I have no parameters nor tools to assist me in rating the most active and most popular e-mail account people use the most, but I know Hotmail ranks among the best. This might just give us a clue as to why people use it as a means of communicating with one another on the internet. The fact that it is free to register and even quite easy to start using it makes it a ready tool for both legal and illegal online activities.

The joy of owning an e-mail account hardly ever lasts because of the avalanche of electronic mails that follow the opening of a new one. No sooner had one settled into using his account in his online correspondence that one begins to receive spam electronic mails into his accounts. After all it is free, so what stops one from opening another one if that will stop spam and unwanted electronic mails from flooding into the in-box? That is not the answer to the problem because no matter how many times you try to change your e-mail address, you can never escape being sent a spam.

The solution lies in the reverse email lookup service; a revolutionary internet based service that operates like a private detective. If you want either names or physical addresses of unknown email senders, go for it! The amount of social network websites on the internet only serves a limited purpose when it comes to email trace. Users must go for a specialized service called the reverse email lookup, to help them trace any unknown Hotmail e-mail sender.

Since reverse email lookup websites only offer specialized services, it only makes common sense for users to concentrate on using their online tools to trace people. Reverse email lookup is of two different types; paid and free, but users should avoid falling for traps set by the free ones. Tracing a person who uses Hotmail e-mail to send an unsolicited electronic mail does not cost too much.

Want to trace a name to get e-mail address and other contact details of the owner? CLICK HERE!

With the changeover to Digital TV coming up in February, people are confused on whether it will affect them or not, even some RVers are not sure if they need a Digital TV Converter Box to receive TV using their RV’s antenna. Here is the question I recently received and the answer I gave. Hopefully this information will clear up the most common questions people have about Digital TV.

I’m still confused about the digital TV thing. Our 2006 RV is cable and internet ready, but if we are not at a campground do we need a converter to pick up TV signals after Feb?

ANSWER

Thanks for your question. There is a lot of confusion about the change to Digital broadcast TV scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009.

If you do not have a TV with a digital tuner, you will not be able to receive any stations when using an antenna, all you will get is snow.

If you are at a campground with cable TV, you will be able to receive TV, whether your TV has a digital tuner or an analog tuner.

Since your RV is a 2006 model, there is a pretty good chance that you will need a converter box for each TV in your RV to watch TV using an antenna.

The government required that all TVs sold after March 1, 2007, had to have digital tuners. The TVs in your RV were manufactured before that.

You say that your RV is “cable and internet ready”. Unfortunately that does not mean that it is Digital TV ready. It simply means that the cable and wiring to hook up your TV and computer were pre-wired in when they constructed the unit.

The first thing I would do is find the owner’s manual for your TV/TVs. The manual will tell you specifically if it has a digital tuner. If you do not see anything in the manual about a digital tuner, then you will need a converter box.

If you are still not sure, try to find the model number of your TV (this is sometimes hard in an RV because the TVs are usually built into a cabinet). Once you find the model number, go to the TV Manufacturers website and look up the specifications for your TV. If the Specs do not mention “digital tuner” then, you will need a converter box.

Digital Converter boxes can cost as little as $40.00 to well over $100.00 (depending on the extra bells and whistles the box comes with).

The boxes are available at electronic stores, WalMarts, K-Marts etc.

Now, here is the GOOD NEWS. There is a government funded program to help offset the cost of purchasing a converter box for TVs without digital tuners.

This program is called the “TV Converter Box Coupon Program”. When you go to their website you fill out a simple form and you can receive up to two coupons valued at $40.00 each towards the purchase of a converter box.

These coupons look like credit cards and are accepted at places such as Best Buy, etc. Here is the catch; these coupons are only good for 90 days after the date they were mailed to you. There is a limit of 2 coupons per household.

The last I heard, the demand for these coupons was so great, that there was a chance that they would run out of them by the middle of January, unless they received more funding from the government.

The government website to get the coupons is www.dtv2009.gov Hopefully we have cleared up any confusion you might have.

One thing that big box retailers and many online sites don’t want you to know about buying high end electronics is how much you can save by buying a refurbished product. Refurbished or reconditioned products have been around for a long time but when the economy was good no one really wanted them. It simply was not worth it to take the risk. Actually though you can lower the risk level considerably if you understand what exactly it is you are buying. The trick to buying a refurbished product is reading the fine print and understanding what the terms mean. Here is what you need to know:

You can usually save between 50% and 70% on refurbished product. That sounds pretty good right? Refurbished can mean several different things and depending on what it means you will have different prices. For example there is: ‘factory refurbished’ or factory-sealed refurbished products, and ‘third-party refurbished’ products. A third party refurbishment generally means the manufacturer has contracted the work to an outside company. For high end electronics you want to choose the products whose repair has been done by the manufacturer.

