SITES - USEFUL & INTERESTINGCSS Zen GardenI know what you're going to say when you visit this site--"WOW!" This site features some of the most beautiful web designs you've ever seen. What is even more amazing is the fact that all of the designs are designed with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) as it's primary formatting methodology. Take some time to have a look at just a few of the designs featured and you'll be amazed--and maybe inspired enough to do your next website completely with CSS. |
Zazzle.comDo you have dozens or hundreds of photos, paintings, sketches, or other "creative" stuff hidden away in your attic or basement? If you do, you might be able to generate some income. Zazzle.com is a website that allows you to publish your creative work on posters, gift cards, T-shirts, and other products. All you need to do is create an account, upload your work to the site, and create a gallery. If someone buys something with your work on it, you'll earn a royalty. It doesn't seem like anyone gets rich this way but it doesn't prevent you from pursuing other sales avenues either. |
The Mars Homestead ProjectOh, give me a home where the Martian Rovers roam, and the probes and the orbiters crash... Where never is heard a terrestrial word, and the skies are not cloudy all day... This site belongs to an organization planning for the eventual colonization of Mars. They're planning earth-bound mockups of colonies to be duplicated on the surface of Mars in the not-too-distant future. Cool. |
MAKE MagazineExtreme games, extreme sports, extreme this, exteme that--it gets kinda tiring. Extreme science, though, that sounds kinda intriguiing--maybe if you're a geek. Well, we don't deny the geek thing so we'll admit we were intrigued with this site. What piqued our interest was an article on a retired Los Alamos researcher currently doing cold fusion ( "LENR" or Low Energy Nuclear Reactions) experiments in his garage. Mind you, his garage has a scanning tunneling electron microscope and a mass spectrometer in it. |
Briar Glen FarmsIf you like fluffy pets, you'll love this Islandnet.com-hosted site. Briar Glen Farms breeds Greymar Great Pyrenees dogs and Ragalong Rag Doll, Prairie Pixie, and Ocean Spray Lynx cats. Click on the link above and prepare to be aw-w-w-w-w-(isn't that cute)-struck. |
Birding in British ColumbiaIf you like fluffy pets, chances are you probably like the feathered friends that frequent your backyard. Then you'll like this Islandnet.com-hosted site as much as the one above. Check this site for common birds and rare bird sightings throughout British Columbia. |
The Vancouver Island School of ArtWhether you're serious about "art" or whether you just enjoy "drawing stuff," this Islandnet.com-hosted site just might offer you something that will help you express yourself. Learn how to make paper, understand "cubism," filmmake without a camera, or understand contemporary art. |
Please note that the information contained in this newsletter and other newsletters published by Islandnet AMT Solutions Group, Inc. (Islandnet.com) is for information purposes only. Islandnet.com is not responsible for damages--monetary or other--that may result from the use of information contained in any Islandnet.com newsletter. Customers must verify information for themselves.
Unless otherwise noted, all the material contained in this newsletter is copyright 2004 - 2012 © AMT Solutions Group, Inc., all rights reserved.
THERE'S SOMETHING PHISHY GOING ON THERE - PHISHING FOR YOUR MONEY Most of the time "phishy" e-mails are easy to spot. They arrive telling you that your account with this or that online retailer or bank may have been compromised. The trouble is you don't even have an account with this or that online retailer or bank.
Of course, that's when it's easy to see there's something wrong. When they ask you to verify personal information by clicking on a link and entering your data via a webpage, chances are you simply delete the e-mail.
"Phishing" is a term used to describe bogus e-mails sent out to dupe people into handing over personal information in order to steal thier identity or fraudulently use their credit card information. Phishing scams are typically carried out using an authentic-looking e-mail warning the recipient their so-and-so account has been or may have been compromised. The e-mail then asks the recipient to click on a link to verify their personal information.
That's where the "gotcha" is. The link will be to an authentic-looking web page but the page will be anything but authentic. Instead of wanting to verify your information, the e-mail and web page authors simply want to get your information. They'll ask for usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, expiry dates, and even social insurance numbers and other sensitive personal information. Once they have the information they want, look out! They'll take your personal information for the ride of its life--and you'll go along whether you want to or not.
