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The
LangaList
Standard Edition
2002-02-25
A Free Email Newsletter from
Fred Langa
That Helps You Get More From Your Hardware,
Software, and Time Online
Please visit our sponsors
and help keep the LangaList S.E. free!
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1) Free IE Booster
Dave Collins writes:
As a long-term reader and PLUS subscriber, I'm delighted to send this little
gem your way. IE Booster, by Paessler GmbH, is a freeware set of web browser
extensions for IE 5 and upwards.
It's basically a more powerful variation of the old IE Web Accessories, with
some very nice new tools, and is also fully compatible with IE 6. It's
definitely one of those "how did I manage without it" type of applications! Best
of all, the price - it's completely free!
http://www.iebooster.com/products/ieb/index.html.
Thanks, Dave.
IE Booster adds a number of right-click functions to IE 5 and 6:
Show all forms and applets of a web page
Show page source (screenshot) or show partial source
Show all hyperlinks
Show all images
Show style sheets
Show detailed information of an image
Open current frame in the same or in a new window
Resize the browser window to various screen formats
Copy page title as "<a href=url>Title</a>" to clipboard
Copy link target as "<a href=url>Caption</a>" to clipboard
Open selected text as URL in a new browser window
Copy selection as plain text
Copy image source path to clipboard
It worked fine with my copy of IE6 on XP, and also
uninstalled well--- it appears to be a well-behaved utility.
It's apparently a kind of self-promotional-ware: Paessler,
the vendor, uses IE Booster to try to make you aware of their commercial tools,
but in a fairly low-key and unobtrusive way.
Worth a look!
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2) AOL & Netscape
Also Bypass Your Security Settings
Imran J writes:
RE LangaList
http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-02-21.htm#2 ----More Broadband Shenanigans
[about Cox software bypassing your Internet security settings]:
Well I have something interesting relating to this one is that I looked into my
[browser] security zone and under trusted zone was to my second horror was aol's link in it as http://free.aol.com so I would recommend all ppl to keep regularly checking there zones for any unwanted guests. This is the second time i have caught them and I think it happens with when ever u install Winamp after which I have to go for a cleaning spree to remove the icons free aol one! Duh! Plz let others know
--- Imran J
Thanks for the reminder! We've actually covered this
before, but it was a while ago: See "Netscape/AOL Diddles With Your "Trusted"
Zone" in
http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2001/2001-09-20.htm#2 .
In any case, it's good advice to check your browser's
security settings from time to time just to make sure that *nothing* has
insinuated itself in there without your knowledge.
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3) RIP
ResellerRatings
It was bad luck: The "ResellerRatings" site mentioned
in the last issue apparently shut its doors between the time I wrote the issue
and when the issue was mailed to you. Now, when you go to the ResellerRatings
site, you just get bounced to Earthweb's Hardware Central at
http://hardware.earthweb.com/ . That
may be a fine site, but it isn't about rating resellers. Sigh.
hi fred, a web site you mentioned in your newsletter, resellerratings.com, is no more. check out this thread in our PC911 forum that has all the info about it going out of business
http://www.pcnineoneone.com/dcforum/computer/34383.html
Regards, Alex Byron Owner, Webmaster, Editor-in-Chief PC911
Thanks, Alex.
Jason Levine offers this possible alternative:
Most of your readers would probably know me from Jason's Toolbox (
http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/ )
, but there's another site I've run for over five years now URateIt.com.
URateIt is dedicated to letting people review infomercial products, and so
mostly falls out of the scope of the LangaList. However, with ResellerRatings
going under, I decided that the web needs a place people can go to find sites
that let consumers submit product/service/company ratings. So I'm going to
open a URateIt.com Ratings Sites listing page. Right now I have two that I
know of off the top of my head (and one is my own site ;-) ) so I could really
use some more. Please excuse the bare-bones nature of the site and try out
http://www.urateit.com/RatingsSites/ Feel free to add in any sites you
know of that let consumers submit reviews. (And of course, if any people have
experience with infomercial products, they can stop by my main URateIt site.
--- Thanks, -Jason
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4) Media Player
Snooping?
"Microsoft’s new version of its popular Media Player software is logging the
songs and movies that customers play. The company said Wednesday it was changing
its privacy statement to notify customers about the technology after inquiries
from The Associated Press."
