Issue 292 - May 19, 2004
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2004
==== 1930 Subscribers in 58 Countries ====
Welcome to the 292nd 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
I've received quite a few guesses about when the baby will be here and how
big it will be. You can check out the guesses at http://www.wingfamily.ca/lisagraham/Baby2/
I've been playing around with my GMail account and there isn't much to say
at the moment. Email is email, and it works. The only thing it seems to be
lacking at the moment is a rich text or html editor. You can receive html mail
(mail with formatting including colours and images, just like PCIN) and it
displays properly, but you can't compose anything other than a text message.
Hopefully they correct this soon.
Graham editor@pcin.net and
Chris chris@pcin.net
The NEWS
Who owns your e-mail address?
"It's time for legislators to help the Internet grow up, before people
start tuning out.
A recent Pew Internet & American Life survey confirms the general feeling
that the hassle of using e-mail is getting closer to outweighing the benefits.
This is particularly true of people for whom e-mail is not yet a significant
part of their professional or personal lives. If spam retards further adoption
of e-mail, it may dampen the productivity gains that e-mail and other Web
technologies offer.
Spam is fundamentally a problem of property rights, which in cyberspace are
loose, confusing, unprotected and, practically speaking, undefined. From
a user's perspective, it is entirely unclear who really owns an e-mail address,
what rights are afforded the owner and who should reap the economic benefits
of an e-mail address. The same is true of an in-box."
For more info:
http://news.com.com/2010-1036_3-5214467.html
Have your Google people talk to my 'googol' people
"In the late 1930s, noted mathematician and Columbia University professor
Edward Kasner was asked to come up with a name for an extraordinarily large
number. While on a walk one day, he asked his 9-year-old nephew, Milton Sirotta,
if he had any ideas.
'Googol,' the youngster replied.
Today, though, when most people hear the term, they are likely thinking not
of Kasner, but of the popular Internet search engine, Google. And that, for
some, is the problem.
Relatives of Kasner are crying foul. They believe Google has gained financially
at their expense. That conviction only increased with Google's recent announcement
that it will go public, hoping to raise $2.7 billion in sales of its stock.
If the stock price reaches $40 per share, the founders of the company and
several of its employees will be worth many millions each."
For more info:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/technology/bal-as.googol16may16,0,1939718.story
Apple seeks patent for see-through windows
"Apple Computer is looking to patent a method of making windows within
the operating system translucent, a feature that Microsoft plans to add to
the next version of Windows.
Translucent windows have been a steady feature of Mac OS X since its inception
in 2001 and have also shown up as a planned feature for Longhorn--the next
major version of Windows, due in 2006.
Apple's patent application, however, appears to focus on a particular way
of doing translucency, specifically windows that become more see-through
after they are unused for a period of time."
For more info:
http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-5214974.html
POLL of the WEEK
Last Week's Poll
How often do you call for product support (either hardware or
software)?
Daily |
|
1.75 % (2) |
Weekly |
|
0.88 % (1) |
Monthly |
|
0.88 % (1) |
Every couple months |
|
6.14 % (7) |
A few times a year |
|
6.14 % (7) |
Almost Never |
|
58.77 % (67) |
Never |
|
25.44 % (29) |
Total votes: 114 |
This Week's Poll
You can also vote online at http://PCIN.net/polls/
PCIN.net UPDATE
Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
Updated Windows Registry Tips and Tweaks Article
http://PCIN.net/help/articles/registry_tips.php
MySlideShow 2.3 by Anix Software Software Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/myslideshow.php
Anyplace Control by Anyplace Control Software Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/anyplacecontrol.php
Inboxer 1.1 by Audiotrieve, LLC Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/inboxer.php
Microsoft Outlook Add-Ins by MAPILab Ltd. Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/mapilab.php
THE TIPS and OTHER
STUFF
Pop-up Blocker Tester
PopupDummy! is a pop-up blocker which I never used. They have a page where
once the pop-up blocker is installed, you can test it. This page can be used
with any pop-up blocker, including the Google Toolbar, the MSN Toolbar, and
the Yahoo! Toolbar. Visit http://www.dummysoftware.com/popupdummy_testpage.html to
test your pop-up blocker.
GasBuddy.com
I'm sure most of you have heard of this by now as the creators of the site
have been in the news all over the place. GasBuddy.com is
a website that tracks gas prices in cities all over North America. You can
visit the site, look up your city, and if anyone has posted a gas price,
you'll see it. Anyone can post a price, so I've signed up and have posted
prices for Niagara
Falls (where I work) and St.
Catharines (where I live). My member name is gawing and Chris'
member name is DrivingLess.
Pluck RSS Feeds
"Bringing you the best of the web. Pluck's suite of integrated applications
helps you search, retrieve, organize and share the best parts of the web.
Pluck transforms Internet Explorer into a web workhorse! And it's free."
Robert Nelson sent me this:
"The easy way to explain it, is it 'Plucks' RSS feeds for you. You of course
have to tell it which ones by basically dragging and dropping where you see the
symbol. The website does a bang-up job of explaining everything better than I
can.
It integrates itself into Internet Explorer(undoubtedly has to be a recent
one), it alphabetizes your favorites, allows you to share items with your
friends,etc (So far I like it). Go to www.pluck.com and check it out. RSS
feeds so far have few if any of the problems surrounding email, it certainly
isn't 'spam' as (for the most part*) you have to select it, you can easily
delete feeds if you find don't like them, it updates itself .
*= there are some preselected feeds"
Thanks Robert! Check it out at http://www.pluck.com/
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:
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.
- If any of the links are too long to fit on one line, you may have to cut
and paste.
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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.
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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