Publication Date: June 11th 2004
ISSN 1445-1360
In this issue you will read:
Editorial: June 11th 2004
Definition: Double Opt In
Web Site Review: The Whitehouse: Ronald Reagan
Quotable: Joe E. Lewis said...
Software Savvy: Skype 0.98.0.6b
The Great Australian Joke
G'Day Blokes and Sheilas!
I haven't been on the ball with sending out the newsletter as much as I have been busy working on the back end to make my newsletter management system. This is a great thing though! As now you can get the newsletter in either HTML or PLAIN TEXT. I have a lot of fiddling left to do to make it even easier to manage your subscription but I strongly believe this is a step in the right direction.
Having said that if you would like to swap to the plain text version contact me. Also let me know what you think of the new system and if you notice any difference at all. For me it is all about making you Blokes and Sheilas happy!
On another technical note I swapped the NetBloke site over to my own server. I did this purely to enable me to have more back end access and to be able to try new things. It should also allow me to launch a few other helpful services to my small but loyal band of NetBloke readers (that means you!) and even Judy Green.
This issue I keep the Aussie readers in the loop with a review of Skype. Stop paying Telstra a small fortune for long distance and try it out!
Also note that I have a big kayaking trip in the works for next weekend so I may miss an issue or two.
Have a bonza day!
Nathan Allan
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I am defining Double Opt In this issue as I want all of my subscribers to understand how a good, spam free mailing list should work.
When you subscribe to a mailing list, you are trusting your email address with the owner of the list you are subscribing to. Double Opt In lists protect you and the owner of the list by sending an email to the email address subscribed and asking the person receiving it to confirm that they actually wanted to join the list.
This action protects the owner by getting the email address confirmed as being valid and belonging to the new subscriber. It also protects email address from maliciously being added to someone's list, as they never will be when left unconfirmed.
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I thought it would be appropriate to make this issue's Web Site Review topic be on Ronald Reagan. With his recent passing his life has been the center of media attention for the past week. I watched a biography documentary on him the other day and was interested to see how he came to be in politics, and how his political allegiance changed at one point.
From my own memories I remember him being a very popular president, both in the USA and overseas. Of course everyone has their flaws but Reagan oversaw some great moments in history, the greatest in my mind being the end of the Cold War.
The site I have linked here is the official Whitehouse biography on the 40th president.
Visit: The Whitehouse: Ronald Reagan
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You only live once - but if you work it right, once is enough.
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Here is one program still in Beta that looks like it will be just as big as ICQ was when it was first released. Basically it is a program that allows you to use your computer to talk to someone else that has Skype in real-time using Voice. Now truth be told I have only used it once myself. However I have tried out many such programs over the past few years and all of those were choppy and had poor sound quality. I placed a call from Seattle to Melbourne and it was amazing how crystal clear the connection was. It was better than my conventional telephone line!
Let me let the guys from Skype describe the service to you:
"Skype is free and simple software that will enable you to make free calls anywhere in the world in minutes. Skype, created by the people who brought you KaZaA, uses innovative P2P (peer-to-peer) technology to connect you with other Skype users. If you are tired of paying outrageous fees for telephony, Skype is for you!
Skype is quick and easy to install. Just download it, register, and within minutes you can plug in your PC headset and call your friends on Skype. Skype calls have excellent sound quality and are highly secure with end-to-end encryption. Best of all, Skype does not require you to reconfigure your firewall or router, it just works!"
So give it a try. It is free so you cannot loose!
Name: Skype
License: Freeware
Version Reviewed: 0.98.0.6b
File Size: 7.63Mb
Supported Operating Systems : 2000/XP
Software Savvy by FileClicks
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Waiter there is a fly in my soup!
It all depends on local custom. In Australia, a fly in one’s soup results in it being sent back to the kitchen and a row with the management.
In England, the head waiter quietly, daintily, fastidiously extracts the fly and removes it beneath a serviette.
In France, the soup is eaten, the fly left high and dry on the side of the bowl.
In the Orient, the fly is eaten first and washed down by the soup.
In Scotland, the fly is shaken over the bowl and carefully wrung out. Then the soup is consumed.
And there are places where the diner stares into the bowl and complains.
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