AntiSpyWare Solutions

Hey Guys,

Unfortunately with our last release, and its instability, we were forced to roll back releases. Unfortunately in doing so, it would seem that our notification system has been broken somehow. Our engineers are working on this issue as quickly as possible. We hope to have a patch within the next day, so we can deploy our code and fix the notification system at the same time. Please *bear* with us ;)

Currently all notifications are being queued up so they can be processed as soon as the fix is pushed and verified to be working correctly.

Thank you,

freeskiers
While some of us long to escape the cold, dark stretch of winter for hot tropical beaches, for others, there's nothing quite like whoooooshing down those shimmering sugar alps. If you're fond of freestyle skiing, get ready to slide down the slippery slopes in good company. This passionate, international community shares travel/gear tips, anecdotes, photos, and videos for those who can't get enough of the sweet stuff.

seasonal_icons
Need some extra twinkle to decorate your place? Check out these dazzling holiday-themed icons. If you're an artist, you can post your own creations, provided you abide by the simple rules (which is to say, all cheer and no politicking). Be sure to comment and give credit if you wish to borrow a little spirit (no direct links, please). If you're feeling a touch of humbug this season, this is an instant shot of festivity.

handmade_gifts
High on creativity, but low on cash? You'll find tons of brilliant suggestions for do-it-yourself crafts sure to please everyone on your holiday gift list. Offering detailed instructions, photos, budgets, timelines, and active support, you'll soon turn spare remnants of fabric and time into cherished keepsakes. Be sure to search entries and read user guidelines before you post for help!

LiveJournal: The First Decade

Just in time for holiday shopping, we're thrilled to announce the release of our ten-year anniversary anthology. Published by Blurb.com, the book showcases a decade of extraordinary talent drawn from LiveJournal users around the world. This must-read compilation features stories, memes, photos, comics, editorials, graphic content, and more, including:

1. Excerpts from Oh No They Didn't (a/k/a ohnotheydidnt), the largest community on LiveJournal, covering celebrity gossip, entertainment news, and pop culture
2. A look at post-Katrina New Orleans from the journal of Poppy Z. Brite
3. Gripping narratives, including a poignant reverie on a blind date
4. Photography that spans the globe, ranging from old-fashioned Polaroids to underwater photography
5. Mouthwatering dishes from food_porn

What began as a late-night inspiration back in Brad Fitzpatrick's college dorm in 1999 has grown to encompass nearly 25 million users worldwide, with journals and communities covering every conceivable hobby, passion, and topic. To get your copy, please visit the Blurb Bookstore. For updates and entries from book contributors, please join lj_turns10.

Tweaks and enhancements

• You can now ban a user from all of your communities and journals at once. To access this feature, hover over the person's userpic and choose Ban user everywhere from the drop-down menu.
• Follow LiveJournal on Twitter!

Give a little to help a lot!

In honor of National AIDS Awareness month, we've added a new charitable vgift. For each red ribbon you purchase for $2.99, we'll donate 100 percent of gross proceeds to IAVI.org (the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative) to support the development and global distribution of an affordable HIV vaccine (we'll cover credit card fees). You can read more about IAVI at lj_cares. While we're on the subject, we raised $740 from our November fundraiser for Love Without Boundaries, which supports emergency healthcare and adoption of Chinese orphans. We thank you for helping us help others.

Photos of the week

We're back with more incredible pictures from our super-talented LiveJournal photographers. Congratulations to ilya_gorokhov, who is the winner of our very first lj_photophile poll.

We hope you'll continue to post, vote, and comment! A gentle request: Please post only one photo at a time and limit size to 350x350 (so images display properly on friends pages). And now, without further ado, get ready to cast your ballot and view more awesome user content after the jump!

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Curtains

Thanks, again, for joining us. Stay safe and snug out there!

**EDIT Thu Dec 3 23:24:15 UTC 2009 **

Hey Everyone, we are about to run the last alter job that we need to on our database servers. This will effect userpics / scrapbook / vgift images for the next few hours. Have no fear, your images aren't lost, there is just a really intensive process running on the servers which store the information for mogilefs. Thank you for your understanding and all the LJ love...

