Hewie's Views and Reviews
By Hewie Poplock

Welcome to this issue of Hewie's Views & Reviews. Be sure to visit Hewie's Favorites at http://www.hewie.net/ .

++++ TWIT Podcasts
++++ Two Important Birthdays
++++ New additions to Hewie's Favorites

January, 2009

++++ TWIT Podcasts

I recently went on aa auto trip and decided to listen to some of the podcasts that I download regularly to my iPhone. Listening to the iPhone podcasts is somewhat challenging as the speaker volume is not very loud, especially in the car with all of the ambient noise. I purchased a speaker to FM tuner device.

I will discuss the hookup in a future column. Suffice to say that it worked and I was able to listen to several hours of podcasts.

I have always liked Leo Laporte's approach to technology when he was on the defunct ZDTV & TechTV. He now has a podcast network called TWIT or This Week in Technology. Many of the shows are weekly, but with so many, there are shows being produced daily with most of them between 1 to 2 hours long. They feature some of the big names in computer reporting and writing. These include Leo Laporte, John Devorak, Paul Thurrott, Steve Gibson, and many guests.

During my trip, I listened to about 3 hours of technology each way. That's a lot of info. I only listened to 2 of the categories, Security on the first day and Windows on the return trip. Other shows include general technology, Apple & Macs. To see a list of the shows and to listen to any of the podcasts go to http://thisweekintech.com/ or http://twit.tv

The "Security Now" show is hosted by Steve Gibson & Leo Laporte. You may know Steve Gibson from the Spinrite program http://www.grc.com/sr/spinrite.htm and his on line security tests called ShieldsUp. http://www.grc.com/intro.htm

The security shows that I listened to included in-depth explanations of how WEP and WPA wireless security works and how the reports of a crack to WPA has been inaccurately reported by the media. It is fascinating but a bit more technical than the average computer user might like. However, his podcasts do cover a wide variety of security information that all users should know and would find interesting.

On the return trip, I listened to Paul Thurrott & Leo Laporte on the Windows podcasts. Thurrott is a well known author ("Windows Visa Secrets") and Windows expert. See his site at http://www.winsupersite.com/ where there is enough Windows information to keep you busy forever. His podcasts are informative with a lot of insight as to the pros and cons of Windows and its many versions and editions.

While these podcasts are not aimed at the novice, they have a lot of general information that is interesting and in depth discussions similar to what many of my friends have on a regular basis. If you are a novice or new to computing, I might suggest the "Kim Komando" show that is broadcast weekly. While her site claims it is available in Orlando on WDBO AM 580 on Sunday evenings at 9, I haven't heard it in a long time. It is found nationwide. To listen on line, you have to pay a modest subscription fee. However, she has several newsletters which are free.

I find there just isn't enough time to listen to all of the podcasts every week. However, I do try to keep up with the technology news of the week on a daily basis using RSS feeds. While this saves a lot of time, it too, take up a couple of hours per day of my time. If only there were 2 more hours a day or 1 more day in the week, perhaps I could absorb all of the information that I would like.

++++ Two Important Birthdays

There 2 birthdays that I want to mention. The first is Hewie's Favorites http://www.hewie.net is 13 years old this month.It grew from the FABulous BBS which survived over 10 years prior to the Internet. Not only are there over 1500 great links on the site, there is also an archive of all of the columns of Hewie's Views & Reviews. http://www.hewie.net/views/newsletter.html

This month also celebrated the 40th birthday of the beloved mouse. No, not Mickey! The mouse we all rest our hand on while computing. Yes, that piece of computer equipment has not changed much in 40 years. We have seen the CRT, the tape backup systems, even the floppy drives disappear, but the mouse survives. Happy birthday.

++++ New additions to Hewie's Favorites

CrossLoop
http://www.crossloop.com/ipage.htm?id=download
Free program lets you take full control of another PC

Send to toys
http://www.gabrieleponti.com/software/#sendtotoys
Software utility enhancement of the Send To system menu

PublicData
http://publicdata.com/
Access to records that government collects (except information critical to national security and information involved in ongoing criminal investigation). Some free, some cost

MyBloop
http://www.mybloop.com/
Free unlimited space and hosting for your files online. Easily upload multiple files at once. Send/store pictures - music - videos - more

3B
http://3b.net/
Virtual world where you can hang out in the 3D mall and go shopping down the aisles of your fave 3D stores

Tutorial9
http://www.tutorial9.net/
Provides tutorials encompassing graphic design, website development, and photography. All lessons offered are entirely free and community participation is encouraged

000webhost
http://www.000webhost.com/
Free Web Hosting with PHP, MySQL and cPanel, No Ads

Yelp Orlando
http://www.yelp.com/orlando-fl
Orlando - User Reviews and Recommendations of Top Restaurants, Shopping, Nightlife, Entertainment, Services and More

Citysearch Orlando
http://orlando.citysearch.com/
Online lifestyle guide with the most up-to-date information on businesses, from restaurants and spas, to hotels and retail

Stay Safe Online
http://www.staysafeonline.org/
NCSA is a collaborative effort among experts in the security, non-profit, academic and government field established to provide free resources to help secure cyber space

Thumbtack from Microsoft Live Labs
http://thumbtack.livelabs.com/
A repository and crossroads for user collected content from across the web. It emphasizes the activities that follow the act of gathering – archival, research, sharing and publishing

TeamViewer
http://www.teamviewer.com/
Fast - easy & secure desktop sharing. Lets you access your partner's PC or transmits your screen to your partner to present without having to configure your firewall