NetBloke.com - Smart Shopper
Publication Date: 28/03/2001
ISSN 1445-1360
Publication Date: 28/03/2001
ISSN 1445-1360
G'Day!
Well I sure had a busy week answering all your email! It is great to get the feedback I haven't currently got the time to answer all of your comments but I will be sure to try and answer your questions, eventually. The feedback is going to help me make NetBloke bigger and better.
The majority of the feedback was centred around the Question and Answer section of the newsletter, where I noted one way of successfully defraging your computer. I will define defrag in this issues definition section, I know a lot of you know what it is but you have to remember the aim of NetBloke is to educate experts and newbies alike.
Well anyway most people want me to remind you to turn off your screen saver before trying to run defrag. Others of you said to disconnect your Internet connection too. The majority of email I received asked me to recommend EndItAll to you. No it isn't George Bush's answer to global treaties (did you all see he is dropping out of the Kyoto treaty which aims to fight global warming. I am sure that will make Iowa a warm place to go and live. Thanks George!) Back to the program! What it does is end all of the programs that are running on your system. Even those pesky little programs that run in the background. It was written by Neil J. Rubenking, who is Contributing Technical Editor of PC Magazine.
You can download it from:
http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/stories/info/0,,0011NB,.html
I am featuring a Web site this week that if used wisely should help you save a few quid here and there. I have personally used it quite a bit and saved money. Even though I am in Australia and the retailers I purchased from are in the USA. You will have to read on to find out what I am going on about!
Well tomorrow is my last day working in the office environment at Sausage Software, which is a bit saddening really. I will miss the colourful antics of my workmates. The buggers won't know that though because they haven't subscribed to NetBloke.
After my wedding and honeymoon I will be working from my yet to be found study, in my yet to be purchased house. I don't think many people still make high speed Internet connection availability a priority when looking for a new home. I do.
Nathan Allan
This is the term used for reorganising the data or information on your Hard Disk Drive (HDD) into a more logical sequence. Putting it simply it is what you do to make your HDD work quicker and more efficiently. It generally speeds up the speed of your HDD when it needs to read data.
I couldn't resist showing you all this Web site. I was prompted to by an odd spot in one of our local newspapers and I quote:
"Four Denver high-school students queued for 15 hours outside a new doughnut shop franchise to be the first in town to sample the "original hot glazed doughnut", the most popular variety of the 178 Krispy Kreme franchises across the US. One of the four teens described the orgasmic treat as "the fillet mignon of doughnuts" while another said he waited around for so long because he has nothing else to do on spring break. "There was nothing else to do. Everyone else is in Mexico," he said"
Oh my I cannot wait for the creamy goodness of a Krispy Kreme doughnut. I highly recommend a trip to a Krispy Kreme franchise to all holidaying Aussies! (You may never want to leave the states again).
I dare you to resist the temptation!
Krispy Kreme
This site recommendation is more on the serious side than the doughnuts. When I started NetBloke one of my goals was to try and show you how your Internet connection really can be used to pay for itself. Through various sites, tasks and services that you can access and complete over the Internet I believe you can easily save the cost of your Internet connection.
This week I am featuring the mySimon comparison shopping Web site. It doesn't really mater what you want or need, it may have it. Personally I have saved hundreds of dollars on everything from a fax machine to a router by using it.
Basically you put in what you want, with the option of even picking a particular make, and you will be given a list of online retailers who sell the product and how much they sell it for.
Make certain you watch out for the shipping fees! Some online retailers charge restocking fees too.
mySimon
This question comes from some Bloke who wants to remain nameless. He asks, "What browser do you use to surf the net mate?".
Answer
Well mate I use Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.5. Why? Well I like to use the latest and greatest tools. Also I feel the other major alternative Netscape has fallen behind in recent years. AOL owns Netscape now for better or worse, and ever since their purchase it just hasn't lived up to the high standards it once set.
I also toy with a couple of other browser enhancing tools that use Internet Explorer as their 'engine' and simply but a new 'body' on it. One I really like is NetCaptor. It allows you to tab through the different sites you may have open, rather than having multiple windows open.
Check it out at:
http://www.netcaptor.com
Kevin Johnson sent this joke in. I had a bit of a laugh so I thought it would be a good way to end of this week's issue.
The new ship's mate was introduced to the captain for the first time. The captain had a patch on his eye, an iron hook in place of an arm, and a peg leg. Wanting to make a good impression, and knowing that sea people love to tell stories of their injuries, the ship's mate set in with questions.
"Say, captain, how'd you get that peg leg?"
"Aargh, there was a terrible storm at sea, and lo! I was thrown overboard, and wouldn't you know, a shark bit me leg off in one gulp. I barely escaped with my life that day."
"Incredible, captain! What an adventure! And how did you get an iron hook for one of your hands?"
"Aargh, our ship was run upon by pirates, and a fierce battle ensued, and wouldn't you know, the rascal cut off me hand. I got me this iron hook ever since."
"Incredible, captain! And your eye? How'd you lose your eye?"
"Me eye ... a bird pooped in me eye."
"But surely you couldn't have lost your eye just cause a bird pooped in it!"
"Aye, only ... it was the day after I got me my hook."
