Backpacks, Cookies, and Magnets

by Thomas Caldwell

After you have spent a few days running around with this instead of a shoulder bag, I predict you'll see a noticeable improvement in your posture as well as your energy level. Since your body doesn't have to constantly compensate for being off-balance, you have more "juice" for the important things in life. (Such as work?) I use mine every day, and I find it the most practical way to lug my gear around Tokyo.

A non-cookie diet
A couple of readers were rather angry that, after they had disabled the cookie function in their Web browsers as per my suggestion [in the July Query Column], they were unable to fully access some of their favorite websites. Unfortunately, cookies are becoming a common requirement that many of the more active commercial sites employ to fully track your interests and potential buying habits. The results can be seen when you receive spam that is related to the same subject matter as the websites you've recently been cruising.

Although commercial activity is what will enable the Internet to continue growing, this method of spying on individuals is a horrible invasion of privacy. It's the same thing as NTV and TBS rigging your TV to keep track of what shows you watch and when you watch them. The room for abuse is frightening.

My suggestion is to just boycott sites that require cookies. Don't access them, and send a complaining e-mail message to the advertisers who patronize them.

Also, be warned that many of the porno sites employ cookies, which could at some point be used to investigate who is transporting material considered obscene across international borders. Although the USENET newsgroups are rife with the stuff, having your e-mail address and name passed around in such circles could lead to unpleasant consequences - especially in Japan. Maintain your privacy at all costs!

A stand-alone keyboard+printer
Special thanks to the reader in Singapore who dug out my 1994 piece on typewriters. It's refreshing that the material we produce has such a long shelf-life, given how quickly things change in the computer industry.

For those who like to turn off all the power at the fuse box on weekends to get away from the electromagnetic pollution in your home, the box on this page lists a few websites that you can download and print out ahead of time on the subject of writing without electricity. I'm won't go into the topic of typewriters in this column since there is so little space, but if anyone is interested in sharing information on the subject, please e-mail me privately. I'll be putting a special area together on my website in the near future.

A magnetic magazine
A reader in Washington, DC, sent me an insert from a prominent magazine showing that publication's 1998 business gift collection. This included a document case with a rather odd feature. I won't name the publication publicly, since they haven't gotten back to me with a response, but the insert offered readers a document case that provides, among other things, "five sections for business or credit cards, a pen holder, and a special pocket for a 3.5-inch computer disk. The magnetic clasp ensures that documents will always be kept secure."

A magnetic clasp in the same vicinity as a floppy disk? Bad idea folks! Especially in the business gift department.

Instead, send your business associates something safe this year. How about something they can really use and appreciate well into the next year: a good book on Windows 95 troubleshooting. Or, better yet, a subscription to Computing Japan.

Got a burning question, or an alternative answer? You can reach Query columnist Thomas Caldwell at caldwell@gol.com.