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ComputorEdge™ Online — 08/03/12

Click to Visit ComputorEdge™ Online on the Web!

Many More Little Known High-Tech Stories

A Plethora of Interesting Computer and Internet Items, Plus Digital Dave, Wally Wang and More.

Magazine Summary

List of ComputorEdge Sponsors

Digital Dave

by Digital Dave

Digital Dave answers your tech questions.

Disappearing Interner Explorer Icon on Taskbar; Sharing Large Amounts of Data and Files; Strange Behavior in Firefox.

Little Known High-Tech Stories

by Marilyn K. Martin

Melting Money, Egraphs, Hacker Hostels and Live-streaming Weddings

Money is Melting; More Accessible Science; Next Gen Celebrity; Social Apps; Penguin E-books; Consumer Spending Dropping; Open Access; Hacker Hostels; Buying/Selling Online; Wedding Technology; Privacy Violations; Drone Issues; Ultraviolet Light Source; Reality Show; Massive Open Online Courses; Faster Broadband Speeds; Washington State High-Tech; Facebook Update.

Windows Tips and Tricks: More AutoHotkey—Possibly the Best Free Windows Utility Ever!

by Jack Dunning

Using StringReplace to Search and Replace Any Text, Anywhere, Anytime.

So far we've demonstrated straight forward text substitution and manipulation. Now it's time to do search and replace for multiple items.

Wally Wang's Apple Farm

by Wally Wang

Upgrade or Wait on Mountain Lion?

Upgrade or Wait on Mountain Lion?; Facebook Monetization Problems; Recording Audio and Video From the Screen; An Operating System Dilemma; Strange Security; IBM's Think App; Safari 6.

Worldwide News & Product Reviews

by Charles Carr

The latest in tech news and hot product reviews.

The Cloud: A Woman's Friend or Foe?; DRAM: Too Much of a Good Thing?; Are You Willing to Pay More for 4G?; Keep Your MacBook Pro Scratch-free.

Editor's Letters: Tips and Thoughts from Readers

by ComputorEdge Staff

Computer and Internet tips, plus comments on the articles and columns.

"Changing Drive Letters," "File Sharing," "Poz Cannot Open All His Home Movie"

Send mail to ceeditor@computoredge.com with questions about editorial content.

Send mail to webmaster@computoredge.com with questions or comments about this Web site.

Copyright © 1997-2012 The Byte Buyer, Inc.

ComputorEdge Magazine, P.O. Box 83086, San Diego, CA 92138. (858) 484-1998

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Digital Dave

“Digital Dave answers your tech questions.”
by Digital Dave

Disappearing Interner Explorer Icon on Taskbar; Sharing Large Amounts of Data and Files; Strange Behavior in Firefox.

Disappearing Interner Explorer Icon on Taskbar

Dear Digital Dave,

Long time reader, first time writer (I actually have a few articles from as far back as 2004 saved in a folder in my file cabinet from when CE was hardcopy).

My problem is: I have an Internet Explorer icon pinned to the Taskbar in the lower left corner next to the Start icon. I used to be able to click on the IE icon and it would open up my homepage in an IE window. I could click on it several times and it would open a new window each time. I could open several windows of my homepage by clicking on the icon.

Currently, when I start my computer, the IE icon is there, but if I click on it it opens up only one time and the icon is no longer there. The Web page is listed, but the icon is gone so I am unable to open another new window by clicking on the IE icon. How do I get my computer to act as it did before?

I want to be able to click on the IE icon and be able to open many windows. I have done many searches online about this but I haven't found an answer. I have Windows 7 Home Premium installed on an HP p6813w desktop.

Thank you for your time with this.

Mike Simpson

Englewood, CO

Dear Mike,

I have not seen this one before, but others have. Apparently you may need to refresh the icon cache. (While I tested this on a Windows 7 computer and it ran fine, I have no way of knowing if it will actually fix your problem—other than the fact that people with the same problem said it worked for them.)

Create a new text file on your Desktop by right-clicking and selecting New => Text File. Give the file an appropriate name such as RefreshCache with the BAT (batch file) extension (RefreshCache.bat). A batch file is an interactive file type which Windows can run directly through the Command Prompt. It uses text commands.

Right-click on the BAT file and select Edit. Notepad (or your default text editor) will open. Select, Copy (CRTL+C) and Paste (CTRL+V) the following into the file:

taskkill /F /IM explorer.exe

cd /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local

attrib -h IconCache.db

del IconCache.db

start explorer

Save and close the file.

Make sure Internet Explorer is closed, then right-click on the file icon on the Desktop and select "Run as administrator."

You will see a lot of action on your Desktop and Taskbar as it does its job. Reboot when the process is completed. Hopefully, this will restore your Taskbar icon to its original state.

One point about Windows 7 is that unlike earlier version of Windows, only the first click of a Taskbar icon will quick launch a program. Once the first instance of the program is loaded, clicking the icon will merely minimizes and maximizes the open window. (This does not apply to Internet Explorer which has its own unique Taskbar icon behavior displaying thumbnails of all opened IE tabs when the cursor hovers over the Taskbar tab.) Additional instances of a program can be launched by holding down the SHIFT key and clicking the Taskbar icon or right-clicking on the icon and selecting the program name from the jump list. This technique also works for Internet Explorer.

Digital Dave

Sharing Large Amounts of Data and Files

Dear Digital Dave,

What's the best way to share large amounts of data/files from one state in the USA to another? I will be needing to access data from two different computers, at home, and a carried laptop when I make frequent out-of-state visits and need to access info from an external hard drive!

Thanks,

Randy

San Diego, CA

Dear Randy,

You have a number of options and depending upon your situation some may work better than others.

The first one you may want to check out is a Virtual Private Network (VPN). One that I have used is Hamachi from LogMeIn. A VPN sets up a secure network over the Internet which you can use to connect your computers—even if they change location. This is useful since you can map directly to drives and use printers regardless of where you are located. However, since you are working over the Internet, the drive access speed will depend upon the speed of your connection. If you're working with a large file remotely, it may take a while to load and save.

I have mapped drives between my desktop and laptop computers which are available over the VPN. That way I can work with original files on either computer always loading from and saving to the same location on the same computer. It works at home as well as when away, but it is a little slower when I'm traveling.

LogMeIn Hamachi is free for up to five users with an annual fee for more—although it appears to be only a few dollars a month. Rates vary depending upon services.

Another option which has come up quite a bit recently is a Cloud service called Dropbox. Dropbox sets up a special shared folder on each computer. The way it works is by syncing each computer first to the common Internet folder on a Dropbox server, then to each machine. The positive side of this is that you have an exact copy of the folder on each computer. When you open a Dropbox file after syncing, there is no lag caused by the Internet since it is on your computer.

Dropbox may be better for handling large files. As long as you have an Internet connection the syncing is automatic. If you put a large file (or large number of files) into the Dropbox folder on your computer, it will immediately start uploading to the Cloud, then download to the other computers. This process is still affected by Internet speeds, but will continue in the background.

It's important that you remember that you are working with a copy on each computer. Once you make a change to Dropbox one file, it will be changed at all the other locations via the Cloud. You will not have remote access to all the other folders on your remote hard drives, but can set up shared folders in the Dropbox. Dropbox offers two gigs of storage free and you can purchase more.

If you have the Professional or Business level version of Windows, then you can work directly on that computer remotely with Windows Remote Desktop Connection. You will still need a VPN to make the connection (unless you have a fixed external IP assigned to the computer). You can use LogMeIn Hamachi for the VPN.

Windows Remote Desktop Connection will give you full control of the host computer over the Internet, almost as if you were there. (There are a few administrative functions which are disabled for security reasons.) I have a laptop with the Home Premium version of Windows. The desktop computer has the Profession version of Windows. While I can't control my Home Premium laptop with the desktop, I have total control of the Professional desktop with the laptop. Since I carry the laptop with me on my journeys, I have no need to access it remotely, whereas the desktop needs to be available to me all of the time.

