PC NEWS DIGEST: November 21, 2000 PC computing, hardware, software, searching, news, books, websites, web design, humor. The PC News Digest is published by SERVENET.COM PLEASE NOTE:
BROOKLYN TURKEY, CAMBODIAN STUFFINGWhat do Cambodia, Thailand, and Viet Nam have in common with Chappaqua, Fargo, and Brooklyn? The answer is Karen Swenson, the award-winning poet, writing teacher, and travel writer. Her emotional insights and evocative imagery of these and other places populate her latest book, A Daughter's Latitude. Ms. Swenson, who spends a part of each year in Southeast Asia because she "craves cultural alienation," conducted a well-received poetry workshop and read her poems on a recent Sunday in Westchester. My co-editor (and co-pilot) Judith Reinfeld, a.k.a. Solena Hurok, was the impresario who arranged this uncommon delight. We came away from dinner with Ms. Swenson and the reading with a powerful reminder of just how much we in the United States have to be thankful for. Our national dilemma is not hunger, poverty, or oppression, but the Florida recount. We've never been strafed, raped, or interred, whole villages at a time, just immobilized by Hollerith chad. Enough said? You can buy Karen Swenson's latest book and three of her earlier ones at Amazon.com. You can read her fascinating travelogues in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and soon in Travel and Leisure. And if you find her giving a reading at your public library, lecturing at your school, or briefly "in residence" at your college, get to know this intriguing and gregarious poet personally. A Daughter's Latitude 0.0 Worth A Visit: The Internet Public Library 0.0 WORTH A VISIT: THE INTERNET PUBLIC LIBRARYTake it from a guy who played hooky in high school to go to the library -- the Internet Public Library (IPL) rocks! Built by librarians from the School of Information at the University of Michigan, the IPL has a searchable reference section supplemented by over 3,000 periodicals, newspapers from around the world, and over 14,000 online texts. And that's just for starters. Two divisions -- teen and youth -- service younger readers. Another helps librarians make the most of Internet resources. And then, like any major public library, the IPL hosts special and permanent exhibits. I enjoyed Trains Across America, a collection of photographs celebrating railroads. (One of these photos was used to make this week's jigsaw puzzle. See below.) But you might prefer Pueblo Pottery or Harlem: 1900-1940. Next time you need to "look it up," try the IPL (generously sponsored by Bell & Howell Information and Learning). The Internet Public Library THE LOOK-UP CENTER AT INSTALLATIONS PLUS+Scouring the web for basic information? Find what you need in one place for FREE! The Look-Up Center has telephone numbers by name, by address and reverse. Weather, stock quotes, dictionaries, quotations, package tracking, calories, currency conversion, maps, metric conversions, books, music, and more. The FREE Look-Up Center at Installations Plus+ 1.0 CD-RS: HOW LONG IS FOREVER?Disk manufacturers encourage us to archive our photographs, music, and important documents on recordable compact disks (CD-Rs). Digitally encoded information, they say, is super-accurate (true) and will endure almost forever. Which makes us wonder, "How long is forever?" Studies performed by CD-R manufacturers TDK and Kodak suggest useful lifetimes of 70 to 200 years. But a recent article in US News and World Report suggests two years may be more like it. There are two primary factors determining the lifespan of a CD-R. The first is out of your control. Tomorrow's CD-ROMs may not be compatible with the digital codes used to write today's disks. Reading the CD you burn today may be like trying to find a turntable to play your father's 78 rpm records. Good luck! Physical degradation of the CD is the second factor, and here your effort counts. Start with quality media. There is evidence that off-brand disks deteriorate more rapidly than name-brand. Then handle by the edges -- fingerprints deposit solvents that corrode disk surfaces. Avoid scratching, dropping, using as coasters, mobile ornaments, or Frisbees. Finally, store in rigid jewel-boxes in a location not subject to extremes of temperature or humidity. Even properly handled and stored CD-Rs should be re-recorded at regular intervals -- every 2-3 years for critical data, 5-7 years otherwise. Re- recording circumvents both lifespan factors. It resets physical deterioration to zero, and upgrades the CD-R to current hardware and software standards. TDK CD-R Study Kodak CD-R Study US News and World Report 2.0 DON'T POWER UP WITHOUT PROTECTION!Who would have guessed? Lightning, power outages, and voltage spikes damage more computers than all other causes combined. Yes, Virginia even more than three-year olds. To protect against lightning, listen to your mother's advice. Disconnect your computer from the power, telephone, and cable lines during thunderstorms. This is especially important if the lines in your community run overhead on utility poles. Fortunately, it's easier to protect against power failures and surges. The