*This section last updated March 2nd, 2004
*This section last updated March 2nd, 2004This part of my website will list various sites, resources and programs that I have found handy and useful.
Those who know me will realise that an entry here on my website must really mean that the site/program I list is good - I'm kind of renowned for being hard to please :)
I'll provide a brief description for each entry and if you click any of the links it will open a new window with further details of the product or resource.
N.B. I am not associated in any way with any of the software manufacturers whose programs are listed on this page and I do not receive any form of payment for including program information/advertising on this page.
Norton Internet Security
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Security and privacy have always been important to me whilst surfing the net. Regular surfers will already know the risks involved from hackers and viruses etc.
I became even more concerned about security when I changed to a Broadband internet connection which means that my PC is now always connected to the net. I checked out various products both online and offline and the best I found was Norton Internet Security.
I was lucky (or unlucky?) enough to find myself chatting to a hacker in a chat room many months ago, and while discretely picking his brain I found out that he chose Norton software to protect his own PC. Hackers more than anyone will know what's good and what's not, so I presumed from this revelation that Norton software must indeed be very good.
I read independent reviews of the product and downloaded the free trial version to check it out for myself. Although NIS was slightly more expensive than some other security software packages in the marketplace I had no qualms about buying it.
In my opinion it's top quality software and it gives peace of mind to the user with regard security. Money well spent. Since installing the full program I have been much more at ease with leaving my PC connected all the time.
As far as being user-friendly, on a scale of 1-10, the software itself gets an 8 from me. Configuring the software is pretty straight forward, and after install the software 'walks you through' the configuration giving clear information and recommendations for each feature. In actual fact, for the majority of users the default installation settings will be fine, therefore the task of configuring the software is eliminated. Advanced users will find configuration a piece of cake.
What does the software do you may ask. It does the following:
Sets up a personal firewall that protects your PC and data from curious intruders, malicious hackers, and attacks by rogue Web sites. The Personal Firewall is a filter that, when enabled, intercepts both inbound and outbound connection attempts on your computer and decides whether to permit or block them based on a list of rules. The Personal Firewall can protect against data being transmitted without your knowledge. It can warn you about attempts to use resources on your computer that you might otherwise not know about, help you learn about the resources your computer makes available to others on the Internet, and provide you with a way to control what connects to your computer and what your computer can connect to.
The software allows greater privacy by allowing you to decide how to deal with cookies. Cookies are bits of information that web servers store on your computer for their later use. Web servers can use cookies to keep track of how many times you've visited and when, and what sort of information you've been surfing for on their site. They can even use cookies to pass that information on to other web servers, such as advertisement servers. On the positive side, cookies can be used to store your own Web site configuration, to remember items placed in your shopping cart at an online shopping site, or to store account and password information for subscription sites. You may not want to block all cookies, which is why Norton Internet Security lets you permit or block cookies on a per-site basis. Also, when you click a link to a web page, your browser makes a quick note of what page you are currently viewing. When it sends the request for the new page, it passes that information on to the new server. That lets web servers that you visit know where you've just been, which is information that you might prefer to keep to yourself. When referrer fields are permitted, your browser tells a web server that you are visiting that you clicked a link to get to them. It also tells the server what page it was that you were just visiting. When referrer fields are blocked, however, the web server that you are getting a page from has no more information than if you just typed the URL into your browser or clicked it in your bookmarks. NIS allows you to block or allow such information to be passed on to websites you visit.
Block banner ads and reduce other visual distractions on web pages. As we all know, banner ads are everywhere. Some are so discrete we don't even see them, but others are a pain in the butt. NIS allows you to configure the software so as to block or allow banner ads. By blocking such ads it improves the speed of your surfing because you don't have to keep downloading all those irritating banners. A very handy feature.
Parental Control. Block objectionable Web sites and specify which types of Internet programs (newsgroups, chat programs, email and so on) can be used by family members. This is especially useful for those people who share a PC with other members of the household, especially children. The parental control feature of NIS allows you to set up rules for individual users. This is handy because you might want to be free to surf certain websites yourself but you don't wish other members of the household to have such freedom. For example, my default ID and settings in NIS allow me freedom to surf as I please. If ever I allow other people to use my PC (especially kids) I log the PC onto a different ID and set of rules which block adult sites etc.