Digital Dave

Strange Behavior in Firefox

Dear Digital Dave,

I have one problem and one general question I'm hoping you can help me with. The problem is while I am on the net using Firefox as my browser, none of the videos I click on (YouTube and others) work. When I open Chrome everything works fine, so what's the deal with Firefox?

My general question is, when you download an antivirus program, does it only work when you are using the browser you were using when you downloaded it? In other words, if I downloaded Ad-aware while using Chrome, does it still work when I use Firefox as my browser? Any help or guidance most appreciated as always. Have enjoyed your column for many years.

Joe Piluso

San Diego, CA

Dear Joe,

While the Google Chrome browser includes Adobe Flash Player, other browsers require the plug-in to be downloaded separately. This is generally prompted when you try to play a video without Flash installed. However, occasionally there are problems with new releases of Flash as has happened just recently.

The first thing you should try is downloading and installing the latest version of Flash for Firefox. The problem is supposed to be fixed now. If that doesn't work then perhaps you should rollback to an earlier version of the Flash Firefox plug-in. If nothing seems to do the job maybe this other Mozilla support page will help.

As for your antivirus program question, while you can use any browser to download the programs, they are not browser specific. When you install an antivirus program it is generally installed system wide, affecting all aspects of computing which may be susceptible to malware. This is one reason why it is recommended that you only have one security program running at a time. They have a high probability for interfering with each other. When they do a scan of a system, they are checking all the same things while looking for problems.

There is no one antivirus program that detects everything. This is why some people recommend using more than one product when trying to clean off malware. However, you still need to run only one program at a time.

Digital Dave

Little Known High-Tech Stories

“Melting Money, Egraphs, Hacker Hostels and Live-streaming Weddings”
by Marilyn K. Martin

Money is Melting; More Accessible Science; Next Gen Celebrity; Social Apps; Penguin E-books; Consumer Spending Dropping; Open Access; Hacker Hostels; Buying/Selling Online; Wedding Technology; Privacy Violations; Drone Issues; Ultraviolet Light Source; Reality Show; Massive Open Online Courses; Faster Broadband Speeds; Washington State High-Tech; Facebook Update.

Canada's New Plastic Money is Melting

How embarrassing! The Bank of Canada rolled out new high-tech, plastic polymer bills last winter, bragging that this new form of money was recyclable, impossible to rip, and "nearly counterfeit-proof." But then along came the news that the bills don't fare well in heat, and are reportedly curling up like frying bacon, or melting together in hot cars or back pockets. Australia has been using polymer bills since the 1980s, with few or no melting problems in a much hotter country. But for now, the staid Bank of Canada is simply saying that the "polymer notes may be damaged under certain extraordinary conditions." Which, I presume, includes being carried in back pockets.

More Accessible Science—Video How-Tos To Bloggers

At the end of May 2012, MIT's Technology Review reported on the world's first peer-reviewed video journal. Using the video approach, the Journal of Visualized Experiments wants to "increase productivity of scientific research" by showing (rather than just telling) scientists how they can better replicate experiments. Each JoVE entry is a short video documenting the required steps for performing an experiment, "supplemented by several paragraphs of peer-reviewed text."

Scientific American has a section called Open Laboratory for scientific bloggers. Riding the crest of current scientific theories and discoveries, scientists can submit everything from essays to fiction, cartoons to original art. All submissions are listed every Monday morning. The blogging project is open October to October, with a collection of the best offerings printed each year.

Next Gen Celebrity—Egraphs

Now you can buy celebrity autographs online as egraphs. Seattle-based start-up Egraphs launched in mid-July 2012, offering "celebrity egraphs accompanied by a photo with a personalized written note and voice message." The start-up is only offering a few baseball stars' egraphs from the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays right now, and is a licensee of Major League Baseball and MLB Advanced Media. The introductory price is $50 per egraph photo. (A check of the site at the end of July had the photos of three baseball stars already sold out.)

Refined Social Apps

Most young people, especially, have hundreds of Facebook friends, maybe a thousand Twitter followers, and hundreds more followers in their Google circles. And some new start-ups are trying to help these users manage and access their acquaintances in a more focused, timely fashion. Geo-location features are already built into Apple and Android smartphones, and services like Banjo and Glassmap can tell you when someone in your network—or who shares your interests—is nearby.

A new company, Ark, is a "social search engine" to help users find people no matter what social networks they belong to—anywhere in the world. Some criticism is that women in particular don't like their exact location pinpointed, out of safety concerns. Which is why Facebook recently acquired Glancee, which helps users find people with similar interests and mutual friends, but doesn't map a user's precise location.

Penguin E-books Pilot Program in NYC Libraries

E-books have been making inroads in college and public libraries, with Kindles or Nooks that can be loaded with e-books and loaned out, just like regular books. And, as more people buy their own Kindles and Nooks, readers can download e-books from public libraries remotely. Now comes word that publisher Penguin is working with New York City libraries and 3M on a pilot program to make their e-books available in NYC public libraries, starting in August. New titles won't be available immediately, to increase sales, but the Penguin offerings could expand to other libraries if the pilot program is successful.

Consumer Spending Dropping—Except for Smartphone Services

In late July 2012, the Seattle Times' Brier Dudley agreed that consumer spending is in decline, but he cites an unreported aspect of why. Dudley thinks that consumers are spending less on other things, in order to continue paying for expensive smartphone plans—and even continue to purchase upgrades, as leading carriers have moved to tiered plans from unlimited-data plans. Verizon Wireless recently surprised analysts by reporting that each customer now pays about $56 on their monthly plans, which is up 4% from last year. Dudley even quotes that global wireless revenues "should reach $1.5 Trillion this year, tripling over the past decade."

Battle Lines Drawn over Scientific Journals Versus Open Access

In June 2012, Reuters reported on a new, low-cost scientific journal PeerJ where lifetime memberships start at $99. It will publish research in biological and medical sciences, and rely on lifetime memberships rather than payment per paper or subscriptions. Part of the appeal is in answer to the criticism of the usual academic publishers, who charge thousands of dollars in profit from scientific research funded largely by taxpayers and charities. 12,000 researchers are already boycotting the world's biggest academic publisher, Elsevier, saying that the journal's subscriptions are profiteering.

By July 2012, Reuters reported that the United Kingdom has backed a report calling for financial support of researchers who prefer to use open access science journals. New open access journals, like PeerJ (see above) charge a minimal lifetime subscription fee. Other open access journals only charge a fee to publish research data, rather than demanding thousands of dollars for a subscription. It is now up the U.S. and Europe to follow suit.

Hacker Hostels

The San Francisco Bay Area has so-called Hacker Hostels, which are proving to be popular among aspiring technology entrepreneurs who are yet to make their first million. Young programmers, designers and scientists find the hostels a cheap place to work, sleep, eat and exchange ideas among their peers. A group called Chez JJ operates three house-hostels in Northern California, where phone apps unlock the front door and rooms are typically about $40 a night.

Improving the Online Experience of Buying/Selling

For people wanting to sell things online, dealing with strangers may give them pause. Now comes news of Web sites and apps designed to make selling more of a social occasion by connecting with social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Jim Rose, CEO of Copious, wants to "take the creepiness out of buying and selling" by letting buyers and sellers sign in using their Facebook or Twitter identities. Another site, HipSwap lets users sign in with their e-mail address, and then users can Tweet their collections, share their items on Facebook, or post their items on Pinterest.

The Ups and Downs of Wedding Technology

I've written before how technology has been adapted to weddings, from seating charts for attendees to pre-chat, to brides and grooms who pull out their smartphones at the altar to change their Facebook Status to Married. Despite all this technology, however, human foibles can still crop up to ruin things. One recent couple sprang for a large plasma screen at the reception, on which text messages could be displayed. Unfortunately, too many guests used the opportunity to send nasty and anonymous comments about the other guests' outfits and sizes.

