Dear Microsoft...I Can Be Bribed

Dear Friends at Microsoft,

It was with great interest that I read this week that you gave a number of free laptop computers equipped with the new Windows Vista operating system to technology bloggers . What a great idea! Those few bloggers who have admitted receiving this wonderful Christmas gift, along with those who have not yet admitted it, must have been thrilled when they opened their box. I can only imagine since I was not one of those lucky bloggers who received one.

And you spent some dollars on these machine. WOW! They were not cheap laptops by any means. They were Acer Ferrari 5000's equipped with an AMD Turion 64 x2 dual-core 2GHz CPU, 2GB of DDR2-667 RAM, AMD-ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 on a 15.4-inch widescreen. It also has a 160GB SATA drive, HD-DVD reader and burner as well as a 1.3mp camera. And, of course, preloaded with Vista. My God, guys, these things cost $2,299! Of course, you know that a cheaper laptop without a dual core chip and two Gigs of memory would run Vista a lot slower, so big bucks were required.

Since decent advertising would cost much more that Acer Ferrari's, this was a brilliant marketing ploy on your part...and very smart, too. Since bloggers are not considered true journalists, they can keep their gifts with no repercussions...whereas a real journalist, such as those who work on newspapers, TV or radio, are required to return such gifts by the very ethics of their profession, not to mention the companies they work for. But, bloggers, like myself, who are bound only by their conscience, can keep their newfound laptops and easily figure out some way in their minds to justify keeping it.

And, no doubt, they would wind up giving your products great reviews as part of their justification. I know I probably would. But to be honest, I like many of your products and have given them good reviews on these pages. And I know your new operating system and other new products that are not out yet are probably really good, even if they require a more expensive computer to run them.

My question is why I was not on the list to get one of these laptops? I have been blogging for several years and writing weekly technology newsletters before that. I have a loyal following of intelligent readers from around the world, many of whom are on a list to automatically receive an e-mail copy of my blog every time I write one. They rely on me for good information, so, I am a perfect target for a new laptop. I write about technology for the common man...the majority of folks who don't know a bit from a byte, who only want computers to be a useful tool in their lives.

Now, if you are mad at me for those few times that I have hammered you for either lousy software products (remember Bob or Windows ME) or your business ethics...you know deep down I was right, so don't hold that against me. You have hurt a lot of people who have trusted you. Someone needs to be your conscience to remind you of your occasional errant ways. My wife Susan does that for me...but who do you have other than a few journalists and bloggers like me.

But, I know that if I had an Acer Ferrari in my hands, I would give Vista a great review...many times probably. In fact, I will make it even easier for you. If you would give me a new desktop computer, comparably equipped, I would still give you a great review and you could save some major dollars. I don't even need a monitor because I have two extras sitting around doing nothing. How's that for a good deal? For the money I am saving you, you could probably throw in a copy of the new Microsoft Office and I would give you another great review or two. After all, I use Office now and love it. I am perfect for one of your promotional computers.

I anxiously await your reply.

First Vista Speed Tests

Now that the release of Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista, is just around the corner, maybe it's time to look at whether or not you should upgrade your computer to accommodate Vista...or just buy a whole new machine...or do nothing. To that end, PC World Magazine has done an in-depth testing study on these issues. If Vista is of interest to you, I think you should read the entire article.

If you don't want to do that, here is a quick summary:

1. Vista is generally slower on most PC's except those running dual-core processors.
2. The absolute minimum of RAM that you need is 1 GB. 2 GB is a better idea.
3. If you wish to use Aero, the stunning new visual display that comes with Vista, you will need a separate video card with its own memory. Many computers today come with integrated graphics built on to the motherboard and if you use Aero with those kinds of machines, you can expect a major slowdown in performance. Aero can be turned off.
   
4. If you have a high-end 64 bit processor, Vista runs slower than the standard 32 bit processors that most of us have.

Frankly, I am one of those people that is trying to decide whether to buy a new computer next month so that it comes with Vista, or get one now equipped with XP (there are some good bargains out their now). I need a new computer to work at home some I can do some of my artwork in the mornings and evenings without having to go to the office.

