Blog for "the-enabler" of the letsnet.org network

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May 7, 9:00 PM EDTBy ELLEN SIMON
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- The explosive photos of abuse in an Iraqi prison drive home a defining fact of 21st century life - that the pervasiveness of digital photography and the speed of the Internet make it easier to see into dark corners previously out of reach for the mass media.

Some of the most shocking or memorable photos from the Iraq war were almost certainly taken by soldiers or government contractors - and zipped around the world with an ease that never existed in the days of film.

"With the technology now, the amateur photographer is as capable as a professional journalist and is operating with the same tools: Digital camera, laptop and an Internet connection," said Keith W. Jenkins, photo editor of the Washington Post Magazine.

"The embedded process was supposed to give government a better handle on what journalists were doing, but now you have this whole rogue operation of civilians with digital cameras who have access to things the media don't," he said.

Photos from Abu Ghraib prison of hooded, naked Iraqi men piled in a pyramid near a grinning American captor and a hooded man standing with wires running from his outstretched arms have caused an international uproar since they first appeared on CBS last week.



Link to the rest of the story

MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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By MATTHEW FORDAHL

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Switching gears for its next-generation microprocessors, Intel Corp. said it has canceled an existing project so that development efforts can be focused on a more advanced technology that's making faster progress than expected.

The new processors, expected by 2005, will sport dual computing engines instead of the single core of today's Pentium 4 processors. The move will boost performance over existing hardware, Intel spokeswoman Laura Anderson said Friday.

"We're taking advantage of an opportunity to accelerate development of other products that we believe will meet end users' needs," she said.

Today's single-core Pentium 4s are enabled with a technology, called Hyper-Threading, that enhances performance by essentially tricking the operating system into behaving as though there are two processors instead of one.

Anderson said the move to dual-core chips will offer more of such benefits.

"We've bolstered our design teams and roadmap plans to make that happen," she said. "It's kind of a complementary measure toward a number of other efforts we have in place."

Employees who were working on Tejas, the code name for the canceled project, will be reassigned.

"It's ... shifting over a lot of our design resources to focus on something that's going to deliver more value," she said.

A similar move is being considered for the next Xeon processors, which are designed for servers, Anderson said. Intel's Itanium processor, which is designed at high-end servers, remains on track to have dual-core capabilities in 2005.

The next-generation desktop chip is expected to be launched in 2005, with the laptop version hitting the market after that. Names and other details have not been disclosed.

Shares of Intel rose 49 cents to close at $26.47 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Associated Press.




MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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By CLAUS-PETER TIEMANN, Associated Press Writer

HANOVER, Germany - A German high-school student has confessed to creating the "Sasser" worm that generated chaos across the globe by infecting hundreds of thousands of computers, authorities said Saturday.
The teenager, whose name was not released, was arrested Friday in the northern village of Waffensen, where he lives with his family. In a search of the suspect's home, German investigators confiscated his customized computer, which contained the worm's source code. link to the rest of the story. Thank you Microsoft!



MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Thursday, May 6, 2004 Posted: 2:04 PM EDT (1804 GMT)


(AP) -- Dan Koster was unpacking some of his more
than 2,000 CDs after a move when he noticed something strange. Some of
the discs, which he always took good care of, wouldn't play properly.

> Koster, a Web and graphic designer for Queens University of Charlotte,
> North Carolina, took one that was skipping pretty badly and held it up
> to the light.

> "I was kind of shocked to see a constellation of pinpricks, little
> points where the light was coming through the aluminum layer," he says.

> His collection was suffering from "CD rot," a gradual deterioration of
> the data-carrying layer. It's not known for sure how common the blight
> is, but it's just one of a number of reasons that optical discs,
> including DVDs, may be a lot less long-lived than
first thought.

> "We were all told that CDs were well-nigh indestructible when they were
> introduced in the mid '80s," Koster says. "Companies used that in part
> to justify the higher price of CDs as well."

> He went through his collection and found that 15 percent to 20 percent
> of the discs, most of which were produced in the '80s, were "rotted" to
> some extent.

