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For people who have too much time on their hands. Way too much time....

Still not satisfied? Here's another colossal time-waster.

Tip for Getting Tech Support at Work

If Jim in the IT department ignores your e-mailed requests for help, uploading your complaints to the server into a directory named "Jimbo's Goat Porn Pics" gets very quick attention.
-- Carl Knorr
©2004, Top Five Dot Com

Automatically Starting Programs

Some programs will automatically load every time you start Windows.
This can cause your computer to boot up and run sluggishly. To identify the startup programs

Click Start>>Run
Type msconfig
Click OK.

If you click on MS Config's Startup tab, you'll see a bunch of program listings. But it's difficult to know what needs to stay and what doesn't. Enter the name of a program at the sysinfo site to find out the functions of a program.

Be Careful When Dialing Non-Local Area Codes

Among the suspect area codes are 809 - Dominican Republic, 242 - the Bahamas, 284 - British Virgin Islands, 787 - Puerto Rico, 678 - Vanuatu, and the area codes 500 & 700.

Note: Being one of the world's great skeptics, I checked the authenticity of this at snopes.com. The mythbusters at Snopes verified that it is mostly true. Check for yourself. Or read Scambusters and Better Business Bureau accounts of this.

Consider this scenario: Your answering machine picks up a call from an unfamiliar person at an unfamiliar area code. The caller says "Hey, this is [some name]. Sorry I missed you--get back to us quickly. I have something important to tell you." Then the caller gives a phone number beginning with a non-local area code.

The come-on to get you to call varies. It can be to receive information about a family member who has been ill, arrested, or died, or to let you know you have won a wonderful prize, etc. In each case, you are told to call the non-local number right away. Since there are so many new area codes these days, people unknowingly return these calls.

A call-back could be very expensive.

Here's why:

If you call from the US, you will be charged an astronomical per-minute rate. You may get a long recorded message or a live, chatty person. They will try to keep you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges. Unfortunately, when you get your phone bill, you could be charged large amounts of money.

These area codes
- Can be used as a "pay-per-call" number, similar to 900 numbers in the US.
- Are outside the USA, and therefore not subject to US regulations.

For instance, US regulations of 900 numbers require
- that you be notified and warned of charges and rates involved when you call a "pay-per-call" number.
- that you have a time period during which you may terminate the call without being charged.

Also, many U.S. homes that have "900 number blocking" to avoid these kinds of charges. 900 number blocking does not work in preventing calls to these other area codes.

Trying to fight the charges afterwards can be a real nightmare. If you complain, both your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want to get involved and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. You'll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong.

At Last! A Really Useful Innovation From Microsoft

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Since Microsoft introduced its first operating system, Microsoft's customers have been plagued by system crashes and the infamous "Blue Screen of Death".

When Microsoft finally acknowledged that their buggy software would never be solid and stable, they decided to make lemonade: customized BSOD messages.

From The All-Macarena Channel

Pipe, Pepper, Monkey, Raisin Macarena

Mr. Asciihead Macarena

Klingon Macarena

Macarena Cell Phone Ringtones

Macarena Suites Hotel

Macarena Tag

And finally... lessons!

Stolen from Top Five Dot Com