Newsbytes - May, 2004

In this issue the following topics are addressed: ~~~ May 5, 2004 General Meeting ~~~ In the News ~~~ Worm and Virus Update ~~~ The News From Pasadena ~~~ Selected Software ~~~ Closing Humor And now for the details ~~~ May 5, 2004 General Meeting The next General Meeting is now scheduled for Wednesday, May 5’th at the West Charleston Library. The meeting will follow the usual outline, beginning with a round table discussion and Q's and A's with meeting participants. The meeting will begin at 6:15 p.m. with a short break at about 7:00 p.m. followed by our main Program. This month, Dave Whittle will demonstrate various programs including Muvee, 3D-album, Activepdf, iSeeMedia and Alpha5. The program Muvee, in particular, has gained praise for its ease of use in editing digital video and producing DVDs. www.lvpcug.org ~~~ In the News >From PC World SAMSUNG READIES PORTABLE FUEL CELL Device could provide 10 hours of power to a notebook computer. http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/32069/8331229/237978/0/ DISHARMONY DRIVES DIGITAL MUSIC DEBATE Industry associations argue peer-to-peer policies before college audience. http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/43198/8331229/238196/0/ MICROSOFT UPDATES ONENOTE Preview of service pack for note-taking application shows better Pocket PC and Office integration plus fixes. http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/48244/8331229/238273/0/ MICROSOFT QUESTIONED ON XP SP2 Users want to know if security features will interfere with antivirus, firewall apps. http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/49719/8331229/238301/0/ WINDOWS XP SERVICE PACK 2 DELAYED Microsoft now says the update won't ship before July. http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/61356/8331229/238504/0/ MICROSOFT PATCH SLOWS SOME SYSTEMS Programmers keep working on SSL flaw, since fix causes slowdowns, shutdowns on some Windows 2000 PCs. http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/61356/8331229/238505/0/ IBM, STANFORD CRAFT NEXT-GENERATION CHIPS New research group uses science of spintronics to create high-powered CPUs. http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/57723/8331229/238435/0/ Got a problem? How about 18,000+ calculators on-line: http://www.martindalecenter.com/ (Thanks to Al Jackson) ~~~ Worm and Virus Update >From PC World SPYWARE RUNS RAMPANT, STUDY SAYS Many PCs also contain Trojans or system monitoring apps, Earthlink finds. http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/44524/8331229/238211/0/ SPYWARE'S VICTIMS SPREAD Service firms, tech vendors say their time is stolen by a pest that's growing faster than viruses. http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/48244/8331229/238271/0/ WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO STOP SPYWARE? Industry insiders, government officials debate merits of laws versus technical solutions. http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/49719/8331229/238302/0/ ~~~ The News From Pasadena Steve Bass sends along the following item: I was saving this for a "Dig This" in the PC World newsletter (which is due, like now). But I've been so caught up in figuring out the Crimson Room, I doubt I'll get it done on time. This is a really, really difficult puzzle, a Flash game that I doubt even the brightest of you will get through in short order. So go kill a little time. (One hint, courtesy Alex E: One easy clue that's not cheating. Use the tab key to find out where to click..) BTW, It took me over two hours, on and off, but I finally got to the end. And yes, I had to cheat because I got as far as the safe but couldn't figure out the right combination. (yes, now I realize where it was, so don't write and tell me I'm not to bright; it's something I already know.) http://snipurl.com/crimson_room (Main page: http://www.datacraft.co.jp/takagism/ ) ~~~ Selected Software >From PC World MRU-Blaster MRU-Blaster roots out the information that your PC is hiding from you. Some of these MRU (most recently used) files, such as emporary files, may not be doing anything worse than squatting on your territory. Others, like cookies, can invade your privacy. MRU-Blaster detects and deletes over 30,000 MRUs, leaving you with a cleaner and more private PC. Free http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/30416/8819205/237922/0/ MailWasher Pro Enhances Spam Filter Version 4.0 adds Bayesian technique that compiles data from other users to snag the latest spam. http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/30695/8550347/237927/0/ Motherboard Monitor This handy program reads temperature and fan data collected by your system's BIOS, displays it in the Windows system tray, and alerts you when there's trouble. You can use this application to manage your resources by doing things like setting an alarm to go off, or having an e-mail sent to another computer, when your motherboard starts to overheat. You could even have programs start and stop when your CPU reaches predetermined temperatures. Free http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/41402/8819205/238133/0/ Fresh Diagnose This utility is designed to analyze and benchmark your computer system. Fresh Diagnose scans your system and gives you a complete report about your computer's hardware and software, including mainboard information, video system information, PCI/AGP information, peripheral (keyboard, mouse, printer, etc.) information, and network information. The program tests your system performance and compares it with other systems. Free http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/41402/8819205/238134/0/ Eudora Qualcomm's popular e-mail client manages multiple e-mail accounts and handles just about any attachment you're likely to receive. A robust search feature lets you find archived messages. You can use a word processor when you're composing messages, so you can check spelling, format text, and choose a font. Free http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/55091/8819205/238389/0/ Musicmatch Jukebox Basic This all-in-one digital audio management tool rips, mixes, burns, organizes, and plays music. The program has a "faster ripping" feature, which lets you extract files from CDs and save them as .wav or .mp3 files; you can then burn your digital files to CD-R or CD-RW. The program lets you transfer your music files to your portable devices. Finally, you can enjoy Musicmatch Radio. Significantly, this latest version lets you buy tracks from all 5 major labels and more