But live-streaming the nuptials to distant friends and relatives is getting more popular. Technical issues, from sound cutting in and out, and bad views are one problem. while brides and grooms at the altar who turn and give a shout out or wave to a distant relative via the video camera may seem startling to the physical attendees. But Wedding Tech is here to stay, with companies such as I Do Stream that offers "customer support live chat services to help with technical difficulties" during the Big Event, to Generations Cinemastories. Even bridal stores are planning to add Wi-Fi to their stores, for brides who Skype with distant maids-of-honor and mothers over their dress choices.

Privacy Violations' Watch-Dogs: Low-Tech but Industriously Defensive

It's said that the Feds are usually the last to know about digital invasions of your privacy. A recent story in Wired highlighted a young computer scientist who investigated a hunch, and discovered that Google was secretly planting cookies on a huge number of iPhone browsers—even after the users had configured their browsers to prevent just this sort of digital shadowing. Jonathan Mayer is the 25-year-old grad student at Stanford who is responsible for the discovery, which resulted in a $10 million fine against Google by the FTC. Earlier, a privacy official in Germany had discovered that Google's Street View program wasn't just taking photos, but downloading sensitive data from open Wi-Fi networks. Google had done the same thing in the U.S., but the FTC and FCC allegedly didn't know until the Germans figured it out.

Drone Issues

There continue to be serious issues around once-military drones now over the U.S., from privacy issues to overly crowded airspace. Now comes word that Texas researchers have successfully demonstrated how easy it is to hijack or spoof a drone. Spoofing involves inserting wrong GPS coordinates, and the experiment was to show the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) how easily drones could fall into the wrong hands. Adding to the problem, neither the DHS nor FAA have come up with "any specific requirements or a certified system to protect drones from GPS attacks," pointing to each other as the responsible agency.

In early July 2012, Forbes reported that researchers at the University of Colorado are building supersonic drones. The idea is that these drones can be used for long-distance, high-speed travel without placing human pilots in danger. While many companies are researching supersonic UAVs, only the prototype from Starkey Aerospace Corporation has managed to perfect the necessary propulsion system.

New Start-Up to Market Ultraviolet Light Source

A University of Washington lab working on fusion energy for a decade chanced upon a solution to a looming problem in the electronics industry. A couple of UW engineers launched a start-up, Zplasma, to market "an extreme ultraviolet light source for high-volume silicon lithography." Their ultraviolet light source lasts 1,000 times longer than similar technologies, and provides more control over the million-degree plasma that produces the light.

Silicon Valley Reality Show

It was probably only a matter of time before reality TV producers decided that the youthful technology-energy in Northern California was prime fodder for a reality series called Silicon Valley. Many residents were initially offended, fearing the show would "trivialize the difficult and important work being done," but the early word is that the show being filmed in July 2012, to be shown next winter, accurately captures the "hard-partying youngsters vying to start companies in the frenzy reminiscent of the dot-com peak of 2000." Partially inspired by the 2010 film The Social Network, based loosely on Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (who recently bought a home and married), Zuckerberg's sister Randi is an executive producer on Silicon Valley.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

In July 2012, the Seattle Times reported that the University of Washington has joined Stanford in offering free courses online. UW has signed with Standford University start-up Coursera to offer college courses in math, computer science, computational finance and information security. (Coursera already offers free online courses, but students don't earn credit.) Online college courses have been around for over a decade, but for a fee. This educational experiment offers the courses for free, and students can earn credit toward degrees. It is hoped that universities using Coursea can open up access to the most sought-after courses, help drive down the cost of obtaining a degree, and let global professionals upgrade their skills.

Faster Broadband Speeds Outpacing Demand

Home Internet providers frequently offer speed-boosts, which is not only a major selling point for new subscribers, but can pay-off for households with multiple computers and gadgets. But now there is a problem in that most of the Internet can't transmit data fast enough to take advantage of such rapid broadband download speeds. Providers had responded to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) alarm that the U.S. was lagging behind other major countries in Internet speed. But the faster speeds were really about bragging-rights, since consumers are yet to be interested in such massive bandwidth.

Washington State High-Tech

Washington State ranks third in the entire nation for the percentage of residents who have computers and access to the Internet. Only Utah and New Hampshire have more residents with computers and Internet access. The figures come from the Census Bureau, and also probably reflect Seattle-based mega-corporations, like Microsoft and Amazon. I've also written previously about how Seattle's rate of applying for patents is vastly higher than even Silicon Valley in Northern California. (There is even a paragraph under the following "Facebook Updates" about how Washington is the first state to let residents register to vote through Facebook.)

Facebook Update: Kids, "Like" Buttons and Voter Registration

Facebook has acknowledged how hard it is to enforce their age restrictions when kids sign up for accounts with fake birth dates. But now Facebook is working on ways to let kids under 13 create accounts with parental supervision. Parents would be able to link their own accounts to those of their children, to control friend-requests and third-party applications.

In June 2012, Facebook agreed to make it clear to users that when they click to "Like" a product, their names and photos could be used to plug the product, as a Sponsored Story to appear on friends' pages. Users will also be given a chance to decline the opportunity to be unpaid endorsers. This is all part of a settlement for a California class-action lawsuit, in which Facebook paid $10 million to settle over these ads called Sponsored Stories. The sum was donated to charity.

Also in June 2012, it was announced that Zynga.com is starting to show ads from Facebook. This move is probably the first step in the creation of an advertising network for Facebook that allows it to show ads on Web sites beyond Facebook.com, such as what Amazon.com already does.

Voters in Washington State can now register to vote through Facebook. Already one of twelve states that allow online voter registration, Washington State is the first to let its residents register to vote on Facebook, through a just-developed Microsoft app that "will pull the state's online registration system into the user's Facebook page." The app will even pre-fill much of the registration information from the users' Facebook account. The user will then approve the filled-out form, and add their state ID number to activate it.

Marilyn is a freelance writer and humorist, with a special interest (besides computers and technology) in Science Fiction. A SF Horror story appeared in July 2011 in Deadman's Tome. And in January 2012 she had a SF Police Procedural appearing in Cosmic Crime magazine, and a SF Dystopian Romance appearing in the Strange Valentines anthology. She also has almost seventy articles on Helium.com, and is writing a humorous Young Adult SF series, Chronicles of Mathias. Volumes One and Two have received a "Gold Star for Excellence" from TeensReadToo.com, and are available from most on-line bookstores.

ComputorEdge E-Books has converted many of Marilyn's computer humor columns into four e-books.

* Computer Confusion in Paradise: Lo! And in the Beginning There Was Total Befuddlement!, in both EPUB format for iPad, NOOK, etc., and MOBI format for Amazon Kindle.

* Computer Hardware: "Parts Is Parts", in both EPUB format for iPad, NOOK, etc., and MOBI format for Amazon Kindle.

* Computerholics Anonymous: PC Users, Abusers and Confusioners, in both EPUB format for iPad, NOOK, etc., and MOBI format for Amazon Kindle.

* My Computer, My Nemesis: Bravely into the Smiley-Face Virtual Void!, in both EPUB format for iPad, NOOK, etc., and MOBI format for Amazon Kindle.

* All four e-books can be found at our E-Book Store.

Windows Tips and Tricks: More AutoHotkey--Possibly the Best Free Windows Utility Ever!

“Using StringReplace to Search and Replace Any Text, Anywhere, Anytime.”
by Jack Dunning

So far we've demonstrated straight forward text substitution and manipulation. Now it's time to do search and replace for multiple items.

In past couple of weeks some fairly straightforward examples of text alterations and substitutions in AutoHotkey have been provided to demonstrate how this utility could immediately be put to use making Windows computing easier. The basic techniques for creating and activating AutoHotkey scripts along with the most common forms of AutoHotkey commands was discussed. However, we have barely scratched the surface of what can be done. This week, we will look at providing more power with one of the most useful AutoHotkey functions, StringReplace. Plus, the Loop command will be introduced for executing repetitive actions until (If) it is no longer necessary.