So what does refurbished actually mean? Refurbished means the product has been repaired but it doesn’t mean the product has actually been purchased and used. It could be the item was returned for various reasons such as the color was wrong or the item was not what the customer expected. It could be that the package opened during shipping and the customer requested a replacement item even though there was no damage. Overstocked items may also fall into this category. Your key to understanding is the warranty. If they offer the same warranty as the brand new product you can feel comfortable making the purchase.

In some cases it does mean the product has been used. A customer may have used the product once or twice during the 30 day return period and then found a problem. The customer returns the unit and the manufacturer makes the repair but the product must now be sold as refurbished. It may also happen that a company will recall a product when a defect has been found in many of the products from a specific production run. Again, the manufacturer fixes the problem and the product is resold as refurbished.

Factory recertification is another term you should know. A manufacturer will recertify an item for the same reasons a product is classified as refurbished. The great thing about factory recertified merchandise is that it actually has more stringent testing than regular products and you get the same warranty as with the regular product. So you get a better product with a lower price. So you can understand why no company wants to publicize this information.

Reconditioned means the product was sold to someone and they used it. The product has now been fixed up and is being sold again. Depending on how long the product was used it might still have a manufacturer warranty but if not usually the company that did the repair work will usually offers a limited warranty.

So refurbished electronics or reconditioned electronic products really do you give you significant savings. What is the catch? Experts say that when you are talking about high end electronic products such as flat panel TVs and computers, you the consumer are not qualified to judge what the effect of usage will be on the life of the product..

So what they recommend is buy only ‘factory-certified’ refurbished products. You still get significant savings but minimize your risk as the products come with a manufacturer’s warranty.

You also have an added “green” bonus buying refurbished as refurbishment is a form of recycling.

Before We Begin

You’re likely familiar with the basic parts to a desktop computer system or PC which are the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and a box these items plugin to. But what’s inside the box? And what should we call it? Some are told that box is the CPU. But the reality is the CPU is inside that box. Thus the box that everything plugs in to really is, and should be referred to as the PC or computer.

But what other things are inside your PC? Here is a short list, and these are the things we’ll be cleaning.

· Power Supply

· Motherboard

· Hard Drive

· DVD ROM drive

· 2 or more Fans

What You’ll Need

1. Medium Phillips head screwdriver or flat blade screwdriver

2. Vacuum Cleaner (optional)

3. Dust mask

4. Can of Compressed Air for cleaning such as Dust Off

Step One – Unplugging the Cables

Before unplugging any cables, make sure the computer has been properly shutdown, is completely off and unplugged from the AC outlet. Now, view the back side of your computer case. You see all those cables? This would be a good time to either take a clear picture of the back or make note of which connector that each of those cables are attached to. Now let’s remove the cables. All of them will simply pull out except for two. They are the monitor cable and network cable.

A word about Monitor Cables Monitor cables come in three main varieties. They are VGA, DVI, and HDMI. If yours is HDMI it will simply pull out. You can identify an HDMI cable because it has no thumb screws. Both VGA and DVI cable types will have two thumb screws securing the cable to the connector.

To remove, turn both screws counter clockwise until the connector freely comes off. If these screws are too tight to remove by hand, then a flat blade screwdriver should work. Words of caution though; when putting this connector back, only turn these screws until they are seated. DO NOT TIGHTEN them as this could lead to damage.

The network cable is like a large telephone cord. Simply squeeze the clip and the cord will come out with ease.

Once you have cables removed, find a comfortable flat surface to put your PC on. It’s a good idea do the cleaning outside with plenty if ventilation. However, your dining room table will do. Just be aware there will be airborne dust in case you have sensitivities. You may wish to put on the optional dust mask at this point.

Step Two – Removing the side panel

We’re now going to lay the computer on its side so that we have access to the top of the mother board when we take the cover off. To do this, set the computer upright so you have a clear view of the back of the case. Now slowly tip the computer to the left until it is safely flat on your work surface. We are now ready to remove screws.

Grab your screwdriver and look for two screws at the very end of the side panel. These may be Phillips head, flat head or thumb screws. (Some brands such as Dell are slightly different and may have a lever or buttons to open the case)

Once the screws are out, slide the panel toward you. It will move about half an inch and then stop. You can now lift the side panel off and set it in a safe place.

You should now see the motherboard, the power supply, and the cages which secure the hard drive and optical drive. You’ll also see one or more case fans. If instead, you see another metal panel and perhaps the bottom of the mother board, then put the panel back on and remove the other panel.

