Neat Net Tricks Issue #94
January 15, 2001

http://www.NeatNetTricks.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:

01.  For NNT readers who hate spam
02.  Local Port Scanner
03.  FixWindows
04.  Media Player and Powertoys
05.  Voice Pilot PAL
06.  FindSame
07.  Guide to Grammar and Writing
08.  PackWord
09.  Reducing cache
10.  World Time Clock
11.  Two monitors
12.  Bandwidth meter
13.  Sort favorites by name
14.  Software winner!
15.  And one thing more

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01.  FOR NNT READERS WHO HATE SPAM.  Is anything more disliked than 
spam? You can construct filters, try to identify the source from the
message headers, and complain to the spammer's ISP. Or, you can install 
a neat application that will do all that for you, and more. SpamKiller 
works flawlessly with existing POP3 and MAPI email programs (not AOL or
Web-based) in Win95, 98, NT4, or 2000.  It has thousands of preset 
filters and a nice array of canned complaint messages, and you can 
build others easily with an ingenious wizard.  Registered users can 
automatically download and install new filters as they become available.
I suggest you read more about SpamKiller at http://www.spamkiller.com . 
Then download it and try it free for up to 30 days.  I'm guessing it 
won't take you 30 minutes to decide to keep it.  And if you do, here's
a deal just for NNT readers. Don't pay the $29.95 price, but, instead, 
your cost is just $22.50 for about the slickest anti-spam program on the
market.  To get the special price, you'll have to order by February 28 
in the NNT store at http://www.NeatNetTricks.com/store/ .

02.  LOCAL PORT SCANNER.  Help identify weak spots in your computer
defense and download Local Port Scanner, a free 497 kb file at 
http://www.nonags.com/nonags/ .  LPS is preprogrammed with the most 
common hacker and trojan ports, and it has five different scan modes 
with useful information on used ports.

03.  FIXWINDOWS.  The folks at http://www.fixwindows.com offer what 
they call a one-stop Windows troubleshooting resource. The site 
provides troubleshooting flowcharts, articles, and tips to address
problems with Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 and 
Windows ME. Make a note of this for future reference, unless you're in
the extreme minority who never have Windows problems.

04.  MEDIA PLAYER AND POWERTOYS.  If you're still using Windows 95, you 
may have Windows Media Player 7 on your system.  If so, there's a new
set of powertoys designed to enhance Media Player at
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/en/download/powertoys.asp 
But, as with the other PowerToys, use at your own risk, since there's 
no support available.  And if you don't have Windows Media Player 7 for
your Win95, you can download it at
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/en/software/playerv7.asp .

05.  VOICE PILOT PAL.  Described as a "complete hands-free personal 
management tool," PAL offers a calendar, to-do list, address book, 
memo pad, project planner, daily expense report, and other features.  
It's intended to enhance popular speech engines such as the Dragon 
NaturallySpeaking, IBM ViaVoice, and the Learnout & Hauspie Voice 
Xpress; or, without such engines, PAL provides the Microsoft "Whisper"
speech engine.  You may recall Neat Net Tricks' high marks to the Voice
Xpress in an earlier issue, so I looked forward to a great performance
by PAL, assured that I could dictate more than 10,000 words by voice
alone, and with no enrollment or training required.

The first disappointment was the error message on startup, fixed two 
days later when the company emailed a patch to fix errors common with
some computers.  One can't help but wonder why the patch isn't provided
with the CD if the error is known in advance.

The documentation was my second disappointment.  I had to print 36 
pages with Adobe Acrobat Reader.  Software producers save trees, I am 
told,  by not including a users manual with their software. In reality,
they are saving money and passing the costs (and printer wear) on to 
the consumer.

Having now read every word of the manual, my relationship with PAL is a 
shallow one indeed.  A few commands are recognized, and its main menu 
opens readily with the command "computer" but the options therein 
respond poorly or not at all. Applications outside the program are not 
launched. Dictation is virtually non-existent beyond a few very simple 
words. While your results may differ,  I see nothing about PAL that 
enhances other good speech engines as it promises.  I expected a lot 
more,  considering its $59.95 price tag.  More details, if you wish to 
check PAL out on your own, are at http://www.voicepilot.com .

06.  FINDSAME.  If you create and regularly publish "intellectual
property" such as Neat Net Tricks, you obviously are concerned about 
your material being quoted without proper credit.  There are useful 
services that can alert you whenever your publication is mentioned on 
others' Web sites, and Neat Net Tricks has discussed these before; but,
FindSame at http://www.findsame.com is particularly innovative.  Most 
search engines work on keywords, but FindSame allows you to cut and 
paste text, enter a URL, or upload a file from your computer.  Your 
document or Web page can then be displayed beside the matching document,
with results highlighted by color bars.  A neat service indeed.

07.  GUIDE TO GRAMMAR AND WRITING.  If you've been out of school as 
long as I have, you'll find this guide at 
http://ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ very helpful indeed.