than 30 independents. Unlike the files you might find on a peer-to-peer file sharing network, these files are high quality, free of viruses, and legal to download. Within the program, you can burn the files to CD and transfer them to your MP3 player. Free http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/58841/8819205/238443/0/ FreeRAM XP When ill-mannered programs don't release your computer's RAM after you run them, FreeRAM can do the job. This utility frees and defragments your computer's RAM. As you use your computer, open applications, surf the Internet, and navigate Windows, your system's memory usually decreases. FreeRAM XP frees up this memory, thereby increasing system response time, stability, speed, and efficiency. Free http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/58841/8819205/552/0/ Browser Hijack Blaster This program watches several components of Internet Explorer to make sure no one hijacks your browser or tries to slip spyware into it. If an invader does attempt to change your IE's home page, default page, or search page, Browser Hijack Blaster will let you know. The program also keeps a database of known values common to spyware programs; when possible, it gives details and specialized instructions for shaking loose the leeches. Free http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/60789/8819205/458/0/ Audacity This open-source audio editor lets you record and play audio files, convert files from one format to another, edit sounds easily, mix tracks, and apply effects to your recordings. It also features a built-in amplitude envelope editor, a customizable spectrogram mode and a frequency analysis window for audio analysis applications. Built-in effects include Bass Boost, Wahwah, and Noise Removal, and it also supports VST plug-in effects. Free http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/63513/8819205/238510/0/ >From LockerGnome: QuickStart v1.8.1 [890K] Win9x/2k/XP FREE http://www.digiarch.org/quickstart.html I’ve reviewed many program launchers and can never imagine what could be different about the next one. QuickStart is another one worthy of a look as I was immediately muy impressed when I entered an application (Publisher). Before I finished typing the word, QuickStart recognized it and I hit Enter to launch the program. Whoomp! There it is. The author created it when he developed RSI (repetitive strain injury), and this tool does help. Very simple and does the trick without hogging resources. Firefly v1.4 [1770K] Win98/2k/XP Pro Shareware http://www.freshtel.net/?show==home This one is definitely a tool worth checking out. This simple program integrates instant messaging and VoIP. The program is easy to install without adding any malicious software or spyware to your computer. I had no problems getting the program to operate through my firewall. When you install Firefly, you register for your own phone number that others can use to call you. You have the option of publishing the number in the firefly directory. On top of this, you also get a fully featured voice mail service. A great program for those who want free worldwide calling! JPEGCompress [676K] Win9x/2k/XP FREE http://www.dreamscapesoftware.com/products/soft_jpeg.html The other day I was looking for a simple utility to compress JPEG images from my digital camera. My search led me to the appropriately titled program: JPEGCompress. I know there are several ways to compress, but I found that this particular program got the job done quickly, and I was very pleased with the results. It's simple to use: just open up the graphic file that you want to compress (BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG) and then select the amount of compression. You can set the quality of compression from Low to Maximum, or you can type in your own number from 1-100. You'll instantly see what the file will look like, and you'll also know what to expect in terms of file size and download time on a 56k modem. When you're satisfied with the graphic, you can save it as a JPEG or PNG file. The Babbleback Machine [1.27M] Win98/2k/XP FREE http://babbleback.sourceforge.net/ In checking out loads of programs, I often misjudge a piece of freeware based upon an initial look-see. Such was the case with The Babbleback Machine - it appeared rather limited when I first read about it. But then I tried it out! It continuously records sound from your PC's microphone and plays it back at a delay. After reading the program author's Web page, it became abundantly clear just how useful this program can be. It really is a great learning/teaching tool for the little ones - as they speak or make whatever sounds and then hear the playback via the delay, they will learn and no doubt begin expressing themselves more creatively by the fascination that the experience elicits. DirKey v2.0a [145K] Win98/2k/XP FREE http://protonfx.com/ I'm a fan of small and useful applications. One that I consider a must have on my machine is DirKey. It is a tray tool that gives you fast access to your favorite bookmarked folders. It is extremely easy to set up with a few mouse clicks, and voila: accessing your favorite folders is fast and easy (finally, a quicker way to access folders without going through Explorer)! It really streamlines the often arduous process of opening a specific folder quickly. Uses very little resources. ~~~ Closing Humor It is time to once again update our list of the 2004 World’s Thinnest Books: MY LITTLE BOOK OF PERSONAL HYGIENE by Osama Bin Laden THINGS I CANNOT AFFORD by Bill Gates SPOTTED OWL RECIPES by the EPA THE AMISH PHONE DIRECTORY MY PLAN TO FIND THE REAL KILLERS by O. J. Simpson THINGS I WOULD NOT DO FOR MONEY by Dennis Rodman MY WILD YEARS by Al Gore FRENCH WAR HEROES by Jacques Chirac HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN AIRPLANE by John Denver MY SUPER BOWL HIGHLIGHTS by Dan Marino AMELIA EARHART'S GUIDE TO THE PACIFIC AMERICA'S MOST POPULAR LAWYERS DETROIT: a Travel Guide A COLLECTION of MOTIVATIONAL SPEECHES by Dr. J. Kevorkian EVERYTHING MEN KNOW ABOUT WOMEN EVERYTHING WOMEN KNOW ABOUT MEN ALL THE MEN I HAVE LOVED BEFORE by Ellen de Generes GUIDE TO DATING ETIQUETTE by Mike Tyson And the world's Number One Thinnest Book ........ MY BOOK OF MORALS by Bill Clinton with introduction by The Rev. Jesse Jackson See you soon! The information in this bulletin is compiled from a variety of public sources. Replies or comments should be sent to: newsbytes@lvpcug.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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