After reading the article from PC World, I know now that I will need to buy one with a dual-core processor, more memory, and its own video card, if I want to run Vista. But about the only thing that is really cool about Vista is Aero. At a minimum, I am looking at at least $250 more for a computer (probably more) to have the Vista operating system that will run Aero. I haven't made a decision yet, but I am leaning toward saving my money and just getting one with XP. Vista will not help me paint or process photographs any better.

If you would like to learn more about Vista and its features, head over to the Microsoft Web site. It is worth the effort.

Jim Spends Money on Software

I know I am always talking about some of the great free software that is out there to be had with a simple download, but today, I am going to freely admit that I just made a software purchase that I think is going to be very helpful.

I say "think" because I haven't tried it out yet. I am only going by what I read...and what I read has been very good. The program is called "System Suite 7," by VCOM. It is a collection of over 60 helpful utilities, many of which I plan to try out right away. Now if you have read my blogs before, you know I usually don't write about any software until I have tried it out. But there is a reason for this change in direction, which I will tell you about shortly.

All this started a couple of weeks ago when I decided to do some research on utilities designed to clean up one's System Registry. The Windows System Registry, as defined by Wikepedia is, "a database which stores settings and options for the operating system for Microsoft Windows, Windows Mobile. It contains information and settings for all the hardware, operating system software (and most of non-operating system software too), users, and preferences of the PC and so on. Whenever a user makes changes to "Control Panel" settings, or file associations, system policies, or installed software, the changes are reflected and stored in the registry."

The registry is a vital part of Windows. You can manually update and change your own registry, but if you make a mistake or erase something you shouldn't, you could wind up in deep doo-doo. Your computer might just not boot up. But, one of the problems with Windows is that over time, the registry becomes bloated with information about programs that have long since been deleted from your system or old listings for removed hardware. After a time, the registry can become so big with now-useless information that it can slow down your computer, both at startup and during use.

My computers are about three years old and I got to thinking about my registry, especially since one of my computers is taking a long time to start up. So, with that in mind and the fact it might make the subject of an interesting blog, I started doing some research...hopefully to find a free program that might do the trick.

I soon learned that there were lots of "free" programs out there that could analyze and repair my registry. So I download a few of them and tried them out. And guess what? They found lots of errors, as I suspected, but when I went to repair those errors, all of the "free" software products would repair 2-3 of my errors, but then say I had to buy a "Pro Version" to fix them all.

Well, forget that...at least for now. Since I couldn't find any for free that would do the entire operation, I started thinking about buying a product. So, I looked for reviews of these types of products to look for the best. Initially, I found several sites that reviewed System Registry repair software...and they all highly recommended different products. Then, in doing a little more research, I found that these sites only reviewed this one type of software, leading me to the conclusion that these were "phony" web sites designed to push one particular product, under the guise of being an independent review site.

So I started looking at review sites that I know are legitimate and that I trust. At the PC Magazine web site, I found that they had reviewed several of Registry Repair products. They gave their Editor's Choice Award to a product called Registry Fixer. And after reading the review, I discovered that the program was not available as a stand-alone product. It was included in two separate software utilities packages from VCOM.

The first is Fix-It Utilities Version 7, with a suggested list price of $49.95; and the second is System Suite 7 Professional Version 7, with a suggested list price of $59.95. With the latter, you get more bang for your buck...many more tools for only $10 more. After reviewing the two products I opted for the System Suite 7 as it would be more useful for me.

Before I officially decided to buy, I decided to look for reviews for the System Suite 7 (or earlier versions) to see if the entire product was worth it. I found out early on that the product is a good one, having garnered many Editor's Choice awards. That clinched it for me.

In doing my comparison shopping, I found that the CompUSA web site had both products for $10 less than the manufacturer's list price. But, here is the kicker and why I am writing about this product having not even used it yet. If you purchase the product prior to 1/1/07, there is a $40 rebate on System Suite 7 and a $20 rebate on Fix-It Utilities. That makes the price $9.95 for System Suite 7 and $19.95 for Fix-It Utilites (plus shipping and tax).

To me, that makes this really worth doing, especially after I decided I wanted to do it anyway. It isn't as good as free, but it ain't bad. I just thought I would let you know about this great buy before it was too late.

