The LangaList

The Universe At Your Fingertips

Did you catch the Leonid meteor shower last week? There were many web sites devoted to them, including this NASA site: http://science.msfc.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast27oct99_1.htm . But if you missed the Leonids, don't worry: The Geminids in mid-December are traditionally the best show of all the recurring meteor showers, with the highest average count per hour. See, for example, http://www.ticetboo.demon.co.uk/geminids.htm  or http://www.alltheweb.com/cgi-bin/search?mode=all&query=geminids+1999

Those sites only hint at a trend: Today, helped by the PC and the web, amateur astronomy is reaching its full flower. And no, you don't even need a telescope: Just your eyes will do fine!

For example, free, high-powered software that's available online lets you stay current with the night sky, track manmade objects in space, and much more. Online, you can peer through some of mankind's most powerful telescopes, including Hubble); although if you have your own 'scope, the digital revolution will help there, too.

Consider the Weather Underground ( http://www.wunderground.com/ )---in itself a very nice weather site. After you've told the site where you live (and thus your latitude and longitude), you're offered a locally-tailored "astronomy" link along with your local weather forecast. Click on that link, and you'll see a free star chart (derived from the popular and powerful "Distant Suns" software package) that shows exactly what's visible in the sky from your location right now. You can enter other times and locations, too, so you can fine-tune the display to show you what will be visible later tonight, or at any point in the future. This free astronomical service is especially nice right now because the four major planets--- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune--- are all easily visible well before midnight in skies of the northern hemisphere: Easy astronomy for people with day jobs.

My column for Byte.Com this month discusses these sites and others, including a site that offers, for free, real-time space-tracking information that until a few years ago was available only to governments and highly-specialized professionals. Want to see Mir tonight? The International Space Station? Or any of literally thousands of other sky objects? I'll tell you all about this amazing site, and others.

With the web and PCs, the universe is literally at your fingertips. Click on over to http://www.byte.com starting Monday 22-Nov-99 (EST) for more information--- information you can put to use *tonight!*

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LangaLetter = Gee, Tall Rant

Many of you wrote about last week's anagram item ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/nov-18-99.htm#grin ), asking how the heck I got "A Lethal Sting" out of "LangaList." Well, I didn't--- it was "The LangaList." My apologies for the anagrammatic confusion. 8-)

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Arghhh! You Killed It!

Last week, I also told you about a new site that can sniff back along your Internet connection to check your online security. ( see http://www.langa.com/newsletters/nov-18-99.htm#secure )A lot of you tried the site--- all at once!

After a while, I started getting email like this one from reader Ed Vest:

Fred:

Using your latest 'security check' URL, see subject, I may have to wait some time before realizing the results:

"The IP Address xxx.xxx.xxx.x has been submitted for analyzing. There are 1198 items in the queue. Estimated time until completion is 5990 minutes. "

It got worse: Waiting 100 hours is bad enough, but shortly thereafter the site died entirely; the server simply stopped responding.

The site had worked fine when I checked it; I got my security report within minutes. But then it was just me--- not with tens of thousands of other LangaList readers trying to get in the queue at the same time!

I hope the site comes back---it was pretty good. In the meantime, please try the other two sites I mentioned: See http://www.langa.com/newsletters/oct-14-99.htm#gibson and http://www.langa.com/newsletters/oct-18-99.htm#check

Of course, if we all stampede over there, we'll blow those sites away, too... 8-)

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Win A Palm III Organizer, or a Book

Win a Palm III by using the following link to recommend the LangaList to a friend. Your friend just may find a new source of useful information; I just may gain a new subscriber; and you just may win a nifty handheld tool (full details also available via this link):

http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#1

Or, win a copy of a $30 book (Full details also available via this link):

http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2 

Either way, thank you, and good luck!

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Even Better File Extension Info

Last week (http://www.langa.com/newsletters/nov-18-99.htm#format) I mentioned how from time to time, I'll get a letter from a reader who's discovered some weird file type on his or her system: They have no idea what application is using or creating the file, and they hope I can tell them.

