ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2003
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Welcome to the 267th 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.
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Chris and I were in Toronto today attending the TechNet Presents: Great Moments at Work with the New Microsoft Office System. The emphasis was on integrating all of their new technologies so that it increases business efficiencies. It certainly doesn't look like any individual product is anything to get excited over, but if you are able to commit to the entire line of server and office products, you will certainly have a positive experience. The neatest thing was the SharePoint services or server that works with Windows Server 2003 and IIS to manage documents, versions, etc. I was quite impressed.
Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net
L.A. Wants to End 'Master' and 'Slave' Equipment
"Los Angeles officials have asked that manufacturers, suppliers and contractors stop using the terms 'master' and 'slave' on computer equipment, saying such terms are unacceptable and offensive.
The request -- which has some suppliers furious and others busy re-labeling components -- came after an unidentified worker spotted a videotape machine carrying devices labeled 'master' and 'slave' and filed a discrimination complaint with the county's Office of Affirmative Action Compliance.
In the computer industry, 'master' and 'slave' are used to refer to primary and secondary hard disk drives. The terms are also used in other industries."For more info:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3894931
Spam rage
"Charles Booher, 44, a computer programmer in Sunnyvale, Calif., has been released on bail for $75,000 (U.S) pending further investigation following claims that he threatened a Canadian company over some popup advertisements and junk e-mail.
In what the tech press has taken to calling a case of 'spam rage,' Mr. Booher was so upset by the junk mail and popup ads that he traced them back to Canada, and threatened in e-mail and voice mail messages to torture the president with an ice pick, deliver anthrax to his office and disable him with a bullet after his name was not removed from the company's mailing list."For more info:
http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031125.gtspamnov25/BNStory/Technology/
Why Linux Is Wealthier Than Microsoft
Sometimes I suspect Bill Gates doesn't sleep so well at night. Not out of any guilt over his billions or the alleged mediocrity of his product. No, I wonder whether he might actually worry about the competition. Not Apple (though that iPod MP3 player is a killer toy, and I'm cheerfully typing these words on an Apple (AAPL ) PowerBook G4). No, I'll bet Linux and its creator, Linus Torvalds, cross Gates's mind when he's looking up at the ceiling late at night.
On the surface, Linus vs. Bill seems to be the ultimate David vs. Goliath contest. It appears to pit the man who cheerfully gives away his code against the guy who ruthlessly seeks every last penny for it. You'd expect Gates would squash Torvalds. Yet they have more in common than you might think. And the final score in their high-stakes rivalry could end up surprisingly close.
For more info:
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2003/tc20031119_9737.htm
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Has your computer every actually been infected by a virus?
Yes, once 45.65 % (63) Yes, many times 16.67 % (23) Never 37.68 % (52) Total votes: 138
This Week's Poll
You can also vote online at http://PCIN.net/polls/
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Visit the PCIN.net FreeHelp Forum at http://PCIN.net/help/forum/ to post your questions or answer others.
Question
I have a Toshiba Satellite 1690 CDT laptop.
Recently the software which is measuring the remaining percentage of the battery has been corrupted.
This is what happens (example):
I get a reading which says that the remaining battery capacity is 100 %. I let it go down to 94 %, run Word, and suddenly - in 2 seconds - battery capacity is down to 0 %.
I recharge. Battery capacity slowly increases to, say, 8 %. Then, in seconds, shown battery capacity is 100 %, and no more charging is implemented. Remaining capacity IS only 8 %, but the software insists it is 100 %.
Then I unplug the power, run some programs, and in a couple of seconds, battery capacity is down to 0 again.
Response
it could be ether unfortunately...but the chances are its more than likely the battery.....but i would go for battery first....
To post a response, visit the General Hardware Help forum at http://PCIN.net/help/forum/index.php?board=4 and click on the "Battery problem on Toshiba Satellite 1690CDT" topic.
Visit http://PCIN.net/help/forum/ to post a question of your own.
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Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
Moon Software Password Agent Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/passwordagent.phpNewsGator Technologies NewsGator Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/newsgator.phpSunbelt Software iHateSpam Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/ihatespam.phpLogitech Cordless Elite Duo Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/lced.php
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Twilight Games
We were recently contacted by Twilight Games to review a couple of their games. We don't really review games, but we told them we'd check them out, and if we liked them, we'd share this in the newsletter. Well, we love them! We tried their Ratmaster and Mahjongg Variations games and had a great time.
"As the rat master you must help the maze get your rat to the cheese! Slide around pieces of the maze, but keep your eyes open and your mind focused! There are snakes, keys, doors, electric fences, gates, rotating paths and more!"
I personally enjoyed Ratmaster the most. It has 72 levels that start out easy, and get very hard (there are hints along the way). It was a great puzzle game that I'm sure I'll continue to play with.
"Play Mahjongg Solitaire in 12 unique ways. You choose how to play the game. There are regular modes with classic rules but also new modes where you can do things like invert columns, match doubles right away, Zap out tiles, or test your memory. This game features 16 layouts, 16 backgrounds, and 800 unique puzzle levels. Play the game with the Mafia tileset, or the Kitchen tileset or Music Tileset, or any of 16 themed tilesets."
If you are fan of the classic Taipei game, then you'll like this. The games can be as easy, or as difficult as you choose. And the different layouts and backgrounds add to the fun.
Ratmaster is $19.95 and Mahjongg Variations is $24.95. You can learn about both games, and others at http://www.twilightgames.com/
Windows Utilities
Many people use small utilities to streamline their computing experience. AnalogX.com has several very small, useful utilities that are all free. The utilities range from an Atomic Time Synchronizer to a WhoIs application.
You can check them out at http://www.analogx.com/
Outlook Today
Microsoft Outlook has a summary screen called Outlook Today. It provides a summary view of your emails, tasks, and appointment items. To view Outlook Today, Choose the top level email folder in Outlook (by default, this is called Personal Folders). This page can be customized in many ways. Visit http://www.google.ca/search?q=customize+outlook+today for a Google search.
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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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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.
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.
Support PCIN by visiting http://PCIN.net/donate.php