Tip for the day:

Did you know that drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional ‘pain relievers’.

There were 48 people attending this meeting.  All were welcomed by President John Barker.  Five of these became new members.  Two gentlemen from Arizona, Tom Leppek, and Bob DeSilva  also Reg Elsdon a member of the local model train club, then Fernand Leclair and John Sturges.  We are happy to have you aboard.

This was our Annual General meeting  elections with Terry Carr heading the nominating committee.  The executive committee will remain as is with the exception of vice president.  Bernie MacIssac has stepped down as vice president and Bob Young, treasurer, nominated Rod Hipple,  who has agreed to  replace Bernie.  All were in favour.  The board now consists of:

We would like to thank Bernie MacIssac for all his input during his run as Vice President and wish him the best.  We also welcome Rod Hipple as our new Vice President. 

Regarding the Entertainment Convenors, at this time it has been decided that a person will 'do coffee' on a monthly basis. Helen Gordon agreed to look after this for the month of January and Cliff Rancourt will do so for February. We ask at this time for members to offer their help in this regard for the coming months. You might let Katherine Croxson know if you decide to serve coffee in the future. Also please let Katherine know if you have made any changes to your e-mail address or if there are misspelled names, etc. Her e-mail is at katcrox@ontera.net.

We are back on line again having hooked up with Community Living Algoma. Paul Shackleton installed a 50’ cable down the hall to our computer for $120.00.

Yvon Trepanier has agreed to check our books for 2004.

Some interesting information has turned up regarding Mozilla.  A security flaw in the increasingly popular Firefox browser is exposing millions of users to ‘phishing’ scams, security experts have warned.  A Secunia Research advisory stated that the “less critical” vulnerability has been confirmed in Mozilla 1.7.3 for Linux, Mozilla 1.7.5 for Windows, and Mozilla Firefox 1.0.  It added that “other versions may also be affected.”

Microsoft buys Giant to attack spyware

Microsoft today announced that it will beef up Windows security after buying Giant Company Software, a developer of anti-spyware and internet security offerings.

The Redmond firm will use intellectual property and technology from the acquisition to develop tools that will give "near-term relief" to Windows users by enhancing defences against spyware and other deceptive software.

This relief will come in the form of a beta version of a spyware protection, detection and removal tool, based on the Giant AntiSpyware product, which will ship "within one month" for users of Windows 2000 and later versions.

The forthcoming beta will scan a PC to locate spyware and other mailware threats, and enable customers to remove them.

According to Microsoft, the tool will also be configurable to block known spyware and other unwanted software from being installed on the computer.

"Spyware is an industry-wide challenge, and it is encouraging to see Microsoft take strong action to protect Windows users," said Chris Christiansen, vice president of security products and services at analyst IDC.

"This announcement, and the release of the free beta, will help consumers regain control over their PCs."

Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Security Business and Technology Unit, added: "Spyware is a serious and growing problem for PC users, and customers have made it clear that they want Microsoft to deliver effective solutions to protect against the threat."

Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. Details of the Microsoft solution beyond the planned beta, including product plans, pricing and a timeline for delivery, are not yet available