me.

The proof of whether all this effort was worth it rests with you, dear reader. I look forward to your comments. Now, on with the show. Enjoy!

Regards,
Jack

A passing thought: In 2004, Bill Gates declared to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland: "Two years from now, spam will be solved." OK, that two years is history. Some studies report that nine out of 10 email messages are spam. Do you think we're any closer now than in 2004 toward eliminating the problem? Just my opinion, but I think not.



QuickTime Alternative allows playing QuickTime files without having to install the QuickTime Player. It's easy to install, has no background processings, it's small, and it uses low resources. It's a free download at http://www.codecguide.com/about_qt.htm .

QuickTime Alternative

ClockLink

PrinterAnywhere prints documents and photos on other remote printers via an Internet connection. This software requires Windows XP and preferably a broadband connection, and it's a free download at http://www.printeranywhere.com

PrinterAnywhere

EvilLyrics searches over 15 million lyrics, guitar chords, AMG profiles, album covers, posters, etc. It's a free download at http://www.evillabs.sk/evillyrics/ and they promise no adware or spyware.

EvilLyrics

Touch Typing. I never could use more than a couple of fingers on the keyboard, and maybe I could become a little more proficient in composing this newsletter if I had learned touch typing. Maybe this site at http://www.sense- lang.org/typing/ could help, but then they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Touch Typing

Blender allows modeling, animation, rendering, post-production, and interactive creation and playback. It works on all major operating systems. Blender is open source software, meaning it is available for free under the GNU General Public License at http://www.blender3d.org/cms/Home.2.0.html.

Blender

FileSort. Tidy up all your files with FileSort, a free download at http://mwynwood.com/blog/? p=231.

FileSort

FolderMarker is a free download at http://www.foldermarker.com. It changes folder icons' appearance to identify document priority, completeness, etc.

FolderMarker

The Cloak. Using an encrypted connection, The Cloak hides your identity from sites you visit. The anonymous browsing is free at http://www.the-cloak.com/anonymous-surfing- home.html unless you need more bandwidth provided with the paid service.

The Cloak

OSSWIN Project. Visit this site at http://osswin.sourceforge.net/ for a comprehensive list of open source software.

OSSWIN Project

SECUNIA SOFTWARE INSPECTOR at http://secunia.com/software_inspector/ detects insecure versions of installed applications, verifies that all Microsoft patches are applied, and assists ion system/applications update. No installation or download is required and it works on Windows XP, 2000, and 2003.

Secunia Software Inspector

Mile By Mile. Having become the "seasoned traveler," I appreciate any resource in addition to my trusted paper Atlas to help navigate the highways and biways. Mile By Mile at http://www.milebymile.com has limited routes, mostly interstate, but these are very detailed and include photos and links to interesting sites along the way. The biggest limitation is that this site requires Internet access along the road, and that's often unavailable.

Mile By Mile

ShellExView at http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/shexview.html displays the details of shell extensions installed on your computer, and allows you to easily disable and enable each shell extension. This is a handy free utility.

ShellExView

Privacy and Google Content Blocker says, in its privacy statement: If you want privacy, go into the bathroom and lock the door. You ain't gonna get it on the Web, so don't kid yourself. We pretty much know everything there is to know about you -- and it's pretty boring. Get a life, dude. This application at http://j- walk.com/other/googlecb/privacy.htm strips out all the Web content, leaving just the ads. Yes, you read that correctly, and I suspect that the site will be rather short-lived because it carries Google's logo. We shall see.

Privacy And Google Content Blocker

It's time once again to open the mailbag and include some of NNT's valuable reader comments.

Every time I think I'm getting organized, I find something to the contrary. Comments from Callie J. and Ron E. just worked to the surface after an entire year. My apologies for tardiness and I'll get to them here and now, better late than never. (It's nice to note that they are still subscribers and didn't tire of the long wait.)

Ron E. said "one of the best things going for your service is that it is understandable for a still-newbie user like me. The old military (adage) that 'it is not the message sent that is important, it is the message received that is!' (and) the KISS principle still reigns supreme." Thanks, Ron, I hear you, brief and to the point.

