Original Sender : "DasaMan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------- From: Mike Elgan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Winmag.com's Win Letter 52 - Friday, September 3, 1999 >by Mike Elgan > > >'Happy 30th Birthday, Internet!' > >THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT, not content with its role as the world's >policeman, now wants to be the world's Y2K consultant. The U.S. state department >plans to issue needling Y2K-readiness reports on more than 190 nations on >September 14 to embarrass them into action. > >Computer systems in the United States, Canada, the U.K. and a few other countries >are generally thought to be ready for the year 2000. But with just 17 weeks left in >the millennium, it's becoming clearer that no matter how prepared a nation is >internally, it could still get burned by meltdowns abroad. What if Taiwan couldn't >supply computer components to the rest of the world in large volumes for 12 months? >What if Russia spontaneously erupted into separatist rioting and civil war? What if >Japan suddenly stopped producing Pokemon products? > >Y2K expert Karl Feilder said this week that Japan is so far behind on its Y2K >readiness program that it poses the largest Y2K risk to the world's economy. > >Meanwhile, a consensus seems to have formed that the only Y2K-related threat to >the U.S. is withdrawal by Y2K survivalists, looting and scamming by Y2K >opportunists and panic by Apocalypse Now believers convinced the end is nigh. > >But to me, people don't seem particularly panicky. In fact, Americans are having a >lot of fun with Y2K. A new "Got Milk?" TV ad boasts Y2K-ready cows. The >New Yorker is rife with Y2K cartoons (one in the current issue shows an astonished >man in front of an old turn-of-the-century typewriter, wearing out-of-date clothing in >a pre-WW I apartment and the caption reads, "January 1, 2000"). And folks seem >more concerned about where they'll party when the new millennium kicks in than >how they'll survive. > >In any event, if we can make it past the end of the year, the coming century promises >some amazing new technologies, such as... > > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- > >Computers that Sniffs Out Trespassers > Mastiff Electronic Systems is working a computer system called Scentinel that identifies >people by sniffing their hands. You know, like a dog. The system takes a whiff of >authorized personnel, then stores information about their body odor in its database. >If somebody trying to enter a restricted area doesn't smell right, the alarm goes off. >Though some biometrics experts say odor-detecting security systems are nothing to >sniff at, I think the whole idea stinks. Who wants to come to work every morning and >be smelled by a machine? > >http://www.mastiff.co.uk/ > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- > >Geek Peek o' the Week > The Aqcess Technologies "Qbe" is an up to 600MHz Pentium III Windows 98 >tablet PC with built in video camera, up to 512 megabytes of RAM, up to a >9 gigabyte hard drive, wireless net connectivity and optional device bay for other >peripherals. This unique computer, which features what the company calls >"the latest in ... handwriting and speech recognition" and other bleeding-edge goodies >measures 14" x 10" x 1.5". The Qbe is scheduled to ship next month. >Pricing will depend on which options you choose, but has not been announced. > >http://www.qbenet.com/ > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- > >Person of the Century: Ronnie O'Brien? > TIME Magazine's online "Person of the Century Poll" gives you the chance to pick >the most influential human of the past 100 years. Until recently, the leading candidate >wasn't physics super-genius Albert Einstein or ultra-humanitarian Mother Theresa >but Italian soccer mid-fielder Ronnie O'Brien! A computer crash on the TIME >server scrambled the results, putting O'Brien on top. Congratulations, Ronnie! > >http://www.pathfinder.com/time/time100/poc/century.html > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- > >Outlook on a Cell Phone > The Intraprise Mobile Organizer is a mobile phone from the Swedish company >LINQ Systems that you can use to send and receive Outlook e-mail, as well as >do other Outlook tasks like group scheduling of appointments. You can even >receive and forward attachments, according to the company, but not open most >of them. You can, however, open and edit Microsoft Word documents. A >printing feature lets you "print out" e-mails and documents on any fax machine. >The catch? You need Microsoft Exchange Server, which could