Hello Folks,
Well I've had a very busy month. Fixing other peoples computers, installing a new computer set up at my favourite club where I was again re-elected Vice-President by the members.
I've also been working on our current federal election campaign which is being held next Saturday the 10th of November (voting compulsory and 99+% of people do so willingly). I've sold my house and am busy now looking elsewhere.
I've had so much fun with other people's computers over the last month I'm thoroughly sick of them. So much so I really appreciated this recommended solution to other peoples computer problems [G]
http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/apparel/388b.shtml
[No connection - but guess what I've asked Santa for this Christmas?]
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1. PC HARDWARE DIAGNOSTIC TOOL
While it wasn't entirely fun working on other people's computers I did manage to download some interesting and very useful PC Hardware diagnostic tools.
One of the many programs I downloaded during the week was BCM Advanced Research's - windig.zip
http://www.computercraft.com/progs/windig.zip
Now if you download it 3.78 meg and set it up (30 day evaluation) and then go into, probably according to your particular set up, C:\Program Files\BCM Diagnostics you will find a sub-directory called Dosdiag.
Make a bootable floppy and copy the *contents* to your bootable floppy. I also made up an autoexec.bat file with the single line.
dosdiag.exe
so the program then starts automatically, gathers information and run the tests you select.
http://www.computercraft.com/progs/windig.zip - 3,780 Kb
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2. HOME POWER MAGAZINE
For the eco-friendly folks and savers, I'm told by Wayne, K9DI this is a fantastic magazine.
I have no connection with them.
See - Home Power magazine: Home Page
http://www.homepower.com/
Other suggested links from Wayne, K9DI:
"Here are some articles on TechTV's site that will probably interest those among us with an eco-friendly bent. One deals with new hybrid cars, another deals with home power generation with fuel cells, and another about cars using alternative fuels:"
Racing Toward Alternative Fuels
Fuel Cells Promise Homemade Power
Solar Cars Zoom to Finish Line
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3. NUTS & VOLTS MAGAZINE - affiliated
Good news!
Now you can subscribe to the world famous Nuts & Volts magazine through my affiliation with www.booksamillion.com/
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4. ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE RADIO - [no connection]
For people who aren't into faithful restoration but need a modern source of parts. I have no connection.
See: - Antique Automobile Radio, modern stereo for vintage cars:
http://www.antiqueautomobileradio.com/
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5. CAMERA WRIST WATCH - [no connection]
Casio has introduced a wrist camera watch that can transfer images to a PC in full colour. It can capture up to 80 images that can be transferred to a computer, displayed in full colour, or emailed.
[I have no connection]
See:
http://www.casio.com/watches/product.cfm?section=16&market=0&product=4101
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6. PLAGIARISM RESOURCE - Students beware
Check out the University of Virginia's Plagiarism Resource Centre - a complete one-stop shop to stop plagiarism, a growing problem since students discovered the Net.
See:
http://www.plagiarism.phys.virginia.edu/
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7. AN EXCELLENT ELECTRONICS MAGAZINE - entirely non-profit
Have you invested $US 20.00 in the most excellent QRP-Quarterly magazine yet - cheaper if you live in the USA?
Visit QRP Amateur Radio Club, International - special page for you alone:
Welcome friends from Ian Purdie http://america.net/~w4qo/purdie.html
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8. CLUB NEWS!
Douglas County (KS) Amateur Radio Club
Now the fine folks at DCARC often give me a good mention in their regular newsletters.
Pay them a visit and see what's happening in their part of the world. A very active club I believe.
- make a comment?
mailto:comment@electronics-tutorials.com?subject=Club-News
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9. NO ONE TOOK OUT ADVERTISING SPACE
O.K. now you can buy magazine subscriptions through my new affiliation with BOOKSAMILLION.COM
Other Magazines at BAMM.COM - very comprehensive.
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10. DAMN "LIES AND STATISTICS"
The growth was right back up again throughout October.
Big time actually. Another record month.
FWIW as at the last day of the month:
Last month, October was 80,576 unique visitors (September 58,169 - up by 39%) looking at a total of 223,666 page views (September 168,756 - up by 33%)
Quoting from this time last year:
"Last month, October was 31,387 unique visitors (Sept. 19,262) looking at a total of 89,192 page views (Sept. 57,560) - I find it hard to come to terms with this explosive growth, thanks everybody."
Perhaps of some interest, the biggest search engine referrer was of course Google which covered 8,288 unique and different "key phrases" for the month. The total of all different search terms used were 29,965.
