7-Zip 3.12 (command line version) [291k] {S}+ Supports ZIP, 7z, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR. AES-256 encryption in 7z format. GUI version also available.

Is there anyone reading this who still uses Internet Explorer? It really is beyond comprehension, but just in case: BHO scanning tool and New Scam Targets Bank Customers - "This particular BHO watches for HTTPS (secure) access to URLs of several dozen banking and financial sites in multiple countries. When an outbound HTTPS connection is made to such a URL, the BHO then grabs any outbound POST/GET data from within IE before it is encrypted by SSL. When it captures data, it creates an outbound HTTP connection to http://www.refestltd.com/cgi-bin/yes.pl and feeds the captured data to the script found at that location." (via Slashdot)

Why I Don't Participate in Link Exchanges - "When I link to another site, it is because I believe that site has value for my visitors. Whether or not the other site links back to me is of no consideration in my decision."

Why LinkNOt? - "Links established for the sole purpose of increasing PR are useless to the users."

'Fahrenheit 9/11' a No. 1 Hit Across America - "According to exit surveys in about 15 cities, 91 percent of respondents gave the film an 'excellent' rating, while 93 percent said they would 'definitely recommend' the film -- tallies that Ortenberg said were the best he had ever seen." (emphasis mine)

'Fahrenheit 9/11' pulls in record documentary haul of $21.8 million - "Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11' took in a whopping $21.8 million in its first three days, becoming the first documentary ever to debut as Hollywood's top weekend film." (emphasis mine)

Simple File Shredder v1.0 [282k] + Secure file deletion with GUI.   (via ShellCity)

You really can't get any more American than Bruce Springsteen and apple pie. According to Bruce: "A few weeks ago at N.Y.U. Al Gore gave one of the most important speeches I've heard in a long time. The issues it raises need to be considered by every American concerned with the direction our country is headed in. It's my pleasure to reprint it here for my fans." (via Kenny)

11 Port Enumerators is an excellent review of port-to-process mappers for Windows (some of which have been mentioned in this space before).

XPCREATE - Automated slipstreaming tool. Create your own custom Windows XP CD, complete with the latest updates and hotfixes. (via TPS Report)

At last! A useful and accurate ATX Power Tester. Review 1 | Review 2 | Buy for $8 with free shipping.

Your software firewall is not providing adequate outbound protection:

Personal Firewalls vs. Leak Tests Part II
Firewall Leak Tester
Leak Tests

What to do about it.

If PearPC isn't quite fast enough for you yet, check out Turn your PC into a Mac. This step-by-step guide by Kurt Williams explains how to mimic the OS X interface on Windows boxes. (via Bjorn Larsen)

Archos ARCDisk: Tiny (smaller than a floppy at 76 mm x 77 mm x 8.8 mm and 75g) USB 2.0 20GB hard drive that is bus-powered. Review by MaximumPC | Amazon

Pop Goes the Gmail: Gmail > POP3 and SMTP > Gmail converter. Requires .NET runtimes. (via ritilan)

Netgear's MR814 wireless router is quite a bargain at Amazon: $16.04 after rebate.

If you don't need a router, you can use also use the MR814 as a simple wireless access point:

Turn off NAT on a NETGEAR MR814 Wireless AP

Can a NetGear MR814 be used as a simple access point?

Simplicity and non-violence are obviously closely related. The optimal pattern of consumption, producing a high degree of human satisfaction by means of a relatively low rate of consumption, allows people to live without great pressure and strain and to fulfil the primary injunction of Buddhist teaching: 'Cease to do evil; try to do good.' As physical resources are everywhere limited, people satisfying their needs by means of a modest use of resources are obviously less likely to be at each other's throats than people depending upon a high rate of use. Equally, people who live in highly self-sufficient local communities are less likely to get involved in large-scale violence than people whose existence depends on world-wide systems of trade.

from Small Is Beautiful: Economics as If People Mattered by E.F. Schumacher