A New Kind of Anti-Bad Stuff Software

There is a new software product out on the market that detects spyware, viruses, worms, and other kinds of threats to your computer. Called Primary Response Safe Connect, this program is different than any others of its type. Here's why:

Most anti-virus and anti-spyware software requires continuous updates to be effective. If there is some new threat out there and your your software has not been updated to detect it, more than likely it will slip right through your defenses and attack your system. In fact, most companies that make this kind of anti-malware software require a sample before they can defend against it, which means they probably got it from someone who was infected. These types of programs use what is called "string definitions" to detect bad stuff.

Safe Connect is different in that it relies on behavioral techniques to determine if something coming over the Net is a threat. This means that it doesn't code its library on a threat-by-threat basis. It predetermines what the hidden coding will do and determines whether it is a threat or not. This also means that new, previously undetected threats cannot get by it.

PC Magazine did an in-depth review of the product and gave it their Editor's Choice Award. To read the review, head on over to the PC Magazine Website. By the way, it is priced at $24.95.

FireFox Update

Mozilla has released an updated version of both their Firefox 1.5 and 2.0 versions. If you use Firefox, you may have been already notified by your browser that updates were available. If not, go the Mozilla website and download the latest version. It will install right over your existing version in less than a minute.

In addition, if you use the Mozilla e-mail program, Thunderbird, you also should update your software if you haven't been already notified. If this seems like a lot of updates all at once, well, it is. Mozilla has labeled most of the updates "critical," while security-firm Secunia has rated them "highly critical." So apparently something was found that needed to be fixed right away.

The folks at Mozilla were a little less than forthcoming regarding the updates. According to their published statement, "As part of the Firefox 2.0.0.1 and 1.5.0.9 update releases we fixed several bugs to improve the stability of the product. Some of these were crashes that showed evidence of memory corruption and we presume that at least some of these could be exploited to run arbitrary code with enough effort."

The updates patch a wide range of flaws in Mozilla's products, from problems with RSS feeds to the way that JavaScript is used in e-mail. Mozilla recommends that users disable JavaScript in Thunderbird to prevent unauthorized code from affecting their systems. Other problems fixed by the latest round of updates include the way the browser renders graphics on certain Web sites and the way it renders custom cursors through CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets. The latter problem can lead to buffer overflows, in which a piece of software attempts to use more than its allotted memory and sparks a system crash as a result.

Despite the newly patched flaws, Mozilla's browser is widely believed to be safer than Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which suffers from countless hack attempts on account of its popularity. Even so, if you use Mozilla products, do the updates, if you haven't already done so.

Renaming those Pesky Photos

One of the biggest difficulties we face using digital cameras is renaming all the photos that we keep adding to our computers. I tend to put photographs in folders whose names describe where the pictures were taken, then create the necessary sub folders under the main one. But, even using that system doesn't solve the problems.

For instance, while my Olympus camera gives a unique name to every picture it has ever taken, my Nikon gives the same name over and over every time I put a new (or newly formatted) memory card in the camera. In other words it always starts the name at #1 every time a new card is inserted. This can be a real pain.

For instance, when we were in Yosemite for five days in May, I always dumped my pictures from the camera into the laptop at the end of each day. When I tried to categorize the photos later, such as putting all the pictures of Yosemite Falls into one directory, I couldn't do it as there were duplicate names. I wound up putting putting the pictures in folders named "Day1", "Day 2," etc.

When I work on the photos in Photoshop, that is when I officially name the programs with a descriptive title. However, I do keep the original number in the title so I can go back to the original later, if needed.

Another tool I use on a regular basis is a free program called "Bulk Rename Utility" that allows me to rename photographs or other files on a mass update basis. I can add numbering, prefixes, suffixes and many other items on a mass update basis.

Here's another trick that also might be helpful to you, if you use Windows XP. Let's say you have a folder full of Yosemite pictures. You can rename them at one fell swoop, rather than one-by-one. Here is how:

• First, open the folder and select View > Thumbnails.
• Click the last picture in the folder you want to rename, hold down the Shift key, and click the first picture; this will select them all.
• Right-click the first photo, and select Rename from the drop-down menu.

