The PC Improvement News
Issue 1-25
March 31, 1999

ISSN 1488-3163
Published electronically by PC Improvements (c) 1999
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Welcome to the 25th edition of the PC Improvement News. In this newsletter,
I have a couple of tips to make your computing life easier as well as
highlights of the past weeks PC Industry News. I am more than willing to
discuss any PC related topics in this newsletter. Just email me at
editor@pcin.net with your suggestions. I would also appreciate it
if you let me know if there is any strange formatting in the newsletter so
that I can fix them.

Give me two or three issues, and I know that you will get something great
out of this!


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SOME OPENING THOUGHTS
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None


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THE NEWS
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Are you smarter than a 5-year-old child is?
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In one of the most interesting stories I have read in a while, a 5 year
old girl made a couple of million dollars trading stocks on the Internet.
Sheila Jefferson-Davis is a genius. She has been reading since she was 2
and is already taking some high school courses. Her father opened a
$100,000 account with Schwab and she has done all of the trading herself.
The $100,000 has become more than $2.5 million!

For more info:
http://www.upside.com/David_Bunnell/


When will the Carrotron chip be released?
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According to John C. Dvorak of PC Magazine (March 9, 1999 edition), "The
name Pentium has certain flair, especially because it would have other
wise been the 586. I think Celeron is derived from accelerate and
electron. Sounds jazzy if that's what you hear. But I actually hear salt
and celery, with emphasis on celery. Celery implies bland, and I think
that's the perception people have of this chip: It's bland. Probably
nothing a fortune in advertising can't correct. I just hope the company
doesn't bring out the Turnipium, Carrotron, or Cabbagium as follow-up.
Then I'll know for sure that the place has been taken over by vegetarians."


If you have the name Melissa, you must be beaming!
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Wow, if your name is Melissa, you must have loved hearing your name so
many times the last few days. Hopefully no one took their frustrations out
on you when your namesake virus infected their computer. I'm sure you all
heard the news reports on Melissa the virus. It is a macro virus that will
send you a list of porn sites and then send the same thing to other people
in your address book. I've heard that it can send out your word files,
I've heard that it works in all email programs, I've heard that it doesn't
work in all email programs, only in Outlook. I've heard that it replicates
once on your machine and then lies dormant. I've heard everything. The
best way to protect yourself is to get a good antiviral program and use it.

For more info:
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/special/melissavirus.html


Microsoft Reorganizes
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In a move that has been expected for a while (and in one that has nothing
to do with the DOJ trial) Microsoft announced that they are reorganizing
their company into 5 division. They say this will help them serve the
people better. I doubt we will notice a difference.


Cyber Trial of the Century
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Before the current recess in the DOJ trial, the judge encouraged the two
sides to come to some sort of a settlement. On March 24, Microsoft offered
a settlement package (see
http://www.cnnfn.com/digitaljam/9903/24/microsoft/) but it appears that
it was rejected. I guess the lawyers for the government are pushing for
Microsoft to sell the code to Windows to another company so that there can
be 2 different places for resellers to obtain the operating system.

For more info:
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2233239,00.html
Also visit:
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/special/msdojtrial.html


AOL and Netscape to cut jobs
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As a result of the merger between AOL and Netscape, AOL said it will trim
between 350 and 500 positions at Netscape and will cut an equal number of
jobs from AOL's other operations. AOL currently employs about 12,000. That
is an almost 10% cut in the work force. At the same time, AOL announced
that they too would be reorganizing.

For more info:
http://www.internetnews.com/isp-news/article/0,1087,8_85711,00.html


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THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF
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Another useful keyboard shortcut
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I love using the keyboard. I can move my fingers across several keys
faster than I can move back and forth across the screen clicking the mouse
button. Here is another shortcut. If you want to use Windows Explorer, you
would normally go to Start-Programs-Windows Explorer. With this trick, you
can press the Windows Key and "e" at the same time (no quotes needed).
Very quick and easy.


Talk about having too much free time
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Have you seen the so-called "art" that people can make with computer
characters? If you rearrange letters and symbols in a certain way, you can
make it appear as if there is a picture there. I have seen things that
look like Tweety bird and Homer Simpson. Well, a lady by the name of Joan
Stark has a whole web site filled with this stuff. Check it out at
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7373/


Navigator versus Explorer
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With new versions of the Internet browsers being released fairly
regularly, it is hard to keep up with what features are available where.
For instance, I like the Favorites feature in IE more than the Bookmark
feature of Nav. I would like to invite you all to email me at
editor@pcin.net and tell me what your favorite feature of your
browser is. I'll pick 5 good comments on each of the 2 major browsers (NS
and MS) and a couple from the others and I will publish the results next
week. I will print 100 business cards for each winner.


Do you people read this at all or what?
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I did not have any one email me with their reports on the web site that
will email you a requested file. I have over 200 subscribers. I was hoping
that at least 1 person would try it out. Here is the information again. In
3 or 4 different newsletters that I get, I've had reports about
http://www.emailfile.com/ a site that prompts you to input the location of
a file and then it emails it to you. Try it out. See if you like it and
then let me know. I'll include the most insightful and wise critiques next
week with references to your web site.


NOTICE
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IN THIS NEWSLETTER THERE WAS A STORY THAT WAS FROM A
WEB SITE, BUT WHICH ISN'T TRUE. THE FIRST ONE TO EMAIL ME
WITH WHICH ONE AND WHAT THE ERROR WAS WILL WIN A
COPY OF EA TRIPLE PLAY '98.


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Lastly, send in your comments, tips and news and you too can be included in
The PC Improvement News with a reference to your name and web site.
Send email to pcinews@pcimprovements.com
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Well, that's all for this week. Remember that if there is anything that you
want to learn about, let me know and I will try to accommodate you. Also,
feel free to send any comments about the newsletters and the topics covered.
This newsletter is sent to those who subscribed only. We don't believe in
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The PC Improvement News is brought to you by PC Improvements. The opinions
expressed are those of the editor, Graham Wing. PC Improvements and Graham
Wing accept no responsibility (either good or bad) for the results obtained
from trying the tips in this newsletter.
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Editor: Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net

Copyright 1999, PC Improvements and Graham Wing. All rights reserved.
This publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, as long as the
editor is notified.

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