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Yesterday's Bath Water
Wondering what to do with all those old cell phones, rechargeable batteries, toner and ink cartridges, data tapes, printers, handheld devices and other small electronic gadgets and accessories? Not wanting (or prohibited by ordinance or law) to dump it in with the trash or garbage? Here's another solution for your techno-trash. For $29.95, Greendisk will ship you a 70-pound capacity box. Fill it up (70-pound limit) with your electronic castoffs, and ship it back to them (return shipping included). For smaller loads--they charge $5.95 for up to 20 pounds (each additional pound is 25 cents)--you pack up and ship the stuff at your expense to their facility. In turn, they will distribute the contents around the country to a network of partners, including workshops for the disabled, to reclaim, refurbish, or repair. They also have a program for computer and monitor recycling. Devices with memory (storage) will have the data erased and you'll get a certificate of data destruction. Considering that Americans toss about 2 million tons of e-waste a year, Greendisk's goal of capturing 2,000 tons in 2006 may seem small, but it's yet another way to preserve our resources. And remember that many cities have their own e-waste collection programs, allowing for proper disposal of electronics at (usually) no cost. Major retailers often offer free in-store recycling centers. For more information and to purchase, visit www.greendisk.com.
Multiple Screens
Most current browsers support tabbed browsing where you can open multiple windows (web sites), each in its own tab window. Thus, you can switch easily between multiple web sites. You can even build bookmarks to store your favorite places and open all with one click. Using Firefox, for example, open the sites you wish to bookmark. Then, select the option to bookmark all tabs (one way: right-click on one of the tabs and select Bookmark All Tabs). Provide the requested info (folder and bookmark name) and you're done. Now you can open all the bookmarks as one. (Note: You may need to upgrade Firefox to the 1.5 version).
E-mail On The Casting Couch
"VideoCAST merges the simplicity and convenience of regular email with the power of video, without the recipient having to download any attachments, or install any special software" read a recent advertisement from ActiveCore (activecore.com). Intended for marketeers, the idea is that companies can send e-mail with an embedded video clip. To view the video, the recipient just moves the mouse pointer over the video symbol in the e-mail. Another advantage (to the sender): "VideoCAST gets through most firewalls." Oh, goodie! Another way to invade our desktop, uninvited. And if you accidentally move your mouse over that symbol, the video starts playing instantly since it has already been downloaded (along with the e-mail) to your computer. "The possibilities are endless" says the promotion. Yeah, so are the abuses. Sigh.
Bill Hopkins
is the Webmaster of PhotoSourceFolio* (www.photosourcefolio.com) and a regular contributor to PhotoStockNotes. Send comments via e-mail to wh@photosourcefolio.com. Fax: 1 818 831-0916. For on-line questions, contact Bill on the Kracker Barrel at www.photosource.com/board.*Display 6 of your own images for photobuyers to view, on your page on the PhotoSource website.
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