Issue 307 - September 01, 2004
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2004
==== 1973 Subscribers in 58 Countries ====
Welcome to the 307th 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 can't believe we've made it to September already! The summer has flown by.
Speaking of flying, I'm flying solo for the next couple of issues. Chris is
flying to London tomorrow morning for a vacation. Have fun!
Lastly, I just thought I would let everyone know that this Friday is my birthday.
I'm turning 29! We're having a family barbeque at my sister Julia's place on
Saturday.
Graham editor@pcin.net and
Chris chris@pcin.net
The NEWS
Net gets blamed for high UK divorce rate
"The number of divorces in England and Wales continued to rise in 2003
to reach a total of 153,490, marking the third consecutive year of rising
divorce rates according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS). For the
first time, the internet, and more specifically dating sites and sites that
reunite old friends, are being mooted as factors behind the increase in marriage
breakdowns.
'There are of course a number of reasons behind the rise in divorce rates,'
said Christine Northam, a spokesperson with Relate, a counselling firm, 'but
chat rooms and sites which reunite friends make it easier for unhappy husbands
or wives to meet other people and possibly go on to have an affair.'"
For more info:
http://www.enn.ie/news.html?code=9550235
Philadelphia mulls wireless society
"For about $10 million, city officials believe they can turn all 135
square miles of Philadelphia into the world's largest wireless Internet hot
spot.
The ambitious plan, now in the works, would involve placing hundreds, or
maybe thousands of small transmitters around the city -- probably atop lampposts.
Each would be capable of communicating with the wireless networking cards
that now come standard with many computers."
For more info:
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/09/01/wireless.cities.ap/index.html
Have 25 Years of Progress Helped?
"Have we gotten any smarter over the past quarter century, or have
instant access to information and all those wonderful technological advances
made us more confused and far crazier than we were in 1979?
That's the question that scientists, hackers and artists will debate this
week at Ars Electronica, the world's largest festival of technology and art.
This year's theme is "Timeshift -- The World in 25 Years," in honor
of the 25th anniversary of the festival, which will be held Sept. 2-7 in
Linz, Austria. The many exhibitions, symposiums and events are all intended
to identify the ideas that are likely to be the driving forces in art, technology
and society over the next quarter century.
For more info:
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,64794,00.html
POLL of the WEEK
Last Week's Poll
How many email accounts do you check regularly?
1 |
|
17 % (20) |
2 |
|
24 % (28) |
3-5 |
|
45 % (53) |
6-10 |
|
8 % (10) |
11-20 |
|
6 % (7) |
> 20 |
|
0 % (0) |
Total votes: 118 |
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:
Newsgator 2.0 by Newsgator Technologies Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/newsgator2.php
CDBF for Windows by WhiteTown Software Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/cdbf.php
Photoshop Elements 2.0 plus Photoshop Album 2.0 by Adobe Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/elementsplusalbum.php
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
THE TIPS and OTHER
STUFF
Trend Micro Anti-Spam 1.0 Pilot
"The Trend Micro Anti-Spam 1.0 Pilot delivers a free-of-charge tool
for Microsoft Outlook users that provides sophisticated, effective and easy-to-use
spam filtering capability to combat the spam problem prevalent today."
Give it a try. You can download it at http://www.trendmicro.com/en/products/desktop/anti-spam/evaluate/overview.htm
Switch to Windows' basic search tool
This was taken from the August 12, 2004 issue of the "Windows XP Tips
at TechRepublic.com" newsletter:
"As you probably know, the Windows XP Search Companion provides users with
a lot of bells and whistles designed to make searching for files on hard drives
much easier. But sometimes all of these extra features just get in the way.
If you're longing for Windows 2000's basic search tool, it doesn't have to
be in vain. The basic search tool is still available in Windows XP, and you
can activate it with a quick registry edit.
Follow these steps:
Open the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Explorer\CabinetState.
Go to Edit | New | String Value.
Name the new value Use Search Asst.
Double-click the new value, type no in the Value Data text box, and click
OK.
Close the Registry Editor, and restart the system.
To switch back to the Search Companion, just go back to the Registry Editor,
and change the Value Data to yes."
Learn the Net
"Learn the Net, a guide to the Internet and World Wide Web: Discover
why Yahoo!Internet Life has twice named Learn the Net one of the 100 best
sites on the Web."
Check it out at http://www.learnthenet.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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
|