Bed-And-Breakfast Inns
It's never too early to plan for a vacation -- gotta have something to live for! Seriously, though, the Internet has been a boon to travelers. Airfares, reservations, schedules, fun things to do -- it's easy to plan your whole itinerary from your desktop. Bed-and-breakfast inns have spread throughout the globe, offering cozy, relaxed and unique accommodations -- not to mention romantic and inspiring! Here are two great sites that can help you find the right B&B, whatever your destination. Make your plans now, and you'll get the choice accommodations at the best times.
http://www.bbonline.com/
http://www.theinnkeeper.com/

 Web Site Garage
Does your Web site need a tune-up? To find out, you need to visit the Web Site Garage. Just enter your Web address and your email address and click Go. You'll get a brief assessment of your Web page. You'll find out about its compatibility, its loading speed, and even the spelling on the page.
http://websitegarage.netscape.com/

 Checking On Your Security
How secure is your system? If you're running on cable or DSL, this is an important question since you're connected to the Internet any time your computer is active. Even if you're using a modem, you're susceptible to intrusion while you're connected to the Internet.

There are two sites that we like to use to evaluate our system security. One is DSL Reports -- a site that will scan your ports and then provide you with a report. The other site we've mentioned before -- Steve Gibson's Shields Up! site. You can elect to test your shields, or you can do a port scan on the ports most often accessed by intruders. Or, you can run both tests.
http://www.dslreports.com/
http://grc.com/

Free Stuff
Everybody likes free stuff. Come on, admit it! You know you do. There's a site called Free Stuff Center. You can get coupons, magazines, free samples of all manner of useful and frivolous products, and software for your computer.

We have only one caveat -- not all that looks free truly is free. In most cases, you get the free samples, and the company gets your name, address, and email address for their database. We're not saying that this is necessarily bad, just that you should know ahead of time and expect some spam.
http://www.freestuffcenter.com/

 Your Bandwidth
Want to know how fast your Internet connection really is at any given time? A site named 2Wire has a bandwidth meter that you can use to check your speed. Note that we said "at any given time." This is because the speed isn't always the same day after day or even minute after minute. What you're measuring here is the speed between your computer and their site. Even so, you can get a good idea of how you're doing.
http://www.2wire.com/

A Fast Benchmark Program
In the last download suggestion, we discussed a pop-up eliminator called PopKI. While looking around the site, we also downloaded a bench test program by the author of PopKI. This benchmark program is one of the smallest (you can put it on a floppy disk) and fastest that we have seen. And, like PopKI, it's freeware.
http://www.ranfo.com/

Get The Best Price
If you're purchasing any computer component, you want to find the best price possible. Of course, you could just do a search for the component and then cruise around the Internet looking for a good price. But if you don't know about Pricewatch.com, you probably should. This one site will lead you directly to the best computer-related prices available
http://www.pricewatch.com/

Handwriting Fonts
A nice flowing script font is useful when you want to create invitations, or even to use in letters that you mail to friends. Even though everyone knows these letters aren't really handwritten, a letter written in a handwriting font carries a nice feeling.

We recently ran across a site that offers several free handwriting fonts. Of this collection, we liked Karine because of its clarity. You can also get your own handwriting turned into a font for $40-$70 for connected handwriting
http://pro.wanadoo.fr/dephitro/indexf1.html

Black Box Mail Anonymailer
There are always times when you'd like to send anonymous e-mail in order to cut down on the spam. If you send mail with Outlook Express or Netscape, you'll find that including a fake return address does nothing at all to hide your address. Fortunately, you can download a free copy of Black Box Mail Anonymailer.

We have looked at this program before and liked it very much. This new version is even better. There is now a much improved user interface and many other enhancements.

Black Box Mail Anonymailer is free
http://homepage.tinet.ie/~informail/

Online Virus Checking
If you'd like to check your computer for viruses but don't really want to install an antivirus program, why not have your computer checked via the Internet? You can go to HouseCall and use Trend Micro's free online virus scanner. You can register to have free virus information sent to your, or you can get your computer scanned for viruses without registering.
http://housecall.antivirus.com/

 JPG Cleaner
Many graphics programs, such as Adobe Photoshop, write file management data into their JPG files. This extra data helps the photo program do its job by storing color and other data. However, this extra data is of no value to a JPG file viewed in a browser. And, since large files mean that your Web page will load more slowly, you are much better off without this additional data in your JPG files.

