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Bits & Bytes |
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Feature Articles
Product Reviews
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by Bob (The Cheapskate) Click,
Greater Orlando
Computer Users Group
*Friends Helping Friends!
A friend uses his computer a lot, but doesn't belong to any
computer organization. I gave him a couple of PC Magazines I had
read and he enjoyed them enough that he subscribed. He mentioned
that he had a problem with his laptop not connecting to the
router and I told him about the tech support included with the
PC Magazine subscription he had just purchased. He called them
and they helped him fix the problem quickly. His words later
were �Boy; I've already gotten my subscription money back in
just one day.
*Eat Or Be Eaten
I saw where EMC will acquire Iomega. Although it is taking much
longer than he said, Ralph Nader said years ago that in 20 years
most of the business in the US will be controlled by 20 or so
large corporations, and it looks like that prediction is
gradually taking place. Small startups that have a unique
product are quickly scooped up by the big guys who also buy
their competition to close it down. That's certainly a good way
for a smart programmer to become a millionaire; just come up
with a great idea that works. As for being bought up, foreign
countries will soon own the US by repossessing us if we keep
borrowing money from them.
The items below are announcements I received, but I have
necessarily edited the wording. I have not tried any of the
products.
*Free Tutoring For The Uninformed
Output I/S has launched HTML.net, a free HTML and CSS tutorial
site that makes it easy to learn how to design and develop web
sites. In about an hour, novice computer users can learn the
essential information needed to build a web site using nothing
more than an ordinary text editor. The Hypertext Markup Language
(HTML) tutorial begins with the basics and introduces you to
links, images and tables. You'll learn how to develop a site
that can be viewed by all web browsers on all platforms. There
are tips and tricks to make your web site attractive, fast
loading, and effective.
The Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) tutorial teaches you to
separate your web site content from your design, enabling you to
quickly change the look and feel of your web site. CSS-based web
sites improve your search engine rankings by making it easier
for search engines to find and index your content. CSS is slowly
replacing table-based HTML as the design tool of choice. The
HTML.net tutorials are available 24/7, without charge. Tutorials
are in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian,
Chinese, and more.
For more information, visit <http://www.html.net/>,
or contact Output I/S, Kaj Munks Vej 10, 3.th, 2300 Copenhagen
S, Denmark. Phone: (+45) 5194 5001. E-mail: <info@output.dk>.
*Free Screensaver
DealsGuy note: I am always suspicious of screensavers and I
don't even use them myself, but my proofreader
found some decent reviews of the companion game from the same
author, so this screensaver is probably OK..
A sweet and adorable fairy soars across a beautiful fantasy
landscape. Along the way, she uses dazzling spells to defend
herself against evil goblins and blazing firebirds. This
delightful visual feast is the free Feyruna Fairy Forest
screensaver from Jochen Kaercher Gamedesign, creator of premium
games for casual players.
Fairy Forest screensaver includes the option to turn on
atmospheric music and sound effects. As viewers listen to the
soothing audio, they're treated to smoothly animated scenes
featuring the otherworldly artwork of Feyruna Fairy Forest, a
casual game created by Jochen Kaercher Gamedesign. Visit <http://www.feyruna.com>
to download the 13 MB installation file and begin enjoying the
free Feyruna Fairy Forest screensaver. Windows 95 or later is
required.
Jochen Kaercher is an experienced game developer based in
Germany. After launching his company in 1999, he created several
freeware and shareware offerings for the PC. Kaercher is now
developing more ambitious titles aimed at casual gamers. All
offerings can be downloaded from <www.jochenkaercher.com>.
*Free USB Protection
A.C. Element Company has made available the free version of
MyUSBOnly for individual users. MyUSBOnly Free 2007 is a Windows
security application that prevents data theft through your
computer's USB ports. While USB ports have made computing much
more convenient, they also introduce a security threat that
could subject many computer users to identity theft and data
theft. MyUSBOnly thwarts attempts to gain access to your
computer via your USB ports.
