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, August 3, 2000 - Vol. 3 No. 16 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Table of Contents ** 01. Letter from the Publisher ** 02. Using Your PC and the Internet to Travel Smartly (by Lee Hudspeth) ** 03. Windows 2000 3rd Party Utilities (CD-R): Part 6 (by Al Gordon) ** 04. Software Bargains (by Dan Butler) ** 05. Featured Web Site - MacWindows ** 06. Featured Book - What TNPCers Are Reading ** 07. Featured Product - Photon Micro-Lights (by Dan Butler) ** 08. For Recent Subscribers ** 09. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events and interesting stuff ** 01. Letter from the Publisher Summertime here in the northern hemisphere and everyone (except Jim of course) is counting up their vacation days, about to make a break for parts unknown. With his usual impeccable sense of timing, Lee checks in this issue with the ultimate way to use your computer and the Internet to make traveling a snap. Al has found another killer CD recording software package designed with ease of use and beginners in mind. It's in this issue as part of Al's ongoing series on Windows 2000 utilities, but MyCD works with Win 95/98, Win Me, and WinNT Workstation. Meanwhile Dan has some great tips on text editing software and some very "bright" ideas on how to respond when someone asks you if you've got a light. As always, reader support is what keeps TNPC free, so PLEASE help us and pass a copy of TNPC on to co-workers and friends (no spam please!) and remember to always say "I saw it in TNPC!" +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ >> PROTECT YOUR SYSTEM! DON'T LOSE VALUABLE DATA! PEI is a master distributor of Uninterruptible Power Supply systems providing quality and reliability at affordable prices. UPS systems protect your computer from power surges, spikes, sags, & brownouts. Power irregularities can fry your system and cause you to lose valuable data. We buy, lease, rent, sell, and trade new and refurbished models. We have the know-how to set you up with the machine best meeting your needs! APC, Best Power, Powerware: we have a UPS for YOU! Call toll-free: 877-492-6408 or visit us at: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?sponsor1 +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 02. Using Your PC and the Internet to Travel Smartly (by Lee Hudspeth) About ten years ago I was packing for a camping trip when I had that deja vu feeling. Of course I had packed before, because whenever you pack for a trip--short or long, solo or family-- you're going through the same motions. So I made a list. At first it was just hand-written, then I typed it up on my PC, and on each subsequent trip I have found a new travel packing tip or trick to add to the list. Once I started traveling with children, the list expanded considerably (as any of you with a family can well appreciate). In this article I'll focus on how you can use your PC and the Internet to pack and travel efficiently. I won't list every item on my list. You know what stuff you like to carry in your toiletries kit, suitcase, and so on, so I'll skip the minutiae. On the other hand, it's often the little things that make a big difference in a trip's pleasure/pain ratio, thus I encourage you to make your list as detailed as possible. For example, I once forgot a child's teddy bear because I had one generic entry "Teddy bears" instead of an individual entry for each child's nighttime toy. You can bet *both* such toys are listed individually now. I've organized my list into five categories. I think the intent of each is fairly obvious, with the exception of Departure Checklist. I found that there was a small set of activities that occur in a wild frenzy in the last ten minutes or so before the taxi screeches up at the curb. I use the Departure Checklist to avoid forgetting stuff during that frantic period. (Note: to conserve space, some items that should be separate items in a checklist--so you don't miss them--have been compressed into one long sentence. -- Ed) PLANNING * Make lodging and flight arrangements. * Verify that tickets show frequent flyer program ID #. * Order special meals. * Verify seat assignments (be especially meticulous re the kids' seats since car seats are only allowed in window seats). * If flying with e-tickets, write down the confirmation number and get a fax of the itinerary from the airline; upon receipt verify that the ticket data is correct. * If flying with traditional tickets, upon receipt verify that the ticket and boarding pass data is correct. * Request hotel room preferences (e.g., quiet, non-smoking). * Arrange for ground transportation at destination(s). * Always call airline the day before to confirm departure time. When you make your reservations, always give the airline a phone number where they can reach you at your destination. This is in case there's a flight change/cancellation. This has happened to me twice in the last few years on transcontinental flights. Once the airline did *not* have my destination phone number, and I was quite surprised when I got to the ticket counter to check in. In the second case