Shaun's GPS Another fun-filled day in LA! I finally met Lockergnome's better half, Shaun Shulba, face to face last night. We've been working together on the phone (and online) for the last nine months. His mind is as warped as mine! We headed off to Huntington Beach this afternoon, to meet up with the fine folks at Digitaldaze.com--the people who have been providing Lockergnome with outstanding Web service. Then we drove back and went to Universal Studios Hollywood in the evening (to relieve some stress). We spent half the day on the road in LA... the city that never ends.

I think the coolest thing I saw today was Shaun's GPS (Global Positioning System) software on his laptop. Within a few seconds, this sucker was displaying our exact coordinates. We mapped out the routes, and getting to those destinations was cake. I'm firmly convinced that I need to start looking into picking up a GPS solution. It's just too darn cool--especially if you're driving in unfamiliar territory.

By the way, thanks for the messages you've been sending. I'm not answering any of them on purpose--don't take it personally. I probably won't start responding to e-mails en masse again until I return to Iowa. From the looks of it, that may not be until July 27th.

-- Chris Pirillo        

GnomePROGRAM

Selfseek! v1.0a [3.1M] W9x/NT FREE

http://www.illumix.com/products/ssk10a.exe
http://www.illumix.com/selfseek.htm

You know you've seen something on someone's site, but you can't quite remember exactly where it was. You may find that it's impossible to find anything using their search engine--if they even have one to begin with. Selfseek gives the power of powerful searching to your own PC. It'll download and thoroughly categorize the content of any given set of Web pages (or Web site). When you know what you're looking for, don't waste your time actually looking for it. Seek it yourself!

GnomeSYSTEM

Microsoft Office 2000 Troubleshooters
Unearthed by Ben Bodien

http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/2000/downloaddetails/troubleshooters.htm

"Microsoft Office 2000 Troubleshooters can help you diagnose and correct many common problems with Office 2000. Troubleshooters walk you through a series of questions about the problem, and then use your responses to find a possible solution." Office 2000 Troubleshooters can help you troubleshoot various performance and installation problems.

GnomeCANDY

DesktopFrames v1.2b1 [162k] W9x FREE

http://somedec.com/downloads/DesktopFrames1.2b1.zip
http://somedec.com/downloads/

This is one of those utilities that you need to have--if only for it's uniqueness. It's like Microsoft's 'Active Desktop,' without the bulky overhead. You can add countless images to your Desktop quickly and easily, and associate each one with an action (like a program launch) when clicked upon. Create collages without blinking (although the images will remain on top of your Desktop icons). Originally designed for LiteStep users, DesktopFrames can be used by anyone.

GnomeFAVORITE

Graphical Alphabet Pages

http://www.rennysniche.com/

While graphics may spruce up Web pages and offset the monotony of text, 'graphic design' genes may not run in your family. That doesn't mean you can't use your own creations. Do I have to spell it out for you? Very well, although I think that Renny's Niche does a better job. You can download and use pre-fashioned, graphical alphabets to form colorful words on your own site. They'll save you time, energy, and money! If you have no taste, rely on someone else's tongue.

GnomeDESKTOP

FONT: Alien Mushrooms [71k]

http://www.zellweger.com/Phontz/dld/alien_mushrooms.zip
http://www.zellweger.com/

Don't you wish we could give our computers herbal remedies and wild fungi? This mushroom will make your hard drive spin faster for a few hours; this one will give you killer screen saver images; and this one will make you think that your optical drive is bigger than it actually is. Alien mushrooms are the next best thing, man. Slip one of these suckers into your Fonts folder, and you'll be flying! Be careful not to get it too close to your floppy drive, though.

GnomeTIP

The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) has been around for years; it's much older than the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Just as today's Windows versions come with a default Web browser, they also come with an FTP program. Before you download or install a high-end client, see if FTP.EXE does the trick for you. It has neither fancy-schmancy icons nor a point-and-click interface. Select 'Run' from the Start Menu and type "FTP" (without the quotes). For a list of available commands, enter a question mark. NOTE: You may also type "FTP" at a command prompt to run this vanilla client.

Web Version: http://www.lockergnome.com/issues/daily/19990716.html