What You Need to Know about All Things PC
Volume 5 Number 17Click 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, August 22, 2002 - Vol. 5 No. 17 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Table of Contents ** 01. Letter from the Publisher ** 02. Fighting Spam - Part IX (by Dan Butler) ** 03. Lee's Mail Queue (by Lee Hudspeth) ** 04. A Flash of Memory (by Al Gordon) ** 05. Featured Products - SanDisk ImageMate Flash Memory Card Combo Reader and SanDisk Cruzer Data Storage Device (reviewed by Al Gordon) ** 06. Featured Web Sites - Pediatric Database (PEDBASE) & VoyCabulary (reviewed by Dan Butler) ** 07. Featured Drawing ** 08. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events and interesting stuff ** 01. Letter from the Publisher In this issue... Dan's coverage of spam and what you can do about it continues, with a detailed set of recommendations; don't miss it! Lee catches up with his TNPC reader email queue and answers many your pressing questions. Al explores flash memory formats CF, SD, MMC, SmartMedia, and Memory Stick; remember this mantra, "More data, faster, cheaper." We've been carrying Swiss-Tech portable tools in our e-store for some time, and judging by your orders of same, many of you agree with our assessment that these are absolutely must-have devices. The Swiss-Tech product line includes a UtilKey, an 8-in-1 tool, and a 6-in-1 tool. The tools are available in various finishes and cool gift set combos; see the link below for details plus an in-depth review by Dan about how we all put these versatile marvels to good use every day. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?publet1 "GOOD FOR YOU" to TNPCer R. V., winner of our previous drawing. This issue we're giving away a handy Photon Micro-Light, winner picks the color. It's fun and easy to enter, see this issue's Featured Drawing article. Reader support is what keeps The Naked PC free. You can help us by passing a copy on to co-workers and friends (no spam please). We make it easy for you to refer people to The Naked PC... check out our Refer page: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/refer/ +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ MICRO-LIGHTS the Super POCKET FLASHLIGHT! 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. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?pocketflashlight +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 02. Fighting Spam - Part IX (by Dan Butler) Last issue we looked at MailWasher. Many of you use MailWasher and are satisfied with the results. That's great! This issue I promised to tell you how I personally deal with spam, and why I don't recommend it for most of you. Then you'll learn what I do recommend. If you missed previous articles in this series you can find them here: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?dan1 First consider two different ways of filtering spam. You can either identify the spam or identify the legitimate email. MailWasher attempts to do both. Long term you'll have less upkeep and more success if you focus on identifying legitimate email. With that in mind let's look at two examples of filtering email. My personal spam-handling technique involves my home network. One of the machines, a Pentium 233, runs Linux. Nothing fancy - works great. Fetchmail downloads my email at set intervals, runs it through procmail where SpamBouncer takes over and files it. Then I use Pegasus mail to download the mail from Linux to my Windows 2000 box. Sounds complex but it's really very transparent. All of the software used in the system is free, except Windows. Spambouncer is a set of procmail recipes. You configure four to six files depending on your setup. After that it just filters the mail. In my case it catches 800-1000 spams per week, deletes all the viruses, and files all of the bounces and miscellaneous messages that come through. Is this system effective? Total spams that slipped through last week: 1. I've haven't had a single virus pass through since I've started using it. False positives on the email are about 2-4 per week. The key is that it is entirely hands-off at this point and consumes a total of about three minutes a week to maintain. It took me a few weeks to get all the filters in place and now it's hands off. Read more about SpamBouncer here: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?dan2 I realize that most of you won't be interested in setting up a Linux machine just to filter your email. That isn't all I use that for; I spend a large portion of my time with Linux. So where does that leave the rest of you? Here is a simple solution that will filter your mail about like SpamBouncer does. The process is called "Reverse Spam Filtering." All you'll need is your email client's filters or rules. The specific rules you'll use will move messages to folders. Check your help file for the specifics of your client. In your client you want to create several types of rules. The first checks to see if a message is from any mailing lists you belong to--TheNakedPC.com for example--and deals with it appropriately. I filter mailing lists into folders but you may prefer to keep them in your inbox. Second - check to see if the email is from a friend of yours. If it is, exit the filter and the message ends up in your inbox. Call this your "green" list. Third - check to see if the To: or Cc: field of the email is addressed to you. If so consider this email "yellow." Either leave these in your inbox or put them in a separate folder for later perusal. Finally all other email is considered "red" and put in a potential spam folder. Check that folder periodically for legitimate email, adjust your mail filters, then delete the rest. In my case I use my email client to change all my "green" email to a different color depending on who it's from. Makes it easy to keep the business and personal mail apart. Not all clients support this