Callie J. recommends, for added security, that ordinary surfing be done as a "limited user" and understands that the next Windows will make that the default. Callie points out that anything sneaking through our defenses can't do as much damage unless it has Administrator privileges. She believes that all tips should point out which privileges one must be under when trying the tip; for instance, the one offered in NNT about disabling File Indexing to improve performance. She believes that most tips won't work when operating under a limited- user arrangement. She pointed out a neat article on the subject . Callie suggests a useful add-on called RunAsAdmin. The correct name is RunAsAdmin Explorer Shim and the Beta version can be downloaded here. It's a tool that lets administrators keep and easily use their administrative rights but still enjoy the safety of the least privileged accounts. Callie also points out that Microsoft's Fast User Switching allows users ease of closing Windows, programs, etc. More details on this feature here.

In one issue, I wrote about what I called some nonsense software. It was intended to tell when your flowers need watering and I asked "can't you stick your finger in the dirt and tell if you should water them?" A reader took me to task and responded "Oh come on -- I don't have a green thumb, but for those who do, this is awesome! Just because you have no use for it, doesn't mean someone else might." Always looking for the last word I suppose, I replied "Well, it's true I have no use for a water reminder because we live in the high desert country of Arizona and, for those plants needing water, we must use a drip system on a timer. This software doesn't take into consideration varying needs (monsoon, more natural rainfall and less intervention needed; winter, less water needed, dry early summer, more water needed, etc.) And, too, I do a lot of traveling and this software would be of no value to me on my laptop, 1000 miles away from my flowers. But that wasn't the reasons I included this in the nonsense category. For every program you install to run in the already-cluttered systems tray and in your startup group to activate when you boot your computer, you give up some more of your valuable resources and slow your computer, clog your registry still further, etc. I just feel a program needs to be of genuine value to deserve more than a simple casual look from me. But that's just me. I'm glad you like it."

As a further followup to Derek L.'s question on how to obtain better positioning (optimization) on Google for small companies such as the one he has just started, Lee S. offered some advice. He operates a company geared toward helping others with modifications to their site to gain better exposure. He says "the results of submissions to the search engines will not last long if the structure of the site isn't spot on". Lee says he's developed "quite a little side business" in helping others get their site indexed by the search engines.

Paul T. says he loves NNT and wishes we could make a disk per year available. Well, actually, Paul, we make 12 per year, updating the ArchiveExpress on CD every two issues to include all previously published tips, now roughly 3,000 of them. Details are at the NNT Web Site.

Mike E. says "I think you should advise readers and maybe consider looking closer in (the) future before recommending (software) or at least mention the spyware if you know about it." Mike refers to a program called Easy MP3 Alarm Clock that NNT mentioned last March. Once spyware was discovered in that program, I sent out a mass email to all users of the NNT Forum (Bulletin Board), a free service and worth considering for that feature alone. Unfortunately, far too many free applications are now choosing to bundle themselves with spyware to help pay their bills. I hate to hide behind the disclaimer in each NNT issue, advising you to use featured items at your own risk. Much as I would like to scrutinize every mentioned product/service, it's just humanly impossible to do so in a one-person operation such as Neat Net Tricks.

Paul B. wrote asking NNT to feature an article on the hazards of downloading too many programs, utilities, etc. Paul asked that, if he were to download every item mentioned in NNT, and they all worked as described, wouldn't the registry bloat alone cause slower starts and shut downs? He added "It would be nice if we all had second computers to test programs, but not all of us do. Do you download each program featured and see how it runs before listing in NNT?" Paul made some excellent points. Obviously not every item in NNT is suited for every reader and may even be a duplication of programs and applications already installed. Interests do vary and it's impossible to be 100% "appealing" to every reader in every issue. Paul is correct about the potential for registry bloat, and a feature article in NNT just recently addressed that. A good program will remove itself cleanly from the registry when uninstalled, but unfortunately that's not always the case. There's no way to test every product (as stated in the previous reader's comment). I would suggest the best approach, if the brief NNT item whets your interest, is to read details at the download sites, including user forums and our own Software Review Panel comments , if they have tested the product. Then, if you want to give it a try, set a restore point (in Windows XP). Keep and regularly run a good registry cleaner, anti- virus, and anti-spyware program to maintain good housekeeping. And accept the fact that you won't use all dozen+ tips in every NNT issue, but there should be enough good stuff to keep your interest. By the way, it's not even necessary to maintain a second computer as a guinea pig. Our Review Panel has just reviewed a "virtual sandbox" program that essentially sets up a shielded protected area on your sole computer so that you can try out programs with immunity. It's called VM Workstation and you can read about it here.