best way is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). The heart of a UPS is a heavy-duty battery kept charged by the same line that supplies power to the computer system. When power fails, the battery takes over, powering the system long enough to save open files and shut the computer down properly. A UPS also functions as a super surge suppressor, swallowing up voltage spikes in the circuitry that charges the battery. For most systems, a UPS rated at 400-500 VA offers good protection, and can be found at computer and stationery outlets for $100-150. If power interruptions are not a concern for you, consider a surge suppression outlet strip instead. A strip rated at 70-100 joules protects the average system for $10-15. Since repeated surges render the protection element (a varistor) inoperative, make sure you buy a strip that has a protection indicator. Whether you buy a UPS or surge suppressor, look for models that also include telephone line protection. Plug your PC processor, monitor, modem, speakers, and answering machine into the UPS or surge suppressor. Plug everything else into a separate outlet strip or into the wall outlet directly. Printers, copiers, fax machines, air conditioners -- in fact, anything with a good-sized motor in it -- are exactly the kind of spike-producing appliance you need to protect against! THE PC CLINIC AT INSTALLATIONS PLUS+PC PROBLEMS? Help is just a mouse-click away! PC News Digest subscribers get priority treatment at the FREE personal computer clinic at Installations Plus+. The FREE PC Clinic at Installations Plus+ 3.0 UPC BARCODES FETCH MANUFACTURERS' WEBSITESPerhaps you received a free Cue:C.A.T. in the mail; maybe you got one at Radio Shack. Made by Digital Convergence, this hand-held computer add- on scans UPC codes on products and in magazine ads, then opens the manufacturer's website in your browser. Charles Herold, writing in TIME, was not impressed with either its usefulness or the laborious installation procedure. If you're not ready for a Cue:C.A.T. but you'd like to get more mileage from the ubiquitous UPC codes, try deBarcode. Type the barcode (UPC A, UPC E, EIN 13) in the search box, and deBarcode will return the manufacturer's name and a website hyperlink. Go fetch! Digital Convergence Free Scanner Reads Web Addresses from Magazines deBarcode 4.0 WEBSITES FOR AUTOMOTIVE EQUIPMENT DEALERSFor websites that work -- the WebShop at SERVENET.COM Ready to join the Internet explosion? Let our experts build a website for your real estate related business. Want to see a sample of our work? Check out the site we built for Specialty Automotive Equipment Company, Inc., a New Jersey dealer specializing in Mohawk Lifts. Specialty Automotive Equipment Company The WebShop at SERVENET.COM 5.0 BOOK: PC UPGRADE AND REPAIR SIMPLIFIEDWith the holidays just around the corner, we hear this question a lot. "What can I get for someone who likes to tinker with computers?" Here's one answer that's sure to please: Paul Whitehead and Ruth Maran's paperback, PC Upgrade and Repair Simplified (IDG Books Worldwide, 1998). Now we don't think you should try to upgrade or repair your PC to save money. It's almost always smarter to delegate that task to an expert. And these days with PCs so inexpensive, it's often cheaper to buy a new one. Really. But for the hobbyist who likes fixing things and learning how they work, this book will bring hours of joy. Whitehead and Maran (the latter highly regarded for her Simplified Visually series) cover memory, storage drive, audio, video, printing and other upgrades and repairs. The language is simple and the full-color photos are virtually self-explanatory. The book includes the needed background, FAQs, and troubleshooting pointers, and is especially good for the visual learner. Amazon.com has additional information and reviews, and sells PC Upgrade and Repair Simplified for $19.99. PC Upgrade and Repair Simplified 6.0 WANT TO TALK? WE'VE GOT A FORUM FOR YOU!As a public service, SERVENET.COM hosts and moderates four online forums. You are welcome to participate in any or all of them. • The PC FORUM for help with computer problems. • The REAL ESTATE FORUM for buyers, sellers. • The OYSTER BAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY FORUM. • The SHOP-TALK FORUM for things automotive. 7.0 IT'S NO SECRET! PASSWORDS JUST GOT EASYWhat protects and annoys at the same time? A password, of course. Some folks reduce the annoyance by using the same username and password for multiple applications. But that seriously compromises security. I mean, do you really want your brokerage account ID stored on Hotmail's servers? Others tell us they have their IDs in their address books, on stickies framing their monitor, or stored in a spreadsheet. How inconvenient can you get? The right way to store, organize and protect your IDs? Password Keeper from Gregory Braun at Software Design. This shareware application (FREE to try; $20 to buy) encrypts and stores your username, password, website URL, and notes for up to 1000 accounts. No more torturous lookups and frustrating typos. Password Keeper reduces logins to a few quick mouse-clicks.
