PuterGeek.Com News
Issue # 58
ISSN: 1533-1938
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The PuterGeek.Com News (PGCN)
03/16/2001
Issue # 58
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A casual newsletter that goes out 1-5 times per month.
It contains excerpts and articles from all the newsletters I
read condensed down to a manageable size. Plus info about
PuterGeek.Com, as well as various tips and tricks I've learned.
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Hello Everyone!
We're here in Memphis, TN where it's rainy and 51 degrees. The repair list on the truck is finally big enough so we're headed to the house (grin).
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Day by day I'm trying to make both the website and the newsletter better. With this issue I'm trying out a new look and feel for the newsletter. So take a look and see if it's a bit
easier to read. I've added a bit more info at the top and bottom, plus I'm trying to make it more obvious when I'm changing topics.
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() What do you think?
Please feel free to drop me a line at
webmaster@putergeek.com with a subject of "About the newsletter". Tell me how the newsletter looks in
your email client. While I know how it looks in OE, I really have no idea how it looks in other clients. Is each issue too big? Some folks have said so. I think that there's a
lot of good info in each issue and I can never think what to cut out to make it smaller.
Granted, if I sent the Putergeek.Com News out more often I could make it smaller, but due to my job, what you see is as good as it gets right now. I feel that the way to read my newsletter
is in "scan mode". What I mean is, read the stuff at the top (since it's the only original content), then look at the headers and read what interests you and skip the rest.
With all the e-zines and newsletters I get, I'd never stay caught up if I read all of them word for word. So that's the method I use...does it work for you? Or do you sometimes just
throw it out because you have a lot of email to read? I'd really like to hear your thoughts here. Is there anything I should being doing differently that would make this a better
newsletter?
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() In the news
PuterGeek.Com was in the news on Sunday March 11, 2001. It was a small mention, but it brought the website and newsletter to quite a few people's attention.
"TechSavvy: Sometimes deleted mail can be saved" From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Sue Cleere and Jacki Rudd
To read the article go here...
Thanks Sue!
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() A Reader writes
Remember in the last issue I included a tip about printing?
Thanks To Ed Bott
Sometimes you want to print just part of a Web page,
but clicking the Print button spits out page after
page of information you don't want or need. If you use
Internet Explorer 5,0 or later, here's an easy
solution:
First, use your mouse to select the text you want to
print. Next, choose File, Print (don't use the Print
button!). In the Print dialog box, look for the area
labeled Page Range and choose the Selection option.
Then a subscriber sent this in...
Peter,
Regarding the tip you published in your latest edition concerning printing
from ie5.5.........
If you highlight the portion you want to print, then right click it, select
PRINT and in the dialog that comes up, you can choose your printer that you
desire to use(I have three printers hooked up), then move down and select
SELECTION or whatever you wish...
This is a much simpler way than going through all the machinations Ed Bott
recommended.
Thanks
Albert
Thanks Albert! As you can see, there's almost always multiple ways to do anything in Windows. Another subscriber points out that you Netscape users are out of luck here, the option
is grayed out when you try it from Netscape.
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() About the button Link
Well, more buttons have come in, and I've decided to suspend voting until April 15th (hehe... tax day in the US). At that time I'll stop taking new buttons and we'll all vote to decide
which button will become the official "Link Button" for PuterGeek.Com.
I'm sorry about prematurely asking you all to vote on a button. This is kind of new to me. Please don't vote until the 15th. For those of you that would like to make a button,
you still have time! Just go to
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() Now on with the good stuff!
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Subject: NEW survivor SHOW
Have you heard about the next planned "Survivor" show? 6 men will be
dropped on an island with 1 van and 4 kids each, for 6 weeks.
Each kid plays two sports and either takes music or dance classes. There
is no access to fast food. Each man must take care of his 4 kids, keep
his assigned house clean, correct all homework, complete science
projects, cook, do laundry, etc.
The men only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all
chores are done:? There is only one TV between them and there is no
remote.
