This one goes out to all the turkeys who put up their holiday
decorations before the end of the month: what's the rush? Now, I
love winter as much as the next gnome, but I also know that
celebrating too early isn't always smart. Let the rest of the
world catch up with you, eh? The only holiday 'thing' I wanna see
weeks beforehand is Egg Nog. So, unless you're decking the halls
with dairy products, you need to wait. Of course, I'm not
suggesting that you splash milk everywhere, but... you know what I
mean. Nog is the ultimate -- and I'm talking about pure nog
(non-alcoholic). Do not mess with nog. Do not taunt nog. I better
nog it off.
Did you know that I'm a big Sony Digital Mavica camera supporter.
I picked up an FD-7 a couple of years ago (if you can remember
when I took the trip to Denver to film that spot for Knowledge
TV's Home Computing show). With the Mavica line, all picture
storage is on a regular floppy disk -- which will work with a PC
or a Mac! No special software, no lousy cables. So what about
image quality? Well, I donated my FD7 to the Animal Rescue League
of Central Iowa, and purchased the new FD-91. It's got a 14x zoom
lens, manual and auto focus, viewfinder and LCD screen, plus you
can use standard replacement lenses! You're probably wondering
about picture quality? It's not megapixel, but the output is
perfect for instantaneous Internet publishing. Check out a picture
I took of Sprocket (untouched) and then a shot of a partial moon
(untouched). Yes, I'm not kidding -- these were both taken with my
new Mavica FD-91 and they were uploaded directly from the floppy.
No touch ups. Impressed? I am. Very.
http://www.lockergnome.com/images/mavica.sprocket.jpg
http://www.lockergnome.com/images/mavica.moon.jpg
These suckers aren't cheap, but they're great cameras; every
Mavica owner I've ever known loves theirs. They're fun and easy to
use, and the "film" is virtually free. Remember, too, that no
matter how many bells and whistles a camera comes with, the
picture's aesthetic and visual quality is largely dependent on the
photographer's eye. Point, click, and go crazy.
Yours Digitally,
Chris "Laying Off The Cough Syrup" Pirillo
LiveUser v2.12 [200k] W9x FREE
http://www.LiveUser.COM/LiveUser/Download/LiveUser212.exe
http://www.LiveUser.com/
And if there's one thing I can't stand, it's a dead user. I mean,
if you're not going to be using the computer for the rest of
eternity, you may as well log off and give someone else the
opportunity. With Windows 98, you can set up profiles and have
several accounts on the same computer. But if logging on and off
and in and out is not feasible, you'll love LiveUser. There will
be no need to shut down every time someone else wants to access
their settings.
Turbo Navigator v1.22b [498k] W9x/NT FREE
http://turbonavigator.virtualave.net/Download/prerel/tn.exe
http://turbonavigator.virtualave.net/
When Windows 3.1 sat on my machine, I never touched the File
Manager. Don't ask me why, but I felt the command line was a lot
easier to use. The Windows Explorer shot onto the scene and pretty
soon I was using 4DOS less and less. What if we put WINFILE and
EXPLORER together in a paint mixer? Turbo Navigator would be born;
its dialog boxes (for file operations) are stronger than any other
I've seen. The interface is unique, yet familiar; a great
alternative.
sDesk v1.2.0 [447k] W9x/NT FREE
Unearthed by Amit Arora
http://mujweb.cz/web/tomasek/sdesk/download/sdesk.zip
http://mujweb.cz/web/tomasek/sdesk/index_en.html
Give me 21 inches, or give me death! After working on a large
monitor (in an abnormally high resolution), it's difficult to work
with anything smaller. ALT+TAB is a good keyboard shortcut to flip
between open apps, but one desktop is not often enough. Probably
suffering from some form of screen size envy, someone had the
brilliant idea of creating virtual desktops. sDesk allows for an
unlimited amount of 'screens' with sticky windows and hotkey
assignments.
1on1Lite v3.00b [98k] W9x/NT FREE
http://www.1on1mail.com/grabfile/gf1022.exe
http://www.1on1mail.com/
E-mail is an excellent avenue for communicating, but it's not the
most secure. Who else sees your messages? Are you certain of that?
Your e-mails are sent across the Internet -- through a series of
networks you know virtually nothing about. 1on1Lite tracks and
reports the delivery and opening of each message you send, on top
of guaranteeing complete confidentiality, with 2048 bit
encryption. There's even an auto-shredder function; time to cover
your tracks?
Zulu v1.50 [10k] W9x/NT FREE
http://www.uninova.com/LoafieWare/files/zulu150.zip
http://www.uninova.com/LoafieWare/
It is rumored that there is a 'primitive' tribe in western Canada
which has been developing computer applications for over four
thousand years. I don't know if that's true, but I'd love to meet
'em some day. Most of us live in different time zones, and that
can sometimes cause chaos (due to miscommunication or
misinterpretation). Is it later or earlier where you're living?