When you actually do have an account with this or that online retailer or bank is when it's tempting to click on the link, even if to just satisfy your curiosity. But it's best not to click on any link in an e-mail asking you to verify personal or financial information.
Here are some tips for dealing with "phishy" (i.e. phishing) e-mails:
it's unfortunate but if you use your e-mail and Internet connection often, you're going to run across these "phishing" and other scams online.
WIKI-THIS, WIKI-THAT--WIKI, WIKI, WIKI--WIKI-EVERYTHING!You may remember a while back we featured the Wikipedia--an online encyclopaedia where articles are added and edited by online contributors. Well, there's more to it than just an encyclopaedia.
In addition to the online encyclopaedia--which has almost 700,000 articles in English--the same site offers links to sister publications: a dictionary and thesaurus, a quotations index, an index of species, a depository of textbooks and manuals, and a depository of source documents. All of the Wiki-sites allow users--that means you--to edit and contribute. We think that's way cool!
Having started in 2002, this site contains the definitions for almost 81,000 words. That's not bad compared to the Oxford English dictionary, which boasts just under 300,000 entries. That's not bad especially considering the first Oxford English Dictionary was published in 1884. The OED folks have had 118-year head start.
Click here to visit the Wiktionary now.
"All parts should go together without forcing. You must remember that the parts you are reassembling were disassembled by you. Therefore, if you can't get them together again, there must be a reason. By all means, do not use a hammer." ~ IBM maintenance manual (1925)
The above quote is the Wikiquote "Quote of the Day" for July 29, 2005. It's good advice generally.
How 'bout Oscar Wilde's last words, "My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go."
Quotations are organized in various ways: films, literary works, occupations, proverbs, television shows, themes, electronic games, and mnemonics. You can also search quotations for just the right one.
Click here to visit Wikiquote now.
"Wikispecies is free. Because life is public domain!" ~ from the Wikispecies main page.
We'll have to admit this website is a bit daunting. Species are organized in a way that probably makes perfect sense to biologists and people in related fields. However, if you're trying to find out the correct classification for Fluffy the cat or Spot the dog, you're better off using the Wikipedia or Wiktionary instead.
Click here to visit Wikispecies now.
Wikibooks is a series of open content books that anyone can edit. Just a visit to the main page currently gives you access to manuals on electronics; travel in London, England; all about the solar system; and even making your own man-made island. Making your own man-made island sounds kinda goofy but it's been done and done more times than you'd think--on large and small scales.
To visit Wikibooks now click here.
You may remember The Gutenberg Project" from an earlier newsletter. This source document Wiki-site contains some of the same material--literary works of fiction and non-fiction, novels, and so on. However, the collection of documents is broader than The Gutenberg Project and contains texts such as "The Book of Mormon," a 1911 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Charles Dickens' "Bleak House," FDR's radio address on D-Day, poetry, and even medical texts such as "The Consciousness of Lost Limbs."
If you like to read, this is a great place to surf.
To visit Wikisource now click here.
A "WAP" REMINDER - USE OUR HELPDESK WITH YOUR CELLPHONE Islandnet.com has offered "WAP" (Wireless Access Protocol) access to e-mail and the Helpdesk for almost two years now but it's been a long time since we mentioned it.
Some people don't want to be tied to their office via cellphones, pagers, PDAs, and other electronic tethering technology. However many of us have no choice either by policy or necessity.
For those who need or could benefit from Helpdesk and e-mail access via your cellphone, PDA, or other electronic device, check out our WAP page.
ONLINE CREDIT CARD PROCESSING - HOW'S IT DONE? If you've got a product or service to sell, the Internet is a natural place to "build" a store to sell what you have. However, it's not as easy or as inexpensive as you might think.
Aside from building the site in the first place (which will either take time or money or both), there's the issue of how do people pay you for your products or services? There are two ways you can go about it. First, you can go low-tech and simply ask people to send you cheques or money orders to buy your goods or services. When the money arrives, you send them their purchase or perform the service.
