A place for the neat stuff the surrounds my life
PC Annoyances by Steve Bass
This is one of the best books on Windows fixes that I have read in a long time. We all face those little, bothersome problems with our Windows-based computers, but we often don't know exactly how to solve the problem. PC Annoyances can solve a host of these problems with a single reading.
If you want to reduce the frustration of using Windows, get this book today!
Free web-based virus checker/cleaner
For those of you who are away from your home machine, or those who can't afford a standalone virus checker, TrendMicro offers Housecall.
Housecall was developed a a demonstration of TrendMicro technologies but it can discover and remove a wide variety of Windows viruses.
Career-Op: The Little Things
by Douglas E. Welch, ComputorEdge Magazine
As we begin another year I am starting a project with all of my current clients. I am making a big effort to address some of the smaller high-tech problems that have lingered over the years. Sometimes, in the heat of fighting the big battles, we just don’t have the energy to address the smaller problem, which can often be much more difficult to resolve. Now is the time, though, to finally solve all those nagging issues and make everything work like it should.
New products available from Cafepress
I have added a new store to my Cafepress collection. It contains products with this picture, from my recent trip to Sicily.
Check out the wide selection at:
http://cafeshops.com/mossyrock/
Additional stores are also open at:
http://cafeshops.com/welchphotohttp://cafeshops.com/welchsun/
Is it time to delete Internet Explorer?
The fact that this question keeps coming up week in and week out points to the answer. Once again, Microsoft's Internet Explorer is found to have a crippling security hole that can allow anyone to trick you into downloading a malicious file, while masquerading as a innocuous data file. (See New Explorer hole could be devastating, TechWorld.com, January 28, 2004)
It seems obvious that Microsoft is incapable of plugging the holes in their software, or, worse still, doesn't care. For my clients, I am going to start a more concerted effort to find a replacement that protects their computers while providing similar functionality. This is something I should have done a long time ago. Luckily, as a Macintosh user myself, I already have an excellent alternative in the Safari browser provided by Apple.
Update:
It looks like Microsoft is addressing one issue that is being severely abused by spammers and scammers, as shown in this post from Lockergnome.
Internet Explorer's Handling in HTTP and HTTPS URLs
Microsoft plans to release a software update that modifies the default behavior of Internet Explorer for handling user information in HTTP and HTTPS URLs [Lockergnome Tech News Watch]
Book for geeks among you
This new title from O'Reilly sounds quite interesting. As I get older, I find myself becoming more adventurous in investigating the fringes of high-tech oddity. Maybe I can put my coffee pot on the Internet so my clients will know when I am too over-caffeinated to talk to them. (SMILE)
New: Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks
O'Reilly & Associates announced Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks by Scott Fullam, which offers an array of customized electronics projects from hacking a toaster to web-enabled coffee machines. [MacInTouch: Mac news, information and analysis]
New Windows Virus/Worm
I am not usually inundated by virus/worm mailings that travel about the Internet, but the most recent one, "called MyDoom, Novarg and as a variant of the Mimail virus", is showing up in my mailbox with alarming frequency. I would say that I have seen 30-40 copies of this bug already.
Be aware of these virus threats and remember to think carefully before opening an unknown file attachment.
Via News.com
Apple Security Update 2004-01-26
Be on the lookout for this new Security Update for Mac OS X in your Software Update system preference. It patches a variety of issues, listed below.
Security Update 2004-01-26 delivers a number of security enhancements and is recommended for all Macintosh users. This update includes the following components: Apache 1.3 Classic Mail Safari Windows File Sharing Additionally, Security Update 2003-12-19 has been incorporated into this security update. Those components are: AFP Server ASN.1 Decoding for PKI cd9660.util Directory Services fetchmail fs_usage rsync System Initialization
Apple Knowledge Base Docs via RSS
MacOSXHints.com points to a resource providing access to tech notes from Apple, in a variety of categories, via RSS syndication.
This is a great way for techs to monitor the latest troubleshooting info coming out of Apple without visiting the site every day.
Kudos to Syndic8.com for providing easy access to this information.
From MacOSXHints.com...
View Apple Knowledge Base documents via RSS
Apple is now offering Knowledge Base articles via RSS newsfeeds. Grab your favorite RSS newsreader (NetNewsWire, SlashDock, etc) and head on over to syndic8.com for a list of all available Apple feeds. [Mac OS X Hints]