> The rotting can be due to poor manufacturing, according to Jerry Hartke,
> who runs Media Sciences Inc., a Marlborough, Massachusetts, laboratory
> that tests CDs.

> The aluminum layer that reflects the light of the player's laser is
> separated from the CD label by a thin layer of lacquer. If the
> manufacturer applied the lacquer improperly, air can penetrate to
> oxidize the aluminum, eating it up much like iron rusts in air.

> But in Hartke's view, it's more common that discs are rendered
> unreadable by poor handling by the owner.

> "If people treat these discs rather harshly, or stack them, or allow
> them to rub against each other, this very fragile protective layer can
> be disturbed, allowing the atmosphere to interact with that aluminum,"
> he says.

> Part of the problem is that most people believe that it's the clear
> underside of the CD that is fragile, when in fact it's the side with the
> label. Scratches on the underside have to be fairly deep to cause
> skipping, while scratches on the top can easily penetrate to the
> aluminum layer. Even the pressure of a pen on the label side can dent
> the aluminum, rendering the CD unreadable.
>
> Koster has taken to copying his CDs on his computer to extend the life
> of the recordings. Unfortunately, it's not easy to figure out how long
> those recordable CDs will work.

> Fred Byers, an information technology specialist at the National
> Institute of Standards and Technology, has looked at writeable CDs on
> behalf of government agencies, including the Library of Congress, that
> need to know how long their discs will last.

> Manufacturers cite lifespans up to 100 years, but without a standardized
> test, it's very hard to evaluate their claims, Byers says. The worst
> part is that manufacturers frequently change the materials and
> manufacturing methods without notifying users.

> "When you go to a store and buy a DVD-R, and this goes for CD-R as well,
> you really don't know what you're getting," he says. "If you buy a
> particular brand of disc, and then get the same disc and brand six
> months later, it can be very different."

> This renders the frequently heard advice to buy name-brand discs for
> maximum longevity fairly moot, he says.

> DVDs are a bit tougher than CDs in the sense that the data layer (or
> layers -- some discs have two) is sandwiched in the middle of the disc
> between two layers of plastic. But this structure causes problems of its
> own, especially in early DVDs. The glue that holds the layers together
> can lose its grip, making the disc unreadable at least in parts.

> Users that bend a DVD to remove it from a hard-gripping case are
> practically begging for this problem, because flexing the disc puts
> strain on the glue.

> Rewriteable CDs and DVDs, as opposed to write-once discs, should not be
> used for long-term storage because they contain a heat-sensitive layer
> that decays much faster than the metal layers of other discs.

> For maximum longevity, discs should be stored vertically and only be
> handled by the edges. Don't stick labels on them, and in the case of
> write-once CDs, don't write on them with anything but soft water-based
> or alcohol-based markers.

> Also, like wine, discs should be stored in a cool, dry place. Koster's
> friend Mark Irons, of Corvallis, Ore., stored his CD collection in a
> cabin heated by a wood-burning stove. The temperature would range
> between 40 degrees and 70 degrees in the space of a few hours. Now, the
> data layer of some of his CDs looks as if it's being eaten from the
> outside.

> Irons is still pretty happy with CD technology, since it beats vinyl LPs
> and tape for longevity. Now that he's moved his discs to an apartment
> with a more stable temperature, he's noticed that the decay has slowed.

> "I'm hoping they'll hold out till that next medium gets popular, and
> everyone gets to buy everything over again," he says.


MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Recently PC Magazine conducted a survey that asked participants to rate their broadband ISP services. We found out that many users don't completely understand the seriousness of potential threats or how to protect their PCs. The following are responses to the top five security misconceptions we encountered.

I don't keep important things on my PC, so I don't have to worry about security.


There was a time when this statement was partially true, but that time has long since passed. Current viruses, worms, and other threats, including the famous Love Bug, Nimda, and Blaster, spread blindly across the Internet to thousands or millions of PCs in a matter of hours, without regard for who owns them, what is stored there, or the value of the information they hold. The purpose of such attacks is nothing less than to wreak havoc. If you ignore the reality of these attacks, you are certain to be hit at one time or another. Even if your computer is not attacked directly, it can be used as a zombie to launch a denial-of-service or other attack on a network or to send spam or pornography to other PCs without being traced. Therefore, your civic responsibility is to protect your PC so that others are protected.