Password Keeper 8.0 BOCA 56K v.90 EXTERNAL DATA/FAX MODEM -- $79No need to "pop the hood" to replace your slow or worn out modem. This brand-new Boca external modem connects in seconds to an available COM port on the back of your PC. The Boca Model MA56WWE Tidalwave voice/fax/data modem also functions as a speakerphone with v.80 compliant conferencing. Designed for Windows 95/98, this modem features automatic line quality retraining and a Rockwell (CONEXANT) chipset. Includes serial cable. The price for the Boca Model MA56WWE modem is $79, plus shipping, and tax where applicable. PayPal, M/C, Visa. Limited time offer. U.S. orders only please. One year manufacturer's warranty.
Call 1-212-567-3705 mailto:specials@servenet.com 9.0 SHELL EXTENSIONS ORGANIZE YOUR HARD DRIVEHard drives get cluttered almost as quickly as closets. When it's time to reorganize, FileNote and MD Folder are just what the disk doctor ordered. Both applications are shell extensions -- additions to the pop-up (context) menu you get when you right-click on a file or folder in Windows Explorer. FILENOTE. When you right-click on a file, then select FileNote, a file opens in Notepad with the same name as the initial file, but a TXT extension. Let's say the initial file, spots.jpg, was a photo of your golden hamster. The text file, spots.txt, opens for your comments: "Spots delivers her first litter on 12/12/99." The value of the text file? It opens faster than the picture, making quick work of sorting and organizing. Of course, FileNote is not limited to graphics. It's great for annotating any file that is cumbersome to open and examine individually. MD FOLDER. If you right-click on a folder, then select New Folder, MD Folder will open a dialog box inviting you to create and name a new folder. The new one will be located inside the initial folder. MD Folder makes it simple to set up a multi-tiered filing system on your hard drive. Both shell extensions have been tested with Windows 95/98/NT and should work with 2000 and ME. FileNote MD Folder 10.0 HUMOR: THE PRINCESS WAS A FROGA boy was crossing a road one day when a frog called out to him and said, "If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess". He bent over, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket. The frog spoke up again and said, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I will stay with you for one week." The boy took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and returned it to the pocket. The frog then cried out, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I'll stay with you and do ANYTHING you want." Again the boy took the frog out, smiled at it and put it back into his pocket. Finally, the frog asked, "What is the matter? I've told you I'm a beautiful princess, that I'll stay with you for a week and do anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?" The boy said, "Look I'm a software engineer. I don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog is cool." 11.0 JIGSAW PUZZLE: TRAINS AT UNION DEPOTThis week's electronic jigsaw puzzle is based on Gregory V. Swisher's photo of a pair of locomotives passing historic Union Depot in Durand, Michigan. Gregory and Sandra G. Swisher collaborated on the Trains Across America exhibit at the Internet Public Library. We used Tibo Software's Jigs@w Puzzle program to make the puzzle, which downloads in 45 seconds at 56.6 kb and plays in 4-5 minutes on Windows 95 or later PCs. P.S. Last week's puzzle, Maypole, depicting the Empire State Building in a 1932 black and white photo by Steichen, is still available. Trains Puzzle Maypole Puzzle Jigs@w Puzzle Internet Public Library Trains Exhibit 12.0 SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE/SUGGEST/ETC.PAST ISSUES.09/19/2000 09/26/2000 10/03/2000 10/10/2000 10/17/2000 10/24/2000 10/31/2000 11/07/2000 11/14/2000 SUGGESTIONS. Your thoughts about our newsletter and our website are always welcome. Tell us. We're listening! RECOMMEND US. Tell a friend about our website and newsletter. LINK TO US. Written by Louis J. Bruno Edited by Judith Reinfeld Produced in the WebShop at SERVENET.COM. Please report bad or changed links to the WebMaster. Last update: 11/21/2000. |
Password Keeper wins this week's Best Choice Award. It meets a real need with smart, easy to use software that doesn't waste system resources and doesn't interfere with other programs. Like Greg Braun's other programs, Password Keeper boasts many configuration options and is supported by free periodic upgrades.
