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Issue 350 - June 29, 2005

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2005
==== 2069 Subscribers in 59 Countries ====

Welcome to the 350th 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

350 issues! I think I've only missed 1 or 2 issues, so I've been doing this for almost 350 weeks or almost 7 years! On one hand, I didn't think that PCIN would allow me to meet so many great people, and to get some much great software and hardware. Then on the other hand, after almost 7 years you would think I'd have more than 2069 subscribers. Hmmm. I guess I'll keep plugging away :-)

This coming weekend is both the Canada Day (July 1) and Independence Day (July 4) holidays. If you live in Canada or the US, then have a safe and enjoyable weekend! As always, there is lots of great stuff happening in Niagara Falls...

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

The NEWS

The Internet transforms modern life

In 1994, people had to call the bank to check their balances. Or inquire in person, or wait for a paper statement to arrive in the mail. Baseball box scores were found in the newspaper. Weather forecasts came over the phone from the weather bureau, or on TV.
Back then, most Americans still had to lick a stamp to send mail.
Then along came the Internet, and an experimental browser called Mosaic, followed by an improved browser from Netscape. And if you had a computer, you discovered a new way to this cool, new thing called the World Wide Web. Mosaic and Netscape were the first popular connection to what came to be called the information superhighway.
According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, less than one in five Americans were online in 1995. Today, the majority of Americans are surfing the Web, exchanging e-mail, reading bank statements and ball scores, checking the weather. Today, Pew says, two out of every three Americans spend time online.

For more info:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/06/23/evolution.main/index.html
Leave a comment:
http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/06/27/the_internet_transforms_modern_life

Computers become collectibles

The year was 1986 and Bud Ballos was an eighth-grader, a proud owner of a brand-new computer with what was to him "a weird thing" called a mouse.
Remember the Apple II? It was a fixture - in the library, next to the card-catalogue filing cabinet - in many a middle school beginning in the 1980s.
"This was the start of the new computer, and at the time, I didn't really know what it was," Ballos says of his very first desktop, its screen no bigger than 7 inches by 5 inches, its color off-white, the kind of plastic that starts to yellow after a while. In the early years, not too many families actually had a computer at home. "I thought it was cool. My friends thought it was cool. We'd look at it and go, 'Wow, all right.'"

For more info:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8389160/

Bagle commandeers PCs for zombie army

A new version of the Bagle virus is attempting to turn PCs into zombies for use in cyberattack networks.
The variant surfaced over the weekend and was spammed to tens of thousands of Internet users, Ero Carrera, a researcher at F-Secure, said Tuesday. The antivirus software maker is calling the offshoot Mitglieder.CN, but it is known by other names, such as Bagle.BQ or Tooso.J, at other security companies.
The latest Bagle behaves in a similar way to its predecessors that don't self-propagate. It arrives in an e-mail with a attachment. When the file is executed, the malicious program tries to disable firewalls and antivirus software. It then attempts to download and run a Trojan horse that hijacks the infected PC for use as part of a botnet.
Botnets are groups of compromised PCs, often numbering in the thousands per network, that are rented out to relay spam, to launch denial-of-service attacks, or to perform other malicious acts.

For more info:
http://techrepublic.com.com/2100-1009_11-5766772.html

100 million go online in China

The number of internet users in China has risen above 100 million for the first time, according to reports in the country's state media.
Only the US now has more web surfers as young and old Chinese take to the internet in record numbers.
The figure is expected to grow rapidly in the next few years.
China's economic boom is behind the dramatic rise as increasing personal wealth means more people are able to buy computers and go online.

For more info:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/technology/4630867.stm

Return to the top Recommend PCIN Poll of the Week

POLL of the WEEK

Last Week's Poll

What is the most you've ever spent online to purchase something?

Less than $10 1 % (1)
Between $10 and $40 8 % (7)
Between $40 and $70 11 % (10)
Between $70 and $100 6 % (5)
Between $100 and $200 18 % (16)
Between $200 and $1000 28 % (25)
More than $1000 29 % (26)
Total votes: 90

This Week's Poll

How do you pay for most of your purchases online?

A personal credit card
A business credit card
PayPal (or similar)
Check in the mail
Other
I don't buy things online

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

Return to the top Recommend PCIN Poll of the Week

PCIN.net UPDATE

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

VMware Inc. VMware Workstation 4.5 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/vmware45.php

PCIN.net Update Blog
http://PCIN.net/update/

Sunbelt Software iHateSpam 4.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/ihatespam4.php

Micro Solutions RoadStor Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/roadstor.php

Album Creator by FirmTools Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/albumcreator.php

Return to the top Recommend PCIN Poll of the Week

THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

Google Earth

As I'm sure many of you have heard, Google purchased a company called Keyhole several months back. They just released their own version of that software, and it's quite nice. I've had a chance to play with Google Earth briefly, and it seems pretty much the same as the Keyhole software that Google bought out. The user interface has been changed a bit, but the same basic features are there. Of course the biggest change from Keyhole to Google Earth is that Google Earth is free! You can pull up maps of the entire world, and depending on the location pull up hotels, restaurants, street names, etc, get directions, prepare a slideshow-type flyover, and much more. Besides the free version there are versions that costs varying amounts of money. The Plus version allow you to integrate a GPS. The Pro version is for businesses, and the Enterprise version lets you integrate a lot more data.

Hey, the software is free. Go to the site, download it, and install it. Play with it. It's fun! You can get more details and download it at http://earth.google.com/

Leave a comment at http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/06/29/google_earth_first_impressions

Photography Challenge Websites

As an amateur photographer who likes to compete with my work, I have been a member of a few websites where I can compete with my photography, or show it off.

All things baseball

I'm a huge baseball fan. Lisa thinks it's boring; I could watch or listen all day. Unfortunately I don't get many games, so I end up listening to the Toronto Blue Jays on the radio almost every night for at least a portion of the game. I love the history, the stats, and the sounds. I heard about a great site today (on the radio) called Baseball Almanac: The Official Baseball History Site. I'm not so sure that it is any official site, but it is a phenomenal resource. It has stats, history, this day in history, polls, jokes, a forum and much more. If you are interested remotely in baseball, then you should check out http://www.baseball-almanac.com/

Return to the top Recommend PCIN Poll of the Week

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:

Return to the top Recommend PCIN Poll of the Week

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 1998-2005, Graham Wing. All rights reserved.

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