Neat Net Tricks Issue #88
October 15, 2000
http://www.NeatNetTricks.com
Reply-To: NNT@silver.lyris.net

IN THIS ISSUE:

01.  Tracing
02.  Default Browser
03.  Nero
04.  More on Web-based email access
05.  IP NetRouter
06.  In-depth look: Shockwave and Flash
07.  Magnifier
08.  Popularity contest
09.  Mike's back
10.  The home barcode
11.  Hidden characters
12.  Numbers deciphered
13.  Cruise Cat

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01.  TRACING.  http://www.nwi.net/~pchelp/  provides a free DOS batch
utility to track network name or IP address.  While you're at this
site, you might take a look at some of the other interesting stuff.

02.  DEFAULT BROWSER.  There's an easy way to eliminate just one more
of Window's little irksome features, if you are continually being
asked whether you want to make MSIE or Netscape your default browser.
I like this one because it doesn't require editing the Registry,
something only the brave-at-heart (or the very-computer-savvy) should
do.  Here's the easier fix:  Start|Settings|Control Panel|Internet
Options|Programs tab.  Make sure the box is unchecked to have Internet
Explorer "check to see whether it is the default browser."

03.  NERO.  Ahead Software's Nero Burning ROM calls itself "the Emperor
of CD Recording Software."  It encodes songs to MP3, Twin VQ, and .wav
format, burns CDs with a simple drag and drop of MP3 files, backs up
audio and game CDs, partitions or entire hard drives onto multiple
CDs.  Nero supports speeds up to 12x and is available in 13 languages.
It provides multiple burning, simultaneously supporting any combination
of 2 recorders, and features audio filters to cancel voice tracks, blend
songs, and split sound files.  Details are at http://www.nero.com .

04.  MORE ON WEB-BASED EMAIL ACCESS.  The letters rolled in responding
to a recent NNT item about Web-based email sites, where you can check 
your home email while you're on the road without dialing up your 
provider at long distance rates.  It seems everyone has a favorite,
and here are just a few.  Let's let the list end here. Surely, this is
adequate:  http://www.mailstart.com ; http://www.thatweb.com ; 
http://www.popchecker.com ; http://www.mailworks.com/anywhere/ ; and,
http://emumail.net/email.fcgi .

05.  IPNETROUTER.  Alex Yourke suggests use of the IPNetRouter at
http://www.sustworks.com/site/ if you have a neglected MacIntosh in
your office and want to give everyone Internet access through one
gateway without the hefty cost of a router.  This software works with
any low-end Mac, provides basic firewall protection and customizing 
features if you have DSL or cable with a static IP, and allows PC and 
Mac to network together, a not-so-common occurrence!

06.  IN-DEPTH LOOK: SHOCKWAVE AND FLASH.  Macromedia's animation 
technology will open new doors for your computer if you haven't tried
it. You'll need the correct plug-ins and your browser can install those
for you in a few minutes, time well spent when you see a few pages 
developed with Shockwave and Flash. In fact, many sites featuring this
animation make it easy for you to install the necessary software with a
simple click from their site.

Now spend some time on a whirlwind tour of Shockwave and Flash 
sites. Have your volume cranked up and the speakers placed just right 
for good stereo sound separation.  Dim the lights a bit.  Be patient as
each site loads. Some are commercial and we present them here, not as an 
endorsement of any product or service, but as representatives of a 
technology that is definitely 21st century.  Enjoy.

Start with a real potpourri of Macromedia Shockwave and Flash at
http://www.shockwave.com/bin/shockwave/entry.jsp , or jump directly to
some nice greetings you can send at http://www.shockwave.com/greetings .

Then revisit The Creation at http://www.kids4truth.com/creation.htm .  
You may recall that this site was a recent Neat Net Nifty for its 
graphical presentation of the Biblical creation of the world.  The next 
stop is http://www.balthaser.com/home.html where Balthaser, an Internet 
systems company, vies for your attention.  Web design companies make
extensive use of Flash in presenting their wares, as evidenced by 
http://www.eye4u.com , http://www.thevoid.co.uk/ and 
http://www.rogerroger.com/  And the kids will enjoy a lick of ice 
cream at http://www.benandjerrys.com .

