Issue 270 - December 17, 2003

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2003
==== 2167 Subscribers in 62 Countries ====

Welcome to the 270th issue of the PC Improvement News. PCIN consists mainly of news and tips. There is something for everyone, and if this is your first issue, I'm sure there will be something for you. If you give me two or three issues, I know that you will come back for more!

You can reach me at editor@pcin.net with any suggestions or comments.

Recommend PCIN at http://PCIN.net/recommend.php

Support PCIN at http://PCIN.net/donate.php

CONTENTS

Opening Thoughts

Last night was our work Christmas party. For those of you who don't know, both Chris and I work for HOCO Limited on Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls. The company owns hotels, restaurants, and attractions. For the evening, all of the employees and their families had Boston Pizza, Sports Zone, and the Great Canadian Midway to ourselves. The food was great and the games were fun. But I can't believe I forgot my camera! so I have no pictures to share :-(

I still plan on sending out regular issues next week (Christmas Eve) and the week after (New Year's Eve), but they will probably be shorter, and will come earlier in the day. I'll probably prepare them Monday and Tuesday, and then just send them out on Wednesday when I have a chance.

Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net

The NEWS

Researchers promote 'dog on a chip'

"A new device called a 'dog on a chip' may combine the benefits of technology and nature by not only detecting dangerous or illicit substances but by providing the electronic equivalent of a dog barking, researchers said on Friday.
The device is more accurate and faster than other electronic sensors and drug-sniffing dogs, a team at the Georgia Institute of Technology said."

For more info:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/996635.asp

Canada deems P2P downloading legal

"Downloading copyrighted music from peer-to-peer networks is legal in Canada, although uploading files is not, Canadian copyright regulators said in a ruling released Friday.
In the same decision, the Copyright Board of Canada imposed a government fee of as much as $25 on iPod-like MP3 players, putting the devices in the same category as audio tapes and blank CDs. The money collected from levies on "recording mediums" goes into a fund to pay musicians and songwriters for revenues lost from consumers' personal copying. Manufacturers are responsible for paying the fees and often pass the cost on to consumers."

For more info:
http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-5121479.html

Top 10 IT stories of 2003

"After a three-year roller-coaster ride, the IT industry settled down a bit in 2003. The year seemed to provide a respite from megamergers, monopoly-busting, history-making corporate scandals, and the exhilarating but scary boom-and-bust cycle. Not that anyone was operating on cruise control. IT managers faced continual assault from a variety of nasty worms, handled user demands for wireless access and figured out how to work 64-bit computing technology into their systems. IT issues spilled into the public domain as politicians around the world grappled with spam and the challenges created by offshore outsourcing. Home users saw an increasing number of consumer electronics products aimed at them from vendors who had once focused solely on the computer market."

For more info:
http://security.itworld.com/4774/031216top10/page_1.html

Google Here, There, and Everywhere

"I woke up this morning and Googled my dry cleaner to see if my shirts were done. Then I Googled the weather to see what to wear to work. Before breakfast, I Googled my stocks to see how they did yesterday, and then I Googled the supermarket for sale prices and to schedule a delivery, right from Google. I Googled the movies playing at theaters near my house, and then I told Google to e-mail me with travel itineraries to Paris from June 24 through June 31. In short, it's just another good Google day here in 2006, in an all-Google world."

For more info:
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2003/tc20031216_9018_tc047.htm

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POLL of the WEEK

Last Week's Poll

Who is your primary email provider?

School 0.00 % (0)
Work 1.82 % (2)
Web-based service 10.91 % (12)
Your own domain/site 5.45 % (6)
Your ISP 80.00 % (88)
Other 1.82 % (2)
Total votes: 110

This Week's Poll

Have you ever paid for Internet access at a kiosk or cafe?

Yes, I had work to do
Yes, I'm addicted
No, I don't need Internet access away from home
No, I won't pay
I didn't know you could do that!