I can protect my PC if I disconnect from the Internet or turn it off when I'm not using it.

Wrong. If you connect to the Internet at all, you are a target. You could download a virus when you connect and not activate it until days later when you read your e-mail off-line. Even if you rarely connect to the Internet, you can get a virus from a file off of a network, floppy disk, or USB flash memory drive.

I can protect myself from viruses by not opening suspicious e-mail attachments.

Wrong again. The next virus you get may come from your best friend's or boss' computer if his e-mail address book was used to propagate an attack. Nimda and other hybrid worms can enter through the Web browser. And it is possible to activate some viruses simply by reading or previewing an e-mail. You simply must have a PC-based antivirus package.

I have a Macintosh (or a Linux-based system), not a Windows system, so I don't have to worry about being attacked.

It is true that most attacks target Microsoft Windows–based PCs, but there have been attacks against Mac OS and Linux systems as well. Some experts have predicted that the Mac virus problem will get worse, because Mac OS X uses a version of Unix. And although these systems have some useful security features, they can still be attacked.

My system came with an antivirus package, so I'm protected.

Not quite. First, if you haven't activated your antivirus package to scan incoming traffic automatically, you are not protected against e-mail and Web browser attacks. Second, new threats appear daily, so an antivirus package is only as good as its last update. Activate the auto-update features to stay on top of the latest threats. Third, an antivirus package can't protect you from every threat. In most cases you need a combination of solutions, including, at minimum, antivirus, a personal firewall such as Zone Labs' ZoneAlarm Pro, and a plan for keeping your operating system and software up to date with security patches. Antispyware and antispam utilities (such as PepiMK Software's SpyBot Search & Destroy and Norton AntiSpam 2004) will also help keep you safe. And a router is a GOOD thing as well.


MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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A Pic is worth a thousand words
.
The guy who makes the FEWER mistakes wins over he who makes more mistakes then you.

MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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May 6, 2004
Clean Image Is So Key To Google's Success, Why Take Gmail Risk?
By WALTER S. MOSSBERG

Truckloads of ink and gigabytes of Internet space are being devoted these days to discussing the merits of Google, the Web's leading search engine. Most of these articles aren't focusing on how Google functions for its users but on its value as an investment in light of the company's announcement last week that it is going public.

I don't give stock tips, and I have no idea whether investing in Google is a good idea. But I want to focus for a few moments here on why Google's stock offering is a big deal in the first place: It's because the company has created a service that works brilliantly for consumers.

Google's initial success was built on its breakthrough search technology, which produced more useful search results, much more quickly, than anyone else. Some analysts believe that edge is waning or is gone. I still think Google is the best, but in any case, there's another secret to Google's success: honesty.

Of all the major search engines, Google is the only one that's truly, scrupulously honest. It's the only one that doesn't rig its search results in some manner to make money.

You may or may not like Google's search results. You may disagree with its search methods. But with Google, the search results you see are strictly those that its search methodology yields. By contrast, at major competitors like Yahoo and Microsoft's MSN, the first search results you see are there, at least in part, because companies paid to place them there.

Google makes money in a traditional way that users understand. It sells ads. These ads are clearly labeled and easily distinguished from the real, unbiased search results. They are triggered by whatever search term a user enters, and they run down the side of the page and, occasionally, across the top. The ones across the top are shaded in color, just to make extra sure nobody confuses them with search results.

This separation of advertising and editorial content is the same one that has been used for a couple of hundred years in newspapers and magazines. People get the distinction.

Contrast that with Yahoo and MSN, Google's biggest competitors. In addition to ads down the side of the page, Yahoo places paid search listings at the top and bottom of its results, in a format that looks exactly like real results. These paid listings are labeled as "Sponsor Results," but I suspect many users don't grasp the difference. And on a small screen, you would have to scroll in many cases to see the unsponsored listings, so it's easier to just click on a sponsored link.

Even Yahoo's real, unsponsored results are rigged to some extent. That's because Yahoo sells companies the right to be included in its searches, something Google never does.

