America Online, which earlier this year stopped signing up new broadband
customers, is telling existing broadband subscribers in nine Southern
states that they must find a new broadband carrier by Jan. 17.
Those customers who do not switch to a new broadband carrier by that date
will have their accounts revert to AOL’s traditional dialup service, said
AOL spokeswoman Anne Bentley.
The company has been e-mailing its customers in those nine states that
they can switch to high-speed broadband service offered by BellSouth Corp.
for a special promotional rate.
Most of AOL’s 23 million subscribers receive standard dialup service for
$24 a month. The company will not disclose how many customers still
receive the $54 monthly broadband service, which Bentley acknowledged is
relatively expensive compared to other broadband pricing packages now
available to consumers.
Bentley said she expects AOL will phase out existing broadband customers
in the rest of the country in a similar manner over the next year.
The affected states are Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama,
Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. America Online
is a unit of Time Warner Inc.
BITS
BYTES
Clicking on Dave will take you to the
"Bits & Bytes"
site where you can listen to the most recent
broadcast
'Blog' Is Runaway Word Of
Year
It's possible you may have
looked at a "blog" to help make your decision whether to re-elect the
"incumbent" during the recent "electoral" process.
And if you did, you weren't alone. Dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster is
out with its list of the 2004 "Words of the Year."
Topping the list by a wide margin is the word "blog," which is generally
used to describe an online personal journal. The word has shown up
consistently since July on the daily top 50 list of words looked up on
Merriam-Webster's sites.
"It's been there every single day," spokesman Arthur J. Bicknell said.
"That's tens of thousands of lookups per month."
"Blog" will be added to the 2005 edition of the 11th Collegiate
Dictionary. It's already in the
online edition.
Coming in at number two was "incumbent," which describes President Bush.
The third spot was captured by "electoral," a word we're all probably
tired of by now.
Other top words were "cicada" — the insects emerged from their 17-year
cycle in May — and, speaking of cycles, "peloton," which is the main body
of riders in a cycling race, such as last summer's Tour de France.
So how does the Springfield-based company come up with its list? They say
it's all about usage. Each day, editors scour various publications in
search of new words.
Online visitors to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate site were asked to
nominate their favorite word, and "defenestration" won. The act of
throwing someone or something out of a window was also the 10th most
looked-up word online.
The "Stranger Than Fiction" Truth
Arriving at a private home to fix what was
described as the erratic behavior of the family PC, I tried
to question the owner as to exactly what was happening.
'Well, the only thing I know for sure,' she said, 'is that
every time our dog starts barking at the neighbor’s cat, the
computer goes crazy.' It took me a few minutes to shake off
the stupid look I must have had on my face and start the
troubleshooting. I avoided asking any more questions fearing
the answers would be as strange as that last one. About a
half hour into the job, the monitor started flickering and
the system hung up. Almost immediately, I heard the barking
of a dog and had a hard time coping mentally with what was
happening. At this point, the lady entered the room and
said, ’Yes, that's what it does.’
"I was about to pack it in and for the first
time give up when her husband came in and said, 'It's a good
thing we have that electric fence or that cat would be a
goner by now.' After making some inquiries, I discovered
that when the dog spotted the cat, it would run to the edge
of the property and activate the electric fence, which was
controlled by a transmitter that was very conveniently
located on the corner of the desk, beside the computer.”
Driver Updates for Epson Printers
To ensure compatibility with the latest Windows XP
operating system update, Epson is providing updated
drivers for several of its printer models. If you use
Windows XP, you may notice that your photos appear
darker than usual when you print from the Windows XP
Photo Printing Wizard. This may occur after you update
Windows, so Epson recommends that you download the
latest printer driver to ensure the highest quality
prints.
They have updated the drivers and posted them on the
Epson Support Website for downloading. For the best
printing results, check the list below for affected
printers. Then click on "Download Now" to go to the
Drivers & Downloads page and choose the Windows XP
driver. If you are not sure if you have the newest
Epson driver, you should go ahead and download the
update.