Windows XP will highlight the filename for the first photo, enabling you to give it a descriptive name, such as "Yosemite 1". After you type in the name, click the white space outside of the photo and watch as Windows applies the name with a sequential number to each picture in the folder.

Let me know if you have a good method for naming and organizing your photographs.

Disposable E-Mail Addresses

Tired of giving out your correct e-mail address just so you can view some web site? Here is a neat way to give out a disposable, but legitimate e-mail address so you won't be bombarded by spam and other unwanted e-mail.

There is a wonderful free web site there called 2Prong. Wait...don't go there yet. Read my instructions below first. Don't worry, everything I am about to tell you is free and safe to use. Here is how you use it:

Let's say you're on a new site that's asking for your e-mail address so it can confirm your registration. Usually on these type of sites, they will send you a confirming e-mail and ask you to click on a link to make sure you are legitimate. Don't give it your personal e-mail address. Instead, open another browser window and go to 2Prong.com. On the site there will be a throw-away e-mail address, like this: tz9tm057m9@2quarters.com. That address is automatically placed in your clipboard. Do not close the window.

Now go back to the other browser window, the one with the new site in it, and paste in your disposable e-mail address when asked. Then go back to 2Prong. The 2Prong page will display your incoming e-mail as soon as it arrives. There's no in-box per se and no need to refresh the window. Once you've finished the confirmation, close the 2Prong window. The e-mail address expires. And, 2Prong changes domain names every week so you don't have to worry about having your disposable e-mail blocked by e-mail filters.

It sounds more complicated than it is. Just try it sometime and see what I mean.

Yahoo Takes a Winner and Turns it into a Loser

How often do we see it? A company has a winning product that everyone likes. Then they tweak it to the point where it becomes almost useless. Well, Yahoo has done it with their on-line television guide.

For years, I used it faithfully to help me figure out all my choices on Direct TV in the Pacific Time Zone. It loaded quickly when I requested it, allowed me to look at any time to see what was on any channel. I could then click on a channel to see all their offerings for a 24 hours period. I could look forward in time (and even backwards) to figure out what I might want to watch. If I saw a particular program that I might be interested in watching, I could click on it to read the details.

Then, what was really cool, I could click on it to automatically add it to my calendar. This was particularly useful during football season so I could see what games where being shown when, especially college football as there were so many games to chose from (I only watch the ones that interest me). As silly as it sounds and lest you think that I spend all my time watching football, it helped me plan my day, so I only watched the best of the best games.

Not only would the game or a particular TV show appear on my calendar, it would show up on my "My Yahoo" page. But wait...there is more. Yahoo would automatically send me an e-mail at the start of a day to tell me what was on my calendar for that day.

Their old system really worked well, and it help me be really choosy about which programs I watched. Again, you would think by reading this that I watch TV all the time. Not true. This Yahoo system helped me figure out what programs were worth my time (and very few are). As you probably know, I have a great many interests and obligations, so it is important to me how I budget my time. Yahoo's TV guide system really helped me a lot.

So, how did they screw this up? Well, they must have decided that it didn't look "cool" enough. So they redesigned its look and feel. Unfortunately, while it may look cooler, it doesn't work. The page takes forever to load. While I am writing these words, it is still trying to load. If you scroll down, there is nothing on the page. You wait a few seconds, and you may get something, but you have no idea what channel is going to be shown on your screen...and the channel numbers are missing.

And, you can no longer look at what's on any particular channel for the next 24 hours. And, worst of all, you can't add a program to your calendar. In short, it doesn't work. Yahoo says this site is now in beta, but it doesn't give you a way of telling them what works, what doesn't, and how you feel about it, which is what beta testing is all about. It's still trying to load, by the way.

Because Yahoo TV has become worthless, I switched over to AOL's TV Listings. It loads quickly, shows me what's on now and in the future, and in some ways is even better than the old Yahoo TV guide. It does have a calendar reminder, but I haven't used it yet and don't feel like adding yet another calendaring program to my repertoire.

In playing with Yahoo's TV guide before writing this entry, I found that it does load faster in Internet Explorer than Firefox, but still not fast enough to be useful. I have seen other examples of these kinds of "improvements"done before, but I won't go into them now.

