BRUCEB NEWS
Please Chat Amongst Yourselves During This Brief Intermission
My websites - Bruceb.com, Bruceb Favorites, and Bruceb News - are going to be spruced up during the next week or so. During the construction, there won't be any new articles or updates. When the dust settles, the websites will be exactly as dull as before, but with...
CHEAP COMPUTERS
There's good reasons to spend a bit extra on a Dell computer - better quality, better support, and better software choices (including Microsoft Office XP and a free upgrade to...
PONG
If you've got your Shockwave plugin all spiffed up and ready, go play 3D first-person pong. A remarkable bit of programming.
DUTTON-GOLDFIELD WINEGROWERS
Take a look at the web site for Dutton-Goldfield, Russian River Valley Winegrowers. The opening graphic is one of the most effective introductions to a web site that I've seen -...
KODAK AND MICROSOFT
Kodak got a bunch of publicity last month when it attacked Microsoft for not giving its photo finishing software fair treatment in Windows XP. (See my link and comments on July...
BIRTH OF THE PC
Lots of tech sites are celebrating the twenty-year anniversary of personal computing. Here's a bit of nostalgia from my distant past.
GATOR
When you're downloading software, watch for an innocuous item named 'Gator" that will appear checkmarked in the list of items to download. It's an evil piece of software that...
DSL COLLAPSE CONTINUES
In the old days - a year ago or so - DSL was available from many Internet service providers. DSL wholesalers - Covad, Rhythms, and Northpoint - installed and maintained the...
DEFENDING MICROSOFT
I've had an odd feeling of unreality reading the news reports about various politicians, competitors, and special interest groups calling for delays or changes in Windows XP. The...
SATELLITE BLUES
The DirecPC/Pegasus two-way satellite connection has been virtually unusable for a month now. Hughes was stonewalling for most of that time, refusing to acknowledge that there...
CODE RED & SIRCAM
The SIRCAM virus may have come your way - I got several copies in my mailbox. The usual precautions apply - don't open file attachments to e-mail, keep your antivirus software up...
NET ADVERTISING
Ready for the Internet to get more annoying? Watch for several changes in advertising on the web. A number of sites have been experimenting with bigger advertisements, taking up...
AMAZON FINANCIALS
The Los Angeles Times put together an interesting story about whether Amazon.com can survive. "On Monday, Amazon is expected to report its 17th consecutive unprofitable quarter,...
FLAT PANEL MONITORS
Lots of people are interested in LCD flat panel monitors now that the prices are dropping. I've gleaned a few things from the coverage I've seen. Prices for 15" LCD monitors have...
COPY PROTECTED CDS
A timely news article today after my rant yesterday about the copyright wars. Turns out the record industry has been slipping copy-protected audio CDs into stores for a few...
HOTMAIL UPGRADE
Hotmail users will notice that the service has been redesigned. I don't see any important new services, but Microsoft has beefed up the junk mail settings. Everyone will want to...