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Issue 357 - August 17, 2005

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2005
==== 2058 Subscribers in 59 Countries ====

Welcome to the 357th 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

As I mentioned last week, we took our annual trip up to Buckhorn. We were only there for two days, but it was great. We went swimming with the boys, Andrew got a bug bite of some kind and could barely open his eye (he's fine now), and spent time in the boat. I wish we could have been there longer! Check out the pictures in the family gallery.

You may have noticed something new in the Contents list. We're premiering a new section this week called the Digital Photography Tip of the Week. As many of you know, Chris has been interested in photography for years, and about a year ago bought a digital SLR camera. He's been taking a lot more photos lately, and will share some of his expertise with us. As he mentions below, if you have any questions or comments, be sure to email him and he can address them as future tips.

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

The NEWS

This spammer's stash could be yours

Why is AOL on the brink of giving away a fully loaded Hummer H2 and nearly $100,000 worth of gold bars and cash--all of which once belonged to an e-mail marketer?
Both AOL members and non-members--all of whom will have a chance to win the goods--can thank the Can-Spam Act.
The law, which has not gone without criticism, not only arms Internet service providers with legal weapons against those who fire off unsolicited e-mail, it also allows courts to seize any property that a convicted spammer has obtained using money made through the offense. Any equipment, software, or technology used for illicit purposes is also fair game.
AOL obtained the goods as part of a settlement earlier this year in the first lawsuit it filed under the Can-Spam Act, in a case involving a then-20-year-old New Hampshire resident.

For more info:
http://techrepublic.com.com/2100-1009_11-5826897.html
Leave a comment:
http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/08/16/this_spammer_s_stash_could_be_yours

$50 laptop sale sets off violent stampede

A rush to purchase $50 used laptops turned into a violent stampede Tuesday, with people getting thrown to the pavement, beaten with a folding chair and nearly driven over. One woman went so far as to wet herself rather than surrender her place in line.
"This is total, total chaos," said Latoya Jones, 19, who lost one of her flip-flops in the ordeal and later limped around on the sizzling blacktop with one foot bare.

For more info:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8973616/
Leave a comment:
http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/08/16/50_laptop_sale_sets_off_violent_stampede

Study: Dell customer rating plunges; Apple leads pack

U.S. consumers lambasted Dell Inc. for poor customer service in a survey conducted last quarter, sending the world's largest PC vendor into a virtual tie with the rest of the PC market behind the industry-leading efforts of Apple Computer Inc.
For the second year in a row, Apple received the best rating from PC buyers in the American Customer Satisfaction Index, said David Van Amburg, general manager of the ACSI. The University of Michigan compiles the ACSI in numerous product categories by randomly calling U.S. residents and surveying their buying habits, he said.

For more info:
http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/story/0,10801,103959,00.html
Leave a comment:
http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/08/16/study_dell_customer_rating_plunges_apple

Software helps you stop being a jerk

Are you a jerk on the phone? You might want to be a bit nicer the next time you take that call.
That's because there's new technology coming out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology called the "Jerk-O-Meter." The software measures stress levels in your voice and rates you on a scale of zero to 100 to let you know just how annoying you might be sounding.

For more info:
http://techrepublic.com.com/2100-3513_11-5830823.html
Leave a comment:
http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/08/16/software_helps_you_stop_being_a_jerk

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:

VMware Inc. VMware Workstation 4.5 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/vmware45.php

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

Return to the top Recommend PCIN Poll of the Week

Digital Photography Tip of the Week

Don't Delete Your Images

Original image with poor composition and background    Edited image with background removed for a graphic feel

Unlike film, shooting digital does not incur a cost per shot. This means that for little to no money, you can shoot literally thousands of photos, whereas with film, there would be a cost associated with each photo taken (film and processing). This has both advantages and disadvantages for the digital photographer. As photographers, we are now free to experiment and shoot much more than we would if we were shooting film. This also means that through our experimentation or freedom from cost, a greater percentage of our shots are likely to be poorer in content or quality as we become more carefree with our photography. Most people, after switching to digital, shoot a lot more without thinking about their shots, or think they can fix them later on the computer. Those images that you think you don't want now, may become important in the future though. An out of focus or improperly exposed shot can become the background for a montage of shots of a particular event; it may have a single element (a flower, or a pet) that you want to take out of the photo digitally or it may have a family member or friend in it that few people have photos of. Even a bad shot will help preserve a memory down the road. With the cost of storage (hard drives, CD's or DVD's) it costs pennies to store your images. You don't want to delete those overexposed, or slightly out of focus images. They may one day prove to be valuable to you.

Next week we will talk about backing up your images.

The digital photography tip of the week is a new feature of PCIN news and is written by our Assistant Editor, Chris Empey. Chris is a long time photographer and member of the Niagara Falls Camera Club. You can see more of his photography at his Photo of the Day website.
If you have a tip to send us, or a question about digital photography we can address in the newsletter, send it to chris@pcin.net.

Return to the top Recommend PCIN Poll of the Week

THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

The Insider's Guide to Windows Vista Beta 1

One of the best newsletters I subscribe to is Scot's Newsletter by Scot Finnie. The most recent issue has an incredible overview of Windows Vista (formerly Longhorn) Beta 1. If you want to read about what's coming, as well as see screenshots of the new operating system, then you should definitely check it out at http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/72.htm

Leave a comment at http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/08/16/the_insider_s_guide_to_windows_vista_bet_1

isnoop.net urlizer

This tool is meant to take any URL and make it right-clickable. It does not do any sort of encoding or parsing of the URL other than adding 'http://' where necessary.
You might find this tool handy if you have a URL to a .ra file on your clipboard. Pasting it directly into your browser's address bar may result in the file being automatically played. Using this page, you can make the URL right- clickable and use the "Save target as..." or "Save link as..." functionality to download the file to your drive instead of streaming it. Of course, you could always just change your file type settings so that filetype isn't automatically opened in the browser, but what fun is that?

Check it out at http://isnoop.net/tools/url.php

Leave a comment at http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/08/17/isnoop_net_urlizer

Feedster Top 500

Feedster is a blog/feed search site, along with many other services. They have just started a Top 500 feeds list (neither Chris nor I are listed).

Each month, Feedster brings you a list of 500 of the most interesting and important blogs. Enjoy browsing to see what people are reading, to find feeds that will bring topics of interest to you on a regular basis, and to discover new voices in the Blogosphere.

Check it out at http://top500.feedster.com/

Leave a comment at http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/08/17/feedster_top_500

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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 1998-2005, Graham Wing. All rights reserved.

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