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Vol. 7, No. 3
1-18-07
1 Meet the new year, same as the old year
2 Time for Linux?
3 Internet as news, Dell gets tough, faster laptop drives, smelly handsets
4 Favorites cleanup
5 High tech pens
6 Registry cleaning
2007 is upon us and so far it looks just like last year. Our spanking new set of Congress Critters is out of the gate with a continued assault on fair use and common sense, Microsoft is introducing crippling new DRM procedures that will go so far as to disable a user’s hardware and Big Entertainment looks for ways to squeeze more money from pirates, err… customers that would like to purchase content online.
Nothing in depth here, folks. I’m just touching the surface this week, there’s way too much to report on. Read the links and make up your own mind…
First, let me reintroduce you to the PERFORM Act (Platform Equality and Remedies for Rights Holder in Music), first introduced last year, where it died on the vine in committee. This little gem would force all satellite, cable and Internet radio providers to incorporate some sort of DRM scheme into their programs that would prevent things like scheduled recordings to a computer or TiVo-like device, thereby protecting the “artists” (read Big Entertainment) while disabling the end user’s ability to time shift their favorite talk show on XM or music block from some webcast.
You can get more detail from http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070112-8609.html.
Didn’t we settle this nonsense with cassettes and VCRs?
Recording a program at a time when you’re busy so you can enjoy it later is fair use, period. But again our “leadership” shows that they both lack a basic understanding of technology and it’s uses and that they really wouldn’t care anyway as long as the RIAA and MPAA keep those contributions rolling in. And this is a bipartisan sellout, sponsored by two Democrats (Biden, Feinstein) and two Republicans (Alexander, Graham). Yet another example of the “representation” we vote for that ditches the constituency immediately after the election in lieu of the money.
As always, it’s not who you vote for, it’s who you buy…
I could rant on that topic for days but there’s more…
Windows Vista will become the standard (and in some cases only) version of Windows available for new PCs come January 30th or so. We’ve all seen this before, and we’re used to the ever-shifting availability of utilities like Msconfig, SFC and Sysedit among the different upgrades, but one thing they have in common is that each one has become a little more difficult to load and use.
Longer CD-Keys, keys tied to specific versions or manufacturers and finally XP, the most onerous of all, which required all but an act of God to reactivate in case of a hard drive failure or other catastrophic occurrence.
Vista goes a step beyond, not only requiring activation but also building in DRM components (MS calls them Vista Content Protections), which will disable hardware that doesn’t meet the strict (and nebulous) driver requirements to restrict end user’s playback rights.
http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.html lists some of the limitations coming soon to a PC near you, including the inability to use S/PDIF digital audio components and component (Digital RCA) video cards. Since they have no built in DRM, Vista won’t use them for any protected content.
Build a PC, put in a Blu-Ray drive, add a high end digital audio card and video card with TV out, load Vista and… you’re hosed.
Finally, we discover the real reason Big Entertainment hates fair use and screams PIRACY from every cash-stuffed campaign contribution envelope.
If I’m reading http://businessweek.com/print/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jan2007/db20070112_399642.htm correctly, organizations like the MPAA aren’t worried so much about piracy and are more concerned with absolute control of content.
It would appear that they’re upset that you can purchase a DVD or CD and play it in your home when guests are present. You see, they don’t make any money off the guests.
They can’t do much about physical media but they aim to do all they can to prevent people from sharing downloaded content, hence the lack of video available on iTunes (other than Disney, oddly enough). They want complete and total control over who sees their product and get as much revenue as is possible from every insipid movie and boy band, and they’re more than willing to purchase Congress to do it.
It’s all about the money.
Remember, DRM does NOT mean Digital Rights Management, it means Digital Restrictions Management.
Thanks to Hash for the PERFORM link and to reader Skip Freese for making me aware of the Vista DRM issues. Good job guys!
Kevin Mefford, Editor
Terry Wise
Tech News of the Week
The number of
Americans using the Internet as their main source of
political news doubled
since the last mid-term election and rivaled
the number from the 2004
presidential election year:
http://www.internetnews.com/stats/article.php/3654441
Dell
today announced its answer to the Panasonic Toughbook. The
Texas-based
computer company has released details on its first
semi-rugged notebook
computer for customers who work in tough
environments:
http://www.dailytech.com/Dell+Launches+Ruggedized+Notebook/article5745c.htm
Seagate
Technology this week introduced a hard drive that it claims is
the fastest
hard drive available in a 2.5 inch form factor:
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=servers&articleId=9008244&taxonomyId=68&intsrc=kc_top
Apple
is not the only kit maker causing waves with its latest device.