NIS comes with Norton Anti-Virus built in. The anti-virus software is first class. You can have it set for real-time protection that means whenever you open or run a file/program, the software checks to make sure it is virus free. It also automatically scans incoming and outgoing e-mails to ensure they are virus free before you open/send them.
Both NIS and Norton Anti-Virus come with live-update which allows you to automatically download updates to the software free of charge (for 12 months). New viruses and security risks are discovered all the time and so keeping your software up to date is important. A quick click with your mouse and the software checks for, retrieves and installs the latest updates automatically or you can set the program to update automatically without you having to do anything at all. Perfect.
When you install the software, all of these features are set to the default settings which are suitable for the majority of users. Configuration is not required and so the less technical amongst you do not need lose any sleep over how to configure all these technical features. Believe me, I am anything but technical, but I managed to set it all up.
The latest version of the software is compatible with Windows XP Home/XP Pro/ 2000 Pro/NT WS/Me/98.
The price for the software is around $70 US. UK surfers can buy the software on and offline at around £40. The NIS website contains price lists for other users.
Click here to go to the NIS website
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This is one of the best programs I have found, and it's free !! It's a super little program which can be used for viewing image, video and sound files.
I had several image/video viewers on the PC but I became frustrated by most of them and sought out a program that was free, easy to use and loaded images FAST.
I use the program only for viewing images and it's perfect for me because when I click on an image file it loads in irfanview INSTANTLY, no waiting for large programs to load and no fuss. The program is very easy to configure and use. You can set the program so that it deals with just the image/video/sound files you want. For example, I use it for all image files (jpg, gif, bmp, tiff etc.) and wav files but not for video files as I prefer another video viewer.
It's a small file to download so it won't take long and I am sure you won't regret it !!
Click here to go to the Irfanview website
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Microsoft Products Help
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Ever since the day I bought and set up my first PC I have been frustrated as hell by problems of one sort and another.
I'm not really into reading manuals and help files (no patience), instead, I choose to click everything and hope for the best. Of course, such tardiness leads to further problems and when all else fails, I've found a great resource for helping me get out of a real mess.
I've never been one for reading newsgroups, I always thought they were littered with spam, but discovering the Microsoft Support newsgroups has been such a blessing.
I don't think the newsgroups are dealt with by Microsoft themselves, instead, they seem to be dealt with by other PC users and the occasional Microsoft aware technician.
Whenever I find myself wondering how to change some annoying feature in a program, or trying to fix a problem that has started, or, as is normally the case, trying to get myself out of a mess that I got myself into, I always head for the newsgroups. Most of the solutions to the problems I have had are dealt with in messages that are already in there. If I cannot find an answer, I just post a message to the newsgroup and there is always someone willing to offer advice and help (very often several people respond).
The following link takes you to the main Microsoft Support newsgroup website which contains links to all newsgroups relating to Microsoft products.
Main Microsoft support newsgroup page
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This website is only useful for UK residents.
Bananalotto is a totally free lottery which offers surfers the chance to win up to £1million every day of the week.
You play by choosing 6 numbers and a banana number (7 numbers in all from 49), then registering your details (this only needs done once), then finally, to confirm your selection you must click on an advertising banner (this is why it's free - advertising).
The smaller prizes are pretty crap, but hey, it's free so we can't complain, and let's face it, no-one is playing to win the smaller prizes, we are playing to win the million !!
The prizes are as follows:
Match 2 numbers you win vouchers
Match 3 numbers you win vouchers
Match 4 numbers you win £5
Match 5 numbers you win £50
Match 6 numbers you win £100,000
Match 6 numbers and the banana number you win £1million
*Please note - I, personally, have had experience of receiving junk e-mail from Bananalotto and its associates. Please use your e-mail address carefully.
Click here to go to the bananalotto website
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Steve's UK Lottery Site
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Still on the topic of gambling, this website is a great resource for players of the UK National Lottery.
The site is well maintained and easy to use. You can get information including draw results and prize payouts on both the midweek and Saturday National Lottery draws, and also the Thunderball draw.
Another handy feature on the site is Steve's lottery checker. By entering your numbers into a simple java applet type thingey, you can check to see if you have won a prize from the past few lottery draws. Especially handy if you have been away and/or have missed the draw results.
If you are tired of your numbers and fed up not winning from the lucky dips, there is also a number generator on the site for you to try your luck.
From the site, you can download a shareware version of Steve's own lottery program. I have the program and it's great !! It allows me to control and check my tickets with no fuss. Especially handy if you are responsible for running a syndicate. It's only a tenner to register the program and in my opinion it's well worth it.