Removing extra data from your JPG files will not affect their appearance and will help them load faster on the Web. JPG Cleaner is a freeware program that will do the job.
http://www.pppr.sk/rainbow/

Louie, Louie
Ever wondered what the words to the classic song "Louie, Louie" are? Here ya go:

"Louie Louie, me gotta go. Louie Louie, me gotta go. A fine little girl, she wait for me. Me catch the ship across the sea. I sailed the ship all alone. I never think I'll make it home. Louie Louie, me gotta go. Three nights and days we sailed the sea. Me think of girl constantly. On the ship, I dream she there. I smell the rose in her hair. Louie Louie, me gotta go. Me see Jamaican moon above. It won't be long me see me love. Me take her in my arms and then I tell her I never leave again. Louie Louie, me gotta go."

Web Page Update Date In IE
Would you like to know when a specific Web page was last updated? After all, you don't want to think you're reading current information if the material was last updated in 1997. If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer, you can easily determine when a page was updated last. Navigate to the page you want to check and type into the Address Bar

javascript:alert(document.lastModified)

and press Enter. A dialog box will open display the date and time of the last update.

Note that you must enter the line exactly as shown here. You can copy the line from here and paste it into the Address Bar if you like.

Monitoring Your Motherboard
Two things that CPUs really hate are high temperatures and incorrect voltages. Do you know how warm your CPU is? You can know if you use Motherboard Monitor (MBM). This free program will work with most modern motherboards and keep track of your temperatures and voltages for you. You can set MBM up to provide an audible warning when something goes out of range.
http://mbm.livewiredev.com/

Backing Up Your Address Book
Your Address Book is a very important file. If you lose your Address Book, you could have a lot of trouble recovering it. You might never recover some of the addresses.

To backup your Address Book, you first have to locate it. To do this, run the Address Book (you may have to run Outlook Express and click Addresses). Now, in Address Book, choose Help|About Address Book. The About dialog box will display the location and name of the Address Book.

Once you know the Address Book's location, run Windows Explorer and drag a copy of the Address Book file to another location. You could also insert a blank formatted floppy disk into Drive A and copy the Address Book to the floppy.

Eraser
Security is the name of the game these days. If you want to keep the nosy or the nasty from having a peek at your private files, you probably need a way to keep sophisticated snoops (like the new kid down the hall) from looking at your erased files. Erased files? That's right. Anyone who knows how can recover those deleted files while you're out having a Reuben and a pint of bitter.

To prevent this kind of spying, you need a way to really erase files. You need to look at Eraser from Sami Tolvanen.
http://tolvanen.com/eraser/

 Password Store
Most of us seem to end up with a nearly unmanageable list of passwords. If this has happened to you, or if you want to prevent it happening to you, you need some help from Password Store. All you'll have to remember if you use Password Store is the password that gets you into Password Store.

All passwords are saved in an encrypted file and are not accessible to prying eyes.
http://groonesworld.com/

Break the chains that hold your system's physical memory in fragmented bondage with this free program designed for Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, and 2000. This program will automatically free up a set amount of RAM and defragment it when a minimum of free RAM is reached, enabling your applications to load faster and more responsively. The program includes various additional features, such as displaying the percentage of free RAM and a pop-up menu for manual adjustment.

Version: 4.5

File Size: 601KB

Price: Free Operating System(s): Windows 9.x, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows NT
http://www.tweaknow.com/ramidl.html

 Inexpensive Web Hosting
If you've tried one of the free Web hosting services but can't quite tolerate all the advertising that makes it possible for them to offer their services free, why not try a really inexpensive Web hosting service? How about a Web hosting service for $12.00 per year?

Go to UCVHost and read all about it. By the way, we've been using UCVHost (the $12/year plan) and have experienced no problems at all.
http://www.ucvhost.com/

 Speed Up Microsoft Internet Explorer 5x
You can speed up navigation in Microsoft Internet Explorer 5x or 6 by disabling page transitions. To make this change, run IE and choose Tools|Internet Options. When the Internet Options dialog box opens, click the Advanced tab. Deselect the check box labeled Enable Page Transitions and click OK to close the dialog box and continue.

This will help speed up some pages. Don't expect miracles, though -- not all pages will benefit from this change.

 Blind Copies In Outlook Express
Let's imagine that you'd like to send the same e-mail message to a dozen or so people. The thing is that you'd rather each recipient not know who else is getting the mail. What you need to do is use the Outlook Express blind copy option. To do this, click Create Mail. If the "Bcc" entry box doesn't appear, choose View|All Headers. Now, enter your e-mail address in the "To" entry box. Enter all the recipient e-mail addresses in the "Bcc" entry box. Separate the names with a semicolon. Type in the message and click Send. You will get the message and all the other recipients will see that you are the primary recipient and they are getting a copy--their own private copy. They will have no idea who else is getting a copy.