Sometimes I can, but there are far more software types out than any one person can be familiar with. That's where http://www.whatis.com/ff.htm comes in. It purports to list every file format there is, and while that's a dubious claim, it certainly does list a ton of them.

After that item appeared, reader Stephen Germany wrote to say:

Fred,

Here's another great site for looking up file extensions: http://kresch.com/exts/ext.htm And, by the way, I love your newsletter.

Thanks,

Stephen

Stephen's find looks quite complete, and is more easily searchable than the one I originally told you about. Thanks, Stephen!

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Baker's Dozen Books--- at a 20% Discount

Great reading for cold nights: Check out the 13
computer-related books at http://www.langa.com/books.htm

They're all personally recommended by Fred Langa, and
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New IE Patch

Sometimes, fixing one bug can cause a new one. And strangely, sometimes fixing one bug may actually resurrect a previously-quashed bug.

IE 4.01 and 5 users may have a problem with a resurrected bug: the "Javascript Redirect Vulnerability."

It potentially allows a malicious site owner to do an end-run around some built-in security features. There's a FAQ on it at  http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-043faq.asp .

There's a new patch that eliminates the end-run. It's available here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads 

http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/iebuild/jsredir/en/jsredir.htm 

Microsoft says "The IE 4.01 patch requires IE 4.01 SP2 in order to install. IE 4.01 SP 2 is available at http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/ie/download/windows.htm. NOTE: The patch will be available shortly via the WindowsUpdate site."

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Still Time To Vote in a Special Online Survey:
What Would You Do If You Were Bill Gates?

Talk about a hot topic! *Thousands* of people have voted already, and many have posted comments in the related discussion.

Of course, I'm referring to Judge Jackson’s “Findings of Fact” in the Microsoft/DOJ trial. It was so harsh it left little doubt that if the Court imposes its own remedies to correct Microsoft’s excesses, they will be dire. (A copy of the full Findings of Fact text is available here: http://www.browsertune.com/dojvms.htm ) 

Since then, Gates has said he’ll be flexible in seeking a settlement, but also has said he won’t yield on anything that affects Microsoft’s “ability to innovate.” I’m not sure what that means, exactly; it could be construed to mean almost anything.

So what can Microsoft do? What should it do?

I can think of half a dozen approaches that might squarely address the Court’s Findings, meaningfully remedy the wrongs of which Microsoft is accused, and yet still allow Microsoft to remain in control of its own destiny---and thus, might be palatable to Gates and the Microsoft shareholders.

Those six approaches are the topic of my column on the InformationWeek Online site this week. Please click on over, and then cast your vote in a special online survey: What would *you* do, if you were Bill Gates? Which of the six alternatives above, alone or in combination, would you opt for? 

Or, if you disagree with my six alternatives, what other remedies would you seek? Would you simply stonewall, refusing to give an inch, and hope to win on appeal? Or would you go even further than the steps I’ve outlined? 

Check out the column, cast your vote, and then share your thoughts at http://www.informationweek.com/langaletter

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Just For Grins

Yesterday,
All those back ups seemed a waste of pay.
Now my data base has gone away.
Oh, I believe in yesterday.

Suddenly,
There's not half the files there used to be,
And there's a millstone
Hanging over me
The system crashed so suddenly.

I pushed something wrong
What it was I could not say.
Now all my data's gone
And I long for yesterday-ay-ay-ay.

Yesterday,
The need for back ups seemed so far away.
I knew my data was all here to stay,
Now I believe in yesterday.

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See you next issue!

Best,

Fred

(fred@langa.com)

(Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win a Palm III)

An easier-to read formatted HTML version is available in the "what's new" section of http://www.langa.com.  (The HTML version of each issue normally is available by 9AM EST [GMT-5] of the issue date.) All past LangaList issues are also available via the same link.

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