Click here to go to Steve's UK Lottery website
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Vopt is a defrag program.
I had always used either Windows defrag program or Norton defrag but both programs were incredibly slow. Sometimes it would take hours to defrag my hard drive with those programs.
Someone recommended the Vopt program and so I downloaded the trial version of the software.
The first thing I must say about Vopt is that it is FAST. It defrags my hard drive in about 30 minutes compared to other programs which take hours.
It has some other useful features, of which you can read about on their website.
You can download a trial version of the software and to buy it costs £24 ($40 USD) for a single user version.
Click here to go to the Vopt website
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BT Online Directory Enquiry's Service
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This service is invaluable just now, what with all the confusion over the Directory Enquiries number change. Even after all their advertising I still haven't a clue what I am supposed to dial instead of 192!
Even if I did know one of the various numbers which have replaced 192, I would still have to pay upwards of 45p every time I needed a phone number, whereas the BT site finds the number for free.
I've used the site for many months and it's a bit on the temperamental side. When it works, however, it's great and saves a fortune on your phone bill.
One piece of advice - if it throws up an error after you search or click to continue through the search results, DO NOT give up there ! Click back on your browser and hit the link you hit previously, chances are it will load the correct page on your second attempt. Like I said, the site is temperamental, but it does work, believe me. You are restricted to the number of searches you can do per day but if you register (it's free) you can do about 200 searches.
The following link takes you to the BT Website. Click the Directory Enquiries link on the right hand side of that page.
Click here to go to the BT Directory Enquiry's website
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UK Streetmap Service
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This site is great if you are looking to get from A to B but haven't a clue how to do go about it.
You can enter a London Street, UK Post Code, UK place, OS grid, landranger grid, lat/Long or even a telephone Code.
The telephone code search facility is very handy if you want to know where a person is calling from.
It's a free service.
Click here to go to the UK streetmap website
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UK Postcodes Online
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This site is ideal for finding the postcode for any address in the UK.
We are told by the postal services that using postcodes speeds up mail delivery etc. and so they have made it even easier for us to find any postcode we need by way of this site.
It's easy to use and is a free service.
Click here to go to the UK Postcodes online website
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Download.com
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When I am looking to get a new program for the PC, my first port of call for many years has been Download.com.
It has links to many thousands of programs and a vast amount of information relating to software you may wish to download.
It's a free service, although there may be a charge for any software you wish to download.
*N.B. - It is best to filter your search results to find software that is best suited to you by operating system and license (i.e. shareware, freeware and demo).
Click here to go to the Download.com website
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This is a health related site. This one is a new, rather useful UK based website which is full of helpful resources on health.
Click here to go to the NetDoctor website
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Your fav song on the stereo, you, a hairbrush and a mirror. Familiar ? Great if you know all the words eh ? But if you don't, this site can help. It has tens of thousands of lyrics and if it doesn't have what you are looking for you can request it.
Enter the artist or song title into the box below and press enter on your keyboard to search for what you want. You may also click the 'Browse All Lyrics' link to go to the main lyrics website.
Happy singing :)
I found this little e-mail checking program ages ago and wouldn't be without it now.
LetterBox is a POP3 e-mail notification program that sits quietly in your System Tray and, at a preset intervals, checks to see whether any e-mail has arrived for you. It is fully configurable, allowing you to check multiple accounts. The program plays a WAV file to alert you when you have new mail and can be configured to run your e-mail program when new e-mail is found.
A very handy feature is that it allows you to delete mail from the server without having wasted time downloading it - ideal for getting rid of spam etc.
Perhaps the best feature of Letterbox is that you can create rules so that unwanted e-mails are automatically deleted from the server according to rules you specify and so on.
I highly recommend this little program, especially if you are bothered by Spam. Oh, and it's free.
Click here to go to the Letterbox Website
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Yale HSA3500 Communicating Alarm System
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This product differs from the rest in that it isn't something to benefit your computer or your online experience. Well, it can benefit your computer - by protecting it from burglars.
Ever since I've had my own house I've been security conscious. In my very first house I had a professional alarm system installed at a cost of £4000. A lot of money, but there was little alternative back then.
Nowadays, however, things have changed - for the better.
When my partner and I bought our present house I decided immediately that I wanted an alarm. I had a look online and discovered the Yale HSA3500 Communicating System. I read many independent reviews on the system, including reviews by companies who rated it so highly that they were falling over themselves to dish out awards.