Note: If you are new to writing scripts and have not been following along from the beginning with the first AutoHotkey article"Possibly the Best Free Windows Utility Ever!", it could be worthwhile to start there and work your way back up to this point. The follow-up "Windows Tips and Tricks" columns are designed to incrementally teach anyone how to write AutoHotkey scripts, building on each previous column a teaspoon at a time. It is useful to keep working with each section until you feel comfortable with what the demonstration script is doing and how it works.

Search and Replace Text with StringReplace

Rather than merely substituting special text when typing acronyms and converting selected text to a new format, there are times when we want to search an entire document and replace all occurrences of particular items or words. Search and replace is a common feature of word processors and many other types of programs, but AutoHotkey can do it in any Windows text editing field or program, whether computer based or on the Web, with the function StringReplace. The StringReplace function uses the following format:

StringReplace, OutputVar, InputVar, SearchText [, ReplaceText, ReplaceAll?]

The OutputVar and InputVar may be the same variable. If ReplaceText is omitted, then the function will only perform a search with no replacement activity. Here there are two examples of StringReplace (see Figure 1). The first is a search and replacement of commonly use terms replacing "website" with "Web site" as an editorial preference. The second is designed to remove double spaces after a period. (Double spacing at the end of a sentence was commonly taught in typing classes, although it is unnecessary in almost all electronic media. Normally, it is desirable to remove extra spaces at the end of a sentence since extra spaces will not appear on the Web and may cause awkward spacing in other digital media.)

Figure 1. The AutoHotkey function StringReplace is used first to replace occurrences of "website" with "Web site" and second to remove double spaces in clipboard selections.

The first usage of StringReplace is in the following routine:

#w::

StringReplace, clipboard, clipboard, website, Web site, All

return

In its simplest form as used in the first example StringReplace finds the first term "website" and replaces it with the second term "Web site" for all occurrences found in the Windows Clipboard. Since the Clipboard is used as both the input variable and output variable it is necessary to first copy (CTRL+C) the selected text into the Clipboard, invoke the AutoHotkey routine with WIN+W (+W), then return (paste) the altered text from the Clipboard (CTRL+V). If you would like to automate the copy-and-paste functions then use the commands outlined in previous articles.

Note: While both "website" and "Web site" are considered acceptable, ComputorEdge uses the latter term merely as a matter of consistency over the past decade or so.

The second usage of StringReplace is designed to remove extra spaces at the end of a sentence:

#s::

StringReplace, clipboard, clipboard, .%A_SPACE%%A_SPACE%, .%A_SPACE%, All

return

This example uses the contents of A_SPACE which represents the space character. Notice the period before the first %A_SPACE%. The find expression is ".[space][space]" (period followed by two spaces) with the replace expression being ".[space]" (period with only one space). Invoking WIN+S (+S) will find in the Clipboard all periods followed by two spaces and replace them with a period followed only by one space, thus eliminating the second space. (Again in this routine as in the first, the text must first be copied (CTRL+C) to the Clipboard, then pasted (CTRL+V) back just after invoking the routine (+S). You can also cut (CTRL+X) the text into the Clipboard rather than copy it.)

While this works fine for sentences that end with a period, what about those that end in a question mark "?", an exclamation point "!", or a close parenthesis ")"? Additional StringReplace statements may be added for each case or Regular Expressions (RegEx), commonly used in all type of programming for finding and manipulating strings, can be used. However, even though Regular Expressions are much more powerful than the simple commands offered here, they are currently beyond the scope of this column.

Using a Loop

The problem with the second routine is that while it will work when there are two spaces at the end of a sentence with a period, if there are more than two spaces, then it will skip an odd space or reduce a second, third, or fourth pair of spaces to one space each, again leaving multiple (although less) spaces. The only way to make sure that all the extra spaces are removed is to continue running the routine until there are no more occurrences of a double space. To do this, the routine needs to be put into a Loop (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. When the AutoHotkey function StringReplace is placed inside a Loop, it will continue to execute until it is told to stop with a Break.

The AutoHotkey StringReplace function can be placed inside a Loop as shown:

#s::

Loop

{

StringReplace, clipboard, clipboard, .%A_SPACE%%A_SPACE%, .%A_SPACE%, All, UseErrorLevel

if ErrorLevel = 0  ; No more replacements needed.

break

}

The Loop command will continue to execute the routine between the two curly brackets ("{" and "}") until told to stop with the Break command. It is important to remember that every Loop needs a way to end it. Otherwise, you could create an infinite loop which will eat up your processor time. (You should be able to stop any infinite loop by deactivating the script by right-clicking on the icon in the message tray and selecting the appropriate action.) In this case, the parameter UseErrorLevel is added to the StringReplace function followed by an If statement which will Break the Loop whenever it no longer finds a period followed by a pair of spaces. When used with StringReplace, ErrorLevel returns 0 when no occurrences of the search string are found.

If you add more StringReplace functions for questions marks, exclamation points, etc., then each should be in a separate loop since any ErrorLevel value of 0 will Break the loop, possibly without completing some of the replacements.

The StringReplace functions adds a great deal of power to AutoHotkey scripts. When Loops are added, cleaning up commons text problems can be made easy.

If you have any questions about writing or using AutoHotkey scripts, please use the "Tell us what you think

about this article!" comment link at the top or bottom of this column, or send an e-mail to AutoHotkey Questions.

Jack is the publisher of ComputorEdge Magazine. He's been with the magazine since first issue on May 16, 1983. Back then, it was called The Byte Buyer. His Web site is www.computoredge.com. He can be reached at ceeditor@computoredge.com. Jack is now in the process of updating and compiling his hundreds of articles and columns into e-books. Currently available:

Currently only at Amazon.com, Jack's Favorite Free Windows Programs: What They Are, What They Do, and How to Get Started!.

Just released and available from Amazon, Misunderstanding Windows 8: An Introduction, Orientation, and How-to for Windows 8! Also available at Barnes and Noble and ComputorEdge E-Books.

Available exclusively from Amazon, Windows 7 Secrets Four-in-One E-Book Bundle,

Getting Started with Windows 7: An Introduction, Orientation, and How-to for Using Windows 7,

Sticking with Windows XP—or Not? Why You Should or Why You Should Not Upgrade to Windows 7,

and That Does Not Compute!, brilliantly drawn cartoons by Jim Whiting for really stupid gags by Jack about computers and the people who use them.

Wally Wang's Apple Farm

“Upgrade or Wait on Mountain Lion?”
by Wally Wang

Upgrade or Wait on Mountain Lion?; Facebook Monetization Problems; Recording Audio and Video From the Screen; An Operating System Dilemma; Strange Security; IBM's Think App; Safari 6.

Apple's operating system versions have been uneven recently. Leopard 10.5 was initially buggy but eventually settled down to being reliable. Snow Leopard 10.6 proved more stable and reliable right away, but then Lion 10.7 stumbled again and seemed a bit slower. Now Apple has released Mountain Lion and everything appears fast and reliable once more.

While most programs run just fine under Mountain Lion, you may encounter minor glitches. The programs most likely to be incompatible with Mountain Lion are any programs that require direct access to hardware, most notably utility programs and screen capturing programs. If you rely on those types of programs, you'll probably want to wait until the publisher issues a Mountain Lion update before upgrading to Mountain Lion.

For capturing screenshots or even entire movies, I rely on Ambrosia Software's Snapz Pro. Although there are plenty of alternatives for capturing screenshots and videos of screen activity, Snapz Pro has been reliable and easy to use. Of course, until Ambrosia Software releases a Mountain Lion compatible version, you'll likely bump into minor problems if you use this program on Mountain Lion. If you install Mountain Lion, it will alert you to possible incompatible programs so you'll know which ones you can't use.

Figure 1. Mountain Lion alerts you to possible incompatible programs.

If you rely mostly on Apple software like Pages or Keynote, just a simple update should keep your programs running just fine on Mountain Lion. In general, the less the program relies on hardware, the more likely it is to work on Mountain Lion.

