Neat Net Tricks Issue # 96
February 15, 2001

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

01.  Speed tests
02.  Safe shopping
03.  Customizing Internet Explorer
04.  Netscape's headers/footers
05.  Deleting email
06.  OmniForm
07.  CatchUp
08.  C4U
09.  Vivisimo
10.  Desktop folders
11.  DLL library
12.  Character Map
13.  Globe Explorer Viewer
14.  Readers write

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01.  SPEED TESTS.  We've mentioned speed tests before.  These are for
the skeptical souls who don't believe the result displayed when you
place the cursor over the two monitor screens in the lower right corner
of your screen.  And if you are skeptical of that result, you will
probably be equally doubtful of others.  Each return widely varying
readings, similar to results you might expect with repeated blood
pressure checks.  But try them if you will, and here's two more:
http://www.speedus.com and http://206.170.44.66/NetTest.html .

02.  SAFE SHOPPING.  This tip is a little late for the holiday shopping
spree, but the American Bar Association hopes you'll visit their site
at http://www.safeshopping.org/ before you shop the Internet next time.
Consider these items of concern: how secure is your transaction, how 
will you maintain your privacy, how are you paying for the item, what 
do you know about the seller, what are you buying, what are the legal 
terms, when can you expect delivery, how should you keep records, to 
whom can you complain, and other online shopping tips.  It's not just
a matter of figuring out how to pay that credit card statement when it
arrives.

03.  CUSTOMIZING INTERNET EXPLORER.  A recent tip for users of 
Microsoft Internet Exploer suggested right clicking on Links and
unchecking the address bar in Microsoft Internet Explorer.  That, or
F11, gives more screen space.  But you might explore the customize
features as well.  Right-click on an empty space on the toolbar and 
click on Customize in the submenu.  Select "Full Screen" and Add to
include this in current toolbar buttons.  To restore the screen to its
original state, click again on the Full Screen icon or F11.  To gain
even more space, right click again on the toolbar, and click on Auto
Hide.  This works just like the taskbar autohide; that is, when the
cursor is placed in the "hidden" area, the bar reappears.  Until then,
this feature totally maximizes working space in IE.

04.  NETSCAPE'S HEADERS/FOOTERS.  If you don't like the information
printed at the top and bottom of pages printed from Netscape
Communicator, click on File|Page Setup while in Netscape.  Check only 
the information you want printed in the Header and Footer sections.

05.  DELETING EMAIL.  Readers continue to provide their favorite way to
delete email without opening it and possibly unleashing a virus.  One of
the simplest suggestions is to drag and drop the envelope in front of 
the message to Trash.  It also works, at least for me, to drag and drop
the message header.

06.  OMNIFORM.  Details about ScanSoft's OmniForm 4.01 can be found at
http://www.scansoft.com/products/omniform/ .  In brief, this product
converts a scanned image into a fully editable electronic form that can
be filled out on a screen, stored, printed, distributed via the Net, or 
published on the Web.  It's the latter feature that intrigued me the 
most.  Their service assigns a unique Web address so anyone can visit 
the site and fill out your form.  Data is collected there and you're
even notified when a form is completed.  It doesn't take a bunch of 
intelligence to realize what an asset that would be, particularly for 
someone who has groped with the complexities necessary to set up a form
on the Web.  Those of you who faithfully read this ezine know I like a 
product that installs with a few clicks, blindfolded, without reading a
massive users manual. The manual is there and I may read it, but all you
need to get OmniForm up and running is 5 minutes, a scanner, 486 
processor or better, Win 95/98/2000/NT and a spare 25 mb on your drive.
The blindfold is optional.

07.  CATCHUP.  After a rather hefty download of 770kb and a rather easy
installation, CNet's CatchUp at http://catchup.cnet.com/setup.asp will 
scan all installed software and display your version and what's out 
there in revisions, along with any security leaks and available patches.
You can click to download the latest right from the displayed pages or 
see what available upgrades will cost you.