Don't bother your friend with a question that Zulu can answer.
Hone in on the zone master.
Description of Internet Explorer 5.01
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q244/6/55.ASP
"Internet Explorer 5.01 is build 5.00.2916.6307 and is an update
to Internet Explorer 5." Enhancements include: 'Reuse Windows for
Launching Shortcuts' option, 'Browse in New Process' automatic
toggle, Internet Explorer Patching Technology, 56-Bit Encryption,
Extension for Msinfo32.exe, Read Receipts in Outlook Express, New
Stationery in Outlook Express, Advertising Pane While Viewing
Hotmail Folders, and a plethora of fixed bugs (including a fix for
the 'new window automatic resize' annoyance).
RamBooster v1.6 [925k] W9x FREE
Unearthed by a Lockergnomie
http://www.sci.fi/~borg/rambooster/Rambooster.zip
http://www.sci.fi/~borg/rambooster/
"As you know, Windows programs fill up your computer's memory
little by little, until your system memory is filled with
unnecessary remnants. Sooner or later you'll have to reboot your
computer to regain speed and efficiency. With RamBooster, you can
monitor the amount of RAM all the time; if the amount of usable
memory is too low, RamBooster will kick in. RamBooster does NOT
modify your system (physically) in any way, defragment RAM, double
your RAM, or increase system resources."
Phoenix PC Y2000 Test/Fix Tool v1.0 [895k] W9x FREE
Unearthed by Matt Miller
http://www.phoenix.com/year2000/phoenixpcy2000test-fixtool.exe
http://www.phoenix.com/year2000/tf-utility.html
"This product is a utility used to test a PC's ability to
accommodate dates beyond 1999. Does it test all aspects of my
computer's operation? No. it only checks hardware capabilities.
The program creates a test disk that provides a controlled
environment so that date issues that might occur when using the
hard drive are prevented. After the test is completed, the utility
reports the result, offers to load any needed fixes to resolve
issues identified in your computer, and resets the PC's time and
date."
Windows 95 and Windows 98 File Access URL Update
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q245/7/29.asp
"If you browse a Web page containing a very long "file://" address
(URL) or Universal Naming Convention (UNC) string, or you view an
HTML e-mail message containing such a string, Windows may stop
responding (hang), or an unexpected command may be run on your
computer. This behavior can be caused by a buffer overflow in the
Windows 95 and Windows 98 networking software that supports access
to local and remote files. To resolve this issue, obtain and run
the appropriate file."
PowerLeap CPU Control Panel v4.0.0.15 [775k] W9x/NT FREE
Unearthed by Dave Kruse
http://www.powerleap.com/downloads/ccp4015.exe
http://www.powerleap.com/download.htm
This may not work with your CPU. It's a "utility which features
improved CPU Core speed detection accuracy; allows AMD K6-2 "write
allocate" optimizations to be enabled on all K6-2
models/steppings; corrects BSOD system crash problem in Windows
NT; removes need to run the "K6-2 Optimizer" supplement when using
PL-ProMMX-333 and PL-ProMMX-400 K6-2 processor upgrades; features
improved CPU cooling technology; works with Evergreen Spectra
upgrades, Kingston Turbochip 233/333/366/400, and the PNY
QuickChip 200/233/266."
Loose Rug v1.0 [793k] W9x/NT FREE
http://members.xoom.com/hmatter/download/rt_demo_cloth1.zip
http://www.hypermatter.demon.co.uk/html/HyperMatter/hypermatter.htm
Close your eyes, girl; it's time for a magic carpet ride. Have
your ticket ready, for this demonstration is only for those with
OpenGL capabilities. Systems running Windows 98 with a newer
generation 3D accelerated video card are probably safe. So, what
does this demo do? Nothing incredibly productive; you can throw a
floor rug around a small room and watch it fly. You may also be
interested in playing with a 'jell-o' head and a 'rubber' capital
'H' -- open it up!
BlairWitch Bomberman v1.9 [845k] W9x FREE
ftp://web672f9.ntx.net/pub/web672f9/bmsetup.exe
http://www.worldusa.com/bomberman/index.html
Josh? JOSH!? I am... so sorry. Can someone please help me with
this review? Hello? Is anybody there? Is that you, Josh? One of
the guys lost the map and my video skills are sub-par. If you
don't have motion sickness yet, then perhaps I need to throw a
couple of bombs at ya. Who's there? I just heard something go
boom. AHHHH! Josh?! I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for
any of this to happen. I just wanted to find a nice little
Bomberman clone... JOSH?!