A word processor like Microsoft Word 2011 works just fine on Mountain Lion although AutoDesk's AutoCAD program reportedly needs an update to work flawlessly with Mountain Lion. Before rushing to upgrade to Mountain Lion, make sure your crucial programs work and if they do, then go ahead and upgrade. If not, wait until the company releases an update.

With Apple planning to release new operating systems every year, this will likely be a problem you'll need to face with every new version of OS X. Just remember that you never have to upgrade, but in most cases it's best to stay up to date and take advantage of the latest OS X features. One prominent Mountain Lion feature is Gatekeeper, a security feature that lets you restrict certain programs from running on your computer. While Gatekeeper can't stop all types of malware, it can reduce the risk so it's probably a feature you'll use when you upgrade to Mountain Lion.

Another interesting feature of Mountain Lion is its new dictation feature that lets you speak and turn your spoken words into text. While not perfect, especially in noisy environments, this dictation feature can help reduce the amount of typing you need to do since most people can speak faster than they can type. The main limitation of this dictation feature is that you need an Internet connection or else it won't work.

With dozens of handy new features, the only reason to avoid upgrading to Mountain Lion is if your necessary software won't run on it. Otherwise, go ahead and upgrade and you'll likely find that Mountain Lion is a big improvement over Lion. Now let's just hope that software publishers will be able to keep up with these annual operating system upgrades or else they'll risk losing their customers to products that respond faster to each new version of OS X.

Facebook Monetization Problems

Facebook's stock keeps gradually sinking despite their millions of users. The problem is that the world is moving towards mobile computing and according to Forbes, Facebook still hasn't figured out how to monetize their mobile users.

While the Forbes article makes this monetization problem seem trivial, it's a huge problem. With more people accessing Facebook through smartphones and tablets, it's crucial for Facebook to monetize these users. If Facebook fails to monetize this growing user base, their entire business has little room for growth, which means Facebook's stock price could continue falling over time.

Facebook seemingly came out of nowhere to steal the social media lead from MySpace. Now Facebook needs to stay relevant in a world of shifting trends where consumers can change their minds at any time. Where companies like Nokia face plummeting demand for their existing products, Facebook has the opposite problem of finding a way to make money from their growing customer base that are switching to mobile devices.

Facebook's official app for iOS currently displays low ratings from customers who find this app too limiting. Facebook's Pages Manager app doesn't fare much better. If Facebook can't make a decent app to allow users to access Facebook, there's a good chance a rival could do a better job and steal Facebook's popularity right out from under their feet. Facebook may be a billion dollar company, but its foundation rests on quicksand.

Even Zynga, the makers of social media games like FarmVille, has seen revenue plummet as fewer people are signing up to play these online games. The problem may not just be Facebook but an exhaustion of the whole social media market for now.

Will Facebook define the social media market or just become another casualty of social media fickleness like MySpace or Friendster? If Facebook can't figure out how to make money from mobile users, chances are good that Facebook will crash and burn like so many other Internet companies. Then investors can pour their money into the next Internet company whose finances are also based on fads and trendiness.

Recording Audio and Video From the Screen

As more people start chatting through Skype or FaceTime, they may want a recording of their conversation. While you could prop your iPhone or iPad near your computer and record everything, it's probably easier just to use an audio recording program like the $14.99 Online Audio + Mic Audio Recorder program.

The Online Audio + Mic Audio Recorder program basically records audio from anything playing on your Macintosh. During a FaceTime and Skype conversation, you can set the program to record just the audio coming out of your Macintosh (the voice of the other person) or record both the audio coming out of your Macintosh plus the sound of your voice going into the microphone of your Macintosh so you record both sides of a conversation.

Figure 2. Online Audio + Mic Audio Recorder can record from multiple audio sources.

For more versatility, you can even set the program on an alarm so it automatically starts recording at a certain time. Then it can stop recording automatically when it detects a long period of silence such a silent pause lasting 3 seconds or more. With this feature, you could turn your Macintosh into a spying tool that can silently record anything near your Macintosh at a time when you're not even in the room.

While recording audio can be handy, you may need to record everything that appears on your screen. To record your screen activity, get a copy of the $99 Camtasia 2 program. At the simplest level, Camtasia 2 lets you record your screen so you can create video tutorials of where to click or type data in a program.

If you're involved in a Skype or FaceTime conversation, Camtasia 2 can record both your audio and video for a complete archive of what you talked about. Save the video in a variety of formats such as QuickTime, AVI, or MP4 and share through YouTube or send them directly to another person.

Since people rarely capture perfect video, Camtasia 2 is more than just a screen recording program but also a simple video editor as well. Rotate the image, change the opacity, or alter the scale so the image appears bigger or smaller.

Figure 3. Camtasia 2 offers simple video editing features.

One interesting feature of Camtasia 2 is the ability to embed hotspots in a video, such as a button. Now when people watch your video, they can click on your hotspot button and immediately jump to a Web address you stored in that hotspot. By using hotspots, you can advertise your Web site address without forcing anyone to retype the whole address on their own.

Since most videos display the entire screen, you may want to highlight one or more items on the screen. To do this, Camtasia 2 lets you highlight an area, black out everything on the screen but your selected area, or magnify part of the screen to make it easier to see. For further emphasis, Camtasia 2 lets you type text directly on your video frames along with displaying arrows or lines so you can point out items on the screen.

Figure 4. Camtasia 2 can temporarily focus on part of the screen for emphasis.

Best of all, Camtasia 2 is simple to use. If you're familiar with modifying a PowerPoint presentation, you'll find modifying video frames in Camtasia 2 is no different. Not everyone needs a screen capturing program, but for those who need to create tutorials or help videos, Camtasia 2 will make your task of capturing video off your Macintosh simple, quick and painless. Now you just have to figure out what's valuable enough to capture on your screen so you can put Camtasia 2 to work.

If you just want to capture still screenshots, download a free copy of Jing, which runs on both Windows and OS X. Jing only lets you save screenshots in the PNG format, but it's far more flexible than the Grab screen capture program included with OS X.

An Operating System Dilemma

Apple plans to release new versions of OS X every year, which means dropping support for older hardware. Macintosh users will then be stuck using the latest operating system their machine can support unless they want to buy a new Macintosh. You don't always need the latest operating system, but after two or three newer versions come out, you'll probably want to upgrade to a new Macintosh.

In case you don't want to stick with an older version of OS X and can't afford a new Macintosh every few years, another alternative is to wipe out OS X from your Macintosh and just install the latest version of Linux on there instead (or install Linux as a virtual machine). This may be a radical change in getting used to new programs and the quirks of a different operating system, but it's one option to consider.

The dilemma between sticking with an older version of OS X on an old Macintosh or switching to Linux completely may seem drastic, but at least it's far less drastic than the dilemma facing Windows users. For the longest time, Windows users claimed that they stuck with Windows because they didn't want to learn a new user interface, and then each version of Windows forced them to learn a new user interface anyway. Now the user interface of Windows 8 differs so dramatically that Windows users have no choice but to learn a new user interface.

For Windows users who don't want to switch to the Windows 8 user interface, they can wipe Windows off their computers and install Linux (or install Linux as a virtual machine), or switch to the Macintosh. At least both Linux and a Macintosh will offer the familiar pull-down menu interface that Windows 8 no longer offers. For all those Windows users who long insisted they don't want to learn a new user interface, their only sure choice is to avoid Windows 8 altogether.

To see the variety of Linux distributions available, visit DistroWatch. Currently Linux Mint leads in popularity with Ubuntu Linux close behind. Ironically, Ubuntu Linux once led the Linux market until they changed their user interface around, so people switched to the more familiar interface of Linux Mint instead.

Whether you run Linux as your main operating system or through a virtual machine, Linux may be an option for both Windows users who don't want Windows 8 or Macintosh users who have older computers that can't run the latest version of OS X. Of course, the easiest option of all is to just keep using your older computer with whatever operating system works best on it, which is the option most Windows users take by sticking with Windows XP all of these years.