08.  C4U.  This software, available for free download at 
http://www.c4u.com scans Web pages and detects changes since the last 
site visit. The actual changes are highlighted in a pop-up window that 
is independent of any active applications.  This one's for Windows
95/98/NT.

09.  VIVISIMO.  To some it will be just another search engine, but try
Vivisimo at http://www.vivisimo.com .  It has a cleaner look and the
subcategories provide a nice option for refining the search.

10.  DESKTOP FOLDERS.  We are well into the new year, and it's time to
do some housecleaning on your desktop.  Everything installed this past
year seems to have set a shortcut icon on your desktop and now it's a
jumbled maze. One of the most elementary and yet often overlooked tips
is simply to right click on an empty space on your desktop (there IS 
still some empty space somewhere, right?).  Then select New and Folder,
and name it something descriptive.  You'll see the folder displayed on 
your desktop.  Now, just click on each of the shortcuts in that 
category, drag them to the folder, and drop them. For example, you may 
have shortcuts to a dozen word processors and editors, prime candidates
for your new folder and a way to tidy up your clutter.

11.  DLL LIBRARY.  If you're having problems with missing or defective
DLL files (Dynamic Link Library), check out the DLL Archive at 
http://solo.abac.com/dllarchive/ .  If the DLL you're looking for is
not in the archive, the site offers a bulletin board to communicate
with others for assistance.

12.  CHARACTER MAP.  Sometimes you need a special character for your
word processing.  Windows Character Map comes to the rescue.  Open this
application with Start|Programs|Accessories in Win 95, or in Win 98 it
is Start|Programs|Accessories|System Tools.  If you need to first
install Character Map, do so easily with Start|Settings|Control Panel
and use the Add/Remove Programs feature.  To use a special character,
first select the font you are using in the drop-down list under Font.
Then, double-click on the character desired and click on Copy. Use 
Ctrl+V to paste that character into your document.

13.  GLOBE EXPLORER VIEWER. GlobeXplorer is similar to Terraserver in 
that you can view Satellite Photos of just about any place on earth;
however, the GlobeXplorer Viewer allows you to simply type in an 
address which makes finding Satellite photos of your own house even 
easier. Take a look! http://globexplorer.com/cfviewer/start.cfm
(Reprinted with permission of Joe West.)  You can get more of stuff like
this in Joe's ezine, This Week: HereontheWeb.  Subscribe by sending an 
e-mail to: HereOnTheWeb-subscribe@topica.com.

14. READERS WRITE.  One of the strangest complaints we've received in a
long time came from someone who questioned why we had reported him for 
spamming. As a NNT subscriber, he felt he was entitled to send 
unsolicited offers, since it should work "both ways."  Not so. The NNT
mailbox is not fair game to spammers, and we'll do what we can to shut 
them down, even though most spammers have become quite adept at forging
headers and evading detection.  Nonetheless, if you don't want to be
labelled a spammer, don't solicit anyone who hasn't asked for your 
offers. Subscribing to an ezine is not such an invitation.

And on a final note --

NNT has been very busy giving away software this month.  John Berberick
of Sheridan, Wyoming has earned Norton Internet Security 2001 for
recommending NNT to a friend.  Will you be next?  Enter our monthly 
drawing at the Web site, http://www.NeatNetTricks.com .

And the first prize winner in the "Half-Millionth Hit Contest" is Igor
Naftul'eff, St. Petersburg, Russia.  Igor correctly guessed February 8
as the date NNT's Web site received its half-millionth hit.  He wins 
three great Norton products:  WinFax Pro, SystemWorks 2001, and Internet
Security 2001.  Runners-up are Paul Fadden, Ft. Myers Beach, Florida, 
USA, and Sue Waddle, British Columbia, Canada . Paul and Sue receive 
Norton SystemWorks 2001. Thanks to the more than 1,300 who entered.

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NNT makes no endorsement or warranty, expressed or implied, with regard
to featured products or services.  Results may vary based on operating
systems and other variables beyond our control.

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Copyright 2001 by Jack Teems.  All rights reserved. Neat Net Tricks is
registered with the U.S. Library of Congress ISSN: 1533-4619.