Other than the impressive list of features that the system boasted, I was well impressed by the price. For what I needed it would be under £300; a damn sight better than the £4000 I spent some years ago on an inferior system!
I bought the system from Homebase and installed it myself in under an hour. It quite literally couldn't have been easier.
The instruction manual was, in itself, impressive. It guided me through the installation procedure in plain, easy to follow, English and even provided pictures so that I could see if I was doing things right.
Other than the price, I was attracted to the fact that the system was wirefree and communicating. When I say wirefree I mean that other than the control panel, everything else is wirefree. The control panel needs to be plugged in to the mains and connected to the phone-line but everything else from the sensors to the siren-box is totally wirefree. The communicating part means that the alarm communicates with me and vice-versa. So, for example - If I leave the house and can't remember if I set the alarm, I can call the alarm system itself and check the status. If I had forgotten to set the alarm I can do so by phone using my PIN. Also, and perhaps more importantly, the best feature in the communicating aspect of the system is that the alarm phones me if the alarm goes off. In fact, it will call up to 6 telephone numbers of my choice - international and mobiles included!
It goes without saying that I get great piece of mind having the alarm installed, but more than that, I get even greater piece of mind when I am away from home knowing that if the alarm goes off it will call me to alert me to the fact so that I can reset it (in the event of a false alarm) or contact the emergency services if required.
As an additional extra, I purchased a remote control for the system which I keep by my bedside. On the remote there is a panic button which, when pressed, starts the alarm and starts calling the numbers I have programmed into the control panel. Very handy in a medical emergency or if you waken in the night to find an intruder in the house.
Yet another handy feature is that I can call my house and listen-in to what's going on. This feature would be especially useful if, say, my partner had fallen or taken ill and was unable to reach the phone but had managed to depress the panic button. I could call the alarm and talk to him to get details of what had happened and reassure him or whatever. Mostly, however, I use this feature to listen-in to the dog! lol She has a habit of barking non-stop when we leave her alone in the house and so, for peace of mind, I often call the alarm so that I can find out if she is barking.
Yet another handy feature of the system is that it can be set to alert you whenever your doors are opened - whenever someone opens my front or back doors the control panel bleeps twice - so nobody can sneak in and surprise me or sneak off with the family silver.
The system can be armed in one of two modes - Home and Full. I use the full-arm mode when I am leaving the house empty and the home mode at night when I am home and in bed. When the system is fully-armed, all of the sensors and detectors are activated. When in home mode, only some of the sensors and detectors are activated. For example - I programmed my system so that the door contacts and the sensors in the lounge and dining-room are activated in both full and home mode. The upstairs sensors are inactive when set in home mode (which I only use at night) as this allows me to get up in the night and go to the bathroom or downstairs for a glass of water without setting off the alarm or having to unset then reset it.
The entire system can be programmed to do whatever it is I want. I have both doors set as entry points, which means that when the alarm is set, the control panel starts a 30-second countdown to allow me to enter my PIN and disarm the system. If the PIN isn't entered, the alarm will go off after the 30-second timeout. Some people might prefer a back door to be set on the burglar setting which would mean that the alarm would go off whenever the back door is opened (when armed, of course).
£179 (from Homebase) will get you the basic HSA3500 system which includes - Control Panel, Siren Box, 1 PIR (movement) sensor and 1 Door Contact. You can purchase extra PIR (movement) sensors and Door Contacts as required. PIR sensors are about £25 and Door Contacts are £20. (The average 3-bedroomed house would need 1 extra PIR (for upstairs) and 1 extra door-contact.) The remote control I mentioned earlier costs about £20 and is very useful. I also have the smoke-detector (£25) which sounds the alarm in the event of a fire. It's not as sensitive as normal smoke detectors and won't go off whenever the toast is burnt. There is also a 'help watch' available for the system which is ideal for the elderly or infirm as they can wear it on their wrist (or around their neck on a chain). If they are in need of assistance in the event of an accident or emergency - at the touch of a button the Help Watch will trigger the alarm and attract attention.
I cannot recommend the HSA3500 alarm enough. It's inexpensive, very easy to install and use, and packed full of extremely useful features. The peace of mind it gives is unbelievable and something I couldn't be without.
Click here to go to the Yale Website
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This product is, again, something unrelated to the Internet, but something I just had to include on this page.
