Scoop’s Views

One TV show I used to watch, and have watched since it was introduced about three years ago, The Unit, has had its current season halted, and despite pulling in high ratings before the writer’s strike, may be axed by idiots in CBS’ entertainment division.

It seems an online petition has been started in an attempt to “save” The Unit from the proverbial TV show scrap pile. Although I’m not a big fan of online petitions, I’ve seen several TV shows that were “saved” as a result of such actions by viewers. Since I already said I enjoyed the show, I will push others to sign the petition in an attempt to keep the show on-the-air.

Tags: Are You Stupider than a 5th Grader, armed forces, Big Brother, Bones, CBS, CNN, combat veterans, Comcast, Comcrap, Delta Force, Fox 29, headlines, House, knowledge, Lost, Military Channel, military families, National Geographic, NCIS, News, online petition, Philadelphia, renewed, research, Season 4, Special Forces, Survivor, The Unit, Troop Space, Two-and-a-Half-Men, veterans, Weather, writer's strike

It’s no secret to many people who know me that I’m active alpha- (or pre-beta, as some tests call it) and beta-test participant. In fact, I love be…

Tags: 500gigs, alpha-testing, beta testers, beta testing, beta tests, downsized, Ethics, graphics software, incentives, integrity, NDA, non-disclosure agreements, operating systems, pre-beta, rewards, serial devices, storage devices, storage units, USB devices, Win2k, Windows 2000, Windows Vista, Windows XP, WinVista, WinXP

Are you one of those people who are constantly on-the-go? Do you work in more than one location, such as in an office, remotely — whether from home, other work sites, or customer locations — and do you work with large volumes of information? If you said yes, then get your four gigabyte USB flash drive handy.

Back in the early days of personal computers — in the late 1970s and early 1980s — there was talk that computers would one day lead to paperless offices. If you read reports that come out every few years, that’s hardly the case. Even so, it doesn’t mean you need to be buried under paper copies of everything you deal with on a regular basis.

In case I’ve not made myself clear in the past about my need for the latest and great, let me clarify: I love new toys, tools, gadgets, and gizmos. I love alpha- and beta-testing, mostly because I get to play with new hardware, software, gadgets, accessories, and such before they are on the market, but more because I love new advances in technology.

Tags: audio, CDs, daily backups, DVDs, HD, HDTV, High Definition, Nero, Nero 8 Ultra Edition, Nero 8 Ultra Edition Enhanced, Nero Burning ROM, PlayStation 3, video, Xbox, Xbox 360

Have you ever been in one of those situations where you needed some key information about your computer quickly? Perhaps you called Microsoft’s Tech Support about an issue and needed the serial number for your operating system, or maybe you need your Windows Vista or Windows XP product key to do a quick re-install. You can find the CD, but that long product key is misplaced. If you don’t have the case with the sticker, chances are, Microsoft won’t tell you the product key, as you could be pirating the software.

Tags: Code Plex, codeplex.com, MS Windows utilities, software development, Vista Ultimate, Windows, Windows Product Key Finder, Windows utilities, Windows Vista

Five years ago, even less in many cases, a lot of businesses didn’t have Web sites, let alone email, so customers could shoot off an email or check the site to see if the store carries a certain product.

After three days of email exchanges, Oliver sent me an alpha version of cForms 5.4. Alpha versions of development — pre-beta releases. Betas are basically “stable” products that are being considered for release. I’ve been alpha- and beta-testing for almost 20 years, so I backed up my database, installed and activated cForms 5.4 alpha, and went to work.

Keeping my RSS feeds up-to-date is important. I keep tabs on general news items, on specific news items, and on specific interests in various areas, not always in the news. I also have my favorite RSS feeds from blogs, Web sites, and other outlets to keep me abreast of current events, such as a new podcast has been uploaded on one of the sites I visit.

Are blogging packages, such as WordPress, TypeP…

If you are like most folks who work online, or, for that matter, like most anyone who uses email, you are engaged in a never-ending battle against SPAM.

Here’s a great plan — the Business plan — that I would suggest you consider using. I use a few of those, and right now, for $7.49 a month, how many of those plans could you get for the price you’re paying at your current host? If my memory serves correct, somewhere around 9-1/2 packages.

The latest tool I found, which I just mentioned, is WriteToMyBlog. It’s a web-based blogging editor, hosted on a site by Mark W. B. Ashcroft, in Australia. I can’t say that I’d use WriteToMyBlog for posting, as I often hand code my entries or use the non-WYSIWYG editor in Wordpress. From what I see of the WriteToMyBlog site, though, it’s a great and handy tool for those new to blogging, as well as those unfamiliar with coding.

Tags: bloggers, Blogging, site reviews, WriteToMyBlog