However, if you have some examples of taking a good thing and making it bad, I would love to hear about them.

PS...It is still loading.

Outstanding Firefox Add-Ons

If you use Firefox as your web browser of choice, I have got some great free add-ons for you that just might enhance your web browsing experience. (If you don't use Firefox...well...you really should seriously think about changing...it's the best!) As I have mentioned here before, there are hundreds of free add-ons available for Firefox, so it is always fun to investigate them once in a while as new ones are being added all the time.

One important one that I have written about here before is the McAfee Site Advisor. This one has saved me from spyware, spam, and probably some virus attacks. Simply put, when you do a Google search, Site Advisor grades each site that your search pulls up, with a green check mark (if its OK) and a big red X if it is not. It is a great way to avoid sites that can harm your computer.

Another one I like is the Google Preview, that shows you a snapshot of the web site before you click on it. It works with both Google and Yahoo searches. Still another one that I have written about here before is Tab Browser Preferences that gives you greater control of the tabs on your browser.

Now for some new ones:

My new favorite is Foxmark Bookmark Synchronizer. This cute little add-on is very similar to the FolderShare program I wrote about a few days ago. But, instead of synchronizing folders across two or more computers, Foxmark synchronizes your bookmarks. Now you can have all your bookmarks on all your computers synchronized as one. It works automatically in the background whether your computers are on or off. If you have added a new bookmark in one computer and the other is off, it will synch them up when you turn the other on. Finally, a workable way to have all my bookmarks in one place.

Another new one that I just installed today is Adblock Plus. I can't give it great marks yet because I only just installed it, but so far it seems to work. It it designed to block those pesky advertisement that pop up in a middle of your reading a web page. Although Firefox does a good job of blocking ads that want to pop up when you load a page, it doesn't seem to work well for those ads that show up in the middle of a session, like on CNN or CBS Sports. Adblock Plus supposedly will do just that. And, if an ad does happen to pop up, you can right click on it and it will never pop up again.

The third new one that may be useful for you is Clipmarks. It allows you to bookmark certain parts of a web page and save it rather than bookmarking the entire page. I have used it mostly to gather information about blogs that I intend to write in the future.

If you would like to learn more about these and other Firefox add-ons, a good starting place is the list of recommended Firefox add-on page on the Mozilla web site. Happy browsing!!

PS: Mozilla has just released an Alpha version of the new Firefox Version 3. It is so preliminary that they recommend that you don't download it yet for testing. It should be finalized and ready for consumers in about one year.

Ficticious e-Mail Warning Worth Reading

Today I received the following e-mail from a good friend of mine. He received it from a friend of his...who received it from another friend, etc. It warns of a new credit card scam that is making the rounds. I looked it up and, lo and behold, it is listed as one of those "Urban Legend" e-mail's. You know, the kind that warns of scams or new deadly viruses aren't real.

Well, I decided to share it with you anyway, even though it may or may not be true, as it contains some very good information that we should all be aware of in regards to how some credit card scams work. At the end, I will post the information from the "Urban Legend" folks about this particular e-mail. Here goes:

We all receive emails all the time regarding one scam or another; but last week I REALLY DID get scammed! Both VISA and MasterCard told me that this scam is currently being worked throughout the Midwest, with some variance as to the product or amount, and if you are called, just hang up.

My husband was called on Wednesday from "VISA" and I was called in Thursday from "MasterCard". It worked like this: Person calling says, "This is Carl Patterson and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card issued by 5/3 bank. Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in Arizona?"

When you say "No". The caller continues with, "Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?"

You say, "Yes". The caller continues..."I will be starting a fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 800 number listed on your card 1-800-VISA and ask for Security. you will need to refer to this Control #". Then gives you a 6 digit number. "Do you need me to read it again?" Caller then says he "needs to verify you are in possession of your card. Turn the card over. There are 7 numbers; first 4 are 1234(whatever) the next 3 are the security numbers that verify you are in possession of the card. These are the numbers you use to make internet purchases to prove you have the card. Read me the 3 numbers." Then he says "That is correct. I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions? Don't hesitate to call back if you do."