The men must shave their legs and wear makeup daily, which they must
apply themselves either while driving or while making four lunches.
They must attend weekly PTA meetings; clean up after their sick children
at 3:00 a.m; make an Indian hut model with six toothpicks, a tortilla
and one marker; and get a 4 year old to eat a serving of peas.
The kids vote them off based on performance. The winner gets to go back
to his job.
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Short and sweet little pieces of nasty:
If the customer is always right, then why are they always coming
to us for help?
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If I can be of any help,... then you're in pretty bad shape!
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Instead of saying to your wife: "Shut up!"
Try: "Do you know how lovely your lips look when they aren't
moving?!?!?!"
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and on that note....
If your dog is barking at the back door and your wife is yelling at
the front door, who do you let in first?
The dog, of course. He'll shut up once you let him in.
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I haven't spoken to my wife for 18 months.... I don't like to interrupt
her.
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How many men does it take to open a beer?
None. It should be opened by the time she brings it.
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Our last fight was my fault:
My wife asked me "What's on the TV?"
I said, "Dust!"
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And finally, on a slighty more serious note...
Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to
us without writing a word. Maybe this could explain:
When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch,
guess what you do--you forward jokes.
When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact,
you forward jokes.
When you have something to say, but don't know what, and
don't know how, you forward jokes.
To let you know that: you are still remembered, you are still
important, you are still loved, you are still cared for,
you are still wanted, guess what you get????
A forwarded joke from me.
So, my friend, next time if you get a joke, don't think that
I have sent you just a joke, but rather that I have thought
of you today.
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Microsoft Selling Stake in Corel?
----------------------------------------------------------------
"Microsoft Corp. has taken steps to sell its stake in Ottawa-based Corel
Corp. in a move that may have been spurred by U.S. Department of Justice
scrutiny.
Corel filed an S-3 form with the Securities and Exchange Commission
Wednesday which would allow it to convert Microsoft's 24 million Corel
Series A shares into saleable common stock shares.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software juggernaut appears to be willing to take a
loss on the investment. The company picked up the stake in Corel last
October for $135 million, apparently looking for some help in making its
.NET platform work with Linux. But Wednesday's filing proposed a $2.5625
maximum offering price per share, meaning at most Microsoft would be able to
recoup $61.5 million of its investment."
Bill Gates For President, Microsoft Should Run US - Survey
----------------------------------------------------------------
"A study by Brouillard Communications asked people which company they would
most like to run the US government, and which they would be least likely to
put in charge. The results indicate that most Americans view Microsoft as
highly effective and innovative, but lacking character and prone to poor
behavior.
The divided feelings about Microsoft are among several findings of the
study, which surveyed a random sample of over 1,000 Americans (voting age of
18 or older) on their views of corporate reputations."
MICROSOFT OFFICE XP SNEAK PEEK PREVIEW
Are you a believer? The Office team thinks you will be after seeing the future of Office. Office XP will redefine your relationship with software by delivering a new set of
experiences that provide a smarter way of working. We've tried it and we love it! --But don't take our word for it. Take a sneak peek at the Office XP Product Guide preview.
(Office XP is due in U.S. retail stores late spring 2001.)
XBOX.COM LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
The Xbox team has been busy -VERY busy! Not only will you get the inside scoop on the console itself and all the new Xbox games but now you'll also be able to sign up to be an Xbox
playtester. Yeeehaw!
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Live Chat with John Lennon!
No, it's not really John Lennon, but an incredible simulation! The John
Lennon Artificial Intelligence Project is attempting to artificially
re-create the personality of Beatle John Lennon. To chat with John, click
here and scroll down to the life-size eyes of Lennon and the chat window
underneath. Give PC a chance!
http://www.triumphpc.com/john-lennon/index.shtml
Follow-Up
I wrote about the "Jail Cam" in Mike's List 4, which is a web site
featuring live web cams in the Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff's Office
Madison Street Jail. They've added a fourth camera -- this one pointed at
the women's holding cell. Watching the jail cam is the next best thing to
actually getting locked up in the slammer.
http://www.crime.com/info/jailcam_redirect.html
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DAMN CANADIANS
Believe it or not...this is the transcript of an
actual radio conversation between a US naval ship and
Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in
October 1995. The Radio conversation was released by
the Chief of Naval Operations on Oct. 10, 1995.
