From Where I Sit

Friends;
This is not necessarily a complaint.

It's more along the lines of an observation and I must admit, one that I don't like.
I am a member of Tech Republic as well as ZDNet.

I am fully aware that they are all under an Umbrella arrangement and CNet is at the top.
I'm also aware of Ziff /Davis.
My point is this.
If I sign into  Tech Republic, it's because this is where I wish to be.

If I wanted to end up at CNet or ZDNet then I would have signed in there and not here.
As it is, I find it quite frustrating "No disrespect to George Ou et al", to click on an article header in Tech Republic and suddenly find myself over at ZDNet.

I had expected to read the article at Tech Republic. I must admit to finding this frustrating.
The unforwarned switching between the two is infuriating.
This is nothing against any of the aforementioned firms, or the Umbrella that covers us all, But if I'm at ZDNet and want to read and article, I don't want to find myself at Tech Republic and vice versa.
I recognize that we have gone through some extensive changes of late, however I can only hope that this hopscoching between firms is not the way it's going to be.
If I wanted to be at ZDNet, That where I'd be, That is where I would have signed in. There's a reason as to why I signed into Tech Republic, it was to stay here and read what is "Here".
As it is, I'm at Tech Republic, am very happy to be here and would like to continue to remain here.
Let us hope this jumping back and forth ceases.
Thank you for your attention
Aaron
PS
I'm having trouble getting this to post, so if it doubles on me, please forgive.
Regards
Aaron

Recently I had the pleasure of reading a review ona game called Heroes of the Pacifi.

It was very well done,succinct and right to the point. It was also extremely disturbing.

I had been playing tis very games and had it inmy computer atteh time tha tI read tis review and tis threw me for a loop. I have asked te gentlement in questiion for epermission to republish it here so that we all may have a look and decied on uor own if thisis apropriate.

Not answer yet, so I shall endeavor to insert that article exactly as was written by the  Author including his name and E-Mail.

I am not seeking glory here, I merely seek to have us avail ourselves of the opportunity to read this.This is a shocker, would you agree?

I think you'll be surpised.

I certainly Was

Regards

Aaron

The Article; by                                                                                                                                             Frank  Lenk                                                                                                                                                             

f_lenk@hotmail.com

Heroes of the Pacific

A first time for everything

This is going to be a new experience for me. I've never written a review before, telling people how great a product is and then advising them not to buy it. But there's a first time for everything.

Heroes of the Pacific (HOTP), from developer Red Mile and publisher Ubi Soft, is a charming little game. It's a type of game I love to recommend: the fun 'little' game that too often gets lost in the hype surrounding the big mega-titles.

A sterling tradition

HOTP follows in the sterling tradition of games like Microsoft's classic Crimson Skies, and LucasArts' Secret Weapons Over Normandy. They're all arcade-style air-combat games. Not exactly 'simulations' ? the emphasis is on blowing stuff up and having a great time, rather than on detailed aerodynamics.

As the name implies, HOTP takes you to the Pacific theatre in WW II. There's some atmospheric introductory narration, putting you in the role of an average farm boy sent off to war. (Menus are all done in a suitably-retro 1940 style.)

The campaign

The campaign itself starts with a bang: you scramble to defend Pearl Harbor from attacking Japanese Zeroes. You'll be swooping high and low, targeting first a group of fighters, then some light bombers. To win through, you need to get them before they take out their ground objectives.

After that, you'll be visiting all the well-known Pacific islands, flying a succession of aircraft on an interesting variety of missions. You may need to protect friendly aircraft, for example, or stop a sea-borne invasion by bombing enemy ships.

Each mission starts with a primary goal, with further goals announced over the radio. You can't save your progress but most new goals set a checkpoint so, if you fail, you don't have to start from the beginning of the mission.

Relaxed flight models

Flight models are predictably relaxed. There are both Arcade and Pro options but they're not tremendously distinct. In either mode, your plane will stall but only when you seriously abuse the laws of Newtonian physics. No matter... The planes 'feel' just about right.

Viewpoint is more of an issue.

The default is a third-person view from behind your plane. I found this confusing, leading to disorientation and frequent crashes.

The in-cockpit view seems more natural but lacks the sophisticated 3D you'll find in true flight simulations. Basically, the cockpit is just a 2D image pasted over the 3D outdoor scenery. Again, a reasonable compromise.

I did miss the ability to look around using my joystick 'hat' control. There is a rear view but no way to look sideways. However, the targeting sight does give you a constant indication of which way to turn, tracking your currently-selected enemy target.

The graphics are amazingly good, from the rolling hills of Hawaii to the fluffy white clouds that often hide your enemies. Aircraft look good and explosions are particularly well done.

It?s a hoot, but...

In short, HOTP is a hoot. We need more fun, approachable games like this. So, what's wrong with this great little game? Just one thing: It's been 'protected' by the pesky SecuROM system, from Russian developer StarForce Technologies (http://www.star-force.com/).

