KC News 11/99  
GREEN BUSINESS Special
Vol.1, No.11

Egads! The new millenium is almost upon us! Quick, lets PANIC!  Bucking this trend, we highlight a new way of doing business this month. Call it GREEN BUSINESS. It's based on a win-win philosophy. All things are interconnected, and for business to prosper in the long run our environment must be protected. For us it's a way of life, for some businesses it's a wise strategy to sustain and increase profits.

KC News by Kahl Consultants.
Technology. Use it appropriately. Put it in our hands.
Visit http://www.kahl.net

To continue receiving; do nothing, you are on our list.
To add someone or to stop receiving; send email.
 
 

Y2K

San Francisco-based Y2K Nuclear Alert Campaign took out an ad in the New York Times urging scientists, politicians and government officials to "take action" in making nuclear power plants worldwide Y2K-compliant. "The major risk involves a power blackout engulfing the plant, failure of backup generating systems, loss of cooling, and meltdown -- the consequences of which, within the space of one or two hours,  could match the Chernobyl disaster".

LEARN ALL ABOUT Y2K:
http://www.kahl.net/y2k
 
 
 

WORD OF THE MONTH

Small files that sites use to identify you when you visit. The cookies are stored on YOUR computer. They record details such as the sites you visit and what you do while you're there. For example, shop at Amazon and the site gives a cookie for each item in your "shopping cart." Now the site knows which items you have in the cart.

Cookies are often characterized as a security or privacy risk, but MOST are harmless. There are a couple of ways to handle these not-so-tough cookies.

Netscape users: Select Edit, Preferences, click Advanced.
IE users: Select View, Internet Options, click Advanced.

Your choices:
(1) accept all cookies / Always accept cookies
(2) accept only if sent back to originating server (netscape choice)
(3) disable cookies / disable all cookie use

Unless you have a specific reason for concern, go ahead and select (2). If you are as paranoid as I am select (3) and choose (2) only when you need it to enter a certain site.

Beware the option "receive a warning before you accept a cookie"; if you choose this you'll spend a lot of time clicking to accept or deny cookies.
 

TECHNOTIPS

Last month we recommended the Lotus Organizer as our preferred PIM software. This month we tell you which PDA we think is best.

You've seen your friends and colleagues run around with those Palm Pilots in their hands and you jaws dropped when you heard they shelled out $300 or more for that little thing.

Now the new 3Com Palm IIIe sells for only $229, the cheapest Palm Pilot ever. Still a lot of money, and you really have to be a busy person to justify that kind of expense for such a tiny box of silicon and plastic.

The hottest PDA is the brand new Handspring Visor, and it retails for only $149. Since it has just come out, we cannot recommend it quite yet, but every indication is that this is the better deal.
 

BUILD GREEN, GET MORE GREEN

Environmentally friendly computer manufacturing often translates into better financial performance, according to a study by the research firm Innovest Strategic Value Advisors.

The study looked at recycling programs for computer products, environmental impact of manufacturing plants and computers' energy efficiency. The study found that "top environmental companies have outperformed industry rivals that rank at the bottom of the list ... by 25 percent."

Dell Computer Corp. and IBM ranked at the top of the study, followed by Compaq Computer Corp., Quantum Corp. and Apple Computer.  Gateway ranked at the bottom.
(Bloomberg, Houston Chronicle, Sept. 14).

Shopping for hardware or software? Get the best deals by starting here:
http://www.kahl.net/shopping
 

CALIFORNIANS GO GREEN!

SITES FOR SORE EYES

The VCR Fixer site know as "The Self Service Website" is at:
http://www.fixer.com

I checked it out and tried to fix my VCR. Last month I promised to tell you how I did. First of all I definitely learned a lot about VCRs. But did I fix my machine? Lets just say... I think I fixed it for now. So don't jinx it!
 

ACTION PACKED

Take action NOW! That's what the RadiKahl Action sites help you to do, whether it is in case of an emergency or in order to protect your environment. Every scout knows you gotta BE PREPARED when disaster strikes. So get out of your easy chair and into some action!
RadiKahl Action:
http://www.kahl.net/action
 
 

AMAZON.COM

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/kahlconsultants

We offer you discounted books and music in association with amazon.com.
 
 
 

KC TIPS

Yes, your boss has the right to read your emails. It's pretty common in today's dog eat dog business world, where nobody trusts nobody.  So don't put anything in your email that you would not put on the bulletin board in the lunch room.

How to send emails PRIVATELY from work? Well, if your boss lets you surf the web then use one of the free web-based email accounts! Presto - complete privacy! We reported on private web based email back in 7/99:
http://www.kahl.net/news/kcnews7_99.html

Or if you want to try a free and green email service try Care Mail:
http://www.care2.com/
 

When Do I Upgrade?

