kcnews MAY 2001

TABLE OF CONTENTS
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FUN WITH WORD
BURN BABY BURN!
CLEAN COMPUTER, E-WASTE & EPR
EPR RESOURCES
IMPROVE PC PERFORMANCE
KEEP YOUR DESKTOP CLEAN
IS ANYONE KEEPING TABS?
EMAIL SIGNATURE
FIX YOUR NETSCAPE ADDRESS BOOK
TEN SIGNS YOUR DOT COM IS ON THE SKIDS

====================
Keyboard Shortcut Du Jour
====================
FUN WITH WORD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bored at work? Got a minute? Try this:

===============
HOUSEHOLD ITEM
===============
BURN BABY BURN!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CD-RW drives are commonly referred to as "BURNERS" because you can copy or "burn" your own CDs with them.

Why do we recommend them as our "HOUSEHOLD ITEM" of the month? Because they are the single best way to back up your data to avoid losing information. Every computer should have one. If your machine didn't come with one, you should add an internal or external CD burner.

You can use CD-R disks that you can only write once or CD-RW disks, which you treat just like a floppy or hard disk, writing data multiple times. And you can record audio (as in MUSIC) CDs as well.

CD-RW disks are currently the cheapest and most popular storage medium. They'll remain so for a few more years - until DVD recording devices become much cheaper.

KC TECHSHOP
-----------------
DON'T GO SHOPPING BLIND!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Go shopping at the NEW KC TechShop!

* MONEY-SAVING RANKINGS - Best sites for comparison shopping, reviews and infos.
* "SWEET SPOT" SHOPPING LISTS - for PC DESKTOPs and LAPTOPs. Best price-to-quality ratio!
* GREEN PC section - helps you save energy.

MAY DEAL$: ACER CD Burner 1208A Internal CD-RW 12X Write, 8X Rewrite ONLY: $129.99

===================
WORDS OF THE MONTH
===================
CLEAN COMPUTER, E-WASTE & EPR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The high-tech revolution that radically transformed civilization in the last decades also harms people's health as well as the environment. The electronics industry uses vast amounts of dangerous chemicals and significantly depletes natural resources to fuel its global expansion and rapidly changing product lines.

Dr J.C. van Weenan, Chair of the UNEP Workgroup on Sustainable Product Design states that "electronic products should be considered CHEMICAL WASTE PRODUCTS. Their number is increasing and their life decreasing. These problems have their source in the development and design of the products concerned."

* Hewlett-Packard developed a safe chip cleaning method using carbon dioxide instead of hazardous solvents.
* Printed circuit boards can be redesigned to use a different base material, which is self extinguishing, thereby eliminating the need for flame-retardants.
* Matsushita is "accelerating efforts to eliminate toxic substances and develop lead-free solder, non-halogenated lead wires and non-halogenated plastics.
* Matsushita developed "the first ever lead-free solder for flow soldering applications and launched their first totally recyclable television sets."
* Sony has developed a lead-free solder alloy, usable in conventional soldering equipment.
* Pressures to eliminate halogenated flame-retardants and design products for recycling have led to the use of metal shielding in computer housings.
* IBM introduced the first computer that uses 100% recycled resin (PC/ABS) in all major plastic parts for a total of 3.5 pounds of resin per product.
* Researchers in Holland are investigating the design of a wind up laptop similar to the wind-up radio that plays one hour for every 20 seconds of hand winding.
* Toshiba is working on a modular upgradable and customizable computer to cut down on product obsolescence.

We as consumers must demand that the high tech industry clean-up their act. Clean the life cycle of computer manufacturing and promote environmentally sustainable development by developing CLEAN COMPUTERS.

E-WASTE or "computer junk" is growing at an escalating rate. Consumers do not know what to do with it. Over three quarters of all computers ever bought in the USA are currently stored in people's attics, basements, and office closets. If everyone disposed of these the US would face a huge waste problem all at once.

Americans are buying more computers than people in any other nation. Over 50% of US households own a computer. Computer junking is also happening at a faster rate. Computer life span is decreasing. In 1997 the average life span of a computer tower was 4-6 years and computer monitors 6-7 years. This life span is falling to 2 years.