feature. Pegasus and Eudora do. If this sort of approach interests you check out Nancy McGough's "Reverse Spam Filtering" page at Infinity Ink. At times things will sound technical but they just aren't that difficult. It is a "work in process" but has lots of links and information on this topic: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?dan3 As you set up your filters keep in mind how much time you are spending. Make sure you aren't adding time to your day. Start small and be diligent. Soon your email client will sift and sort your email and you'll wonder how you ever got along any other way. You can reach Dan Butler at: mailto:danbutler@TheNakedPC.com +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ "You Can Laugh At Money Worries - If You Follow This Simple Plan" Do you sometimes have more month than money? Ever wonder how to dig out of the hole of debt? Maybe someone you know is struggling. In today's uncertain times with tens of thousands being laid off, this is one step you can take now to make your future more certain. This proven multimedia course will show you everything you need. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?financial +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 03. Lee's Mail Queue (by Lee Hudspeth) Jim recently got caught up with his TNPC reader mail backlog by covering the most frequently asked questions you folks had sent his way. A good idea, and one I'll emulate in this article. Here are the issues, and my responses, most frequently raised by folks writing to me. * What is an alternative to the Magellan in-car navigation system Lee reviewed in TNPC #5.16? -- Kevin Q. uses CoPilot for his Pocket PC, a GPS navigation system that interfaces with a laptop. This hardware/software package comes in USB and serial versions, both at a street price of $369. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?lee1 * What are the risks of using an in-car navigation system while driving? -- The Magellan system I described, when powering up, prompts you with a warning message to the effect of "the driver shouldn't be monkeying around with this device while driving" and then asks you to press Enter to acknowledge the admonition. Naturally, if you're driving alone, you're going to need to at least tell the device what your destination is. Exercising common sense, it would be safest to do this while parked and out of traffic, then you can use the device in a completely hands-free mode while driving. * What is Microsoft's phone number for 90 days of free support for Microsoft mouse products (that you purchased retail)? -- The number is 425-635-7040. If the product came preinstalled on your PC, Microsoft directs you to contact the PC manufacturer. * What is Microsoft's phone number for paid personal support ($35 per phone or Web incident) for Microsoft mouse products? -- The number is 800-936-5700. * What are the hours of operation for the folks who answer these phones? -- According to Microsoft the hours are Monday-Friday 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM PST, Saturday 5:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and Sunday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. * Where is Microsoft's portal for online support? -- Although a fee may be required in some cases, here's where to start. (Note: have your Product ID number ready. If you can't find it, when you get to the appropriate Web page there will be a link on how to find it.) http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?lee2 The above link may only be valid for folks inside the U.S., if you're outside the U.S. and this link doesn't work, go here and follow the "Contact Microsoft" link: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?lee3 * How often do the batteries in the Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer need to be changed? This varies depending on how often you use the mouse and, apparently, by brand. If you find your current brand seems to have a short life, switch brands and keep a log on the various brands' performance until you identify the longest-lived. As I reported previously, I use Energizer No. E91; FWIW I am still on the original in-the-box pair after two months of frequent use! * Many folks wrote thanking the anonymous author of the "Fan Noise Revisited" article in TNPC #5.15. -- A sampler... "Thanks for publishing the erudite note from the anonymous acoustical engineer on fans & fan noise." "This article was very interesting, highly informative and well written." "Fascinating stuff... just what I was after, please pass my thanks to anonymous." You can reach Lee Hudspeth at: mailto:LeeHudspeth@TheNakedPC.com +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ >> "How Many Ways Will You Use These Amazing Devices?" They're incredibly handy. When we first saw these amazing little devices we thought, "these will look cool hanging on my key ring." Then we started using them. WOW - every day we find more uses. How many will you find? http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?swisstech +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 04. A Flash of Memory (by Al Gordon) If you are getting confused by all the flash memory formats out there--CF, SD, MMC, SmartMedia, Memory Stick--the folks at SanDisk say don't blame them. The Sunnyvale, CA-based company is the market leader in flash memory cards, and participated in the development of many of the formats. But, says Nelson Chan, Senior Vice President & General Manager of SanDisk's Retail Business Unit, "At the end of the day, the guys who build consumer electronics determine what they want to put in them. They determine how many card standards there will be." "Flash" memory refers to units in which data is saved to chips that will retain the data when powered off--unlike, say, PC memory chips. According to Chan, the flash memory market is highly fragmented, with no one