What You Need to Know about All Things PC
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The Naked PC - http://www.TheNakedPC.com What You Need to Know about All Things PC Publisher: Lee Hudspeth and T.J. Lee Editor in Chief: Dan Butler Contributing Editor: Al Gordon This issue is for Thursday, January 6, 2000 - Vol. 3 No. 01 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Table of Contents ** 01. Letter from the Publisher ** 02. My Phone Has Been Crammed! Has Yours? (by Lee Hudspeth) ** 03. Holding My Life in the Palm of My Hand... Oops! (by Al Gordon) ** 04. Change your Printer Settings Faster than a Quick Change Artist (by Dan Butler) ** 05. Featured Web Site - The Annoyance Board ** 06. Featured Book - "Language in Thought and Action" by S.I. Hayakawa ** 07. Featured Product - Customize Office 2000 Places Bar ** 08. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events and interesting stuff ** 09. We Get Mail - Comments and Tips from TNPC Readers ** 01. Letter from the Publisher Welcome to the Year 2000. No flying cars, no floating cities, in fact the world looks a lot like it did, oh, a week ago. The Y2K bug at first glance appears to have been something of a bust. There has been the odd glitch to be sure. * An apartment building in Korea had the heating system fail due to Y2K. * A number of computer clocks rolled over to 1980 instead of 2000. * Several non-critical date and monitoring related problems have been reported in both U.S. and Japanese nuclear power plants. * Older browser versions have had problems with digital certificates expiring causing about 100,000 of Sweden's online banking customers to be unable to access their accounts from the Web. But there were reportedly over 1,000 planes in the air as the clocks rolled over to 2000 and none of them dropped from the sky. You can expect more inconveniences and annoying glitches as the New Year settles in around us but we don't think there'll be any major calamities. Closer to home, the version of the Web site traffic analysis package we use on the TNPC and PRIME sites, WebTrends Log Analyzer, turns out to not be Y2K compliant. We contacted WebTrends and were told "hey, no problem" and that for only $149 we could upgrade to a version (that was supposedly designed to slice and dice data by date) that could report the current date better than 1/06/100. The $149 gets us any new updates for 12 months, which we guess covers them if they find any more bugs in their software and they actually fix them in less than a year. Needless to say we're looking for a new Web site traffic analysis package and will dump WebTrends at the first opportunity. If you've been bitten by the Y2K bug yourself we'd like to hear about it: mailto:y2kgotme@TheNakedPC.com In this issue Lee Hudspeth talks about the nefarious practice of cramming (just when you thought it was safe to pay your phone bill), Al Gordon discusses his harrowing experiences with the popular handheld personal organizer devices, while Dan Butler reveals a great tip on handling your printer settings. Jim's off busily trying to sell the family homestead in the desert (anyone want a great deal on a place in Lucerne Valley California?) As always, reader support is what keeps TNPC free, so please pass a copy of TNPC on to co-workers and friends (no spam please!) and always say "I saw it in TNPC!" +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ PRIME DocLauncher for Office 2000 "DocLauncher is an excellent product with a value to me that well exceeded the price tag. Well done PRIME!" -- Steve R. Everyone is RAVING about the new 'DocLauncher for Office 2000' from PRIME Consulting Group! All you ever wanted in a shortcut bar and more. You're never more than two short clicks away from your favorite documents or applications. Work on a file then have it zipped and attached to an email message with only two clicks of your mouse. Save TIME big time with DocLauncher! http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?sponsor1 +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 02. My Phone Has Been Crammed! Has Yours? (by Lee Hudspeth) We hear a lot about Internet fraud and it's especially frightening because the Net is new and things are wild and untamed, but don't overlook something as familiar and domesticated as your telephone. Phone bill fraud is rampant. Although the following scenario unfolded in May of 1999, it has just as much relevance today, especially if you're harried, distracted, or still recovering from the holiday hubbub. Earlier this year I got lazy about reviewing my local phone bill. If the billed amount was within about 10% either way of the previous bill, I wouldn't study the details. But for some reason that I don't now recall, the April statement seemed too high so I studied it. The very last page of the statement was labeled "Communications Services" and included a line item that read "Phone Use Personal 800 Mthly Fee." The charge was $44.80. Surprise. Of course, I had never ordered any such service. I had been "crammed" (more on the terminology of phone service con artists in a moment). To my horror and embarrassment, each of the previous nine statements showed the same line item. Over the course of 10 billing cycles I had been swindled to the tune of $448.00 plus sales tax. Here's what I did to cancel the service and get my money back. You should follow the same steps if you're defrauded through your phone bill. I immediately contacted GTE's billing department and stated emphatically that I had never ordered any such service by mail, email, or phone, ever. For convenience I'll refer to the GTE representative as Rita (not her real name). In less than a minute Rita had identified the service and indicated that it looked like a "cram" (basically an unauthorized charge to a customer's LOCAL phone bill). In a cram, the perpetrator plays the odds that the customer won't notice subtle, deceptive, or