Most consumers are unaware of the toxic materials in the machines they rely on for word processing, data management, internet access, and games.

Electronic computer equipment is a complicated assembly of more than 1,000 materials, many of which are highly toxic. Few products have environmental impacts as extensive as the computers. To assess the impacts you have to think "cradle to grave": start with raw material extraction, then on to industrial refining and production, and finally use and disposal.

Europe has taken the lead on reducing e-Waste. The European Union (EU) has drafted 'take back' legislation. The WEEE Directive (Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment) is based on the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

EPR encourages producers to prevent pollution and reduce resource and energy use in each stage of the product life cycle. Producer Responsibility is the principle that producers bear a degree of responsibility for all the environmental impacts of their products. This includes upstream impacts arising from the choice of materials and from the manufacturing process as well as the downstream impacts, i.e. from the use and disposal of products.

YES YOU CAN HELP:
1. Contact your computer manufacturer. Ask them to TAKE BACK your old computer free of charge to you. Bring it back to them!
2. Write to your goverment. Tell them you want to see EPR legislation for manufacturers to take back computers.
3. Contact local and state government representatives. Explain why you are concerned. Ask them to get involved in developing solutions. They could ban the
landfilling and incineration of electronic junk.
4. Promote computer re-use and recycling.

==================
SITES FOR SORE EYES
==================
EPR RESOURCES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What is EPR? See the article above!

US EPA Office of Solid Waste Management.
Contact: Clare Lindsay, Project Director for Extended Product Responsibility
Email: LINDSAY.CLARE-@-epamail.epa.gov
URL: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/epr/

Society Promoting Environmental Conservation
Contact Helen Spiegelman
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Email: helens-@-axionet.com
URL: http://www.spec.bc.ca/

Grassroots Recycling Network.
Contact Bill Sheehan, Network Coordinator
Email: zerowaste-@-grrn.org
URL: http://www.grrn.org

National Recycling Coalition.
Contact: Dawn Amore
E-mail: dawna-@-nrc-recycle.org
URL: http://www.nrc-recycle.org/

University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Center for Clean Products and Clean Technology.
Contact: Gary A. Davis, Director
Email: jgoverly-@-utk.edu
URL: http://eerc.ra.utk.edu/clean/

======
KC TIPS
======
IMPROVE PC PERFORMANCE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A fast computer is always better! Here are EASY STEPS to speed things up!

1) Reboot your computer - Restart your computer, especially if it has been on for more than a day. You do not need to turn the power on and off.

2) Disk space - Keep at least 15% of your hard disk free. If you have less than 1 GB, keep at least 100 MB free.

3) Defragmenting - Run defragmentation once a month. In Windows check Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter.

4) Virtual Memory - Use the default setting to let Windows manage your virtual memory. Some programs crash if you use other settings.

5) System Resources - RAM requirements grow as programs become more demanding. Check in the Control Panel in Windows System Properties > Performance. If you use more than 50% of your System Resources, your computer would benefit by having more RAM. With Windows 98, performance improves noticeably when upgrading up to 96 MB. Windows 95 is less demanding. We recommend 128 MB RAM for all Windows machines.

6) Computer upgrade - If your computer is more than 2 years old, the CPU may limit your performance. Sometimes only one part needs upgrading, such as the video card or RAM. Find your bottleneck. Ask Kahl Consultants or a local vendor.

7) New Hardware and Software - If your performance has recently degraded, it may be caused by recently installed hardware or software.

8) Limit yourself to two or three features and programs. For example, running a virus checker and a screen saver is reasonable. Running Microsoft Office Task Bar, Active Desktop subscriptions, StartUp programs, and screen saver may bring your PC to its knees.

10) Open but unused programs - Programs that are not used waste memory and CPU time. Close them!

11) Windows 98 Active Desktop - you don't need it. Disable it:
i.Right-click empty area on desktop and select Active Desktop.
ii.Make sure View As Web Page is NOT selected.
iii.Select Start > Settings > Control Panel > Display > Desktop, and then clear Enable web content on my desktop.