MSN also supplements ads down the side of the page with paid search listings that appear before its real results in many, but not all, cases. These are called "Featured Sites," which sounds innocent enough. But they include paid entries.

I'm all for advertising. Advertising pays my salary, and it can be helpful and interesting to consumers. But I'm against advertising that is too easily confused with editorial content. If Yahoo's system applied to newspapers, there would be paid news stories in the paper that looked just like real stories but were even more prominent than the real stories.

But Google is risking its reputation for honesty, and for putting the user first, with a new e-mail service it is currently developing, called Gmail. The Gmail service, which I've been testing, offers users free e-mail with a massive storage limit of one gigabyte, far more than any competitor provides.

There's a catch, however. Google intends to run ads down the side of the e-mail messages in Gmail, just like it does in its search results. And, just as on the search pages, the Gmail ads will be triggered by key words in the body of the text -- in this case, the text of your e-mail. So if I get an e-mail that refers to, say, a kind of product, I might get an ad for a store that sells that product.

The problem here isn't confusion between ads and editorial content. It's that Google is scanning your private e-mail to locate the key words that generate the ads. This seems like an invasion of privacy. Google notes its scanning will be done by computers, and that these machines can't understand the e-mails and are just looking for specific terms. And the company notes that nearly every e-mail anybody receives is already scanned by computers looking for spam or viruses.

These are logical points, but the proposed system is still a little creepy, and it has the potential for big problems if the content scanning were ever misused by Google. Google might also be forced to use such content scanning in the service of government subpoenas or court orders that might apply to years' worth of its customers' e-mails.

So I'm calling on Google to preserve its sterling reputation for honesty and customer focus by offering an alternative form of the new Gmail service. The company should offer Gmail accounts without the ads, and without the scanning, for a modest annual fee. That would put the choice where Google has always placed it: in the hands of its users.

Write to Walter S. Mossberg at mossberg@wsj.com
END

I had the Google tool bar on my MS Internet Explorer (you know your browser) till I found out that it may have been why I was getting Spam. I took it off and went back to Yahoo for my searches. Stil don't really know for sure, but after the way Google is offering Gmail. I'm glade I took it off. I still use Google, I just go to their website. This blogsite is owned by Google. I just don't let them spy on me thought that Tool bar and if I hear that useing this blog is another way they spy. I'll leave here as well. And I have the place to go to already.
And the Internet is the great equalizer for the little guy Learn to use it by using me so you can use it safely



MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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You can obtain quite a bit of information from Microsoft Internet Explorer 6. For example, if you right-click an image and choose Properties, you can learn almost all you'd care to know about the image. As an example, we checked an image on the MSN page. The Properties dialog box showed the image address (URL) and that the type of image was JPEG. The image size was 145 X 135 pixels, and its file size was 5542 bytes. When you're finished with the dialog box just click OK. You can get image information in Opera too. Right-click the image and choose Image Properties. And you can save that pic to your computer as well. Just look for the "Save as" in the list of items that got displayed and click on it. then save the pic to where ever you want on your computer

Seize the Day,

D



MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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From the SPYWARE NEWS LETTER

Howard Beales, director of the Federal Trade Commission's bureau of consumer protection, and FTC Commissioner Mozelle Thompson went before the House of Representatives Thursday to say that no legislation should be created to curb spyware. The FTC also criticized existing legislation currently under consideration. "I do not believe legislation is the answer at this time," Thompson said. "Self-regulation combined with enforcement of existing laws might be the best way to go."
NOT

To put it very simply, I am astonished. Self-regulation, from the people causing the problem? Self-regulation, from people whose business model is described as distasteful at best and illegal at worst? What can Beales and Thompson possibly be thinking?

On an encouraging note, the congressmen reacted rather harshly to the FTC's position. Clearly, congress is burning to do something about spyware even if the FTC is not.

I've read the SPYBLOCK Act which currently is making the rounds in the Senate. It is not a perfect solution, especially the exemptions outlined in section five. Section three, however, looks like something I could have written. It outlaws installing software without a clear disclosure to the PC owner. It requires that an uninstaller be provided. It requires that any information gathering be disclosed. It requires disclosure that the software will display ads and how those ads will be displayed.

