TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPIC: ARE YOU ANNOYED?

Do you have a problem with your computer that just irks you every time you turn it on? I found a website with free tips that helps me almost every time. Please check out the offerings from our sponsors ZipBackup and WebPosition, then read on!

At Annoyances.org you'll find answers to questions that are commonly asked by other annoyed Windows users, discussion forums, and definitions of technical terms and Windows error messages.

http://www.Annoyances.org

For example, I recently got a new PC with Windows XP and I found that no matter how many times I turned on the status bar at the bottom of the Internet Explorer window, the next time I started IE the status bar was gone again! "That's annoying," I thought. And then the light bulb flickered on... Annoyances.org to the rescue!

Hang on... I'm having a Haley Joel Osment moment. Yes... in my mind's eye... I SEE MAC USERS! Well put down those pitchforks and clubs -- I have some sites to help out with Mac problems, and offer useful hints and tips:

http://www.macfixit.com
http://www.macOSXhints.com/

Doctor Zseuss Explains It All

One of the many items that is forwarded by emailers all over the world each day is a Seuss-like parody that begins like this:

 > If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port, 

 > and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort, 

 > and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort 

 > then the socket packet pocket has an error to report! 

 > If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash, 

 > and the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash, 

 > and your data is corrupted cause the index doesn't hash, 

 > then your situation's hopeless, and your system's gonna crash. 

Usually the poem is titled "If Dr. Seuss Were a Technical Writer" and is attributed to "Anonymous", but back in 1996 I did some digging and discovered that the actual author is Gene Ziegler, a professor at Cornell University and the correct title is "A Grandchild's Guide to Using Grandpa's Computer". And in fact, the version most commonly circulated is only HALF of the poem. The full work is even better and can be found on Gene Ziegler's DIGITAL CLOCKTOWER web page:

http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/elz1/clocktower

Understandably, Professor Ziegler was a bit miffed to learn that someone had hacked and retitled his work, so he has responded with another poem titled "Hang the Information Highwayman!" A visit to Gene's page (see address above) is well worth your while, but to give you an idea of how he *really* feels, here's a snippet from the second poem:

 > I've never met the miscreant who edited my work, 

 > but when I close my eyes and try, I can see the jerk! 

 > The eyes are tiny pixels, close together you will find, 

 > they're only separated by his narrow little mind. 

Copyright and Copy Wrongs

The Ziegler story underscores an important message. There's a lot of great stuff on the Net, and most of it is available without a fee. But just because something is free, it doesn't mean you are free to copy it.

Netizens should pay close attention to copyright notices attached to online documents and abide by the wishes of the kind people who have created and put that information online for you to use or enjoy. If you've never read Brad Templeton's information on copyrights, please consider it required reading.

http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.htm

The Next Best Thing

Linda from Marlinton, West Virginia recently wrote and said "The next best thing to Tourbus is the Smart Computing magazine that you guys recommend. I've been getting it since last summer and it has solved numerous problems for me and my friends."

Thanks, Linda! We hope other Tourbus riders will discover the Plain English answers to their computing questions that Smart Computing delivers every month. Do you want to speed up your PC? Get rid of spyware and keep hackers out? Try Smart Computing today -- get your FREE TRIAL issue NOW!

http://tourbus.com/smart.htm

That's all for now, see you nest time! -- Bob Rankin