Strange Security

For some odd reason, Apple included Gatekeeper to guard against malware to improve security. Yet by default, the firewall comes disabled, which lowers security. To turn on the firewall, click the Apple menu and choose System Preferences. When the System Preferences window appears, click the Security & Privacy icon and then click the Firewall tab.

You may need to click the lock icon in the bottom left corner to make changes, and then click the Turn On Firewall button. After you turn on the firewall, go one step further and click the Firewall Options button.

Figure 5. Turn on Stealth mode for your firewall.

Now select the Enable stealth mode check box. Stealth mode means that if a hacker tries to probe your Macintosh, your computer won't innocently respond with information that could give an intruder the version of OS X you're running. Armed with such information, hackers can identify flaws in your particular version of OS X and break into your computer.

By turning on stealth mode, your Macintosh simply ignores any bogus information an attacker might send to your computer, effectively keeping someone from even finding your computer on the Internet, let alone identifying any particular software your computer might be using. Then check with the Shields Up site to verify that your Macintosh can't be seen over the Internet.

If you upgraded to Mountain Lion and tried running some of your existing programs, you may get a message saying that Gatekeeper is preventing your program from running. One way to get around this is to disable Gatekeeper, which makes your Macintosh less secure. A better way is to simply hold down the Control key while clicking on the icon of the program you want to open. Mountain Lion will ask if you really want to open the program and from now on, Mountain Lion will run your program without hassling you that Gatekeeper doesn't recognize it.

IBM's Think App

Apple's motto may be "Think Different," but IBM has long used the much simpler slogan of just "Think." IBM now offers a free iPad app called IBM Think. The idea behind this app is to explore how we can make the world better.

Figure 6. The IBM Think app provides information about thinking as different categories.

First, the app encourages you to watch IBM's Think video. Then you can explore the various categories to see how different people have used thinking to tackle various problems. By browsing through this app, you can spark your creativity and consciously focus on thinking about problems instead of reacting to them by grabbing the first simple solution you can find. ("Bomb anyone who doesn't agree with us to teach them a lesson!")

Figure 7. Viewing different problems and solutions can encourage you to think.

IBM's Think app is meant for quiet reflection during those spare moments you may be stuck in line or just want to take a break from your normal activity. While you can explore everything in the app in one sitting, you'll probably gain a lot more by periodically browsing through this app so you can let its lessons sink in before exploring it some more.

Maybe if more people would play with the IBM Think app, we might get more people who actually think about problems from all different points of view. Then again, if more people did that, nobody would pay attention to political parties any more.

*                    *                    *

The latest version of Safari, version 6, has arrived whether you use Mountain Lion or not. Besides being faster and more stable, Safari 6 also offers a feature first seen in Google's Chrome browser. Instead of displaying separate text fields for the Web address (such as www.computoredge.com) and a second text field for searching within Google, Bing, or Yahoo, Safari 6 simply displays one huge text field.

Click in that big text field and type either a Web address like www.yahoo.com or a search phrase like "feeding lizards" and Safari 6 is smart enough to figure out what to do with your text. Initially, you may find it confusing that there isn't a separate search text field, but once you get used to this, you may find it far more logical and convenient.

In the early days, before Wally became an Internationally renowned comedian, computer book writer, and generally cool guy, Wally Wang used to hang around The Byte Buyer dangling participles with Jack Dunning and go to the gym to pump iron with Dan Gookin.

Wally is responsible for the following books:

My New Mac, Lion Edition

My New iPad 2

Steal This Computer Book

Microsoft Office 2010 For Dummies

Beginning Programming for Dummies

Beginning Programming All-in-One Reference for Dummies

Breaking Into Acting for Dummies with Larry Garrison

Strategic Entrepreneurism with Jon and Gerald Fisher

How to Live with a Cat (When You Really Don't Want To)

The Secrets of the Wall Street Stock Traders

Mac Programming For Absolute Beginners

99% Fairy Tales (Children's Stories the 1% Tell About the Rest of Us)

The Zen of Effortless Selling with Moe Abdou

The 15-Minute Movie Method

In his spare time, Wally likes blogging about movies and writing screenplays at his site "The 15 Minute Movie Method." Wally can be reached at wally@computoredge.com.

Worldwide News & Product Reviews

“The latest in tech news and hot product reviews.”
by Charles Carr

The Cloud: A Woman's Friend or Foe?; DRAM: Too Much of a Good Thing?; Are You Willing to Pay More for 4G?; Keep Your MacBook Pro Scratch-free.

The Cloud: A Woman's Friend or Foe?

Marcy Hoffman, Social Media Manager for InfoStreet, has written the following article based on a recently-published piece in The Atlantic by Anne-Marie Slaughter about "why women can't have it all" and what the cloud has to do with women and balancing work/life:

The article "Why Women Still Can't Have It All" has created quite a stir, and for many women it hit home—and hit hard. The article brought out into the open what women have been questioning for decades: can women balance the demands of a challenging career with the needs of their family? This discussion has been ongoing since women in larger numbers began to climb the corporate ladder, but seems to be heating up with the change that technology—in particular the explosion in Cloud computing—has brought to the workplace.

But I have to wonder, have the workplace changes brought on by the Cloud helped women deal with this work-life balance, or have they hurt? Is the Cloud a friend or foe?

The opportunities for women in the workplace did not come easily. It was not unusual for the woman in the room to be asked to pour the coffee—even if she was the CEO, dean, or head surgeon. This was an era pre-fax machine and pre-FedEx, when "tweet" was the actual sound made by a bird. Fast forward four decades, and the changes—both in opportunity and in technology—are nothing short of amazing. Companies such as InfoStreet offer Cloud-based innovation and are rapidly changing the way businesses operate. The advances are moving forward exponentially, and hopefully this trajectory will be accompanied by the ability to balance home and work.

But to affect change, this discussion has to go beyond the corner office. The recent economic downturn has seen a record number of employee lay-offs, leaving the remaining workers with increased responsibilities. And with all the workforce advances, women still earn $0.77 of every dollar compared to male counterparts. Starting a business can be a complex and difficult process for anyone, but it may be even harder for women: despite owning 30 percent of businesses, women receive only 5 percent of equity capital each year.

Add to this the fact that about one in five full-time employees (mostly women) act as caregivers to their aging parents while simultaneously taking care of their own children; a group that is commonly referred to as the Sandwich Generation. Whether in the corner office or the assembly line, many employees are facing extraordinary demands.

But, in all fairness, the demands are not limited to employees. The impact on the business is staggering. The estimated cost to employers for full-time employees with intense care-giving responsibilities is $17.1 billion, the average cost per employee with intense care-giving responsibilities is $2,441, and the total estimated cost to employers for all full-time, employed caregivers is $33.6 billion.

There are companies that have created a workplace that acknowledges these challenges, and they are changing the office environment. As a result, they are actually realizing a growth in profits. Standard & Poor's found that the companies that emphasized quality of work-life for employees had a higher sales growth and a higher return on asset growth than their counterparts over a five-year period. Also, companies recognized as the "best places to work" (by Fortune, Great Places to Work, Working Mother, and other raters) have better financial results than comparable companies in the broad market indexes such as the S&P 100 and S&P 500. Additionally, work-life support enhances shareholder return in Fortune 500 companies. A study of firms announcing work-life enhancements found share price jumped 36 percent on the day of the announcement and 39 percent over the next three days.

The catalyst for this change is the freedom that the Cloud brings to the office. Cloud providers such as InfoStreet are creating innovative Cloud-based platforms that provide mobility, increased productivity, and greater collaboration. Employees are no longer tethered to a desk and are productive from where they really work: at the airport; from a client's office; in collaboration with colleagues, partners, and clients from all corners of the world; or from their pediatrician's waiting room. As Slaughter's article pointed out, "State-of-the-art (Cloud-based) video-conferencing facilities can dramatically reduce the need for long business trips. These technologies are making inroads, and allowing easier integration of work and family life." According to the Women's Business Center, 61 percent of female business owners use technology to "integrate the responsibilities of work and home"; 44 percent use technology to allow employees "to work off-site or to have flexible work schedules." Siamak Farah, CEO of InfoStreet, frequently states, "Only 10% of our employees are human, for the rest we employ technology."

