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Please note: Older issues may contain information that is now out of date. How To Subscribe
and Unsubscribe is at the end of this note. Mailing List Trouble? See http://www.langa.com/help.txt Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win $10,000 !) An easier-to
read formatted HTML version of this newsletter is available on line at The LangaList 2000-11-02 A Free Email
Newsletter from Fred
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We discussed several free, online
speed tests recently (see http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-10-12.htm#2
), but reader "Mike" found one we'd missed: Fred, thanks for a great
issue. I also like to use the bandwidth meter at http://www.2wire.com
Go to the bandwidth meter 2.0 with advanced features of checking up and down in
different files sizes. It still uses JAVA, but I find it useful also. Thanks, Mike. As mentioned in the
article at http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-10-12.htm#2
, Java-based tests are affected in part by the efficiency of your browser's Java
implementation, so they're not as "clean" or reliable as some
non-Java-based tests. But they're fast and easy to use, and that's always a good
thing. <g> Click to
email this item to a friend Microsoft Java "Virtual
Machine" has had several bugs (so have the Java implementations from the
other major players--- but that's another story). Like some previous VM bugs, this one
could "enable a malicious web site operator to read files from the computer
of a person who visited his site or read web content from inside an intranet if
the malicious site was visited by a computer from within that intranet." This bug exists in all builds of the
VM with version number less than 3319. You can tell what version you're running
by opening a DOS window (command window) and typing JVIEW. You'll see a list of commands on
screen, but the item of interest is the very first line, which will say
something like: Microsoft
(R) Command-line Loader for Java Version X.XX.XXXX Instead of "Xs," you'll
see numbers, and the last four digits are your version number. If your number is
less than 3319, then you need to upgrade to the newest version, which is
available through Windows update or through this link: FAQ and more-detailed info: Click to
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Have you tried either the new AOL6
or the new MSN Explorer? Although I've gotten some emails
from users who have successfully installed either or both, I'm also getting
reports like these: Re: MSN: Hi Fred, just thought I'd
mention what a MISTAKE I made going with the new (beta) version of MSN. I use
MSN as my ISP, and thought "hey, generally, I have found Microsoft products
have really improved my productivity, so I'll give it a try". Boy, did that
mess things up. While they warn you that once you switch, you won't be able to
use MS Outlook or Outlook Express again, they fail to warn you of other
problems. Specifically, I sometimes email work home that may in some cases be
more than 1 meg. Not anymore. Because the new version of MSN uses Hotmail, I
cannot receive attachments of that size. I also cannot create nice HTML emails
like I used to, nor can I forward them when logged in away from home. Also, many
times I will be working at home and have an email message open while I find work
related material on various websites.... While doing this, this new beta version
of MSN Explorer stopped responding and locked up, and because my email is now
integrated, everything I had worked on was lost! Or, in some cases, an error
would occur and MSN Explorer would tell me "We're sorry, but an error has
occurred and this program will be shut down. Would you like to tell MSN about
it? (or something like that)" And again, all of the browser windows I had
open would close, and I would lose all of the sites I had found. This SUCKS!
PLEASE WARN ALL OF YOUR READERS NOT TO DOWNLOAD THIS PROGRAM - I WISH I HADN'T!
--- Steve Waddell Re: AOL: I've been reading your
column for a long time. I even survived the AOL 5.X upgrade on all my computers
without a problem. Until yesterday. AOL 6.0 installed flawlessly on my win98
computer but on my win95 laptop, total disaster struck. It downloaded so many
Win95 patches for dialup and TC/IP that my computer got stuck in an endless loop
of rebooting. Finally failing to load win95 because of corrupted io file. In
safe mode I uninstalled AOL 6.0 but the damage was already done and I had to
reload windows95. I still have problems with it as my acupoint mouse no longer
will drag and drop anything! And a few other Toshiba Utilities are unworkable
even though reloaded. I threw caution to the wind since the WIN98 upgrade went
so well and did not backup my Windows files or settings. If AOL had left well
enough alone with the connection upgrades I am sure I would be doing fine right
now.--- Brad Haugen I haven't heard from enough people
yet to have a clear sense of whether these problems are flukes or are common.
I'll be trying both apps soon myself, but in the meantime, if you've tried
either, please let me know your experience--- good or bad! Please write to AOL@Langa.Com
or MSN@langa.Com and share your experiences!