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
Chestnuts Roasting On An Open FireWire
Research finds laptop use causes
scrotal burns and infertility
Iain Thomson, vnunet.com
Hot laptop computers may be a
factor in the decline of male fertility, according to newly published
research from the State University of New York.
"And I thought
my only problem was back pain"
The study of 29 male volunteers found that using a Pentium 4 laptop for an
hour raised scrotal temperatures by 2.8 degrees centigrade on the right
side and 2.6 degrees on the left. Previous studies have shown that
temperature rises of between one and 2.9 degrees can harm fertility.
The main reason for the temperature rise was found to be sitting with the
legs together in order to balance the laptop PC. But the report found that
some laptops can reach 70 degrees centigrade after prolonged use, which
can add significantly to the temperature around the genital area.
"We found that scrotal temperatures rose by 2.1 degrees centigrade when
the men sat with their thighs together. But the rise was significantly
higher when the laptop computers were used," said Dr Yefim Sheynkin,
director of male infertility and microsurgery at the State University of
New York.
"Until further studies provide more information on this type of thermal
exposure, teenaged boys and young men may consider limiting their use of
laptop computers on their laps, as long-term use may have a detrimental
effect on their reproductive health."
The study speculated that laptop use may be a factor in the 15 to 20 per
cent of couples who experience fertility problems each year.
Research from the University of Aberdeen showed that sperm counts fell by
nearly 30 per cent between 1989 and 2002. The reasons are unclear, but
drug use, alcohol, smoking, pesticides and chemicals have all been cited
as possible causes.
The State University of New York also reported that there is anecdotal
evidence of scrotal burns from laptops.
There are over 100 million laptop users worldwide and it is one of the
fastest growing areas of computer sales. The report refused to name the
brand of laptops used in the research.
Who Says There's No Room For Humor In Computing ?
From
"Smart Computing" Magazine
Speaking Of
The Holidays…
Keeping track of calories this time of year is—well,
disturbing behavior to say the least. Highly trained computer athletes
like myself, with six-pack ASCIIs and ripped routers, know a better way:
Flex on over to the Calories Per Hour Web site (http://www.caloriesperhour.com).
You’ll be both pleased and amazed at the workout you’re getting even as
you read this column. Enter the activity in which you’re engaged, its
duration, your age and weight, and you’ll learn the number of calories
burned and their equivalent in food. For example, did you know that eight
hours of computing burns up 791 calories, which equates to 9.9 apples, 3.7
Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts, or 1.3 Big Macs?
Select your activity from a list that includes everything from accordion
playing to Yoga (sorry, no zithers)
Why not give the gift
that keeps on giving all year round? I'm referring to a subscription to
either Smart Computing, PC Today, CE Tips or
CPU Magazines. If you are a current
subscriber and order a gift subscription, the folks at Smart Computing
will add 2 additional issues to your current subscription at no charge.
And remember that even gift subscriptions will be credited to the SPCUG
account so that we can accumulate free subscriptions to give away to our
membership. If you aren't a subscriber you should be. These publications
are geared towards the very same thing that caused you to join a PC User
Group which is easy to read and understand computer information for folks
at any level. If you already subscribe, be sure to use the appropriate
SPCUG code when you renew !!!
To order call
1-800-733-3809 and be sure to give the following Code Numbers so that
SPCUG gets proper credit. Smart Computing (11607) CPU Magazine (272)
PC Today (146) CE Tips (219)
Free Tech Support
Many people view “free” as one of the nicest words in the English
language. “Tech Support,” however, may not be such a positive term to
computer users, especially if it evokes memories of the hours they’ve
spent on the phone trying to get help for various computer problems.
The thing is, there’s a lot of troubleshooting we can do ourselves without
relying on tech support reps, but we just need a little nudge in the right
direction. Well, that’s what SmartComputing.com’s Tech Support Center
tries to do: help people fix their own problems.
