What You Need to Know about All Things PC
Volume 4 Number 13Click here to return to the back issues page.Click here to return to the main newsletter page.
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, June 28, 2001 - Vol. 4 No. 13 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Table of Contents ** 01. Letter from the Publisher ** 02. Announcing the PRIME for Office Utilities CD: If You Use Office, You Need This! (by Lee Hudspeth) ** 03. PhotoDraw Leaves Door Open for Adobe Elements (by Al Gordon) ** 04. More Snooping Around on the Internet (by Dan Butler) ** 05. Al's Ongoing Office eXPerience (by Al Gordon) ** 06. Featured Product - GazNET Anti-Spam Protection File for Outlook 97/98 Or 2000 ** 07. Featured Book - "The Overnight Resume" by Donald Asher ** 08. Featured Web Site - The Annoyance Board ** 09. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events and interesting stuff ** 10. We Get Mail ** 01. Letter from the Publisher This issue marks our third anniversary of The Naked PC newsletter. Our first issue went out to 267 subscribers on June 26, 1998. TNPC now has over 72,000 readers around the world! As our way of saying thanks to all of you, our readers, we would like you to celebrate on us. The following coupon number is good for 10% off ANYTHING at The Naked PC Store between now and July 4th, 2001. Anniversary Special 10% Coupon number: 472001 http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?tnpcstore Jim's just back from an overnight campout on the USS Hornet (CVS- 12) which is being converted into an historical naval museum. Just the place for a restful weekend with 100 or so screaming Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Indian Guides. Aircraft carriers (even WWII vintage ships) are BIG, so Jim's taking this issue off to recover from all the walking and climbing around this floating mini-city that was nicknamed the "Gray Ghost" in WWII. Meanwhile, Lee makes a splash with the announcement of our PRIME for Office Utilities CD. This one CD has the handiest utilities around for Word, Excel, and Office--covering Office 97, 2000, and the new Office XP. Check it out! Al discusses where to turn now that Microsoft has dropped PhotoDraw from the Office XP suite, and Dan follows up this issue with part two of his "Snooping Around on the Internet" series. We've gotten a number of TNPC readers asking us if what they saw over on Amazon is correct... YES, it's true, our ebook on CD-ROM, "The Book That Should Have Come with Your Computer," is now being carried on Amazon. However, while you can purchase our CD on Amazon you'll save the shipping charges (for orders within the USA) if you purchase through our The Naked PC Store. HEY! Reader support is what keeps The Naked PC free, so PLEASE help us and pass a copy on to co-workers and friends (no spam please!) and remember to always say "I saw it in The Naked PC!" http://www.TheNakedPC.com/refer/ So now you know. +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ MICRO-LIGHTS the Super POCKETFLASHLIGHT! Micro-Lights are the BRIGHTEST flashlights for their size in the WORLD. Reliable, incredibly bright light for any situation. A Micro-Light is small enough to clip to your key chain, carry it in your pocket or purse and you won't even know it's there. But you'll never, ever be caught in the dark! Instant light in emergencies, or just when you have to find something under your desk or the sofa. The Red, Orange, or Yellow lights run for 120 hours on a single lithium battery! Carry a Micro-Light for a week and you'll never go anywhere without one again. SHIPPING IS FREE IN THE USA! http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?pocketflashlight +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 02. Announcing the PRIME for Office Utilities CD: If You Use Office, You Need This! (by Lee Hudspeth) If you use Microsoft Office 97, Office 2000, or the latest incarnation, Office XP (referred to as 2002 in some circles), we have the tools and the help you need to tame Office like a pro. If you know how much of a productivity punch our prior Office utilities pack, you may want to get right to the business of ordering our latest CD: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?primecd For those of you unfamiliar with our utilities, T.J. and I have been on the "Office productivity" soapbox for almost a decade. The story goes like this... First, we love Office. Second, we hate Office. Conundrum, you say? Bear with me. We first became enamored with Microsoft's individual applications (Excel and Word) in the halcyon days before Office was Office. (For the historically curious among you, that's how T.J. and I met, at an Excel User's Group here in Los Angeles that was geared for consultants. A story for another day.) We loved Microsoft's business applications because we were able to quickly get things done for clients involving documentation, number crunching, presentations, etc. that no other packages could equal. The more we learned, the more immersed we became. We began to think like these applications, to really REALLY understand them. Then we wrote our own Excel and Word courseware for our Fortune 1000 training gigs, wrote our own Excel and Word custom add-ins, wrote our own Excel and Word books, then came Office to pull everything all together and we keep writing Office books and tools. Our knowledge has continued expanding to keep up the pace. Bottom line: we appreciate the tremendous power of Office, we know how to use that power, and that's great for us, but what about you? We understand that