US Ship: Please divert your course 0.5 degrees to the
south to avoid a collision.
CND reply: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees
to the South to avoid a collision.
US Ship: This is the Captain of a US Navy Ship. I say
again, divert your course.
CND reply: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course!
US Ship: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CORAL SEA,
WE ARE A LARGE WARSHIP OF THE US NAVY. DIVERT YOUR
COURSE NOW!! CND reply:
This is a lighthouse. Your call.
Check out Ask A Chef. They are a Q&A site where you
ask the questions. In fact, they have a searchable
database you can use to find past questions. I wonder
if they have anything on hot dogs...
<
http://www.askachef.com/>
Above the Earth Here's one you'll spend a few hours
at. It showcases NASA photo and satellite images. VERY
cool. Some of the regular photographs are
breathtaking. Mountains, volcanoes, glaciers, and more
are featured.
http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/
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So what is PATCHWORK ??
Last Thursday (March 8th) the United States Federal Bureau of
Investigation -- the FBI -- announced that the Windows NT and
Windows 2000 Internet web servers belonging to at least 40
prominent eCommerce companies have been systematically broken
into by Eastern European hackers. After having their private
customer credit card data stolen, the companies were financially
extorted under the threat of public disclosure of their customers'
data. More than one million credit card purchasing records have
been stolen. You can read the full FBI press release here:
Shortly before the FBI's public announcement, I was contacted by
people in Washington and asked if I could produce a utility to
instantly determine whether a Windows NT or 2000 Internet server
was vulnerable to these attacks, and to search the server for any
evidence of previous penetration. The FBI provided all of the
specific details required, so I quickly created my latest
freeware: "PatchWork" (just 30k bytes).
PatchWork is ONLY useful for users running Windows NT or 2000
-- so I know that it will not be of interest to everyone -- but I
wanted you to know that it exists. If you, or anyone you know,
ARE using any version of Windows NT or 2000, you really should
check out PatchWork! It is opening MANY people's eyes ...
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Virus Hype and Anti-Hype
The threat of computer viruses is over-hyped to boost sales of
anti-virus software. Or is it?
Anti-virus software makers like Symantec, McAfee, and Panda exist to
vanquish the scourge of computer viruses. These companies ostensibly
fight on the front lines of a global effort to destroy all viruses.
The very existence of viruses, however, is what makes money for these
companies. Big, bad, virulent, destructive, and scary viruses
dramatically boost sales of anti-virus software. From a financial
perspective, bad viruses are good business.
So when anti-virus companies tell us about dangerous new viruses, are
they telling us the truth? Or are they exaggerating virus threats to
boost sales?
On the one hand, cynical observers such as Vmyths.com correctly point
out that viruses don't cause damage in proportion to the media
attention they get. Reading the technology press, for example - or
even the Wall Street Journal - you'd come to the conclusion that a
horrific plague of computer viruses is poised to wipe out the
Internet and destroy the global economy. It appears, however, that
there were more news reports about the recent virus "NakedWife" than
there were actual files infected.
The reality is that viruses can be annoying, and even destroy files
once in a while, but they're hardly as ruinous of both time and
computer files as, say, Windows itself. Think about it: How much data
have you lost over the years to random system crashes or human error?
Compare that to how much data you've lost to computer viruses. It's
probably no contest.
The anti-virus companies routinely make viruses sound more dangerous
than they really are. Personally, I get annoyed by the constant
screaming headlines about viruses, over-excited "research center"
warnings, and absurd "services" like McAfee's World Virus Map.
