Monthly Technology Updates

OCTOBER 1998

Year 2000 Update: Is Your PC Compliant?

To know if your PC will work into the next century, you need to understand how it keeps time. Personal computers make use of a special internal clock, called the Real Time Clock (RTC). This clock runs on a battery, so it works even when the computer is off or unplugged. The RTC has a special small memory circuit that keeps track of the century. When you start your computer, the basic input output system (BIOS) asks the RTC for the date and time and passes this information onto the operating system, like Windows 95/98. Because the RTC cannot change the century memory circuit itself, it is up to the BIOS to recognize that the century has changed and set the RTC memory circuit. However, not all BIOSes are capable of handling this.

To test your PC (this test may not wok on older PCs) for year 2000 problems you will need to reset this clock to 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 1999. Once the clock is reset, turn off your computer and wait one minute. If the date says January 1, 2000, when you turn it back on, then your computer is okay. If the date is not correct, then your computer has a year 2000 problem. To run this check in Windows 95/98 follow these steps:

  1. Click on the Start button
  2. Choose Settings, then Control Panel
  3. From Control Panel double click on the Date/Time icon
  4. Change the date to December 31, 1999
  5. Change the time to 11:59 p.m.
  6. Click on Apply
  7. Click on the Start button
  8. Click on Shutdown, and shutdown the computer
  9. Wait one or two minutes
  10. Turn the computer back on and check the date

If you find that your computer fails this test you will need to upgrade your BIOS. Fortunately, this is a relatively simple task. These links provide BIOS upgrade utility programs and more information about the PC year 2000 problem:

This procedure checks only the computer clock. You may also have software with year 2000 problems.

Quick Tip of the Month

Having trouble finding what you are looking for on the Web? Try using a search engine or directory site (see this month's Internet article). The following tips work for many of the most popular search engine/directory sites, but they may not work on all of them.

  1. When searching for a phrase (for example, computer virus), place the phrase in quotation marks ("computer virus"). This tells the query software to find only those sites where the words appear together.
  2. If there is a word that must appear in the results, place a plus sign before it. For example, if you wanted information on the Kennedy assassination but not necessarily the Kennedy administration your search would be:

    Kennedy +assassination.

  3. If there is a word that should not appear in the results place a minus sign before it. For example, if you wanted information about the Kennedy administration but not the Kennedy assassination your search would be:

Kennedy -assassination.

How Do Search Engines Work?

If you have ever tried to find something on the Internet you have probably used a search engine or a directory, like AltaVista, HotBot, Lycos, Excite, and Yahoo! Have you ever thought about how they work? Knowing a bit about search engines and directories can make locating information on the Internet easier.

To have a page listed in a directory, like Yahoo!, the author of the page submits the page address and a short description to the directory company. A human reviewer will visit the site and suggest placement in the appropriate area of the directory. Any subsequent changes to the page do not change its directory listing.

Search engines, like HotBot, work by automatically searching the Web for new or updated pages. They use special software called a spider, a type of intelligent agent. Certain spiders, like those for AltaVista and HotBot, are capable of searching 10 million sites per day. When a new or updated page is found, the address and description information are submitted to the search engine index, which is actually a huge database.

Many search engine/directory sites are actually hybrids. They use spiders to search the Web and also accept new pages, review them, and categorize them. All search engine/directory sites enable users to search for relevant information. Each search engine and directory uses a specific set of rules for finding and ranking sites that match a user query. For example, some software may give a higher weighting to words that appear toward the top of a page versus the bottom of the page.

So which search engine/directory should you use? It depends on what you are looking for. If you have a general topic in mind-computers, for example-directory sites may be helpful. These sites organize pages by subject, which might make it easier to narrow the search and to look for other related categories. Because search engines are larger and more up-to-date than directories, they are useful for specific searches. For example, if you were interested in a specific type of computer you might want to use a search engine. For searching tips, see this month's Tips and Tricks article.

For more information on search engines and directories, click on these links:

Privacy in the Workplace

Remember that E-mail you sent to a friend complaining about your boss? How about those long distance phone calls you made from your office? What about the time you spent the day playing computer games instead of working on that big project? You had better be more careful. Your boss (or others in your workplace) may be watching.

If you use an office computer or business E-mail account, your employer may legally read your E-mail. Even when you delete an E-mail message, your employer may be able to recover it from a backup copy. The same holds true for voice mail.

Your employer may also be watching what you are working on throughout the day. There is computer software that enables employers to view what is on an employee’s computer screen. This type of monitoring can be done without an employee’s knowledge.

The courts have ruled in favor of the employer in most cases dealing with electronic privacy in the workplace. The rationale is that the employer owns the E-mail system, phone system, and computer systems and therefore has the right to monitor them.

To find out more about electronic privacy in the workplace, click on these links:

Choosing a Good Password

So you need to pick a password for you new computer account. You want to pick something you will remember. Should you choose your middle name, your birthday, your dog's name? Probably not. Hackers (people who break into computer systems) know that many people pick passwords from names and dates important to them. These names and dates are typically public knowledge and may make your account vulnerable.

Even using random words or names may not help. Hackers use software that can quickly run through all of the words in the dictionary. There is even software that checks passwords against actual names and names from fiction.