So is the Cloud a friend or foe? Have the mobility and 24/7 access set unrealistic and all-too-demanding expectations that an employee is never "off"? It seems that work doesn't end when one leaves the office, and employees and clients are expected to pick up the phone on the first ring. Watch a mother at a soccer game or a ballet recital busy texting or sending e-mails, responding to "urgent" demands. (It does seem that every communication is suddenly urgent.) The Cloud, for all its advantages, adds the stress of always being "on"—and it is hard to turn it off.

Yet for all these negatives, the Cloud is a tool that allows women the flexibility necessary to balance family and work. In her commencement address to Vassar, Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, challenged women not to shy away from achieving their goals. To illustrate, Ms. Sandberg noted in a subsequent interview that she leaves the office at 5:30 to have dinner with her young children and works from home after they are put to bed.

The Cloud won't solve the demands of a demanding boss, challenging travel and work schedules, or the inequalities that women still face. But, if Ms. Sandberg can balance the extreme demands of her job with the needs of her family, in large part because of the freedom the Cloud affords her, thankfully, this is a benefit or perk we can all share.

Marcy Hoffman is the Social Media Manager for InfoStreet, Inc. a leading provider of business cloud apps. Marcy is a former entrepreneur, founding a number of marketing and technology companies and serves as a consultant to tech start-ups, helping them with their go-to-market strategies. She is the editor of InfoStreet's Small Business Blog.

DRAM: Too Much of a Good Thing?

Kevin McHugh, from the business intelligence report provider GBI Research, writes in this week:

Dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) is vital to portable gadgets such as smartphones and tablet PCs, but the memory integrated circuit (IC) industry is currently caught in a vicious circle of oversupply, says a new report by business intelligence experts GBI Research.

According to the report, the global economic uncertainty of the last few years, combined with the development of new applications that require less memory, has led to an overabundance of DRAM and a corresponding drop in price.

Prices have fallen so much in fact that manufacturers have been forced to sell these memory devices at below production cost, preventing profit generation. In response, manufacturers have been producing DRAM at 100% factory capacity in an attempt to claw back expenses, which has only exacerbated the market oversupply problem.

Sales revenues for the DRAM market spiked in 2010 at $37.31 billion, but fell somewhat drastically the following year to $29.47 billion, and are only expected to reach $29 billion for 2012.

Conversely, sales volumes have rocketed during this period. 2010 recorded sales of 16.39 billion units while the final figure for 2012 is expected to be as high as 32 billion units.

While the growing portable gadgets market can almost guarantee an increase in DRAM sales for the foreseeable future, analysis carried out by GBI Research indicates that controlling supply and demand is an imperative for the future of DRAM producing companies. In 2011, DRAM accounted for the largest portion of the global memory IC market at 47.3%, followed fractionally behind by flash memory, with a claim of 47%.

Are You Willing to Pay More for 4G?

Mike Scott, Marketing Director for the full-service survey research and consulting organization, Morpace, writes:

Price is the number one factor in which smartphone consumers purchase and the cache of having a 4G phone is not motivating the majority of consumers to make purchase decisions, according to a recent Morpace Omnibus study.

As part of the report, Morpace surveyed 1,000 online consumers to measure the impact of 4G equipment in the mobile phone market. Consumers with 3G or older phones are largely unwilling to upgrade to a 4G phone, the study found. Just 34 percent of consumers say they will be likely to upgrade to a 4G phone at the expiration of their current contract.

In addition, smartphone users who earn less than $50,000 in annual household income are significantly more likely to upgrade their phones to 4G (47 percent) as opposed to those with annual incomes of $50,000-100,000 (32 percent) and more than $100,000 (23 percent). Among all consumers, 60 percent are not willing to pay a higher price for a 4G network smartphone.

"We believe this study shows that consumers who do not currently have 4G phones don't strongly identify with 4G yet," said Morpace Project Director Andrew Smith. "That may change as 4G networks are integrated into current service provider infrastructures and become available over a wider geographic area."

Keep Your MacBook Pro Scratch-free

Apple's aluminum unibody casings for MacBook Pros (MBP) have notable advantages over competitors' plastic ones. Advantages include quality, resistance to cracking or breakage, durability, etc. One potential drawback, however, is that the casing could become scratched or blemished. A leather sleeve or plastic shell might protect the MBP's aluminum from dings, but such covers add bulk and weight. An alternative that could protect against dings without adding bulk or weight is a film like BodyGuardz' Clear Skin products.

Clear Skin's "full body" package comes in a 13" x 2" x 2" black and green cardboard box with a diagram showing the product superimposed on an MBP and touting its features—"optically clear, universal protection, ultra tough, custom designed." This package includes the following items:

films for the MBP's bottom casing, upper casing, wrist rest and trackpad, front and back, plus ones for the computer's sides; two narrow cylinder-shaped spray bottles containing a mixture of water and baby shampoo that are used while installing the films (details below); a business card-sized squeegee for removing inevitable bubbles that form during installation; microfiber cloth for cleaning the MBP's surface before installation; instruction sheet in English only (typeface so small you might need a magnifying glass); logo sticker; and a diagram sheet showing how the films fit on the MBP (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Clear Skins' box (at the top of this figure) contains rolled-up protective films which come adhered to backing sheets (below the box), a business card-sized squeegee with BodyGuardz' logo, a logo decal, two spray bottles packed in bubble wrap, an English-only instruction sheet, microfiber cloth, and diagram sheet showing how the films fit on the MBP.

As their name implies, Clear Skin films are transparent without a tint or coloration (Figure 2). One surface is smooth (rather than bumpy or otherwise textured) and highly glossy, the other is tacky and should bond sufficiently with the MBP's casing to adhere without peeling. If you're familiar with the material used to protect motor vehicles' front end from rocks and other potentially dinging objects, that's what BodyGuardz uses to make Clear Skins. The company claims that these films are "tough and durable, and you will never have to worry about your device getting scratched again." This claim is backed up by a scratch-test video.

Figure 2. Clear Skin films are designed to fit the MBP's upper and lower casing, trackpad, wrist rest, sides, plus the front and back edges. However, the fit depends critically upon the skills of the person who installs them.

The aforementioned glossy surface is just about the only giveaway that Clear Skins are installed. These films would be difficult to notice if they were matte instead of glossy because they are so thin (less than 1 millimeter by my reckoning) and lightweight (collectively, they add less than 70 grams to the MBP's heft). In addition to providing protection without adding bulk or weight, Clear Skins also are advantageous for owners who enjoy looking at their MBP's design aesthetic.

Although their advantages—protection against scratches without adding bulk or weight, and without covering the MBP's design aesthetic—are praiseworthy, Clear Skins' Achilles heel is related to their installation. Sleeves and shells are easy to install—simply slip the MBP into a leather sleeve or plastic shell, then zip or snap closed and you're done. Clear Skins' installation, by contrast, can be time-consuming, risky, and/or frustrating (details in a moment). Sleeves and shells install temporarily—you can put one on the MBP for a variable amount of time, then remove it whenever desired. Clear Skins, by contrast, install semi-permanently; if you want/need to remove one, the film very likely will be damaged and need replacement at additional expense. Here's why Clear Skins' installation can be time-consuming, risky, and/or frustrating.

Clear Skins' installation is time-consuming because it involves working with liquid (details in a moment). The very first step in the installation process therefore is to completely power down the MBP (to preclude a shocking experience) and wait until it has cooled (which could take up to an hour). The very last step in the installation process is to wait 12�24 hours before cold booting the MBP to provide sufficient time for the liquid to be gone and the film's tacky surface to bond with the MBP's corresponding aluminum surface. Consequently, Clear Skins' installation spans a total of at least 13 hours. If your only computer and/or production system is the MBP, you'll need to plan appropriately or else risk disrupting your work flow.

