Dave Bytes

Dave "Bytes"

Please remember to use your thinker, before you tinker!

April 1, 2005

A Periodic Newsletter for the Members of the Sarasota PC User Group and the World!!

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Here's A Computer Tip

Turning Off Your Computer

Choose the Turn Off option when nobody else will be using the computer until the next morning. Windows XP saves everything, and tells you when it's okay to turn off your computer. (Sometimes it turns it off for you.) When you choose Turn Off Computer, Windows clings like a sleepy cat, tossing up these three options:

v Standby: Also called Hibernate on some laptops, this option quickly saves all your work and puts the computer in virtual sleep -- a delicate mode between on and off. Avoid it.

v Turn Off: Choose this option when you're done for the day. Let you -- and your computer -- get some real sleep. When Windows XP leaves the screen, turn off the computer and the monitor, if Windows XP doesn't do it automatically.

v Restart: Only choose this option when Windows XP screwed something up: Several programs crashed, or Windows seems to be acting awfully weird. Windows XP turns off and reloads itself, hopefully feeling refreshed.

When you tell Windows XP that you want to quit, it searches through all your open windows to see whether you've saved all your work. If it finds any work you've forgotten to save, it tosses a box your way, letting you click the OK button to save it. Whew!

You don't have to shut down Windows XP every night. In fact, some people leave their computers turned on all the time, saying it's better for their health. Others say their computers are healthier if they're turned off each day. However, everybody says to turn off your monitor when you're done working. Monitors definitely enjoy cooling down when not being used.

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Here's A Security Tip

What makes a good password?

Gone are the days of using your dog’s name as a password. Bad passwords give you as much protection as having no password at all! Passwords should be:

v At least 7 characters in length

v Include a random mixture of letters, numbers and symbols (#,$,%, etc.)

v Be changed every 90 days

Here's Another Silly USB Device

The Fondue That's Fun Too!

Tired of the lunchtime greasy McBurger with pickle routine? Looking to expand your culinary sophistication without leaving your cube? Look no further than the Fundue™ - the World's first desktop USB fondue set. With features like an LCD display, blue LED glowing heater element and fireglow USB cables you'll be the MacDaddiest, most svelte lemming in the office come lunchtime.

Sure, you'll be sucking precious energy from your computer's power supply that your motherboard might need, but who cares when you are also sucking on a piece of crusty french bread drenched in a nutty Gruyere!

Due to current limitations in the USB specification for power consumption, your Fundue should only be used to melt cheeses and chocolates. However, when the new USB 3.0 specification hits the industry (which will allow USB devices to consume much more power), your Fundue will be ready for advanced fondue techniques such as oil dipping and desktop frying!

Features and Specs of your Fundue include:

v 1 Fundue™ pot with blue LED regulated heating element

v 1 Fundue™ base, with Oil-Guard™ technology, LCD screen and control panel

v 1 Blue FireGlow USB device Cable

v 6 Fundue™ Forks with included monitor attachments

v Auto-power off mode for decreased loss of life risk

v LCD screen displays current temperature.

v Included CD Software allows you to use your Fundue™ LCD screen to optionally scroll MP3 ID3 tags when you listen to music at your computer.

v Recipe booklet

OK, I confess ... this is a poor April Fool's joke

Here's A Special Offer From

CompUSA and I wish to thank all of the attendees at the FACUG Spring Regional Conference for welcoming us in and stopping by at our booth! We hope to keep the momentum going by offering all members exceptional savings! Spread the word! All SPCUG members get a discount by contacting me or logging on! Go to www.compusabusiness.com - our business access website. Enter email login: usergroupmember@compusa.com and password: 636237 to gain entry. Or call Victor K., at 813-350-7034 and identify yourself as a member to receive your discounts AND speak to a live representative!

Spread the word! Members at the show asked for it and here it is: go wireless! Unadvertised special for March & April:

ParkerVision (our booth attendee at the show) Wireless Router-our part# 315987 and wireless PC LAN card #315989. Both for $167.77. This all you need to take a laptop away from your desk and to the couch! You must call Victor K. at 813-350-7034 for the special price! Offer thru our location only.

And Now Here's

Dave's Cool Download

Not only is Deepnet Explorer the world’s first browser with RSS news reader and P2P client integration, it is also the first browser to foil phishers! With its superior security, functionality and usability, Deepnet Explorer can dramatically improve your web experience.

"There are great free alternatives that work well, offer more security than Internet Explorer and have some cool features. Try Firefox or my favorite, Deepnet Explorer." Nigel Powell, The Sunday Times

"Deepnet has captured kudos from users. Typical of the reviews at the download sites, one user raves "I’ve used IE, Netscape, Opera, Firefox, and Deepnet Explorer. Deepnet Explorer is the best I’ve found." Lockergnome

Completely Free

No Adware/Spyware

No 3rd Party Software

3.2 mb

The "Bytes" Beg, Bargain & Barter Basement

Got something "computer related" to sell? Looking for that rare peripheral? If it's computer related you can submit a short classified ad for exposure in Dave "Bytes". Be sure to include your name and e-mail address in the ad. You can also include a picture of the item. Now some would suggest that there be a charge for this feature but alas, since my bookkeeping skills leave much to be desired I've determined that this will be a free service to all SPCUG members in good standing. "Bytes" is currently sent to almost 1500 homes in the area. Ad requests will be included as soon as possible. I assume absolutely no responsibility as to the accuracy or completeness of supplied info. All transactions are between consulting adults which leaves me entirely off the hook. Please let me know by clicking HERE when your merchandise is sold so that I can remove it from the listing. I will try to run each ad for a month.

