November 4th 2003 The free for all downloading of music is abruptly coming to an end. In addition to the possibility of spending time in jail and/or facing very stiff fines for swapping songs, you also run the risk of downloading an infected file which will crash your computer - no fun! So, it's  time to head back to the record/cd stores or more likely to an on-line music store. Thrown in to the mix of this newsletter - some more fun Google tips and recipes that are good for your heart and soul. What were you for Halloween? Let me know and you'll get a ghoulish look at my costume! Enjoy, Buying Music There are many ways to buy a song these days on the Internet. They all have their "fine print" in them. It was amazing how some of these stores are straightforward with the costs and some hide it, as if you won't find the price! There are many players out there and within 6-12 months, there will most likely be a shakeout of sorts. Interestingly enough, 2 of the biggest players aren't in the game yet - Microsoft and Amazon (although Amazon has selected free downloads - no MP3s for sale). So far, my favorites are Music Match & Buymusic.com for PC and iTunes for Mac. The other services are convoluted and hide their prices from consumers - what have they got to hide? Buying songs a la carte (by song/album) Itunes - $.99 /song http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/ BuyMusic.com - $.99/song http://www.buymusic.com/ Napster - $.99/song - $9.95/month (premium) http://www.napster.com/ As stated above, I'd go with Itunes for Mac and BuyMusic.com for PC. With an iPod for Windows/Mac - I'd go for Itunes. Subscription based EMusic - $9.99 - $14.99/month unlimited downloads http://www.emusic.com/pitch.html MusicMatch Radio - $60.00/year http://www.musicmatch.com/download/radio_intro.htm Rhapsody - $49.95/year  + $.79/song http://www.real.com/realone/rhapsody/ Music Match radio is incredible. The idea is you get to play an unlimited amount of songs (artists of your choosing) for one monthly price. When you hear a song you enjoy, you can oftentimes buy the song right through the Music Match player (not all songs that play are for sale). If you don't like a song or want to change an artist, you just tweak the list. You can even have multiple "radio" stations (no ads, of course) for your different moods. Napster left me cold (due to the hiding of the costs and forced download of their player). A bit about music software for you computer Basically, you need itunes player to play music downloaded from itunes music store - in fact, you can only download music if you have this player (Napster is the same way, which is why I won't even try it.) For all other downloading and playing music, MusicMatch.com (either free or paid-for version) is the best player out there. One ipod experience: In working with a Windows client and an iPod - looks like it's best if you download new Itunes for Windows. He's had nothing but problems using MusicMatch and his ipod. In our next issue, we'll review portable MP3 players to play this music "on the run" - at work, play, or at school. Access your computer from any computer in the world! With this great on-line software, Gotomypc.com, you can access your home PC from any computer with an Internet connection. The program allow Mac or PC users to access a PC with this program (sorry, can't access Mac computers - for this use Timbuktu - http://www.netopia.com/software/products/tb2/mac/ ) It's similar to PCAnywhere and Laplink with a HUGE advantage, you don't need any software on your system. Try it out, risk-free, for 15 days (or 60 mins of usage): http://www.itmcomputing.com/partners.php (click on Gotomypc  logo to start your free trial) Music Radio MSN Music Radio  - $29.99/year http://entertainment.msn.com/premium/ MusicMatch Radio - Free (random music w/ads) or  $36 or $60.00/year (MusicMatch MX - you pick the music) http://www.musicmatch.com/download/mx_intro.htm Napster - $9.95/month (or $120/year) (premium service) http://www.napster.com/ MusicMatch rocks this category. Seal Player http://www.bandbuilder.com/seal/player.php?ref_code=D23643 A super cool way to sell an album - put the whole thing on-line for free! One of the best ways I've seen to preview music - then you'll want to buy it to play on portable players and home stereo Compare Prices to purchase Seal IV - http://itm.priceGrabber.com - type in Seal IV in search box Just for fun Am I Right - Misheard Lyrics and Song Parodies - You thought you heard one thing - but the song writer really meant something else!  http://www.amiright.com/ Web Design - We'll design the perfect site for you!! So, you've started a small business, you've been reading my computing tips, and you decide it's time for a new website. Or, you want a makeover on your current site and you just don't have the time to learn HTML (ugh!). Well, we've been providing web design services for over 5 years now and our designs just keep getting better. Take a gander at our current portfolio with the newest websites up top: http://www.itmcomputing.com/webportfolio.php . We'll be happy to provide you with a free quotation - either fill out our form: http://www.itmcomputing.com/contact_web.php or give us a holler at 408.732.8500. Windows Tech Tip In the "Another reason to buy a Mac" dept, USB problems (for Windows XP machines) have been cropping up for many of my clients in the area of both printers and multi-function devices. The symptom is that your machine will not boot or boots very slowly and you solve this by unplugging your USB device. Most likely this has to do with a recent Windows Update, as computers with USB devices which previously worked, no longer worked. There's a "USB Emulation" in your BIOS which should be set to "no" under most circumstances. If you find your computer running slower, taking a long time to boot, or not booting at all, unplug all USB devices. If your computer runs just fine after unplugging devices and rebooting, do 2 things: 1. Fix USB Emulation in BIOS 2. Run Windows Update - look through Windows XP Updates (under non-critical ones) - install the update titled "Recommended Update for Windows XP SP1 (KB822603) - dealing with USB issues." This should get things back to normal in no time! Getting ITM services for free Since the day we started, we've always rewarded those who spread the word about our services. It's an easy recommendation to make (Who doesn't know someone who has a computer problem?). Drop an email to one of your friends, relatives or business associates - forward this email newsletter to them and you're eligible for 1 complimentary our of our services, once they become a client. Let us know ahead of time you've referred them, and you'll get a "pre-qualified" gift. It's that easy! The Matrix arrives - or is it?  http://www.themeatrix.com/ See why I became vegetarian in 1991 and continue to do so. More Google Tips I can't get enough of this search engine and it's cool features - here's a few more - both old and new.... Fun Search Tips Calculator - Type in numbers like you would into any calculator (256*2345), hit search - get your answer. Definitions - Either type "define" followed by a space and a word/phrase and you'll get definition at top of search or type "Define:" (with no space following colon) followed by any word/phrase and get loads of sites which will define word for you. Find address with phone number - Put in phone number with area code - get someone's address. Make sure to put it in this format xxx-xxx-xxxx. Google indicateur - Catch the gossip about Google, find out what makes it tick, Google Patents and the Google Dance http://google.indicateur.com Google News Alerts - Interested in a story/headline? Get it emailed to you on a daily or "as it happens" basis, from newspapers around the world http://www.google.com/newsalerts Google Toolbar - Hide popup's, Fill in forms, Easier searching within a site - indispensable tool: http://toolbar.google.com/ Recipes For all folks out there who like to cook (and those who like to droll over great recipes), here's a bunch for you: Vegetable Stocks http://www.drweil.com/app/cda/drw_cda.php Dixie Diners' Club Recipes http://www.dixiediner.com/cgi-bin/WebShop.cgi?config=/usr/www/users/rstevens/dixie/config.txt&first=frecipes or www.dixiediner.com (and click recipe link) Recipe Directory http://vegweb.com/food/ Vegetarian Recipe | Vegetarian Recipes http://vegetarian.allrecipes.com/default.asp Vegetarian Recipes, Cookbooks, and Information | Good Karma Cafe http://www.goodkarmacafe.com/ Vegetarian Recipes: In a Vegetarian Kitchen http://www.vegkitchen.com/ Still eating meat, at what price to our environment? The Ecological Price Of Meat, World Vegetarian Day http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0309/S00169.htm http://www.med.harvard.edu/chge/course/papers/sapp.pdf ************************ Hope you enjoyed the ride.... Clyde Lerner, In The Moment Computing Phone: 408.732.8500 E-mail comments/feedback to: http://www.itmcomputing.com/contact_computer.php This newsletter is a service of In The Moment Computing and is Copyright 2005 Clyde Lerner. All worldwide rights reserved. If forwarding, please forward all of e-mail, not any portion therein. To see past issues of This and That Computer Tips newsletter, please visit the web at: http://www.itmcomputing.com/newsletter.php and click on "Archives." Please note: Unless requested, questions pertaining to this newsletter will be answered in a 3-4 week time frame. If you need a faster response, there will be a small consultation fee of $15 per e-mail response. You will receive a reply within 48 hours. "Complete Computer Help (Networks, New Computer Installs, Software Training) for Individuals and Small Businesses" "Designing your Perfect Website, at an Affordable Cost, in a Timely Manner" Eliminate and Destroy unwanted email: http://spamarrest.com/affl?1337207 Send a greeting card through the Internet so recipient gets card in their postal mailbox: www.sendoutcards.com/7197 - let me walk you through how to send a card - it's easy. ©2003 In The Moment (ITM) Computing. All rights reserved.