You can get various takes on the full story at:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/712231.asp
or
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020221/ap_on_hi_te/microsoft_privacy_14
or
http://www.privacyfoundation.org/commentary/tipsheet.asp
The part I enjoyed--- although it takes a cynically
dark sense of humor to laugh about it--- is that when Microsoft realized that
they were violating their own privacy policy, instead of changing the software,
they just changed the privacy policy! 8-)
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5) "Microsoft
Security" = Oxymoron?
In light of item #4, if you do have a "cynically dark
sense of humor" you may find it going into overdrive about this item:
Thomas McGuire sent along a pair of links:
First is an announcement from Microsoft about a new,
free "security scanner" that's in the works:
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-841770.html?legacy=cnet&tag=lthd
But, Thomas pointed out, a "Microsoft Personal
Security Advisor (MPSA)" already has been in operation for quite some time at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/mpsa/start.asp .
It's not clear how the new security service will
differ from the one that's already running. The latter is only for NT/2K/XP, but
as Microsoft is phasing out support for Win9x, I'd be very surprised if the new
service will include that older OS. We'll just have to see what the new service
offers.
In any case, although the phrase "Microsoft Security"
may engender cognitive dissonance, sites like the Microsoft Personal Security
Advisor actually can be good: At least it's an easy way to check to see if you
have the current patches installed.
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6) Last Week To
Enter February's FREE Drawing
On Feb 28, I'll choose another monthly winner of a
no-strings $30 Gift Certificate for any item at Amazon.Com--- books, software,
hardware, kitchenware, toys... To have a shot at winning, 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 gain a new subscriber; and you just may
win a $30 shopping spree! (Full details also available via this link):
http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm
The more times you make a recommendation, the greater
your chances are of winning!
Or, if you'd like to try to win $10,000(!), try this
link (full details also available here):
http://www.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=143182
Either way, thank you, and good luck!
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7) Rabid Hardware
Last issue's item on washing electronic gear (
http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-02-21.htm#3 ) --- washing
everything from mouse balls to entire floppy drives and printer assemblies---
prompted "CptSiskoX" to send along the following link to a complete
illustrated how-to guide for cleaning and washing a keyboard.
http://www.rabidhardware.net/howtos/kbmod/index.shtml
The photos alone are worth the click. 8-)
Thanks, CptSiskoX!
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8) Update About Suradon Janno
Suradon Janno is one of the children LangaList Plus!
subscribers help support: Suradon is about 6 now, and lives in
Thailand. He became one of our sponsored kids last September (
http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2001/2001-09-06.htm#9 .
Normally, kids like Suradon might
not have much of a future to look forward to. But Suradon's is a little
brighter, thanks to LangaList Plus! subscribers.
You see, those of us with
computers and Internet access are vastly better off than most of the world's
population. Because of this, I decided that a portion of the LangaList Plus!
subscription fees would be donated to registered/legitimate charities helping
the underprivileged around the world. The contribution does not increase the
cost of a Plus! subscription in any way; the donation is taken "off the top" of
any profits. (This is described in the pages at
http://www.langa.com/plus.htm )
Suradon was the fourth child sponsored for a full
year (via an international relief agency) by the
collective generosity of LangaList subscribers. LangaList Plus! subscribers also
have collectively contributed to emergency earthquake relief efforts in India
and to funds to help the victims of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks in the US.
(To see all the donations so far, click to
http://www.langa.com/plus2.htm#kids )
One of the pleasures of sponsorship is that we get to hear from the kids who
are old enough to write; younger children have letters written for them. They sometimes send
photos. For example, this just arrived:
TRANSLATION: Dear Sponsor, Suradon Janno the CCF child at
the daycare center for child development in Ban Hua Suer is now 6 years. He's
a fairly happy child, studying in grade 1 at Ban Hua Suer School and doing
very well on his study. He always pays attention to his study and goes to
school everyday. His school is just 4 km. away from the house and he rides the
bike to school.
There are 4 people in his family. He's living with his grandparents. His
father and mother have gone to work in other province to raise the whole
family. There's not any employment in the village we live in. His father earns
the living being labor and his grandparents are very old and can't work, just
look after the child day by day. Besides all of us a family of his uncle with
one son also live with our family. There are 7 altogether excluding his father
and mother.
Finally Suradon and his family wish you and your family to
be happy and healthy. We feel glad that you've offered your sponsoring to him.