13) StartUp folder programs - Your computer runs fastest with NO ITEMS in the StartUp folder. Start programs as you need them. EXCEPTION: anti virus program: if you have one, leave it.

14) Screen savers - they are fun but slow programs on your computers. You don't even need them! Use your Energy Star features to power down monitor and hard drive instead. Screen savers also cause programs to crash. Turn them off:
i.Select Start > Settings > Control Panel > Display > Screen Saver.
ii.Set the "Screen Saver" box to None and click OK.

15) Microsoft Find Fast - Delete from the Startup folder. To do this:
i.Select Start > Programs > StartUp.
ii.Right-click and select Delete.

16) File sharing and print sharing - To turn these off:
i.Select Start > Settings > Control Panel > Network. Click "File & Printer Sharing".
ii.Clear both options. These are off by default.

17) Server software - Personal Web Publishing is an example. This may slow down your computer considerably.

18) Anti Virus software - Worth keeping. So don't remove - unless you don't go online and rarely download files to your hard disk.

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WinTips
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KEEP YOUR DESKTOP CLEAN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To get the maximum from your Windows machine remember to KEEP IT CLEAN!

* Only put shortcut icons on the desktop for the programs that you run DAILY
This will keep your desktop manageable and speed up your computer

* Put shortcut icons for programs you run WEEKLY at the TOP of your START MENU
They can be accessed by simply pressing the WINDOWS key and selecting the program

* Keep the PROGRAMS LIST in your START MENU no longer than the height of your screen
Place similar programs in FOLDERS with names like "Graphics", "Internet", "Games", etc.

Not sure how to edit your START MENU? All you need to know is how to use the WINDOWS EXPLORER.

Here's how:
1) select START (remember you can do this by pressing the WINDOWS key)
2) select SETTINGS
3) select TASKBAR & START MENU
4) select the tab "Start Menu Programs"
5) select ADVANCED
6) you can now use the Windows Explorer to edit your START MENU
7) to create new FOLDERS select the pull down menu option FILE - NEW - FOLDER
8) you can also drag and drop icons as needed

====================
Keyboard Shortcut Du Jour
====================
IS ANYONE KEEPING TABS?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The TAB KEY can come in really handy. It lets you move around the screen in many ways:

- around a DIALOG BOX,
- around an OPTIONS WINDOW
- BETWEEN CELLS in a table or database

My favorite TAB KEY function? Moving between FIELDS when filling out a WEBSITE FORM.

=======================
AOTM (Acronym of the Month)
=======================
CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our HOUSEHOLD ITEM of the month is a CD BURNER (see above). This handy device can read a variety of CDs:

* CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read-Only Memory - you can only read these)
* CD-R (CD-Recordable disk - you can record these ONCE)
* CD-RW (CD-ReWritable disk - you can record these multiple times)

Handy Acronym Links (or HAL):
BABEL : A Glossary of Computer Oriented Abbreviations and Acronyms
http://online.dossnet.com/babel.htm

================
!!Hoax & Virus Alert!!
================
PHONY TRASH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What kind of phony trash have we received this month?

Here's just a short list:
* GAS Boycott petition
* virus warning "Let's watch TV"
* Madeline Murray O'Hare Free Speech petition
* virus warning "A Virtual Card for You"

Ho hum. Remember kids, play it safe on the net. Don't trust internet fairy tales. Scan for virii and verify your emails here:
http://www.kahl.net/hoax

=======
NetTips
=======
EMAIL SIGNATURE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whoever you are, whatever you do for business, it is a good idea to include a SIGNATURE in every email.

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
Joe Shmoe
PO Box 1234
San Rafael, CA 94913
email Uce@ftc.gov
web www.joetheshmoe.com
tel/fax 415 867 5309
Beam me up, Scotty!
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

It has NAME, COMPLETE address, and a short SLOGAN. This is automatically attached to the bottom of every outgoing email.

It's a great MARKETING TOOL and a good way to help people who read your mails STAY IN TOUCH with you.

1. Open Windows Notepad and create a SIGNATURE FILE (START - PROGRAMS - ACCESSORIES - NOTEPAD). Remember the name and location where you save the file.

2. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences. Select Identity from the Mail & Newsgroups Preferences category.

3. In the Identity Preferences panel, type your name, email, reply-to address, and organization.

4. To attach the "signature" to your messages, type the absolute path at Signature File. Click Browse to locate your signature file.

5. Mac OS only: Check "Use Internet Configuration system" if you want Communicator to use preferences already specified in your Internet Configuration system for the identity (name, email, reply-to, organization), signature, and SMTP mail server and user name preferences.

FIX YOUR NETSCAPE ADDRESS BOOK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you are a Netscape user you might run into this problem: opening your Address Book results in an illegal operation. Something goes wrong. The address book acts up. This usually indicates a corrupt Address Book file.

Here's a real easy way to fix the problem. In a nutshell it works like this: rename your address book, netscape creates a new blank address book, then you import your addresses from the old address book file.

Here's how in Communicator:
1. First, try restarting Netscape.
2. If still freezing with Address book, close Netscape.
3. Go to your User directory (By default it is usually C:\Program Files\Netscape\Users and then your user name).
4. Rename the abook.nab to abook.old and any files ending in .na2 to otheraddress.old (if you have multiple .na2 files make sure to name each one a different name).
5. When you restart Netscape, a new (empty) abook.nab file will be created. Make sure that this new Address book file is working.
6. If it is working and you managed to save any addresses in the old file, try importing the file into the new Address file. Open the Address book from the Communicator menu. Go to File menu, choose Import, select the abook.old or any other abook.nab and .na2 files you have.

Here's how in Navigator:
1. First, try restarting Netscape.
2. If still freezing with Address book, close Netscape.
3. Go to your User directory (your Navigator directory is usually C:\Program Files\Netscape\Navigator).
4. Rename the address.htm file to address.old.
5. When you restart Netscape, a new address.htm file will be created. Make sure this new Address Book file is working.
6. If it is working and you managed to save any addresses in the old file, try importing the file into the new Address file. Open the Address book menu, go to File menu, choose Import, selecting the address.old or any other address.htm files you have.

If Netscape still freezes while loading Address book, your Netscape preferences may have become damaged as well. This can be fixed by recreating the preferences. For Communicator that means creating a new profile, and for Navigator you replace a corrupt address.htm file, bookmark.htm file, or Mail folder.

Alex
Kahl Consultants
http://www.kahl.net
Technology. Use it appropriately. Put it in our hands.

THE PLUG
========
Is your small business or organization performing? Have enough clients? Want to enhance your net presence? Our latest clients include:

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THE PUNCH LINE
==============
TEN SIGNS YOUR DOT COM IS ON THE SKIDS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) The company CEO has moved from the corner office to the ledge outside the corner office.

2) The manager informs you that the drinks in the company fridge haven't been free and hands you a $4,800 Snapple bill.

3) The company president asks if anyone has a problem giving out a little astrological advice over the phone while they work.

4) The head of R&D is spending more and more time in the park across street with a metal detector he refers to as his "search engine."

5) There's now 10-year-old Indonesian boys on either side of you assembling Nike running shoes.

6) Management is now using copies of the company prospectus exclusively for rolling papers.

7) Next time you see the company's founder, he is wearing a paper hat and telling you which one is the Diet Coke.

8) The human resources manager informs you that (though it wasn't spelled out in black and white) giving conventioneers body massages was indeed implied in your job description, and that it could also involve a little "converging," if you know what he means.

9) You arrive at work to find that all the computers have been replaced with Etch-a-Sketches.

10) Your boss concedes that he might be out of his teens before he's able to retire.

Kahl Consultants
P.O.Box 4284
San Rafael, CA 94903-4284
USA
Tel: +1-415-499 0838
Fax: +1-415-499 0833
www.kahl.net
Contact us

The award-winning Kahl Consultants. Helping small business in San Francisco Bay, Marin, Sonoma and globally.
Your comments?

Technology
Use it appropriately
Put it in our hands

KC News

KC News MAY 2001 | HANDY HINTS SPECIAL | Vol.3, No.5