presumably be >provided by a cell phone vendor. The phone should be available in Europe later >this year. The company has not yet announced plans to sell the phone in the >United States. > >http://www.linq.se:8080/LINQwww/LINQwebred.nsf/ba1d77ba6aa5777c41256497005d 8ba7/99739d233f0d71c5c12567d900512943?OpenDocument > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- > >Now *That's* What I Call 'User-Friendly' > Intel and SozoDesign have come up with a PC that doubles as a footstool. >Called the Ottoman, the Windows concept computer comes loaded with a >built-in 11-port USB hub, wireless keyboard, 15" LCD display, a digital camera and >internal DVD drive. It also comes in a variety of plush designer fabrics. Intel >showed off the prototype PC at its Developers Forum in Palm Springs, Calif., this week. > >http://www.sozodesign.com/ottoman.html > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- > >When 'Whoops!' Just Isn't Enough > Japan's third largest portal site, "Goo," which is owned by the >Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp., lost the e-mail of up to 30,000 people >because of a server hard-disk crash last month. > >http://freemail.goo.ne.jp/ > >(Experienced a wild computer error? Tell me! [EMAIL PROTECTED] ) > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- > >Latest PC to Ship with Built-In Refrigerator > A new prototype refrigerator called the Screenfridge from the Swedish company >Electrolux replaces paper notes and magnets with a built-in Internet connected >multimedia computer. According to the web site's video demo, you can record >and play back video messages with the push of one button, send and receive >e-mail (using an on-screen keyboard), and browse the Internet. You can watch TV, >listen to the radio, manage the home security system and look up any of hundreds of >recipes in the Screenfridge's database. Oh, and it even keeps food cold. The ship >date and price have not been set on the product, though the company says they may >lower the price in exchange for on-screen advertising. > >http://www.electrolux.com/screenfridge/ > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- > >The Win Letter Numbers >60% Percentage of software for sale at major auction sites that is illegal. >(Software & Information Industry Association) >$9.5 billion Amount of money people are expected to spend online for gifts this >holiday season. (Harris Interactive Inc.) > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- > >Humor Web Site o' the Week > "Oh the Humanity!" is a web site dedicated to the worst movies on Earth. > >http://www.ohthehumanity.com/ > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- > >Wacky Web Site o' the Week > Some say the new tech-happy, IPO-obsessed stock market is more like gambling >than trading. If that sounds appealing to you, then you'll love Bet At Wall Street.com. >No, you don't buy stocks. You place bets on the performance of stocks, >and you watch the stock-ticker like a horse race. > >http://www.betatwallstreet.com/ > >(Have YOU seen a wacky web site? Tell me! [EMAIL PROTECTED] ) > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- > >Tip o' the Week > Microsoft's concept of the "Active Desktop" - wallpaper showing graphical data or >constantly-updating text from a network connection - was greeted with derision, >skepticism and apathy when it first came out years ago. Why? Because 1) most people >used standard dial-up modems, which they activated only when downloading e-mail >or surfing the net; 2) 75MHz, 100MHz and 133MHz PCs were so weak and RAM- >poor in those days that Active Desktops strained our computers to the breaking point; >and 3) people tend to work with open windows on their screens, obscuring the wallpaper. > >A lot has changed since them. Millions of home users enjoy cable modems that >enable fast net connections 24 hours a day. The power of the average PC has increased >radically since then. Most of us have 300MHz PCs or faster, with plenty of RAM to >handle Active Desktop bloat. And finally, people have gotten into the habit of minimizing >open windows on their desktops with that little icon on the Quick Launch toolbar. >We see our wallpaper a lot these days. > >It's time to rediscover the Active Desktop: Right-click on your wallpaper and select >Properties, click on the Web tab, make sure "View my Active Desktop as a web page" >is selected with a check mark, then click on the New button. Click Yes to visit the >Active Desktop Gallery, select the item you want, then click on "Add to Active Desktop." > >You'll notice Microsoft improved the look of the live weather map. A