Issue 220 - January 01, 2003

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2003
==== 2029 Subscribers in 56 Countries ====

Welcome to the 220th 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

Happy New Year! I hope that every one had a safe a happy New Year's Eve Celebration. Lisa and I canceled our cable service a couple of months ago, so we didn't get to see any of the big parties on TV. But we still had a fun time with Andrew (I got him up just before midnight) and 2 of my sisters.

We'll get back into the normal swing of things next week.

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

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The NEWS

Year in Review

The end of a calendar year always brings the traditional "Year in Review" articles. Here are a couple to check out. I'm sure I'll have more next week.:

C/Net Year in Review - Open Source
http://news.com.com/2009-1001-978381.html

Court battles stole '02 tech limelight
http://www.thestar.ca/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1035776066035&call_pageid=971794782442

A Yawn Of a Year In Tech
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38172-2002Dec25.html

Happy Birthday, Dear Internet

"From its early days as a pet project in the Department of Defense to its infamous time nestled under Al Gore's wing, the history of the Internet is littered with dozens of so-called birthdays.
Some historians claim the Internet was born in 1961, when Dr. Leonard Kleinrock first published a paper on packet-switching technology at MIT.
Others cite 1969, when the Department of Defense commissioned the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, known as ARPANET, to research a communication and command network that could withstand a nuclear attack.
The 1970s boast a slew of what could be pegged essential Internet milestones, including the advent of e-mail and the splintering off of ARPANET from military experiment to public resource.
But perhaps the most famous of the lot is the acclaimed Jan. 1, 1983, switch from Network Control Protocol to Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol."

For more info:
http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,57013,00.html

Report: China Closes 3,300 Cybercafes

"China has closed more than 3,300 Internet cafes in a safety crackdown launched after a fire in June at a Beijing cafe killed 25 people, the official Xinhua News Agency says.
Nearly 12,000 other Internet cafes have been closed temporarily while they make improvements, Xinhua said Thursday."

For more info:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-china-cybercafe-crackdown1229dec29,0,7050167.story

Town sells on eBay for $1.78 million

"An 82-acre town in Northern California described as a 'fixer-upper' sold on eBay on Friday for $1.78 million. The winning bid for Bridgeville on the electronic auction block will bring the buyer a mile and a half of riverbank, four cabins, nine houses, one cemetery and a backhoe."

For more info:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/851687.asp
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/25/national/25EBAY.html

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POLL of the WEEK

Last Week's Poll

Did you receive any 'technology' gifts this year?

Yes SPACER 42.71 % (41)
No SPACER 57.29 % (55)
Total votes: 96

This Week's Poll

Do you think that anything new and exciting will be done in the IT industry in 2003?

Yes
No
I hope so

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PCIN.net FREEHELP FORUM

There has been very little activity in the PCIN.net FreeHelp Forum over the holidays. If you've got a question, visit http://www.pcin.net/help/forum/ to post it, or just check it out to answer some questions that others have.

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PCIN.net UPDATE

Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:

Object Desktop Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/objectdesktop.php

LG GCE-8400B 40x 12x 40x CD-RW Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/lggce8400b.php

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

Some Useful Registry Tips
http://PCIN.net/help/articles/registry_tips.php

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THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

Outlook Calendar Holidays

One of the newsletters I subscribe to is Scots Newsletter. He used to work at Windows Magazine and now does this newsletter. It the most recent issue, he described a problem that you may have with trying to use the Tools - Options menu to add Holidays into the Calendar. Apparently there are no holidays after 2002. The newsletter explains how to fix this (which is a good tip itself), but the description of how to fix it, also talks about how to show your Calendar by category. This is a helpful hint as well, because if you've inserted Holiday's more than once, then you've most likely got duplicate entries. The newsletter explains how to delete them. Check it all out at http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/37.htm#tipadaweek

Internet Explorer Saves Images As Bitmaps (.bmp Files)

I know that many people have had this problem:
" When you save an image in Microsoft Internet Explorer, the image is saved by default as a bitmap (.bmp). You do not have the option to save the image by using an extension other than .bmp. You experience this behavior even when the image uses a different format (such as .gif or .jpeg).
For example, when you right-click an image on a Web page, and then click Save Picture As, the file name that appears in the File name box is Untitled, and the file type that appears in the Save as type box is Bitmap (*.bmp)."
Read all about it at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;810978

The Internet's #1 Education Site for K-8 Teachers and Kids

Visit http://www.funbrain.com/ for a site for kids. There are all sorts of games; fun, but they also teach the kids things too.

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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.

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Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Chris Empey can be reached at chris@pcin.net

Copyright 1998-2002, Graham Wing. All rights reserved.

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