the airline did have the number, called me with plenty of time to spare, and arranged new flights. * Make taxi/shuttle reservation the night before departure and get dispatcher's name if it's a special order. * Check destination area's weather and pack accordingly (umbrella, overcoat, gloves, scarf, boots, etc.). * Get dress shoes shined. * Pay business and personal bills. * Note destination's local access number for Internet connection. * Update VIP list. I have a VIP list that I set dynamically using Outlook's categories feature. It's comprised of family members, neighbors, folks I'll be seeing on the trip, key clients, employees, and so forth. I update this list before any trip, then offload it in two forms: (1) an Outlook PST file (VIP.pst) and (2) a comma- separated-value file of the same data (VIP.csv). I upload these files, along with some others (see below), to FreeDrive (of course, use the free Web-based upload service of your choice). The worst case to plan for is that I end up somewhere with no luggage or laptop or anything else, and am in the wrong time zone to call for help. To get Internet access I'd only need to borrow a friend's or client's PC but to get at my email I'd need my email account's password. I don't want to have that password be the same as my "core" password, and I don't want to memorize it (or trust myself in a road-weary emergency condition to remember it), so I put my email password into Remember.txt, zip that with my core password, and upload it to FreeDrive. Even if the borrowed PC is WinZip-less, this 1.2 MB shareware utility can be downloaded quickly from anywhere in the world. * Upload these files to FreeDrive: (a) VIP PST file (zipped) (b) VIP file in CSV format (zipped) (c) Remember.txt with email account's password (zipped with core password) (d) Credit Card Emergency Contact Phone Numbers.doc (or save to a simple text file like cc_phone.txt) (e) Itinerary.txt (a text-based itinerary) * Verify that latest "core" VIPs are in my ISP's Web-based email service center's address book. (A "core" VIP is someone who could save my bacon while I'm on the road.) * Pick up and process all pending personal and business mail. * Arrange for pets, yard, and household mail to be handled. * Wash dishes. (Ever come back from a 10-day trip to a un- cleansed dishwasher? Lesson learned.) * Modify business voice mail announcement. * Clean up and back up server. * [Business only] Prepare training or other installation media. * [Business only] Ship training or other relevant materials. PACKING * Photocopy wallet contents and store in a safe place (do NOT take the copies on the road). * Photocopy and take a copy on the road: passport (for international travel only); contacts/eyeglasses prescription; medicine prescriptions; plane tickets; a list of phone numbers to report lost/stolen credit cards (Credit Card Emergency Contact Phone Numbers.doc); a list of phone numbers to report lost/stolen travelers checks. * Prepare an itinerary with all reservation/confirmation numbers, vendors, addresses, flight data, etc. Give the document to someone you know will be available--even at odd hours—-while you're on the road. Upload it to FreeDrive as Itinerary.txt (see the previous "upload to FreeDrive" step). * Pack plane tickets, adequate cash, checkbook, regular clothes, dress clothes, , first aid kit, chewing gum, and other miscellaneous items (these vary from person to person). * Pack audio player, discs, MP3s, and headphones, whatever it takes to listen to some good tunes. (Some folks like to carry noise-cancellation headphones too.) * Pack cell phone and recharger. * [Diaper bag] * [Kids' accessories] * Specialty items (say, for a camping or surfing trip). * [Business only] Prepare and pack tool kit. * [Business only] Pack presentation pointer. (If I had a nickel for every time I showed up to run a training gig without a presentation pointer, I'd be retired by now.) * [Business only] Pack copy of agreements and any other key client documents. * [Business only] Pack any relevant PRIME Consulting Group company promotional literature. * [Business only] Pack current critical work materials. * [Business only] Verify all relevant work files are on the laptop's hard disk, media, or both. DEPARTURE CHECKLIST * Set house security (incl. check all windows and doors). * Securely park all cars. * Empty all garbage and diaper genie pails. (Remember the 10-day trip and the un-cleansed dishwasher? Apply same concept to un- emptied diaper genie. Another "school of hard knocks" tip.) * Lower/disable thermostat and disconnect any unneeded appliances. ON THE ROAD * If my ISP's email page is down, try http://www.webmail.com/gte. RETURN * Reset business voice mail announcement. * Delete all files on FreeDrive. You may have noticed that I don't mention posting my address book, personal calendar, and other files to a WIM (Web-based Information Manager) like AnyDay.com. I prefer to keep my data local, use the applications that I'm intimately familiar with, and only post to the Web the barest minimum I need for a specific trip. I feel this maximizes my productivity and security. Lastly, I don't like the