You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the card number, because they already have it. But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we glad we did! The REAL VISA security dept. told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $497.99 WAS put on our card.

Long story made short...we made a real fraud report and closed the VISA card and they are reissuing as a new number. What the scam wants is the 3 digit number! and that once the charge goes through, they keep charging every few days. By the time you get your statement, you think the credit is coming, and then its harder to actually file a fraud report. The real VISA reinforced that they will never ask for anything on the card (they already know).

What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from "Jason Richardson of MasterCard" with a word for word repeat of the VISA Scam. This time I didn't let him finish. I hung up.

We filed a police report (as instructed by VISA), and they said they are taking several of these reports daily and to tell friends, relatives and co-workers.

Comments: There's no way to verify whether this anonymous, first-person account is authentic, but the type of fraud it warns against is real enough, so the message is worth heeding even if it is slightly misleading.

It's misleading in that it gives the impression that this type of scam is brand new and only pertains to the three-digit security code now found on the backs of most credit cards. In reality, it's a very old and familiar form of fraud that requires credit card holders to be protective of all the information pertaining to their accounts.

Banks and credit card companies have long warned consumers against providing personal information to unknown callers (or Websites). Con artists are often able to obtain partial information about a potential victim's account, then contact the person masquerading as a company representative to "verify" the account by requesting additional details — in the above case, the three-digit security code. But they might just as well ask for other pertinent details — for example, they may provide the last four digits of your account number (which typically show up on sales receipts, etc.) and request the other 12 digits to "confirm" it. Or they may already be in possession of your full account number and request the expiration date of the card, or your billing address. Any of these individual bits of information may be just what the scammer needs to "fill in the blanks" and gain full access to your account, so beware.

That said, consumers should also be aware that perfectly legitimate businesses or financial institutions may request your three-digit security number (known as "CVC2" by MasterCard and "CVV2" by Visa) to authenticate a transaction. What's essential is that you be fully confident of the legitimacy of the requesting party before giving it out.

Sync your Data Across 2 or More Computers

So, how many computers do you own or are part of your household? Do you sometimes wish you had access to your files at home from your laptop even though they are many miles apart?

If you have more than one computer and you want to share your files and keep them automatically in sync, I have a great program for you. And, of course, like many of my favorite programs, it is free!!

The program is called FolderShare and has been around for a couple of years. And because it is so good, it was recently bought out by one of the giant software companies...in this case, Microsoft. It is available on the FolderShare web site for free.

How does it work? Well, I will use myself as an example to help you get the idea. Right now, Susan and I own four computers, two at home for our own use, the main one in my studio, and a laptop that is used at home, at the studio and on the road. All are connected via the Internet, using our Grant County Fiber Optic system. The laptop, when on the road, uses a wireless connection from wherever there is a signal. Right now, as I write this, it is here at my studio plugged into my fiber optic connection, next to my main computer.

There are a lot of files on my studio computer that I want on the road with me, such as my Word and Excel files that I constantly access, my calendar program, database files and several others. Before I went out on the road, I used to use a great program called Syncback to sync those files between my two computers. When I come back, I would, in the past, sync them up again to make sure the changed versions or new files got back into the main studio computer. I bit of a pain, especially when I updated two identical files in two computers, then synced them. Some of my changes would then be lost forever.

Now, with FolderShare, those same files are in constant synchronization. As I change and save a file in my main computer, it is automatically updated in the laptop (and visa versa). But more than that, if I am in Seattle, for instance, and change or add a file, it will synchronize it with the main computer in Ephrata automatically, using the Internet. Of course, both computers must be connected to the Internet at all times and must both be turned on in order for it to work, which is not an issue for me.

To do this, you identify the folders (or directories) on each computer that you wish to stay in sync. From that point on, they will automatically update each other as you work on the files. You don't have to do anything special.

Another added bonus is that you can select certain files to share with friends. And you can access other files not designated for synchronization from one computer from another. For instance, if I want to work on my art or photo files at home, I can connect to the one I need without having to synchronize all of my photo files. Oh, yes, for those of you that have PC's and Macs, it works the same way.

All of this happens using peer-to-peer network technology. When you download FolderShare, you create your own private peer-to-peer network just for all your computers. Of course, you need to download FolderShare on every computer that you intent to use.

