market!

Victoria Market in Melbourne, always a fascinating place to visit. Especially in autumn and winter, the fruits and veges are like on steroids. Heh, my cousin can attest to that with the uber huge cabbage about twice the size of her head. I’ve also personally acquired a 13kg watermelon before, which would make a nice bolster where it softer.

o_O – In case you’re wondering, this is a sweet shop!

I want a tuna steak for lunch. *drools*

There’s something for everyone

Guide to Keeping Your Computer In Shape

Last Updated: 21.08.2004

I’m writing this article based upon feedback I get from other computer users and these are the general problems that have been plaguing people of late.

The majority of computer users these days use some blend of a Wintel box, which is basically some flavour of Microsoft Windows and a Pentium something. This article will focus mainly on Windows XP users, which seems to be the mainstream in this time and era now.

Personal computer maintenance isn’t that hard. Understanding how it works would save you a lot of hassle, but most people can’t be hassled to understand how viruses (virii for the technically correct) work. Prevention is always better than a cure, so to simplify this problem, I’ll just recommend a couple of must have software (and they’re FREE) for your computer.

Preventing weirdo viruses (or virii) from taking over your computer:

1. Install an antivirus program.
2. Install an anti spyware program.
3. Keep both programs up to date by updating the pattern definitions (look through the settings) and running a scan of your computer occasionally. Most bugs will be detected and fixed up with a click of a button.
4. If you get infected by some dainty virus which can’t be cleaned by your antivirus software, note down the virii’s name and go here to find a software patch that would fix the problem.
5. For more information, refer to this website.

Prevent pop up ads from appearing on your computer:

1. Install the Google toolbar.
2. Use an alternative browser to Internet Explorer, personally recommending Firefox. It offers tabbed browsing, blocks popups by default and is CSS2 compliant. These features alone should woo you over.

Precautions you can take:

1. If you are using web based email (eg. Yahoo!, Hotmail etc..), these public services usually allow you to scan an attachment before you download it. This usually prevents you from downloading anything malicious onto your computer.
2. If you are using email programs (eg. Outlook, Eudora etc..), be wary of any attachments you receive. Virii and worms usually end with .scr, .pif extensions. Windows users should open up Windows Explorer, goto Tools > Folder Options > View. There is a checkbox called ‘Hide extensions for known file types. Uncheck it. Now you will be able to see strange file extensions on any email attachments you receive. If in doubt, always run the file through an antivirus scan. These scans are only effective if you keep your virus pattern definitions up to date.
3. Before connecting to the World Wide Web with your internet connection, make sure you enable the bare minimum firewall protection that comes with Windows. You can access it through the Control Panel > Network Connections > The Particular ISP you are using. Click on Properties > Advanced. You should see a box with Internet Connection Firewall, click the box to enable it.
4. Run Windows Update. This will install critical updates on your PC. Some files may be huge and even if you only have a 56k modem, unless you know what precautions to take, the downloaded patches can save you a lot of trouble and pain towards the future.