Spica v1.2 [888k] W9x FREE
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Code/7659/spice295.zip
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Code/7659/
Did you see Jupiter when it appeared overhead a couple of weeks
ago? What about the big meteor shower? Can you see Orion late at
night? There's a stellar show every night, no matter where you're
standing on this globe. Sneak a peek at Spica; it's your chance to
chart the heavens and preview predictions of astronomical
phenomena. Just don't tell me if a large asteroid is on an
intercept course with this world; that'd be one (solar) system
crash I'd love to avoid.
Squirlograph v2.0 [845k] W9x/NT FREE
http://rhaebus.hypermart.net/squirlograph_install.exe
http://rhaebus.hypermart.net/squirlograph.html
All those lines criss-crossing and coming together to create a
complete object; string art is an amazing thing. Take a small gear
and poke a crayon through it (off center), then place the
combination inside of an inverted gear. What will you have?
Trigonomenetrically speaking, a recipe for making nifty-looking
linear patterns. Plug in four numbers and let Squirlograph do the
drawing. You'll finally be able to see what your IP looks like! I
guess math can be fun.
WinMorph v1.3 [496k] W9x/NT FREE
http://redrival.com/skr/winmorph/wmfsetup.zip
http://redrival.com/skr/winmorph/
It's easy to turn a sunflower into an umbrella. No, nature hasn't
taken a back seat to genetic engineering. Picture A and picture B
can be smashed together with WinMorph. The term 'morphing' is not
to be confused with 'marphing' (which, of course, is when you wake
up from an all-night sugar bender). Do you need a bigger nose?
Wish you had someone else's eyes? So be it. Turn digital water
into wine without worrying about wasting money. NOTE: perfect for
ugly pets.
Wotsit's Format
Unearthed by Troy Hildebrand
http://www.wotsit.org/
The world is filled with two kinds of people: programmers and
users. I'm a user baby, so why don't you thrill me? Without new
programs to play with, my life is dull. Does the lay person care
about a file's extension? Not always, but those who need to
understand the intricacies of formats, specs, and source code will
find Wotsit a 'Who's Who' for programming data. Found an
unfamiliar file on your computer? Save yourself from suffering
further; solve the mystery.
System Administration, Networking, and Security
Unearthed by Marc Cleven
http://www.sans.org/
I'm not a geek, but I play one on TV. Here at the SANS Institute,
they're always looking for the latest news which influences
day-to-day operations (from an admin's point of view). If your job
is too hectic, consider subscribing to a couple of their digests;
you'll be sent relevant, usable information on a regular basis.
Don't forget to read their research reports! Whether you're new to
the field or have been in it for decades, don't be 'sans' these
resources.
NuoMedia
http://www.nuomedia.com/
Arguing with geeks is fun to do; I've yet to meet one who didn't
wish to share an opinion (or two... or three). Last week I got
into a heated debate regarding the feasibility and economics of
the remote computing model (with server side software). Then I
found this FREE site, which offers a web-based word processor,
spreadsheet, presentation app, scheduler, and more. "Create,
Store, Access and Manipulate" these documents with others online.
It's revolutionary!
DVD Price Search
Unearthed by David Bridson
http://www.dvdpricesearch.com/
Sunday is my favorite day of the week, followed only by Tuesday.
You gotta remember, I work at home (so Monday's don't frighten
me). I tear through the paper for my favorite 'technology' store
circulars; I can't wait to see what's been released. You know I'm
a budding DVD maniac. Movie prices are "okay" offline, but they're
insanely low online. Now I don't have to manually search for the
best bargains; I just sit back and watch the savings (and movies)
roll in.
Chunkymunky
http://www.chunkymunky.com/
Put a fat primate on your PC and it'll probably never run the same
way again. You'll get hair on your hard drive and a bit of drool
in your DRAM slots. Will your friends be jealous? Not likely.
Unless you choose the Chunkymunky; Desktop customization at its
finest. Updates are driven by a dedicated shell tweaker, who just
so happens to be a slightly overweight cousin of the ape. If
you're tired of the way Windows looks and feels, you'll want to
climb this tree.
FONT: Crump [8k]
http://popamericana.com/ttf/popcrump.zip
http://popamericana.com/ttf/
A clean desk is the sign of a geek mind -- or so I thought. There
was a time when I couldn't go to bed without having everything in
my room organized. Heck, that behavior lasted for about two weeks
after getting married. Life is a lot more busy; I don't have
enough time to make sure the paper is perfectly perpendicular to
the corners of the coffee table. On second thought... hold on.
Okay, much better now. Anyway, as I was saying, I hate when things
are messy.
