Internet Security and PC Optimization: New Update to an Old Friend

Many months ago, I introduced you to AvanQuest's System Suite 8 Professional, a great suite of internet security and PC optimization tools to keep your computer safe and running at peak performance. Now, the folks at AvanQuest have released version 9 of this great program, and with it comes some great new tools and a great new price. I just want to invite you all to check out an article a friend and I have written on Squidoo about the new product. Follow the links in the article, and you can save $15 off the standard purchase price of System Suite 9 Professional.

In these times of viruses, spyware, and internet scams, you owe it to yourself to keep your computer safe...And with three licenses included with your purchase, you can protect more than one computer in your home or office for one low price. So, check it out.

Colorado-Based Group Suggests Getting High before Flying High

I was watching the news tonight on our local Fox affiliate, in Seattle, and heard a story that gave me mixed feelings.

A group in the Denver area is proposing that airline passengers be able to smoke a joint before boarding flights. Tired of recent incidents of air rage that have caused some planes to divert to Denver's airport lately, this group seems to believe that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol, and that if passengers light up before flying, they'll be more calm. This same group, according to the news report I saw, has also succeeded in getting an initiative on the ballot for this fall to make marijuana the lowest-priority item for law enforcement.

Passengers interviewed by a Fox reporter had mixed reactions. One former law enforcement officer stated that he's seen plenty of non-calm people stoned on pot when he's arrested them, and has said it's no safer than alcohol. Other passengers took the common sense approach of saying that drunk passengers need to be cut off at a certain point instead of encouraging them to use a different drug. One man, however, stated that marijuana should be decriminalized and taxed, and implied that keeping marijuana illegal was only helping to fund organized crime. Interesting viewpoint...

After seeing this story, and hearing the gentleman who spoke on behalf of the organization, I'm not so sure getting stoned before a flight is a good idea. Personally, I am a bit of a drinker, but am not a pot smoker. Like many people, I tried it in college and found it just gave me a headache and wasn't any fun. My belief is that things like alcohol or pot simply bring your personality more to the forefront. If you're in a good mood, chances are you'll be a bit happier after a couple drinks, and maybe the same is true after a joint; I don't know. If you're relaxed, a couple drinks, in my case, just causes you to become more relaxed. If you're agitated or angry, again, the liquor only causes that feeling to be magnified, causing you to act inappropriately. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of flying, but I find a beer or two once we're up in the air just settles me down and helps me relax through the flight...It's never made me go ballistic and want to cause bodily harm to my fellow passengers or the flight crews; the unnecessary fees for checked baggage are enough to cause those feelings.

In all seriousness, I don't think smoking a joint before a flight is the answer. I figure the people who are going to exhibit signs of air rage will do so whether they're drunk, stoned, and in many cases, even sober...That's just the kind of people they are. Most of us can hold our liquor on a plane and don't feel a need to break out of our handcuffs and punch flight attendants...Most of us don't get to the point where we END UP in cuffs to begin with.

God bless this Denver group for trying, but somehow, I don't think pot on the plane, or before boarding the plane, is going to fly...Though, Bongs Before Boarding does sound like a catchy campaign slogan.

Send Congress A Message About High Gas Prices

I know we're all tired about hearing about the economy and high gas prices. It's gotten so bad here in the Seattle area that it's actually now cheaper for my wife and I to take the bus. I hate doing it because I sacrifice the comfort of our car, the ability to listen to Opie and Anthony on XM on the way to and from work, and we're now tied to someone else's (the bus company's) schedule for our travel. On the other hand, it costs us $108 a month for bus fare instead of $300 a month for gas.

Even as a blind person who doesn't drive, I still have to help pay for gas in our family's car, so I know the pain of the pumps. What I've done, and would recommend for everyone reading this to do as well, is to sign the Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less petition. This petition is hosted by American Solutions, and has been signed by well over half a million Americans, both Republicans and Democrats.

I first heard about the petition during a Hannity and Colmes interview with former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, and signed it immediately. It's one of many ways we can let Congress and the oil companies know how we feel.