 Sorting Your Microsoft Internet Explorer Favorites List
Do you ever feel a need to sort your Favorites? Many Microsoft Internet Explorer users do. To sort your Favorites folders, choose Favorites (the menu item--not the button). Now, right-click the folder you want to sort and choose Sort By Name. Repeat this procedure for all the folders you want to sort.

Mihov Image Resizer
Suppose you have a folder full of photographs. You'd like to put some of them on your Web site, but they're in all sizes and formats. What you need is a way to quickly size all your selected photos and save them as (for example) JPG files for use on the Web. Mihov Image Resizer will do the job for you.
http://www.mihov.com/eng/

Chasing Your IP
When you're working on a network, you might like to know who else is on the network. You may also wish to know more about your networking parameters. You can get this information from a freeware utility named Chase IP.
http://www.software-dungeon.co.uk/

Quick And Easy Backups
The problem with backups is that we don't do the backups if the backups are any problem to do. How about a backup program that's no problem at all? All you have to do set up a schedule, select the folders you want to back up, and select a target. Then just let it run and do its thing. This easy-to-use freeware program is TaskZip V2.10 from PBSystems.
http://pbsys.tripod.com/

 Web Pages That Suck
If you're about to start designing a Web page, or if you already have a Web page that you think needs some work, go look at the "Web Pages that Suck" site. This is a great site to use while you're learning to create Web pages. You'll certainly get a very good idea of what not to do in Web page design. And, you'll learn about what you should do as well.
http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/

Cable Modem Help
Are you interested in switching to a high-speed cable modem? We can testify to its speed. When you first start using a broadband Internet connection, whether cable or ADSL, you'll be amazed at the speed. At any rate, for information and news about cable modems and Internet cable services, look at the CableModemHelp page at the link below this tip.
http://www.cablemodemhelp.com/

Gibson Research Corporation
Visit the Gibson Research Corporation page to get all kinds of technical information. One big attraction at the site is the "Shields Up!!" page. You can visit this page to see how secure you really are on the Internet. Go to the site (link provided below this tip) and click on Shields Up!! Click Test My Shields! and wait for the results. Next, click Probe My Ports! and see how you do. By the way, the port probe is much faster now.
www.grc.com

 Speed Test Your Connection
If you want to know the actual speed of your Internet connection, you need a way to measure download times. The easiest way to do this is to visit one or more sites that calculate the speed for you. We suggest that you try several sites and that you never base too much on a single measurement. Your speed will vary somewhat from test to test, and will certainly vary from one site to another. Below this tip are a couple of speed measuring sites that we've tried recently. Check them out and see what you think.
http://promos.mcafee.com/speedometer/

 PINs Password Storage
PINs is a freeware program that you can use to safely store all your passwords or other security information. A secure 448-bit Blowfish algorithm ensures no one is likely to access your data. PINs doesn't require installation (so it doesn't mess with the Registry at all). Click on the link below this tip to check it out!
http://www.mirekw.com/winfreeware/

 Dan's Domain Name Site
Would you like to know more about domain names? If you visit Dan's Domain Name Site, you'll find information on just about every aspect of domain names. You can read about domain name structure, how the system was devised, subdomains, country code domains, and much more.
www.dantobias.com

 The Internet Public Library
When you need to find a computer/Internet related term, Webopedia is the site to visit. However, when you need information on anything else, you need to visit The Internet Public Library. If you don't need anything in particular, you'll enjoy browsing the library anyway. It has everything your own local library has--except books and noisy children.
http://www.ipl.org/

 Locating A Host
On the other hand, you can purchase your own domain name and pay someone to host your page. This way, you'll have a domain name like http://myname.com. To get more information and to see what your hosting (and domain name purchases will cost), go to All Cheap Hosting at the link below this tip.
www.allcheaphosting.com

Hot Water Tank Flushing
Probably the least maintained item in the house is the hot water tank. Most folks don't give it much thought until it causes trouble. Regular maintenance can greatly extend the life of your water tank. Flushing the tank is simple enough and will help remove sediment that builds up in the bottom of the tank.

First shut off the power if it is electric or turn the gas control to pilot if it is gas fired. Close the valve that supplies water to the tank. If there is a floor drain close to the tank, you can now open the drain valve near the bottom of the tank. If no drain is close, connect a hose to the valve before opening it. Open a hot water faucet to help drain the tank. When the water draining runs clear, open the water supply to the tank; if this loosens more sediment, then wait for the water to run clear then again close the drain valve. When the tank is full, close the faucet you opened and restore the power or turn the gas valve back to on.

