anyone for a game of Blackjack? try Paul's Blackjack..

Paul's Blackjack is a amazing and real blackjack casino game! In this game you can customize your own player, choosing from 18 different characters (you can edit the name, age and the country of each character, so you can make your own player). You can save and load games, choose from 5 different levels to play. The Dealer's voice on the blackjack table is real, making this game enjoyable and fun to play!

Paul's Blackjack is Freeware, works with Win98, 98SE, ME, 2000 & XP.

ActualDoc recent documents manager is a unique tool that allows you to manage your recently used documents and files. The standard Windows Recent Documents feature only shows a list of the last X files accessed, while this program allows you to keep long-term track of them and it automatically categorizes them by file type, date and other aspects.

Comes in two flavours: Standard (Free) and Professional (US19.95)

Robert Scoble has a very popular blog, and today he posts some tips for others on how to increase your traffic if you have a blog.
Most of the advice he gives is fairly common knowledge, but here are some more tips if you want to blog like Robert Scoble:

Write constantly about all the big names you know and meet - take pictures of yourself with them.  Drop famous names as often and frequently as possible.  Remember, the more stars you meet - the more important you are and the more people need to read you to get some of your star dust.

Find a sponsor who is willing to pay to have you mention them 10 times in each post, at every possible occasion, regardless of the context, even if it's just to make a statement like "Oh by the way my wonderful sponsor X is great because they don't make me mention them."

Most of the time you should focus on talking about yourself and the big shots you know.  But sprinkle these posts with discussions reflecting on how cool it is that you spend most of your time takling about yourself and the big shots you know.

Read Robert Scoble's advice: here.

Important alert issued from Microsoft...

Microsoft on Dec. 5 warned that an unpatched vulnerability in its Word software program is being used in targeted, zero-day attacks.

A security advisory from the Redmond, Wash., company said the flaw can be exploited if a user simply opens a rigged Word document.

Affected software versions include Microsoft Word 2000, Microsoft Word 2002, Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft Word Viewer 2003, Microsoft Word 2004 for Mac and Microsoft Word 2004 v. X for Mac. The Microsoft Works 2004, 2005 and 2006 suites are also affected because they include Microsoft Word.
...
There are no pre-patch workarounds available. Microsoft suggests that users "not open or save Word files," even from trusted sources. "As a best practice, users should always exercise extreme caution when opening unsolicited attachments from both known and unknown sources," the company said.
...

http://www.eweek.com...,1895,2068786,00.asp

You can convert files to images, documents, music, and videos at...
http://www.zamzar.com/

List of files they can convert:
http://www.zamzar.co.../conversionTypes.php

Raymond Chen announced today a new book on Windows coding.  His blog is a consistently fascinating read filled with history and insight into details of Windows internals that few people know as well.

Why does Windows work the way it does? Why is Shut Down on the Start menu? (And why is there a Start menu?) Why do we need dialog loops, and why are they structured as they are? Why are the rules for programming GetWindowText so odd? Why are registry files called "hives"?

Many of Windows' quirks have perfectly logical causes, rooted in history. Understand them, and you'll be a more productive, less frustrated developer (and user!). Now, Raymond Chen--who's spent over a decade on Microsoft's Windows development team--reveals the "hidden Windows" you need to know. Chen's engaging style, deep insight, and gentle humor have made him one of the world's premier technology bloggers. Here he brings together behind-the-scenes explanations, invaluable technical information, and fascinating anecdotes that bring Windows to life--and help you make the most of it.

Read the Blog Entry Announcing the Book