Newsletter #7

REM

So there! The newsletter is back. Contrary to the grumblings of a few naysayers it wasn't a six issue wonder, the editor has simply been on maternity leave. Yeah, I was surprised too...

Nicholas debuted on 19th January, weighing in at a wonderfully healthy 7lb 10oz. This pic was taken when he was 6 hours old.

As little as he is, he did create one big problem. Where to put him? Type Tamer's grown a bit since the last arrival (Thomas in 1993). Blame all those new imagesetters,there just isn't room in TT's darkroom for a bassinet any more...

So, I get to telecommute too

Thanks to the wonders of fax and modem, I've only been into TT's office twice in the past couple of months! The first few weeks were pretty tough, trying to organise baby's routine and a new work flow. The SOHO was definitely looking more like Le Ghetto! But it's coming together now and I reckon it's great. No need to get even dressed properly...

Experiencing TT from the outside is interesting though; for starters:

The BBS was too slow, it just got an upgrade to a faster computer so files upload faster

The phone line to the BBS is engaged too often a second line is on the way

The time between transmission and turn around was too slow, partly my fault because I was forgetting to send a fax telling the operators that my job was on there but the network link did need improving. Done.

These are all little things, but they do add up to precious minutes when the deadline's hammerin'. Have I missed anything? And why didn't anyone else complain earlier, might I ask? I just became the telecommuter's advocate, and I'd love to hear from anyone else with ideas that would make things easier.

When the Works doesn't mean the lot!

I like to use MS Works for keying text, the trouble is I need both Australian and American spell dictionaries. (I get confused going from one job to the next, some of my stuff goes overseas & editors everywhere are convinced I'm a Muddle-headed McWombat who forgets how to spell, sometimes!)

MS Works has an option to select which of your dictionaries you wish to use. Great. The trouble is you have to have the dictionaries to select from! MS Works only comes with one! The version which can be bought in WA comes with the Australian dictionary.Fair enough, especially since we all spent years whinging about foreign dialects.

I got excited when I found a third party company selling foreign dictionaries. The bad news: the said company is American, and therefore, an American dictionary is not foreign! Ahhh! (It's about now that I reconsider installing Word or something. But I have a thing against 50mb word processing packages that take ages to load.) Another possible solution, would be to buy a copy of the American version of MS Works, but it doesn't appear to be available in Australia. On phoning a couple of local software suppliers with my dumb question I got the usual responses, i.e. disinterest, rudeness, sarcasm... Umm.

Someone did warn me that if I mail order it from overseas, it might not have the correct licence for Australia (greyware?). Apparently one can get busted for that, even if one can prove that it was paid for.

Does anyone know of a good software supplier?

Win95, New Feature

There is a rumour floating around the Internet that Win95 has a new feature. There is now a single function key for producing a general protection fault. In previous versions of Windows, you had to run an application to get a GPF.

Caption Capers

We published this pic in the last newsletter looking for a caption for it, some of the best (of the printable ones!) were:

Peter Ramshaw

Mr Scanner had a nose for news - so he launched his own Bugle on the Internet.
DTP HAIKU
Trouble with flatbed
scanner is
only nose gets a rest!
Everyone in the office was disgusted at the way Marvin pixled his nose in public.
Before they took him away, Sam really believed there was a little man with a halogen torch inside the scanner...

Allan Chersey:

How am I supposed to see if this is my best angle?
Now, how am I going to read the instructions?
I wonder if it will pick up my dimple?
Keeping one's nose to the (technological) grindstone.

Eva Illett:

What a great nose for business!

Til next time,

Amanda

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   mouse@typetamer.net.au