Issue 273 - January 07, 2004

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2004
==== 2179 Subscribers in 62 Countries ====

Welcome to the 273rd 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

Well, I guess the holiday's are over. I've started to put together some web photo galleries on the Wing Family web site. I haven't update the site in a while, so I have about 200 pictures that will be up in 6 or 7 different galleries. I'll have them up in a day or so and will include links in next week's PCIN.

We should have some new reviews done soon. We have several products that we've been testing and just need to type out the details. Stay tuned!

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

The NEWS

Is It Real, or Is It Microsoft?

The next ownership meeting of the Seattle Mariners could be an interesting one. Minority shareholder Rob Glaser will face several other part owners who have day jobs at his former employer, Microsoft. Though Glaser's Internet media company, Real Networks, has been competing with the Softies for almost all of its 10-year existence, last month it hurled a billion-dollar bean ball toward Redmond: an antitrust suit charging unfair competition.
The suit represents a rite of passage for a company whose business model (handling the guts of music and video transmission) places it in the path of Bill Gates's no-reverse-gear backhoe. The suit, combined with a European Union investigation of Microsoft's practices toward Real Networks (basically, shutting out its software in favor of the Windows Media alternative), gives Glaser hope that for the first time Microsoft will be forced to compete on a level playing field. For its part, Microsoft dismisses the suit as "rearview-mirror litigation," insisting that it hasn't unfairly wielded its operating-system monopoly to snuff its Seattle-based neighbor."

For more info:
http://msnbc.msn.com/Default.aspx?id=3868016

Court ponders Web site-blocking law

"A federal judge in Philadelphia on Tuesday heard a challenge to a controversial state law that has led to more than 1 million innocuous Web sites being accidentally blocked.
Although the law is only a Pennsylvania state statute, it has an international reach. When the Pennsylvania attorney general used it to force MCI to ban access to some sites with suspected child pornography, the company said it had no choice but to block those Internet addresses for all of its North American subscribers."

For more info:
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5135850.html

Ogled on Google

"Pop star Britney Spears, fictional hero Harry Potter and the cinematic blockbuster The Matrix topped the list of the most frequently searched subjects last year on Google, the world's most popular Internet search engine.
Zeitgeist (German for 'spirit of the times') is Google's annual report on the top 10 most commonly queried names and subjects in various countries and categories.
It shows that the Top 10 names searched in almost every major country are rockers, rappers, bubble-gum singers, professional athletes and race-car drivers - suggesting that the core demographic of global Googlers is probably those aged 13-25."

For more info:
http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040107.wxgoogle07/BNStory/Technology/
Return to the top Recommend PCIN News

POLL of the WEEK

Last Week's Poll

Do you perform yearly maintenance on your PC?

Yes 11.67 % (14)
No 5.00 % (6)
I do maintenance on a more regular basis 78.33 % (94)
I never perform maintenance on my PC. 5.00 % (6)
Total votes: 120

This Week's Poll

Do you do any mobile computing?

Yes, with a laptop
Yes, with a PDA
Yes, with a cell-phone
Yes, with something else
No

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

Return to the top Recommend PCIN Poll of the Week

PCIN.net FREEHELP FORUM

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

Question

I need to do a repair on my IE 6.0 SP1. Add/Remove does not list Internet Explorer for me to repair. Does anyone know where I can find a download for the Internet Explorer Repair Tool?

Response

No responses given.

To post a response, visit the General Software Help forum at http://PCIN.net/help/forum/index.php?board=3 and click on the "Internet Explorer" topic.

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

Return to the top Recommend PCIN FreeHelp Forum

PCIN.net UPDATE

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

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

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

Return to the top Recommend PCIN.net Update

THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

Tom's Networking

Many of you are familiar with Tom's Hardware Guide at http://www.tomshardware.com/ It is a very well-know, and highly respected hardware review site. Well, Tom now has a site dedicated to networking. The site has "News, reviews and how-tos for knowledgeable networkers." Check it out at http://www.tomsnetworking.com/

PNC Bank - The 12 Days of Christmas

"Each year since 1984, PNC Advisors has provided a tongue-in-cheek economic analysis, based on the cost of the goods and services purchased by the True Love in the holiday classic, 'The Twelve Days of Christmas.'"
I know that Christmas has come and gone, but this is a funny little report. Check it out at http://www.pncbank.com/12days/

Etch-a-Sketch

The web site for the movie Elf ("the number one elf movie in America") has a number of fun flash games. The etch-a-sketch is quite good and can be used at http://www.elfmovie.com/swf/etchasketch/index.html

Return to the top Recommend PCIN Tips and Other Stuff

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 Tips and Other Stuff

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.
  2. You can only win one contest every 30 days.
  3. To subscribe another address or unsubscribe, please visit http://PCIN.net/ and follow the appropriate links.
  4. Recommend PCIN to others at http://PCIN.net/recommend.php and be entered in a monthly draw.
  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.
  6. If you have a web site or run your own newsletter, please email me at editor@pcin.net and I will add it to the subscriber web pages that I have on my site.
  7. Support PCIN by visiting http://PCIN.net/donate.php

Return to the top

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.

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

PC Improvement News Home Page

PC Improvement News Archive