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February 6, 2005 |
WTVN Radio • Columbus, Ohio Sunday morning from 8 until 9 |
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ThumbsPlusI've been a fan of Thumbs Plus since sometime in the mid 1990s, I think. Maybe it was earlier. The program by Cerious Software comes with some interesting baggage. In reading the manual that came with one of the earlier versions of the program, I noticed an acknowledgement of the founder's father. That's unusual, but (as a father) I can understand the dynamics involved and I can appreciate them. Phillip Crews founded Cerious Software in 1992 as a software consulting firm. While continuing to work at his full-time job, Phillip worked part-time doing freelance UNIX, VMS, and Windows system programming. In 1993, he used his first significant Windows application, Mandelbrot for Windows, to learn the ins and outs of Microsoft Windows programming. A year later, Cerious Software released "ThumbsUp" as shareware and, a year after that, he quit his day job. The company is still small by most standards -- at last count 6 employees -- but it continues to make an application that works for users. Every week I download 10 to 30 images for Citizens for Humane Action. These are photos of dogs and cats that we'll add to the CHA website (www.chaanimalshelter.org). I need two copies of each image for the website -- one that's the regular size produced by the photographer's digital camera. The other is a 100-pixel-wide copy of the image with "_sm" added to the image's name. Thumbs Plus makes this process quick and easy. I select the images, choose "batch process", select a process I've defined, and click "Start". That's all there is to it. Within a few seconds, I have the small version, named as expected, in the appropriate directory. For a larger view of these screen shots, click any of the images.
Visit the Thumbs Plus website for more information. Wordperfect for your homeCorel has a new version of Wordperfect for business users, but there's also a new version for home users that includes features that will be of interest. The central application is, as you might expect, Wordperfect, which includes templates and wizards to help users create résumés, letters, greeting cards, labels, and reports. Also included in the package is Quattro Pro, a spreadsheet program. The home version also comes with Encyclopædia Britannica's Ready Reference application that includes more than 25,000 articles. But there's also Corel Photobook and Corel PhotoAlbum, two applications that make downloading, organizing, and sharing digital images easy. Pinnacle's Instant CD/DVD LE is in the box, too, making it possible to compose and mix music CDs as well as create, copy, and burn data CDs and DVDs. The final extra in the box is Norton Internet Security for protection from viruses, Trojan horses, and worms. I spoke with Corel Wordperfect Office Home Edition product manager Mark Rathwell about the new collection and about differences between the home edition and the office edition ...
Visit Corel's website for more information. You can't get there from hereIf you've ever used one of the mapping websites such as MapQuest or Microsoft's MapPoint, you may have noticed obscure text warning about the accuracy of the site. Maybe you've found, as I have, that the directions are generally close enough. But sometimes they're wrong and that's the reason for disclaimers such as this one on Microsoft's site: "Microsoft does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or any potential business or travel disruption caused by errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the product, whether such errors, omissions, or inaccuracies result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. It is strongly recommended that you verify the information on this Web site before making final business or travel plans." This is one I heard about a few weeks ago. If you want to go from Haugesund to Trondheim in Norway, the trip will cover nearly 1700 miles and will take a little under 48 hours. However, if you want to make the return trip, you can do it by driving 530 miles in a little less than 12 hours. Apparently there are a lot of one-way streets in Norway. Here are the maps and the descriptions.
Moral of the story: Before you go, look at a real map on paper. More stupid (or is it clever?) stuffRandom stuff that appeared on my computer this week. Some of it's a little raunchy. You get what you pay for, so if you have a complaint, please write it here: [ ] , send it along with a cashier's check for $10,000, and I will immediately send you a self-addressed, stamped postcard.
Nerdly News92 million addresses for $28,000 and jail timeThe guy who stole 92,000,000 screen names from AOL and sold them to a spammer made $28,000 on the deal. He's now been sentenced to prison for 18 months and he faces fines exceeding $200,000. Jason Smathers of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, entered a guilty plea this week and will be sentenced in May. Smathers tried to enter a guilty plea in December, but the judge rejected the plea, saying that he wasn't sure Smathers had committed a crime. This week the judge said prosecutors had convinced him that a crime had been committed. Federal prosecutors say Smathers moved stolen property across state lines and also violated the federal Can Spam law meant to cut down on unsolicited e-mail messages. He may face additional charges. AOL fired Smathers in June of 2004. A pain in the KazaaYou've already heard about what can happen when you install Kazaa. The installation process adds many questionable applications to the computer, slows the system, and may cause the computer to crash. You know that. I know that. Guess who else knows! CNet News is reporting that even employees of the company that make Kazaa hate installing it because it adds many questionable applications to the computer, slows the system, and may cause the computer to crash. Take a look at the story here. Let us know what you think. Write to:
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TEN CATS: If you have a digital camera, Thumbs Plus gives you every tool you'll need to organize, view, and show the images. It's quick. It's capable. What more could I ask for!
Thumbs Plus costs $90 for the pro version, $50 for the standard version. 
EIGHT CATS: The home edition is a solid product that includes some useful extra features. You'll pay $90 for the application and Corel will send you a $20 rebate. In addition, the company has a limited time offer that includes Corel Print House.
