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Emailing to the Masses
Q. Is there a program you can recommend that
will help me with my non-spam mailings to approximately 160 addresses? My
current email service provider limits me to sending to 25 recipients at a time,
so I have seven different mailing lists that I have to use.
A. Any
mail service is going to have some limitations on the number of addresses you
can send to at one time, though most will allow more than your current provider.
Gmail (www.gmail.com), for
example, is a free, Web-based mail service that lets you send to approximately
100 addresses in a single mailing.
Be sure to double check email
addresses of recipients before clicking the Send button, though. Your account
will be disabled if a large number of “undeliverable” mail bounces back as a
result of incorrect, invalid, or nonexistent email addresses. You don't want to
be branded as a a spammer. (What would the neighbors think?)
There are
also mass-mailing software programs such as YL Software (http://tinyurl.com/yj4cool)
and DynamicMailer (http://tinyurl.com/yl26jj5),
or if you run a Google search for “mass-mailing software,” you will find other
options. Since you only have 160 names on your list, I would suggest trying
Gmail. That will save you the expense of purchasing additional software and
reduce the number of mailing lists you're using from seven to two.
Q. I need to look in my Windows Registry to check something. The
instructions I have tell me to go to the Start button, choose Run, and type in “regedit.”
I can't do that with Vista because there is no Run option. Can you help me, Mr.
M?
A. In Vista, right-click the Start Button or orb > Properties >
Customize. When the Customize Start Menu screen appears, scroll down and place a
check mark beside the "Run command" checkbox, followed by OK > Apply > OK. That
will add the Run command to the Start menu. In Windows 7, type the command (in
your case, “regedit”) into the Start > Search field and press ENTER instead of
using the Run command line. You can also press the Windows Logo Key + R to
display the Run dialog box.
Q. When I open JPG attachments, they
default to Microsoft’s Photo Editor instead of Picasa. What do I need to do to
change from Windows Photo Editor to Picasa?
A. Right-click any JPG
image file and choose the “Open With” option from the menu that appears. You
will be presented with a list of installed programs that you can use to open JPG
images. Select Picasa from the list and check the box next to “Always use the
selected program to open this kind of file,” followed by OK. If you don’t see
Picasa in the list, click the Browse button and navigate to your Programs
folder. In the Picasa folder, click to select Picasa.exe or Picasa2.exe (the
name may vary slightly), then restart your computer.
The next time you
encounter a JPG file, Picasa will spring to life and display the picture. You
can also use Google's Picasa to edit a photo, post it on a Web site, print it,
or email it to someone else.
Mr. Modem’s
DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month
Clumsy Crooks
Who doesn’t
enjoy a story about a crook doing something incredibly stupid? For example,
there’s the would-be purse-snatcher who grabbed a bag from a lady walking her
poodle and made off with a bag of poop. Or the doofus who offered two undercover
cops crack cocaine if they would give him a ride. (They did.) Or how can it not
warm the cockles of your heart to read about the bank robber who ran out of a
bank and was run over by his getaway-car driver? You’ll find many similar
heartwarming stories at the Clumsy Crooks Web site.
www.clumsycrooks.com
Hand Lines
According to this site, hand lines are a reflection of the
experiences of the central nervous system, and the lines and grids on your hands
are a way for one’s brain to express itself. I checked out my hand lines and
apparently my brain is telling me, “Your hands are old and wrinkly.” I thought
that was a bit harsh. If you’re into this kind of thing, break out the granola
and the wind chimes and have fun.
http://tinyurl.com/yejvabr
WebCrosswords
Crossword puzzle enthusiasts won’t want to miss this site.
You can play in either “Regular” or “Master” mode (if you dare), and in the
likely event you get stuck, stymied or flummoxed, click the “Solve” tab to
reveal a letter, a word, or the entire puzzle. These daily, theme-oriented
crossword puzzles are fun and will keep the old neurons humming. A little timer
in the upper right-hand corner is informative, humiliating and stress-inducing.
www.webcrosswords.com
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