various Web-based travel sites' itinerary and profile features. They aren't flexible enough for me, but more importantly, I'm not comfortable with all that data- -especially regarding my family members--being stored, even temporarily, on some travel site's e-commerce server. The data is already being stored by the various vendors (airlines, hotels, car rental firms) I've hired, so why let another entity get its hands into my personal space? What do you think? Bon voyage. You can reach Lee Hudspeth at: mailto:leehudspeth@TheNakedPC.com +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ THE PERFECT BOOK...TWO THUMBS UP!!! Face it, your web site either sells or it doesn't. Learn to make YOUR site sell. With the in-depth knowledge in this book, you can discover the SECRETS of how to: get the lead, get the customer, and GET THE SALE. Make Your Site Sell shows you how, like no other book or program ever has. DON'T be one of those people that just wished they had a better web site. Click NOW to make your SITE SELL! http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?sponsor2 +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 03. Windows 2000 3rd Party Utilities (CD-R): Part 6 (by Al Gordon) Call it a "burning obsession." In our continuing search for new CD-R software, we have yet another contender: MyCD from Veritas, the backup software giant. Brian Greene, the product manager, said in an interview that MyCD reflects the fact that CD recording has gone from the realm of power users into the mainstream. Newcomers to the burning world, he said, need solutions that are simpler than prior software packages. And the product bears that out. MyCD opens up with a straightforward graphic interface with two big buttons: "Make an Exact Copy," "Create a New CD" (plus smaller "Program Options" and "Look for Updates" buttons). Clicking either choice triggers a wizard that leads you through the creation process. MyCD is designed so that it automatically handles various test and setup options for your recordings. For example, if you are copying from one CD drive to another, it will automatically test speeds and data transfer rates, and set the recording speed and hard drive buffer size accordingly. Veritas plans a power users' version later, and Greene said MyCD benefits from having a robust burning engine that will form the basis of both versions. In my unscientific tests---try to make a recording while running other programs at the same time--MyCD seemed to run reliably. But Veritas still warns users against using other programs at the same time you are trying to make a CD. Some features are missing. There is no CD labeling package included in the software as there is with Adaptec Easy CD, nor does it have CDDB support (Veritas blames CDDB licensing hassles). On the other hand, MyCD should have a street price of $30-something as against $80 for Adaptec Easy CD. MyCD is simple and easy. If you want to have the zillion options of, say, Nero, you will hate it. If you want to just stick a disc in and record, it is a promising option. MyCD can be ordered directly from Veritas: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?cd1 Easy CD Creator Deluxe: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?cd2 You can reach Al Gordon at: mailto:al@TheNakedPC.com ** 04. Software Bargains (by Dan Butler) As a Webmaster the majority of my time is spent configuring servers, editing web pages, and writing programs. So I spend a lot of time in various text editors. Here is a quick run through of the main programs I use to make my life easier. Remember, I'm not saying these are the only text editors out there or even necessarily the best. Just what I've found over the years that actually save me time on a daily basis in real world situations. While I appreciate further suggestions I'm really not looking for new products right now and don't really have time to test any more at present. First up is the Programmer's File Editor (PFE). PFE has easy to use, easy to create macros for quick text editing. It also has a booklet print option that lets you print condensed text 2 up on a page. It lays them out and numbers them so you can fold a number of pages in half and have a booklet. Just the thing for compact printouts of documentation. The best part is the price: free. Download PFE from: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?text1 Next is NoteTab. Al Gordon wrote a detailed review of this editor in TNPC #3.06. The Clipbook feature saves me hours of time while putting together TNPC. NoteTab Pro is $19.95. Read Al Gordon's review here: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/articles/v03/06/0306-05.html Download the NoteTab pro trial or the freeware version here: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?text2 Finally my favorite and most used editor is Vim, which stands for "Vi IMproved." Vim color codes my files and lets me quickly get down to the business of editing. It also runs on every platform I use--Windows, FreeBSD, and Solaris as well as just about every other platform you would care to run it on. My customizations carry across platforms as well. If you have never used Vim and aren't comfortable/familiar with "regular expressions" you probably won't like Vim. There is also very good user to user support. I use Vim for editing HTML pages, programming in Perl, and general maintenance of text files. Vim is free. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?text3 There you go. These three text editors get quite the workout each day. If you need to edit some text, give them a try. You can reach Dan Butler at: mailto:danbutler@TheNakedPC.com +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ PRIME UTILITIES SUMMER SALE! The HEAT is driving us crazy! For the next two weeks you can buy our amazing PRIME Utilities for Word and Excel (97 or 2000) (rated a 5 star Editor's Pick by ZDNet) or the fabulous handier- than-a-pocket-on-a-shirt DocLauncher for Office 2000 for 40% OFF! That's right, 40% off the regular price! Buy ANY of these killer utilities NOW for only $14.97, and SAVE 40%. Lifetime money-back guarantee means absolutely NO RISK to you. Limited time offer! http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?sponsor3 +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 05. Featured Web Site - MacWindows If you have a mix of Windows/Intel (Wintel) and Macintosh computers at your home or business, you may have thought it would be difficult or awkward to integrate them, either to simply sneaker-net files by floppy disk or to actually network them. But it's easier than you think. There are plenty of solutions for a wide variety of interoperability scenarios. A great resource for learning more is the MacWindows site. Departments include Book Suggestions, Cross-Platform Forum, MacWindows Tips, News, News Archives, Solutions, Special Reports, and Tutorials. For the skinny on using a network to share resources like files, printers, or an Internet connection between PCs and Macs, check out the Network Solutions page http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?fsitea It covers file and printer sharing using peer-to-peer and client/server (server scenarios include Intel, Alpha, Mac, UNIX, and Linux), miscellaneous cross-platform solutions, sharing one Internet connection amongst Macs and PCs, Ethernet alternatives, and thin client topics. The Network Solutions page is rendered as a detailed, well-formatted table; the columns present information by company, product line, platform, description/comments, and pricing. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?fsite ** 06. Featured Book - What TNPCers Are Reading Taking a look at the latest quarterly report on our Amazon activity it's interesting to note what TNPCers are reading based on our Featured Books. But we also thought you might like to know what else TNPCers are purchasing on Amazon outside of our recommendations. These are for the quarter ending 6/30/2000. The Top Five Featured Books Purchased by TNPCers: 1) The Unofficial Guide to PCs - authored by the TNPC staff http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?amazon1 2) Access Database Design & Programming http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?amazon2 3) The Whole Shebang: A State-Of-The-Universe(s) Report http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?amazon3 4) The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain's Untapped Potential http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?amazon4 5) Number 5 was a tie between these two titles: Use Both Sides of Your Brain http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?amazon5 How to Read A Book http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?amazon5a The Top Five Items (Not Featured in TNPC) Purchased by TNPCers: 1) Diablo 2 This is the hottest role-playing game for the PC. A blockbuster by any measure, this long awaited sequel to Diablo is flying off shelves. It looks like we have plenty of dedicated gamers in our TNPC audience. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?amazon6 2) Access 2000 Developer's Handbook Set The one-stop source for every Access question you could ever think of. If you're serious about Access then this set is for you. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?amazon7 3) Java: An Introduction to Computer Science and Programming A book/CD-ROM text using a conversational style to teach basic programming techniques through the Java language. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?amazon8 4) Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets and Solutions The book describes the security characteristics of several computer-industry pillars, including Windows NT, Unix, Novell NetWare, and certain firewalls. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?amazon9 5) Belkin F5U012 USB Express BUS Plus Multi Port Hub Instantly add another serial port, printer port, and 3 USB ports to your PC with this external device. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/316/tr.cgi?amazon10 We appreciate all of our readers who make their purchases on Amazon through our links and thereby help support TNPC and keep it free. You can reach T.J. Lee at: TNPC Hot Tips:
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