you--our readers, customers, and colleagues-- simply want to get your work done and be home a tad early today. Now about that hatred part... Office and its various applications can be overwhelmingly massive, complex, and difficult to use. (We're being diplomatic here.) You talk to Mr. Clippy, often profanely, you search the knowledge bases in an abject panic, you pull down one menu after another hoping to find that one elusive check box, you pull your hair, you pound your fists, and sometimes you just can't get Office to see things your way. Aaaargh! We've been down all those dark alleys. We can help you get home early today, and have some fun with Office to boot. We took all our knowledge and experience and created a set of Office utilities that make Office sit up and beg to do your bidding. Those utilities cover Office 97, 2000, and XP, and we've bundled them together on a single CD entitled the "PRIME for Office Utilities CD." The utilities on this CD are all co-developed by T.J., me, and Mike Craven (our firm's senior developer and quintessential Office expert). It is no exaggeration to say that we've put our heart, soul, and mind into these utilities. Furthermore, we've written a new ebook "How to Save Time with Office" that we are including with this CD in which we walk you step by step through each utility and show you how to use each one to unlock the true potential of Office. This ebook makes it easy to put hours back into your day. We'll be sharing excerpts from this ebook in upcoming issues. So, what utilities are on this CD? Our DocLauncher utility comes with over 300 features that you can use on all your Office documents and all other file types, and it works across all Office applications. In addition to DocLauncher, the CD includes over 80 custom Word and Excel utilities. Over three dozen Quick Clicks that give you one-click access to some of Office's handiest, but hardest to find, treasures. These utilities have won awards and they've won customer praise. Here's just one example. "I've never seen so many useful macros and toolbars in one package. Authors and writers will find these tools especially powerful for customizing and personalizing Microsoft Word." -- Richard Dooling, novelist The "PRIME for Office Utilities CD" includes these eight powerful utilities that you can install depending on which version of Office you are running: * PRIME DocLauncher for Office XP/2002 * PRIME for Word XP/2002 * PRIME for Excel XP/2002 * PRIME DocLauncher for Office 2000 * PRIME for Word 2000 * PRIME for Excel 2000 * PRIME for Word 97 * PRIME for Excel 97 The CD includes this free bonus material: * a custom menu system that fires up when you insert the CD; it quickly and automatically installs any PRIME utility or utilities you choose * a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader * extensive on-screen help files * our free, full-text searchable "How to Save Time with Office" ebook All of these utilities come fully registered. Whatever version of Office you use--XP, 2000, or 97--our productivity-enhancing utilities are available to you on this one CD. Many of you use Office 2000 today, but may be considering an upgrade to XP. If and when you decide to upgrade, you'll already have PRIME's Office XP utilities at your fingertips, fully registered, ready to install with a single click. The "PRIME for Office Utilities CD" has a suggested retail price of $49.95. For a limited time, while the discs are being produced, you can buy a copy at the introductory price of $39.95. We pay the postage on all CDs shipped within the United States. The material on this CD is worth $230, but you can have it all for one low price. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?primesales Current PRIME customers benefit from special upgrade pricing. If you are upgrading from an earlier version of any PRIME product call us toll-free at 800-565-7069 or contact us via email at: mailto:upgrades@PRIMEConsulting.com You can reach Lee Hudspeth at: mailto:leehudspeth@TheNakedPC.com +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ "The Book That Should Have Come with Your Computer" "This book should come with every PC - it has become MY BIBLE." "I find information in this book that I can't find anywhere else." These are just a few of the comments we've received on this book. The hard copy version went OUT OF PRINT over a series title issue with the publisher, but WE BROUGHT IT BACK in this book-on-a-CD-ROM searchable PDF format! Written by the same guys who bring you this newsletter, T.J. Lee, Lee Hudspeth, and Dan Butler tell you what every computer user needs to know. If you use computers you need this book! Check it out! http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?tugpc2 +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 03. PhotoDraw Leaves Door Open for Adobe Elements (by Al Gordon) Notice something missing in Microsoft Office XP? Well, actually you probably don't. But those who shelled out for the "Premium" version of Office 2000 may recall a graphics program that Redmond made a big deal out of called PhotoDraw. You, know, the one that Microsoft replaced with Version 2 shortly after O2K's release and was reluctant to give early Office 2000 buyers a free upgrade to? Yeah, that one. Now it is gone from the Office XP packages, and sources say don't hold your breath waiting for a Version 3. The de facto graphics add-on for Office users has come from Adobe; it's Photoshop Elements: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?al1 It is a solid value at a street price of $80. What's more, there's a $30 rebate for users of the following products. For a list of the products that qualify for this rebate check out my supplemental page: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?alsuppl The rebate pretty much covers all the main competitive products and the freebies that come with scanners and imaging software. Up until now, your choices from Adobe were the $600 Photoshop software for graphics professionals: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?al2 If you were upgrading from an older version, say Photoshop 6.0, you could get away for $200: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?al3 Or you could go for the lower-end PhotoDeluxe line with a street price around $50: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?al4 The former was expensive and user-unfriendly. The latter was a mediocre product that seemed designed mainly to avoid taking sales away from Photoshop. A Photoshop Limited Edition existed, but wasn't in wide circulation and wasn't especially attractive. With Elements, Adobe has struck the correct balance. The price is right, the features are right, and the user friendliness is right. The stuff you don't need in the professional product is out, and Wizards, tutorials, and presets galore are in. I have worked with the full Photoshop in the past and found that Elements not only makes available all the features I actually used, but I actually am getting more out of it that its bigger sibling. You have access to a wide range or filters and effects, can generate Photoshop format files, and get traditional Adobe graphics quality. Even the most graphically challenged user can do things such as create Web buttons and banners, turn photos into paintings or abstract art, colonize (or de-colonize) pictures, put in text, frames, borders, and so on. There is a very nice batch conversion program for resizing and changing the format of graphics, and a very cool tool for pulling graphics out of Adobe Acrobat .PDF format files. A nice touch in the interface is a row of tabs on the right of the main toolbar, which open up "palettes" of options. In addition to the usual color, history, and image navigation settings, the palettes include a large collection of filters and a file browser to generate thumbnails in your Windows file folders. An "effects" palette provides more sophisticated preset design touches, which allow you to frame a picture, make it look like a painting, give it 3D looks, add textures, use gradients--about 60 in all. Another palette is a new "recipes" feature, which is a collection of step-by-step tutorials for design touches that can't be automated. For example, one recipe walks you though the technique for making a snapshot look like an old-time sepia-toned photograph. Photoshop Elements has Internet update capabilities that extend to additional recipes, effects, and filters as well as the usual patches and fixes. And there are tools for making Web page graphics, buttons, and shapes. Compared to Paint Shop Pro, which had been my preferred "normal person's" graphics solution, Photoshop Elements produces generally higher quality results and better ease of use, with the additional benefit of compatibility with the graphics industry- standard Photoshop format. However, it does lack Paint Shop Pro's built-in screen shot utility. With Elements, Adobe has given business and end users a solution that may be as much of a standard for those markets as Photoshop is for graphics professional. You can reach Al Gordon at: mailto:al@TheNakedPC.com +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ STOP TELEMARKETERS COLD! As seen in the pages of The Naked PC newsletter, now you can get the Ultimate Anti-Telemarketer Device! Don't let your dinner get cold while you try to stop some telemarketer's sales pitch long enough to say NO! Just press the button on the Easy Hang Up and let this marvelous device tell the telemarketer that your phone number does not accept sales calls and put them on notice to remove your phone number from their call list. This small device plugs into your phone and when you get a sales call just press the button and hang up! It's that simple. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?ehu +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 04. More Snooping Around on the Internet (by Dan Butler) Last issue's article on the information you Web browser reveals about you was well received. You can find my last article in this series here: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?dan1 This time we'll look at how advertising agencies use the information provided by your browser to their advantage using the much-maligned "cookie." Cookies are small files passed between your Web browser and a Web site. Unlike a traditional network, the Internet does not support persistent connections so cookies are used to work around this problem. See Jim's "TNPC Primer - What's a Cookie?" article for more on why we have cookies: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?dan2 From an advertiser standpoint, cookies help the Web site keep track of what you have looked at and what actions you have taken, such as if you have logged in as part of visiting the site. As an example consider our own Annoyance Board. The Annoyance Board is a free service The Naked PC supplies for user-to-user technical support. The board uses cookies to tell it when you last visited, your name, and if you use a return email address when you post messages to the board. With this bit of knowledge the board can show you