Question: I've forgotten my Windows XP password. What can I do about it?
Answer: With Windows XP, you can probably fix it yourself. This is based on the fact that most of the time, the Administrator account doesn't have any password. Turn your computer on, press the F8 key and choose to startup in safe mode. When you get to the login, choose or type in "Administrator", with a blank password. You'll normally, but not always, be logged right in. Then go into the Control Panel, and under Users, choose your regular login account and remove the password. When you reboot, you will be ready to go. Suppose that doesn't work and you can't log on in safe mode as Administrator. The Ultimate Boot CD for Windows has an option you can use to blank out the password of any account on the system. I really recommend blanking out a password rather than trying to change it, just to be safe. If this happens to those of you using Vista, the program on the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows will work.
Cool Site: UStream.tv: With UStream.tv, a high-speed Internet connection, and a webcam, you can create your own Internet-based shows. On UStream, you can set up a show, complete with its own website, and then broadcast live to the world. You can also record your shows for on-demand playback later. Your shows can be embedded into your own website, your Facebook or MySpace page, or any of several other sites. If your show is at all interactive, you get a dedicated chat room for your show. You can also record the chat transcript for later. They provide metrics that let you know how long you've been broadcasting and how many unique viewers you've had. Your viewers can also rate the shows, so it's a pretty complete Internet Broadcast setup.
Cool Gadget: Photo Frame Safe: I heard the other day that the number of home safes being sold are on the rise. Maybe folks still just don't trust the banks. Well, Bim Bam Banana sells a safe for about $60 that you can hide in plain sight. It’s a photo frame that hides a safe. The safe itself really doesn't seem all that safe, but someone looking for your stuff probably won't think to look there. After all, that's too cliché to be real. But if that's not good enough, they also have safes dressed up like a loaf of bread, two that look like books, or a can of Brut spray. You might actually wind up hiding something from yourself.
It's All "Geek" To Me: Flaming: A flame is an email message that's intended to be inflammatory in nature. Flaming can be a sort of cyberbullying, wherein the parties basically argue and offensiveness escalates between them. A common topic of flaming is the PC vs Mac vs Linux debate. You might also run into a Kirk vs Picard sort of fight. These flame wars also go by the name "pie fights". But, flaming can occur very easily when we write or respond to emails while we are upset about something. This can cause us to be less careful about what we say, which will invite misunderstandings, which can upset the other person and ignite a flame war.
