What You Need to Know about All Things PC
Volume 5 Number 18Click 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, September 5, 2002 - Vol. 5 No. 18 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Table of Contents ** 01. Letter from the Publisher ** 02. Thinking Inside the Box, Part I (by Al Gordon) ** 03. TheNakedPCStore.com Update: Fisher Space Pens (by Lee Hudspeth) ** 04. Featured Product - Antec's Performance Plus ATX Mini Tower (reviewed by Al Gordon) ** 05. Featured Web Site - HCI Bibliography (reviewed by Lee Hudspeth) ** 06. Featured Drawing ** 07. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events and interesting stuff ** 01. Letter from the Publisher In this issue Al looks inside, literally, the Personal Computer and its components--the box, too--as he begins a new series on what to expect and what to avoid when building a PC from scratch. We're proud to announce that TheNakedPCStore.com has added a new product to its family of affordable, quality personal productivity tools: Fisher Space Pens. There is a fascinating history to the development of these unique pens and their patented ink cartridges. Think Outer Space! Dan and Lee are using them in their daily lives, as with Micro-Lights and Swiss-Techs, and will share their experiences with and fondness for these elegant writing implements; in this issue Lee offers his impressions. For more information read this issue's "TheNakedPCStore.com Update" article, or to see our e-store's content click here. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/518/tr.cgi?publet1 "CONGRATULATIONS" to TNPCer Tom S., winner of our previous survey 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 -------------------------+++ >> "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 -------------------------+++ ** 02. Thinking Inside the Box, Part I (by Al Gordon) Here's how it usually goes: You decide you need a new PC. Maybe there is some new function you need that your old one can't handle. Maybe the machine's lack of speed and power becomes noticeable to you. Maybe you just want a new toy. Whatever the case, you buy yourself a new box to replace the old one. Depending on your shopping preferences, you will either (a) pay less than you did last time and be astonished at how much prices have dropped, or (b) your new PC will cost exactly what your old one did and you will be amazed at how much more capabilities your money bought you now. But if you are like most of us what you probably won't do is think all that much about the components that are residing inside the box. In fact, it is more likely that you will note that your basic beige box is now basic black or basic black-and-silver. So as a research exercise--or perhaps as an exercise in stupidity--I decided to build my own new PC to have a look at the state of the art of computer architecture today. I will be sharing what I found out with you in a series of articles in the next few issues of The Naked PC. As I explained to a number of skeptical company public relations people, this series is not about building a PC. For one thing, my colleague T.J. Lee already has written about that and more than covered the ground. Second, this is really a "kids, don't try this at home" process. Building a PC isn't especially difficult. But it is tedious. While the actual technical problems were minimal, I fell into a series of low-tech potholes--putting cables in wrong, forgetting to connect something, working in tight spaces with fumble fingers, etc. Basically, you are not likely to do something fatally wrong. but you aren't going to add a whole lot of value to the project either. Plus, unless you have access to parts at wholesale, the cost will be high and--as a friend was kind enough to point out--you don't get a system-wide warranty or technical support. There is a reason why Dell sells PCs by the millions or why one of the fastest growing market segments is "white box" generic PCs--essentially, the old local computer store products of a decade ago reborn. I will be looking instead at some of the features available to you when you call up to place your order, and at how the sum does add up to more than the total of the component parts. Intel was kind enough to provide a Pentium 4 processor and a motherboard; Kingston Technologies supplied RAMBUS memory; ATI Technologies an All-in-Wonder video card; Turtle Beach, a Santa Cruz audio board; CD writers and DVD readers were from Plextor; FireWire and SCSI support from Orange Micro and Adaptec; and ViewSonic showed off their latest and greatest flat-screen monitors. What I found was that the modern personal computer is no mere word processing, spreadsheet, and Internet/email appliance, and has gained substantial multimedia and graphics capabilities sufficient to give it a role in the workplace as a light-duty workstation and at home as an entertainment center. As I will be discussing, modern PC architecture gives a new dimension to the concept of "multitasking." (c) 2002, Al Gordon You can reach Al Gordon at: mailto:al@TheNakedPC.com +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ Get The Ultimate Plain English PC Guides! Do you get frustrated when using your computer? Tired of wasting time searching for answers you can't seem to find? STOP WASTING YOUR TIME! Discover the Smart Computing Learning Series guides. Get the best PLAIN ENGLISH tips and advice for getting the most out of your PC. All of the answers you've been looking for are here in these handy, easy-to-reference guides no PC user should be without. Order your copies NOW! FREE shipping to the US and Canada. Click Here; preview these and other Learning Series issues today. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/518/tr.cgi?learnref +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 03. TheNakedPCStore.com Update: Fisher Space Pens (by Lee Hudspeth) Fisher Space Pen Company has a motto, "Engineered for better writing." Their line of Space Pens fully lives up to that maxim. We're now carrying a variety of Space Pens in our e-store TheNakedPCStore.com, and I'd like to share with you my personal impressions (no pun intended) of these amazing writing tools. First and foremost, these are not just pens, these are writing implements. You'll know that as soon as you pick one up. A Space Pen has a sturdiness, elegance, heft, and feel that exudes quality craftsmanship. Later in this article I'll talk about the conditions under which these pens write, conditions that ordinary ballpoint pens can't match, and why. An extremely clever yet simple design element of the Bullet style Space Pen is its compact size: 3 3/4" long with the cover on. Combine this with the barrel's smoothly rounded ends, and this pen fits easily and comfortably into your pocket, purse, or even coin purse. It will never poke or prod you. A standard ballpoint pen (I have one right here, it's a Paper Mate model) is 6" covered, that makes the Bullet Space Pen almost 40% shorter (37.5% shorter to be exact). While playing around with these pens I noticed something interesting, that the size of the covered pen is the same width as my fist, so when I grab one under my curled fingers then look at the top of my hand, the pen is hidden from view; that's a small footprint. (I have average size hands.) Yet when you pop off the cover--with a just-right amount of pull effort--and place it onto the end of the Bullet Space Pen's barrel (read: body), the pen is now 5 3/8" long, which is plenty of room for the standard writing position. The business end of the barrel's surface is nicely knurled to give you a good firm grip. Remember, this pen's components are made entirely of metal not plastic. Something else you'll notice right away with the Bullet Space Pen: there's no clicking of a button or rotating a doodad to get the ballpoint tip to protrude, it's always there and ready to write. When you're finished writing and ready to transport the pen, pop the cover back on and it returns to its diminutive size with the ballpoint tip safely covered. A Space Pen's ink flows smoothly and cleanly, every time, without any leakage or evaporation. The patented ink cartridge of all the different Space Pen models has the following performance characteristics: stainless steel precision-machined socket with tungsten-carbide ball; visco-elastic (solid gel thixotropic) ink in a sealed, pressurized nitrogen gas reservoir writes three times longer; ink's shelf life is over 100 years (compared to traditional ballpoint pen ink with a shelf life of about 2 years); writes under water, over grease, in zero gravity, in a vacuum; writes at any angle, even upside down; writes at extreme temperatures, from -30 to +300 degrees Fahrenheit. The neat thing about the ink cartridge is that there's no leakage and you get a smooth, clean line at all times and under all conditions. You can get the Bullet Space Pen with or without a clip. Personally, I like mine without the clip, naturally your preference may differ. I'm enjoying carrying mine in my pants pocket for the time being, and until I shift to a shirt pocket carrying style I'll opt for no clip. As for finish preference, I think the Black Titanium Nitride is the cat's meow. It's a durable, shimmering, luxurious black finish that says, "classy." The Bullet isn't the only model Space Pen. The "Original Astronaut" AG7 Space Pen is used on all Apollo and Shuttle flights. It's 5 1/8" long, constructed of all brass and steel, has a knurled gripping end, and a side button mechanism (for extending/retracting the writing tip). It uses the same patented ink cartridge described earlier. Trivia note: "AG" stands for "anti-gravity" and the number 7 signifies the Apollo mission number of Apollo's first manned flight with astronauts Walter Schirra, Jr., Donn Eisele, and Walter Cunningham. Fisher makes its ink cartridge refills available in a plethora of colors: blue, red, green, black, silver, gold, burgundy, purple, brown, and turquoise; and in different weights too (medium, fine, and bold). Note that not all weights are available with all colors. Replacing an ink cartridge is a totally clean, no-fuss operation. Simply unscrew the pen casing, remove the current cartridge (it drops right out, effortlessly), replace the new cartridge, and screw the case back together, all in a matter of seconds. Fisher unconditionally guarantees its Space Pens. Each pen comes with the following written guarantee, "If you are not satisfied with this Fisher Space Pen, return it directly to us [Fisher Space Pen Company] for repair or replacement." We're carrying a variety of different model Space Pens in an assortment of colors and finishes. Check them out here. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/518/tr.cgi?spacepen The story behind the Fisher Space Pen is so compelling, I'm reprinting it here almost in full (you can read the entire text on the guarantee document that ships with every pen). In December 1945, Milton Reynolds, who had just introduced the ballpoint pen to America, hired our Founder, Paul C. Fisher to "perfect" it. Fisher states, "As a technical pioneer in the ball pen industry, I vowed to make the best pen possible! I've been working on it ever since." "To improve our pens, we use the scientific technique, which is simply: Learning from our trial and error experiences, what works and what doesn't. It requires an open mind and a strong dedication to accuracy. No one gets a correct answer to any problem without accuracy." "In 1965, when man had started to fly in Outer Space, I thought, 'They will need a pen with a sealed, pressurized ink cartridge, so that it can be used in the boiling heat (+250 degrees F) and vacuum of Outer Space.' So, I made a pressurized pen, but all of the available inks kept oozing around the ball point. My father, who had passed away, came to me in a dream and told me to use a small amount of rosin to stop the oozing... through trial and error, we did discover that certain rubber-like synthetic resins solved the problem." "We have invested thousands of hours and millions of dollars in research to develop the Fisher Pressurized Space Pens... Since 1967, they have been used on all manned Space Flights (American and Russian). After 55 years of research, my Associates and I are proud of what we have accomplished. But now, it is only the future that matters. So, we are determined to continue to improve ourselves, our communities and also our pens." If you already own a