confusing charges on an already complex bill. The $44.80 was 17% of my total phone bill, which in my opinion is relatively low-profile. It got past me for ten months, and I'm a detail-oriented person. With me on the line, Rita called the vendor's billing contact phone number. I'll refer to the vendor as USA&B (not the nefarious service provider's real name). Rita very professionally indicated that the customer was on the line, that the customer had not ordered the service, wanted to cancel it, and have all charges reversed. She specifically asked the USA&B billing agent (Monica) what material she had on file regarding my request for a personal 800 number. Monica said she worked for a billing agency that handled USA&B's billing, was not an employee of USA&B, and that she didn't have that information. Before we could say another word Monica blurted out, "That service has now been cancelled, and you'll be receiving a credit of $488.30 on your next statement." In other words, I caught them with their pants down so they acted as quickly and efficiently as possible to cut their losses. I'm sure this is all scripted out, but that's another story. There IS a happy ending... I got the full credit in a timely fashion and the service has yet to reappear as a line item. Another drama played itself out when I asked GTE to tell me who to complain to. Oh, I had no complaint about how Rita handled things, she was great. I wanted to complain about how ridiculously easy it is for a service provider to cram someone and demand more barbed wire to ward off these perpetrators. To make a long story short, after five calls to various departments at GTE and the Public Utilities Commission, someone in GTE's Executive Office Customer Relations department told me what I needed to know. Are you ready for this? The answer is printed on the back of your phone bill. (Well, the address is printed there. It doesn't exactly say, "Hey, if you've been defrauded write us," but maybe I'm expecting too much. I admit to discovering the FCC's Web site AFTER getting shuffled around the GTE bureaucracy. I should have tried the Web first.) My phone bill gives this address to write to: Informal Complaints and Public Inquiries Branch Enforcement Division Common Carriers Bureau Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554 The following address is from the FCC Web site, and differs slightly from the one on my phone bill: Federal Communications Commission Common Carrier Bureau Enforcement Division Consumer Protection Branch Mail Stop Code 1600A2 2025 M St., NW Washington, DC 20554 You can call the FCC at 202-632-7553. The FCC's Web site, which is NOT printed on the back of the phone bill but should be: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?fcc1 There I found a page devoted to the top 20 consumer issues: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?fcc2 Currently, item 2 is slamming and item 7 is cramming, and the FCC Web site has plenty to say about both. ("Slamming" is switching a customer's telephone carrier without her or his knowledge or consent.) Here are some informative guidelines. 1. The bureaucratic but nonetheless informative "Anti-Cramming Best Practices Guidelines" is at: http://TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?fcc3 2. "Anti-Cramming Best Practices - 'Consumer Summary'" at: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?fcc4 3. "FCC Consumer Alert on Telephone Slamming" at: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?fcc5 Moral of the story: review your monthly phone bills carefully, take prompt action when you think you've been defrauded (see the "How to Protect Yourself" and similar sections of the "FCC Consumer Alert on Telephone Slamming" document), and should you feel compelled, write to the FCC and tell them, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more." You can reach Lee Hudspeth at: mailto:leehudspeth@TheNakedPC.com +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ Earn a $400 Shopping Spree Ever wish you had a dollar for every time you were asked questions about computers and the Internet? Build your own technology-based business. Work on a part time or full time basis. Get paid to help your neighbors and friends make the best technology choices. Over 10,000 professionals have stopped wishing and started getting paid for what they know. Visionary management team you can trust from top of Dell and CompUSA. Energized Enabled eCOMMERCE! The Market Opportunity is colossal. Even get a FREE DirecTV system while supplies last. mailto:nakedpc@allnyte.com (800) 246-8761 http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?sponsor2 +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 03. Holding My Life in the Palm of My Hand... Oops! (by Al Gordon) 'Tis the season for... toys. Among the most popular toys for big kids these days are handheld devices such as the Palm OS family of products. I personally had entrusted my life -- or at least my contacts, schedules and to-do lists -- to a 3Com Palm V. But not all is magical about the technology. My first lesson in this came when I was testing a Visor -- the much-ballyhooed Palm clone made by Handspring, Inc. (Of course, since Handspring was founded by the original Palm team, I suppose "clone" may not be entirely appropriate.) I was using it at my desk when it slipped out of my hand, and fell onto the desktop -- a drop of all of six inches. Nevertheless, the screen cracked and the unit became unusable. What's with this? I asked the Visor PR person. After telling me that this shouldn't have happened -- can't argue with that -- she referred me to a member of the Handspring technical team. According to the tech person, although layered in plastic, the screen is glass, and glass breaks. He said Visors have the same screens as 3Com Palms and Handspring tests them to survive a six- foot fall onto a carpeted floor. But every now and