Not everyone likes the SPYBLOCK Act. Ben Edelman and I have been arguing about it today. Ben is the Harvard Law student who put WhenU's software under the microscope and discovered evidence that it could be violating WhenU's own privacy statement.

Ben believes that passage of the SPYBLOCK Act inadvertently would sabotage efforts to stop companies such as WhenU and Gator/Claria from selling ads based on other companies' trademarks. That is a very valid point and I certainly sympathize with web sites having to deal with unethical companies selling ads on their trademarks. However, I feel the benefits of the SPYBLOCK Act for consumers outweighs the risk that it would make it harder for companies to stop WhenU from making money from their work.

To be perfectly honest, I view that as entirely separate issue. Those companies who profit from the work of other companies by selling ads on their trademarks do tend to be adware and spyware. Beyond that however, I see no other relation to the spyware problem and believe it should be dealt with separately.

Utah was very lucky to pass a law that covered both issues so well. If we could have congress pass Utah's Spyware Control Act as federal law, that would be beautiful. Unfortunately I just don't see that happening.

It needs a little tweaking before it passes but, overall, I like the SPYBLOCK Act. Consider this to be my official endorsement of it. If you agree with me, contact your US Senators today and ask them to support the SPYBLOCK Act, S. 2145.
END...



MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Your will's residuary clause can cover either the "leftovers" of your estate that you didn't explicitly mention in real property clauses or personal property clauses, or it can be the main clause you use if you just want to treat most or all of your estate as one big pool to be divided up among your main beneficiaries.

Regardless of your strategy, if you forget to include a residuary clause to cover property that you don't specifically mention elsewhere in your will, the law — not you — will dictate how any property that you have not otherwise mentioned will be distributed, and to whom. You will now have died partially intestate, meaning that only some of your property is covered by your valid will.

Don't forget to include a residuary clause in your will. Even though you may want your will to be as explicit as possible, you almost always will have property in your estate that falls into the leftovers category. Be sure to designate one or more beneficiaries to receive those leftovers.




MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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More and more people are looking for ways to have only one boss — themselves. The following sites not only help you look for ways to accomplish this American dream, but also help you sustain and prosper in that goal.

Business@Home: This site is targeted toward individuals who operate a business from their homes. You'll find resources to maintain and improve your home business through feature articles that cover topics such as marketing, taxes, family management, telecommunications, and the law. All told, this is a great support site for those already involved in a home-based business.

Entrepeneurs' Help Page: When you can't afford to hire a lawyer for consultation or have a CPA set up the books, this site can get you on the right track. Neatly organized into categories like Business, Finance, and Legal, the pages let you find your way around this site with easy-to-digest information.

Small Business Administration: The Small Business Administration and its programs may be a financial boon to your business startup. With programs ranging from loans to learning, the SBA site outlines everything for you. Even if you're not going to take out a loan through the SBA, this site is still probably the best starting point as you take steps toward becoming your own boss.

There's no doubt about it: The Internet has revolutionized the way we communicate, find information, and do business.




MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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From the SPYWARE NEWS LETTER

Howard Beales, director of the Federal Trade Commission's bureau of consumer protection, and FTC Commissioner Mozelle Thompson went before the House of Representatives Thursday to say that no legislation should be created to curb spyware. The FTC also criticized existing legislation currently under consideration. "I do not believe legislation is the answer at this time," Thompson said. "Self-regulation combined with enforcement of existing laws might be the best way to go."

To put it very simply, I am astonished. Self-regulation, from the people causing the problem? Self-regulation, from people whose business model is described as distasteful at best and illegal at worst? What can Beales and Thompson possibly be thinking?

On an encouraging note, the congressmen reacted rather harshly to the FTC's position. Clearly, congress is burning to do something about spyware even if the FTC is not.

I've read the SPYBLOCK Act which currently is making the rounds in the Senate. It is not a perfect solution, especially the exemptions outlined in section five. Section three, however, looks like something I could have written. It outlaws installing software without a clear disclosure to the PC owner. It requires that an uninstaller be provided. It requires that any information gathering be disclosed. It requires disclosure that the software will display ads and how those ads will be displayed.

