Tsalagi for Halloween (literally, "Scary Night").
PC World has a good roundup of 802.11g equipment in this article. I've heard the range of stories from almost completely satisfied to true horror stories and this article bears that out.
OutlookCode.com is one year old. It's a site that help people share code and ideas for working with and using Outlook.
This was posted on one of the mailing lists I'm a part of. It had me rolling on the floor!
How many group posters does it take to change a light bulb?
1 to change the light bulb and to post that the light bulb has been changed
14 to share similar experiences of changing light bulbs and how the light bulb could have been changed differently
7 to caution about the dangers of changing light bulbs
27 to point out spelling/grammar errors in posts about changing light bulbs
53 to flame the spell checkers
41 to correct spelling/grammar flames
6 to argue over whether it's "lightbulb" or "light bulb" ... another
6 to condemn those 6 as anal-retentive
2 industry professionals to inform the group that the proper term is "lamp"
27 to post URL's where one can see examples of different light bulbs
14 to post that the URL's were posted incorrectly and then post the corrected URL's
12 to post to the group that they will no longer post because they cannot handle the light bulb controversy
4 to suggest that posters request the light bulb FAQ
44 to ask what is a "FAQ"
4 to say "didn't we go through this already a short time ago?"
143 to say "do a Google search on light bulbs before posting questions about light bulbs"
1 forum lurker to respond to the original post 6 months from now and start it all over again
I've been using Media Center by J. River since it was in early beta, and Media Jukebox before that -- they've got a free version but I upgraded to the paid version years ago. But back when I had the PowerBook I played around with iTunes and was impressed with its interface and usability. Well, I finally got around to downloading iTunes for Windows but haven't gotten around to actually installing it and figured I'd take a look through Apple's music store and maybe that'd help motivate me. Guess what? -- I can't find a way to browse the iTunes store without installing iTunes! Does that make any sense? Now I'm all huffy about it.
It says they'll give you 2 hours of free wireless time at a participating SF Bay Area McDonald's hot spot restaurant. The catch? You've gotta give 'em an email address. They say they'll email a password to you in 24 hours.
A friend sent this to me (yeah, Bud, I call you a friend, and you can't stop me!)
The NewScientist has this article about the Ig Nobel prize for 2003. One of the winners was Edward A. Murphy, the "author" of Murphy's law. Read more of the story behind the law here.
www.dogfriendly.com can help find parks and beaches that allow dogs as well as lodging. For those that can't get by without their pooch.
... is available here. The knowledgebase article contains a link to the complete download (8.96 MB) or you can supposedly get it via Windows Update. It addresses issues detailed in 22 knowledgebase articles.
MyWay has this link to a Reuter's article about Yahoo's newest anti-SPAM move. It allows a premium mail subscriber to create a "base name" and up to 500 variations. The user can create a "new" email address and give it out to whomever they like. If SPAM starts to show up, that one account can be shut down. This is similar to services like Mailshell and SpamGourmet and, when coupled with other anti-SPAM measures like Bayesian filters, can provide the most SPAM-free solution. I never give out my true email address except to people I trust -- every other email address is one of my "traps".
A while ago, quite a while ago, a friend of mine loaned me a PowerBook. I had to return it to him a couple of months ago and I've missed it. Well, it looks like he's gonna be able to loan it to me again! -- can't wait!
Tom Koch's Inside Outlook Express is a good site for information, tips and downloads that pertain specifically to Outlook Express. Backup tools, registry and file storage information are all there.
I put that in quotes because, well, as they say: YMMV ("your mileage may vary"). The article has them broken up into classes like Computing-Everyone, Computing-Experts, Shopping and Information. They've also got them all combined into a zip file that you can download and add to your Favorites folder.
Not a lot of surprises here ... i mean their number one shopping site is Amazon.com, but, still, it's nice having them organized in that way.
PCMag.com has this great article of Google tips. It contains pointers to syntax help on the Google site as well as some things I didn't knew were available like being able to search paper catalogs like, oh, heck, Williams-Sonoma, West Marine and Land's End.
I didn't know Google maintained this list of tools and services before I read the article. Good info.
Most recent version is here -- dated October 9. Discussion of the state of the plug-in and announcements of new versions is here.
TechTV reports that the Do-Not-Call list web page, hosted by AT&T, has a web bug on it that could relate the individual signing up on the page to an IP address if the right reports are run. Now, I haven't given this a lot of thought (yet) but it doesn't seem to me like this is much of an exposure, is it? I mean, by virtue of going to the web page, doesn't AT&T already have everything that the web bug will give them? If AT&T is already hosting and managing the FTC's servers and has sufficient access and rights to put the web bug there in the first place, they certainly have access to all the userinformation. And I can understand, having been in the business for a while, that the web bug would allow AT&T to monitor performance. Still, it seems a little odd.
I think this is probably more a matter of insufficient thought being given to an ordinary business practice.
Microsoft's recently published some information and sample/test code to show how they intend to respond to the embedded controls suit they lost to Eolas. In particular, MSDN tells developers on this page how to circumvent the prompts that will most likely arise from the changes. It's an interesting read even if you're not a developer.
Tim Oren's weblog entry yesterday makes a good point about "The Next Big Thing" -- you don't know what it is until after it's already happened. And all those columnists and pundits who pontificate about TNBT are either fooling themselves (and me) or they know they're just blowing smoke.
