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OVER 2 YOU, 060 (11/12/01)
SPANISH CONNECTION
I
am moving to Spain where I will not have a fixed telephone line and will
have to rely on my cell phone for emails and surfing. Has anyone in the
same situation got any tips and are satellite phones viable or any faster than
the 9200 bps connection speed on a mobile?
Colin Bailey, via email
A
I use CompuServe 2000 V6 software, a laptop, and a Nokia 6210 phone with serial
cable to handle e-mail when visiting Spain. The CompuServe Scheduler will
collect received e-mail, deliver pre-prepared email all with only a few seconds
of connect time. While 9600bps does not feel as slow as you would imagine it is
not really up to serious surfing. But for mundane stuff like train timetables,
booking flights and car hire, it is adequate. Especially if you don't speak the
local language very well. Plug in cards to interface a desktop to a satellite
dish and a phone, for the uplink, are available in Alicante.
N. J. Rowland,
TEXT
MESSAGING
We
have recently purchased a new powerful computer system to handle our Club
Membership System Using XP and Microsoft Access database; we have extracted a
list of approximately 800 members who have mobile phones to whom we wish to
send text messages every two weeks. Can anyone suggest the cheapest and
fastest method of automating this process?
William
Leyland, via email
A
I’m
not sure about fast or automatic but I do know about cheap and there are plenty
of Internet web sites that offer free SMS text messaging services – see below
-- usually just in return for your email address (presumably so they can
bombard you with advertising). It might be possible to semi-automate the
process by copying and pasting numbers, and the actual message, maybe divide
the job up amongst a few volunteers?
http://www.mtnsms.com/
http://sms.lycos.co.uk/mobile/
http://www.genie.co.uk/
http://www.textmefree.com/
Jenny
Cunliffe, Birmingham
The
Mobile Messenger service at: http://www.msg.myvzw.com/messaging.jsp,
lets you send text messages to up to ten people at a time for free, once you’ve
registered. Alternatively a PC program called Notepager (http://www.alphapaging.net/notepager.html)
lets you send text messages to an unlimited number of mobile phones through
your computer.
J.
Williams, via email
MAKING MONOGRAMS
I would like to be able to create monograms using
intertwined capital letters. Can anyone help with programs or book references?
Gordon Baum, via email
A
Word 2000 can do it and it will probably work with
earlier or later versions.
Choose the required font, type the initials
for the monogram and highlight. Go to Format > Font >
Character Spacing tab, select Spacing, and on the drop-down menu choose
'Condensed', in the By window enter the required number of points, I suggest
half the size of font, but you should experiment.
Les Millgate,
Page
Studio Graphics PIXymbol range includes some Signet fonts with intertwined letters. PostScript and TrueType fonts are supplied in versions for
Mac and Windows at $29 each. More information can be found at:
http://www.vershen.com/psgcatal.html
Jeff Ross, Stockport
SCIENCE FICTION SALE
My father died a few years ago and bequeathed to my
mother, amongst other things some 50 years worth of Science Fiction
Periodicals, almost entirely Astounding Science Fiction/Analog
and a few other titles. Can anybody suggest a site through which could
sell these as I would rather these went to a good home than have them pulped,
particularly the rare post-war British editions. A
few contain interesting stories such as early versions of Dune
and Dragonflight, for example.
Matthew Williamson, Heston, Middlesex
The
Science Fiction Foundation (SFF) would make a very good home being the only
major research collection of SF materials in the UK. Its Internet address
is http://www.sf-foundation.org/, though
the website looks as if
it could do with an update, the organization behind it is very active.
Another place to look for info would be the links page on the British Science
Fiction Association website http://www.bsfa.co.uk/
which includes links to some second hand dealers.
Stephen Baynes, via email
Matthew Williamson would be well advised to try www.ebay.co.uk, which I have always had a lot
of success with. If possible, try and scan images of some of the rarer
magazines (i.e. the ones with "Dune" stories in that he mentioned)
and post them with the advert, to attract as much attention as possible. He can
also put a "reserve" price on them so he is not forced to sell them
at an unacceptable price. Posting adverts to relevant newsgroups such as
rec.arts.sf.written or rec.collecting might also pay dividends.
Griff Phillips,
To
sell sci fi books look up Yell (electronic yellow pages) and search for
"comics". Among the entries will be shops specialising in sci fi.
Such as "frontier-sci-fi.com", which invites sellers to contact them.
Alternatively go to the Amazon UK web site and choose auctions then choose sellers. This will
tell you how to place items for sale on their sites.
Arthur Robinson,
Do
not sell them! Send them to Stephen Byers. He likes astounding fiction
and is some 50 years behind in his thinking.
Steve Hill,
Matthew
Williamson might try getting in touch with the British Science Fiction Association http://www.bsfa.co.uk/.
Even if they can't help, there are a number of links to second-hand bookshops.
SITTING COMFORTABLY
My
physio has heavily criticised my sitting posture - which has added to the strain on my neck and the deterioration of my cervical vertebrae. He suggests that I find some way of regularly reminding myself to check my posture when operating the PC. Can anyone suggest a way of
"posting"
reminders to my screen at regular intervals, irrespective of software I am using at the time?
Tom Busby, via email
I
suggest the activity monitoring program given away on the PC Magazine cover
disk back in 1994. Since this is probably not available any more I will be
happy to send him the executable file, (not for Windows 98 SE though, it can
cause shutdown difficulties). This program was intended as a Repetitive Strain
Injury prevention tool, but it pops up a warning at intervals depending on your
activity level at the PC, which may be enough for his needs. Alternatively try corkboard from www.mycorkboard.com/. This has a timeout
and warning facility.
Peter Gee
CLIP ART
I use clipart quite a bit for a wide variety of
personal and business projects (not websites). I feel I have exhausted the
resources available in my (very expensive) off-the-shelf packages, and have
turned to the Internet in an attempt to find new supplies. However, I
have found most clipart websites woeful in terms of quality, variety and
styles. Can anyone point me to some website gems with tasteful,
stylish/arty, high quality clip art available for download, free or otherwise?
Felicity Berkeley, via email
A
Google has an Images search
section. If one enters the parameter followed by clipart, one gets a massive
selection of *.gif or *.jpg hits in return. I tried it with robot clipart and
had 86 to choose from.
John Wood
With regard to the Over 2 You reply in Connected
November 3rd concerning Hemera 25,000 PhotoObjects, this can be bought at
£29.95 from Serif Publications on (0800)
3764848, it’s a brilliant little program and I use it myself.
John Riding,
CAN
YOU HELP?
At
the end of each term, we run an options day. There are several activities,
repeated throughout the day, and the children choose which 2 out of 6 they want
to participate in. Is there a way to meet the children's needs and the limited
places we can offer?
Stephen Lockyer, East Sussex
We are looking for knitting pattern software for
jackets and jerseys where we could give measurements and produce written
instructions rather than a graph or diagram, with the software doing all the
calculations for the various sizes.
K
Willig, via email
I have a set of card and board games by Hoyle.
When playing the card games it deals itself the most extraordinary hands.
In cribbage it will frequently deal itself maximum point hands and
similarly high scores in its box. It does similar tricks in bridge.
If a human dealt like this he would get his fingers amputated. It can
seldom be beaten and is most annoying.
Is there a truly random dealing and shuffling
program one can download from the net?
J. Boxall, via email
I have been gradually scanning some of my better photographs onto my hard
disk and am now trying to locate some good photo presentation software that
will enable me to include text, transitions and music. Any suggestions?
John Lightfoot, via email
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