On SmartComputing.com’s Search Options page, combining a phrase and a
category search can produce more targeted results.
For instance, if you keep seeing an error message appear on-screen that
doesn’t make sense, you can take advantage of the Tech Support Center’s
alphabetized, searchable list of error messages to get both a translation
of the error and a possible resolution.
The Security & Privacy area and the daily Weblog keep you current on the
latest malware (software created for malicious purposes) news. The
Preventative & Regular Maintenance section should be required reading for
all computer owners, and the Driver Education area helps you find device
drivers online. But don’t go anywhere yet; the Tech Support Center offers
much more. Need a list of file extensions? Trying to find info about
eliminating viruses? Want to know more about stopping spam? Tech Support
Center addresses all of these questions and more.
Plus, it’s not just a resource for solving problems; you can use it on an
ongoing basis to learn more about preventing computing problems.
Spend 10 minutes a day at the center for a few months, and you won’t have
to call your brother for help again; heck, he may even start calling you.
Ready for the best news? If you’ve exhausted all of the site’s resources,
including the Q&A Board (see the next section), you can call the Web
Services staff at (800) 368-8304, and someone will try to help you with
your problem. And it’s still—there’s that nice word again—free.
You're rushing for lunch, you
see your favorite fast food place, but nay, you can't go in there,
you're on a diet! Then your brain starts to rationalize, "How bad
could it be, I mean, its only a hamburger, there's lettuce on it after
all, how many calories could be in that?" Yes, you quickly turn your
car in, going up to the
drive thru window, the crackle of the bad speaker system as you place
your order with a slight tremble in your voice.
Food in hand, you quickly inhale the food, "How could it be high in
calories, it was so quick to eat!" You exclaim as you finish off that
last French Fry and you mumble that you should have gotten the
super-sized Fries.
Awaking the next morning, it feels as if someone has stapled you to
your bed, bleary eyed you walk to the bathroom, stepping on the
bathroom scale. Your eyes still bleary as you look down on the
numbers..."No, how can this be?!" you say with shock and horror. You
remove clothing, you make sure you've gone to the bathroom, stepping
on the scale again you see, yes, you do see, that you've gained
weight.
Thinking back on the day before you finally realize the culprit, it
was that fast food you had for lunch.
With all joking aside, most people don't have a clue about the calorie
amounts in their favorite fast foods. Well, here's all the shocking
details of the situation,
brace yourself and click on the fast food restaurant to the left to
find out the calories of your favorite foods. These calories were
taken from the company
websites and governments reports, so they are very accurate.
Don't you hate it when
you see this error:
"This program has
preformed an illegal operation and will be shut down"
It can happen for a variety of
reasons. In my experience, most of the time it's due to a software
conflict of some sort, usually with a program that's running in the
background.
If you find you have a bunch of stuff sitting in your system tray
(it's the little box opposite the Start button on the taskbar), you
may find that shutting down some of those programs will help
tremendously (most have an option to shut down if you right-click
their icon) . It's usually one of them that's the culprit (RealPlayer
causes *lots* of problems), especially if the program with the problem
seems to be the only thing running.
You can also use the CTRL-ALT-DEL key combination to shut programs
down manually, but you also run the risk of accidentally shutting your
computer down . Only do this after you've shut down all your system
try icons and are continuing to have problems.
If you shut all of those background programs down and still haven't
resolved the conflict, you may have a Windows driver that's messing
things up. Try booting to Safe Mode and running the program. (To get
to Safe Mode, hit the F8 key just as Windows starts to boot, before
the first Windows loading screen comes up). If all works well in safe
mode, you may have to re-install or update your drivers.
Another possibility is the program has a corrupted file. Try
uninstalling then re-installing the program.
If you're still having problems, contact the program's vender and see
if they know what's going on. Although they may not be able to help
you, it's still worth a try. Keep in mind that every computer is as
unique as you and I once we start using it, so sometimes even the guy
who wrote the program won't know why it's causing a problem on your
machine and no one else's.