THEME: SPQR [746k]
http://nero-grafica.tripod.com/Spqr.zip
http://nero-grafica.tripod.com/indexeng.htm
What have the Romans ever done for us? Oh sure, they created
roads. But aside from that... they march all over the place and
try to push their silly, empirical beliefs on us. What? Oh, I'm
sorry. This review was written over two thousand years ago. The
soldiers confiscated it after one of the emperors caught wind of
what I wrote. I sent that fuddy-duddy a fiddle; last I knew, he
was burning down the house. I suppose it's time to speak softly
and carry a shield.
FONT: Conti Street [110k]
http://www.sonic.net/~mollyf/CONTSRG_.TTF
http://www.sonic.net/~mollyf/
In the distant future, GPS will most likely eliminate the need for
street names. Teenagers won't have to take driving tests because
cars will drive themselves. You won't need to navigate unfamiliar
territories, and my wife won't have to hear me cuss... as we won't
miss another turn. It seems that every city I've ever been in has
a different street naming convention; Des Moines is most
confusing, and it's the city with which I'm the most familiar.
Drive it home.
THEME: Northern Exposure [805k]
http://existential.home.mindspring.com/nx.zip
http://members.xoom.com/existential/northexp/
Imagine being stuck in a dinky town where there were very few
"modern" conveniences. Okay, now imagine if it was cold. You're
either in Alaska... or Iowa. We have far less caribou down here,
and our geographical boundaries are substantially smaller. If I
could pay off my student loans by teaching computers to citizens
of some isolated community, I'd probably do it. Unless there was
no access to the Internet; without e-mail or the Web, I'd go
absolutely bonkers.
FONT: Kyleaged5half [20k]
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/%7Ecircles/download/kylehalf_freepc.zip
http://www.littleredcircles.co.uk/tealeaf/pages/indexjs.htm
I always wondered what life would have been like if my dad had
been a computer jock. In the '70s, of course, computers were
nothing more than light boards -- like Lite Brite, only less fun.
I don't know if I would have had enough imagination to turn
cryptic communication patterns into something somewhat sensible.
Kyle's a bit luckier; he's not even six years old and he's already
made a font of his own handwriting. You can type it through the
fingers of a child.
Did you ever try to drag & drop stuff in DOS? It was impossible.
Then again, we didn't really use the mouse back then. To move an
icon across the Desktop, we click on it to select it, drag it,
then drop it elsewhere. That's pretty much what you're supposed to
do in Windows. So, how else can you take the 'drag' out of
redundant steps? You can drag & drop shortcuts into the open 'Run'
dialog to view their path and file extension, or drag & drop files
into folders. My favorite: select some text in your browser, then
drag & drop it into a new e-mail message (or document). No need to
use the clipboard -- the text should automatically be copied!
The mouse is an awesome tool for moving your pointer from one side
of the screen to the other, but when it comes to manipulating
layout in a Microsoft Word document, it fails miserably without a
snap-to grid. That's where the nudge command comes into play; put
things exactly where you'd like them to be. First, select the
object; from the Drawing toolbar, choose Draw, then Nudge. Now you
can move that sucker in any desired direction. Don't continue to
overcompensate with your mouse; I just wish that more
object-oriented programs had this kind of option.
HTML mail is colorful and dynamic, but it doesn't always work.
Recipients of text e-mail messages rarely run into problems. Every
once in a while, you may receive a message with a few extra codes
(like the dreaded =20 thing). However, Outlook Express (and
Outlook) users will sometimes receive messages with nothing in
them but: ÿþ< -- what the heck is this? I don't know. But the
easiest way to get around it is to have the sender resend the
message in text format (not HTML). If you experience similar
problems, it may be tied into HTML. Break the cycle! Reply in text
format (or change formats on a message-by-message basis).
Can you see what isn't there? Well, when it comes to IE5: yes. By
default, however, it isn't easy to do. Unless you're on a
mega-fast connection, it'll take a while for graphically-intense
Web pages to fully load. But, should you have to stare at a blank
page while they're downloading? In the Control Panel, open the
'Internet Options' applet. Select the 'Advanced' tab and find the
'Mutlimedia' section. Is there a checkmark in the 'Show Image
Download Placeholders' box? Put one there; now, before images
completely load, you'll be able to see their sizes
instantaneously.
A few Lockergnomies pointed out that 'extended' character creation
functionality is already built-in to Windows, although you'll have
to turn it on before you can use it. Open up the 'Keyboard' applet
in your Control Panel, select the 'Language' tab, then pull up the
Properties for the 'English (United States)' layout. Now, in the
drop-down menu, change it from 'United States 101' to 'United
States - International.' Now, instead of having to remember the
code to make an accented lowercase E, you can type an apostrophe
first and then the letter; Windows will transmogrify it for you.
~n will become an 'n' with a tilde over it; "u will become a 'u'
with an umlaut mark over it. Special key sequences include: ALT+/
(upside-down question mark), ALT+1 (upside-down exclamation mark),
and ALT+c (copyright symbol).
