WINS Email Lists - The lists have been slow lately probably due to weather more than any thing else so there isn't anything new to report, however if you are experiencing any list problems please let me know.

WINS Domain Email Addresses - For reasons unknown to me, all of the domain email addresses went dark on Dec 11 and they are still down.  It has been reported, but no recovery time has been given.

WINS Elections - I'd like to say thank you to Spencer Guiley for stepping forward and providing the means to conduct the voting by hosting the election ballot page.

Malware Alert - Data gathered at the Infected or Not website recently indicates that 24.73% of protected computers and 36.58% of unprotected computers are infected by malware.  They feel that "Traditional security solutions are no longer enough to fight off the increasing number of malware samples that appear daily. Consequently, they must be complemented with online solutions such as NanoScan or TotalScan, which thanks to their access to a larger database can detect more malicious codes,".  Panda Software's Virus Alerts indicate that thousands of malware samples that appear daily every week and additional measures are very important.  Is your system fully protected?

Auction News - In the previous Newsletter, I mentioned the propensity of a few members to ignore the auction rules and submit lot data and bids in formats not specified in the auction rules. Below are summaries of the last several auctions:

AUCTION 43 - SUMMARY
Opened: 7:00 PM US MST Saturday, June 30, 2007
Closed - 7:00 PM US MST Saturday, July 7, 2007
Number of lots: 60
Number of sellers: 8
- Number of sellers submitting data not in format: 3
Number of bidders: 26
- Number of bidders submitting bids not in format: 10

AUCTION 44 - SUMMARY
Opened: 7:00 PM US MST Saturday, August 18, 2007
Closed: 7:00 PM US MST Saturday, August 25, 2007
Number of lots: 63
Number of sellers: 10
- Number of sellers submitting data not in format: 3
Number of bidders: 23
- Number of bidders submitting bids not in format: 4

AUCTION 45 - SUMMARY
Opened: Sat, 6 Oct 2007, 7:00 PM PST
Closed: Sat, 13 Oct 2007, 7:00 PM PST
Number of lots: 88
Number of sellers: 13
- Number of seller format warnings issued: 3
Number of bidders: 27
- Number of bidder format warnings issued: 11
- Number of bid rejection notices issued: 1

AUCTION 46 - SUMMARY
Opened: Sat, 24 Nov 2007, 7:00 PM PST
Closed: Sat, 8 Dec 2007, 7:00 PM PST
Number of lots: 91
Number of sellers: 8
- Number of seller format warnings issued: 1
Number of bidders: 23
- Number of bidder format warnings issued: 4
- Number of bid rejection notices issued: 0

As you can see, most of the members have responded to my requests to follow the formats and it has really helped, and to those members I offer my thanks for making my task easier.  I'm certain the last few members will come around soon.

2008 Auction Schedule - The positive response to my requests to comply with the formats specified in the Auction Rules has been good enough to ensure another year of my auction coordination efforts.  The tentative auction schedule is posted on the main auction index page (linked at the top of the page).  Once again, my thanks to all of the members who thought it important enough to make my task easier.

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks for stoppin' by.  "See ya' at the auction".
JD White
WINS#7, Operations Admin