Do I think drilling is the long-term answer? No. I think we need to be working on alternative ways to power our vehicles...However, while we work on those, we need to increase the supply of oil to keep up with demand. In the process, hopefully we can lower the price of a gallon of gas as well, and in turn bring the prices back down on many other everyday products. I don't know about you, but my pay isn't going up as fast as my gas and grocery bill has lately.

So Send Congress a Message!

R.I.P.: George Carlin

Yesterday morning, I got up for work like I would on any other Monday morning. The weekend had been good, but of course, not long enough. I turned on the news as I always do during breakfast, mainly to catch the traffic, weather, and to see what slant our newscasters will put on the stories of the day.

Of course, there was the usual political news, news about how bad the Mariners are playing, the Sonics/Key Arena court case, and gas prices. All of this was expected, and pretty much went by without much reaction on my part.

Then, the story of George Carlin's death Sunday night came on. I couldn't believe the news; it didn't seem possible. I'd heard him in an interview with Bob Costas a few months ago, and he seemed well, alive, and his usual self...Talking about the issues of the day, and about life, as only George Carlin could.

As all of you know by now, Carlin died of heart trouble at age 71. He'd heart problems for several years, and it all finally came to a head Sunday, June 22.

I'll never forget hearing George Carlin's stand-up for the first time as a sixth-grader, thanks to a good friend who played me several bits, including the infamous "7 words you can't say on TV". From that point, I was hooked, and have listened to every CD or HBO special I could get my hands on. His ideas from one special on what to do with prisoners were hilarious. Granted, if we acted on some of them, I suppose the government could be accused of inflicting "cruel and unusual" punishment, but fencing off certain states and turning them into prisons for specific types of offenders could be fun to watch.

My one regret is that I never had the chance to see Carlin perform live. The CDs and HBO specials are great, but I always wished I'd had the opportunity to attend one of his shows. Last time he was in my area, I think I was out of town, and I told myself "I'll go next time". Well, next time's not going to come.

Not only was Carlin a great comedian, but he inspired many of the stand-ups working today. Though there will never be another George Carlin, there's still plenty of great stand-up out there, and a lot of that, in my opinion, is thanks to the chances he took and the doors he opened. If you enjoy Carlin, you owe it to yourself to check out some of today's comedians...Everyone from Lewis Black, to Rodney Carrington, or Jim Norton, Doug Stanhope, and the list goes on. After hearing Carlin, I began to spin off into other comics at the time, such as the late Bill Hicks, a man who was almost as funny and as poignant as Carlin.

The point of these ramblings is to say that George Carlin will be greatly missed by the fans. He was a great comedian, and I feel, thanks to him, many other great comedians were spawned.

DRM-Free Audio Books: This Could Really Work

Recently, I received a post from an email list I'm on citing the coming availability of downloadable audio books without Digital Rights Management (DRM) protection. The post cited a March 3 New York Times article, in which top publishers, including Random House, announced plans to make their audio books available without the dreaded DRM.

Personally, I like this idea for many reasons.

More Choices

Without the restrictions of DRM, consumers will be able to place their audio books on any MP3/digital media player they own, burn them to CD, or listen to them on their computers without restriction. No more having to worry about whether your player is compatible with a site's downloads.

Greater Interest in audio books amongst the general population

I personally think, once people don't have to worry about the restrictions of DRM, and worry whether or not they have the right hardware or software player, more people will buy more audio books. Those of us who are blind have used audio books for years, and many sighted people are starting to use them in the car, on the bus, on planes, and just to listen to around the house. These numbers will only increase.

If the music industry can do it, why not the book industry?

