| Back
just in time for Spring
Cleaning, it's -
NOISES
FROM THE BASEMENT
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April
3, 2002
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Vol.
3, Issue 1 |
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| Contents
*) A Brief Explanation (and
some changes...)
1) Timely Tips - "Keeping it all Straight"
2) File Find! - "Goggle"
3) Sites-Seeing - "Where to do Research\KidsClick!"
4) Email Funny - "Firewood"
5) They Said It - quotes to give one pause
6) Hodgepodge - that what fits no where else
Hi, folks! Welcome back as the
doors to The Basement are once again thrown open after a six month
hiatus!
A particularly warm welcome for those of you that are new, this
newsletter is NEVER sent unsolicited, so somewhere along the line
you did request this subscription (through you very well may have
forgotten!) Give this issue a gander and see if it meets your
needs - if not there are clear unsubscribe instructions at the
very bottom of this issue.
And if you like it, you REALLY like it, feel free to forward
Noises to a
dozen of your best friends - or use the Recommend-It link on the
sidebar! |
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| *) A
Brief Explanation
Thanks to the hundreds of readers
that have written over the past few months. Your expressions of
concern and encouragement have been appreciated to no end!
This is the first issue of Noises
From The Basement that I have published since September 19, 2001.
Why?
Mainly because NFTB is a one-man show, and I had too many balls in
the air:
- In the days and weeks immediately following the events of 9/11,
the very first
commercial web site I ever created was inundated with e-mail
and voicemail inquiries. What was once a part-time programming
exercise became a full-time job!
- Meanwhile, I had already just recently started a new full-time
job - teaching Business and Technology classes at Stephen
T. Badin High School. Developing curriculums in three
different areas that maintain the interest of today's teenage
audience has been the most challenging thing I've ever attempted
in my life!
- And I continue to teach teacher in-services, sometimes as many
as 4 evenings a week!
Something had to give, and unfortunately it was NFTB. As weeks
turned to months, I've thought often of returning, but didn't want
to start back until I could once again expend the proper effort to
provide a quality newsletter. I think I've reached that point.
(and some changes...)
*As
is very evident, I've changed the format of the HTML edition.
There was a small, but vocal part of the Basement community that
really had a problem with the previous
color scheme; I've tried to be sensitive to their concerns in
this newest design. The new HTML edition is now YAHOO.COM,
HOTMAIL.COM, and AOL 6.0/7.0 friendly,
too!
*Starting with this
edition, Noises From The Basement will be published every other
Wednesday. Perhaps a return to weekly this summer, we'll see...
*"Windows Tips"
and "MOUS Tips" are being combined into one "Timely
Tips" section. Hodgepodge is expanding and will
contain more "quickie" (and quirky) web pages worth a
glance, if not a full-fledged visit. The File Find! and Email
Funny features will continue as before; all files reviewed and offered will remain
freeware!
And now, on with the show!!
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1) Timely Tips - Keeping it all Straight
On any given day, I could find
myself working on an assortment of Windows-based operating systems
- one room might contain Win95 systems networked on a WinNT box;
the next has students on Win98 and the teacher with Win2000.
Several good friends call regularly with WinME problems (easy cure
- get rid of WinME!)... Keeping straight what I can/can't do on
each system is a constant challenge!
On top of that, I've
upgraded my personal system since last we met, and with the new hardware
came a new operating system. I'm now running Windows XP,
Professional version, and I've become a big fan!
Because of this, future tips will become more XP oriented. Not to
say that you won't find value in The Basement if you are a Win
2000/98/ME/95 user... just that the Windows-related tips may or may not work on
your system-- but we always knew that,
right?
BTW, I love to answer your
questions about Windows and Microsoft Office products, and will
continue to feature reader queries as an important part of Noises
From The Basement. If you have a "How do I do..."
question, I'd be happy to walk you through the process - just drop
me an email. Please include the versions YOU are using for your
operating system and the application, with your question!