then, you can hit the glass just the wrong way and it will break despite a minimal fall. It doesn't happen often, he said. But it does happen. Life lesson: those organizers look Space Age rugged, but the materials are still Stone Age breakable. Which leads me to an even more serious problem, which I experienced with my own Palm V. I was putting it into its "cradle" -- that's a unit that holds the organizer and connects to a serial port on your PC -- when I found out just how hot these hot little devices are. When the device is in the cradle you can run "hot synch" operations to exchange data between the Palm and Outlook or other information managers on your PC. It also serves as a recharging port for the Palm's batteries. As I started the process, the "hot" part became entirely too literal: Sparks. Burning smell. Generally bad things happening with my PC. Regular readers of this space can guess what happened next. Yes, Tech Support Hell. Dell's position was that the Palm device was at fault. However, after extensive negotiations, they agreed to a motherboard and power supply replacement. Of course, then they failed to ship the motherboard and I was out of business for five days until they finally got it to me. And they warned me that I would have to pay for the repairs if it happened again. 3Com was prepared to replace the Palm, its cradle, and power supply. Of course, promises and execution are different things. First they shipped me an empty box. Another telephone call yielded a rebuilt Palm V, but no cradle. That took a third call. Meantime, I wanted to know if they were going to pick up the tab for another motherboard if the replacement unit blew up my Dell. A tech support supervisor allowed as how "we have been having some problems with Dells." More negotiations, and I got a promise to get my money back after returning the Palm. In retrospect, the Palm V's wiring scheme strikes me as somewhat dubious: the cable from the A/C adapter connects to the serial plug, and thus the cable from the port to the cradle carries both the data transfers and the power to the recharger. One logically might expect the power supply to plug into the cradle directly, so that the line to serial port is data-only. In any case, I have no handheld organizer and I am waiting for the refund check. You can reach Al Gordon at: mailto:algordon@TheNakedPC.com +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ The Unofficial Guide to PCs "It's packed full of important knowledge and valuable tips that you can use to take full control of your computer." This is what readers have said about "The Unofficial Guide to PCs" from QUE. >From hardware to software this book has all the critical information you need to optimally maintain your personal computer. "I am just writing to tell you that last week I bought your book and three days later I finished it. It is without a doubt the best book I have read on computers ever." -- Andrew H. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?amazon4-us http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?amazon4-uk +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 04. Change your Printer Settings Faster than a Quick Change Artist (by Dan Butler) Most of today's color and LaserJet printers come with a dizzying array of options to choose from when you print: paper types, print quality, duplex, and booklet printing to name just a few. If you are like me you set up your printer using the settings that cover most of your printing needs and use the other more exotic options only occasionally as needed. Trouble is I often forget exactly which options work the best together, how to configure them, or I change the options for one print job then forget what settings I started with. Problems are compounded when my wife or one of my children wishes to use different print settings. It's like sliding into your car seat only to find someone else has readjusted the seat. Unsettling to say the least. However, using this technique will save you both time and aggravation. First things first. I have two printers on my main machine, a NEC SuperScript 870 laser printer on LPT1 and an HP DeskJet 970Cse plugged into a USB port. Both printers allow duplex printing (printing on both sides of the page) and various levels of print quality. In addition the NEC lets me put watermarks like "Confidential" or "Draft" on my printed output and print booklets. To keep up with the options and make it easy to switch between them I simply set up multiple copies of each printer in the Windows "Printers" folder and give them distinct names that remind me of their settings. To do this first open your Printers folder (Start / Settings / Printers). Find the Add Printer icon and double-click it. Create a second copy of your printer by following the prompts in the Add Printer Wizard. After the Wizard has created a new printer entry select the new printer, right- click on it and choose Rename from the pop-up menu options. Give the printer a name that makes sense for the settings you will using. Examples of some of the names I use for different versions of the same printer on my main system are: NEC - Standard jobs NEC - 2 sided printing NEC - Confidential As you can see I've set up three instances of the same printer but with different default option settings. After you've given the printer a descriptive name, right-click on it again and choose Properties. Set the various options, such as paper type, trays to use, duplex printing, resolution, etc., that you want to use in this instance then click OK. Repeat the previous steps for each configuration you want to have for a given printer. The next time you print from your favorite application, changing settings is as easy as selecting the printer that's preconfigured for the options you want from the printer list. My final tip here is to make sure and write down the settings you've chosen for your various printer