Yours respectfully,
On behalf of your sponsored child Suradon Janno
Suradon's father
Here's the photo sent by the agency. Suradon's in the middle:
http://www.langa.com/images/suradon2.jpg
So far this year--- 2002--- it looks like we'll be
able to
re-up for all four kids for the entire new year; and I also hope to add more
kids soon, as more readers sign up for Plus! subscriptions.
Graham Greene once said, "There
is always a moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in...."
If you're already a LangaList Plus subscriber, thank you! You can feel good
about giving back a little to those less fortunate, and opening "a door to the
future" for a child in otherwise-desperate circumstances.
If you're not yet a Plus!
subscriber check it out: With a Plus! subscription, you can not only help
yourself make the most of your hardware, software and time online with expanded
content and no advertising--- but you also can help those less fortunate (like
Suradon) make the most of their very lives. Thanks for your help!
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9) They Loaded The Code
Do you have a home page or website? (It doesn't
matter what size.) Please click over to
http://www.langa.com/code.htm , and maybe you can join the hundreds and
hundreds of LangaList readers who have "Loaded the Code!" (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 )
Speaking of which: Here's another eclectic sample of
reader sites--- some professional, some very personal:
View A Randomly-Chosen Reader Site
http://www.langa.com/randomlink.htm
Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At
http://www.langa.com/readersites.htm
An Invitation To Poetry
http://www.heavenstime.com/
XP Guy
http://members.shaw.ca/cschnack/
Escape From Hardware Hell
http://hardwarehell.com/
Pokey & Dots
http://www.geocities.com/top_shelf2/PokeyDotsPage.html
Julie's Images and Stories
http://members.dcsi.net.au/positive/
Mink's Links
http://mink.skuz.net/
CompuNotes
http://www.compunotes.com/
ALL 4 COUPONZ 'N MORE
http://pages.ivillage.com/scr621/all4couponznmore/index.html
DaShaver Graphics & Design
http://www.dashaver.net/
Geekette
http://www.geocities.com/gekette/
Rice Rice Baby
http://home.earthlink.net/~oobusdoobus/RICE.HTML
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10) Just For Grins
Frequent contributor R. Dan Park sends long this note
on "Riding a Dead Horse:"
The tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians, passed on from generation to generation, says that when you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.
Modern organizations (education, government, military, etc.) often employ a whole range of far more advanced strategies, such as
* Buying a stronger whip.
* Changing riders.
* Threatening the horse with termination.
* Appointing a committee to study the horse.
* Arranging to visit other countries to see how others ride dead horses.
* Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included.
* Re-classifying the dead horse as "living, impaired".
* Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse.
* Harnessing several dead horses together to increase the speed.
* Providing additional funding and/or training to increase the dead horse's performance.
* Doing a productivity study to see if lighter riders would improve the dead horse's performance.
* Declaring that as the dead horse does not have to be fed, it is less costly, carries lower overhead, and therefore contributes substantially more to the bottom line of the economy than do some other horses.
* Re-writing the expected performance requirements for all horses.
* Promoting the dead horse to a management position.
* Changing the name of the computer (oops, horse)
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11) Plus! Edition Highlights
- Free AntiVirus Tools
- Comprehensive
Process-Sniffing (Free!)
- Free Toolbox For
Tweakers
Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains all ten
items above, plus about 30% more content including: a ton of free and excellent
anti-virus scanners (important to many readers now that support for InoculateIT
PE is drying up); an amazingly comprehensive listing to help you identify
seemingly-mysterious processes and tasks you may find running on your PC; and a
reader-recommended resource featuring a rich collection of free tools for
tweakers.
A Plus! Edition subscription costs just pennies per
issue! info:
http://www.langa.com/plus.htm
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See you next issue!
Best,
Fred
(fred@langa.com)
Please
recommend
the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win $10,000!I)
An easier-to read formatted HTML version is
available in the "Current Issue" section of
http://www.langa.com.
(The HTML version of each issue normally is available by 9AM EST [UT-5] of the
issue date.) All past LangaList issues are also available at the Langa.Com site.
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Disclaimer:
http://www.langa.com/legal.htm In brief: All information herein is
offered as-is and without warranty of any kind. Neither Langa Consulting LLC, nor
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direct or consequential, resulting from your choosing to use of any information
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This newsletter is a service of Langa Consulting LLC and is Copyright © 1997-2005 Fred Langa/ Langa Consulting LLC. All worldwide rights reserved. LangaList: ISSN
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