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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
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
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 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
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/
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.
- You can only win one contest every 30 days.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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