Special note: Are you sitting down? Here's the scoop: This is my last PC World newsletter; the Tips & Tweaks blog is no more; and I'm no longer writing the print Hassle-Free PC column.

For the last 20 years I've had a terrific gig: I got to play with cool products and write practically anything that came to my mind. And amazingly, PC World actually paid me to do it. Even more important, I had all of you--a bunch of friends who dug into my Hassle-Free PC column in the magazine and came to the site to see what I was up to. Believe me, that meant as much to me as the paycheck.

The hot story on PC World these days is a humongous collection of "100 Incredibly Useful and Interesting Web Sites." I'm still wading through it, and it got me thinking about my faves--you know, spots that I keep going back to. Here are some really practical Web sites that I've come to depend on.

Terrific Reference Tools

OWL, the Online Writing Lab, gives you a way to look up the whys and wherefores of grammar.

Is there a distracting traffic sign in the middle of your video, or maybe something in the background that needs to be removed? I spotted a software application that can do that--and more--and I promise, you'll be amazed.

The video I watched was produced by a group of researchers from the University of Washington's Department of Computer Science and Engineering. These guys are in the Graphics and Imaging Laboratory and they have a truly astounding process that lets you combine low resolution still images into high resolution video.

What do Outlook, Office, and Windows have in common--other than they're from Microsoft? They can sure be annoying. This week I've got a handful of tips for dealing with some of the hassle--like weird attachments, messy e-mail quotes, confounding file formats, and lost Windows passwords.

Eliminate Annoying Winmail.dat Files

A friend asked me about a weird e-mail attachment he constantly receives from one his friends. "The file's unreadable," he said, "I can't find a program that can view, decode, or convert the thing." He said the file's always the same--winmail.dat.

You have movies on your PC? Me, too, and I'm using MediaGate's nifty multi-media hi-def player to wirelessly--and effortlessly--beam them to my TV.

The MediaGate MG-450HD has lots of cool features and here's the stunner--it works as advertised. Even if you're a novice, you can get it working without much stress--start watching movies on your TV--in about 5 minutes. The cost isn't outrageous, either. I found one discounting for about $215.

Google is smart and oh-so-sly. The company released its Chrome Web browser and everyone's writing about it.

One article I saw recently says Chrome grabbed a bunch of users in short order (see "Chrome Grabs 1 Percent of Market in Under 24 Hours"). I don't know whether to doubt that--or just wonder. According to PC World.com's tracking service, 36 percent of all visitors to the site use Firefox, 31 percent use Internet Explorer 7, 17 percent use IE 6, and the rest are on Safari, Opera, AOL, and Mozilla. Chrome wasn't on the list when I checked the other day.

Not long ago I was in a hotel room, juggling four applications on my teeny, tiny notebook screen. I didn't realize till then how dependent I've become on my dual ViewSonic monitor setup at home.

In Video: How to Set Up Multiple Monitors

Nothing is more expensive than replacing inkjet cartridges. In this month's column, I'll talk about the tips and tools I use to save ink--and paper. I'll also give you the lowdown on removing leftover Registry-clogging Class IDs, show you how to correct another irritating Outlook flaw, and offer two easy ways to control your computer's volume.

Zap Ink-Slurping Web Pages

The Hassle: I use up too many inkjet cartridges (and the prices are killing me), especially when I have to print full Web pages with big images and ads just to get one line of useful text.

Have you received your virus-infected e-mail yet today? I don't know what's up, but in the last week I've received dozens of e-mails with a virus infected attachment or a link to a backdoor Trojan horse. There are three variations and all have one thing in mind--luring me into getting zapped with a nasty payload.

The first has a link to an authentic-looking CNN alert. Click the link (no, don't!--I was speaking metaphorically) and you'll land on a malware-hosting site that attempts to download a malicious executable onto your PC. Read "Fake CNN Alert Still Spreading Malware" for details.

Here in southern California, gas prices are dropping--down to a whopping $4.20 a gallon. [Wow, that's terrific! The cheapest I've seen it here in San Francisco is $4.35. --Editor]

Are the outrageous prices caused by oil speculators, the oil producing nations, or a hyper-conspiracy by--hold the phone--the government? I'm still not sure, but I do know that lots of people--pundits, the airlines, and average Joes--are all giving me compelling stories.

Has the new edition of AVG, your beloved free antivirus tool, slowed your system to a crawl? Is the sound missing from your favorite time-wasting YouTube videos? I have fixes for those hassles, plus an easy way to restore the Windows Task Manager Toolbar and a free utility to transfer music from your iPod to your PC.

Speed Up AVG Free Antivirus

The Hassle: I upgraded to AVG Free 8.0, and now Firefox is slow and my whole system is unusually sluggish. What happened to my favorite antivirus program?

It's true: Microsoft has confirmed that it's abandoning Windows as we know it. Cagey as ever, the Microsofties won't say when it'll happen, but they have talked a little bit about what the next OS is going to look like--or not look like.

Microsoft code-named the project Midori. As best I can figure, it's cloud computing: Everything, including applications and data, is on the Internet.