format dominating sufficiently to muscle out the others. Compact Flash--the familiar matchbook sized card--is #1, but Chan estimates that its market share is only around 30-40 percent. For a look at the various card formats, please see my supplemental page: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?al1 Memory Stick (it looks like a stick of chewing gum), for example, was developed by Sony, which wanted a proprietary standard for its entertainment-oriented products, one that also incorporated security features to satisfy the music and entertainment content arms of the corporation. Toshiba developed Smart Media as a format for digital cameras, and it lined up Fuji and Olympus as supporters. (Nikon and Canon use CF). Plus, Chan said, some makers decided that "the CF card was too big" for their device needs. This drove the development of the postage-stamp sized Multimedia Card (MMC) and a Secure Digital (SD) a variant that incorporates encoding security circuitry. As piracy concerns continue to obsess the content providers, SD is likely to supplant MMC in the months ahead. (Tech note: a MMC card will fit in a SD slot, but not vice versa because SD is slightly thicker.) I also expect SD to ultimately take over the PDA market from CF because of the size advantage. The explosion of digital photography has been one driving force on the market. Flash memory are the "film" in digital cameras and as higher-resolution cameras become more mainstream there is an according need for larger-capacity memory cards. Digital music players and PDAs also loom large. But the multiplication of formats seems to be subsiding. Chan does not expect any format smaller than SD/MMC to gain traction because they would be too annoying to handle, "Ergonomically, your fingers are only so big." And consumer electronics manufacturers seem content with the current offerings. So for the moment, the evolution of flash cards looks to be pretty much standard stuff: more data, faster, cheaper. SanDisk, for example, has introduced a 1 GB CF card, while SD has just hit the 256 MB mark. 1 GB Compact Flash Card: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?al2 There also is a line of "Ultra" CF cards, with higher access speeds intended, among other things, to enable photographers to shoot off sequential photos more quickly and to more quickly download large, high-resolution files. SanDisk says the transfer rate for fast copy/download is up to 2.8 MB per second or more than twice the sustained write speed of SanDisk's standard products (memory access times are the digital equivalent of film motorized drive speeds.) Ultras tend to carry a 25 percent premium over standard CFs. Ultra Cards: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?al3 The growth of high-end products, in fact, has inspired Chan to invent a term for the market: "prosumer"--professionals and consumer power users. That would be us. (c) 2002, Al Gordon You can reach Al Gordon at: mailto:al@TheNakedPC.com ** 05. Featured Products - SanDisk ImageMate Flash Memory Card Combo Reader and SanDisk Cruzer Data Storage Device (reviewed by Al Gordon) In addition to its flash memory cards (discussed in my "A Flash of Memory" article in this issue), SanDisk has been rolling out some accessory products that are pretty cool. First, to deal with the multiplicity of formats previously discussed, SanDisk has expanded its line of card readers to include dual format ImageMate models. I tested the CF/SD model, which handles the two of the most prevalent card formats. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?fprod1 The price is around $30. The units are sculptured blue bars, with the nice design touch of the USB connector cord tucked into a channel on the bottom where it is out of the way (especially handy for road warriors carrying one in their laptop bag). A USB extension cord provides the necessary cord length to hook up to a desktop. Plugged into your USB port, the unit appears as two removable drives on your PC. Typical of SanDisk readers, the ImageMate installs without hassles, and provides very quick and reliable access to your memory cards. It is much superior solution than plugging in your digital camera to download pictures. If the floppy disk isn't dead yet, the new wave of USB "key chain" memory devices are pretty much likely to finish the job. And take Zip disks with them. SanDisk's take on the concept is the new Cruzer, available in capacities from 40 MB up to 256 MB. Or actually, up to infinity. Instead of fixed memory, Cruzer uses a SD card so you can swap memory to your heart's content. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?fprod2 Cruzer is a little bigger (1 3/4" x 2 5/8" x 5/8") than most key chain devices but the flexibility makes up for that. A handy thumb switch in the center of the silver colored unit pops out the USB plug when pushed up. Pushed down, it ejects the SD card. Where the design of your PC permits, the Cruzer can be plugged in directly. But, as with the ImageMate, there is an extension cord where the fit isn't right. It's a handy little device that is perfect for taking documents (and even some software) on the road with you. Also for transferring items over to a friend's or colleague's computer. I particularly like the potential for Cruzer as a way to store your personal files when working on a shared PC. A lot of computer users are likely to be happily Cruzing around with their data. (c) 2002, Al Gordon You can reach Al Gordon at: mailto:al@TheNakedPC.com ** 06. Featured Web Sites - Pediatric Database (PEDBASE) & VoyCabulary (reviewed by Dan Butler) PEDBASE provides information on various pediatric disorders. When I was looking for information on Crouzon syndrome I came across the PEDBASE article on the syndrome. It listed what I needed in a nice format. You can find PEDBASE here: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?fsite1 The only