Apparently the fix for MS03-032 changed the way IE interprets relative URLs when opened by javascript, resulting in "Page not found" errors. According to MSKB 827667 (or this download from the Microsoft Download Center), the new update will address this issue.
How? I dunno, the article is less than clear to me. I s'pose it changes the assumed base of relative URLs back to what it was BEFORE MS03-032. If you're getting errors when you try to open a web page by clicking on a button in a web page (remember, this is a javascript issue, not a link issue, per se) then apply this patch.
Today's Lockergnome Tech Specialist has a link to serverfiles.com, a website with downloadable software that's more oriented to systems and network admins. Things like software for Microsoft's Exchange, Fax server software and security scanners.
The October 5th issue of Lockergnome's Bits and Bytes reports a security exposure that isn't addressed by Microsoft's recent hotfix for MS03-040 (which is also details in MSKB 828750). To be vulnerable you supposedly must have Adobe's SVG viewer plug-in installed.
Had a lovely time there a few years ago. Nice to see that St. Orres has a website. Anyway, here are a cople of recommendations.
A friend sent this which is supposedly excerpted from a 1950s high-school textbook on Home Economics, teaching a woman how to prepare for married life:
1. Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal - on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him, and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.
2. Prepare yourself: Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work- weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
3. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too.
4. Prepare the children: Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces if they are small, comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.
5. Minimize the noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.
6. Some DON'TS: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he's late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day.
7. Make him comfortable: Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.
8. Listen to him: You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.
9. Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment; instead try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his need to be home and relax.
10. The Goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can relax.
Don't remember where I heard it but I think the term's a hoot. Anyway, I've kinda thought that Ah-nold would be a good replacement because he's not cut from the same political mold (mould - :)) as the others and could represent a shift away from the same tired-old politically polarized way of doing things in the nation in general, and California in particular. Looks like I'm not alone.
I know, I couldn't believe it either. Leo Laporte's reports today that there's a weblog being maintained (presumably by someone other than Bush and Cheney) here. There are even RSS feeds!
Microsoft released two new critical updates for Windows XP/2003.
MS03-040, the October, 2003 Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer points to this download site. It's about a 2MB download for 32-bit Windows systems. It appears this is intended to address some of the ActiveX issues that've been plaguing us all in recent weeks/months but it doesn't actually come out and say that's what it does. I'll continue to follow the newsletters and post something here when I've got a definitive answer.
BTW, this update will cause HTML-based help to cease to function until/unless you've installed the newer HTML Help control from MS KB 811630.
They've also released another critical update to Windows Media Player 828026 - Update for Windows Media Player Script Commands. The article lists registry entries that affect how WMP interprets data embedded in the played datastream. The KB article says it applies only to WMP 6.4, 7.1 and 9 but Microsoft's security bulletin says it also applies to WMP8, the version originally shipped with XP. Anyway, the article points to this download site which has about a 3MB download for WMP 9.
Yesterday's San Jose Mercury News had this article that listed free WiFi hotspots in and around the San Jose area including Los Gatos, Campbell, Palo Alto and Santa Cruz. It also has this link to another list.
Yes, you can "study" at MIT via their OpenCourseWare catalog. (Courtesy of one of the Lockergnome newsletters)
See the little green GeoURL button over there? Now you can find URLs that are "physically" located near me. I put physically in quotes because ... well, how can you get close to a web site? Heh, you specify a location to GeoURL and they cross-reference you to other sites that have locations near the one you've specified. I'm in San Jose so I used the city's lat./long.
Courtesy of Due Diligence, this hilarious article in "Scottish News Direct from Scotland" -- Whiskey of Mass Destruction (WMD) at the Bruichladdich distillery on Islay.
David Hornik, a contributor over at VentureBlog, put up this entry last night. Interesting article. Briefly, he says he was speaking with someone that "is currently in command of a key piece of (the Internet's) infrastructure" who said that the spambots had so overwhelmed AOL's email infrastructure that they issued a call to the "others at the key choke-points around the web" to help them (I assume this means those that control the MAEs and IBXs and such).
All jokes about the AOL email infrastructure aside, if this is true, it could mean a revolution is in the making ... not that it hasn't been building for a long time ... I mean who do you know who ISN'T sick of spam? He says it may be the end of the Web as we know it but I think he may mean "email" as opposed to "Web". Hope he can get some kind of confirmation.
So, you may be aware that Yahoo released a protocol update that locked out 3rd party applications like Trillian, GAIM and Miranda. Well, the Trillian folks were the first to come up with a patch (over the weekend, I believe) and they apparently passed it on to the GAIM folks. The patch, or a semblance of it, made it to libyahoo2 which is a standard yahoo protocol library that you can include in your own software. But, the updates are still in alpha state so they aren't prominently displayed on that site.
But I digress. The update rendered all the 3rd party IM clients unusable. Miranda (my current favorite) has an alpha version of the protocol module available. The one I use is myYahoo20030928b.zip. It's been updated recently so the link may no longer work but I haven't had the need to update (it's alpha -- why should I mess with something that works now? -- if/when it's updated again or I have a problem I'll update again). If you need a link to a usable protocol update, let me know and I'll seek out the newest version for you.