instances. Should disaster strike you'll be able to recreate all of your custom work in short order. More information on the excellent Hewlett-Packard DeskJet 970Cse http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?amazon3-us You can reach Dan Butler at: mailto:danbutler@TheNakedPC.com ** 05. Featured Web Site - The Annoyance Board The Annoyance Board is a Web-based message board where you can post technical computer questions, tips, observations or maybe help out someone else who has run into a problem you know the answer to. Sponsored by TNPC and PRIME Consulting Group, Inc., the board is a great place to pick up tips and tricks, or discuss the ins and outs of computers and their myriad problems. There are a number of knowledgeable and friendly regulars who "hang out" there, and everyone is welcome to post and contribute. http://www.PRIMEConsulting.com/annoyanceboard/ ** 06. Featured Book - "Language in Thought and Action" by S.I. Hayakawa This is a book that will actually change the way you process the information that you're bombarded with every day. Hiyakawa's focus is on language and meaning, with examples from both blatant propaganda and the more subtle diversions used in advertising. But this book packs more than just descriptions of linguistic concepts; you'll learn how to decode the information coming at you in casual conversation, Madison Avenue ads, or for what passes these days as news reports. The flip side of this will be improvements in your own communication skills. "Language in Thought and Action" deserves a place next to "How to Read a Book" (featured in TNPC #2.25) as a valuable tool to help you decode the knowledge you need in our information-overloaded world. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?amazon1-us (This book was not available from Amazon UK at the time of this writing. - Ed.) "How to Read a Book" http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?amazon2-us http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?amazon2-uk ** 07. Featured Product - Customize Office 2000 Places Bar If you're running Office 2000 applications you have probably noticed, to your delight, that the stodgy old Save As and Open dialog boxes have a column of icons down the left side that offer you shortcuts to handy folders like History, Favorites, Desktop and such. But if you want to create shortcuts to folders of your own choosing your delight was no doubt very short lived. Not everyone keeps their files in the default folders provided by the Microsoft's design team. Most of us use folders built around client or project names in locations determined by our individual system setups and work environments. And that's as it should be. The fly in the ointment is that Microsoft did not provide a way in Office 2000 to customize the Places Bar shortcuts. The good news is that there is a Microsoft Knowledgebase article on how to accomplish this feat so you can have up to 10 custom defined shortcuts. The bad news is that it involves some fairly serious surgery of the Windows Registry. Unlike a lot of Registry hacks this one goes a bit beyond just changing an existing value or removing a certain key. But for those of you who are comfortable with rolling up your sleeves and getting into the bowels of the Registry (and you know who you are) here's where to go to get the step by step instructions: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?microsoft1 Okay, we've given you the good news and the bad news. Now here's the very good news. None of this Registry surgery is remotely necessary (whether you know how to disassemble your Registry or not). That marvelous macro maven of miraculous talent, Mike Craven, has written the perfect utility for customizing the Places Bar in Office 2000. And the really great news is that it's FREE. No, that's not a misprint, we said FREE. Free for the downloading from anywhere in the world. Grab a copy of Mike's WOPR 2000 Place Bar Customizer at: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?microsoft2 This slick utility installs into Office and gives you access to the Places Bar settings from the Tools menu of the primary Office applications. (Mike Craven, in addition to being a charter subscriber to TNPC, is the driving force behind a number of add-ins for Office. Mike's a contributor to PRIME's Word and Excel utility sets and co-author of PRIME's DocLauncher utility.) +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ WANT TO GET YOUR WORD OUT? Classified ads in The Naked PC can be yours for the ridiculously low price of $40 per issue. Get your message out to over 43,000 TNPC subscribers. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/tnpcadvertising.html?v3i01 +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ ** 08. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events and interesting stuff *-* Free DSL?!? The Broadband Digital Group will offer free DSL service starting April 1, 2000 (how's that for an auspicious date!). Free but supported by onscreen advertising. It's not clear exactly where geographically Broadband will offer this service but their Web site is taking orders now. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?news1 *-* Priceline.com has taken some flack over their innovative "make me an offer" approach. As one TNPCer said, "Sure you can get a good deal but on a plane going through more hubs than an IP packet you'd get where you're going faster by taking a train!" Priceline is now trying to top the eBay online auction model as they launch a new Web site dubbed "Perfect YardSale." Buyers and sellers can haggle over the price with buyers giving Priceline their credit card information. Priceline acts as an intermediary for the money then pays the seller when a sale is successfully concluded. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?news2 *-* When you make a donation over the Internet it's as tax deductible as when you write a check to your favorite cause, right? Maybe, but maybe not. Not only are there are a lot of scam charity operations on the Internet, even legit charities may be paying sales commissions amounting to the lion's share of your donation to the site that brought you in. And deductibility is a murky issue at best. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?news3 *-* Thinking of bagging the job and making a killing by becoming a Day Trader in online stock transactions? Before you tell your boss where to go, better take a look at Cringely's article on the subject. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?news4 *-* Competition for online conversion of digital photos to prints heats up as Ofoto prepares to compete with the new startup Shutterfly. Prices may still seem high compared to the per print price of traditional film, but remember you can preview all your shots on your PC before you decide which ones to transfer to paper and even edit out the "red-eye effect." http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?news5 *-* And be sure to check the PRIME Update page regularly: http://www.PRIMEConsulting.com/update/ ** 09. We Get Mail - Comments and Tips from TNPC Readers TNPCer Andrew C. had this to say about our inclusion of links to Amazon.co.uk for our readers across the pond: "You bet! As a UK resident I can't even begin to tell you how fed up I am with reading about wonderful products free after rebate (not just in TNPC, but all over the net) only to find they only apply to US or Canadian residents. At least you have the decency to warn us of this fact - nobody else that I've come across does." Regarding shopping on the Internet, TNPCer Artur Z. points out that the site you are buying from may host a secure connection but the "automated" order system may be nothing more than having your order (with credit card information) emailed to the site's owner. Said email being entirely unencrypted and unsecured. **PLEASE SUPPORT TNPC BY VISITING OUR ADVERTISERS** +++----------------------- classifieds -----------------------+++ >> ********** Who have you been trying to find? ********** STOP Wasting Time --- on searches that GO nowhere! When a search engine can't help ---- we can. Confidential --> Classified --> Top Secret --> For Your Eyes Only http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?class1 +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ PRIME Consulting Group provides computer consulting and custom VB and VBA development services. From utilities to complete application development, we CAN solve your problem. Drop us a line at: mailto:info@PRIMEConsulting.com +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ Finally a source of information on how to make money on the Internet that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. This could be the most practical and profitable book you read all year. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?class2 +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ INTELLIGAMER Santa didn't get that game you wanted for Christmas? Before you buy it for yourself check with Intelligamer to see if it's worth your hard earned bucks! We've got the best in computer gaming news, reviews and more. It's the only intelligent thing to do! http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/301/tr.cgi?class3 +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ DISCLAIMER Personal computers are individual machines with performance that can vary with components, software, and operator ability. The Naked PC is not responsible for the manner in which the information presented is used or interpreted. Also, although we work hard to provide you with accurate Internet links in The Naked PC, we are not responsible for Internet links herein that represent sites owned and operated by third parties. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, performance, or availability of any such third-party sites. Grass stains may not wash out. Do not fold, spindle, or mutilate because it sounds like that would really hurt and we're not sure what spindle means anyways. REDISTRIBUTION POLICY We encourage you to forward this newsletter to your friends, associates, and colleagues for their review and enjoyment. However, please do so only by sending it in full, thereby keeping the copyright and subscription information intact. We do request that, once they've reviewed an issue or two, they subscribe independently rather than continue to receive issues from you. This helps TNPC grow and prosper, thereby funding its continued publication. Also, if you wish to post this newsletter to a newsgroup or electronic discussion group, you may do so if you preserve the copyright and subscription information. Thanks. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe, surf on over to: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/subscribe.html To make comments or suggestions, surf on over to: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/tnpfeedback.html or send email directly to: mailto:tnpc@TheNakedPC.com Get back issues form our Mailbot by sending email to: mailto:Mailbot@TheNakedPC.com WEB BULLETIN BOARD Check out our 24x7 Web bulletin board. If you've got a technical question about PC issues, or suggestions of your own, this is the place to hang out: http://www.PRIMEConsulting.com/annoyanceboard ADVERTISING To advertise in TNPC go to: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/tnpcadvertising.html Mail services provided by Blue Horizon Enterprises, one of the very few "Mom and Pop" operations left on the Web: http://www.bhorizon.com Copyright (c) 2000, PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. and Dan Butler. All Rights Reserved. The Naked PC is a trademark of PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. ISSN: 1522-4422 RMH: 692 TNPC Hot Tips:
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