Sundries

Here are a few other Web sites and services I recommend...

• Connectcall

Like it or not, for most people today a mobile phone (cellphone in the US) is not so much a luxury as a necessity. Connectcall offer great deals on mobiles and accessories, including the latest 3G video phones. They also offer a unique insurance policy which (unlike many on the market) covers you for theft and water damage, and gives you bonuses after 12 and 24 months if you don't claim. Note that due to the high costs of postage they only supply phones to UK customers.

• Firetrust Benign

Benign is a companion program to Mailwasher which I have recommended elsewhere. It screens all e-mail as it arrives in your Inbox and strips out any potentially harmful code (viruses, worms, scripts, and so on). Not only does this provide an extra layer of security for your computer, it also helps protect your privacy by stripping out so-called web bugs which confirm that you have opened a particular e-mail (so making you more vulnerable to spammers).

• AVG Anti-Virus

Just because you are using a program such as Mailwasher or Benign, you should not use this as an excuse for not having an anti-virus program. AVG is the program I use, and the best news is that for individual users it's free. The only 'catch' is that users of the free version are not eligible for free technical support. However, I found it simplicity itself to download and set up, and once it's on your computer it updates itself automatically without you having to do anything yourself. Highly recommended.

• Smash Spam Now 

This is a great US site packed with tips and articles on how to get rid of the annoyances of email spam.

• The Newbie Club

This is my first port of call if I need help with any technical aspect of computing. It's another free service (apart from some premium products), and includes loads of free tutorials, e-books and so on. You do have to register before you can use some of the facilities, but this is free and takes only a few moments. The free weekly newsletter is a treasure trove of information, and well worth signing up for. The guestbook on this site also came from The Newbie Club.

• 1&1 Internet Limited

This is the company I bought my domain name from for just £1.95 a year. They also offer low-cost Web site hosting and a huge range of extras, including over £300 worth of free software for all new clients. Check them out!

• Ezinedirector

If you send out an opt-in e-mail newsletter, this is a service which will save you many hours of frustration. Subscription, unsubscription and changes of e-mail address are all handled automatically, and detailed statistics about who has received your newsletter (and read it) are also provided. Best of all, the service is completely free for mailings of up to 500 subscribers.

• Record Internet Radio

I'm a big fan of Internet radio. This site explains how you can tune into online radio stations, and how to record their output on your PC. You can then save your recordings to a CD or an MP3 file.

• Spam Abuse Net

Finally, if you get really fed up with spam, this site will show you how to fight back. It's also a good place to keep up with the latest news on spam-fighting initiatives.