New features for MyUSBOnly Free 2007 are:
- Syslog entries for copied, modified, deleted files/folders
- Firewall-like feature to allow/deny inserted USB devices
It acts as something similar to a firewall that monitors the USB
ports for any storage device connected to the protected
computer. Simply create a whitelist of all of the USB devices
you want to allow on your computer. The program will recognize
each of your flash drives, external disk drives, MP3 players,
and other USB devices and add them to its list of accepted
hardware once they are authorized by the user. When your list is
complete, the software will then check the whitelist of allowed
devices by USB brand (if you want to allow a certain USB brand)
or by serial number (for specific USB devices you want to allow)
depending on the settings desired by the user.
The software also has reporting features, such as e-mail
notifications, each time somebody attaches a USB device to your
desktop or laptop. MyUSBOnly also maintains a security log of
all attempts to gain access to your computer via USB flash
drives, iPods, card-readers, or any USB hardware. Modified and
copied files are now included in the log entries and can be
configured to send all log information to syslog. Use syslog
viewers such as Kiwi Syslog Daemon TM to view all the log
entries from one or more computers in the network, allowing
administrators to be able to manage and audit security.
There is an option to hide the software from the user, by not
displaying any tray icons at all, so it silently works in the
background without the user even knowing it's there. MyUSBOnly
makes it easy to lock down your USB ports to protect this
critical vulnerability on your desktop or laptop.
MyUSBOnly runs under Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/Server 2008,
Download the software from our website <http://www.myusbonly.com/usb/free.php>.
DealsGuy note: My proofreader noted some contradictions in the
Web site information so look closely and clarify what you don't
understand by trying the trial version before buying.
*Like Jigsaw Puzzles? Try This One! They claim, It
is even possible to see and feel the cardboard thickness. but I
am skeptical about feeling the cardboard thickness on the
screen.
Gaia Dream Creation Inc. released its new 3D jigsaw puzzle game,
and a puzzle screensaver named ,Gaia 3D Puzzle, and ,Gaia 3D
Puzzle Screensaver. This 3D jigsaw puzzle game allows players to
play jigsaw puzzles on their computer by selecting their
favorite images and the number of pieces. The 3D view creates a
totally immersive playing experience like a real puzzle game.
Gaia 3D Puzzle allows players to play with almost any images
found on the Internet. Unlike other computer puzzle games, Gaia
3D Puzzle is in 3D. Players can see their puzzle as a real
jigsaw puzzle and the pieces are as real as true jigsaw pieces.
The pieces are not pre-cut image shapes. They are generated from
advanced mathematic procedures to show the exact look and feel
of true jigsaw pieces. It is even possible to see and feel the
cardboard thickness. Players are able to play puzzles from 9 to
2000 pieces. Children can play and enjoy the same puzzles that
adults play, but with less pieces.
A selection of 4 different piece shapes is available which
increases or decreases the difficulty level. It's also possible
to modify the degree of distortion in the pieces, meaning the
pieces can all look the same, which is harder to play, or all
look different, which is easier to play.
The puzzle game and screensaver are available in English and
French for Windows 2000/XP/Vista.The puzzle game (Gaia 3D
Puzzle) is $29.95 USD and the screensaver (Gaia 3D Puzzle
Screensaver) is $14.95 USD. 20% is offered to DealsGuy readers
with�coupon code GAIA-XAKB-USAV. This code is valid until June
30th, 2008. You must download the trail version to
make sure it works well on your system and that you are
satisfied, then follow the URL in the product to pay using the
discount code.
That's it for this month. I'll soon have some new product
announcements on my Web site. Meet me here again next month if
your editor permits. This column is written to make user group
members aware of special offers or freebies I have found or
arranged, and my comments should not be interpreted to
encourage, or discourage, the purchase of any products, no
matter how enthused I might sound. Bob (The Cheapskate) Click <bobclick@mindspring.com>.
Visit my Web site at <http://www.dealsguy.com>.
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The
DealsGuy