How to Use Your Email Software to Count

Why would anyone use their email software to count? Is this a trick question or the rantings of a crazed blogger? Continue and you'll find out 

This is a productivity tip that will save you a lot of time and trouble if you need to collate responses from staff for any reason, especially if you work for an organisation with a lot of staff.

Case Study: I worked for a financial institution with 3,000 plus employees and had to identify how many employees needed compulsory training in certain legislation so that I could plan and resource the training.

I emailed everyone within the institution with a request that if they had not completed the training within the last three months, they were to reply to my email without changing the subject line. They were to reply by a certain deadline ... any queries were to be sent via a new email addressed to me and I explained why.

I created a folder called 'Legislation Training' and used Rules Wizard to divert any email received with the subject line: 'Legislation Training Requirement' into the folder. Every time a new email arrived it automatically went into the folder and MS Outlook incremented and displayed the number of unopened emails in the folder in brackets at the end of the folder name. It looked like this:

Legislation Training (125).

By the deadline all I had to do was look at the end of the Legislation Training folder to see how many people needed the training. No counting ... all done automatically by our productivity tool Microsoft Outlook. As the fast talking salesman on the television said, 'And there's more!'

When I was asked for a list of the names of those who had responded, all I had to do was export the Legislation Training folder emails to MS Excel. Excel allows you to choose the fields you export. I chose the 'From' field and finished up with a list of names. Once in Excel it was a simple matter to sort them into alphabetical order.

Not only that, I could now email 20 people at a time and advise them when and where they had to attend this mandatory training.

This is an excellent way to deal with large numbers of people and, although MS Outlook does have options for creating forms with yes/no buttons and so on in them, it is more complex than this option.

If you don't have MS Outlook, it's possible the software product you use will do the same ... give it a test run.

I hope this short article has been of interest to you and that it helps you increase your productivity.

Robin

When a Trojan Virus Locks Your Computer ...

When a trojan virus locks your computer, you can probably fix it yourself rather than go to the expense of hiring a computer specialist.

Last night my computer was infected by the Australian Federal Police virus. Suddenly, an official-looking screen with Australian police badges appeared on my screen to advise me that I had been doing something illegal, either breaching copyright, downloading child pornography or something else equally as sinister.

My computer had been locked and all I had to do to unlock it was to pay $100 using some firm I have never heard of called Ukash, or something similar. If I did that the screen said, my computer would be unlocked, otherwise legal action would be taken against me within a specified period.

Fortunately, I don't frighten easily, don't knowingly disobey the laws of our land and knew that this was obviously a scam ... a very good scam. Apparently, the same scam appears in different parts of the world with different details eg, the Los Angeles Police Department gets a showing as do many others.

Viruses are very annoying. I was unable to use my computer because I couldn't get past the AFP screen. However, I just happen to have a number of computers so I booted one of them and did a search for a fix and within minutes had found one called "Hitman Pro" produced by a firm I had never heard of, Surfright.

Surfright provides Hitman Pro software fix and it can be downloaded on a bootable USB drive. You close down the computer with the problem, stick in the USB drive and when booting, set up the system to boot from the USB drive. It's just a matter of following the sceeen prompts and after a few minutes, your problem has been solved.

My experience of viruses of this type is that there is someone, somewhere who has had the problem and come up with a fix. So, before you rush off to the computer store and pay to have someone fix your virus, have a go at doing it yourself. It's often easier than you think.

Robin

Want to Train? Learn Something About Training

In the 1980s in Australia, the Federal Government introduced a Training Guarantee Act that required every organisation with a specified number of employees to spend a percentage of their salary expenditure on training. This created a cornucopia of opportunity to earn easy money, but was an honest attempt by government to improve skill levels across the country.

Predictably, a plethora of training organisations sprang up. Every Tom, Dick and Mary became a trainer, many of dubious ability.

One or two people would arrive in town with a brief case full of training handouts and offer training in a range of topics of limited value. They would rent a training venue, enrol 15 or 20 learners and run what I call a sheep-dip course, a very short course, perhaps of four hours duration. Time management, negotiation skills, team building, budgeting, and a host of others were on offer. Firms sent their staff to anything and everything to consume their guarantee allocation because if they didn't spend on training, a penalty was applied.