You can also vote online at http://PCIN.net/polls/

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PCIN.net FREEHELP FORUM

Visit the PCIN.net FreeHelp Forum at http://PCIN.net/help/forum/ to post your questions or answer others.

Question

What's the difference between a win modem and a normal modem?

Response

in short :
a winmodem required windows to run, a normal modem does not.
in long :
normal modems are essentially little self contained units, they do all their own processing.
winmodems do a lot of their processing on the computer. rather than having chips on the modem do work there are programs on the computer that do the work for the modem. this is why winmodems require a faster computer, they are a drain on resources.
winmodems allow manufacturers to offer cheaper modems, since the modems have less parts. but the programs required to run the modem only work on windows.
a _lot_ of people have been surprised by finding an essentially crippled modem in their computer after switching to linux. so a lot of them have found how to use winmodems under linux; they're called linmodems.
AFAIK all external modems are normal modems.
the more expensive internal modems are generally normal modems.

To post a response, visit the General Hardware Help forum at http://PCIN.net/help/forum/index.php?board=4 and click on the "winmodem? normal modem?" topic.

Visit http://PCIN.net/help/forum/ to post a question of your own.

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PCIN.net UPDATE

Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:

Updated PCIN.net Search
http://PCIN.net/search/

Moon Software Password Agent Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/passwordagent.php

NewsGator Technologies NewsGator Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/newsgator.php

Sunbelt Software iHateSpam Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/ihatespam.php

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THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

Create Your Own Snowman

http://www.actionflash.com/create-a-snowman.php has a nice flash activity where you can create your own snowman.

All About Christmas

"Christmas is one of the most inspiring celebrations of the year, a time of hope, joy and love for the whole family to share. This Christmas site shares the origins of the holiday . We also feature wonderful holiday recipes, decorating ideas, crafts for adults and children, and recommended videos for this time of year."
Check it out at http://www.webterrace.com/christmas/index.htm

Updated Software602 Software

I've received emails over the last couple of weeks from Software602 announcing updated products. I've reviewed several of their products in the past and generally like them. Here's the info:
"Software602 has recently released a new 602PRINT PACK 3.0 - New Version of Affordable PDF and TIFF Converter.
602PRINT PACK is a low-cost, easy-to-use conversion tool that perfectly suits any user who is looking for fast, one-click document conversion. Easily create PDF documents, TIFF, JPEG and other graphic formats from any application that can print.
More information about the products is available here:
http://www.software602.com/products/printpack/"

and

"Software602 just released a complete digital photo suite. 602PHOTO SUITE 4.0 provides a complete, integrated solution for all digital photography needs.
It offers tools for organizing, editing, printing, and presenting the digital photos in a slideshow or sharing them on the web. It is free to try for 30 days and registration cost only $19.95. This is a must for any digital camera owner!
More information about the product is available here:
http://www.software602.com/products/phs/"

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PCIN.net AFFILIATED SITES

Both of us have other sites other than PCIN.net. These are all sites that we are actively involved in (they aren't client sites). Don't forget to check them out from time to time for updates:

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DISCLAIMER and OTHER STUFF

PCIN is brought to you by Graham Wing. The opinions expressed are those of the Editor, Graham Wing and the Assistant Editor, Chris Empey. Graham Wing and Chris Empey accept no responsibility for the results obtained from trying the tips in this newsletter.

  1. If any of the links are too long to fit on one line, you may have to cut and paste.
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  3. To subscribe another address or unsubscribe, please visit http://PCIN.net/ and follow the appropriate links.
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  5. There are only 3 ways to get on the subscriber list. You have either been subscribed by filling out a subscription form on any of the pages on my site, you have requested FreeHelp from me in the past, or you have registered with the FreeHelp Forum.
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Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Chris Empey can be reached at chris@pcin.net

Copyright 1998-2003, Graham Wing. All rights reserved.

This publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, as long as the author is notified and the newsletter is presented as is.

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