1) Peeking thru WINDOWS - "The Hosts File"
2) Seen These Sites? - "Zapada/Moron Drivers”
3) Fantastic File Find! - "DeskSweeper"
4) Email Funnies - "Never Forget"
5) The MOUS Hole - "What’s in a Name?"
6) They Said It - quotes to give one pause
7) Hodgepodge - that what fits no where else

Many thanks! This week saw an increase in the new subscribers’ rate, with many stating they were referred by a current subscriber. It certainly is heartening to know that you care enough to share NFTB with your friends!

A big welcome to those new subscribers! --and-- AOL users – see the newsletter end for your links!
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PLEASE, read about BOTH methods for ad elimination before deciding which, if any, to use.
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No bones about it – I hate banner ads. They are pervasive on the Info Highway. For website owners, they can provide a source of income, facilitate tracking of surfer behavior, and sell a product – all benefits for “them”.

For the average surfer, however, ads are typically viewed as a nuisance. They slow down surfing because each ad must be downloaded, which requires using bandwidth, memory, and system resources – and who is paying for all that? You are! Animated ads can prove distracting. Those
downloaded ads become squatters on your HD until eventually YOU delete them. Finally, a certain portion of these ads can be used to actually monitor your Internet habits.

As a consumer, and the owner of my computer, I claim the right to disallow these ads on my machine. As promised, this week I’ll outline two methods that you can use to surf ad-free. Enjoy!

The first method is to modify your Hosts file to block ad displays. How does this work? Very simply, the Hosts file is like an address book. When you type an address like "www.basementnoises.com" into your browser, the Hosts file is examined to see if you have the IP address for that site. If you do, your computer will use that address to find the site. If not, your computer must query your ISP’s computer for the correct address.  For most sites you visit, your computer will not have an address and will query your ISP.

Your personal computer also has an address – 127.0.0.1, which it uses to refer to itself. If you associate another computer's host name with your local host IP address, you have effectively blocked that host since all attempts
to access it will lead back to you. This is how you can block sites using the Hosts file. You tell your computer that the IP address of the site you want to block is your own address. That way, your computer won’t ever leave
and go looking for the site you are blocking - which keeps that site from appearing because the computer thinks it has found the site and displayed it already!

To use the Hosts file to remove ads -

I) Locate your Hosts file. For Win98 users this is usually c:\windows\, and for Win2000/NT users it will be c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc\ You might see two Hosts files – Hosts and Hosts.sam, you’ll want to use the file without the extension – not Hosts.sam

II) IMPORTANT! Make a copy of your current Hosts file on a floppy for backup purposes. Use this backup to restore your Hosts file if you decide later to receive ads.

III) Download the current Hosts file listing from Stephen Martin’s site at http://www.smartin-designs.com As of this writing, his file contains the addresses of 4054 ad servers that will be blocked.

IV) Copy the contents of Stephen’s file, add the contents to your Hosts file, then close and save.

V) Open a new browser window, and surf as normal, no ads! (depending on the browser you’re using, you may have to clear your cache and/or reboot for complete the process)

Now some notes:

I) This method has been shown to work properly on the majority of users' PC's. I cannot, unfortunately, guarantee that it will work on all PC's. I hope that it will work for you, but I must urge you to make backups of your system before you try anything new to prevent the loss of your
data. 

II) While this process should work equally well for home users and business users, business users should consult with their IT department before modifying their Hosts file.

III) Netscape takes longer than Microsoft's Internet Explorer to accept that it will not be getting an image from the ad servers you have blocked using the Hosts file. This means that Netscape will pause longer before it loads
the page, because it is expecting something to come from the ad server. Also, Netscape would expect something to come from any server you choose to block in the Hosts file.

To remedy the Netscape speed problem, I suggest that you run the eDexter progam which can be found on Gorilla’s site. (see below) eDexter will send images of its own from the hard drive in order to make the browser think it
received the ad or other item it was looking for from the site you blocked. This will make the pages load much faster and you still won't be communicating with the blocked servers.