I like this program a lot and I recommend that if you have more than two computers, you take a good look at it.

New Plan to Stop North Korea Nuclear Program

The ingenuity of our government continues to amaze me, no matter who is in the White House, although the current resident of the executive mansion does make me shake my head more than others. Here is his current plan to help shut down the North Korean plan to develop a working nuclear bomb:

Stop selling Apple iPods to North Korea.

Yup...that's the plan. Other banned items included in the plan are plasma TV's and Segway electric scooters. The U.S. government's first-ever effort to use trade sanctions to personally aggravate a foreign president expressly targets items believed to be favored by Kim Jong Il or presented by him as gifts to the roughly 600 loyalist families who run the communist government. Other items include cognac, Rolex watches, cigarettes, artwork, expensive cars, Harley Davidson motorcycles or even personal watercraft, such as Jet Skis.

I am sure there are no possible ways to get iPod's to Korea without our government knowing about it. So, if Kim Jong Il wants an iPod, he will have to stop his nuclear program. I'll buy that.

Along the same lines as this story, I have another one to tell you regarding government plans and bureaucratic rulings that happened to my own son.

If you have flown recently, you know that airlines now forbid you bringing any liquids on board an airplane., Now, my son Eric, as you may know, is a sergeant in the National Guard and is currently in Arizona, helping to guard the borders against intrusions by illegal aliens and drug runners.

When he and other members of the Washington National were first flown to Arizona, the Army brought in 3 chartered commercial airliners to McCord Air Force to transport the troops to the Yuma area. As the troops were boarding the planes, they were advised to discard all personal items that contained liquid, like water bottles, butane lighters, etc. Being good soldiers they followed orders.

Then they boarded the aircraft in an orderly manner...all carrying their M16 rifles!!!

True story.

I look forward to more great plans, rules, and regulations from our illustrious leaders. No more today as I am going to go listen to my iPod.

Hollywood Rules

I recently read two new stories that got me a bit upset. The stories are unrelated, but tie together when you read them at the same time.

The first is a fascinating article by Pui-Wing Tam, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal who was one of nine reporters targeted for a covert investigation by Hewlett Packard. If you are not familiar with that on-going scandal, HP hired private investigators to dig into the personal lives of nine reporters and some of its own board members to see who was leaking information to the press. The investigation got way out of hand, and, fortunately for all of us, was uncovered by the press and made public.

It cost the Chairman of the Board of HP and others their jobs, not to mention a full congressional investigation and the filing of criminal charges in California. Some folks may wind up in jail. (If you would like to learn more about this whole drama, CNet has put together a special summary section listing all their stories about it).

Tam's story is her first-person account of all that has been revealed to her about how HP-hired investigators dug into her whole life (including her garbage) and managed to come up with a great deal of personal (and private) information about her. One of the methods they used to get the data was using the last four digits of her Social Security number to impersonate her, a technique known as "pretexting."

Now, here is where the the second story comes in. In the latest edition of Wired Magazine, there is a story telling how a recent bill in the California legislature to outlaw pretexting was killed by lobbyists of the Motion Picture Association of America.

Initially, the bill passed through three state Senate committees unobstructed and was passed unanimously in the Senate by a 30-0 vote. Then the Hollywood folks stepped in.

It seems they were afraid that outlawing pretexting would hinder their anti-piracy investigations. So, after a hard and furious campaign by their lobbyists, the measure was defeated in the California Assembly by a 33-27 vote. Once again, rights of the individual has been stomped on by private industry, with the help of those folks we elect to protect us.

I am not surprised anymore at these kinds of stories, but it still saddens me for our future and those generations that follow us. The technology age, while being so good in so many ways, has also ripped away at our privacy and our identities. It is so easy to find information about almost anyone these days that I would welcome any protection that can be given to protect us from personal intrusion. But, since we continue to elect the "best politicians that money can buy," I guess we should not expect much genuine help.

If you want to have a quick laugh, followed by an extended depression, read political humorist P.J. O'Rourke's book, "Parliament of Whores."

