The excellent Nucleus blog software I use offers the functionality of adding members. So I activated that (see the “Online” part to the right). Now I have a problem though. What to offer members?

To be honest, I have no idea. Right now, the only use of it, is for people to sign up when they want to comment. This makes sure they can register their particular nickname, so nobody else can pretend to be them.

Given the number of repeat visits though, I doubt there is any need for a members option at all. Still, if you have any suggestions what to use it for, feel free to comment.

There is no doubt that Google has made quite an impression on the online world. There must be some reason why so many people use it. One thing Google keeps doing in an attempt to stay ahead of the competition, is adding all kinds of apparently nifty features. The latest one being the ability to look for definitions. [Read More!]

I know I probably shouldn't buy a laptop from a discount grocery store, but still ... quite an interesting price compared to the usual Dell searches I occassionally check. Ofcourse the biggest problem with this would be making sure I'm at the store before they open.

According to a Dutch study (sorry, in Dutch), computer anxiety is often caused by disappointing first experiences. After a number of these, people give up. Believe in one's own abilities is the best way to get over the anxiety, confidence is key.

Ironic how this is one of the fears that cannot be treated then, by using computer games.
[source: Nu.nl]

Google Alert notifies you of updates on custom Google queries. It doesn't even require any Google API keys. [Read More!]

Well, I came up with one way to use the Wallie-card mentioned earlier. I could use it to reward my readers

Just post the 16-digit code, and whoever finds it first, has some cash to buy stuff online. Too bad getting an actual card is such a hassle ...

The use of credit cards is not very wide-spread in the Netherlands. Most people use their bank cards for payments in stores and bank transfers to pay bills or to pay for stuff bought online or through mail orders. Perhaps this explains the introduction of the Wallie-card. [Read More!]

Years ago, electronic books were seen as a major threat to traditional book trade. The result of this technology, so people expected, was readers turning away from paper books, instead carrying around a book reader that allows them to store scores of electronic books. So far, fears of substitution have proven unnecessary.

Another form of electronic books, is that of books published to be read on desktops or hand-helds. No special reader required. With modern technology such as good scanners and P2P file sharing, pdf's of entire books can be downloaded, mostly illegally. However, for decades, there have also been books available as text files. Project Gutenberg is the most famous one. Texts of books that are in the public domain are digitized by contributors and made available to the world.

I came across Digital Book Index, which allows you to search for digital books, in different formats (text, html, pdf, more specific formats). Both free and commercial versions are found. Most of the books are free, and most are by authors who have long ago passed away. Digital Book Index contains the Gutenberg books, but also has additional sources so it's definately worth checking out. Oh yeah, on the
login page, you don't
have to give out your info, just press “login” and continue.

It is probably one of the worst nightmares, losing the password to your own computer. That is the drawback of passwords after all. Either you write them down somewhere, defeating their purpose, or you risk forgetting them. For NT, Win2K, and XP Pro, there is a utility that lets you reset the password. You'll have to download some files and create bootable linux disk. Yes, you can relax, this only works when you have physical access to the computer, no worries about people hacking your system and changing the password.

Usenet is a good source for spammers, harvesting e-mail addresses from public postings. Another good source is, of course, the Web. Harvesting mail addresses from public web pages. And once your address is known, expect to get tons of spam. What to do though? [Read More!]