Not everyone likes the SPYBLOCK Act. Ben Edelman and I have been arguing about it today. Ben is the Harvard Law student who put WhenU's software under the microscope and discovered evidence that it could be violating WhenU's own privacy statement.

Ben believes that passage of the SPYBLOCK Act inadvertently would sabotage efforts to stop companies such as WhenU and Gator/Claria from selling ads based on other companies' trademarks. That is a very valid point and I certainly sympathize with web sites having to deal with unethical companies selling ads on their trademarks. However, I feel the benefits of the SPYBLOCK Act for consumers outweighs the risk that it would make it harder for companies to stop WhenU from making money from their work.

To be perfectly honest, I view that as entirely separate issue. Those companies who profit from the work of other companies by selling ads on their trademarks do tend to be adware and spyware. Beyond that however, I see no other relation to the spyware problem and believe it should be dealt with separately.

Utah was very lucky to pass a law that covered both issues so well. If we could have congress pass Utah's Spyware Control Act as federal law, that would be beautiful. Unfortunately I just don't see that happening.

It needs a little tweaking before it passes but, overall, I like the SPYBLOCK Act. Consider this to be my official endorsement of it. If you agree with me, contact your US Senators today and ask them to support the SPYBLOCK Act, S. 2145.
END...




MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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A Question:
"I had a new CD drive put into my tower. I inserted the first CD, and the drive took it in, but the disc would not start up and run, and the machine will not eject it. What can I do?"

Reply:
Can't repair the drive for you remotely, but we can help you rescue the CD that's stuck inside it.
Start by turning the computer off. Get a medium-size or large paper clip and straighten the long leg. Look closely at the front of the CD drive; you should find a hole that's about the right size for the paper clip. (Not the earphone jack, of course!) Sometimes there's a groove just below the drive door instead of a hole.


MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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When you shop for an online broker, check your prospects thoroughly. Call for literature and see how long reaching a live human being takes. Ask some questions and see how knowledgeable and helpful the representatives are.

For non-retirement accounts, if the quality of the firm's year-end account statements concern you, ask prospective brokerages to send you a sample. Try sending some questions to the broker's Web site and see how accurate and timely the response is.

If you're a mutual fund investor, check out the quality of the funds that the company offers — don't allow the sheer number of funds that the company offers impress you. Also, inquire about the interest rates that the company pays on cash balances, as well as the rates that the company charges on margin loans, if you want such borrowing services.

REMEMBER "STOCK BROKER" IS JUST ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING "SALESMAN"




MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Although Microsoft designed Windows XP to be easier than ever to use, the programmers stubbed their toe when it came to the most important function of all: changing the sound volume.

Here's how to put the volume control back where it belongs — right next to the little clock in the bottom right corner of the screen:

Click the Start button, open the Control Panel, and click the Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices icon.

Click the Sounds and Audio Devices icon and select the Place Volume Icon in the Taskbar check box.

A little speaker then appears next to your clock.
Click OK to close the window.

Now, if you need to turn the sound up or down in a hurry, click the little speaker by your clock. A sliding volume control appears, letting you turn the sound up or down by sliding the control up or down. Or, to turn the sound off completely, click the Mute box. Whew!




MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Scholarship scams are a huge problem, and every year tens of thousands of otherwise really smart kids (and sometimes their really smart parents) get duped out of dollars. Every year, students send $50, $100, $200, $500, or more, to unknown organizations that claim to have access to all the scholarship money in the world or guarantee inside connections with philanthropic groups that are just aching to give away their money.

Don't be a sucker.




MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Write protection is supposed to be a helpful safety feature, but most people discover it through an abrupt bit of computer rudeness: Windows XP stops them short with the following threatening message: Cannot copy Ouch!: The media is write protected, while they are trying to copy a file to a floppy disk.

If you encounter this write-protect error, wait until the floppy drive stops making noise. Remove the disk, unwrite-protect the disk, and put it back in the drive. Then, repeat what you were doing before you were so rudely interrupted.




MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".