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Issue 322 - December 15, 2004

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2004
==== 2019 Subscribers in 58 Countries ====

Welcome to the 322nd 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

We are trying to post actively to the PCIN Updates blog. We try to post a couple of things everyday. The biggest problem we've had is that Blogger isn't always reliable. As we have a chance we'll be looking into alternatives (WordPress, Movable Type, etc) that we can host ourselves. Please check out the blog, subscribe to the feed, and start to add your comments to our posts. It's what being part of a community is all about!

The newsletter delivery problems are fixed! So, what have you missed over the last many weeks? Here are a few highlights:

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

The NEWS

Suit claims software shouldn't be copyrighted

"Computer software should not be protected by copyright laws designed for music, literature and other creative works, according to a lawsuit filed in a U.S. court in San Francisco.
Intellectual-property consultant Greg Aharonian hopes to convince the court that software makers can protect their products adequately through patents, which provide more comprehensive protection, but are difficult to obtain and expire in a shorter period of time."

For more info:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6711179/

Louisiana town awaits telephone age

"It's no secret what the 15 householders in this tiny settlement want for Christmas: the same thing they have always wanted year round--telephones.
Not bag phones, the primitive portable stopgap often carried around in a canvas case, which send residents out in their pickups searching for service "hot spots," but real telephones wired to a land line.
Alexander Graham Bell's invention of 1876 never reached Mink, a onetime trappers' paradise in the Kisatchie National Forest in west-central Louisiana, although neighbors just down the road on Highways 117 and 118 were wired for telephones in the 1970s."

For more info
http://news.com.com/2100-1037_3-5488277.html

Students shun search for information offline

"Go to Google, search and scroll results, click and copy.
When students do research online these days, many educators worry, those are often about the only steps they take. If they can avoid a trip to the library at all, many students gladly will.
Young people may know that just because information is plentiful online doesn't mean it's reliable, yet their perceptions of what's trustworthy frequently differ from their elders' -- sparking a larger debate about what constitutes truth in the Internet age."

For more info:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/12/09/awaysonline.reliable.ap/index.html

Return to the top Recommend PCIN Poll of the Week

POLL of the WEEK

Last Week's Poll

How do you feel about all-in-one devices?

I own one, and love it 20 % (16)
I own one, but wish I didn't 1 % (1)
I would like to get one to save the space 16 % (13)
I prefer higher-quality individual devices 56 % (44)
What's an all-in-one device 6 % (5)
Total votes: 79

This Week's Poll

How often do you update your virus definitions?

Several times a day
Once a day
A few times a week
Once a week
Whenever my software prompts me
I don't know. It's done automatically
Never

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

Return to the top Recommend PCIN Poll of the Week

PCIN.net UPDATE

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

PCIN.net Update Blog
http://PCIN.net/update/

Sunbelt Software iHateSpam 4.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/ihatespam4.php

Micro Solutions RoadStor Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/roadstor.php

Album Creator by FirmTools Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/albumcreator.php

Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Administrator's Pocket Consultant, Second Edition Book Review
http://PCIN.net/help/books/w2kapcse.php

Return to the top Recommend PCIN Poll of the Week

THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

Google Suggest

Always thinking of new ways to search, Google has a new beta feature out. It's a twist on autocomplete. As you enter your search terms in the Google Search box, Google will automatically suggest possible search terms for you and show the number of results in that search.
Check it out at http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=1&hl=en

Christmas Origami

Here is some Christmas fun...
http://www.origami-club.com/xmas/
Click on any of the 16 designs
On the next page, the orange button brings up instructions on how to make it. It is in Japanese, but you should be able to follow the diagrams on how to fold. The purple button brings up an animation of how to do it. You can just click the play button to watch it.

Does your browsing history say anything about you?

I've seen this mentioned around KC's blog mainly, where she links to others who did, who in turn link to many others).
"Clear the address bar in your browser, type in every letter of the alphabet, and list out what is the first URL on the history list."
Here's a sampling of mine:
A - adobe.com/acrobat
B - blogger.com
E - eweek.com
J - nothing
L - ldscatalog.com
O - origami-club.com/xmas
R - RupertsKids.org
V - v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com

Digital Photo Printing Worksheet

I recently had a print made from my digital camera. The lab incorrectly processed the print larger than I wanted, and I was afraid the image would have lost quality. If I had this worksheet by craigfroehle.com, I would have known the print would still look great (which it did). The Digital Photo Printing Worksheet lets you put in your image dimensions in pixels, then tells you how large a print you can make from that file.

Return to the top Recommend PCIN Poll of the Week

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:

Return to the top Recommend PCIN Poll of the Week

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.

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Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Chris Empey can be reached at chris@pcin.net

Copyright 1998-2004, Graham Wing. All rights reserved.

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