I realize some people will be worried about piracy if the books become available in a DRM-free MP3 format. Personally, I think we'll see a decrease in piracy as more music and now books become available for consumers to purchase and do as they wish. DRM made legally buying audio cumbersome. You had to check the retailer's list of approved players. If you owned an iPod, you couldn't buy from stores other than iTunes if the store you wanted to buy from used the Windows Media format and DRM. If you were a blind person, many of the services didn't have accessible interfaces, and it was sometimes difficult to activate the license for your file once you had it downloaded...It was just easier to use a P2P client. Sadly, the P2P software is generally more accessible than iTunes or Napster or Yahoo Music.

Now, with MP3s, the downloads are more straightforward, and once downloaded, you access the file as you would any other MP3 that you'd ripped from your CD collection.

In the end, I think publishers will see a growth in audio book sales, and a decline in piracy. I think that once consumers know they can have their audio books on their terms, they'll be happy to purchase them as downloads.

Feel free to leave your comments on this subject. I'm interested to know what all of you think.

Internet Security/PC Maintenance Software at Its Finest: SystemSuite 8

Recently, I was looking for good software to handle my internet security and PC maintenance. For years, I'd been a satisfied user of Norton SystemWorks and Norton Internet Security. Unfortunately, that all changed when I upgraded to Norton 2007 last February. As a blind computer user, I need software that is useable with a screenreader, such as JAWS for Windows, and that is also keyboard-friendly. Up until last year, Norton had always come through for me.

Now, this article isn't intended to be a slam against the Norton line of products. My intent is to introduce you to a wonderful alternative I've found from the fine folks at AvanQuest Software, SystemSuite 8.

I found the product while doing a search on a national electronics chain's website. I looked at the product description, and SystemSuite 8 appeared to have everything I need. Since I had a gift card from Christmas, I figured it couldn't hurt to take a chance on a program with which I wasn't familiar...And in the end, I'm glad I took that chance.

As I mentioned, I needed something that would work with my screenreading software, JAWS for Windows. However, because my wife is sighted, I needed something that would work for her in a visual sense as well. System Suite 8 fulfills both requirements. The layout is simple to navigate, and all buttons are accessible via the keyboard and their titles are spoken clearly. The buttons are organized in an easy to understand format.

When I first launch the program, I press the down-arrow key, and I'm on a line of one-click wizards. Once on this line, I can tab from button to button and activate the wizard I need. Generally, I just press tab once and activate the button that says "Wizard 0". This is the comprehensive wizard which checks for viruses, cleans up the PC, optimizes the PC, and performs several other tasks. Users of Norton will be familiar with this concept, as it's very similar to Norton's "One Button Checkup".

If I want to move to a different set of utilities in the suite, I simply press my down-arrow again. Other lines include Cleanup, Optimization, Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, Firewall, Registry, Fix, and Maintain. Once I've arrowed to the line I want, I simply tab to the buttons and activate the one I want. From there, I just follow the instructions, which JAWS is able to easily read, or my wife can do this by easily viewing said instructions.

The program is also very fast. I have a 144GB hard drive built into the computer, and a 300GB external hard drive connected. Tasks such as scanning for viruses and spyware, disk clean-up, and system maintenance and repair only take a few minutes. With my past utilities, these tasks would often take several hours apiece. The program has also significantly sped up the time it takes my computer to boot up. With Norton, it generally took several minutes from the time the computer was turned on to the time the login screen came up, and then several more from the time I logged in to the time I could use my computer. With SystemSuite 8, my boot-up time is about a minute and a half from turn on to log-in, and I can begin using my various applications within about thirty seconds of loggin on.

SystemSuite 8 does as good a job as any other utility suite I've used at catching viruses and finding and fixing problems with the computer. Like many programs, System Suite 8 allows me to view a log of what has been done after each utility runs. If I choose, I can print or save the logs as well, in case I need to refer to them later.

The suite also comes with NetDefense Firewall. It gives warnings when programs try to access the internet and allows me to allow always, allow once, block always, or block once. It also shows me, if I choose to view it, an extensive list of all of the attempted intrusions that have been stopped. The log is easy to read and easy to understand. The tracking feature is pretty interesting as well. I can click the button when I have a particular event/intrusion selected and see to what ISP the IP number might belong.