It would be an exaggeration to say the system failed. However, it's true to say it had unintended consequences, those being the frequent focus of trainers on what they could earn and not the quality of the training provided. Within a few years, the legislation was repealed.

As a professional adult educator, I was saddened to see the arrival of what I sarcastically called "gifted amateurs" whose instruction inevitably involved standing in front of a group and talking at them. There was no assessment to determine what students had learnt and no evaluation of the course or presenter other than a short questionnaire distributed at the end of each session.

Some of those involved may have made good trainers, but they would have needed to learn something about the discipline. At a corporate level, trainers need to know how to identify training needs otherwise training expenditure is wasted. They could also have benefitted by knowing something about developing training and training proposals so that they could provide better quality outcomes.

Individually, trainers need to know something about educational psychology ... how people learn and managing their class groups. Instructional skills, such as proper questioning techniques, how to use overhead projectors, and instructional design are also necessary for training staff. A knowledge of assessment and creating appropriate assessment methods and materials is essential as is the ability to conduct thorough evaluation.

As is the case with most professions, there is always much more to them than meets the eye. If youwant to train, learning something about the training discipline and do the job really well.

Robin

Is Your Office Bugged? Detecting Electronic Eavesdropping

Electronic Eavesdropping Detection Sweeps is otherwise referred to as:

1. Technical Surveillance Countermeasures
2. Electronic Countermeasures
3. Debugging sweeps
4. Electronic sweeps

Whatever you call it, electronic eavesdropping has never been more accessible to the general public. Bug and eavesdropping devices can be placed in computers, telephone, furnishings, false ceilings and several other places and they may be compromising your privacy at work, home or inside your vehicle. We are fully equipped and experienced and have everything we need in-house; we never use sub-contractors and only use equipment manufactured by the world's leading companies.

Being a former FBI Agent and Former Police Officer, I have conducted several electronic eavesdropping detection office sweeps.  I have located several devices and I have worked with law enforcement to assist in prosecuting these cases.  I believe that approximately 16% of the time we conduct these investigations we locate some type of listening device.
I have conducted electronic eavesdropping detection office sweeps for Corporate, County, and State Government facilities.  I have also conducted electronic eavesdropping detection office sweeps on residences, phones and vehicles.  Due to the high tech equipment involved these are very expensive investigations, but they are well worth the money in any highly competitive business or personal relationship.
Here are some Warning Signs of Covert Eavesdropping or Bugging:

1. Others know your confidential business or professional trade secrets. This is the most common indicator of covert eavesdropping activities. Theft of confidential information is a multi-billion dollar underground industry in the United States. Often the loss of your secrets will show up in very subtle ways. Always trust your instincts in this matter.
2. Secret meetings and bids seem to be less than secret.  Confidential meetings and bids are very popular targets for corporate spies. How would you like the plans for the corporate takeovers you're planning to become public knowledge? Would copies of your product designs be of any use to your competitors?
3. People seem to know your activities when they shouldn't.
4. You have noticed strange sounds or volume changes on your phone lines. Commonly caused by an amateur eavesdropper when they attach the actual wiretap, or similar listening device. Surveillance devices often cause slight anomalies on the telephone line such a volume shift or dropout.
5. You have noticed static, popping, or scratching on your phone lines. This is caused by the capacitive discharge that occurs when two conductors are connected together (such as a bug or wiretap on a phone line). This is also a sign that an amateur eavesdropper or poorly trained spy is playing with your phone lines.
6. You can hear sounds coming from your phone handset when it's hung up. Typically caused by a hook switch bypass, which turns the telephone receiver into an eavesdropping microphone (and also a speaker). There is probably somebody listening to everything you say or do within twenty feet of the telephone (if this is happening).
7. Your phone often rings and nobody is there, or a very faint tone or high pitched squeal/beep is heard. This is a key indicator of a slave device, or line extender being used on your phone line. This is also a key indicator of a harmonica bug, or infinity transmitter being used. Of course it may also be nothing more than a fax machine or modem calling the wrong number.
8. Your AM/FM radio has suddenly developed strange interference. Many amateur eavesdropping devices use frequencies within the FM radio band; these signals tend to "quiet" an FM radio in the vicinity of the bug. Look for the transmissions at far ends of the FM radio band, and at any quiet area within the FM band. If the radio begins to squeal then slowly move it around the room until the sound become very high pitched to locate the bug (this is referred to as feedback detection or loop detection and will often locate the bug). The "Stereo" function should be turned off so the radio is operating in "Mono" as this will provide a serious increase in sensitivity. Keep in mind that the antenna your car radio uses may be exploited by an eavesdropper and that such usage may interfere with radio reception.
9. Your television has suddenly developed strange interference. Television broadcast frequencies are often used to cloak an eavesdropping signal, but such a device also tends to interfere with television reception (usually a UHF channel). Televisions also "suck in" a lot of RF energy and because of this, are very sensitive to any nearby transmitters. A small hand-held television with a collapsible antenna may be used to sweep a room. Carefully watch for interference around channel numbers 2, 7, 13, 14, 50-60, and 66-68as these frequencies are very popular with eavesdroppers.
10. You have been the victim of a burglary, but nothing was taken. Professional eavesdroppers often break into a targets home or office, and very rarely leave direct evidence of the break-in; however, occupants of the premises will often "pickup onsomething not being right" such as the furniture being moved slightly.
11. Electrical wall plates appear to have been moved slightly or "jarred". One of the most popular locations to hide eavesdropping devices is inside, or behind electrical outlets, switches, and lighting fixtures. This requires that the wall plates be removed. Look for small amounts of debris located on the floor directly below the electrical outlet. Also, watch for slight variations in the color or appearance of the power outlets and/or light switches as these are often swapped out by an eavesdropper. Also note if any of the screws which hold the wall plate against the wall have been moved from their previous position.
12. A dime-sized discoloration has suddenly appeared on the wall.  A sign would be a pinhole microphone or small video camera has been recently installed.
13. One of your vendors just gave you any type of electronic device such as a desk radio,
14. alarm clock, lamp small TV, boom box, CD player, and so on. Many of these "gifts" are actually trojan horses that contain eavesdropping devices. Be very suspicious of any kind of pen, marker, briefcase, calculator, "post-it" dispenser, power adapter, pager, cell phone, cordless phone, clock, radio, lamp, and so on that is given as a gift. That little"gift" the salesman left for you may be a serious hazard.
15. A small bump of deformation has appeared on the vinyl baseboard Strong indicator that someone may have concealed covert wiring or a microphone imbedded into the adhesive that holds the molding to the wall.
16. The Smoke Detector, Clock, Lamp, or Exit Sign in your office or home looks slightlycrooked, has a small hole in the surface, or has a quasi reflective surface". These items are very popular concealment for covert eavesdropping devices. Often when these devices are installed at a target location they are rarely installed straight. Also watch out for things like this that "just appear", or when there is a slight change in their appearance.
17. Certain types of items have "just appeared" in your office of home, but nobody seems to know how they got there. Typical items to watch for and beware of are: Clocks, Exit Signs, Sprinkler Heads, Radios, and Lamps.
18. White dry-wall dust or debris is noticed on the floor next to the wall. A sign that a pinhole microphone or video camera may have been installed nearby. It will appear as if someone has dropped a small amount of powdered sugar either on the floor, or on the wall.
19. Small pieces of ceiling tiles, or "grit" is noticed on the floor, or on the surface area ofyour desk. Prime indicator that a ceiling tile has been moved around and that someone may have installed a hidden video camera or other eavesdropping device in your office or near your desk. Also watch for cracks in the ceiling tiles and amateur spies always tend to crack or damage acoustical tiles. Note: all of the ceiling tiles in any executive areas should never contain any cracks, nicks, gouges, or stains. Any ceiling tile that becomes damaged (for whatever reason) should immediately be replaced and the cause to the damage documented. In such cases it is also wise to have a TSCM specialist inspect the area around the chipped, broken, or damaged tile to determine if a hostile eavesdropping device may have been introduced.
20. You notice that "Phone Company" trucks and utility workers are spending a lot of time near your home or office doing repair work. If you see the same or similar vehicle more then three times then you have a serious problem (at least according to the U.S. State Department training course on counter surveillance).
21. Telephone, cable, plumbing, or air conditioning repair people show up to do work when no one called them. A very common ruse which eavesdroppers use to get into a facility is to fake a utility outage, and then show up to fix the problem. While they are fixing "the problem" they are also installing eavesdropping devices. Some of the more popular outage involves power, air conditioning, telephone, and even the occasional false fire alarm.
22. Service or delivery trucks are often parked nearby with nobody in them. These vehicles are commonly used as listening posts, be very cautious of any vehicle which hasa ladder or pipe rack on the roof. Also, be wary of any vehicle that has tinted windows, or an area that you cannot see though (like a service van). The listening post vehicle could be any vehicle from a small Geo Tracker, Suburban, Blazer, Trooper, or Cargo Van. Look for any vehicle that could conceal a person in the back or has tinted windows.
23. Your door locks suddenly don't "feel right", they suddenly start to get "sticky", or they completely fail.  Prime evidence that the lock has been picked, manipulated, or bypassed. Always use Biaxial locks with sidebars (such as ASSA or Medeco). Also, only use double-sided deadbolts in all doors. Use good quality window bars on all windows, and a good quality door bar on all doors not used as a primary entry doors.
24. Furniture has been moved slightly, and no one knows why. A very popular location for the installation of eavesdropping device is either behind, or inside furniture (couch, chair, lamp, etc.) People who live or work in a targeted area tend to notice when furnishings have been moved even a fraction of an inch. Pay close attention to the imprintwhich furniture makes on rugs, and the position of lampshades. Also watch the distancebetween furniture and the wall as eavesdroppers are usually in a hurry and rarely put thefurniture back in the right place.
25. Things "seem" to have been rummaged through, but nothing is missing (at least that you noticed). A "less than professional spy" will often rummage through a targets home for hours, but very rarely will they do it in a neat and orderly fashion. The most common "rummaging" targets are the backs of desk drawers, the bottom of file cabinets, closets, and dresser drawers.