On the other hand, it's the widespread embrace of anti-virus software
that make viruses less threatening. The Melissa virus and its
aftermath did more to raise awareness about viruses than all the
anti-virus industry warnings combined. Since then, no virus has
caused major widespread damage, largely because everyone got scared
and installed good anti-virus software.
Here's how I look at it: If you practice safe computing and do three
basic things - install and regularly update anti-virus software,
never open executable e-mail attachments unless you're sure they
don't contain viruses and back up your files regularly - then you
have nothing to worry about.
OFFICE XP IS OUT THE DOOR
Yep, it's true. Office XP has gone gold - what software
types call "RTM" or "Release to Manufacturing". That means
it's all over: the version of Office XP that Microsoft has
right now is what will appear on store shelves this May 31.
For some interesting insight, take a look at Joe Wilcox's
take, "Microsoft seeks revenue boost with rush Office
release", at
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-5029555.html
I'm still worried - as are many of you readers, both inside
and outside Microsoft - and I'll talk about those worries
later in this issue. Rest assured, though, that I'll
continue to call 'em as I see's 'em, taking Microsoft's
claims into account, but relying on my own two eyes (and
sore fingers) for the facts. Maybe OXP is nearly bug-free.
But everything I've seen to date has me very, very
skeptical.
Over the years we've had a pretty good track record, I
think. WOW jumped up and down about stability problems with
Office 97 - particularly Outlook 97 - before it was
released, and I think history proved us justified.
Conversely, we praised Office 2000's stability to the hilt,
and I think that was a good call. The Service Releases for
both Office 97 and 2000 were abominable, initially, and we
called those pretty well, too.
Many folks at Microsoft don't like to hear disparaging
words about its products. So what else is new? Sometimes it
takes an article in WOW, based on input from people on the
front lines, to put a bug in Management's ear. Right now,
that bug is saying that the Office XP beta went way too
fast; the outside world didn't have enough opportunity to
put XP through its paces; and Office may suffer because of
it. Will that dire prediction come true? Who knows?
Hey, I'll never get invited to play bridge with Bill, and I
always take a bodyguard when I go to Redmond, but I feel
good about what we've done. All 200,000 of you subscribers
deserve to hear all the facts and from your many supportive
messages over the years I know you expect us to tell you
what we think, even when it hurts.
Don't get me wrong. Peter and I love working with Office.
We use it all day, every day. I've been writing books about
Word for ten years - the first one came out in 1991 - and
I've written a dozen more since then. I sincerely hope that
Office XP will be the best Office yet. Stranger things have
happened.
----
** Just a Reminder**
Want to say Thank You to the PuterGeek? Just point your web browser
at <
http://www.putergeek.com/thanks/> to find out what you can do to help
me. Info on how to become a PuterGeek.Com Sponsor can be found
here as well.
----
() From the Langalist http://www.langa.com/
10 Ways To Make Windows ME Run Better
I wrote that "10 Ways" article after weeks of experimentation with a
copy of WinME that I received on a new PC (there was no other OS choice
for that model). Although the new system was supposed to be very fast,
it didn't feel that way, and careful benchmarks proved that WinME was
not, in fact, delivering all the hardware's potential. I set out to find
ways to speed things up--- and the article was the result.
It's a companion article to a similar piece called "10 Ways To Make
Windows 98 Run Better" (
http://www.winmag.com/windows/features/98runbetter/default.htm ). In
fact, because WinME is essentially just a modified version of Win98SE,
almost all the tips in the Win98 article apply to WinME too. But the
WinME article doesn't repeat the Win98 tips, and instead focuses on
additional steps WinME users can take.
But there's a catch: WinMe is an OS designed for relative novices;
however some of the steps required to make it fly are probably beyond
the safe reach of novices. Other steps involve turning off or removing
some of the "safety net" features built into the OS. And even experts
may balk at some of the more extreme steps I'll suggest. So let's start
with some general advice:
First, if you're using WinMe and you like it, leave it alone. Don't make
needless changes to your OS, especially as some of the changes I suggest
in the article are hard to undo. Likewise, weigh each of my suggestions
against the likely benefit you'll gain: Don't tear apart a working OS or
subsystem unless you believe the results will truly be worth it.
