Issue 144 - July 18, 2001
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements ©2001
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Welcome to the 144th issue of the PC Improvement News. PCIN
consists of news, tips, thoughts, and contests. There is something
for everyone, and if this is your first issue, I'm sure there
will be something for you. I am willing to discuss any computer
topic. Email me at mailto:editor@pcin.net with any suggestions.
If you give me two or three issues, I know that you will come
back for more!
OPENING THOUGHTS
Last Thursday I went to Comdex Canada, but unfortunately
I have nothing exciting to report. All of the big companies
were there with their big displays and their big mouths. I
usually find that the smaller booths can't afford to waste
time or money, and so have more useful information.
I am expecting some new products soon to review. FrontX,
the company that makes expansion ports that fit into a drive
bay at the front of your computer, is sending me a complete
set of their products. You can learn more about the FrontX
products at http://FrontX.com/
Congratulations to Cindi Taylor and Joe Wilk for recommending
PCIN in June and each winning of copy of Software602's 602
Pro Print Pack. You can see my review of the product at http://pcin.net/help/software/602proprintpack.shtml
The NEWS
Modern Criminals Go High-Tech
"Forget guns and knives. The modern criminal's arsenal,
examples of which were displayed Tuesday by the U.S. Secret
Service, looks more like something out of a James Bond movie.
There are seemingly ordinary pens that detect listening
devices, modified answering machines that steal credit card
numbers from people using pay phones, and an array of communications
gadgets."
For more info:
http://www.extremetech.com/article/
0,3396,s%253D201%2526a%253D7367,00.asp
Forget the Quarters and Pocket Lint
From the July 13, 2001 issue of Network World Canada magazine,
pg 30:
"Tired of having to save those coins all week long
for the laundry machines?
Two companies recently announce they were teaming up to
help eliminate that problem. IVI Checkmate Corp., based
in Atlanta and Toronto, will supply Coinamatic laundry rooms
across Canada with its wireless transaction terminal, which
Coinamatic will be able to use to install a smart card re-value
station, according to a press release issued by the companies.
The contract between the two companies includes the sale
of the terminals and communication bases, and the development
of a software application. The application, according to
the release, includes the ability to instantly transfer
money from a customer's bank account or credit card onto
their smart card, which is in then used to activate the
laundry machines in Coinamatic locations across the country."
Adobe skipping Macworld Expo
"When Macworld Expo kicks off next week in New York,
Adobe Systems will be conspicuously absent from the show
floor.
However, the publishing software giant stressed in a series
of interviews with media outlets this week that its absence
at Macworld should not be seen as a slap at Apple Computer
and denied any rift between the two companies."
For more info:
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-6554774.html
PCIN POLL of the WEEK
Here are the responses from the last poll:
How often do you check your email?
2-5 times a day: 54.00%
Constantly: 20.00%
6-10 times a day: 15.00%
Once a day: 9.00%
Less than once a day: 2.00%
Total Votes: 100
Visit http://pcin.net/polls/
to participate in the new poll this week:
What speed is your primary connection to the Internet?
MOBILE COMPUTING NEWS and NOTES
As we near the jump from 2.5G to 3G, I've been hearing a
lot of renewed talk about it, namely one technology called
1xRTT for CDMA.
The specs tout mobile speeds of 144 kbps (like in a car) and
stationary speeds ranging from 384 kbps to 2 Mbps. We should
see a disappointing "first phase" version of this
in early 2002 at speeds of 40-80 kbps, which is more like
2.6G, if there is such a thing...
Brought to you by Shawn Bremner and The Wireless Web ezine.
Sign up by sending a blank email to mailto:wirelessweb-subscribe@topica.com
FREEHELP FORUM
Visit the PCIN FreeHelp Forum to post your questions or answer
others. Each week I highlight a question, and where to go
to get the answer.
Question
I have a small informational website for my business and
it is currently hosted by a free service which uses pop
up ads, etc. I have decided that it is time to register
my domain name and move to a more professional web hosting
service. I am finding this to be much easier said than done.
My problem is that it seems there are an infinite number
of services available, and I've read mixed reviews about
all that I've come across. I'm curious, which web hosts
some of the readers may use and how satisfied they are with
the service. Does anyone have any wonderful tips or information
sources for choosing a good web hosting service??
Answer
I currently have 5 domains (including PCIN.net) and they
are all hosted at Cedant.com. It isn't a very big hosting
provider, but I am very satisfied with their service. The
PCIN list hosting is with them as well (included in the
account), and their prices are excellent.
Visit http://www.pcin.net/cgi-bin/forum/index.cgi
and check out the Software Forum to post your suggestion,
or to post a question of your own.
PCIN.net UPDATE
Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
Some Useful Registry Tips (Now 41 Tips)
http://pcin.net/help/articles/registry.shtml
Support PCIN
http://pcin.net/donate.shtml
PCIN Poll of the Week
http://pcin.net/polls/
THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF
Cheap Trick of the Week
**Insulting message**
With a bit of fiddling in Windows' Registry, you can make
an official looking message pop up on a computer screen
as the user starts Windows.
To get into the Registry, hit Start and Run, type regedit
and click on OK. (For more detailed instructions and precautions
about editing the Registry, go to http://www.WE-Compute.com/registry.html
)
In the Registry Editor, navigate through the following keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\WinLogon.
Right-click on WinLogon and select New and String Value.
Rename the string value that appears in the right-hand panel
LegalNoticeCaption and then double-click on it. In the Edit
String box that pops up, enter a short title for the logon
message you want to create and click on OK.
Right-click again on WinLogon and make another new string
value, named LegalNoticeText this time. Double-click on
this string value and in the Edit String box enter the full
message as you want it to appear. Click on OK. Close up
the Registry Editor and reboot the computer. You should
see the message.
This is a great way to play a prank on a friend, to give
them an official-looking insulting message when they log
on.
Get your own copy of "The Little Black Book of Cheap
Tricks: 2001" by visiting http://www.pcin.net/lbbct/
Post-It Notes on your Windows Desktop
Subscriber Chris Empey sent me this:
"If you are a fan of Post-it notes and have them stuck
all over your monitor, you can achieve the same functionality
on your windows desktop if you are an Outlook user. Simply
create one in Outlook, and then drag it to the desktop.
You can then either delete the note out of Outlook or leave
it in there. Also works with other Outlook items such as
Calendar events and mail messages."
Another Media Sharing Program
Subscriber Mike sent me this:
"WINMX is the best audio/video file sharing software
that I have used, basically due to the lack of transfer
blocking. The fact that most of the Napster kids have switched
to the Morpheus p2p reader via musiccity.com means that
a user is less likely to be plagued by hundreds of download
attempts.
Also it's a little more complicated to use, which means
that the less dedicated sharers will have less interest
in it. I believe it has less blocking due to the fact that
ALL audio and video files on your PC will be shared if you
choose to use it. You can unshare any files at your convenience,
but since the process of unsharing specific files is tedious
at best a user is unlikely to go through the exclusionary
process. I have found WINMX to be a very reliable p2p file-sharing
program. It can be had through many of the various shareware
sites. Highly recommended!"
Check it out at http://www.WinmMX.com/
DISCLAIMER and OTHER STUFF
PCIN 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 for the results obtained
from trying the tips in this newsletter.
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You have either been subscribed by filling out a subscription
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Graham Wing can be reached at mailto:editor@pcin.net
Copyright 1998-2001, PC Improvements and 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.
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