Japanese
mobile giant NTT DoCoMo has launched handsets promising
scents and a double
screen:
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jan2007/gb20070117_054350.htm?chan=globalbiz_europe_more+of+today's+top+stories
Copy
us on the good stuff...especially if it smells like warmer weather
;-)
Matthew Dattilo
thepcgurus@gmail.com
www.mattstodayinhistory.com
Download of the Week
If you collect Favorites,
Deadlink is a tool that checks your browser's bookmarks to see whether they're
alive and well--or dead and in the 404 bit bucket; it also checks for duplicate
links.
Deleting duplicates is a
breeze: From Bookmarks choose 'Sort bookmarks with errors to top of list',
highlight the bunch and send them on their way.
You can use AM-DeadLink's
built-in viewer to check other links, or open the link in your browser. Another
neat feature is having the program download and install cool icons (called
FavIcons) from any of your favorite Web sites. AM-DeadLink works with IE 6 and
IE 7, Mozilla, Firefox and Opera.
I really like this little
jewel; it's available here:
http://www.aignes.com/deadlink.htm
Art
Maley
The Tech of Analog
Tools
Log off that
email, shut down Word, back away from that keyboard and write a letter! Well, don’t stay logged off, but do take
some time to revive that intimate and personal form of communication that can
only come from spreading some old fashioned quick drying, water and fade
resistant, Cobalt Blue or Sepia ink!
Writing with a good pen is ritual! It’s addictive and inspiring! But… which pen? Glad you asked. I’m a fountain pen guy, but they aren’t for everyone.
Here’s a brief guide to picking a pen:
Ballpoint pen refills are inexpensive, easy to find, and they’re low maintenance. The drawbacks are limited ink colors, sticky ink, and they skip if you get expressive.
Rollerball pens are liquid cartridge, vary in ink color, and the ink flows easily. The drawbacks are that they need frequent refills that are costly and the fixed ball can skip.
Fiber tip refills are becoming popular as replacements for rollerball ammo as they’re rich in color, dry quickly, and are expressive. Lefties love them, but they have a spring that’s always changing tension on the point and is hard to get used to.
Gel pens are smooth, rich in colors and the ink is thick, but they dry out quickly.
Fountain pens are the Holy Grail of pens. They're cartridge, bladder or self-filling and deliver an even flow of any color ink. They glide on paper, are expressive and the nibs can be acquired for about any writing or drawing desire. But they’re expensive as pens go, and they require some care and maintenance. I find it worth it. You might not.
Writing guides for everything from cursive to old English can be found at office stores too, and you may want to start with an inexpensive calligraphy set so you can get different nibs and the book. But be aware that these sets are not the same as a quality fountain pen you’ll want to carry or keep on your desk.
Choosing a pen style to go with your ink choice is the harder part as there are so many fine designs and great makes. I suggest you go to an office supply store and examine the sizes and styles of pens available. Hold them in your hand. Feel the balance and the weight. You’ll notice right away that with a good pen in your hand, you are feeling the desire to write something!
We’ll talk about papers later, but for now enjoy reviving the fading tradition of the quality-handwritten note or letter!
Terry
Wise
Email Question of the
Week
Q: Hey All!...I'm looking to clean
up my pc but really, REALLY do not
want to reformat...suggestion was made to
me to clean up the registry.
It's been a little sluggish and I've noticed
folders from uninstalled
programs that obviously didn't completely
uninstall?? It's a P4 2.2
GHz with 60 gig hard drive and 1 gig of ram. I know
my way around a
little but really am not very geek-a-fied enough to mess with
the
registry. I bought software (not used or opened yet) by Stompsoft
-
Registry Repair - claims it is easy to use even for a novice...?
Have
you ever heard of this or have any other recommendations? Thanks
very
much!
A: Registry Repair is a very good program
and should do a good job for you.
We don't recommend editing the registry
because it can "hose" a system
and leave you facing a reformat as your only
option. I have a
son-in-law, who shall remain nameless, who took advice
from a
co-worker about removing or editing registry keys and ended up with
a
dead PC on more than one occasion.
I recommend the free program
CCleaner, http://www.ccleaner.com/
,
because it is less likely to cause irreparable damage and it is
FREE.
Whichever program you choose to use will allow you create a backup
of
the registry before you remove or edit its contents.
You should
also get Ad-Aware, http://tinyurl.com/5kgsl and
Spybot
Search and Destroy, http://tinyurl.com/pf3xw , to scan and rid
your
system of spyware and malware. These type programs are usually
the
source of system sluggishness.
Good Luck,
Art
Maley
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