A great deal has been written about SecuROM. (Check: http://www.boingboing.com/, for example.) Much of what's been said is 'emotion and allegation' but there are more than enough concrete facts to make this look like a misconceived technology.

What?s the problem?

For starters, SecuROM runs a process on your system that remains active whether you're playing the 'protected' game or not. That, in itself, should be damning enough.

Worse yet, with many games (including HOTP), the SecuROM software remains on your system and active, even after you uninstall the game itself. No software should be allowed to behave this way. Ever. (Though, alas, you will find many other examples.)

What can you do?

StarForce does supply a removal utility, though it can be difficult to track down. You can find it at: http://www.onlinesecurity-on.com/protect.phtml?c=55. (It didn't work for me but let's hope that's just a one-time aberration.) At that site, you'll also find some very interesting words from StarForce, defending its approach. There's a mention that the company's next protection system, FrontLine 4.0, will automatically uninstall its drivers. Good news but too late to help purchasers of HOTP.

Even if it's as innocuous as StarForce says, SecuROM is far too invasive. Especially since it clearly doesn't work in its stated goal of preventing illegal copying. I saw HOTP widely available for download at the same time as I was searching the Net for tips on how to expunge SecuROM from my PC.

Facing the facts

The sad fact is that, for every new protection technology StarForce cooks up, the pirates will develop a counter-measure. So, totally legitimate purchasers who don't use any devious piracy technologies are going to get infested by ever-more invasive anti-piracy measures. Where does it all end?

I sincerely sympathize with companies like Ubi Soft wanting to protect their intellectual property rights. But there are more-reasonable alternatives than this escalating battle for control of the user's PC. It's easy to stop casual copying. More-invasive measures like SecuROM merely put legitimate purchasers at risk, with little chance of defeating determined pirates.

It?s a shame

It's a real shame that Heroes of the Pacific, in particular, has been burdened with this foolish 'protection' scheme. It's a fine little game, offering lots of joystick-twisting fun for everyone. But my advice is, don't buy it unless you've got a spare PC you don't mind sacrificing as a battlefield in the piracy wars. M

Frank Lenk is a Toronto-based freelance writer specialising in computer- and entertainment-related issues. He can be reached online via:

E-mail: f_lenk@hotmail.com

Hello there;
A Small trick for those of us who use Spellcheckers.
Here's how I do mine.
With my Outlook Express open, I create a "New E-Mail" and save it "Blank" to a location.
Usually this will be in C:\My Documents or whatever folder, it's now there forever.
Now I have the Blank E-Mail, I need and icon.
So I go to my Bottom taskbar and right click and open folder.
Now that it's up as a folder, I add a new shortcut from the Blank E-Mail I just created.
This will show up as a white envelope on the bottom bar.
You only ever have to do this once and it's there for good.
Now.
Whenever I write something be it at TR or elsewhere, I click on this and write it in there.
I click on the icon and up comes a blank e-mail.
I come to my writing page, and start to write my thoughts "In the Blank E-mail".
Then I spellcheck, make sure all is well and then I do a Copy/Paste on it and paste it to the area of the TR page that I want.
Once done I save the letter in my collection.
This way, I have a copy of whatever I have written and have used the spellchecker so I feel better knowing there are no mistakes.
I find it much easier and faster to reach for my little Mail/letter Icon than I do trying to spellcheck  in other ways.
I can also do it backwards and copy/paste From the TR Page, correct it and paste it back again. It's quite handy.
Hope someone finds this useful.
Try it, you'll come to love it.  ;)
Regards
Aaron   :)

Friends
Having Installed the [ Service pack 2 ] into my Windows XPPro, I am now debating something.
Assuming that the S_P Pack 2  is in fact dissipated and installed within and through out the system,

then the $NTServiePackUninstall$ file and folder in my Windows is strictly there in case of removal yes?
My quandary is as follows.
I am temped to removed this and dump it as it seems to me that this is only there in the event of a removal.
The truth is that before I remove this particular file, I would rather format and start over again with a brand new full install.
All my important file and documentation is already backed up on another drive and is updated regularly, so I would really lose nothing and gain over 300 mgs of space on my C:\.
The question I am now faced with is, "Would this be a wise thing to do?"
What do you think?
Since these files are only there in the advent of a removal,should we then keep them there or just dump them.
Of course there is always the possibility of just moving to another area on another drive for safekeeping.
What do you think,  Have I lost it or what?     ;)
Your opinions would be invaluable.
Thanks in advance.
Aaron     :)

Friends
I need advice and I must say, Badly.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in Advance
Aaron
 
As you know, from my profile, I am a tech who keeps computers in shape for charitable organizations and
unfortunate individuals who belong to these organizations.
I even build and the give away Computer to these people.
Right now I am the tech, responsible for the computers in an organization for the disadvantaged.
These people are mentally challenged but manage to play on the computers and have a great deal of fun.
I have it set up so the only my Name and Password allows full control.
All computers are set up with ;
Win XPPro,
MS Office 2000
Norton
Ad-Aware
Spybot
and a few other add ons.
Then I add a few Games

All other areas are turned off except GUEST.