Fisher Space Pen, or if you buy one in the near future, I'd like to hear your comments. You can reach Lee Hudspeth at: mailto:LeeHudspeth@TheNakedPC.com +++------------------------- 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 -------------------------+++ ** 04. Featured Product - Antec's Performance Plus ATX Mini Tower (reviewed by Al Gordon) (See Al's related article in this issue, "Thinking Inside the Box" -- Ed.) You know the old joke about what do you buy the person who has everything: a huge bag to put it all in. Similarly, motherboards and other PC components really don't do much good floating around in space--you need a case to put them in. For my recent do-it-yourself PC construction project I went with Antec's Performance Plus ATX mini tower, in the new metallic gray color (PLUS660AMG). (The gray is a useful color choice because both black and beige units will look okay when fitted into the outside drive bays.) http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/518/tr.cgi?fprod The mini tower has eight drive bays, five are externally accessible. The internal drive bays are in a sub-frame that releases with a twist of a latch for easy access. The case comes with two fans that score well on the quietness scale, and I added a third. The chassis design has several convenient mounting points where an Antec fan will easily snap in place. The power supply is a 330W unit using Antec's "True Power" system. Antec says True Power offers more precise voltage than competing units. More immediately measurable is its noise- reduction technology: you hook the fans up to dedicated power cables and the power supply adjusts fan speed in sync with its own temperature. I found it pleasantly quiet. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/518/tr.cgi?fprod2 All the requisite cables and mounting hardware are included (which, trust me, is no longer a given these days--as profit margins shrink, companies seem to think that leaving two cents worth of mounting screws out of the package is a good idea). The case also has two USB and one FireWire front-panel ports; a good idea. Alas, they were not all that securely mounted on my unit-- not a good idea. With a street price under $125, the Antec Performance Plus 660 offers good value and a good set of features. (c) 2002, Al Gordon You can reach Al Gordon at: mailto:al@TheNakedPC.com ** 05. Featured Web Site - HCI Bibliography (reviewed by Lee Hudspeth) HCI stands for Human-Computer Interaction, and the computer scientists behind this Web site strive to make freely available a bibliography of related work. There is some exceptional information available here (see below for some of my favorites), currently housed in over 23,500 records. The database's records and links cover the entire HCI spectrum: recommended readings; history; conferences and workshops; company and consultant lists; education and lab links; guidelines; resources; FAQs; kids and computers; and more. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/518/tr.cgi?fsite A few of my favorites... Graphical User Interface Gallery (a screenshot history of various GUIs, some well known and some obscure): http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/518/tr.cgi?fsite2 NASA's Man-System Integration Standards (cool drawings, if you're interested in seeing the specifications): http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/518/tr.cgi?fsite3 "Top Ten Guidelines for Homepage Usability" (from Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox): http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/518/tr.cgi?fsite4 Kids designs for wearable computing: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/518/tr.cgi?fsite5 ** 06. Featured Drawing The survey question for this issue's drawing is, "Would you read TheNakedPC.com newsletter if it came out weekly?" 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/518/tr.cgi?fdrawing ** 07. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events and interesting stuff *-* As we reported in TNPC #5.16, Microsoft has agreed to publicly release some of its operating systems' proprietary source code. This is part of its settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and nine State Attorneys General regarding the government's antitrust case. To see and read more about the "few hundred undocumented Windows interfaces that were used by one or more of the Microsoft Middleware components" click here. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/518/tr.cgi?news1 *-* The music recording industry cites its own study in an effort to convince lawmakers, and the general public, that music piracy is responsible for a recent downturn in CD sales; however, the RIAA won't release the full study claiming its detailed contents are proprietary. Other studies show no correlation between digital downloads and the CD sales slump. According to Graham Spencer, cofounder of fair-use advocacy group DigitalConsumer, "There's a new study every week. Half of them say that file sharing hurts the music industry, half of them say it helps it." http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/518/tr.cgi?news2 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 MORE DEBTS YOU HAVE, >> THE FASTER YOU CAN PAY THEM OFF! Paying highest-interest debt first is the SLOWEST way out. You can laugh at money worries - if you follow this simple plan. Discover secrets your friends don't know & banks won't tell you. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?financial +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ 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 +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ Tweaki...for Power Users Designed for all Windows operating systems, Tweaki is your Swiss army knife of utilities. Implement security, lock down your Desktop, tweak Microsoft Office, optimize Windows--roughly 500 tweaks in all! Tweaki also comes with a built-in undo function that restores any tweaked setting the utility tracks, no matter how long ago you tweaked it! http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?tweaki +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ >> "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:
|