And before doing any significant work on any PC running *any* operating
system, always make a full backup. In addition, with WinME, you also can
make a "Restore Point" (click Start/Programs/Accessories/System
Tools/System Restore; or click \windows\system\restore\rstrui.exe; and
select "Create a restore point") before each and every minor change.
That way, you can get back to where you were before if something goes
wrong, or if you don't like the results.
What About Windows 2000/XP?
Although more and more people are switching to Windows 2000, the
majority of readers of this newsletter still use Win9x and--- as you can
see from the amount of time we spend discussing ways to improve it---
it's an OS that needs a lot of help. <g> That applies to both the "pure"
Win98 versions and the modified version called Windows Millennium
Edition (WinME--- see item #1 above).
But what about Windows 2000? And what about the new "XP" versions of
Windows that will be out later this year and that will be based on
Windows 2000?
Of course, by now I'm sure you've heard that Windows 2000 is more
stable than Win9x/ME--- and it is. But what's not often discussed is the
reason why:
Win2K doesn't try to do as much as Win9X does. It supports a smaller
base of hardware and software, and is more focused on doing a smaller
number of clearly-defined things very well rather than trying to do it
all, as Win9x does.
For example, a brand-new 2001 copy of Win98SE can use some of the same
hardware and software that ran on the first PCs almost 20 years ago.
While that versatility is useful, it comes at the price of complexity.
All the "backwards compatible" elements of the operating system are
baggage that makes the Win98 OS bigger and more past-rooted than it
would be otherwise; you can't be fully innovative if you're also trying
to support stuff that's two decades old.
WinNT and Win2K are different. NT was intended to be a clean start; a
breaking away from the DOS world. Win2K--- NT's successor--- pushed the
break further, shedding support for many "legacy" issues in both
hardware and software. While Win2K supports a large and respectable
number of products, it's a much smaller number than what Win9X supports.
The duality is this: Win2k is a "cleaner," more modern, more stable OS;
but it's far more restrictive in its hardware and software support.
I ran into this most recently just last week, when I was upgrading a
system here to Win2K. My primary target system wasn't some old dog PC:
It was a Dell 500Mhz Pentium III with 128MB of RAM, a 20GB hard drive,
and name-brand video, audio and CD. The system is a little over a year
old---not an antique--- and it ran perfectly under Win98SE. In fact,
until about a month ago, it had been my #1 daily-use system.
But before I could get Win2K to run properly on that system, I had to
buy a new CD ROM, buy a new sound card, buy a new network card, and
totally reconfigure my LAN, including the networking on all the non-
Win2K systems on the LAN. I also had to toss some utilities and apps I
routinely use. It was, in short, a major pain. (And I'm *still* having
networking trouble.)
All the stuff I had to replace was name-brand gear, OEM-installed by a
major manufacturer on a fairly recent system: Nothing was very old, and
it all had been working perfectly under Win98. But Win2K simply didn't
support it.
I knew I'd have these problems going in because I'd checked the
Compatibility Lists at Microsoft.Com: Nothing--- except the network
card, which was listed and should have worked--- came as a surprise. But
the lack of surprise didn't make the experience any more pleasant. I
hate to discard perfectly good stuff just for the sake of an upgrade.
And I know I'm not alone:
Recently, I installed Windows 2000. I think the program is top
of the line and a vast improvement over the other Windows
OS's. My problem lies in the hardware support it offers. Like
who knows how many other surfers,I own a 3Com/US Robotics 56k
INT Winmodem. Of those I wonder how many have run up against
the corporate apathy of both Microsoft and 3Com. Win2k will
not install the correct driver. It insists on installing a
driver for the 33.6k modem. No other driver will work in
Win2k. No other driver exists for Win2k. So, I now connect at
28.8, where previously (Win98) I connected at 48k. I paid good
money for both the modem and the software but seem to be left
out in the cold. 3Com says "check back" for an updated driver.