Mark S. writes that he is tired of hearing people talk about the "innocence of cookies." Mark asks "Have you noticed how much cookies have proliferated and the connection to increasing spam filters or blacklists?" Mark offers in evidence the fact that he recently subscribed to a magazine on line, then began getting spam for (brand name deleted to avoid spam filters) with a subject line heading of "re: your recent magazine subscription." When he ordered a book from Amazon, he received email for a child porn site that had the subject "re: your recent book order." He doesn't think these are just coincidences and believes that companies are not only placing cookies on our machines, they are also selling the information to others or others are finding ways to access the information. Mark says he always deletes all cookies every day and will now block all cookies, dealing with sites that need cookies on an individual and one-time basis.

One reader notes a trend shaping up that involves mergers of several current or former newsletter publishers with a very large and well-known computer magazine. He asks "do you feel like someone is having a party and everyone was invited but you? Actually, that would be a party I would just as soon not attend." He goes on to to opine that Neat Net Tricks is fast becoming the only truly independent computer newsletter and there is no way that a magazine such as (name withheld) can claim to be "independent" with all the advertisers that keep them afloat. Too, the reader notes, "I suspect some of those newsletter publishers may now or soon have two hands that they have to be careful not to bite!" Well, it's true that I haven't been invited to the party and I guess I'd have to decline if asked. I just don't have a thing to wear. NNT is ad-free, and its circulation is really skimpy when compared to the big- name publishers. But it will stay ad-free as long as it's held afloat by its subscribers, of whom I'm very appreciative.

Pat P. almost downloaded Sophos Anti- RootKit (from Issue 132) before reading the EULA (End Users License Agreement). Pat felt that it required the user to give up everything, including the kitchen sink, in order to download the program. We've discussed EULAs and privacy statements many times in NNT. It simply comes down to the fact that there is little incentive to produce software and give it away with no potential for profit in the long run. Put another way, when you get something for free, you give something up. In software, it's usually a bit of your privacy in that at least some of your personal information (name, email address, etc.) will be combined with statistics (how many times you log on and where you go). That information is shared (or sold?) with other "partner" companies, likely for a monetary gain, and that's why software can be profitably "given away." To Sophos' credit, all this is divulged up front and the user is allowed to opt out of the future mailings. The opt-out provisions aren't really a gracious gesture, they are a requirement of the CanSpam Act. Often opt-outs are far from successful and just add to the spam deluge. Anyway, reading the EULA is a smart move, and then an informed decision can be made as to just how "free" the offer really is and just what price tags it actually carries.

I was surprised that I received only one comment, from John D., regarding NNT's observation of the fifth anniversary of the bombing of the Twin Towers. John says he thought he had become hardened as an ex-cop. But "the four-minute audio of those poor people left a pounding in my heart that will stay with me for a long time." In case you missed that, you'll find the audio/video here.

I usually end this mail bag feature with a little humor, but after watching that clip again, levity seems out of place.

Links in this feature:

RunningAsNonAdmin (article): http://nonadmin.editme.com/RunningAsNonAdmin
RunAsAdmin Explorer Shim. http://sourceforge.net/projects/runasadmin
Microsoft Fast User Switching. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/279765
World Trade Center audio/video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPflWBEqtkU

Jack Teems
Neat Net Tricks

email: jteems@neatnettricks.com
web: http://www.NeatNetTricks.com