Issue 347 - June 08, 2005
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2005
==== 2065 Subscribers in 59 Countries ====
Welcome to the 347th 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
We're having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave... Wow! We sure have been having
some warm humid weather. We've had almost a week of days that are 27°-30° C
and it feels like 35° C or more with the humidity. I love the sun and heat,
but we need some rain for my garden. And it's too hot for the little kids to
play outside for very long.
I spent hours on the computer tonight trying to get caught up on some AccessNiagara.com
blog postings (you should see the posts about the Classic
Iron Motorcycle Museum) and Lisa spent the time trying to clean up her
craft/sewing area. My Mom gave her boxes and boxes of material and other
supplies and Lisa doesn't know where to put it all. She's also trying to
get a dress done for her to wear to Church on Sunday.
Graham editor@pcin.net and
Chris chris@pcin.net
The NEWS
Loosing Google's Lock on the Past
IN the winter of 1996, back when I was a brunette who wore sensible shoes,
a photographer snapped my picture during a rehearsal for a college musical.
The production mattered; eating and sleeping did not. The resulting portrait
showed a pasty, gaunt girl being swallowed by a XXX-large T-shirt.
The only thing more unfortunate than the photo is that nearly a decade after
it was taken - a decade in which I became a blonde and graduated to stilettos
- it is still the definitive image of me on the World Wide Web, the one that
pops up every time my name is entered in a Google search. It even has the
dubious distinction of being in the top 10 hits in a list of several hundred,
most of them articles I have written.
For more info:
http://tinyurl.com/7jmau
Leave a comment:
http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/06/02/loosing_google_s_lock_on_the_past
Woodward: Are our computers safe?
Even Bob Woodward doesn't trust the Internet.
Last week, after Vanity Fair surprised everyone last week by disclosing the
identity of Deep Throat, The Washington Post published a lengthy, detailed
retrospective by Woodward on W. Mark Felt, the FBI agent who served as
his secret informant during Watergate. Woodward had the story essentially
ready to go, because he had been preparing it for when Felt died.
The story, along with other critical information, was kept on a computer
in his home that wasn't connected to the Internet, Woodward told a group
of computer security officials Monday. Woodward said he keeps all his important
stories on this computer, physically disconnected from the world of computer
hackers.
For more info:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8121590/
Leave a comment:
http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/06/08/woodward_are_our_computers_safe
High-tech home makes aging graceful
New technology is usually considered the preserve of the young, but a show
home in Portugal is demonstrating how it can also help the elderly and disabled
maintain their independence.
The house was designed by Tomas Taveira, one of Portugal's leading architects,
and is on display at Lisbon's Museum of Communications.
It's design is intended to minimize problems caused by loss of sight or hearing
or reduced mobility with gadgets such as telephones with extra-large easy-to-read
numbers, voice-activated appliances, locks operated by fingerprint scanners
and talking kitchen scales.
For more info:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/06/02/portugal.elderly/index.html
Apple Confirms Move to Intel Chips
As expected, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced Monday during his keynote address
at the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2005 that his company is migrating
to Intel microprocessors. The transition will take over two years, Jobs noted,
with the first Intel-based Macs appearing in mid-2006.
" Our goal is to provide our customers with the best personal computers
in the world, and looking ahead Intel has the strongest processor roadmap by
far," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "It's been ten years since our transition
to the PowerPC, and we think Intel's technology will help us create the best
personal computers for the next ten years."
For more info:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=46635
Leave a comment:
http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/06/07/apple_confirms_move_to_intel_chips
POLL of the WEEK
Last Week's Poll
How does the Internet help you the most to obtain medical information?
I use search engines |
|
49 % (34) |
I visit specialized sites |
|
29 % (20) |
My doctor/clinic has a web site |
|
3 % (2) |
I don't use the Internet for something so important |
|
19 % (13) |
Total votes: 69 |
This Week's Poll
You can also vote online at http://PCIN.net/polls/
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
THE TIPS and OTHER
STUFF
Free Beethoven from the BBC
I first read about this in Ed
Bott's blog. The BBC site explains it this way:
"Download all nine of Beethoven's symphonies here the day after they are
broadcast. All the symphonies are performed by BBC Philharmonic, conducted by
Gianandrea Noseda."
The page has a listing of when the performances are and when the music is
available for download. Check it out at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/beethoven/downloads.shtml
Comment on this tip at http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/06/03/free_beethoven_from_the_bbc
50 Indispensable Microsoft Word tips
Techrepublic recently published an article listing 50 MS Word tips. There
are some good tips in the document, with some of my favourites being:
1 - Undo
4 - use the keyboard
6/7/8 - Select a word/Sentence/Paragraph
9 - Select a Table
12 - Select Multiple, non-contiguous words
Download the tips from the Techrepublic.com site at http://techrepublic.com.com/5138-1035-729220.html
Manage your PC
Windows XP has all sorts of great utilities built-in to manager your computer.
One of the best is the Computer Management MMC snap-in that you can launch
from the Control Panel. This utility lets you view view/edit/change/monitor
the event logs, local shares, local users/groups, services, and disks. A
quick way to launch this is by right-clicking on the My Computer icon on
your desktop and choosing Manage.
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:
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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