Thank you!

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP! Last week I asked you for help with making Mike's List compatible with as many e-mail applications as possible. I got lots of great feedback, and also learned something ugly about Microsoft Outlook. Many of you Outlook 2000 users received only the bottom one-quarter of the newsletter. The issue looked perfect to users of Outlook Express, Hotmail, Yahoo and all other HTML-capable e-mail clients. But Outlook 2000 choked on a non-standard character. My headline, "Microsoft a la Hollywood," contained an accent over the "a," per the French standard. Outlook 2000 saw that character, gagged, and refused to show the headline or anything above it. (If I wanted to be petty I'd blame Microsoft. But let's be broad-minded about all this and just blame the French.) 

I'd also like to thank all you folks who are spreading the joy by recommending Mike's List to friends, family and colleagues. Subscriptions are growing fast, and I appreciate your enthusiastic recommendations. (If you haven't recommended the free Mike's List newsletter to *everyone* you know, what are you waiting for?)  

High-Tech Trash
The City of Barcelona is rolling out 18,000 trash cans with built-in microprocessors that tell collectors if the can is full, when it was emptied and whether or not it needs to be painted. Sanitation workers use handheld computers to communicate with the trash cans.

Suing Now Easier Than Ever!
The Sacramento, California, Superior Court now enables small claims lawsuits online. The cost is $20 for every dozen lawsuits, and you can charge it to your credit card!

Suit Comes with Palm Organizer 
Palm organizers are designed to fit into suit pockets. But one clothing maker has designed a suit pocket for a Palm organizer. The Japanese Onward Kashiyama Company makes a suit called the "ICB Suit//Palm Computing," which comes with an M100 Palm organizer in a specially designed pocket. 

Palm Hack Uses Infrared Port
A security consultant has created software called "Notsync" that uses a Palm organizer to steal the password of another Palm, just to prove that Palms are insecure. Palm organizers were previously thought to be invulnerable to hacking. Here's how the software works: An unwitting Palm user syncs with the desktop, but Notsync fools the Hotsync application into thinking that the hacker's Palm -- to which it connects via the PC's infrared port -- is actually the PC itself. The password is then captured by the hacker's Palm. With security consultants like this, who needs hackers? 

Ad Creep
First, TV networks used computer-generated advertising during football games and other sports events. Then they added electronic first-down lines to football. Well, at the Super Bowl this year, they'll be combining the two, placing electronic advertising on the first-down line -- but only for the foreign broadcast of the game. If people outside the U.S. don't gag on the concept, they'll be sure to roll it out in the states next year. 

Follow-Up
Last week I wrote about Ginger, the secret scooter that has the press buzzing. Can't get enough unfounded speculation about Ginger? Get your fill at GingerHype.com. 

Reader Web Site of the Week
Check out GeekNews, a hot site featuring late-breaking tech news with plenty of attitude. (Want YOUR site to be considered as a Reader Web Site of the Week? Click here.)

Mike's List o' Wacky Web Sites
1. Who better to explain the finer points of semiconductor physics than... Britney Spears!? 

2. Are you an evil genius looking for high-tech prank ideas? Here's a site built just for you.

3. Librarians are fed up, and aren't going to take it anymore. Check out the Librarian Avengers web site!

4. At last! Now you can create your own "letter biscuit images." What the heck am I talking about? Go here to find out.

5. A cleaning lady sues homeowners after mistaking a firecracker for a candle. A woman sues the police for not arresting her during a drinking binge. All this and more, at the Loony Lawsuits web site!

Mike's List o' Numbers
$500 million - Microsoft's 2001 advertising budget. (Newsbytes)

564 - The total number of self-congratulatory award ceremonies held to honor actors, musicians and other show-biz types in 2000. (Variety)

$77,000 - Average total household income of broadband (cable and DSL) users. (Exite@Home)

$67,000 - Average total household income of dial-up users. (Exite@Home)

Mike's List o' Required Reading
Online and Underground
By Janelle Brown
Salon

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