I can usually resolve the illegal operation problem by taking the
steps above. Don't panic if you see this error message crop up from
time to time at random intervals. It happens, usually after Windows
has been running awhile without a re-boot. Only take the actions above
if the problem appears every time, or almost every time, you use a
particular program.
Pause
For Thought
"If you don't know where you are
going, you will probably end up somewhere else."
And Now Here's
Dave's Cool Download
Copernic Desktop Search
is always available with a single click. It offers non-obtrusive,
integrated entry-points into your operating system.
Desktop Search Window: Perform searches in an easy-to-use interface, open
folders or files directly, and more!
Windows Deskbar: Perform searches
from any application, anytime. This search bar conveniently integrates
with the Windows taskbar.
Copernic Desktop Search's key features:
Lets you perform sub-second
searches of your PC's files and emails in a user-friendly interface.
Enables you to search from any
application, anytime. The search bar conveniently integrates with the
Windows taskbar.
Offers specific refining fields
for each desktop search category.
Uses your computer resources
intelligently when indexing documents so as not to impair your work by
throttling back while you are using other software.
Displays and filters matching
results as you type.
Quickly creates and updates the
index in the background with no limitation concerning the number of
documents to be indexed.
Delivers advanced fault
tolerance and recovery architecture to ensure everlasting index
integrity.
Automatically indexes on-the-fly
new and updated files in the background (Windows NT/2000/XP required),
including new emails sent or received with Microsoft Outlook
Supports advanced Boolean
operators (AND/+, OR, NOT/-), quotes (exact phrase or whole word) and
parentheses.
Lets you enter keywords directly
into the search box located in the Windows taskbar using a keyboard
shortcut from any application.
Lets you preview Web pages, text
files, e-mails and pictures for selected results without needing to open
any other application to analyze document’s relevancy or cut and paste a
selection.
Scrolls document previews
directly to the first word or phrase that you are looking for.
Offers specific sorting and
grouping fields for each search category in order to ease result
viewing.
Offers plenty of time-saving
shortcuts to other applications via links and right-click menus
available in search categories.
Offers many customizable options
to configure various features and parameters.
Highlights search keywords with
a different color for each keyword in result lists and previews of text
files or documents.
Available desktop search
categories:
Files: Office documents (Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, Excel
worksheets), WordPerfect documents, Adobe Acrobat documents, HTML pages,
Text/RTF documents, and more
Emails: Outlook/Outlook Express emails and attachments
Music: MP3, WMA, WAV, etc.
Pictures: JPEG, GIF, etc.
Videos: MPEG, QuickTime, Windows Media, etc.
Favorites: Internet Explorer favorites History: Internet Explorer history
Contacts: Outlook Express/Outlook, Windows Address Book
Available Web search categories may differ substantially over the course
of time. Please refer directly to the software to learn more about them.
With so many identical audio editors
out there, finding the right tool
for the job can be difficult. The multiplatform, open-source editor
Audacity has leaped to the top of our list with its clean interface,
excellent features, and support for 32-bit floating-point audio. We
like it because it succeeds at being both feature-rich and flexible,
while keeping the toolbar and work space uncluttered. It does this by
relegating most functions, such as effects, edits, and project
management, to handy drop-down menus. Audacity supports uncompressed
audio standards such as WAV and AIFF in addition to OGG and MP3 files.
A full complement of basic effects such as reverb, delay, and
compression are included. VST plug-in support also is available if
you're looking to expand. Another eye-catching feature is the Beat
Analyzer, which helps you peg the beats per minute of a phrase. The
performance of most functions is quick, including even CPU-hogging
tasks such as exporting to MP3 or adding complex effects. Though
Audacity doesn't offer complex effects or advanced features out of the
box, its usability and price set this freeware wonder above the crowd.
Thanks go to Rosita Herrick for
alerting me about this update !!!
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