Step Three – Time to Clean

Compressed Air – Be sure read and follow the directions for using compressed air. You’ll need to keep the can upright to extremely cold liquid from coming out which can cause frostbite and damage to plastics. One helpful tip is to flex the nozzle in the general direction that you need airflow while keeping the can upright.

When using the vacuum avoid bringing anything on the motherboard into direct contact with the hose or attachments. We are mainly capturing airborne dust as it blown free by the compressed air.

Power Supply – The power supply is the large box with a fat bundle of cables coming out of one end. It has at least one fan, maybe two. Now look for slots or air vents in the power supply housing. This is where you’ll blow compressed air. A neat trick is to have the vacuum running near the fan while you blow compressed air into the vents. This will keep airborne dust to a minimum while you work. Look for residual dust which may cling to the edges of any vents.

CPU Cooler and Motherboard – On the mother board, look for a large metal block with fins and a fan fastened to the top of that. This is the CPU cooler. We’re going to clean this next. In order to keep the compressed air upright, you may wish turn the PC upright again. Aim the air in such a way as to clear the fins of the metal block of dust build up. There may be some residual dust on the fan which cannot be removed without taking it apart. This is normal and is all that can be expected from this procedure.

The Case Fan and Finishing up– Computer cases are designed to move warm air out and cool air in. Most cases have an exhaust fan. Some may have more than one. Look for any fans and clean them with air. If they are accessible, the fins may be wiped with a soft tissue. To finish up, inspect any drives, and the open areas in the chassis. You may find the vacuum helpful here. In most cases the drives will not be very dirty and a few short bursts of air should suffice. When reassembling your system, put the power cord on last.

The IRS reported that the 2010 tax returns as being the most successful in terms of electronic filing. About 99 million taxpayers submitted their returns electronically, which accounted for 70% of taxpayers. The electronic tax returns have come a long way over the last 20 years. However, this impressive success of electronic tax returns has not come without major shortcomings. Over the past years, the IRS has discovered increasing fraud in the areas of identity theft and fraudulent electronic returns. Since with electronic returns, most of the processing and refunds release are done automatically, some fraudsters have successfully found loopholes in the system and have managed to file fake returns and claim fictitious refunds.

Case in Point – 5,108 Post-Mortem Identity Theft Scandal

In the recently concluded 2010 tax returns, some individuals made fraudulent returns for 5,108 individuals who had died between 2009 and 2010. The tax returns were all made from one Electronic Filing Identification Number. The preparer associated with this Identification Number was from Florida and he claimed that he had applied for the Electronic Filing Identification Number but had never used it or made any returns from it. Some bulk of the refunds were sent to another man in Florida with an account in BankAtlantic.

The tax returns that contained tax refunds totaling to $12.1 million were successfully processed and the tax refunds sent to various accounts as per the tax returns. On discovery of the fraud, the IRS attempted to recover the funds from the various accounts that they were distributed to. The government has filed a court case in the Southern District of Florida to recover $851,832 from 10 bank accounts in Bank of America and $760,035 from 3 accounts in JP Morgan Chase Bank that was seized by agents of the IRS in their bid to recover the fraudulent refunds released. According to the investigation reports, the refunds from the fraudulent returns were sent to 303 accounts in 9 different banks in America. The report did not disclose how much of the $12.1 million has been recovered so far, though much of the refunds have been recovered, especially from Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase.

The major question that remains unanswered is how one tax preparer with a single Electronic Filing Identification Number could make 5,108 fake tax returns of dead people with none of the fraud-detecting computerized screening e-filing programs identifying or blocking the returns. Apparently, the IRS has invested majorly on these advanced programs to detect fraud with electronic filing. Besides the program detection, another question being asked is why the IRS had not frozen the tax returns from the dead people noting that the Social Security Administration provides the IRS with a weekly list of people who have died so as to update its records. Even if tax returns are filed by the survivors of the dead, the least that could have been expected from the IRS is a more thorough scrutiny of the returns made for these dead people, as this was obviously a red flag area for fraud.

Other Cases

There have been many other fraud cases of different magnitudes and different nature associated with electronic return’s fraud. Cases of information theft and identity theft from the IRS online filing system and fraudulent registration, filing, and refunds claims have negatively impacted the electronic tax filing system. These cases have posed major doubts on the electronic tax returns and especially in its ability to identify and prosecute fraudulent returns. Therefore, even as the IRS and the general public at large celebrate the convenience associated with electronic returns, we cannot forget the troubles that can arise whenever man is replaced by machine.