Your best defense is a nonsense password that combines letters and numbers randomly. The major problem with this type of password is it is difficult to remember. So try this technique. Turn to a favorite passage in your favorite book. Use the page number as the first part of your password. Then take the first letter of each word in the passage as the next part. Finally, add the copyright date to the end of the password. Now you have a password that is very difficult to break, and if you ever forget it, you can just "look it up" in your favorite book.

For more information on passwords and hackers, click on these links:

Hand Held PCs

A hand held PC (HPC) is a computer about the size of a memo pad. Because they are small enough to fit in your hand they are sometimes called palmtops. These computers allow busy people to check E-mail, browse the Web, send faxes, check their schedule, and take notes wherever they happen to be. Therefore, they are also known as personal digital assistants (PDAs). Many of these systems incorporate standard computer software such as spreadsheet and word processing packages.

There are two ways to work with HPCs. Some systems, like Apple's Newton, use a stylus (an electronic pen) for user input. Other systems, like those from Casio, Compaq, and Hewlett Packard use a small keyboard. These keyboards are small so many of these HPCs also support stylus input. These computers typically run on standard AAA batteries, which can last for a few weeks of normal use. Most palmtops are able to transfer data to and receive data from desktop computers either through a direct cable connection or an infrared connection (no cables).

Many PDAs run on the Windows CE operating system. This allows them to run many Windows based software applications. PDAs are usually about $300-400 for a basic model.

For more information about PDAs click on the links below:

  • Apple (makes the Newton)
  • Hewlett Packard (makes a series of PDAs, some with color screens)
  • Casio (makes the Cassiopia)
  • Compaq (makes the C-series of PDAs, some with color screens)
  • PDA Page (check here for current prices)

Hand Held PCs in Health Care

One area in which hand held PCs (HPC) have had a strategic impact is health care. In hospitals doctors and nurses use HPCs to view patient data and record treatment information. HPCs can also keep doctors up-to-date on their critical patients. For example, a cardiologist can receive the latest electrocardiogram data on his or her HPC at any time of the day or night. This can enable a doctor to quickly diagnose a patient and begin treatment as soon as a problem arises.

HPCs are also used by patients. MedData's Healthmate software helps diabetics manage their condition. The Healthmate software runs on Apple's Newton line of HPCs. This portability means that the software is always available to support treatment decisions. In the future, HPCs may be used by emergency medical personnel to transmit patient data to the emergency room before arrival. This would allow doctors and nurses to prepare treatment.

For more information about HPCs in health care, click on these links:

Windows CE

Windows CE is an operating system designed to work on handheld PCs (HPC) and other devices, such as set top boxes for television. It is placed in the device's read only memory (ROM). Microsoft, the developer of Windows CE, designed the operating system to be small and modular. The modular design allows developers to use only those portions of Windows CE that are needed.

Currently, Windows CE is used primarily in HPCs. However, in the future Windows CE may be used in mobile phones, televisions, and even household appliances.

For more information about Windows CE click on these links:

Free Long Distance Through Internet Telephony

Tired of those long distance phone bills? You can avoid them entirely by using the Internet for long distance telephony. To use Internet telephony, which is also called voice over Internet protocol (VOIP), you need a computer with a modem (or other connection to the Internet), a sound card, speakers, a microphone, and Internet telephony software. Internet telephony uses the microphone and sound card to digitize a person's voice. This signal is sent over the Internet via the Internet telephony software. At the other end of the conversation the voice signal is converted back into analog and transmitted to the speakers.

Because the Internet was not intended to provide real time communication there is usually a small delay between transmission and reception. This delay will typically increase at times when there is heavy Internet use.

Many companies with remote offices have begun to setup their own Internet telephone gateways (a computer with special software) to bypass long distance carriers while still using standard telephones. A caller first dials into an Internet telephone gateway, which then transfers the conversation onto the Internet. This process is reversed at the other end of the connection. Because local Internet telephone gateways are not widely available, this procedure cannot be used by the general public.

If you want to try Internet telephony, some of the companies listed in the links below provide free software. Look for those that support the H.323 standard. This will allow your software to work with software from other vendors.

For more information about Internet telephony click on these links:

Intelligent Agents: Like Having Your Own Secretary

Imagine that your computer knows you so well it can automatically handle all your vacation planning. It knows where you like to go, so it finds the best airfare and books you into the seat you like. It then places an order for clothes to where on your trip and sends E-mail to your co-workers, letting them know when you will be out of the office..

Although it sounds like science fiction this scenario is the promise of intelligent agents, part of the field of artificial intelligence. These agents are actually software programs that run on your computer (or on a computer network). They use neural network technology to learn your preferences and act on it. Agents can also communicate with each other.

The spiders discussed in this month’s article, How Do Search Engines Work, are actually a type of intelligent agent. They are given autonomy to traverse the Web and store information about what they find.

The autonomy given intelligent agents is a key concern. You might not feel comfortable allowing your intelligent agent to book your vacation, for example. You might instead have your agent suggest some locations and find the best prices. Once you have approved a destination the agent would take care of the reservation. The user remains in control.

For more information about intelligent agents click on these links:

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