Welcome to the October 24, 2001 issue of Hewie's Favorites Views & Reviews.
Be sure to visit Hewie's Favorites at http://www.hewie.net/. Please send
this newsletter to your friends and ask them to subscribe at the site.

The articles in this issue:
++ New feature on Hewie's Favorites
++ That CNN Video Phone Thing
++ WindowsXP official release Thursday October 25, 2001
++ A bit of humor


++ New feature on Hewie's Favorites at
http:/www.hewie.net/weblog/index.html

I found Blogger when I read an article from WebReference Update Newsletter at http://www.webreference.com/. In the article was a summary of what's out there in blogland. http://www.llrx.com/columns/notes46.htm. I had read some articles about Blog (the term used for weblog) and have used GreyMatter http://noahgrey.com/greysoft/ for one of my website clients.

I have decided to use the free service at Blogger. What does it do, you ask? A blog program makes it very easy to log ideas or info on a website. A blog is a web page made up of usually short, frequently updated posts that are arranged chronologically -- like a what's new page or a journal. The content and purposes of blogs varies greatly -- from links and commentary about other web sites, to news about a company/person/idea, to diaries, photos, poetry, mini-essays, project updates, even fiction. Blogs posts are like instant messages to the web.

This has become such a big fad; there are even special search engines for blogs such as http://www.blogfinder.com/ and http://www.bloghop.com/. Take a look at Hewie's Quick Thoughts at http:/www.hewie.net/weblog/index.html. I will be updating the page as I find interesting "stuff." Be sure to bookmark the page and check it frequently. It has been added to my menu list as "Quick Thoughts."

++ That CNN Video Phone Thing

In covering the war in Afghanistan, CNN and the other TV cable news networks have raised the profile of a new bit of technology that can transmit pictures and voice from areas without phone connections. The Talking Head satellite videophone provides those grainy 15-frame-per-second feeds of CNN reporter stand-ups outside Kabul. In case you're interested, here's the Web site of the manufacturer, which provides all the technical specs. Poynter.org also talks about how such technology is changing the nature of reporting from the field. Talking Head: http://www.7e.com/content/products/ Poynter.org: http://63.208.24.134/Terrorism/al14.htm

++ WindowsXP official release Thursday October 25, 2001

Microsoft WindowsXP official release is tomorrow. I am attending the rollout event at the Orange County (Orlando, Florida) Convention Center. No freebee versions, but hopefully lots of information will be available. There is a good review of WindowsXP from PC World at http://www.pcworld.com/features/article/0,aid,63223,00.asp. Brian Livingston has written many Windows Secrets books with tips and info about various versions of Windows. He says that he is not going to write one for WindowsXP and he tells you why in a recent column at http://www.infoworld.com/articles/op/xml/01/10/08/011008oplivingston.xml.

I have a lot of reservations about recommending people to upgrade, but if you are buying a new computer, you should get one that has WinXP installed.

I will once again be taking the helm of the Windows Special Interest Group (SIG) of the Central Florida Computer Society in December. The present leader is moving and I have agreed to chair the group once again. I am starting to collect a lot of articles on WinXP and will be examining it very thoroughly. I will be starting a newsletter for that group, and all of you will be able to subscribe. More on that as it develops.

++ A bit of humor

A vet was performing an operation, trying to revive an injured bald eagle, when he was overcome with dizziness and spasms. He was unable to recover and complete the surgery before the eagle died. Unfortunately, he then had to be prosecuted under the 4th Amendment for:

"ill eagle surgeon seizure".

Be sure to visit Hewie's Favorites at http://www.hewie.net/ . Please pass on this newsletter to your friends and ask them to subscribe at the site.