Stamp Column Archives

The Glassine Surfer Column Archive

This column originally appeared in the American Philatelic Society's monthly magazine, "The American Philatelist." Since then some of the information may be out-of-date depending on how far back you're reading.

May 2001

eSafe

Aladdin's motto is "Securing the Global Village," and they'll let home users secure their PC with eSafe Desktop for free.  eSafe Desktop is a content protection suite for PCs meant to safeguard users against viruses, vandals, data exposure, and inappropriate content.

According to Aladdin, eSafe will protect your system from viruses, vandals, inappropriate content, data exposure, and resource misuse.  The program features ICSA-certified anti-virus, anti-vandal sandbox protection, content filtering and resource protection, and has received numerous awards over the years for their security features.

eSafe Desktop (currently version 3) is a free download and there are virus updates.  There are several other security downloads on their site, but they are meant for commercial use.  If you need a firewall, you can get Zonealarm which is excellent and free and covered back in Janauary.

http://www.ealaddin.com/esafe/desktop/index.asp

http://www.zdnet.com/products/stories/pipreviews/0,8827,195178,00.html

Four months from today, you're apt to want to get this program.  PC trouble has a way of happening to most of us sooner or later, so before you donate your "AP" to your club or library, make a note of this and other PC security sites.

Battleship Revs

The US Government's 1898 proprietary stamp issue, better known as the Battleship Revenue, was meant to show tax payments on all manner of items, and according to law had to be cancelled with the initials of the manufacturer or merchant collecting the tax.  This was just what the doctor ordered for future stamp collectors who can now trace each stamp back to the time and place of its usage.

I'd imagine that everyone has a handful of these battleships gathering dust in a cigar box, but perhaps if you'll just read up on them at the Battleship Revenue site you'll find a connection between them and your other collecting interests.

The sites covers stamp uses, precancel types and curiosities, and curiously I didn't know the taxes on medicines, perfume and cosmetics was to fund the Spanish-American War.  

Battleship Revenues
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Galaxy/1292/

Netcaptor

Netcaptor was Simulbrowse back in 1998, but that was so long ago it may as well be Mayan history.  Netcaptor is a ad-supported browser with some very versatile features.  It's best described as a custom browser application.  

NetCaptor is a stand alone program,  but it uses bits and pieces of your previously installed Microsoft Internet Explorer 4/5 to navigate the Web.

The strengh of NetCaptor is that is allows you to open, close, navigate and manipulate several different Web pages at once via simple tabs at the bottom of one browser window, and you can set up CaptorGroups to simultaneously load certain pages at a click.  The Group-thing would be helpful for collectors who want to check a set of stamp Web sites on a regular basis, then move on a set of personal finance sites, etc.

Because NetCaptor works with Microsoft's IE, most if not all of IE's options are available in NetCaptor, such as Javascript, ActiveX, Session Cookies and Cookie settings, etc.

To learn more go to their site and take the tour.  This is a full fledged program with all the bells and whistles.  The company pays the bills selling ads in the browsers banner, but like Eudora, if you register your NetCaptor, the ads go away.  

NetCaptor
http://www.netcaptor.com/

SAN

The Shakers believed in simplicity and though they didn't envision their tenants would hold sway on the Internet, simple works just fine on the World Wide Web because the WWW is primarily about stamp collectors looking for other people with stamps.  (Well, at least, in my experience.)

The proof of this is the Stamp Auction Network which is run by Tom Droege in the Carolinas.  It's simply an easy way to locate stamps for auction at several of the larger philatelic auction houses without hunting individual Web sites on your own.

There are several online stamp auction catalogs, a worldwide auction calendar, stamp images, prices realized lists, company profiles, and other resources about auctions.

You're free to come and go.  The site is free and easy to use.  Be sure to try out the "search" area, where you can canvas all the auctions for just the stamps you want.  You can also register which will then let you bid on any lot at an auction house listed at SAN.

I have a suspicion that most of you know of SAN already, but that's not a reason for bringing up the obvious, is it?  If one stamp finds it's way to its rightful album because of this, then it's all been worthwhile.

Stamp Auction Network
http://stampauctionnetwork.com/

Just remember the words to the hymn "Simple Gifts" "'Tis the gift to be simple,
'Tis the gift to be free."