You can likely find even more impressive sites.  Or, you might yearn
for the "good old days" when sites were simple and loaded fast.  It is,
after all, your choice.  Fortunately, the Internet continues to offer
something for everyone's taste.

If you want to learn more about Flash take one of the tutorials at
http://wdvl.internet.com/Multimedia/Flash/ .

07.  MAGNIFIER.  Carole Waller suggests this one, and it should appeal
particularly to those of us whose vision isn't as sharp as it used to
be.  To magnify any portion of your screen, go to Start|Programs|
Accessories|Accessibility|Magnifier.  If you don't have an
Accessibility menu, you'll need to install the Accessibility tools 
with Control Panel's Add|Remove feature.

08.  POPULARITY CONTEST.  Use http://www.websmostlinked.com , as the
site says, to "find out where your site stands, spy on your
competitors, and see how popular merchants are."  If your site isn't
in their database, you can submit it for spidering and ranking.

09.  MIKE'S BACK.  You may remember Mike Elgan from the popular Win
Letter that he wrote until a few months ago for Windows Magazine.  
He's back, writing Mike's List, otherwise known as The Silly Con 
Valley Report.  Take a look at http://www.elgan.com/#mikeslist and you
can subscribe free from there for a nice collection of interesting Net
sites.

10.  THE HOME BARCODE.  Soon we'll be abe to take along a device to
scan barcodes into our Palm. We'll have our very own barcode to
embed into our email or ads. and that code will take our customers
directly to our Web site. That's some of the promises of BarPoint at
http://www.barpoint.com but for now it's still a neat site.  Enter the
digits directly beneath the UPC of audio books, books, computers, DVDs,
music, software, and videos and you'll get the product details, where
you can buy the product, and price comparisons as well.  This site has
promise.

11.  HIDDEN CHARACTERS.  Your keyboard can do a lot more than type the
letters you see on it.  You knew this, of course, with the various hot
keys you can assign and all the menus you can call up with that funny
looking Windows key in the lower left corner.  We've covered a lot of
these in past issues of Neat Net Tricks.  But you may not be aware that
there are more than 200 other symbols available.  You can see these
displayed with each font by accessing your Character Map, commonly found
in your Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\System Tools path.  By
selecting the desired symbol the lower right corner will identify a
combination of keys to insert that symbol in your correspondence.  As an
example, with the NumLock on, hold the ALT key and select 0163 for the
British pound symbol; 0150 for a long dash, or 0149 for bullets.  This
is a useful feature when you need some symbol peculiar to a particular 
language.

12.  NUMBERS DECIPHERED.  The URL is just an easier way for us to
get around the Web rather than entering a series of digits known as IP
numbers.  Either way works fine.  But if you have IP numbers to a site
and would like to know more about that site and who is responsible for
it, one way is to enter the numbers at 
http://www.arin.net/whois/arinwhois.html .

13.  CRUISE CAT.  I must admit that a touchpad takes some adjusting to 
for us folks who are mouse-bound.  But the Cirque Cruise Cat holds a
lot of promise.  It provides "hot buttons" for default Web and custom
functions and a "gestures" feature allowing the user to draw a letter
or symbol to activate favorite commands and programs. There's one-touch
surfing, scrolling, zooming, and a lot of other features worth looking
into at http://www.cirque.com .

*****

A personal note:  Last issue, I promised details of an upcoming contest
for Neat Net Tricks readers.  Having just returned from a 30-day motor
home excursion encompassing nearly half the U.S., I am rushing
frantically to check links and get this issue out.  Please bear with me
and stay tuned.  The contest details will be in the next NNT issue for
sure and you can win a lot of very nice software.

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