• Internet News:
     Thanks again to Don Jardine for providing copies of the Internet News.Copies are available in the Lindsay Library.
• Don also brought a box of "goodies" (software, mouse pad, dust cover...). What was left at the end of the meeting will be draw prizes for the next meeting.

• Q: How do you search a web page for specific text?
  
  A: Click on the menu Edit / Find on this page, then type the text in the pop-up box.



• Q: XP Service Pack 2 is now available. Is it safe to download?
  
  A: (Paul S.) has downloaded and installed it on several machines without any problems. There are some issues with particular software: eg. Nero (CD burning programme) puts up a warning, but it still works.

  One member reported problems with Norton after installing Service Pack 2 (message "Norton doesn't exist")

  Paul explained the secutity issues addressed in Service Pack 2, particularly a "jpg exploit" that could allow access to your computer through a downloaded .jpg (graphics) file.

  It's adviseable to always download "critical updates".




• Note that Microsoft Office products (ie. Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access) are not included in the Service Pack download. To update these you must go to http://office.microsoft.com



• Q: Is Service Pack 2 installed in new machines?
  
  A: Not necessarily - it depends on when the computer was set up. When you buy a new computer, ask to have the tech staff install the lates updates before you take it home (particularly if you are on a dial-up connection.)



• (Paul S.) Service Pack 2 gives you the option of blocking Active X controls, and tracks "cookies".

  In Internet Explorer: Internet Properties / Advanced: You can choose to block "First Party" and/or "Third Party" cookies (Recommended!)




• www.jibjab.com has an animation of Bush & Kerry singing



• (Wally) finding that installing new levels of programs is sometimes counter-productive. They use more resources (so are slower, and/or take up disk space) with no particularly useful new features.
  ZoneAlarm: The tvdebug log file (about 11MB) from Zone Alarm wouldn't go away (see August minutes) so he went back to an older version of ZoneAlarm.
  SpyBot 1.3: takes too long, he went back to 1.2



• SpyBlaster: doesn't delete spyware, it just puts all spyware sites into the Internet Explorer "blocked files" list



• Q: Has anyone had any problems taking a laptop on an airplane?
  
  A: Several people replied they had had no probles with laptops, cell phones or PDAs.



• File management: (eg. opening, saving, deleting, finding files). Norm asked if anyone would be interested in a meeting on this topic. The general consensus was "yes", so Anne will prepare a demo for a future meeting.



• Forwarding emails: Wally reminded people to delete all the extraneous information before forwarding messages - particularly all the email addresses at the beginning. (All those addresses are a golden opportunity for spammers!)



• Q: Forwarding pictures: How do you include an imbedded graphic in a forwarded email?
  
  A: Set your Outlook Express options: Tools / Options /Send / HTML Settings: "Send pictures with messages"



• Q: File Types:(Norm) What are vcard /vcal file types?
  
  A: No-one knew off-hand, but Paul suggested looking them up on Google - in general, that's the fastest way to find answers!



• Q: "Modem & router out of synch": (Lisa) had problems with her DSL connection, and when she phoned the provider (Primus) was given this answer. When she unplugged then re-connected, the connection was restored.
  
  A: Paul said router problems are not uncommon. It's a good idea to check for firmware updates from the manufacturer's web site.



• www.crimealerts.nethas current (OPP) road closures, road & weather conditions, and crime reports.(Lisa)



• www.mirc.com has fact on IRC (Internet Relay Chat)(Paul)
  

Out thanks to Rob Woollard for an entertaining (and informative!) tour, as Rob shared his experiences buying and selling items on eBay. Some tips from Rob's presentation:

• www.eBay.ca is the Canadian site
• www.eBay.com is the US site. If you are selling, you get more exposure here.
• Many eBay vendors buy their producst from wholesalers, and may never actually handle the products they sell: they have the purchased products shipped directly to their eBay customer. www.vistawholesale.com is just one of many wholesalers. To find others, Google "drop shippers".
• eBoys by Randall e. Stross: a book about venture capitalists
• There is no charge for registering with eBay. To sell a product, there is a listing fee (varies with the listing price) and a selling fee (likewise). When listing a product, you can opt for additional paid features (eg, the first picture is free, additional ones have a fee.)
• Rob recommends setting up a PayPal account if you use eBay. PayPal guarantees the price if the seller or purchaser reneges. (PayPal is now owned by eBay)
• Many Canadian eBay vendors list, and deal in $US currency. It's handy to have a $US currency bank account.
• When buying from eBay, watch for shipping costs. Some vendors list their products at low prices, then pad the shipping costs.
• Rob uses Canada Post for shipping, and recommends insuring all packages. He has had experience with itmes arriving broken. Canada Post reimbursed the purchaser for the entire price.
• You can look up postal costs (by size and weight) at www.canadapost.ca. In general, it is more expensive to ship to eastern Canada than western Canada, and often is cheaper to ship to the US than in Canada.
• Some eBay products (eg. information, reports, etc.) can be sent by email.
• eBay vendors are given a rating by their purchasers. You can check a vendor's rating (percentage of satisfied customers) before making a purchase.
• TurboLister is a (free) program to set up eBay listings offline, then upload in batch. (It saves typing time, but takes a while to do the upload).