I'll gather the results, and present them in a future issue. Thanks! Click to
email this item to a friend This month's Monitor column at http://www.byte.com/index/monitor
is generating some interesting reader mail. In particular, some readers wondered
why a robot equipped with a gun should bother me: Dear Fred: You write with
foreboding about a robot gun mount, as if the addition of a firearm to a robot
was something new and terrible. What is the difference between a robotic gun
mount and a land mine? Mostly cost and an on/off switch. It is a weapon of war,
where firing on "anything warm" is appropriate. In fact, semi-autonomous
gun systems have been around since the Fifties. They are radar controlled
anti-aircraft guns, and the more sophisticated SAM missile batteries which fire
enormous rockets. There is also in development an anti-sniper robot mounted in
an armored vehicle, which tracks the sniper's shot by sonic means, calculates
the trajectory, then fires a 20mm gun on the point of origin. Two or more robots
can be linked to provide triangulation and fire support, so as to cover a whole
area of a city for example. The gun mount in question
is comparatively primitive. Such a simple, portable system has advantages if it
is properly controlled. It could never replace human soldiers, but could
certainly support them. They can hide while the robot fires on the enemy, rather
than sticking their heads out with their rifles. The robot's superior attention
span can make up for it's lack of brain power, and if it gets
"killed", the soldiers can still fight. However I concur that an
Internet connection is not good for controlling such a device. Weapons require a
positive control system, and the Internet ain't it. Aircraft and missile
launchers have appropriate systems which could certainly be adapted for this
purpose.--- The Phantom On the other hand, John Holland
(who's the president of Cybermotion, a company that makes for-real [and UNarmed]
security robots) writes: Hi Fred: As to the dark
side, I remember a U.S. company of the 1980's called Defense Robotics Inc. They
actually built a remote controlled robot with a machine gun on it. In a press
release, they said "While the robot will be fully capable of an autonomous
lethal response, it is assumed that an operator's acknowledgment will normally
be required before a lethal response is administered." I translate this to say
"Robbie really shouldn't kill people without permission, but then robots
will be robots." Doesn't anyone realize the
damage that will be done when the first autonomous robot kills someone? When the
first industrial arm robot crushed a careless technician, it was deemed by the
sensationalist press to have been a malevolent act! Even if the operator used
the weapon by remote control it would make great press. On the other hand, I
suppose a cruise missile is a robotic killer. Given mankind's history, my guess
is that the dark side will come to pass sooner than we imagine. Cybermotion has a policy of
never offering to provide weapons of any sort on its robots. Their mission is,
and will remain, to protect people and assets. Come see what the argument's
about--- and maybe take a peek into a near-term future when armed RoboCops are
for-real! See http://www.byte.com/index/monitor Click to
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If you think the LangaList is a
worthwhile read, just use the following link to recommend the LangaList to a
friend. Your friend just may find a new source of useful information; I just may
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luck! Click to
email this item to a friend LangaList reader Jean-Claude Racine
is in a somewhat unique circumstance, but one that many of us might envy:
He cruises the world in his yacht and downloads his LangaList issues via direct
satellite Internet link! Being far from help and any support
services, backups are especially important for Jean-Claude, and as such, he put
his to an extreme test that I bet no other reader has done. I sure haven't!
<g> Off Pulau Tenggol,
Malaysia, October 20, 2000 Dear Fred: Thanks a lot for
great Newsletter, which I highly appreciate while sailing around the world. In
your October 16 edition [ see http://content.techweb.com/winmag//columns/explorer/2000/20.htm
), you say that "CD-based backups are best-of-breed". Well, let me
tell you that I am backing up my data on board every day on a CD-RW. This CD is
placed near the grab bag in the event we should one day abandon ship. Knowing
that this CD would inevitably get wet and salty in a survival situation, I
tested it by keeping it during two weeks in a bucket of saltwater, exposed to
sun. After this, I just rinsed the CD with clear water and a little bit of
vinegar (to remove the salt), dried it and put it in my laptop. Would you
believe it? All the data were perfectly readable and usable. You are right when
you say that CD-based backups are best-of-breed! Jean-Claude Racine
(Switzerland) Talk about a torture-test! Don't try
that with your hard-drive, Zip or tape based backups! That CD ruggedness, plus the fact
that each blank CD costs only half a buck and holds 640MB, makes CDs great for
long-term, inexpensive, and extremely long-lived archiving. Even for those of us
who *don't* live on yachts. <g> Click to
email this item to a friend Hundreds and hundreds of your fellow
readers have "Loaded the code." Please click over to http://www.langa.com/code.htm,
and maybe you can join them! (If you've already "Loaded The Code" and
are wondering if your site will appear here or on the Langa.Com web site, please
see http://www.langa.com/link.txt
) View A Randomly-Chosen
Reader Site Myhouseandgarden.com Eclectic Person Portal Travel Writers Rick and
Gayle Perlmutter exercise training and
coenzyme Q10 supplementation on CHF patients Tina's French Café Birdman K&K Computer Services CoffeeBuzzed Teknoloji ve Günlük
Yaşam Sohbetleri Click to
email this item to a friend --- ( Your
Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) --- Fred's
Own Reference Books--- At Up To 20% Discounts! I enjoy a good flame war as much as
the next guy, and have been know to contribute to more than one "angels on
the head of a pin" argument. But I still was surprised at the
response I got to this simple statement: "In the USA, telephone wiring
carries about the same voltage as you'll find in standard electrical
circuits." Some readers launched into long
technical arguments about how the base voltage is really only 48v; and that is
correct (although it can vary somewhat depending on any of several variables).
