2005 April

New Nokia cellphone to challenge MP3 players!
Jake pretty much hit the nail on the head when he stated that MP3 players would eventually disappear and merge with portable phones. Makes total sense - it’s the same reason why I “had” to go with a Pocket PC Phone instead of two separate devices. Invariably, I […]

LucidLink Wireless LAN Security (3 User Home Office version) enables you to secure your 802.11 wireless home network from unauthorized access with 802.1x authentication and advanced Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) encryption.
The program runs in a server/client mode and your wireless access point is configured from the LucidLink server application, only allowing access from clients […]

Going to the mall is just as much a social experience as it is a shopping one. We may go to the mall all by our lonesome on occasion, but for the most part, you always see groups of people raiding havoc on the employees handing out samples in the food court. Until now, it […]

Continuing with the theme of how to entice seniors to become truly computer literate, I have seen both ends of the spellcheck spectrum recently. A delightful and obviously talented young lady wrote to comment on this series and how reading the articles have helped her coach her parents in computer usage. However, I would not […]

Device Manager displays information about the hardware devices installed on your computer. When it comes to troubleshooting, it can be an invaluable tool. However, you may not have noticed that Device Manager does not actually list all the hardware.
Two types of devices are hidden in Device Manager: non-plug and play devices and ghosted devices (nonpresent). […]

Routing and switching can be two terms that are difficult to differentiate, so here is a simple explanation that may help to clarify things. First of all switching and routing are not the same thing. Switching involves moving packets between devices on the same network. Conversely, routing involves moving packets between different networks.
Switches operate […]

I was watching the History Channel on television today, and was treated to a day of programs about the Presidents of the United States. There were about six hours devoted to mini-biographies of all the men who served in the office, from George Washington to George W. Bush. This programming served as a precursor to […]

My last two entries were originally mistitled, and as such, garnered responses that were largely misdirected. I take no issue with the negative comments, but if you think I was lambasting either Microsoft or WinHEC, you might care to brush up on your reading comprehension skills.

Save hours per week using SureType.
Perform common tasks - like opening Web sites and applications and typing commonly-used text - just by typing a regular word. For example, no matter what you are doing on your computer, in any application, you could just type “word\” and, immediately, Microsoft Word will open. Similarly, type excel\ and […]

RealAccount is a plug-in for Microsoft Outlook XP and 2003 that enables you to specify a default signature and mail account for each of your mail folders. For example, if you reply, forward, or compose an e-mail from your Orders folder, you could automatically use your Sales signature and a specified mail account. The program […]

Finding the best search results on the Internet is a task made easier by using multiple search engines. I don’t know what you personally like to use, but I default to Google and Yahoo! for my searching needs. Google always comes first, but if it doesn’t give me exactly what I’m looking for, I’ll give […]

The Recovery Console is a useful utility for troubleshooting and recovering a system. When you use the Recovery Console, you can gain limited access to any volumes without starting the Windows Graphical interface. The utility provides you with the following capabilities:

Use, copy, rename, or replace operating system files and folders

Enable or disable services or devices […]

There are a number of different ways in which you can reduce the amount of spam that appears in your inbox. A Lockergnome reader recently submitted another method that you can use.
Here’s an even simpler one I use for clients and family. It assumes a decent mail client such as Mozilla.
Write a filter rule like […]

Never miss a show again! You can take it with you! Internet TV, and even cellphone television, are now a reality! Introducing OMN (Open Media Network) for the Internet, and MobiTV for your cellphone!

Have you heard about domain shame? Do you, perhaps, even suffer from domain shame? Or maybe you are one of the legions of users who identify those who should suffer from domain shame?
The term “domain shame,” recently coined by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Don Fernandez, refers to how you feel about and how […]

I am trying to fix a friend’s Dell laptop (Inspiron 3800/Windows 98) for him. The screen resolution is set to the lowest settings (can’t change it) and 16 bit color is the only option given. It’s using the system’s default display driver. When I use the Dell driver disk to change to the ATI Rage […]

My aunt and uncle made their living growing apples in Oregon. It’s seasonal work, so there were times where they needed to find ways to supplement their income. One of the ways they did that was to sell Amway Products. They were quite successful, even earning a car to help them in their business. Amway […]

Continued from Part I.
There’s no Microsoft Power User “WinHEC” out there. Microsoft is all about the developer, and seldom seems to cater to the true enthusiasts. There’s a loosely-constructed MVP program (of which I am a member, with the Windows Digital Media distinction), but no real company mission to listen to what’s going on […]

Use your keyboard faster than you ever imagined! With Active Typing for Windows touch typing tutor, you will learn to type many times faster without typing errors.
Active Typing contains a complete touch typing course with 14 chapters. In addition, it has fun typing games, smart review wizard, and progress graphs. Download a free demo […]

Every story has to start somewhere, and when it comes to movies, the idea begins and is formulated in the mind of the screenwriter. Movie studios can’t do squat unless they have a great script to work from. When you go to the theater to see a flick, you’re seeing the visual interpretation of the […]