I have little hope that they would bother. They have bigger
fish to fry. What really steams me is the fact that the
digitally signed driver that works is for an inferior product.
They expect me to use my modem at 28.8. So...my modem is going
in the trash along with the opinion of 3Com/US Robotics. What
a rip-off. --- David R Willey
I mention all this now for two reasons: First, Win2K is not a panacea.
(No operating system is.) If you're willing to bite the bullet when you
upgrade, and maybe flush some otherwise perfectly-good gear, you can end
up with a very nice setup.
Second--- and in many ways, this is more important--- the new version of
Windows called "Windows XP" that will be out later this year will be
based on the guts of Windows 2000. (See
http://www.winmag.com/windows/win2002/beta1/default.htm )With the
release of Windows XP, the Windows 9x/ME line will come to an end and
merge with the Windows 2000 family. In effect, starting later this year,
all new versions of Windows will be Win2K-based.
If you're already using Win2K, the upgrade to XP should be simple. But
if you're using Win9x/ME, you may run into problems with some of your
current hardware and software, even if it's fairly new and working
perfectly.
A few minutes in the compatibility list now might save you some real
headaches later on!
WinMag.Com Changes Course On WinME
Speaking of WinMag.Com: On most major issues, the folks there and I
share similar views. But as a freelance, I sometimes come to different
conclusions than they do, and vice versa.
WinMag.Com's original assessment of Windows Millennium Edition was a
mild positive; they didn't see much great about the OS, but they didn't
see a lot very wrong either. My assessment was starker: I just didn't
see the point of ME at all, beyond assisting Microsoft's cash flow.
But as more and more negative evidence accumulated, the folks at
WinMag.Com realized they'd been too gentle on WinME. This is to their
great credit because sometimes, when a publication has staked out a
position, it's loathe to change. But WinMag has now strengthened and
clarified its position on WinME by incorporating tons of real-world
experience into a new article called "Windows ME Long-Term Wrap-Up."
It's at
http://www.winmag.com/windows/winme/longterm/default.htm and is
definitely worth a click.
(NOTE: I still feel that "System File Protection is worth the upgrade to WinME - Peter)
Many More Gadgets That Spy On You
In issues past, we discussed the "CueCat," a handheld scanner that was
promoted as a way to save the world from the onerous task of typing
URLs. (As if it's all that hard!) But under the covers, CueCat actually
was a brilliant marketing tool: The more you used it, the more the
CueCat makers learned about you and your preferences, thus allowing them
to "target" you with advertising. (See
http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=cuecat&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 )
Windows 9x/ME Setup "Switches"
A software "switch" is a modifier you append to a standard command to
make it behave somewhat differently. Here's a trivial example: At DOS or
in a Command windows, if you type DIR you'll see a listing of the
contents of whatever Folder ("DIRectory") you're in. But if you add a
switch--- "/w"--- the DIR command generates its output in "wide" mode,
filling the screen horizontally. With the switch, you'd type the
command: DIR /W .
The Windows "Setup" command (used to install or reinstall Windows) also
can be modified with switches. For example, the Windows Setup "progress
bar" normally doesn't convey much information beyond giving you a very
rough idea of how far along you are as components are detected and
installed.
But if you start a new installation or reinstallation of Windows with
the command
setup /p g=3
instead of just plain
setup
you'll see something different. The detection progress bar will become
"verbose" and show all the resources of the detected devices along with
the progress bar. This helps you to know exactly what's going on: If you
run into trouble during an installation or reinstallation, knowing
precisely which component or module failed can be a big help in
correcting what's wrong.
Rosetta Stone, Improved
In "A Rosetta Stone" (
http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2001/2001-03-
08.htm#6 ) we discussed a way to obtain all the keywords to the complex
Microsoft KnowledgeBase: Knowing the keyword system lets you avoid off-
target searches and zero in on just what you want.