Hey LJers,

I just wanted to let you all know that we are going to be performing some mogilefs maintenance over the next few days. We will be upgrading our current version to latest stable as well as changing some db config information to better handle the amount of files we are currently hosting. This shouldn't cause a big impact on site stability, but you may see some minor delays with userpic / scrapbook images appearing or other requests associated with our mogilefs. We would love to not have that happen, but unfortunately with some of the steps we need to take we have to cause a delay with images. I figured this was a better solution than taking down all of LiveJournal because well lets face it, we all need our daily LJ fix ;)

Thanks,

backpacking
Want to embrace your wanderlust on the cheap? If you're high on adventurous spirit, but low on funds, this community can help you plan a trip to anywhere. Offering plentiful tips on how to travel light, you can post about inexpensive hotels and youth hostels if you're into urban exploration or discuss camping gear and mosquito netting for the great outdoors. Hitch your backpack, pitch your tent, and carpe diem!

ErrClean is a scam, just like many other rogue security programs on the Internet. While it claims to remove spyware and repair registry errors, it is incapable of doing anything. ErrClean will display security alerts to you to the point that it drives you crazy. This is just a scare tactic used to hopefully get you to buy the product. Purchasing this product is a complete waste of money.

ErrClean works like most other corrupt antispyware programs. You are invited to download a scan to detect errors and infections, so that they can be removed. If you download the scan, you may be placing ErrClean on your PC, which is malware. Supposedly, this program will remove the infections or errors that are detected in the scan. However, you are informed once the infections are found that you must buy the product to remove the threats. This malicious application cannot detect or remove anything, and the results of the scan are fake.

How can ErrClean get placed on your PC?

Other than downloading the scan yourself, ErrClean may install when you download other files. People often download music, games, freeware and videos, and spyware may 'piggyback' on these files, although you probably won't be aware of it. You may also get ErrClean if you share a network, or from malicious websites and spam e-mails.

Is ErrClean harmful to your computer?

It can be. Any type of malware can affect the performance of your PC. These applications use a considerable amount of system resources, because they run constantly when you log on to Windows. This makes your computer slow or unstable, and may cause it to crash. Your personal information may be at risk as well, as many fake antispyware programs have the ability to access personal passwords and other private data such as credit card information.

How will you know if this rogue is on your PC?

Other than an unusually slow running PC, you will probably be bombarded with security warnings and pop-up ads. Your home page may change as well, and your browser may take you to strange websites. You might also notice new icons in your system tray, or shortcuts on your desktop that you did not put there.

Malware should be removed immediately, to prevent further damage and risk to your personal identity. Don't try this yourself though. Manual removal is difficult and could damage your PC if it isn't done exactly the right way.

If you are worried that ErrClean has been placed on your computer, SpyZooka will remove all traces of this rogue automatically. For a free scan, visit http://bluepenguinsoftware.com/spyzooka. It is the only antispyware tool that is 100% guaranteed!

Cleanator will clean up something – your pockets! This rogue security program is a fake, and uses scare tactics to frighten you into purchasing the product. Through aggressive and false advertising, Cleanator warns that there are infections and threats on your PC, and that you should use the scan they offer to detect these threats. If you do so, you may actually place this corrupt security program on your computer, which is an infection itself.

How do you know if Cleanator is on your PC?

If Cleanator is installed on your computer, you will no doubt know that something is wrong. Your PC may be slow or unstable. Pop-up ads bombard you from every angle, and your home page may change. You might also notice that new shortcuts have been placed on your desktop, or that your browser sends you to unknown websites. Often, you have a difficult time visiting websites you are trying to visit. If you do have Cleanator on your computer, SpyZooka will remove it automatically.

I have Cleanator on my PC. How did I get it?

There is really no telling where it came from, but there are a few common ways this happens. If you frequently download files like music, games, videos or freeware, then that may be where it came from. Malicious websites, spam e-mails and sharing networks are other places where you may have become infected. In case you did download the free scan that is offered, you may have placed Cleanator on your PC then.