which messages are new since your last visit and fill in some of the blanks as you post messages so you don't have to type in your name and email address over and over. DoubleClick is an advertising service that delivers many of the advertisements you see on the Internet. They also use a system of cookies to track you around the Web and deliver ads they think will appeal to you based on what sites you visit and which pages you look at. Many people see this as an invasion of privacy. I'm not one of those people. I do, however, believe the practice has the potential of being abused. I've heard several talk radio shows this week where privacy advocates claimed cookies were an invasion of privacy because they could track a user's name, email address, the searches he performed and other Web sites he visited. That's like claiming that paper is an invasion of privacy since it can be used to store the same information. Of course you would have to give me your name before I could store it. Remember our discussion last issue about what information is passed when you surf? DoubleClick tracks you by using a unique identifier, not by your name. This would be the same as someone sitting at the mall and monitoring which people go from store to store. Which stores they enter, how long they stay, which store they go to next after leaving a particular store and so on. People are actually paid to do this. However, they don't run over and ask a shopper for their name and phone number. They just record the gender and approximate age (all important marketing demographics) and assign an arbitrary tag like "shopper A". By observation they discover shoppers' habits, but not specifics like names, phone numbers, or addresses. In other words, certain people went from this store into this other store. After watching several hundred people, marketers actually can discover trends. Then they start targeting their products to the people who they can extrapolate will be coming their way. The Internet has made it easier to do this type of research. DoubleClick combines your unique identifier with the information your browser readily supplies to any Web site you visit to determine which advertisement to show you at any given time. Here is an example of a DoubleClick cookie. The information is all on one line: id 80000008xxxxxxb doubleclick.net/ 0 1468938752 31583413 158986260829410552 * Did you know that Microsoft Web servers use session identification numbers to track you through a Web site? Not just on Microsoft's own sites either. Anybody using a Microsoft server has access to this technology. All the major programming languages on the Web have this capability. The same capability that DoubleClick currently has. This technology is exactly what makes sophisticated shopping carts and personalized Web pages possible. Advertisers have been categorizing people into demographics for a long time. They want to know enough about you to categorize you so they can pitch products at you that you're more likely to purchase. Doing this saves them money and time. If you are curious about your demographics here is a USA site that will show some high-level demographics based on where you live based on your United States zip code. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?dan3 To me the root of the problem is people trying to hang a bad rap on technology when individual technologies are not good or bad, they're just technologies. They can be used for good purposes or bad purposes depending on who employs them and for what purpose. Because of the technical nature of the Internet it can be difficult to understand the playing field to get at the real underlying issues. You'll see a perfect example of this next issue when I discuss DVDs. Read DoubleClick's policy statement and compare it against the list of information from last issue. You'll notice they are using the same information I listed there. The same information that is freely passed by your Web browser as you surf. Does that make DoubleClick the bad guy? Is the browser at fault? All DoubleClick has done is add an identifier to the data so they can piece it back together later. Pretty simple technology actually. Could DoubleClick team up with another company and build profiles on you including your credit card numbers? Yes. Will they? That's the real question. Could a hacker get into your system and steal your credit card? Yes. Is it likely? There's that question again. You see we are talking about two different things, possibility and probability. Many things are possible but have a low probability of happening. Keep this distinction in mind and the whole issue takes on another dimension. If you don't like DoubleClick's tactics there are two things you can do. First go to DoubleClick and "opt-out" of their service. You need to do this in each Web browser that you run on your system. Second run an advertising blocking program like Norton Internet Security. It keeps the ads from being retrieved and controls the necessary cookies for you in the background. DoubleClick's Privacy Policy with links to opt-out are shown on the left side of the page: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?dan4 You can find Norton Internet Security here: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?dan5 Don't go overboard worrying about cookies and advertisements. Remember the only information a cookie can contain is information you supplied or information the site you're visiting already had. Your name won't be in the cookie unless you supplied your name at some point. And advertisements are often the only way some sites have for generating revenue. If you stop by a site frequently you should have a look at the goods they advertise and wouldn't it be better if the ads were something you might actually be interested in? It does cost money to run a Web site and most of the sites I know would appreciate the help. You can reach Dan Butler at: mailto:danbutler@TheNakedPC.com ** 05. Al's Ongoing Office eXPerience (by Al Gordon) I last wrote about Office XP back in TNPC #4.09. At that time I noted that Office 95 users would benefit the most from upgrading. Several readers then wrote in to complain that Microsoft was not extending upgrade pricing to Office 95 users. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?alz1 So I asked Microsoft's spokespeople for the straight scoop. The official response, "Microsoft updates its qualifying upgrade list with more recent product releases to reflect the versions of Office that most of its customers are using. Given that most of its customers have purchased Office 97 or 2000 licenses or upgraded to those versions, they've updated the Office XP qualifying upgrade list to include Office 97 and 2000 only." OK, got that, Office 95 users? Had you been one of Redmond's favorite customers you would have kicked in some bucks for Office 97 or 2000 and to thank you for keeping the cash flowing they'd put you on the yellow brick upgrade path. But since you didn't, they are going to get it from you now with interest. Sad to say, this is going to happen more often in the future as the incremental improvements in Office become more and more marginal, and the company frantically moves to protect its Office cash cow. I actually think Microsoft's plan to shift its sales model to annual licensing (instead of version licenses) may be a good idea--if, and I stress IF--it leads to continuous improvement and bug-fixing in its software instead of silly attempts to go with a "latest and greatest" new package every 18 months. I, for one, am sick of this ongoing process in which the current version of Office or Windows approaches decent reliability around Service Pack 2 (Microsoft always seems to take three shots at anything before they get it right), at which point a new version comes out and the whole process starts over. NT4 went to SP6 and- -not surprisingly--was darn near bulletproof. But, given the XP upgrade situation, customers can be excused for having a really bad feeling about how the transition to annual licensing may play out. You can reach Al Gordon at: mailto:al@TheNakedPC.com ** 06. Featured Product - GazNET Anti-Spam Protection File for Outlook 97/98 Or 2000 If you're running Outlook 97/98/2000 you might want to stop by this site and pick up the revised copy of Junk Senders.txt file that is maintained here. GazNET has collected hundreds of known spammer email addresses and keep them in a frequently updated file that you can download to your PC. This lets Outlook better filter spam out of your Inbox and into the Junk E-mail folder. While there is no perfect solution to spam, this updated file can help Outlook users go a long way to reducing the flood. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?fprod ** 07. Featured Book - "The Overnight Resume" by Donald Asher Every day we hear news about another series of layoffs. Personally my current job runs out in the not too distant future. It's always a good idea to have your resume up to date. After some research I checked out Donald Asher's "The Overnight Resume." Turned out to be just what I needed. The overnight claim is not hyperbole. Simply read the sections of the book marked off in gray, follow the steps, and your resume will be ready the next day. After your resume is finished go back and read the rest of the book for more good information. Overall I found the book quite useful. My resume was not finished in 24 hours but was well on its way. Not bad considering it hadn't been updated in over ten years. If you need to update yours, give this book a look. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?fbook Recent Favorites "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity" by David Allen http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?fbook1 "Microsoft Office 2000: Visual Basic for Applications Fundamentals (Developer Learning Tools)" by David Boctor http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?fbook2 "The Unbelievable Bubble Book" by John Cassidy http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?fbook3 +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ WANT TO GET YOUR WORD OUT? Classified ads in The Naked PC can be yours for ridiculously low prices. Get your message out to over 72,000 TNPC subscribers. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/tnpcadvertising.html?v4i13 +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ ** 08. Featured Web Site - The Annoyance Board We get a lot of email from readers who ask for help with individual computer problems. Unfortunately with over 72,000 TNPC readers "a lot of email" doesn't really do justice to the electronic blizzard that we have to deal with. And as computer consultants we often are swamped with project work that puts the bread on the table. So we'd like to remind everyone of a great technical resource that's available to all The Naked PC readers: our very own 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 The Naked PC 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.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?fsite ** 09. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events and interesting stuff *-* Microsoft's new product-activation technology, which locks Office XP or Windows XP to a particular PC hardware configuration, can deactivate unexpectedly, rendering the software useless until a code number is obtained from Microsoft. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?news1 *-* Looks like Microsoft is being plagued around the world with something called Office XP Gangster Edition. It's a pre-activated English version of Office XP on sale in Europe and Asia for only a few dollars. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?news2 *-* If you or your company are planning to stick to good old Office 2000, you'd better stock up on copies NOW! Microsoft stopped selling volume license copies of Office 2000 at the end of May and single license copies will be removed from Microsoft's price list at the end of July. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?news3 *-* Get a $50 rebate coupon on Office XP from Microsoft. Limited time offer (and limited to buyers in the USA) can currently be found on the Microsoft Web site. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?news4 *-* In October, a moratorium on new Web sales taxes here in the USA expires. If the moratorium terminates without new regulations to replace it, states, cities and other local entities will be free to add their own tariffs on Web transactions. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?news5 *-* Maybe the fix is in and Microsoft knows that nothing will come of the Justice Department's antitrust decision because their recent actions are being called "aggressive" and "monopolistic" by a former Justice Department official. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/413/tr.cgi?news6 *-* From the Search Engine Watch is the observation that the new version of Internet Explorer to be included with Windows XP will force keywords on any Web site to automatically become a link back to a Microsoft site thereby encouraging users to visit Microsoft sites. This is all done under the guise of "helping" Web surfers. Web developers will have to recode their pages to prevent this "helpful" feature so that readers of their pages won't be encouraged to leave their page for a Microsoft page. Get more Newsworthy bits on The Naked PC Web site: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/newsworthy/ Have you come across something newsworthy? Drop us a line: mailto:hottips@TheNakedPC.com ** 10. We Get Mail TNPCer Ismail H. checked in saying that The Naked PC "is very easy-to-read and interesting" but that "the format of the newsletter is very difficult to read." He wants to know why we don't send The Naked PC as an HTML email. Well, we have thought about it. But every time we take a poll or discuss this issue with readers we get just as many "hate HTML" responses as we get "love HTML" responses from our readers. Until there's a preponderance of readers who want The Naked PC as an HTML file we'll continue to send it out as plain text. Be sure to stop by the Letters to the Editor page for more: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/letters/index.html **PLEASE SUPPORT THE NAKED PC BY VISITING OUR ADVERTISERS** +++----------------------- classifieds -----------------------+++ **NEED INK? SAVE 40-70% OVER RETAIL!** High Quality Inkjet Printer Cartridges, JetPaks, Refill Kits. Super Prices! Your Satisfaction IS Guaranteed. NEW! We now offer High Quality Remanufactured Toner Cartridges Save 30-40% * FREE Printer Utilities! * MaxPatch Ink Supplies http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?maxpatch +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ GET THE NAKED PC BACK ISSUES You can now get three volumes worth of "The Naked PC" newsletter on CD-ROM delivered right to your door! Volumes 1-3 includes every issue since TNPC's first issue through the end of the year 2000. Get over 60 issues on disc, fully searchable, all the articles, pub letters, each and every issue, complete and uncut! http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?backissue +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ SELF DEFENSE PRODUCTS Protect yourself! Stunners, alarms, motion detectors, you name it and we probably have it. Where else can you get real bear repellent (registered with the EPA) that works for ALL SPECIES of bear? Handheld stun guns from 80,000 to 625,000 volts! Infra-red and mechanical screech alarms up to 110 decibels. At Machesta International we have some amazing stuff so come by our site and check things out. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?defense +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ >> "Find out THE TRUTH about ANYONE" Background Investigations, Criminal Records, Vehicle Ownership, Military Records, Business Directories, Adoption Resources If you're looking to find them or find out about them this is the tool you can't do without! http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?netdetect +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ 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. 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 The Naked PC 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 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 The Naked PC 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) 2001, PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. and Dan Butler. All Rights Reserved. The Naked PC is a trademark of PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. ISSN: 1522-4422 TNPC Hot Tips:
|