It's simple to do. Just provide your mailing address and have people send payment.
However, sending payment using "snail-mail" reduces the immediacy and convenience of buying online. If your product competes with other similar products where the customer can use a credit card, chances are customers will choose to buy with a credit card.
PayPal offers another payment option that gives customers the convenience of buying with their credit card.
To use PayPal, all you need to do is create an account using an e-mail address as your username. People can then use the account to pay with a credit card or even directly from a bank account. In turn, you can transfer money in your PayPal account to one or more of your bank accounts.
A PayPal account is very easy to setup and use. In exchange for the ease-of-use, PayPal charges a fee each time you get a payment. For a few purchases, the fee is relatively small; however, as the volume of purchases climb, the fees tend to add up.
A very popular option for online sellers is to open an account with an online transaction companies. Some of the online processing companies Islandnet.com has dealt with include Authorize.net, Internet Secure, Moneris, and Beanstream.com.
A transaction with one of the above online transaction companies will take place more-or-less as outlined in the image to the left. Arrow one represents the customer's credit card information being sent to the Islandnet.com server. If the store owner is using our shopping basket gadget, any information being passed from the customer to our server is encrypted.
Arrow two represents the credit card information being transferred to the online transaction company. The only check done by Islandnet.com servers is whether the customer's credit card number is valid (i.e. it follows the format of a credit card number and complies with an algorithm to determine whether the number is legitimate). Information passed from our server to the online transaction company will be encrypted.
It should be noted that unsecure connections are possible between the customer and the Islandnet.com server and between the Islandnet.com server and the server of the online transaction company. However, such connections are not recommended. Moreover, it is highly unlikely that an online transaction company would accept any information using an unsecure connection.
Once the online transaction company gets the credit card information, it performs a number of checks before sending a response back to the Islandnet.com server. For example, the online transaction company may check whether the address given matches the address of the credit card holder, whether the card has been reported stolen, whether the account has sufficient credit on hand to complete the transaction, et cetera.
When the online transaction company processes the credit card information, there are three possible outcomes. Hopefully, the transaction is accepted. Arrow three represents a successful transaction. In the case of a successful transaction, money is credited to the store owner's account and the customer's credit card is charged for the transaction.
When the transaction company relays information about the successful purchase back to the Islandnet.com server, a "thank you" or other appropriate page can be displayed for the customer. Displaying of the thank you or other appropriate page is represented by arrow five.
Arrow four represents two other possible outcomes--the credit card is declined or there is a system error of some kind. In either case, the fact the card has been declined or there has been a system error is relayed back to the Islandnet.com server--along with any appropriate error codes or text.
When information about the unsuccessful transaction is relayed back to the Islandnet.com server, the store owner can tell the customer their credit card has been declined or that there has been system error. Arrows six and seven represent the display of a message telling the customer their card has been declined or that an error has occurred. Whether the credit card was declined or an error took place, the store owner can give the customer the option of trying again or abandoning the purchase.
It may be useful to know the Islandnet.com shopping basket handles all of the eventualities outlined above. Some scripting (i.e. PHP scripting, rather than shopping basket configuration and HTML editing) may be required to handle some situations--such as displaying specific declined and error messages relayed from the transaction company.
USE ONLINE BANKING TO MAKE PAYMENTS Click, click, click--tappity-tap--that's all it takes to make a payment. If you already use online banking to pay bills, add us to your list of payees and save yourself some time. You should be able to add us to your list of payees regardless of which bank or credit union you use. Check with your bank or credit union.
With that said, Islandnet.com is registered with the following banks for making online payments:
CALCULATE YOUR SAVINGS - NEW PACKAGES There are no more powerful words in the English Language--"save money now." If you're interested in our new packages and in saving money, check out our pricing page by clicking here.
When you're there, check out our new package calculator. Just give it the bits of information it needs in the fields provided and it'll point out to you what the least expensive is.
As always, though, if you need any help, contact us and we'll help you figure out what package best fits your needs. Click here for our contact information.