Sky+ is a digital video recording system. Eh? In laymans terms - a video but without the need for tapes.
In fact, it's more than that - it has features that, as the advertisement for the product states - "Will change the way you watch TV forever".
I'd heard about the alternative digital video system - Tivo and looked into getting it when I moved home last year. Tivo seemed like a good system but it looked a little too confusing for me, and it meant having yet another box to fit into an already crowded TV unit. So, having discovered the alternative - Sky+ I set about finding out about the system and what it offered.
At first glance it seemed very user-friendly i.e. easy to use (a must for me!) and, more importantly, it didn't involve getting another box - it replaced my existing Sky box. The downside, however, was that it was a little bit more expensive than it's rival - Tivo.
I researched both systems and at the end of it I decided that it was worth paying the little extra for Sky+. It did everything (and more) that I wanted and it didn't give me the hassle of trying to cram another box into my TV unit and another remote-control to lay about my sofa!
So, what does Sky+ do? -
· It records programmes without the need for video tapes. (You can record about 20 hours of TV onto the hard-disc.) You can even use the 'Series Link' feature which basically records every episode of a programme automatically without you having to remember to set it.
· It allows you to pause live TV - ideal if the phone rings, or someone knocks on the door right in the middle of your favourite programme.
· It allows you to rewind (up to an hour) - perfect if you come in half-way through a programme that you wanted to watch, or, if you just want to watch a particular scene again e.g. a spectacular goal in the footie.
· It allows you to watch one satellite channel while recording the other. Something, up till now, we were unable to do.
· It allows you to 'Dual Record' i.e. record two programmes at the same time. When you are using Dual Record you cannot watch a third channel but you can watch a program you have already recorded.
It is sooooo easy to use too. If you are used to the normal Sky programme guide then you will pick it up immediately - all you do is find the programme you want, press the 'R' button on your remote and that's it set to record. Or, if you decide on the spur of the moment that you want to record a programme which is on already (or tape the rest of it coz you want to go to bed or something) you simply press the 'R' button on the remote and it will tape the remainder of the programme.
When you want to watch something you have recorded, you simply press the 'TV Guide' button on the remote and enter the Sky+ section where all your recorded programmes are stored. Find the programme you want to watch, press play - simple as that. When you've finished watching it you can delete it or keep it - the choice is yours. Oh, and you can also watch something you've recorded whilst you are recording something else! You can't do that with a video!
The system keeps all the programme information too, so you won't get confused if you have more than one episode of the same programme as it clearly states the time, date and length of each programme, along with a brief synopsis of the episode.
Other than the fact that I don't have to hunt through a zillion tapes to find a blank one, or watch every tape until I find something I recorded a month ago or whatever, the other thing I love about Sky+ is the live pause and rewind facility - you wouldn't believe how handy they are! Now there is no need to miss the end of a programme or film because the phone rings or whatever, I just press pause or, if I forget to press pause, I simply rewind the programme when I am ready. Also, if you have a partner like mine who has the amazing ability of deciding to say something just as someone on TV says something crucial (like revealing who the murderer is!) you don't have to scream and shout at him thus missing even more of the programme, you remain calm, glower at him and press rewind - fantastic! :)
Using the live-pause and rewind features do mean that you are 'behind' but you can easily fast-forward through the adverts in order to catch-up. It's a bit of a pain, however, if you've paused Corrie at 745pm for 10 minutes and you want to watch Easties on BBC1 at 8. You'd be able to catch-up a bit by speeding through the adverts but you'd still miss the start of Easties. If that happens with me I simply scan to BBC1 and set Sky+ to record Easties. No big deal really, but something you should be aware of. N.B. Being behind isn't an issue if you stay on the same channel - you are simply 'behind' until you stop viewing. i.e. it's only an issue (of sorts) if you plan on changing channel to watch something which starts before your present programme ends. But then, such a conflict is something we face with or without Sky+.
The price of Sky+ has come down a lot in the past year and I believe you can now buy it for under £200. As well as having to purchase the Sky+ box (which replaces your existing Sky box if you have one) you have to pay a subscription for the service which is, at present, £10 a month (that's on top of your Sky subscription). In my opinion it is well worth the money, especially if you watch a lot of TV and/or find it a complete hassle trying to work video recorders (especially the timer!) and faffing about with tapes.
More information can be found on the Sky+ Website, a link to which can be found below.
Click here to go to the Sky+ Website
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