The PC Improvement News
Issue 1-19
February 17, 1999

ISSN 1488-3163
Published electronically by PC Improvements (c) 1999
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Welcome to the 19th edition of the PC Improvement News. In this newsletter,
I have a couple of tips to make your computing life easier as well as
highlights of the past weeks PC Industry News. I am more than willing to
discuss any PC related topics in this newsletter. Just email me at
editor@pcin.net with your suggestions. I would also appreciate it
if you let me know if there is any strange formatting in the newsletter so
that I can fix them.

Give me two or three issues, and I know that you will get something great
out of this!


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SOME OPENING THOUGHTS
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None


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THE NEWS
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How to lose money
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I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I couldn't understand how
Amazon.com could stay in business when it loses hundreds of millions of
dollars every quarter. Well, an early Internet business pioneer tells his
story of how his success went down the drain. It is a long URL, but it is
an interesting article for those who are into doing business on the net.
http://nytsyn.com/IMDS|CND7|read|/home/content/users/imds/feeds/nytsyn/
1999/02/17/cndin/8313-0156-pat_nytimes|/home/content/users/imds/feeds/nytsyn/
1999/02/17/cndin/8318-0160-pat_nytimes|/home/content/users/imds/feeds/
nytsyn/1999/02/17/cndin/8308-0151-pat_nytimes||
Link no longer works


More on Y2K
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As reported last week, last week in Canada was Y2K awareness week. I
included some links that I thought people might find interesting. Here are
some more:

http://www.year2000.com/
http://www.frbsf.org/fiservices/cdc/bulletins.html
http://www.sba.gov/y2k/
http://pweb.netcom.com/~ggirod/bookmark.html
http://www.nety2k.org/
http://www.y2k.gov/
http://www.fcc.gov/year2000/
http://headlines.yahoo.com/Full_Coverage/Tech/Year_2000_Problem/

There is also a report out of the Vatican that the Pope is going hitech.
As part of the Year 2000 celebrations (which the Pope has declared as a
Holy Year), people will be able to participate in ceremonies and
celebrations by sharing their thoughts and feelings through the Internet.
http://www.wired.com/news/print_version/business/story/17586.html?wnpg=all


Windows Refund Day
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I'm sure you all heard about Windows Refund Day. A bunch of Linux users
gathered around the world to try to get their money back. The problem
arises because when you buy a new computer, you almost always get Windows,
even if you don't want it. There are stories of people only getting $25
back. I know every penny counts, but where can you buy Windows for $25. I
think people who actually like using Windows should find these people and
even offer them $50. It is still cheaper than buying a boxed version at
the store!

Geeks to MS: We Don't Do Windows
http://www.wired.com/news/print_version/technology/story/17928.html?wnpg=all


What's up with Microsoft?
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Every week, I will provide several links to articles about the Microsoft
case with the DOJ. I will provide no editorial comments, other than this.
I think that Microsoft should give every company a chance to compete, but
I don't think that they should be under such intense scrutiny as they are
right now. People complain about the Starr report costing so much money.
Well, this DOJ case won't be cheap for either side, and I don't really
think that anything will come from this. A waste of time!

Links:
Microsoft Could Be Split Into 'Baby Bills'
http://www.techweb.com/printableArticle?doc_id=TWB19990216S0001
Cyber Trial of the Century
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/special/msdojtrial.html
**Check this site out often as it is updated daily as new case information
becomes available**


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THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF
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Cool site alert!
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I'm sure those of you with kids (or any of you who are a kid at heart) has
seen the ABC/Disney "One Saturday Morning." I love it. One of the
funniest things is a short segment called "How things Werk." It tells you
things like paper clips are actually curly hairs from aliens. Well, there
is a site that tries to truthfully tell you how things work. Very interesting.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/


Use the Send To menu
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When you right click on an icon, there is a menu option called Send To.
There are many different things here like sending the document as email or
sending it to a floppy. The great thing about this is that you can add
items to that menu. The Send To menu is actually just a folder in the
Windows folder (look for c:\windows\send to). You can add a shortcut to
any program in that folder and it will appear in the menu. For instance,
I like to use several programs for editing documents (Word, WordPad, and
NotePad). If I want to open a text document in Word, I just right click on
the document, and Send To Microsoft Word. The text document then opens up
in Word. It is a very convenient way to open up certain files. Just for
your information, I have added a Send To shortcut to Microsoft Word,
HomeSite, and NotePad. Give it a try. If you need more help, email me at
freehelp@pcin.net


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Lastly, send in your comments, tips and news and you too can be included in
The PC Improvement News with a reference to your name and web site.
Send email to pcinews@pcimprovements.com
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Well, that's all for this week. Remember that if there is anything that you
want to learn about, let me know and I will try to accommodate you. Also,
feel free to send any comments about the newsletters and the topics covered.
This newsletter is sent to those who subscribed only. We don't believe in
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The PC Improvement News is brought to you by PC Improvements. The opinions
expressed are those of the editor, Graham Wing. PC Improvements and Graham
Wing accept no responsibility (either good or bad) for the results obtained
from trying the tips in this newsletter.
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Editor: Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net

Copyright 1999, PC Improvements and Graham Wing. All rights reserved.
This publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, as long as the
editor is notified.

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