Cyber scoundrels are at it again, this time emailing phony Microsoft Windows update notifications. If you click a link in the message, you’ll be taken to a site that looks like Microsoft's security update site. If downloaded, a bogus update will install a Trojan that may let the bad guys remotely access your computer. Eek!

The good news is that avoidance is easy. Just remember that Microsoft does not send security warnings or update notifications by email. Ever. If you want to check the availability of Windows updates, go directly to www.Microsoft.com and click the Security & Updates link or click Start > Windows Update or Control Panel > Security in Windows Vista.

Q.  Following the recommendation in your newsletter, I recently switched to Thunderbird for my email program and I love it. When I used Outlook Express, whenever I typed in an email address it would appear as a clickable link that others could click when they received my message. That doesn’t happen in Thunderbird and I was wondering if there’s anything I can do to fix this?

A.  Try sending a message to yourself with an email address included in the body of the message. When you receive it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to observe that the address is clickable. Thunderbird does that automatically. If you’re seeking greater clickable thrills, however, take a peek at Linky, a free Thunderbird extension at http://tinyurl.com/ysp5yz. An “extension” is a plug-in or add-on program that adds additional functionality to an application. For additional Thunderbird extensions, visit http://tinyurl.com/yw9fwl.

Q. I sometimes receive email that contains nothing but nonsense, gibberish words or funny-looking characters. What’s the deal with that? What purpose does it serve besides being annoying?

A. What looks like gibberish may be one of several things: A message written in a foreign language, text formatted in a manner not recognized by your computer, or possibly a message from me on a bad day.

International spammers send out massive amounts of junk mail. English-based software can’t interpret the foreign characters or convert them to English, so they display them as symbols such as boxes, upside-down question marks, little squares, and many other types of gobbledygookish characters. 

Random, nonsense text and intentionally misspelled words are primarily designed to bypass spam filters. By misspelling words, such as "best m0rtgage qu0te!s," spammers can often circumvent filters that identify spam through keywords. That’s why it’s not a particularly effective anti-spam strategy to block spam based on individual words. You can certainly try, but you’ll quickly discover that diabolically creative spammers have thousands of ways of spelling “Viagra.”

Mr. Modem's Sites of the Week:

Do You Speak American?
PBS takes a humorous but insightful look at the English language as it is spoken and/or tortured in today’s society. Features include the evolution and impact of modern American slang, the future of speaking, and a map that tracks how our language changes from region to region. There are also fun games like "Test Your Vowel Power," and a regional dialect quiz saddled with the grammatically unfortunate name, "Where is the Speaker From?" (One should never use a preposition to end a sentence with.)
www.pbs.org/speak

I Need Coffee
Whether you prefer a simple cup of Joe, an exotic blend or a Starbucks’ concoction, welcome to the world of millions of dedicated coffee drinkers. This is an open forum in which coffee lovers share experiences and learn about the joys of their morning cup. You’ll find lots of articles about the politics of coffee growing, useful roasting and brewing tips, plus information about the history and agriculture of coffee. Test your gag reflex in the Café Culture section that features frothy coffee prose, such as: “I’m coming around now; For the aroma of some drink has touched upon my senses; Is it you my favorite flavored friend?” It’s enough to make me want to drink…but not coffee.
www.ineedcoffee.com

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