Broadcast.com jukebox >lets you select and play music without opening your browser or downloading files. > >And you can make any web site an active desktop item from the Display Properties Web tab. >Just click New, then say No when it asks if you want to visit the Microsoft Active Desktop >gallery, and paste in the URL of your choice. Like http://www.winmag.com/, for example. > >With a cable modem, fast computer and liberal use of the minimize button, you'll be amazed >at how cool the Active Desktop is now! >(Got a hot tip? Tell me! [EMAIL PROTECTED] ) > > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- > >Follow-Up > * I reported in Win Letter 37 on the growing popularity of illegal movies downloaded >from the net. Now there's a great site for legal movies, optimized for live streaming. >KKRS.Net entertainment features NetMovieMania, with 18 full-length movies >(some real classics) and more to come. The downside: The selection isn't great and the >quality at full screen doesn't match what you'll get with a VCR and a TV. The upside: >They're free, the sound quality is better than on a videotape, and the selection is improving. >To watch movies, just click below, pick a movie category, then a movie, then a >download speed. > >http://www.kkrs.net/netmoviemaniahome/netmoviemaniahome.html > >* Last week's tip of the week contained a typo. Instead of "deselect" Disable Fast Shutdown, >it should have been "select" Disable Fast Shutdown. > >(Is there something I need to follow-up on? Tell me! [EMAIL PROTECTED] ) > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- > >Cool Trivia Answer > A major PC company recently announced the winner of its "Search for the Oldest PC" contest. >Who won the contest, how old was his PC and what were the PC's specs? Congratulations to >Mark Foote for being first to name John C. Shepard as the winner of Dell's contest. >Shepard won it with a MITS Altair 8800b with 2 MHz processor and 256 bytes of memory, >which he bought in October 1976 for $1,300. > >http://www.dell.com/corporate/media/newsreleases/99/9908/19.htm > >(Know some computer trivia? Tell me! [EMAIL PROTECTED] ) > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- > >Cool Trivia Question > The Intel Corporation invented the microprocessor and is the largest chip maker in the world. >Eighty percent of the world's PCs run Intel chips. What does "Intel" stand for? >Send your answer to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please write "COOL TRIVIA" in the Subject line. > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- > > >That's it for this week's Win Letter, folks. If you enjoy the Win Letter, make sure you >forward to a friend! (Or five!). > >And don't forget to check out Winmag.com's other great newsletters http://www.winmag.com/listserv ), >including Fred Langa's LangaList, Scot Finnie's Win98 Insider, Karen Kenworthy's >Power Tools as well as the Windows 2000, Tip of the Day, WinList, New Products and >Winmag.com Online Updates. > >Also: Please check out my new, improved PalmPilot newsletter, The Palm Reader, at >http://www.thepalmreader.com/ (or try the text version free by sending an >e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ) > >To my U.S. readers and all expectant mothers: Have a great Labor Day holiday! > > >Mike Elgan >http://elgan.com > > > >--------------------------------------- >WIN LETTER LINKS: > >Try the HTML Version: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Send Mail to Mike: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Subscribe: >http://www.winmag.com/people/melgan/winletter/subscription.htm > >Back Issues: >http://www.winmag.com/people/melgan/winletter/default.htm > >About the Author: >http://elgan.com/ > >Link to the Win Letter: >http://www.winmag.com/people/melgan/winletter/link.htm > >Other WinMag Newsletters: >http://www.winmag.com/listserv > >Advertise: >http://www.winmag.com/people/melgan/winletter/ad.htm > >___________________ > >Copyright 1999 CMP Media Inc. A service of Winmag.com and Windows Magazine. >Distributed by MessageMedia Inc. - http://www.messagemedia.com > ---------------------------------------------------------------- Compu-Mania MailingList is provided by PT Centrin Utama Maintained by : [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Post a msg : Send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe : Mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] BODY : unsubscribe Compu-Mania For more information, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "HELP" in the BODY of your mail (without quote). ----------------------------------------------------------------