 PictureClip
If you work with Web pages, you know that a mapped picture is often an eye-catching addition to a page. All you have to do is map a picture so that you can assign different links to portions of the picture. This isn't quite as easy as it sounds, but there are some programs around to help with this task. One that we like is PictureClip, a freeware program from Iron (FE)-Works.
http://www.iron-fe-works.com/main_s.html

 A Page For Nerds
Even if you don't consider yourself a nerd, you might like to visit a page that provides you with the latest news about computers, the Internet, and science. At Slashdot, you'll find information about various operating systems, what's happening on the Internet, the latest virus news, information about hardware, and lots of other interesting stuff. Nerd or not, you'll probably like Slashdot.
http://slashdot.org/

VisualZone Report Utility
If you use ZoneAlarm to help protect your system from intruders, you need to get a copy of VisualZone. This product reads the ZoneAlarm log and provides you with a report that's much easier to deal with than the ZoneAlarm log alone. You can also use VisualZone to backtrace an IP and provide you with some additional information that doesn't exist in the ZoneAlarm log. All this and more--for free. And, by the way, if you don't have ZoneAlarm, you should go to the link below this tip and check it out!
http://www.visualizesoftware.com/visualzone/visualzone.htm

Now that I have a cable Internet connection, I noticed (via my firewall software) that about a dozen various hackers try to access my computer every day. My software lists the computer addresses of the hackers. Is there any way to track these morons down and get even? -Takiya
Good firewall software will log the IP addresses of attackers as it fends them off. Scribble that down, then open a DOS window, either by clicking the MS-DOS shortcut or opening the Run dialog and typing in Command. As an example, type Ping /a 143.166.83.63 at the command prompt and your computer should tell you that address is actually rr5-www.us.dell.com, which normal people reach under its alias of www.dell.com.

Knowing the domain of your attacker, go to Whois (http://64.4.14.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=06bd95dda8b0bf1332ec9d421afd5d55&lat=1013187608&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2enetsol%2ecom%2fcgi%2dbin%2fwhois%2fwhois), plug "dell.com'' into its search engine and you'll find names and addresses of the people in charge of that site.

Hoaxbusters
Hoaxes on the Internet? You bet--lots of them. The easy ones are the e-mails that we all get warning us of some upcoming Internet disaster. You know the type, "Nine-year-old Chinese boy to destroy the Internet." You probably also know that the best way to handle a hoax of this type is to refrain from passing it along to others. To learn more about Internet hoaxes and how to deal with them, go to the Hoax Busters site.
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/

The Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is one of those really great Internet sites. This one is actually a constantly growing archive that already seems to contain almost everything. When you visit The Internet Archive, take a good long look at the Wayback Machine. This is a tool that allows you to browse pages stored in the Internet Archive's Web archive.
http://www.archive.org/

Scrolling In Microsoft Internet Explorer
Although there are a number of ways to scroll through a Web page in Microsoft Internet Explorer (Page Down, Page Up, use the mouse, etc.), one of the easiest is to simply press the Spacebar. Pressing the Spacebar scrolls down a page. If you need to scroll up a page, press Shift + Spacebar.

Want to get rid of those annoying ">" marks on forwarded email? There are a few steps, but in about 20 seconds you'll be done. Here is how:

Step-1 Highlight all the text and "Copy" it to the Clipboard
Step-2 Open NotePad (Usually under Accessories)
Step-3 "Paste" the Clipboard into NotePad
Step-4 Click the Edit drop-down and then click "Replace"
Note: a dialogue box appears
Step-5 Type in the carat (>) and a space in the "Find What" box
Note: Don't type anything into "Replace With"
Step-6 Then click "Replace All"
Note: This gets rid of most of them.
Step-7 Remove the space from the "Replace" box
Step-8 Click "Replace All," again.

Now you have the text in NotePad, without those annoying symbols. You can Copy the cleaned up text and Paste it anywhere you wish.

Another Speed Test Site
Here is another bandwidth test site. This one appears to be more stable than some of the other sites we've tested. Of course, maybe today is just a good day. However, this site also provides a bit more information than other speed testing sites. The site is called Bandwidthplace. Check it out at the link below this tip.

Top 10 shopping bots
Bizrate.com
Dealtime.com
Mysimon
Clickthebutton.com
Pricescan.com
Whenu.com
10wizard.com
bonustree.com
bestwebbuys.com
avenueme.com

Pop-Up Opt Out Site
http://technoerotica.net/mylog/optouts.html

CHECK SECURITY IN INTERNET EXPLORER
Your frontline program for the Internet is your browser. If it has holes, hackers might well try to get into your computer. Qualys Inc. offers a free browser check that seems to work pretty good. One of the folks here, Ed, found some problems in his browser at home. Using this site, he was able to patch most of them. Although the tests probe your computer, Qualys says it does not collect any information on your system. Check your browser here: http://browsercheck.qualys.com/