Tracker Tom's Digital Disptach
PC Disposal:
If you got some old computer equipment that you need to get rid of - and it's way past its prime, to do anyone any good -
click here to read about the proper disposal of said gear.
New Years Resolutions:
I stumbled across a good article about making and keeping New Year's resolutions.
Click here for the full scoop!
Christmas Past & Present:
Click here to read a good news story on the PC World Web site, it covers Christmas related subjects.
Downloadable Digital Delights:
There is a news story @ CNN.com that reports millions of free songs will be given way over the Internet in 2004.
Click here to read all about.
Another great bargain from "Wally World"!:
If you jump over to
www.walmart.com - you will see that individual songs or entire CDs can be purchased and then downloaded. The pricing is VERY competitive - just a mere 88 cents for each song, the average price for an entire CD looks to be about $9.50 or so. A quick check of the online inventory found a very good selection of music genres and songs to pick from. What a bargain!
National Anti-SPAM bill passed:
I'm not getting overly excited about this bill passage. Although the President has signed it - I don't think he nor Congress fully understand the concept that if it "ain't" got teeth - it "ain't" gonna' hurt. There are so many loopholes and conditions in this bill - that I don't believe any of us "regular folk" are going to see one bit of relief from the SPAM plague.
Click here to read a breaking news story at Yahoo about the bill passage.
Spam Slayer: 2003 Spam Awards:
Here's a good article on SPAM in general and some of the attempts to put a stop to it.
Free Software Abounds:
Click here to read an article on "Yahoo News" about the proliferation of free software that can be found on the Web. Just remember though - not all "freeware" is safe - some is spyware, some may contain viruses, and some are just plain duds! Always use caution, instinct, and a good anti-virus program.
Internet lifeline:
Foxnews has a great news story about how the Internet is being used by our troops in the mid-east to keep in touch with their families.
Click here to read the article.
SPAM Fighting:
Click here to read a breaking news story about Yahoo's attempts to help stop SPAM. Maybe, just maybe they are on to something and this could positively affect all other Web and "POP" email providers - we can only hope....
"Buried" treasure?
If you have ever lived in California, you might want to check out
www.controller.ca.gov to see if you have any unclaimed property or money. A quick search on the in-law's last name revealed that an insurance company owes them some money - what a nice surprise for them. That should keep me in good graces with my wife's folks for awhile. :0)
New additions to Yahoo Messenger:
New features have been added to the Yahoo Messenger program, among them are a security enchancement. Just jump over to
messenger.yahoo.com for more details.
New features @ Hotmail:
Microsoft has announced that it has added some new features to its free Web based email service. One of the new features is "supposed" to help in the fight against SPAM. Visit the
Hotmail site to find out more.
Pre-paid Internet access:
The idea behind this increasingly popular service is that a lot of folks don't use the Internet all that often, and so - paying a monthly fee is a waste of money. It's also a great service for those folks who travel often.
Click here to read an article about pre-paid Internet access.
Flu epidemic?
The flu season has started early this year and with a fury. It's been reported that almost 2 million people have the flu in France already.
Click here to visit the WebMD Web site and to read some flu prevention methods.
Bless the children:
Click here to read a great news story about the efforts of an Army officer who is trying to bring some joy to the lives of the children of Iraq. You can then visit his
Web site and be afforded the opportunity to participate in this endeavor.
Internet to the rescue:
Read the story about how the Internet is being used to help fight the wildfires in California. Another great example of using the Internet for good purposes.
Micropayments?
In the past I have mentioned that I sincerely believe that someday - search engines will begin to charge for individual searches. Some folks have really reacted strongly to that prediction - negatively. One of the primary reasons given that "it will never happen" - is that there are no payment systems in place that would allow for folks to pay small amounts of money (less than a dollar) for services such as Web searching. Guess what - a new system is currently in the works that will allow companies to charge people small amounts (micropayments) and still be profitable.
Click here to read the breaking news story on this situation.
More Internet Explorer issues:
Click here to read about yet another round of Internet Explorer security problems. Make sure you run "Windows Update" often on your computer.
** If you visit
www.trackertom.com - you can read all of my archived weekly "Internet Safari" newspaper columns (about 2.5 years worth) - thanks for stopping by! **