But the ring voltage usually is about twice the base voltage: Thus, when someone
calls you, the lines carry roughly 96v during the ring cycle, although it can be
higher or lower. No, 96v isn't *precisely* the same
as the nominal 110v standard for electrical appliances in the US, but all I said
was that it was "about the same." And yes, it's DC, not AC; and at
very small amperage, which is why I also said "The amount of current is
modest, and so telephone circuits are unlikely to be a major safety risk to
persons in normal health." Whew. Put down those flame-throwers,
please! <g> In any case, when you become part of
a telephone circuit at either 48 or 96 volts, you probably won't enjoy the
experience: It's unpleasant, and could contribute to frying some of the more
delicate components inside your PC. So, regardless of how many angels dance on
the head of this particular pin, please unplug your internal modem before you
work inside your PC case, OK? And if you want lots more detail,
see this document: http://www.teccor.com/SIDACtor/Catalog.pdf
. (Page 43 talks about ring voltages.) Thanks to reader Irv Yokoyama for that
link! More seriously, several readers
pointed out that all-in-one PCs, where the monitor is built into the main
housing (like an iMac), carry an additional hazard in that the CRT (the
"picture tube") can retain a significant charge long after the unit is
switched off--- or unplugged. Of course, people who buy iMac-type
units aren't likely to be the ones who'll try doing their own maintenance; and
indeed, those all-in-one units are usually specifically designed NOT to be
opened or serviced by the owners. But still, it's good to point out that the
high voltages and capacitances of CRTs require special caution, if you're one of
the relative few who have that type of system. Thanks to all who wrote in! Click to
email this item to a friend Relax: This isn't a political
newsletter, and I'm not going to endorse a candidate or veer off in some Op-Ed
diatribe. <g> But as this is an Internet-delivered
newsletter, there's one fact about the 'Net that's played significantly in the
election rhetoric: Al Gore's self-stated involvement with the creation of the
Internet. In a moment, I'll give you a
link to an article by Vint Cerf, who is--- as much as any one person can
be--- the *actual* creator of the Internet. In fact, he's often called "The
Father Of the Internet." The article's co-author is Robert Kahn, who worked
alongside Cerf to create the core protocols and architecture that make the
Internet work. (N.B. Many people confuse the
Internet and the Web. The latter, created by Tim Berners-Lee and others, lives
on the Internet, which was created by Cerf, Kahn and others. The Internet is the
infrastructure that makes the Web and email and all our other online services
possible.) No matter what your political
affiliation, the article is interesting because it (1) accurately quotes Gore,
so you know what he *really* said and (2) gives you Cerf's and Kahn's reaction
to it--- the reactions of two who were there and who know what actually did and
did not happen. It's a nice bit of 'Net lore to
know, and just may inject a small bit of accuracy into a political season
largely lacking in semantic precision on *both* sides. A warning: Unlike this newsletter,
Cerf and Kahn are politically partisan. While you may or may not *like* what
they say, I still think their opinion is worth reading because Cerf *is* the
"father of the Internet" and his and Kahn's opinion should matter in
*factual* discussions about who did what in the Internet's early days, as
opposed to discussions based on false information and either deliberate or
accidental misstatements of facts. None of this has anything to do with
any of the larger issues in the upcoming Presidential election--- taxes, social
programs, the environment, and so on. None of this is a political endorsement or
condemnation on my part. It's just an attempt to bring you an interesting
perspective from two men who were there when the Internet was created. If you
don't like what Cerf and Kahn say, please don't shoot the messenger (me!). Here's the link: It's the second
item (called "Al Gore and the Internet") at http://www.schindler.org/psacot/20001009.html#computer_industry_news Click to
email this item to a friend OK, off the heavy-weight stuff and
on to the grins: The best regional humor is when
people poke fun at themselves; not only does it avoid the ugliness of
attack-based "humor," I think it's also just plain healthy not to take
oneself too seriously. <g> Reader George Collar offers this bit
of mid-Western humor, under the heading of "Michiganders Unite!" You Might be from Michigan
If 1. You define summer as
three months of bad sledding. Click to
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