What will spyware do to your computer?

Spyware is dangerous, to both your PC and your personal information. Because it uses a good deal of system resources, Cleanator may cause your PC to become slow or unstable. System files may be modified, and your computer could crash. Spyware may also gain access to your personal passwords, credit card information and other business data, which could mean that your personal identity is at risk. Most of these malicious applications will also place more malware on your PC, which only makes things worse.

How can you get rid of Cleanator?

Cleanator may be removed manually, but this process is difficult and may damage your PC. It must be done exactly right, or you may miss files that should be deleted, or delete files accidentally that are necessary for proper computer function. Removing this malware yourself is not advised.

Are you convinced that Cleanator resides on your PC? Visit www.bluepenguinsoftware.com/spyzooka for a free scan with SpyZooka, the only antispyware tool that is 100% guaranteed to remove every last trace of malware automatically.

bookfails
Planning to do your part to help boost the declining publishing industry this holiday? Better check here first. Sure, there are plenty of folks who post glowing reviews of their favorite books. But what about the epic fails? Compose and/or discuss snarky, incisive critiques on the books you despise most.

foundphotos
Ever stumble across a frayed photo in your grandmother's attic? How about a faded picture tucked in the sleeve of an old novel at a used book sale? This is the place to post them. An amazing, eclectic collection of photographs sure to delight anyone with a penchant for history or nostalgic memorabilia.

note_to_cat
Having trouble conveying the concept of accountability to your cat? Now you can share letters to your significant felines and give public witness to your declarations of love and domestic negotiations. Whether you want to publish an apology for falling short on your cat-nip obligations or you need to raise a delicate hygiene issue.

Tweaks and enhancements

1. In order to improve site security, we've temporarily suspended the ability to change passwords for old email addresses that haven't been used for over six months. For further information and support, please visit our customer care page.
2. We've launched a new mobile site with an enhanced UI at m.livejournal.com. View spotlights, post to your journal, read and post to friends pages, and more, no matter where you roam! Please let us know what you think, since this will eventually replace our existing mobile interface. You can update your mobile preferences on your account page.
3. We've upgraded from Beacon to Facebook Connect to improve dual posting. If you've already signed up for Facebook Beacon, you're good to go. If you wish to update your Facebook Connect setting, visit Account Privacy settings and scroll down to the option labeled: "Send information about my updates to Facebook." You can choose Always or Ask each time. Remember to save (on the bottom left corner of the page). To learn more, check out FAQ 249. While we're on the subject, if you happen to be visiting that side of town, please join our Facebook fan page for a touch of home away from home.
4. You'll now receive the Writer's Block Question of the Day in the body of email notifications. To sign up for Writer's Block notifications, visit writersblock and choose the Watch Community option. Next, update your Writer's Block notification settings by checking the box to the right of "Someone posts a new entry to writersblock."
5. Paid and permanent users can now view, add, and edit Notes of commenters. Notes will appear beside the username of comment posters (instead of stars) on S1-themed comment pages.

Send some lovin' thanks to your friends with our holiday vgifts!

Photos of the week

We're so delighted with the immense talent of our growing, global lj_photophile community that we've decided to introduce a poll. Each week, we'll choose a half-dozen photos (based on user comments and staff feedback) and ask you to select a photo of the week. The winning photo will be announced in the next newsletter. If possible, please limit photo size to 350x350 to ensure that images display properly on friends pages. We want to thank you again (and again!) for sharing your passion.

Check out this week's photo poll and more fantastic user content after the jump!

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Curtains

Thanks for joining us. To our American friends, have a fantastic Thanksgiving. To all of our international neighbors, we'll eat a little extra for you!

AntiVirGear is not what it claims to be! While this malicious application claims to detect and remove malware, infections and other parasites, it is actually a rogue security program that tries to trick you. In the end, it wants you to purchase the product. AntiVirGear uses fake and aggressive security warnings in order to frighten you. The point is to make you believe that there really are threats on your PC, so that you will spend your money in order to remove these threats.

