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Vol. 6, No. 52
12-7-06
1
2 Physically fit thumbs
3 Sad tech news, old British texts, Spam sandwich, the Great
Firewall of
4 Control your startup list
5 Hard drive housecleaning
One of the most popular gadget gifts every year is the game console. This year is no different, with two new consoles competing for your Christmas dollars against an old favorite.
The Sony Playstation 3 is the big newsmaker with its Blu-ray drive, stunning graphics and Wi-Fi networking but the hefty $600 base price, limited game catalog and severe unit shortages make this an unlikely choice for this year.
The Nintendo Wii is the other new kid on the block and seems to be selling quite well. It’s readily available and very affordable at $250. It boasts a unique two-piece wireless motion sensitive controller that brings your entire body into the game play. It has an impressive array of games and leans heavily toward family-friendly fare.
The Microsoft Xbox 360 debuted about a year ago and has by far the largest game catalog. Backed by a solid online network in Xbox Live, pay-per-view movie and TV offerings and an HD-DVD add-on module the Xbox is a popular unit.
Regardless of the console, what really matters are the games. Check out the list of games for the Xbox 360 at http://reviews.cnet.com/4566-9020_7-0.html?filter=500685_11387102_&tag=dir.plat.xbox360?tag=txt. A list for the Wii is available at http://reviews.cnet.com/4566-9020_7-0.html?filter=500685_68999_&tag=sa?tag=txt.
Not being a gamer I can’t speak from a position of authority but to me, of the three consoles the Wii looks like the most fun. Updates of classic titles featuring Link and the Mario Brothers coupled with simple game play that can be enjoyed by kids of all ages just looks like… well, fun. Mindless enjoyment on Christmas morning with kids from the extended family laughing and squealing just seems right, somehow.
Monday we’ll wrap up with attachments for the new gadgets…
Kevin Mefford, Editor
Terry Wise
Tech News Headlines
The body of missing CNET editor James Kim has been located,
authorities announced Wednesday. Kim was a 1989 graduate of
http://news.com.com/James+Kims+body+found/2100-1028_3-6141498.html
Anyone wanting to view an obscure tome from the vaults of the British
Library will be able to look for it online starting Thursday:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6213260.stm
Spam is making a comeback. Worldwide spam volumes doubled since last
year, and spam now accounts for more than 90% of e-mail worldwide. And
it doesn't look like the problem is going away:
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2006/12/spams_making_a.html
When Internet users think of government censorship they often think
of
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061205-8357.html
Matthew Dattilo
thepcgurus@gmail.com
www.mattstodayinhistory.com
Download Tip
Programs that
automatically start up with Windows can be annoying, especially when they hog
system memory and bog down your system. Startup Control Panel is a free program
that lets you take control of this process.
It lists all of the
programs that are set to start when Windows does and allows you to decide what
gets to start up with Windows and what doesn't. It's available as both a
Control Panel applet or as a standalone program and it's simple to use. Don't
want a program to start up with Windows? Just right click on it in Startup
Control Panel and select disable. If you later decide you want the program to
run, just re-enable it or select Run Now and it will launch.
It’s free from this
site:
http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml.
Art Maley
Email Question
Q: I have a computer
that is older. It has 397 Mhz, 192 MB ram, it has an
Intel Pent. II processor. When I do my weekly
maintenance, it says I
only have 38% free. Can I wipe out the entire memory and start all
over? I think i have loaded and unloaded so many games that it is full
of gunk. Also, I used it on the internet but not anymore and fill it
is full of net gunk. Please give me some advice as to how to clean it
up. I don't have many programs on it so I don't get why the memory is
so full. constipated is what I call it. Oh well,
thanks for the help.
A: This step-by-step
article should walk you through the process:
http://www.helpwithwindows.com/techfiles/clean_hd.html
Your hard drive is what needs cleaning, not the memory. This should
do the trick.
Good luck,
Art Maley
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