Greetings Fred. The link to the Microsoft (MS) Keyword archive
was good, but I believe I have found an even better way to
search the MS KB. Go to
http://www.google.com/advanced_search
. Type search words in plain English in the "all of the words"
box and then:
1) Select "100 results" from the drop down menu (unless of
course you prefer to see less results at a time).
2) Select to return pages with results written in English.
3) Input to only return results from the site or domain
"microsoft.com".
4) Click on "Google Search."
I just recently read this suggestion on one of the Microsoft
newsgroups and from the little bit I've tried it, I think it
works superbly in comparison to the KB's search engine.
Thanks, Adam: The power of Google with the depth of the KnowledgeBase---
awesome!
----
Outlook Mobile Manager Beta [6.5M] W9x/NT/2k FREE
"Microsoft Outlook Mobile Manager boosts your productivity and responsiveness when you're away from your desk. You can receive notifications on your cellular phone, pager, handheld PC, or other
text-enabled mobile device whenever your desktop PC is running. To help you quickly respond to e-mail, Outlook Mobile Manager pulls the e-mail sender's phone number from your Outlook Address Book or
contacts list and adds it to every notification, so you can call the sender with the press of a button. It sends your appointments, meetings, and current tasks to your device every day."
LCARS Screen Saver v2.01 [513k] W9x/NT/2k FREE
Unearthed by a Lockergnomie
{One to beam down} Which question do you suppose would flood my Inbox quicker: Is Windows 2000 better than NT? -OR- Is the Millennium Falcon faster than the Enterprise? Hmmm... I'd say it's a toss up
as to which question would garner the most responses. Science fiction is always good fodder for a geeky discussion (there are no others). Fans of Star Trek and its millions of spin- offs will want to
have LCARS interface right on their computer screen with this spacey screen saver. Just don't get lost in the final frontier. Why else feature this binary? The Web site is a prime example of how to
use Flash.
"What it was like to work at Microsoft"
Well, you can probably get a pretty good idea who he is just by browsing his Web pages. Although he's the author of two books, Richard is probably best known as the original author of Microsoft
Word and Bill Gates's assistant. He pursues a variety of interests that take him all over the world. In one sense he's retired, but he actually owns three companies.
UrlTracker v1.00 [458k] W9x/NT FREE
{Secretly watch for URLs} Most parents like to keep an eye on the Web pages their kids view. While you could always check the History folder, it won't be long before Junior figures out how to cover
his tracks. Use UrlTracker to record any URL entered into IE's Address bar. It runs in the background and can be password protected for limited access. This way, incriminating log files will remain
unseen. Beyond operating under the auspices as a parental guidance tool, this can be used by anyone who wants to be in the know without letting it be known that he or she is knowing. Know what I
mean, Vern?
LimeWire v1.2 [6.4M] W9x/NT/2k FREE
Unearthed by a Lockergnomie
{File sharing network} When you were growing up, did your dad get mad at you when you wouldn't share your toys with your younger brothers? Funny, it happened to me all the time. This rootin' tootin'
swappin' client uses the Gnutella protocol and will allow you to share any file on your hard drive. Mind you: this binary is stable and feature rich. Search for as many files as you want
(simultaneously). You can choose which community you care to be a part of, and only present yourself to users who share your interest (and files). If you've created your own digital art, media, or
programs... here's a great way to get them in front of people who care.
DV Updater for DirectX 8.0
"Users of 1394 Digital Video equipment should install this update after installing the DirectX 8.0 or 8.0a runtime. It provides PAL support and improved device support for Windows 2000 and 98SE,
and minor improvements for Windows ME. Microsoft DirectX is a set of low-level application programming interfaces (APIs) for creating games and other high-performance multimedia applications. It
includes support for two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) graphics, sound effects and music, input devices, and support for networked applications such as multiplayer games."
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Peter Crockett - webmaster
website:
http://www.putergeek.com/
mailto:
webmaster@putergeek.com
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Last Revised: 03/16/2001