IV) ANY SITE IN THE HOSTS FILE WILL BE UNAVAILABLE.
You will undoubtedly at some time in the future attempt to access a site and see a “Cannot Find Server – Page cannot be displayed” error message. If this happens, and you *do* want to visit this site, you will have to modify your HOSTS file and remove/comment out that site. To comment out a
site in your Hosts file, place a # sign in front of the 127.0.0.1 for the site you want to access, then resave the Hosts file.

Acknowledgement:
The information for this article is condensed from Gorilla
Design Studio’s site at http://www.accs-net.com/hosts/ and used by permission. I urge you to visit Gorilla’s site for further clarification if needed.

Update: While much of the above still holds true, this site should probably be your next stop in learning More about the Hosts file.

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2) SEEN THESE SITES? "Zapada/Moron Drivers"

Now, if all of the above seems a bit daunting, you might want to check this site out first. Zapada blocks ads using the same basic method as above, but doesn’t require you to modify anything on your computer. Instead, you first
open an applet from their site, then do your surfing.Zapada removes web ads from your web pages by blocking any request your browser generates which Zapada determines to be a request for an advertisement. Zapada uses a java applet that automatically installs itself as a temporary proxy
server on your computer, in order to filter your browser's requests for web content.

You must keep the Zapada window open while surfing (it can be minimized) to remove ads.

http://www.zapada.com

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If one of your headlights burns out, use your highbeams until it is replaced. If you pass your exit on the highway, stop and back up. And one of my favorites - When there's traffic behind you, always drive 8-20 MPH below the
posted limit.

These gems, and other moronic advice, can be found at the “How To Drive Like A Moron” site, a tongue-in-cheek look at the idiotic driving habits of all those other guys on the road. Whatever your pet peeves are about your fellow motorists, you’ll probably find them here. A good way to decompress after being caught in gridlock on the drive home from work.

http://www.doggiesnot.com/

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Have you ever seen a perfectly clean desktop? No My Computer Icon, no Recycle Bin, nothing but blank Desktop?

DeskSweeper is a small utility that sits in your System Tray and will hide all desktop icons at one click. It also can hide wallpaper, and can be used as a “quick-kill” to end your Windows session fast!

Software downloads still available!

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4) Email Funny - "Never Forget"

You’ve probably heard the saying “An elephant never forgets,” but just how true is it?

This week’s funny, provides us with a clue -

Funny downloads still available!

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One of the handiest tools available in Excel is the Named Range. Once you have named a range, you can use the new name in place of the actual range in formulas – QRT1 is easier to remember than E9:E34. Named ranges
also simplify the selection of ranges, particularly ranges that are large and unwieldy to select. You can name a single cell, or any group of cells (not required to be contiguous.)

To name a range:

1. Select the cell or cells you wish to name.
2. Click in the Name box – this is located in the upper left-hand corner of your workbook and contains a cell address. When you click, this address will be selected.
3. Key the range name you want to use. Valid names begin with an underline character or a letter. Spaces are not permitted.
4. Tap your Enter key.

To select a named range, click on the dropdown box located to the right of the Name box, then select from the list. To use a name in a formula, simply key the name wherever you would use a range.

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”The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That's real glory.” -- Vince Lombardi

7) Hodgepodge

You’ve probably received an email asking you to send a get-well card to a boy dying from cancer. The boy's name is given as either Craig Shergold (his real name) or John Craig.

This started about 11 years ago. Shergold is cured of his cancer but the Internet mailing continues and has generated some 150 million pieces of mail. On some days 10,000 pieces are delivered. The family wants this to stop.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: ''We consider this to be a form of harassment. It is a nightmare for the Shergold family and we would call on people not to respond to chain letters.'' And what says Craig Shergold? ''Please, do not send any more.'' For more info, see:

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/medical/shergold.asp

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Visit our home on the web to see this week’s Photo Funny - an object lesson in how NOT to beat a breathalyzer test, and this week’s Bozo is a well-known, much downloaded Hollywood star. Find out why!

G'nite, and thanks for reading!

Dave Gretz

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