A Few Shopping Tips

With the holiday season upon us, I thought I would pass along a few tidbits of information about shopping on-line and off-line (the old fashioned way). Some of them have nothing to do with the holidays, but are things you might want to know.

For instance, did you know that Wal-Mart is now selling generic prescription drugs for $4 per prescription in all 50 states? For a short time, this new drug plan was only being tried out in a few states, but public demand and competition have caused them to accelerate their roll-out plan for all their stores in the US. The $4 price is for everyone, not just those who have insurance. You can go to their website to learn which prescriptions are covered.

Target Stores around the country are also offering the same kind of plan for their stores that have pharmacies. For folks in Eastern Washington, it would be only their stores in Spokane and Kennewick. Wenatchee does not have a pharmacy, according to the Target website.

Because of this new prescription plan, I was able to change my own medical insurance to a prices point that is less than half of what I was paying. OK, Wal-Mart, I will give you this one.

Switching subjects, if you would like to save huge dollars on your food bill, you might consider shopping at Winco Stores. These giant stores are like Costco, at least as far as their size and prices go...except you don't have to buy huge quantities of an item. Most everything they carry is in standard grocery store sizes. And their prices are so much less than Safeway or most other grocery stores.

For instance, a can of chili that I get on sale at Safeway for $1, was 68 cents everyday at Winco. A bag of raviolis at Safeway is almost $4 while at Winco, the same bag was $2.54. Fresh bagels were 33 cents at Winco compared to 55 cents at Safeway. This list is nearly endless. Sadly, in Eastern Washington, there are only two Winco Stores, one in Kennewick and one in Richland. They have many more in California, Oregon and Idaho. Susan and I go to Tri Cities once a month to do our shopping as the prices are so much less and we can hit Costco also while we are there

Now, let's take a look at some interesting web shopping sites:

Cyber Monday

This site, which is sponsored by retail trade association Shop.org, is a central repository for holiday deals and offers from nearly 400 retailers. If you are looking for a bargain, the "Special Offers" section should be your target, as it lists all the specials by retailer. As I write this, you could snag complimentary shipping from Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor LOFT, Adidas and dozens more websites, or save $25 on your Brookstone order, or save 20% on your holiday lights and ornaments at Smith & Hawken, and on and on and on. Featured retailers include Nordstrom, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Bloomingdale's, Amazon.com, Lands' End and hundreds more.

Shop Local

As the name implies, ShopLocal is a search engine for all the shopping opportunities in your neighborhood. First enter your zip code, and indicate how many miles away from your zip code you're willing to shop. Then you can search the site in one of several ways. You can find out which stores near you have specific items and compare prices. You can check out the deals at a specific local store via its weekly circulars. You can print coupons for local sales and bargains. Or you can check out what's being advertised in your local newspaper. Armed with all of this information, you then head out into the world and go shopping. ShopLocal is owned by the nation's three leading newspaper and media companies: Tribune, McClatchy and Gannett.

DealCatcher

DealCatcher could be considered the "granddaddy" of deal-spotting websites...they have been listing them as spotted by family and friends since 1999. Today the site receives over 6 million page views per month and promotes over 500 merchant's specials. You will find coupons, products, sales, reviews and rebates, which are updated 24 hours a day by staff and forum members. You can also set up email or RSS alerts by keyword so you can be alerted instantly whenever there's a new deal posted for something you're looking for or a place where you like to shop. At the site you will also find a comprehensive list of rebates as well as the best deals from all of the Sunday circulars across the US.

BidNearby.com

eBay is a great place to shop for unique gifts while scoring a deal in the process. But if your beloved has her heart set on a 19th century ceramic urn, it might end up costing you more to have the thing shipped than you paid for it in the first place - and it might end up damaged or broken in the process. That's why you'll start your next eBay product search at this site. Enter your zip code, how far you're willing to travel for the item and what you're searching for, and it will show you a Google map of your area with little map pins indicating where the sellers of eBay items up for auction are located. On the right side of the screen are photos of the products for auction, so you can move around the map and see if anything nearby peaks your interest. You can then bid on the item, win and go pick it up, instead of incurring outrageous shipping costs for sending something across the country. The technology "mashes" current eBay auction information over a Google map.

Happy shopping, everyone!!