The Easy Update feature makes sure I always have the latest virus definitions, program updates, and anti-spyware updates. It's easy to run, and updates install with virtually no assistance required from me.

Installation was a breeze. As a blind person, the only thing I needed visual assistance for was to have my wife read the serial number off the box so I could enter it to activate the program. Otherwise, all parts of the installation were completely accessible.

I realize I've generally geared this review toward blind computer users. I don't want my sighted friends to feel left out. Something we can all enjoy, blind or sighted, is how unintrusive the program is. SystemSuite 8 and NetDefense Firewall run in your task tray and don't interfere with what you're doing on the computer. If an alert pops up, it's always for a good reason. It's usually a message from the firewall which may require an action on your part, and it's the anti-virus system letting you know a virus has been detected and stopped in your incoming email. Unlike other utility and internet security packages I've tried, SystemSuite 8 does not slow down the use of your system. With my old anti-virus software, the downloading of email was very slow, even though I'm using a broadband connection. With System Suite 8, I barely notice any slow-down at all compared to when I deactivated my old anti-virus software.

Also, SystemSuite is great for people with all levels of computer knowledge. A novice can run the standard utilities to keep his or her computer problem-free. An advanced user can edit the registry and make other changes not recommended for beginners, but allowable for those who know more about how to manipulate the registry and such. In short, you can't get into trouble with this program unless you really try.

Finally, the program is a bargain. For all these utilities with other software packages, I've paid, as I'm sure you have, up to $99.99. I purchased SystemSuite 8 and got everything mentioned above for $49.99.

In the end, I'd recommend SystemSuite 8 to anyone looking for good, high-powered, easy to use, reasonably priced internet security and PC maintenance utilities all in one package. I haven't seen another set of PC utilities that works this well and includes everything you need at such a great price.

I admit, I'm such a fan of this product after using it for a month that I've become an affiliate for the company, specifically so I can market this particular program to anyone in need. AvanQuest has a huge line of software, everything from bookkeeping to ring ton creation. I haven't tried their other programs, but if they're as good as SystemSuite 8, I'd be willing to give them a shot.

If you're interested, you can buy SystemSuite 8 Professional. Use the promotional code AFFSS8 to save twenty-five percent (25%) on SystemSuite 8 Professional through March 31. Personally, I think it's one of the best software investments I've ever made, and I plan to stick with them as long as the program remains accessible to screenreaders.

You owe it to yourself to try SystemSuite 8 Professional on your own PC.

Welcome to The Derby Viewpoint

I suppose I should've made this my first post, but live and learn, I suppose.

Welcome to The Derby Viewpoint, my blog. Here, you'll find my opinions about a wide range of topics from politics to music, and current events to pop culture. From time to time, I'll also post reviews of software or other products I find to be worthwhile (and in some cases, not so worthwhile). I'll also ahre videos, links, and other things that I think might be of interest to you, the reader. Check back often, as I hope to regularly update this site. Also, feel free to visit my homepage (currently under construction). Click here to visit.

I hope you enjoy what I have to say...And if you don't like what I say, that's okay too. Feel free to leave comments, good or bad, on anything I've written.

Clint Black Cover of "Long Cool Woman" Possibly the Worst I've Heard

Yesterday, on XM Satellite Radio's "Nashville" channel, I heard country star Clint Black's cover of the classic Hollies' track "Long Cool Woman". Being a Clint Black fan, I thought it would be cool to hear him re-do such a great classic rock staple, but after hearing it, I realize I was wrong.

In all honesty, Clint Black hasn't put out too many sub-par songs, and even his cover of the Eagles' hit "Desperado" wasn't bad at all. For whatever reason, on this song, his voice sounded awful and the music sounded very cheesy, and more rock than country. The only redeeming thing I can say about this song is that I was able to more clearly understand the lyrics.

I know Clint doesn't need any advice from me, just some random fan, but stick to country, and stick to your own songs. And if you're a Clint Black fan, the choice is yours, but I'd advise steering clear of this song.