This way they can only play the games that are on the computer "Put there by myself" and can't download music and other garbage from the net. Yes , they have net access too.
My problem is that some wise guy "Hacker" who proudly proclaims himself to be a hacker has gone in during my absence and changed my systems around. I usually come around once a week to clean the CPs.
 
He's allowed in all kind s of garbage and generally jammed up all the Computers so that Now I have to re format and re-install for every one of them.
I must admit to being quite frustrated by this as I do this as a benevolency, but the fact remains that he has hacked my systems and brags that he'll keep right on doing it.

I don't want to meet him as I can't guarantee my conduct.
My Question;
Is there any way that I can absolutely lock down the computer so that mine will be the only Name & Password
and every else must sign on as guest?
I am not a hacker, so I don't know all the tricks of that trade.
My setup was working just fine until this individual came along and I don't want this to become a cat and mouse game with the Center's computers.
Not to mention that the people who use them get awfully frustrated.
So now I'm looking for options on how to lock this creep and others like him out.
I would be grateful for any thoughts you might have on this as I really need the help.
Also, do we have the legal right to refuse the use of the Computer to someone who has shown themselves to be a hacker?
Thank you in advance
Aaron

Well it's Friday yet again and for the life of me I can't find the page where Yuks are posted.

So I'm going to post two Friday Yuks, "Missed last couple of weeks" and wish everybody a Good Weekend.

Regards

Yuk 1

She told me we couldn't afford beer anymore and I'd have to  quit.
      Then I caught her spending $65.00 on make-up.
      And I asked how come I had to give up stuff and not her.
       She said she needed the make-up to look pretty for me.
      I told her that was what the beer was for.

     I don't think she's coming back.
 
 
Yuk 2
Subject:  Man of the house
The husband had just finished reading the book, 'MAN OF THE HOUSE'.
He stormed into the kitchen and walked directly up to his wife.
Pointing a finger in her face, he said, "From now on, I want you to
know that I am the man of this house, and my word is law! I want you
to prepare me a gourmet meal tonight, and when I'm finished eating my
meal, I expect a sumptuous dessert afterward. Then, after dinner, you
are going to draw me my bath so I can relax. And when I'm finished
with my bath, guess who's going to dress me and comb my hair?"
His wife replied,

"The fckn Funeral Director would be my guess."
 
Have a nice weekend folks
Warmest Regards
Aaron
 
 

Friends;
Here we just finished cheering one of our own on to a victorious ending in her walk for and incredibly worthy cause.
Then I go to my local news and discover what I'm putting down below this.
Being a survivor,watching all the work seeing all the hopes and then something like this comes along.
MAN am I angry, makes you wonder kind of people some humans are.
Read for yourselves and reach your own conclusions.
I close or now saying that YES, everybody has overhead, but to SKIM off Cancer funds???
Note that this is in Canada, but it could go on anywhere.
Check this out.
Regards
Aaron

Many breast cancer donations don't go into research: study

Last Updated: Wednesday, August 23, 2006 | 5:03 PM ET

CBC News

About one-third of money donated to breast-cancer fundraisers in some cases is not funnelled into research, an Ontario study suggests.

Samantha King, a professor in the school of kinesiology and health studies at Queen's University in Kingston, investigated the use of the donations in American breast cancer fundraisers.

King cited some cases where 36 per cent of donated money was funnelled elsewhere.

"The claim is that it covers overhead," King told CBC News on Wednesday.

She said that corporate-sponsored breast cancer fundraising has become a market-driven industry focused less on research and more on profit.

Meanwhile, King noted, there is still a limited range of treatment options for breast cancer, which is estimated to afflict one in nine women in Canada and kill one in 27

King's book-length manuscript, Pink Ribbons Inc: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy, is due to be published in August.

She said corporations began cashing in on breast cancer fundraising around the time the iconic pink ribbon campaign started.

"The fact that corporations were interested in attaching their names to a disease that used to be so stigmatized was really interesting," King told CBC News.

'In small print, it may say the first $100,000 goes to breast cancer research ? that's in very small print.' -Antoinette MacDonald, president of Breast Cancer in Action Kingston

As breast cancer became a high-profile cause, more organizations found they could raise money by staging events such as walks, she said.

Many fundraisers will put a cap on the amount of money that will be used for research, but that limit is often not well known, King said.

Antoinette MacDonald, president of the charity Breast Cancer in Action Kingston, said people should investigate how their money will be spent before making a donation.

"In small print, it may say the first $100,000 goes to breast cancer research ? that's in very small print," MacDonald said.

CBC News

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2006/08/23/cancer-fundraising.html