Issue 275 - January 21, 2004

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2004
==== 2185 Subscribers in 62 Countries ====

Welcome to the 275th 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

Today marks the end of the PCIN.net FreeHelp Forum. It never really grew the way I had hoped it would. It has been up for 2+ years and only has 572 members. There were some who asked questions and quickly got answers, but there were many more who waited far too long to get answers. There just hasn't been enough activity on the forum to keep it going. If you are looking for a helpful message board, then try one of these:
http://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/ - Scot's Newsletter Forums
http://help.lockergnome.com/ - Lockergnome Forums
http://groups.google.com/ - Google Groups
http://www.computing.net/forums/ - Computing.net Support Forums
A big thanks goes out to everyone who helped contribute to the PCIN.net FreeHelp Forum. In particular, I'd like to thank xe77 who helped hundreds of people through the forum. He posted almost twice as many answers as I did!
Do not take this as any sort of sign that PCIN.net is winding down. We're just trying to focus on the things that are most important to our visitors/subscribers. We've got lots of reviews coming, and other improvements are on the way.

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

The NEWS

Getting patently offensive

"Entrepreneurs often emerge from humble beginnings, like basements, where they work tirelessly to create new hardware or software applications that will push technology forward.
Some make it to the big time. Others are not so lucky. Although their technology may remain in the basement, many of these entrepreneurs have at least managed to protect their invention with a patent.
That patent could make all the difference. Close examination of recent legal activity points to one overriding conclusion: As the perceived probability of receiving a large damages award increases, patent-holding small businesses--already looking for opportunities--will, upon discovering infringing activity, find more value in filing suit against their larger competitors. With patent infringement litigation on the rise, these companies might just become household names."

For more info:
http://news.com.com/2010-1014_3-5143922.html

Cuba tightens its control over Internet

"At a downtown Havana post office, Cubans line up for hours for their turn in the 'surfing room.'
When users get to one of the four computers, they can send and receive e-mail and surf an Intranet of Cuban Web sites, but access to the global Internet is barred.
Getting online is not easy in communist-run Cuba, where the state strictly controls all Web servers and recently announced plans to crack down on illegal Internet access."

For more info:
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/01/21/cuba.internet.reut/index.html

Television Commercials Come to the Web

"Television commercials, in all their big, loud glory, are coming to the Web.
Beginning tomorrow, more than a dozen Web sites, including MSN, ESPN, Lycos and iVillage, will run full-motion video commercials from Pepsi, AT&T, Honda, Vonage and Warner Brothers, in a six-week test that some analysts and online executives say could herald the start of a new era of Internet advertising."

For more info:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/19/technology/19ecom.html?ex=1075093200&en=11f5852006ee4f60&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

Return to the top Recommend PCIN News

POLL of the WEEK

Last Week's Poll

Do you play games online?

Yes, action and roll playing games 12.61 % (15)
Yes, trivia games 2.52 % (3)
Yes, other types of games 20.17 % (24)
No, I don't play computer games 31.09 % (37)
No, the computer games are played offline 33.61 % (40)
Total votes: 119

This Week's Poll

What is the primary purpose of your home computer?

Entertainment (music, movies, chatting, etc.)
Gaming
Work
Banking
Other
I don't use my home computer
I don't have a computer

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

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:

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

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

New Google.com Features

Google has received quite a bit of press lately as a result of some new search features they have added:
UPS, FedEx, and USPS Package Tracking - link to tracking pages on their respective sites
patent (patent 5123123) - link to patent information
airplane (n199ua) - link to flight tracking
FCC equipment ID/tracking numbers(fcc B4Z-34009-PIR) - link to original FCC information
Area Codes - 416 brings up map of Toronto
UPC codes - bring up some information about the product.
Vehicle ID (VIN) numbers - link to a CARFAX report on what kind of car and its status.
Check it out at http://www.google.ca/help/features.html

FWA Sites Of The Year 2003 Winners Announced

"19,300+ nominated sites, 12 short-listed, 12 international judges,1 Site Of The Year winner"
Check it out at http://www.favouritewebsiteawards.com/

Magnetic Poetry

"It all started with a song and a sneeze. Dave Kapell, founder of Magnetic Poetry, was suffering from writer's block while trying to compose song lyrics. To overcome this problem, he wrote down interesting words on pieces of paper and rearranged them, looking for inspiration. What he hadn't figured into this experiment was his allergies. One good sneeze and any progress was sent flying across the room. Dave decided to glue the words to pieces of magnets and stick them to a pizza tin. Then he got hungry and the now magnetized words made their way to the refrigerator door. Before too long, Dave wasn't the only one rearranging his would-be song lyrics. When friends came over, Dave noticed they started to move the magnets around, amusing themselves by writing the first magnetic poems."
Check it out at http://www.magneticpoetry.com/magnet/

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