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| 2)
File Find! - "Goggle"
As fickle as I am,
this probably won't last long, but for now I've found a new
favorite utility! You'll want to check this out if you use your
computer to: look for directions, investigate stock prices, look
for word meanings or spelling, dig for movie info, search for
phone numbers or names... Get the idea? This is one versatile
search tool!
Goggle is an elephant of a
search bar with an ant's tiny footprint (approximately one-sixth
the size of the Google toolbar). With one click, choose from these options:
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| > Search
Deja.com |
> Search
Barnes and Noble
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| >
Search for Images |
> Search
the Internet Movie Database
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| > Search for
phone numbers through Google |
> Get instant
quotes from Google and Quicken |
| > Search for
Maps through Google and YahooMaps
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> Check your
vocabulary
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| > Search eBay
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>
See what sites link to a domain |
| >
Search Amazon |
> Get the
definition of a word online |
| >
Perform specific searches on Linux, Apple, FreeBSD and US
Government sites
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Well-behaved in addition to being compact, Goggle remembers
where you left it the last time you used it. It can be set to
load with Windows, stay "On Top", and retain the last
search type. As with ALL software offered in The Basement,
Goggle is free of ads, spy components, and nag screens--unlike
other search toolbars floating around.
If you want to
get more info, faster results, and an easy-to-use interface,
give Goggle a look! [78 KB\EXE]
CLICK
HERE to download Goggle
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| 3) Sites-Seeing -
"Where to do Research\KidsClick!"
Where do YOU do
research when you need information on colleges, government,
food, medical information? Where do you start when you need the
411 on science and science fiction, philosophy and legal
matters?
The best place to start is...
WhereToDoResearch! 100's of reference sources for your browsing
pleasure.
Click
here to check out Where to do Research!
òöó òöó òöó òöó òöó
òöó òöó òöó òöó òöó òöó òöó òöó òöó
òöó òöó òöó òöó òöó
òöó òöó
Try this site,
billed as "the web search for kids by librarians" -
with over 600 subjects to search on, all containing a plentitude of
links!
Teachers and parents alike will find some great
links addressing current issues such as terrorism, patriotism and
international relations; and fans of the Dewey Decimal System
should be sure to check out the bottom link to see the page
"through a librarian's eyes".
Click
here for KidsClick!
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| 4)
Email Funny - "Firewood"
Outdoor Survival Tip: One
should never
skip the "cutting into small pieces" step when bring
home a year's worth of firewood, as evidenced by this week's
video Email Funny [1000 Kb\AVI]:
CLICK
HERE to download Firewood
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| 5)
They Said It
"The things that will destroy us are: politics without principle; pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without character; business without morality; science without humanity; and worship without sacrifice." -
Mahatma Gandhi
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| 6)
Hodgepodge
< ^ > There's several sites that have
those amazing photos of the tugboat
that rolled under a bridge and popped up on the other side;
read a couple of eyewitness accounts of the actual event here
< ^ > Fans of Ad-Aware, oft-mentioned in these pages, will
want to grab the newest release,
5.7 < ^ > At last! A cat door with PC-controlled
access that can eliminate those unwanted guests your
favorite feline drags home! < ^ > and, finally, Britney
Spears makes the lives of writers everywhere easier, as pandering
e-zine publishers and webmasters shameless take advantage of the
Britney Spears name - however, THIS newsletter would NEVER stoop
to showing pictures
of a n u d e Britney Spears!
G'nite, and thanks for reading!
Dave Gretz
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Dave Gretz,
Editor
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delivered directly to your e-porch, rain or shine!
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Recommend
Noises
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Sources & Resources
places to go,
people to read
FREETECHMAILORG
Dave
Pell's
NEXT DRAFT
Steve Gibson's
GRC
Fred Langa's
LANGALIST
Tara Calishaine's
RESEARCHBUZZ
Declan McCullagh's
POLITECH
Roger D. Hodge's
HARPER'S WEEKLY
Barbara Mikkelson's
URBAN LEGENDS
Chris Pirillo's
LOCKERGNOME |
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So, How'd I
Do?
Let me know what
you liked or disliked in this issue of
Noises From The Basement!
E-Mail Dave
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