08.  PACKWORD.  If you work with large files in MS Word 97/2000 and
would like to reduce them in size for storage, say, on a 1.44 mb disk,
you have some options.  You could compress (zip) them using a utility
such as Winzip; or, you might consider PackWord.  This free 513 kb
application at http://www.packword.com installs quickly.  It reduces
files by one-half or more and restores the document to its original
size with just a click.

09.  REDUCING CACHE.  The cache exists in your browser for faster
loading of previously visited sites.  Large caches mean committing a
greater portion of your hard drive space.  That's not necessary if you
have moved from a dial-up connection to one of the higher speed DSL or
cable connections.  With Netscape, go to Edit|Preferences|Advanced and
select Cache.  Click on the Clear Disk Cache button and enter a smaller
cache size in the Disk Cache window.  Click OK, close Netscape and
restart it.  In MS Internet Explorer, you accomplish the same thing with
Tools|Internet Options and click on the General tab.  In the section
headed Temporary Internet Files, click on Delete Files, then click on 
Settings and slide the bar to the left to reduce the amount of disk 
space you will commit to cache.  If you have more than one user profile
set up with your browser, you'll have to repeat this process for each.

10.  WORLD TIME CLOCK.  There are many clocks available to synchronize
your computer clock with Internet access.  Of course, your Windows has 
a rudimentary clock if all you want is to display the date and time and
occasionally make some manual adjustments to correct for your typically
unreliable internal clock.  But if you want perhaps the most extensive
of them all, try World Time Clock at http://www.pawprint.net .  This 
free utility is a rather large download, but you get unlimited 
configurable clocks, a world map, system alarms, time synchronizer, 
astronomical data, stopwatch, date tracker, time calculator, and so on.
I believe there must be a way to start the coffee brewing, but I'm still
looking for that option.

By the way, even though World Time Clock says it's not a resource hog,
be aware that all applications do use resources to varying extents.  You
may find it necessary to disable this one, along with other applications
you're using, if a shortage of available resources is a problem for you.

11.  TWO MONITORS.  Faithful followers of Neat Net Tricks have noted on
more than one occasion that I call attention to some handy topic on Joe
West's Web site.  I'll let him tell you what he's up to now, in his own
words:   "I recently hooked up a second monitor... really easy, cheap 
and makes multitasking so much easier. With all the people upgrading to 
a bigger monitor, I figure many don't realize there's no need to put the
old monitor away in a closet somewhere. Just hook 'em both up. I put 
together a "how-to" page if you want to have a look .... 
http://www.hereontheweb.com/dual ."

12.  BANDWIDTH METER.  Check the maximum throughput to this site from
your dialup connection, DSL, or cable without a download required at
http://www.2wire.com/services/bandwidth.asp .

13.  SORT FAVORITES BY NAME.  Microsoft Internet Explorer makes it
easy to sort favorites.  Just click on Favorites in the upper bar and
highlight a single entry.  Right click on it and select Sort By Name
to alphabetize the entries within that category.

14.  SOFTWARE WINNER!  Congratulations to Ville Vanninen, a subscriber
in Finland, who is our first winner in the "Recommend Neat Net Tricks" 
monthly drawing. Ville receives Norton SystemWorks 2001 for recommending
NNT to a friend.

We've been asked how names are selected in this drawing.  You are 
entered simply by clicking the "Recommend" button on NNT's opening
page at http://www.NeatNetTricks.com .  Just enter your email address 
and the email address of someone you'd like to join you as a NNT 
subscriber. (Hint: the more names you enter, the more chances you have 
to win.) Your friend gets an automated message recommending he/she check
out the NNT Web site.  Your email address is entered for the drawing.  
It's important to note that your email address is collected only for the
drawing and will be used for no other purpose!

At the end of each month, we could just pull the winning entry out of a
hat, but that would be so, well, "untekkie".  Instead, a number is
assigned to each entry, and then a winning number is chosen using
Research Randomizer at http://www.randomizer.org/form.htm . We then 
notify the winner and ask for a mailing address for shipment of the 
freebie.

We have a lot of nice software to give away, so what are you waiting 
for? Click to recommend NNT to a friend, or take a guess in the Half
Million Contest (time is growing short on that one)!

15.  AND ONE THING MORE.  A reader was upset, believing NNT was selling
subscribers' email addresses.  He referred to an item that offered ad
space at less than $2.30 per 1,000 readers.  Lest others misinterpret as
well, I must again emphasize that subscribers' addresses have never been
sold, will never be sold, and the database is used ONLY for distribution 
of NNT. What the reader was referring to is an offer to sell ad space in
NNT. Ads help keep NNT free, but advertisers no more know who is 
subscribed to NNT than would they know who is subscribed to a print 
newspaper in which they advertise.  Your email address is kept private
in NNT and always will be. 'Nuff said.

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Copyright 2001 by Jack Teems.  All rights reserved.
