KSFO's Web Wanderer

The Links for December 23, 2006

XP Troubleshooting and Repair - Dyno Don

Dyno Don says: "My sons computer crashed and he's using this as an excuse to buy a new one and start over. (He's a programmer so needs a nice machine anyway). In researching his original difficulty I found this."

This looks like a great "how-to" page for fixing WinXP problems. It steps you through everything, including making an ERD (Emergency Repair Disk).

Check it out!

Thanks, Don!

BroadBand Reports - Solinas

I noticed Dyno Don's pick was hosted on Broadband Reports, formery DSL Reports.

If you need broadband, BroadBand reports will give you your options.

You can check reviews for dozens of Broadband providers - so if you're not happy with your provider, you can find another.

Check it out

Find Articles - Charles in San Francisco

Charles in San Francisco submitted "Find Articles".

Find Articles is a Looksmart search engine which lets you find articles.

From the site: "Our publications and subjects are organized by major categories: Arts & Entertainment, Automotive, Business & Finance, Computers & Technology, Health & Fitness, Home & Garden, News & Society, Reference & Education, and Sports."

"Discover exactly what you need at FindArticles, using either browsing or searching techniques. Select a specific publication up front, or start with a general search and then include or exclude publications. Insert new search terms as needed to pinpoint the most relevant results. Then sort results by article date, length, relevance or publication name. It's all very easy to do here."

"FindArticles has articles from thousands of resources, with archives dating back to 1984. That means you get to search for exactly what you need, from millions of articles not found on any other search engine. Please think of us any time you want to Find Articles."

I gave it a shot, and liked the search resuts I was given.

Thanks, Charles!

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians - Dan in Vancouver, Washington

Dan in Vancouver, Washington found this one.

From the site: "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) is considered to be one of the worst movies ever made. It is so bad, that it is actually fun to watch. The filmmakers were probably too embarrassed to renew the copyright, so it’s now in the public domain."

"The story shows how Santa Claus is kidnapped by Martians to cheer up the Martian children. The rumor is that the movie was shot in abandoned aircraft hangars in New Jersey. It is clear that the movie had an extremely low budget, it even has spelling errors in the opening credits (custume designer)."

"The movie is currently ranked 80 in the list of worst movies ever made. A remake of this classic has been announced, but it will certainly never beat the original."

Some funny mess-ups to watch for during the movie:

6 mins - Why is the snow on that guy not melting?
13 mins - Septober? A goofy sort of hybrid month?
20 mins - Paper towel tubes used as part of a radar array (these guys were so broke).
34 mins - Oh no! It’s some guy dressed in a polar bear suit!
50 mins - They’re going to escape the airlock via a duct?
57 mins - If it weren’t for some big guy who laughs insanely, I’d run…
66 mins - Can’t these morons tell the difference between Santa and Dropo in a red suit?

Funny stuff - thanks Dan!

Free For All!

"Free For All" picks are hot, FREE items or services. It can be software, online services, you name it - but it's got to be free, with no strings attached.

Bit Torrent - Solinas

Want to watch that movie by downloading via Bit Torrent, but don't have the software? This site will get you to the downloads, and has links to lots of other stuff available on Bit Torrent.

Check it out.

Keep Vid - Solinas

See videos online, and want to keep a copy? KeepVid will help.

You give keepvid a url, and it'll examine the page and give you a download link. Works with, among a bunch of other sites, Google, YouTube, iFilm, etc.

The site has a nice download - a button to drag to your toolbar. If you are on a page and watching a video, click on the "Keep it" button, and