Click Here To Submit Your Ad

19 Formatted ZIP Disks

Best Offer

Chris Blunt

imoos84@comcast.net

Answers.Com

Try it now
	Concise information in one click Tell me about:

Welcome to TinyURL!™

Are you sick of posting URLs in emails only to have it break when sent causing the recipient to have to cut and paste it back together? Then you've come to the right place. By entering in a URL in the text field below, we will create a tiny URL that will not break in email postings and never expires.

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR SPCUG MEMBERS

The Nonprofit Resource Center, a program of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County has recently introduced a new series of workshops - “Tech Talks”. I thought this new series could be an additional resource for you and other SPCUG members.

The Tech Talks will be held bi-monthly and encourage peer exchange, knowledge sharing and the development of relationships among IT staff, accidental techies and anyone interested in learning more about technology. This will be a mixed class of for-profit and non-profit participants.

The two that are currently scheduled are:

Fighting Spam on a Budget Wed, April 13th

Websites 101: The Basics of Design Wed, June 15th

The workshops are held from 3:30 – 5:00 with registration/networking beginning at 3:00; the cost is free. If anyone is interested in participating please direct them to the Nonprofit Resource Center website to register, www.suncoastnonprofits.org

Assistance in promoting the availability of this series in list serves and newsletters would be appreciated. A flyer is also attached for posting. For additional information please contact: Cassie Grove at cassie@suncoastnonprofits.org or visit our website www.suncoastnonprofits.org

Cassie Grove
Program Assistant
Nonprofit Resource Center
Community Foundation of Sarasota County

(941) 556-7104 Office
(941) 556-7105 Fax

cassie@suncoastnonprofits.org
www.suncoastnonprofits.org

Physical Address:

2635 Fruitville Road

Sarasota, FL 34237

Software Firm Has Fun on April Fool's

Norway's Opera Software couldn't resist the temptation of an April Fool's joke heralding a breakthrough in peer-to-peer communications.

The company said it has developed "a platform-independent speech solution for short- and medium-range interpersonal communication."

In plain language: human speech.

Opera said in an April Fool's release that the so-called breakthrough, "Opera SoundWave," has a range of 100 feet and could be easily tested without special equipment, simply by asking someone near you a question, such as "Is today April Fool's Day?"

If readers didn't get the joke by then, the statement went on to say that "Opera's patent-pending P2P speech technology uses analogue signals carried through open air, enabling users to communicate in real-time without the use of computers or mobile phones."

And for anyone with lingering doubts, it went on to say SoundWave was discovered accidentally when an Opera technician said something and realized his colleague understood.

"Like most people, I have used e-mail as my primary means of communication for many years and accepted that it is not always 100 percent effective," said Trond Werner Hansen, of Opera, in the joke statement. "SoundWave has opened up a whole new world for me, enabling me to get things done faster and more efficiently than before — and it is remarkably easy to use."

And just to make sure there was no one left who didn't get it, the statement also offered an Internet link to "a technical preview of Opera SoundWave."

At that site, the following statement appears: "For a demo of SoundWave, Opera's P2P real-time voice technology, simply ask someone in your vicinity the following question: 'What is today's date?'"

The answer, of course, is April 1 — April Fool's Day.

On the Net:

www.opera.com/soundwave

Here's A "Neat Net Trick"

Here's A Special Offer For All SPCUG Members From Smart Computing

Every current member of SPCUG will be given a free 3 month subscription to Smart Computing Magazine

Current subscribers will receive a copy of the new “How To Use eBay” Reference Series issue.
You can check it out online here

http://tinyurl.com/3mctl

This very cool offer to our members comes with no strings attached but I believe that once you've had a chance to read Smart Computing magazine you'll begin to understand why, those of us who do subscribe, continue to do so year after year.

By the way ...
The 3 month free subscription also comes with unlimited access to www.smartcomputing.com

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Here's A Windows Tip

How to Display Desktop Icons without Captions

Did you ever want to know how to delete the names (captions) from the icons on my desktop? Do you want to show just the icons with no names. If you click "Rename" and then delete all the characters in the name, it won't let you do that - it reverts back to the old name. I know this isn't super important, but actually, there is a way to do this, but it involves "tricking" Windows. As you probably know, you can make "special characters" by typing ALT plus the number that represents that character. For example, in the Arial font, if you type ALT+0167, you get the "section" symbol used in legal documents (§). Well, there is a special character code for a blank space, too. It's 0160. So if you click Rename and then type in ALT+0160, you'll end up with a "blank" caption.

But wait, there's more if you want additional blank captions. Since Windows won't allow you to name two desktop shortcuts exactly the same, when you go to make the second one, you'll need to type ALT+0160 twice, so that now your icon name is actually two blank spaces. To make a third nameless icon, type the key combo three times, and so forth.

Pause For Thought

Buying the right computer and getting it to work properly is no more complicated than building a nuclear reactor from wristwatch parts in a darkened room using only your teeth.

-- Dave Barry

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Last Updated
04/13/2007 05:42 AM