Issue 302 - July 28, 2004
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2004
==== 1961 Subscribers in 58 Countries ====
Welcome to the 302nd 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
Yesterday was Andrew's second birthday. I can't believe the time has flown
by so quickly! We had a big family party on Saturday. If you are interested,
I've updated the family web site with pictures from Andrew's
party, pictures from my sister Brianna's
17th birthday party, various pictures
of Andrew, pictures of Andrew
on his birthday, as well as daily galleries of Matthew from Day
20 - Day 27.
Chris still has 2 GMail invitations.
Send us tips, a software recommendation, a helpful web site, or anything that
you think other PCIN subscribers would find useful and we'll send you a GMail
invitation. Subscriber and co-worker Pat Clary also thought people might want
to check out http://gmail-is-too-creepy.com/ I've
been using GMail quite a bit over the last couple of months, and I don't think
it's creepy, but you can decide for yourself.
Graham editor@pcin.net and
Chris chris@pcin.net
The NEWS
NASA to build 10,000-processor Linux computer
"The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has given
the green light to a project that will build the largest ever supercomputer
based on Silicon Graphics Inc.'s (SGI) 512-processor Altix computers.
Called Project Columbia, the 10,240-processor system will be used by researchers
at the Advanced Supercomputing Facility at NASA's Ames Research Center in
Moffett Field, California.
Scientists will use Columbia to design equipment, simulate future space missions
and model weather patterns. A portion of the $160 million system will also
be made available to other government agencies and educational facilities,
said Bill Thigpen, manager of Project Columbia. 'We need to look at working
with other agencies to provide them with access to this system because it
is a unique system,' he said."
For more info:
http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/07/28/HNnasalinux_1.html
Google, other engines hit by worm variant
"Major Internet search engines were crippled Monday morning by a variant
of the MyDoom worm, rendering Google inaccessible to many users and slowing
results from Yahoo.
The attack also affected smaller engines, including Yahoo's AltaVista and
Lycos.
Google representatives confirmed that the MyDoom worm affected performance
of the search engine. Despite numerous e-mail complaints received by CNET
News.com that Google's search engine was down for hours, the company down
played the impact of the worm and said it had been not widely affected by
the worm.
For more info:
http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-22_11-5285091.html
Are P2P networks leaking military secrets?
"A new Web log is posting what it purports are pictures, documents
and letters from U.S. soldiers and military bases in Iraq and elsewhere--all
of which the site's operator claims to have downloaded from peer-to-peer
networks such as Gnutella.
The 'See What You Share' site has been online for a week and has published
photos ranging from a crashed military jet to a screenshot of a spreadsheet
file that appears to include names, addresses and telephone numbers of marines.
The site's operator, a 30-year-old named Rick Wallace, wrote in a blog posting
that he is trying to help the military understand how serious a security
risk unmonitored peer-to-peer file sharing can be."
For more info:
http://news.com.com/2100-1038_3-5285918.html
POLL of the WEEK
Last Week's Poll
Do you shutdown your computers nightly or just let them run?
I turn it off whenever I'm not using it |
|
38 % (55) |
I turn it off at night only |
|
25 % (36) |
I reboot my computer every few days |
|
8 % (12) |
I almost never turn my computer off |
|
19 % (28) |
I never turn my computer off |
|
10 % (14) |
Total votes: 145 |
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 PCIN.net Site Search
http://PCIN.net/search.php
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
THE TIPS and OTHER
STUFF
Use Styles in MS Word
Many people are aware of the numerous ways MS Word allows you to format
your text. There are easy ways to copy those formats within your document.
The first is the format painter which we featured in a previous newsletter
(http://www.pcin.net/archive/2000/20000906.php)
The second is to use word Styles. There are many built in Styles, all can
be modified to suit your taste with any option available for formatting including
font and paragraph formatting. To access the styles manager, click on Format
from the menu, and choose Style (or in Office 2003, Format, then Styles and
Formatting). You can now make adjustments to your styles that can be applied
throughout your document. This is a nice way to keep your formatting consistent.
One of Marian Baade's favorite FREE utilities
From Marian:
"EMAIL STRIPPER!
http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm
Teach your email buddies to use this to strip out all that junk before they
forward messages to you."
From the site:
" emailStripper is a free program for cleaning the '>' and other formatting
characters out of your emails. It will restore 'forwarded' or 'replied' emails
back to their original state so they're easier to read."
Software Recommended by Larry Leach
"Here is a neat, small software that I use quite a bit. It is called
'chainsaw' and it is freeware. The URL is:
http://www.schmeusser.siw.de/software/chainsaw.html
I can't tell you the number of times I have a file that is just a little
too big for a floppy."
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.
- To subscribe another address or unsubscribe, please visit http://PCIN.net/ and
follow the appropriate links.
- Recommend PCIN to others at http://PCIN.net/recommend.php and
be entered in a monthly draw.
- The only way to become a subscriber is by asking. You have either filled
out the subscription form or asked me directly.
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I will add it to the subscriber web pages that I have on my site.
- Support PCIN by visiting http://PCIN.net/donate.php
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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.
Support PCIN by visiting http://PCIN.net/donate.php
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