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Page 12      Diablo Blue      August, 2001

(Continued from page 11)

shrink wrap. This release, when supplemented with a 23 MB download from the Microsoft website (set your browser to www.microsoft.com/oldstuff/finallyworks/almost) will work on most 486 machines. Of course, none of these come with anything remotely resembling useful documentation.
Also in the coming months look for the latest software from MGI. Normally sold in stores for $29.95 (with a $50 rebate coupon), it can be yours for only a $1 raffle ticket.
And the latest upgrade from Word Perfect will be raffled off. With a retail price of $399, this release will actually let you open, edit and save documents created in earlier releases! Still leading the pack, this software comes with over fifteen fonts! As always with Word Perfect, you can actually view the codes that control the format of your document, changing them manually over and over again until you have completely lost control.
Last, but not least, Symantec weighs in with ten (10) copies of Norton Antivirus. This latest version offers a 100% guarantee that if used according to their directions you will never again suffer from a virus attack. Once you start Norton Antivirus running on your machine it immediately disables all external connections, whether modem, DSL, cable, satellite, whatever, and then locks your CD and disk devices. It then removes from all your hard drives any files that are named in the format *.*. One word of caution: updates are available only in punched card or paper tape format.
Random Conversation:  As usual, conversation drifted a bit. Charlie paid us a visit, but had to leave as soon as the pizza and dessert were gone. During his time with us he managed to use the phrase "bandwidth" thirteen times, and "video projector" seven. Nick of course favored us with samplings from the digital sound lexicon. Craig wasn't there so we were able to swap post office jokes freely, always a good time for all.
Alan showed us his latest gadget: Contest Buster. You know how frustrating it is when you want to enter a contest but the rules require a postcard? Well, for only $279 from sting.com, Contest Buster prints and franks postcards! Just enter the pertinent information (names, addresses, key answers and phrases) and the number of postcards you want to print into your Palm or other handheld device. Then either use the included cable to connect your device to Contest Buster, or use the infrared facility to transmit the data into Contest Buster. Load the card stock into the feeder slot, press the "I Win!" button, and stand back as Contest Buster prints the requested number of postcards, with the postage franked on them! The only downside I could see is that you have to take it to the post office regularly to pay the metered postage and have it reset, but hey! Maybe you'll see Craig and have time to chat while the line slowly moves forward.
Ron announced that he had been wrong all along. It was indeed his fault that Unix/Linux users could not view our website pages well. He has remedied that problem and is anxious for feedback from any Unix/Linux users still out there. And by the way, he hopes to have completed the necessary changes by September so that Windows NT users can again view the website. Sorry for the inconvenience…
I, of course, said as little as possible, spending my time taking cryptic notes so that I could truthfully and accurately relate the shortcomings of my fellow Board members to you in this newsletter, as I have done.

Yes! Time marches on, but electronic happenings at times goes at a quick gallop.
One of the newest electronic goodies to emerge in the user world is USB 2. The adapter board is now on sale by people like Adaptec [the well-known manufacturer of SCSI controllers, etc.], but soon there will be the whole mob such as Belkin, Orange Micro, etc.
The applications to be used on USB 2 are not yet evident in the retail market, though. This new system, so what, and why, is all the noise about USB 2. Well it's the speed it has been dramatically increased from 12 Mbit/sec to 480 Mbs. That's a 40 times increase, and the one big advantage you will still be able to use your present USB 1.1, because it is backward compatible. That means that your present equipment has not quite suffered the fate of the Dinosaurs.
USB 2 has similarities to FireWire/1394, but USB 2 will be a little faster, 480 Mbs vs 400 Mbs, 8but the boys in the backroom say that FireWire/1394 is technically superior to USB. The fact that its speed at present is only 400mbs is a "so what" because there is the potential for it to reach the stratosphere.
In the past Microsoft has been waffling about including support for USB 2 in its upcoming Windows XP operating system, but in the 10^th USB Developers Conference in Beverly Hills, they seem to be planning support for USB 2.
So this all leads to the Electronic Axiom: "One's Pocketbook, patience, and learning curve, etc., never reach, nor be great enough."
Links: www.usb.org,  www.adaptec.com