FileSlinger™ Favorites

Although far too obnoxious to put on a business or professional website, this is the funniest replacement I’ve ever seen for the standard Internet Explorer “Page not Found” error message. It comes from British online magazine “The Ripper” and I forget exactly how I came across it, but you can find it by doing a Google search on the phrase “The Page is Too Stupid”

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I discovered today that I’m not the only cat lover who has to fight to protect her computer from a Furry Fiendette. If I’m actually using the laptop, Misty prefers to hasten the onset of RSI by sitting on my wrists while I type, but if I make the mistake of walking away and leaving it open, she settles herself down on the keyboard. Not surprisingly, when my computer repair guy opened up my late notebook to try to fix the power supply problem, it was full of cat hair.

The cat also has an impressive ability to step on the Num Lock key or even shut the machine down just by strolling across it. (That’s a combination of keystrokes I have yet to discover for myself.)

BitBoost Systems has an answer to this problem: a program calledPawSense that detects “cat-like typing” and blocks further keyboard input until you enter a password proving you’re human.

PawSense works with almost all flavors of Windows, from 95 to XP, and it appears there’s a Mac version in the works.

I must say I’m seriously tempted—though it will take more than software to keep the cat hair out.

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Yes, Virginia, it is possible to have a favorite government website. Anyone doing business has to deal with the government: local, state, and federal. Most sole proprietors need to get a business license, file a Fictitious Business Name Statement (DBA), and apply for a seller’s permit. You probably also want an Employer Identification Number, even if you don’t plan to have employees—it keeps your Social Security Number from being spread too widely. If you decide to incorporate or form a partnership or LLC, there are more government offices to deal with. Then there’s Intellectual Property: trademarks, copyrights, and patents. And then, of course, there are taxes.

• Business.gov: “Launching, Managing, Growing, Getting Out.” This recently redesigned site includes information about business laws, employees, finances, government contracting, international trade, taxes, training, work environments, and more. For both small and large businesses.
• Copyright. This is the official Library of Congress site—get the facts and forms about your rights over what you write. For international links about Intellectual Property rights, see http://www.ip-links.de/.
• Employer ID Number Online Application Fill out this form to get your EIN immediately, or download and print a PDF version to mail.
• IRS Small Business site. Find out what the IRS wants you to do when you set up a business. It will save you tax hassles down the road.
• Online Package 1099. You need to file a form 1099-MISC for every contractor you pay more than $600 in a year, and your clients need to file these forms for you. Make it easy for them and fill out the form yourself for them to file.
• PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records). Search the party/case index for Federal Apellate, Bankruptcy, and District courts. The cost is $.08 per page. If I’d known about it sooner I could have spared myself client with a long history of defrauding contractors.
• Patents. Everything the Government wants you to know about patents, including a searchable database of the patents on file.
• Small Business Administration. Local offices offer lots of help for small businesses, including free training. The website includes information about starting, financing, and managing your business—and where to get help after a national disaster.
• State Government Websites: links provided by the IRS Small Business website.
• Trademarks, courtesy of the United States Patent & Trademark Office. Check here before you start doing business or selling products under a certain name or logo. Even if you don’t decide to file for your own trademark, you want to be sure you’re not infringing on someone else’s. If you hate searching databases, you can always hire the FileSlinger to do it for you.

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