AntiVirGear is not capable of following through with any of the promises it makes. This program displays incessant security alerts, and then invites you to download a free scan in order to detect these threats. Most of these rogues create the files that are shown to you as infections, although they are completely harmless. This is just a further attempt to convince you to purchase AntiVirGear. In reality, this application cannot scan your PC and it cannot detect or remove anything at all.

What are the symptoms you may have AntiVirGear?

The symptoms are pretty much the same with all spyware. AntiVirGear is no different. If it does become installed on your PC, you will notice that your computer becomes slower than normal, or even unstable. Pop-up ads and security alerts will drive you crazy.

Other signs are a changed homepage, browser redirection or spam e-mails related to your interests and the searches you perform. You may not experience every symptom, but if you have several you definitely have a problem.

How did AntiVirGear get installed on your PC?

This can happen several ways. If you fell for the warnings and downloaded the scan, that is probably when AntiVirGear installed. Other common ways this may happen are by downloading other files, visiting questionable websites, and sharing networks. Spam e-mails may also be a source, particularly if you click on any links contained inside. When it does install, you most likely won't know it.

What dangers are posed by spyware?

Spyware remains resident in the background, and runs every time you log on to Windows. It uses a large amount of your system resources, which is why your PC runs slow. In some cases, your PC may even crash. Spyware, as the name implies, “spys” on what you do – the searches you perform, websites you visit, and may even access private information. Just about anything you do, when you are online, may be collected and sent to third parties.

How can I get rid of AntiVirGear?

You can remove AntiVirGear manually, but this is not recommended. This process requires extensive knowledge. If it is not done correctly, you risk damaging your PC. All related files and values have to be located so that you can delete them, and this is hard because they hide from you.

Are you afraid that AntiVirGear is installed on your PC?

If you believe that AntiVirGear resides on your computer, get a free scan with Spyzooka at http://bluepenguinsoftware.com/spyzooka. It is the only antispyware that is 100% guaranteed, and removes every last trace of spyware from your computer.

AntiSpywareBot is a fake, pure and simple. This rogue security program intends to deceive the user by displaying constant security warnings that warn of infections. This is just an attempt to scare you, so that in the end you buy the product. AntiSpywareBot uses scare tactics in order to convince you that parasites are on your PC, and that you should download the scan they offer to detect these threats. At that point, they inform you that you must purchase the fully licensed product to remove these parasites. Don't give your money to them. It is a full-blown scam!

The security alerts displayed to you by AntiSpywareBot look very real to most people. They will be displayed constantly, and it gets to be very annoying. If you do, in fact, download the scan they offer, you may unknowingly place this malicious application on your PC yourself, which is malware. Even if you do not do this, you may become a victim. How? Most spyware works in pretty much the same manner. You may unintentionally get it installed on your PC when you download other files, visit questionable websites, share networks or from a spam e-mail. Once you get it, you will definitely know it by the trademark symptoms.

What are the signs of spyware infection?

If AntiSpywareBot is on your PC, there are some common signs to alert you. Besides the irritating pop-up ads and security warnings, you may notice that your computer becomes very slow or unstable. When you try to visit a website, you may be redirected to a site you have never seen before. Your home page may change, and you may notice new shortcuts on your desktop. Spyware is dangerous, and capable of placing even more malware on your PC, which only makes things worse.

Why does AntiSpywareBot make your computer so sluggish?

These applications normally start every time you log on to Windows, and run constantly in the background. They use a good deal of system resources, and often track your online searches and other activities. Your private information may also be in danger, because spyware can often access your personal passwords, credit card numbers and other data that you want kept private. Sometimes malware is simply annoying; other times, it poses a very significant danger.

Can you remove AntiSpywareBot yourself?

You can, but the process is pretty complex. If you do not do it correctly, you run the risk of damaging your computer. Attempting this yourself is not advised unless, you have a thorough knowledge of the process.

Are you worried that AntiSpywareBot may have been installed on your PC?

Get a free scan at www.bluepenguinsoftware.com/regzooka/ . It is the only antispyware tool that guarantees 100% removal of all spyware, infections and other parasites automatically!