2006 August

It’s rainy in Ketchikan, Alaska this morning. Imagine that! We’re at the southern section of the state, where I can’t imagine much sunshine appears. This is my kind of weather: overcast, chilly. Beats the warmer climates any day (in my opinion). I’d rather be swaddled in a flannel blanket than on the verandah sweating my […]

IE PassView retrieves all usernames and passwords along with their associated URLs from the Internet Explorer password database - the passwords that can be automatically saved by IE. It allows you to recover forgotten passwords and/or to export them to a plain text or HTML file.

In my daily work, I constantly find interesting Web sites, and sometimes I want to share my discoveries with others. This can be done by blogging, but I also use e-mail to spread these finds to my contacts. If you’ve ever sent a URL via e-mail, then you know that sometimes length can be an […]

When you install XP, many of the familiar desktop icons are hidden by default. Icons such as My Computer, My Documents, and My Network Places are no longer on the desktop as they were in Windows 2000.
One of the first things you will likely want to do then after installing XP, is to restore these […]

Once you install Windows Vista, you will immediately notice the prompt that appears every so often reminding you to register with MSN. If you have no intentions of doing so, then it is time to disable the prompt so it no longer appears. You can accomplish this by making a small change to the Registry.
To […]

David Johnston of RealTechNews writes:
OpenOffice Premium is a modified version of the popular, Open Source OpenOffice.org software suite. The original OpenOffice suite aims to compete with Microsoft Office, and I believe it does a pretty good job for most home users and students. Premium aims to give OpenOffice a further edge in its competition with […]

Microsoft Corp. has announced that the redesigned Windows Marketplace Web site is now live and available for customers.
Among a bevy of enhancements, Windows Marketplace adds integrated electronic software distribution through Microsoft’s digital locker. The digital locker enables customers to purchase and download software with increased safety and security as well as track purchase history and […]

As I said yesterday, the ungainly dinosaurs that insist on making life as difficult as possible for the rest of movie and music fans, the MPAA and the RIAA, need to go. And go they will, although they are kicking and screaming in the courts as their inevitable demise nears. We don’t need corporate fatcat […]

After logging off from our Pluggd-sponsored connection yesterday, I returned to our stateroom to plug in and juice up - only to discover that we were approaching Hubbard glacier. This natural formation was, in a word, breathtaking. I know I keep saying it over and over again, but this trip to Alaska has been amazing. […]

Computer clutter is a growing problem for PC users. Left over files from Internet browsing and downloading quickly build up and waste computer memory and other system resources. Cookies from unscrupulous sites and slap-dash downloads leave doors open, posing a threat to your privacy, security, and ability to use your system. 1 Click Sweep safely […]

Program launchers are nothing new to anybody who has been using Windows for more than five minutes. These days, programs like that are a dime a dozen. I have one freeware solution though that I think you will enjoy. The SmartStartMenu makes launching programs less of a pain.

I’ve been an avid reader all of my life, but there have been phases when I haven’t been able to read as much as I’d like to. In fact, I’m in one of those phases right now. My time is spread fairly thin right now since I’m working with four different companies, trying to get […]

Windows Vista uses a feature called User Account Control or UAC to limit the privileges of regular user accounts. UAC ensures that all user accounts that are not part of the local administrators group run with no administrative privileges. This feature is enabled by default. However, in some situations you may want to disable it […]

Windows Vista uses a feature called User Account Control or UAC to limit the privileges of regular user accounts. UAC ensures that all user accounts that are not part of the local administrators group run with no administrative privileges. This feature is enabled by default. However, in some situations you may want to disable it […]

I just read your automated answer to the question I posted, and you’ve got me worried. I can see my IP address in your answer. How did you do that? Does that mean that if I email you you also get my IP address?
I’m constantly amazed at how many people are concerned about the privacy […]

Mobile Web access is a term used to describe accessing the Internet through mobile devices such as cell phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). Web-enabled mobile devices are becoming more and more common - most cell phones now come with some form of Internet and/or data access feature on them.
Mobile Web access has many advantages. […]

I am absolutely in awe of the MPAA.
I have some friends of mine who recommended getting edited DVDs from various Web sites that offer edited DVDs. It’s a great idea, because we don’t watch R-rated movies in my house. However, many excellent movies have come out with an R-rating due to content that could easily […]

I’m not sure what day we’re on now? We started sailing on Saturday, floated up the coast on Sunday, overwhelmed Juneau yesterday, and… I guess that makes today the fourth day on Holland America’s Alaskan cruise on the Oosterdam. I wish they had Wi-Fi throughout the entire ship! Then again, perhaps it’s better that they […]

For travelers, remembering where you took that photo of grandma and your aunt when all you have to go by is a mountain behind them is a little difficult. Thankfully though, there are freeware solutions to come jump to the rescue. Panorado Flyer is a freeware application that will help you match up […]

E-mail is a fantastic tool for communicating in a digital one-on-one fashion, but once you start to expand the number of participants from there, things can begin to get a little crazy. Now, sending out a massive amount of e-mail’s to a list of subscribers is one thing, but just imagine if all of the […]