Neat Net Tricks Issue #80
June 15, 2000 
www.NeatNetTricks.com 
Reply-To: NNT@silver.lyris.net 

IN THIS ISSUE:

01.  Talk, don't write
02.  Shortcut through the messages
03.  SpotOn
04.  NetClip
05.  Back to the Fifties
06.  They Don't Always Work Department
07.  Naviscope
08.  Area Code lookup
09.  BitMagic
10.  Growth spurt
11.  One giant step backward
12.  In search of the old
13.  Take a break

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01.  TALK, DON'T WRITE.  You're just 20 seconds away from adding voice 
to your email at http://www.talksender.com . This is one of the easiest
such programs I've seen, and it even verifies receipt of your message.  
Enjoy Talksender, but beware that "free mike" offer, unless you agree 
that "free" should include $3.95 shipping and handling.

02.  SHORTCUT THROUGH THE MESSAGES.  The easiest way to navigate in
newsgroups and email with most readers is with the N key, which will
advance to the next unread message.  If, instead, you want to read all 
the messages in sequence, including those you've previously read, do 
that with Shift+N.

03.  SPOTON.  A free browser enhancement to MS Internet Explorer 
4.72.3110.0 or higher version for Windows 95/98/NT/2000, SpotOn's 
features are only partially functional for Apple, AOL, and Netscape 
users.  It records and plays the Web like a VCR, preloads pages for 
instant viewing, creates and publishes pathways across the Web, and 
accesses bookmarks (favorites) from anywhere.  Download it at 
http://www.spoton.com .

04.  NETCLIP.  Microsoft's Clipboard Viewer, NetClip,  at
http://channels.microsoft.com/com/resources/nci386.exe is a free 
download, just 168kb.  It's a barebones approach to sharing your 
clipboard contents between computers.

05.  BACK TO THE FIFTIES.  Save your quarters and punch up 125+
oldies-but-goodies at http://www.rhs51.com/jukebox.htm to take a blast
to the past in RealAudio.

06.  THEY DON'T ALWAYS WORK DEPARTMENT.  T-Mailer offered a lot when I 
set up my account at http://www.t-mailer.co.il/Eng/index.htm .  I liked
the idea of sending a voice message or fax from any telephone to any 
email box in the world.  Unfortunately, this required calling a toll
number in the U.S.; or, even costlier, a number in Israel.  Then, it 
sent a .wav file attached to the email to the address you designate in
your account.  After two tries, the .wav file contained errors and 
wouldn't play.  So while your results may differ, I'll say NoThanks.wav,
T-mailer.

NOTE: Also, several issues ago I opined that The Counter at
http://www.thecounter.com was the best Web site counter around. 
Unfortunately, when a counter goes down, it impedes access to the Web 
site on which it is installed.  Frequent down times over several
weeks have necessitated its removal from the NNT Web site and I can no 
longer recommend them. 

07.  NAVISCOPE.  This freebie monitors your Web browser, prefetches 
sites for accelerated surfing, does ping and traceroute, logs and 
maintains history, and a number of other chores.  Perhaps the most 
significant is its ability to block unwanted ads, cookies, and 
javascript.  It's an easy download from http://naviscope.com .

08.  AREA CODE LOOKUP.  With several time zones to consider along with
office hours, it would be nice to have a way to look up locations of 
area codes when all I have is a phone number.  My telephone directory 
is not much help.  Say no more.  Everything you need is at 
http://www.mmiworld.com/telephone.htm in numerical or alphabetical 
order.  Or search here, by area code or city: 
http://www.555-1212.com/area_codes.cfm .  Or worldwide, find it at 
http://decoder.americom.com/ . And there are many others.  Toss that 
telephone directory.

09.  BITMAGIC. After a substantial download at http://www.bitmagic.com ,
BitMagic resides on your taskbar and downloads a daily issue of a 
Shockwave magazine for your entertainment.  It treats you to news, 
animation, games, humor, sound effects, quizzes, wallpaper,
screensavers, etc., and even allows you to send portions to friends.  
I find the daily download may be blocked by certain utilities.  It was
necessary to disable Naviscope, discussed above, before the issue could
be retrieved.

10.  GROWTH SPURT.  Likely no technology has ever grown as rapidly as
the Internet.  In 1998 there were an estimated 102 million worldwide 
on the Net, and this is predicted to mushroom to 707 million in 2001. 
These and other revealing statistics (to include the country you call 
home) are at http://www.HeadCount.com .

11.  ONE GIANT STEP BACKWARD.  Of course you can use the "Back" button
on your Netscape Communicator to step backward to previously visited 
sites. But an often overlooked feature is the right mouse button when 
you point to "Back."  This displays a number of recently visited sites 
so that you can take a huge leap backward.

12.  IN SEARCH OF THE OLD.  The adventuresome spirit seeking old and
obscure Web browers will find an extensive archive at 
http://browsers.evolt.org .  These include the tried and untried, so
experiment at your own risk.

13.  TAKE A BREAK.  On a non-computer note, you might know that NNT 
originates from the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota.  If you're
planning a vacation through this area, email jteems@neatnettricks.com 
and I'll tell you about a free 3-day/2-night vacation in a 5-star 
resort.

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Copyright 2000 by Jack Teems.  All rights reserved.
