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By Jules Allen, Times Correspondent
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 9, 2001
Police line: www.BuyPoliceSupplies.com
My idle curiosity will be the death of me. I set out to find the strangest commerce sites, and I'm not sure if this one is the winner or not. If you've ever hankered for a roll of Police Line -- Do Not Cross tape, this is your store, baby. Load up on body bags, fingerprint lifting tape and Miranda warning cards.
zLaptop zgone: www.zTrace.com
Having a laptop lifted could be a disaster if you're lax on security and never back the thing up. The irony is that the expensive hardware is usually the least expensive item when you figure out the cost of inconvenience. Here's a seemingly Windows-only solution for mobile users. It works on the premise that most laptop nappers aren't too bright and they'll just plug the machine into any old network and start using it. As soon as that happens, the zTrace software kicks in and notifies the monitoring center. This center is, apparently, staffed with ex-cops with names such as Tom and Bud who are really ticked off that somebody would wander off with your computer. My guess is they don't go to the thieves' premises with nightsticks but work with local law enforcement to get the box back. ZTrace comes in $49 a year or free versions, but I couldn't find much about the free version on the site.
Books, glorious books: www.BookSaleFinder.com
Hello, my name is Jules and I am a book junkie. Mostly thick, technical, quickly out-of-date books, but we all have our vices. Should you find your shelves in need of refreshment, fire up a browser and head over to this site. It lists oodles of upcoming library book sales and has plenty of dirt on the local opportunities for inexpensive bibliographical enrichment.
Banking on ignorance: www.PrivacyRightsNow.com
Politics should be insanely interesting to the average Joe or Jane, but we all tend to nod off at the most inappropriate times, such as when the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act was passed, perhaps. Maybe politicians have a similar aural tone to middle management and that's why we tend to doze off in long meetings. Anyway, while we were asleep, it seems that our loving, caring financial institutions of choice have decided to band together and share personal information about us with telemarketing outfits. By default and without your explicit consent. Your only choice is to opt out of this Orwellian scheme and cuddly presidential wanna-be Ralph Nader has a prewritten letter that's just a mouse click away.
Broadband everywhere: www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20010628.html
Most likely it's everywhere that you are not. We're all teased by the lure of always-on, modemless connections, but the reality is often wildly different from the marketing fluff. If DSL means Don't Service your Line in your area, there is hope. You'll have to scare up a couple of old Primestar satellite dishes, void your Apple AirPort warranty and find somebody who has DSL with a line sight to your roof. It's a geeky way to pacify the need for online speed, largely impractical but a good read anyway.