problem? I didn't understand all the terminology PEDBASE supplied me with. That's where our second site VoyCabulary comes in handy: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?fsite2 VoyCabulary has many dictionaries online. These include medical, legal, and foreign language dictionaries. That isn't so unusual except that you can apply these dictionaries to a Web page. You give Vocabulary a URL then it retrieves the page and hyperlinks every word on the page to the dictionary you select. After running PEDBASE's page on Crouzon through VoyCabulary we quickly were able to come to terms with the information in the document. We had an understanding of Crouzon and felt more comfortable when talking to the doctors. If you need information on pediatric disorders, PEDBASE is a good place to start. If the language is above your head, run it through VoyCabulary and get the understanding you need. ** 07. Featured Drawing The salient question of the day is, "Do you use the rules/filtering tools of your email client?" If you haven't entered one of our The Naked PC survey drawings before, here's how it works. You go to a Web page on our site, answer one survey question, and type in your email address. To encourage folks to participate, we conduct a drawing from the email addresses of each survey's participants and we give away something really useful. Now, obviously we already have your email address or you wouldn't be reading this, but this drawing for prizes will only include those folks who answer this issue's question (entering a prior drawing doesn't count for this one). We'll only use the email addresses we collect for the purpose of notifying who won the prize, nothing else. Before our next issue is published, we'll pick one entered name at random. The winner gets one Photon Micro-Light II pocket flashlight--a $19.95 value absolutely free. And the winner picks the color of her or his choice. But you have to enter to win. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?fdrawing Results of our prior survey, "Does your ISP filter your email?" No and I wish they would 14% No and I'd like to keep it that way 50% What's a filter? 9% Yes and I control the filter 14% Yes and I have no control over the filter 13% ** 08. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events and interesting stuff *-* Dell will soon be selling low-price "white box" PCs to mom- and-pop style shops that cater to small business (with 100 or fewer employees). Just how big is the "white box" market? Research firm IDC released its revised estimate for the worldwide PC market in 2001: add another 8 million PCs. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?news1 *-* ComStore Networks reports that online spending (excluding auction transactions) is up $6 billion in July 2002 relative to July 2001, a 26% increase. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?news2 *-* Simson Garfinkle says, "Firewalls often provide a mere illusion of protection. They don't make business systems significantly more secure." http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?news3 *-* Today the telegraph is forgotten. What happened to it? And what does its fate say about what lies ahead for the Internet? The similarities are striking. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/517/tr.cgi?news4 Have you come across something newsworthy? Drop us a line: mailto:hottips@TheNakedPC.com **PLEASE SUPPORT THE NAKED PC BY VISITING OUR ADVERTISERS** +++----------------------- classifieds -----------------------+++ THE HOT TIP FOR PC USERS Computer Tips Compendium contains over 460 computer tips packaged as an electronic book-on-CD-ROM. Get the best tips, tricks, and techniques in a fully searchable format all on a single CD. Includes access to our Web site's customers-only online tips section. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?comptips +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ **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 +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ PROTECT Your PRIVACY with Anonymizer! Sign up and use our proxy server to stay 100% anonymous! Convenient and effective privacy protection -- no one can see where you surf. Blocks Cookies, Java, JavaScript, and other tracking methods. Cookie Encryption - lets you safely access and use Web sites that require cookies. URL Encryption - encrypts your page requests so your ISP can't log them. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?anon +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ >> "Get Control of the Choices in Your Life..." It's amazing. Simple things bring the biggest results. Find out how this book can change your life. I use three of the ideas everyday -- you can too. Click here for more info: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?being +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ PUT MICROSOFT OFFICE TO WORK FOR YOU If you use Microsoft Office 97, 2000 or XP, you need a PRIME for Office Utilities CD. From the Publishers of The Naked PC newsletter, on one CD you get PRIME for Word, PRIME for Excel, and the amazingly useful PRIME DocLauncher for Office utilities. 100s of features, plus a free ebook! http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?pcgcd3 +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ EXQUISITE Gourmet Food Gifts Harry and David has the highest quality fruits, sweets, gourmet foods, vegetables and more... all carefully and superbly packaged for timely delivery. Ideal for a thoughtful and tasty gift to a family member, friend, or for business. Choose from dozens of basket, tower, and "fruit of the month club" offerings. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/h/tr.cgi?harrydavid +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ 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) 2002, 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:
|