New subscribers to this newsletter were of course 201, unsubscribes were a big total of 21 and I naturally had to delete 51 "bounced" last month [sigh].
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11. HOMING IN - All About Radio Direction Finding (RDF)
A very interesting site, not surprising, it deals with all about Radio Direction Finding (RDF).
What's "Homing In?",
"Homing In refers to the process of tracking down the source of a radio or other electromagnetic signal using radio direction finding (RDF) equipment".
"Radio direction finding is used to find sources of interference to any form of wireless electronic communications, including broadcast and two-way radio, television, and telephones. It is also used to track missing or stolen cars and other property. Search and rescue workers use it to find persons in distress. Emergency Locator Transmitters in downed aircraft are tracked with RDF techniques".
See:
http://members.aol.com/homingin/
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12. EMERGENCY CLEAN DISK - Trend Micro's Rescue Disk Creator requirements:
Zapped by a virus? Trend Micro offer a rescue disk setup. It requires six blank 3.5" floppy diskettes. I haven't personally tried it out yet, but gotta be worth a look,
See:
http://www.antivirus.com/pc-cillin/support/edisks.htm
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13. CALVIN AND HOBBES - Oh how could I nearly forget?.
Now if you have a weird sense of humour like me you would just love the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes" which I have delivered to my email box everyday.
Just gotta love a kid with "imagination". Junk TV doesn't do kids any favours.
Here is "Calvin and Hobbes" as delivered to me each day. This obviously was a Sunday comic strip. Subscription link on the page [I have no connection]
See (as I receive it):
"Calvin and Hobbes"
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14. HUMOUR AND INSPIRATION (by ever popular demand) -
A woman answered her front door and saw a little boy holding a list. "Lady," he explained, "I'm on a scavenger hunt, and I still need three grains of wheat, a pork-chop bone and a piece of used carbon paper to earn a dollar."
"Wow," the woman replied. "Who sent you on such a challenging scavenger hunt?"
"My babysitter's boyfriend."
Courtesy: http://www.bestofhumor.com/
DESIGNATED DRIVER - Only a Queenslander could think of this
From the state of Queensland (Australia) where drink driving is considered a sport, comes a true story.
Recently a routine police patrol parked outside a local neighbourhood pub.
Late in the evening the officer noticed a man leaving the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk. The man stumbled around the carpark for a few minutes, with the officer quietly observing.
After what seemed an eternity and trying his keys on five cars, the man managed to find his car which he fell into. He was there for a few minutes as a number of other patrons left the bar and drove off. Finally he started the car, switched the wipers on and off, it was a fine dry night, flicked the indicators on, then off, tooted the horn and then switched on the lights.
He moved the vehicle forward a few inches, reversed a little and then remained stationary for a few minutes as more vehicles left the carpark.
He was the last as he pulled out of the carpark and started to drive very slowly down the road. The police officer having waited patiently all this time, now started up the police car, turned on the flashing lights and followed.
The police officer promptly pulled the fellow over and carried out a breathalyser test. To his amazement the breathalyser indicated no evidence of the man drinking, having consumed no alcohol at all!
Dumbfounded, the police officer said "I'll have to ask you to accompany me to the police station, this breathalyser equipment must be faulty".
"I doubt it", said the man, "tonight I'm the designated decoy!".
Source unknown
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15. NOW ONCE AGAIN FOR EVERYBODY
Be on good terms with yourself, feel smug for the rest of this week. Go here
and kindly DO something constructive for us all.
https://www.electronics-tutorials.com/site-costs-
donation.htm
These fine folks did! - updated
https://www.electronics-tutorials.com/donor-listing.htm
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A PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION - Affiliated
Ian Purdie, VK2TIP of www.electronics-tutorials.com personally uses and
recommends - Web Wizards - this is where my main site lives in the U.S.A.:
https://www.electronics-tutorials.com/presswizards/
See Robert Marlbrough, Jr. for Hosting, Design, eCommerce,
Registrations, Search Engines, Marketing, and more. Visit Rob's site today!
Good value, nice bloke.
https://www.electronics-tutorials.com/presswizards/
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tutorials.com/newsletter/newsletter.htm
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That's all folks
72/73's and oink
Ian Purdie Budgewoi N.S.W. Australia - Co-ords S33º14', E151º34'
VK2TIP "I'll give ya the TIP mate" QRP-L #1978. SOC #171 FP#91
URL - http://www.electronics-
tutorials.com/
URL - http://my.integritynet.com.au/purdic/