PCs are so cheap these days, you can get a box of dynamite for under a grand. So when does it make sense to upgrade? Remember: if you buy a new system, all the components are compatible AND you get a new warranty. But, if your current system does everything you need, LEAVE IT ALONE!

The MOST USEFUL upgrade is usually adding more RAM to your machine, especially if you have less than 32 MB. But upgrading is not always easy, it is often associated with incompatibilities. Same goes for software. If it works for you then SKIP THE UPGRADE. Who needs Microsoft Office 2000? I certainly don't!!

And remember, start your smart shopping here:
http://www.kahl.net/shopping
 
 
 

WinTips

When you type words like "resume" or "voila," do you just ignore the fact that they're supposed to have accents? No one will notice, right? Wrong!

Use the Windows character map--or better yet, a keyboard combination--to add the proper foreign characters to your word processing documents.

WIN95: Select Start, Programs, Accessories, Character Map.
WIN98: Select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Character Map

Under Font select the font you're using. Pick the character you need, double-click it (to add it to the Characters to Copy box), then click the Copy button. Switch back to your document, place your cursor where you'd like the character, and Paste it.

Need a quicker way to do this? Add a character using a simple keystroke--no character map needed. Inside the character map, select a character and a four-digit number is shown in the lower-right next to "Keystroke: Alt+".

From inside any document, with the Num Lock key engaged, hold the Alt key and type this number on your number pad. Presto!

Bookmark our FAQ Tips site, with WinTips, WebTips, ImageTips, Shopping Tips and more:
http://www.kahl.net/tools/tips.html
 
 
 
 

Keyboard Shortcut Du Jour

TABBING ALONG

Now here's mouse-free way! Press Ctrl-Tab to rotate to the next tab (to the right) in the box. If you prefer the other direction, press Ctrl-Shift-Tab to move back one tab. Bada boom!

Bookmark the Shortcut list:
http://www.kahl.net/tools/wintips.html

Bookmark the entire list at:
http://www.kahl.net/tools/wintips.html
 
 

AOTM (Acronym of the Month)

!!Hoax & Virus Alert!!

Gotta admire the guys who come up with this stuff! Some preposterous warnings we received recently purport that:
+ AOL and Microsoft have merged
+ An email with the A.I.D.S. Virus will destroy your memory, sound card, speakers,
infect your mouse and keyboard and will delete all programs! (wow!)
+ The FCC wants to ban bible reading on the radio
+ Deadly spiders hide under toilet seats and will bite your butt
+ A email called "It Takes Guts to Say Jesus" will erase your hard drive.
+ Miller Brewing Company will send you a free six-pack coupon if you spam your friends
(wish it were true!)

And remember, all the latest info on viruses and hoax emails are here: 
http://www.kahl.net/hoax
 
 

Long Distance Calls Cheaper

http://www.kahl.net/global

 
 
 

NetTips

And what do you think? We'd love to hear your point of view.
 

Cut! Show's over. Remember: Stay unplugged at least one day a week! Go hug a tree or read a good book. Thanks for your comments.

Cheers,

Alex
Kahl Consultants
http://www.kahl.net
 

THE PLUG

---

How has your small business or organization been performing lately? Do you have enough clients? Do you want enhance your presence on the net? Some of our latest clients include:

Global Message Exchange
http://www.gmx.net

Legacy Solutions
http://www.legacysolutions.net

*
Technology. Use it appropriately. Put it in our hands. Kahl Consultants are always at your service at http://www.kahl.net

If you got this far you obviously enjoyed KC News. Pass it on!
Please forward it to a handful of your friends. Remember, the best things in life are free.
 
 
 

THE PUNCH LINE

     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!

     If the label on the cable on the table at your house,
     says the network is connected to the button on your mouse,
     but your packets want to tunnel on another protocol,
     that's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall,
     and your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss,
     so your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse,
     then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang,
     'cause as sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang!

     When the copy of your floppy's getting sloppy on the disk,
     and the microcode instructions cause unnecessary risk,
     then you have to flash your memory and you'll want to RAM your
     ROM.

     Quickly turn off the computer. .. and be sure to tell your mom.
 
 
 

The Fine Print

* CTRL: Control Key (there are 2 of these on your pretty little keyboard)
* ESC: Escape key (top left of your keyboard)
* Home & End Keys: found next to the Page Up and Page Down keys, to the
right of the alphanumeric portion of your keyboard (even on laptops)
* Keyboard combinations: hold down the first key, then press second key shortly

MORE TIPS????
NetTools has the entire collection:
http://www.kahl.net/tools/tips.html