Archive for January, 2008
Ten lesser known Webapps
More and more applications are appearing on the Web. The Google apps and some others are now quite well known. Lifehacker lists ten that are not so well known but which deserve more attention in the editor’s opinion:
Even in this golden age of Big Internet Companies Acquiring Everything In Sight, there are still a few [...]
End of Quicken on your own PC?
Quicken is the leading consumer financial software but there is speculation that the time is coming when you won’t be running it from your own computer. Intuit has announced an online version that comes with a monthly fee of $2.99. Personally, I am not sure I would trust Intuit with all my financial records and [...]
Mouse shortcuts for browsers
If you have a scroll mouse with a middle button, there are various shortcuts that take advantage of this feature. Here are three that apply both to Internet Explorer 7 and to Firefox 2:
To open a link in a new tab, click the link with the middle button.
To close a tab, click the tab with [...]
Comodo firewall
A firewall is a must for any PC and those who feel that the Windows one-way version is inadequate can choose from a number of offerings. I want a firewall that is just a firewall and does not try to incorporate a lot of other features so my Windows XP systems still have an older [...]
Coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is one of the big technology events each year. Companies often unveil future products. The show has just ended and CNET has a summary of all its coverage.
Disable the Windows XP Desktop Cleanup Wizard
Microsoft has a thing about keeping your Windows XP Desktop clean. As you have probably noticed, every so often (actually every 60 days) something pops up saying that you have unused icons on your desktop and would you like to remove them. I call it the “desktop nanny” although the official name is the Desktop [...]
One possibility for old computers
What to do with an old but still functional PC is always a problem. One possibility is to donate it to one of the various charities that refurbish and distribute computers to good causes around the world. Steve Bass has another possibility that might actually bring you a few dollars. If there is a [...]
Will AMD survive?
I noted in a previous post that AMD was having financial trouble. I also commented that consumers should hope for AMD to survive because no good would come of a virtual Intel monopoly. This past year AMD blotted their previous good record with some inferior products and Intel is now on a roll. Marketwatch commented:
It [...]
How to find out where an email really came from
As I hope everyone recognizes, the “From” address in an email is easily faked. To check where an email really came from, you need to read a portion of an email called the “header”. This part is not normally shown but can be easily revealed. The exact method depends on your email software but here [...]
Testing a washable mouse
Do you tend to drop coffee, chocolate pudding, or other comestibles on your mouse? Or maybe you have a kid who uses a mouse with hands that are less than pristine. I posted about Belkin’s washable mouse back in August. Here are some tests from Gearlog of how well this mouse withstands an onslaught of [...]
Security predictions for 2008
I have to wonder if I should stop writing about the Internet security problem. The constant repetition of how bad things are probably makes people eventually tune out and may do no good. It’s not like the little boy who cried wolf because there really are wolves, a whole pack of them. But human nature [...]