Issue 253 - August 20, 2003

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2003
==== 2321 Subscribers in 62 Countries ====

Welcome to the 253rd 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

Lisa, Andrew and I had a fantastic time up in Buckhorn. We were only without power for 8 hours. The weather was perfect and we wish we could have stayed up there all week. I have 2 different galleries you can see. Visit http://www.wingfamily.ca/lisagraham/20030814-18/index.html for pictures of people, and http://www.wingfamily.ca/lisagraham/20030814-18-scenic/index.html for scenic pictures from around the lake.

Before going away, I last checked my email on Thursday at 3 PM and then checked it again on Monday at 10 PM. I check email in 10 different accounts and there were 764 messages waiting for me. 638 of them were junk mail! Recently I acquired a copy of the program iHateMail by Sunbelt Software. Chris and I will both be testing it.

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

The NEWS

DVD-recorder bargains spark video piracy: Study

"Dropping prices for DVD recorders is spawning a boom in video piracy, which the entertainment industry estimates costs almost $1-billion (U.S.) in potential sales.
That figure appeared in a study released today in Santa Clara, Calif., by Macrovision Corp., a maker of copy protection technologies for the video, music and software industries. The level of displaced revenue amounts to nearly 5 per cent of the $20.6-billion (U.S.) home video industry in the United States, Macrovision said.
The study blames the losses on a lack of comprehensive application of copy protection, such as Macrovision makes and is used in movies, music videos and other video material released on DVD and videocassettes."

For more info:
http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030820.gtjackAug20/BNStory/Technology/

RIM's patent wars

"Research In Motion is in the courtroom fight of its life over intellectual property. But the stakes are higher than the future of the Canadian wireless industry.
When the letter arrived at the headquarters of Research In Motion in February 2000, it seemed a little strange, but not so strange anyone suspected it might be worth US$57 million. It contained some printouts of RIM's Web pages and of the BlackBerry "Getting Started" guide, and notes on the desktop software that thousands of the wireless device's users have installed on their PCs. Then there was a list of six commercial patents, owned by a holding company out of Chicago, NTP Inc., and an offer to license the technology--something the sender suggested would provide RIM with a 'distinct commercial advantage.' Finally, the author added: 'As you are aware, the patent laws cover direct infringement, contributory infringement, and inducement to infringe.'"

For more info:
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/columns/article.jsp?content=20030901_55392_55392

Recovery firms respond to blackout

"Thursday's power outage in the eastern United States led some companies to invoke their disaster-recovery services.
But many businesses that have contracts with disaster-recovery providers appeared not to lose their data or applications, thanks to onsite power generators.
SunGard, which has about 7,000 disaster-recovery clients in North America, said about 30 customers activated their service Thursday. But most were interested in getting access to a SunGard-provided office with electricity and PCs, said Dan Hamill, SunGard's vice president of operations. 'The main services they're invoking are work-group services,' he said."

For more info:
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5064213.html

Americans go for cheap speed

"Selling dial-up Internet access may seem like a dying business, as waves of Web surfers defect from leading Internet service providers America On-line, MSN and EarthLink.
But there's a vibrant dial-up market blossoming below the industry leaders as computer users flock to no-frills access priced at less than $10 (U.S.) per month.
The growth has inspired dozens of ISPs to elbow into the bargain market, some charging monthly fees less than $5. But no company is benefiting more from the trend than United On-line Inc.
United is attracting new customers almost as quickly as AOL is losing them."

For more info:
http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030818.gtspeed0818/BNStory/Technology/

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POLL of the WEEK

Last Week's Poll

Are you a Web addict?

Absolutely 33.67 % (33)
Possibly 19.39 % (19)
I don't think so 20.41 % (20)
No way 25.51 % (25)
I don't know 1.02 % (1)
Total votes: 98

This Week's Poll

When on the 'Net, where do you spend most of your time?

Browsing
Reading email
Instant Messaging
Downloading music
Working with graphics
Using office productivity software
Other

You can also vote online at http://PCIN.net/polls/

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PCIN.net FREEHELP FORUM

Visit the PCIN.net FreeHelp Forum at http://PCIN.net/help/forum/ to post your questions or answer others.

Question

This doesn't seem to be a serious problem though it won't go away and I would like to know why it happens. After checking my mail in Outlook Express and closing the program an icon appears on my desktop with no apparent purpose. I usually delete it and there is no detrimental effect that I know of. I don't know how to categorize the icon only that it is the type that if clicked on brings up the 'open with' dialogue. It has the squiggle mark (don't know what this is referred to as) found above the 'hash' and a 'dash' underneath that. I am running Windows ME.

Response

No responses yet

To post a response, visit the General Software Help forum at http://PCIN.net/help/forum/index.php?board=3 and click on the "Recurring Icon" topic.

Visit http://PCIN.net/help/forum/ to post a question of your own.

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PCIN.net UPDATE

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

Logitech Cordless Elite Duo Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/lced.php

XemiComputers Ltd. DeskLook 3.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/desklook3.php

Symantec Norton Ghost 2003 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/ghost2003.php

Amic Games Email Saver Xe Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/emailsaverxe.php

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THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

About Windows

Most programs allow you to click on the Help menu, and choose an option called About. This usually brings up a small window telling you which version of the software you are using, along with other information regarding that software and your computer. Well, Windows has this as well. From Start - Run, type WINVER and then press enter. This will bring up a window telling you which version of WIndows you are using. The Windows 9x based operating systems don't tell you much more than that. Windows NT based systems tell you the build of the operating system, which service pack is installed, as well as the amount of system memory there is.

Energy Star

With the power outage here, we are now always hearing about how important it is to conserve energy. One way we can do this with our computer equipment is to be sure that we have Energy Star compliant devices. "ENERGY STAR is a government-backed program helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency." You can learn more about it at http://www.energystar.gov/

File-sharing subpoenas

"Concerned that information about your file-sharing username may have been subpoenaed by the RIAA? Check here to see if your username or IP address is on one of the subpoenas filed with the D.C. District Court. This information is drawn from the court's publicly available PACER database and will be updated when that system is updated."
Check it out at http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/riaasubpoenas/

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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:

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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 1998-2003, 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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