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This article was written by Alex Riley of electronic bug office sweeps houston texas who writes on behalf of http://www.theinvfirm.com/. follow us on twitter

Overcoming Link Challenges in E-Books and Other Documents

It wasn't long after I began publishing online that I stumbled upon what is a very common problem ... when link sources change, links in your documents don't work.

While I identified the problem easily enough, I had difficulty dreaming up a solution. Fortunately, one of the many Internet marketing guru e-reports I had downloaded covered the problem in detail and I have never looked back.

You know those times when you have what seems like a really difficult challenge and you think there couldn't possibly be an easy solution? You look everywhere, ask friends and eventually find the solution is so simple, you can't believe you never thought of it yourself. Inwardly you are a tad embarrassed and feel a bit stupid. Not that you would ever admit it.

Well, the easy solution to the broken link challenge is this. Set up a folder/directory on your Internet site where you can store sub-folders for redirect links. Say it's called something like "Redirect Links" (Duh!).

Now, when you have a link called say, Artists to source B (the-other-url), what you do is create a folder in your directory called "Artists" and place in it a redirect HTML file called index.html.

So, the directory would look like this in the root (first level) directory on your Internet site: name-of-your-root-directory/Artists. Artists is a sub-directory.

Your code in the HTML document (index.html) would look like this:

HTML Redirect Source Code

seconds : the number of seconds the page is displayed, before performing the redirection.

the-other-url : any absolute or relative URL that will be displayed after the delay has expired.

This means that when someone clicks the link "Artists" in your e-document, it references the file http://name-of-your-root-directory/Artists and loads index.html which redirects it to the-other-url. You have total control of where this link goes.

When you find that the destination link has been changed, you simply get into your directory .../Artists and change the redirection link inside the index.html file.

Your problem is solved locally as you are not able to get to every copy of the document being circulated and rewrite the link inside the document.

Hope that makes sense.

Robin