June 2002

Where's Waldo?: the Web version of an old favorite…

The most popular operating system for PCs isn't necesssarily the most stable. Many Windows users find it necessary to reinstall Windows, either as a result of a problem that can't be solved any other way, or as a precaution on a periodic basis. A Lockergnome reader presents his method that makes the reinstallation process fast and painless in One Man's Reinstallation Routine. (Scroll down the page until you find the article – it's in the "GnomeWILDCARD" section.)

Windows users should read the latest bulletin from Microsoft regarding the new Security Patches for Microsoft Windows Media Player
, and then download and apply the appropriate patches for their systems. [UPDATE 06/29/02: Looks like there's a little surprise waiting in Microsoft's license agreement for the security patch: By installing the patch, you agree to let Microsoft automatically install "digital rights management" software on your PC at any time in the future. That's gonna piss off a whole lot of MS customers. I believe I'm going to go look for a replacement for Windows Media Player…]

The trailer for the upcoming "Star Trek: Nemesis" movie is now available online.

"Ren and Stimpy" will return to TNN in early 2003. Not only will the original 52 episodes be shown (reportedly uncut!), but TNN is in discussions with creator John Kricfalusi to create new episodes. Happy happy joy joy!

The mighty hand of AOL/Time-Warner has decreed that thou shalt not disable pop-up windows in Netscape – gotta get your minimum daily requirement of useless pop-up ads, after all. Once you know How to Turn off Popup Windows in Netscape 7.0 PR1, you can go back to enjoying your Web browsing without countless interruptions from the purveyors of schlock.

I'm not a big fan of tiled backgrounds, but if you need one, visit TileMachine and build your own. It's got a nifty interface, and presents you with a .GIF file of your tile when you're done.

I remember playing Egyptian Ratscrew in college, but I've never seen the rules written out – until now. I don't remember the bit about burning the deck, though…

There are two types of computer users: those who have lost essential data files, and those who are going to. Fred Langa describes his method of making Fast, Easy Backups in this article.

Can you eat a tablespoon of cinnamon in one mouthful? What about a whole jar of horseradish? See strange people consume stranger things at stinkfactor. If you like, you can contribute to the pool for the next challenge.

Lots of folks buy their PCs in stores. Others build them from scratch. I've done both, and this Slashdot discussion on Home-Built vs. Store-Bought PCs has a lot of useful information on where to buy components if you decide to build a PC yourself.

My parents had a couple of LPs from the Sixties satirical songwriter Tom Lehrer, and I remember listening to them over and over again. I didn't get many of the references then, of course – which makes going back and listening to his work as an adult all the more fun. Being a science geek, The Elements, a musical tribute to the periodic table, was one of my special favorites.

It's hard not to conclude that scientific illiteracy is on the rise in the U.S. Test your science IQ with a selection of questions designed for students in the 4th, 8th, and 12th grades.

15 Answers to Creationist Nonsense summarizes the most frequent objections to the theory of evolution, and the responses to those objections. A list of further resources for dealing with creationist arguments is also provided.

Still on the topic of the Opera web browser… Joe Segur has written OFE and OpWiC, two utilities for the Opera power user. OFE enables the user to view and maintain Opera's cache, cookies, global history, and visited links, while OpWiC provides additional control of Opera's multiple-window interface.