The installation also is risky because it involves exposing the MBP to liquid and it could result in mispositioned and/or misaligned films with eventual consequences. If any of the liquid goes inside the MBP, it could damage internal components and Apple almost certainly will decline to provide warranty repairs for such damage. If a Clear Skin is mispositioned or misaligned (Figure 3), it could extend beyond the corresponding surface of the MBP and result in future peeling. Alternatively, if the film for the MBP's bottom casing is mispositioned or misaligned during installation and ends up covering any screws that hold the upper and lower casings together, it could hinder repairs or upgrades of internal components (e.g., adding more RAM; replacing the hard drive and/or optical drive with a solid state drive). These are just two of various risks involved in installing Clear Skins.

Figure 3. A misaligned and/or mispositioned Clear Skin film can result in incomplete coverage (shown in A, where the trackpad and wrist rest are affected) or extension beyond the MBP's edge (shown in B, where the MBP's top casing is affected) which risks future peeling.

If you have experienced frustration working with cling wrap (e.g., it gets stuck to itself and/or snarls), then you potentially will experience frustration working with Clear Skins too. The first installation step is to remove a Clear Skin film's sticky surface from its backing sheet (Figure 1). After removing a Clear Skin from its backing, which sounds easier than in practice (especially with the large films), the next step is to wet its tacky surface with one of the spray bottles included in the package. Wetting the tacky surface prevents the film from sticking to itself during handling or to the MBP during positioning and alignment. The final step is to position and align a Clear Skin with the MBP's corresponding surface. Each of these installation steps could cause frustration, especially for users without prior success experiences working with tacky materials. BodyGuardz' instructions recommend installing the track pad's and wrist rest's films first, to gain experience. However, experience does not necessarily translate into future success without frustration. Your mileage will vary.

In summary, then, Clear Skins' advantages (protection without adding weight and bulk or hiding the MBP's design aesthetic) are potentially outweighed by the aforementioned installation-related disadvantages—time-consumption, risk and frustration. One additional installation-related disadvantage worth considering is the inevitable formation of bubbles.

Unless the MBP and area where installation is done both are perfectly clean and free of dust, at least some bubbles will form under the Clear Skin during installation. Bubbles also could form due to the installer's inexperience, lack of skill, and/or impatience. Figure 4 shows some of the bubbles that formed under the MBP's upper case during this reviewer's inexperienced and clumsy installation. Perfectionists might be less than satisfied with this MBP. Recourses are available—remove the film and try again (at additional expense for a replacement film and time for installation), or remove the film and live with the risk of scratches or dings (which defeats the whole purpose). Again, your mileage will vary.

Figure 4. Although the trackpad and wrist rest films installed without bubbles, the upper (shown above) and lower casing films have numerous bubbles of various sizes and shapes. Is this preferable to, or worse than, blemishes or scratches?

BodyGuardz full package for the MBP 15" unibody model (2009 until present) costs $49.95, which is reasonable considering all of the included items (described earlier). Individual films also are available as follows.

Clear Skins Wrist Rest & Trackpad: $16.95

Clear Skins Bottom: $24.95

Clear Skins Top:$21.95

Clear Skins now are available also for the new Retina display MBP.

Note: before taking the plunge on this product, BodyGuardz' installation video which lasts about 10 minutes could be a worthwhile investment of time to determine whether this product will work for you and whether you have the necessary patience and skill to tackle the installation process.

Review contributed by Barry Fass-Holmes

In addition to being an editor and columnist for ComputorEdge and ComputerScene Magazines, where he has written hundreds of feature articles and cover stories over the past decade, Charles Carr has also penned well over 1,000 non-tech newspaper and magazine articles and columns for various publications, including two widely-read columns each week for San Diego's North County Times newspaper.

Carr has covered such diverse topics as pesticide use in area schools, invasive background checks for county volunteers, asthma awareness, the debate over standards-based grading, potential vulnerabilities in electronic voting machines, and Southern California's devastating 2003 and 2007 wildfires. He has also written many humorous pieces.

Carr has also edited dozens of stories and articles written by others which have appeared in major publications and web sites across the country.

He has been a contributor and technical advisor to L.A. and San Diego Parent magazines and receives dozens of requests a year to appear on Southern California television and radio stations to talk about important events in the tech world.

Carr has judged many writing competitions including San Diego Press Club and Time-Warner Communications contests and was sole judge for the national NAPPA Tech Toys awards for five years (which his kids really appreciated). He was recently a judge for the national "Poetry Out Loud" competition.

He has won many writing accolades, including Press Club awards for Best Column Writing, Consumer Writing and Best Arts and Entertainment, and has repeatedly taken top honors in San Diego Songwriter's Guild competitions for his original musical compositions.

Carr will soon publish his first book, What a World, a collection of his best writings.

Learn more at www.charlescarr.com.

Editor's Letters: Tips and Thoughts from Readers

“Computer and Internet tips, plus comments on the articles and columns.”
by ComputorEdge Staff

"Changing Drive Letters," "File Sharing," "Poz Cannot Open All His Home Movie"

Changing Drive Letters

[Regarding the July 20 Digital Dave column:]

I would have taken your answer about renaming drives a bit further: I have four external drives that I use for various backups, etc. I've named them W, X, Y, & Z. That way they never change no matter how much I shuffle around SD cards and USB drives (and I do that a lot).

-Ron DeLong, Chula Vista, CA

File Sharing

[Regarding the July 20 Digital Dave column:]

Hi Dave,

I've been using a free service called YouSendIt for years to share files with friends. I'm sure it's similar to Dropbox, but it does let you just input as many e-mail addresses as you like into the sharing list and send the file(s) directly. I've used it for large RAW photos, FLAC audio files and even huge video files. A friend uses the commercial version in his business, but that's not necessary for individual usage.

-John H, Encinitas, CA

Poz Cannot Open All His Home Movie

[Regarding the July 27 Digital Dave column:]

Re: Poz cannot open all his home movie DVDs.

I have successfully restored a very scratched car music CD which was dropped on the floor mats and rubbed around. I took it to a video game rental store and had it repolished on their commercial grade machine..price was two or three dollars. It might be worth a try on Poz's disc to try this method. It may be a good idea to back up what he has first though.

-Richard Manteufel, Lemon Grove, CA

Re: "Attempting to recover video from a damaged DVD", I recommend trying the free "RipIt4Me" utility.

I don't use it often, but it is indispensable for recovering a damaged physical video DVD, parts of which are unreadable by a DVD player or computer's CD/DVD drive.

What this program does is pad in unreadable portions of the disk media when it creates the workable set of video (VOB) files. The created standard playable file set can then be either kept on the hard drive or written back out to a DVD disk (that will play), using something like Nero. The video you will see simply excludes non-readable portions.

In the case of damaged video DVDs (say for example from the public library), missing (i.e. skipped) video might be only a few seconds (usually unnoticeable) to sometimes even a few minutes, depending upon the extent of damage.

Recovery does depend that the smaller associative files (usually at the beginning of the DVD media) are intact (i.e. not damaged), but even if they aren't you can still view individual VOBs which are able to be recovered. In theory, you should be able to piece together what was recoverable using something like DVD Shrink.

Anyway, give it try.

-Chris Romel, San Diego, CA

Archiving on Hard Drives:

A friend who used to work at a RAID array manufacturer tells me that hard drives should not be used for long-term data storage because the bearings eventually dry out and freeze up. Granted this takes a long time, but long-term storage is the whole idea, yes? LTO Tape is good (see Wikipedia) but expensive. Cheapest is to make copies of the backup discs and put them in your bank Secure Deposit vault. Always keep at least one copy off site in case of "fire, flood (storm and tsunami), building collapse (earthquake), and theft." And don't compress the data—the decompression method might not be available on the platform you are using 20 years from now (this is a real problem—archived data backup cassettes that used hardware compression can't be read today because the hardware decompression algorithm isn't available).

-Peter, Los Angeles

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