Did you ever wonder what's under that row of asterisks in the password boxes on your computer screen? Maybe you forgot the password and need it for you new computer - or you want to record the password but have no idea what's hidden there!

Now you can reveal your passwords with Lostpassword.com, a freeware utility that instantly uncovers them in dialog boxes and web on pages.

Not a bad little "one trick pony" to keep handy for those moments when you really need to roll back the asterisks and get your password!

Google Alert while you sleep

Want to know anytime your name or company name pops up on the web? Would you like to track a business competitor -- or a product?

The folks at Google Alert are independent of Google (or as they put it: "Google Alert is not affiliated in any way with Google, but we like them a lot"). They have designed a simple no cost on-line program that tracks the search terms you select and alerts you with a daily e-mail showing the location of any new appearances of those terms.

Now, in addition to business applications, you can also track new Web mentions of friends, artists, sports figures, clubs, or hobbies, for example. The usefulness of this neat trick is only limited by your imagination!

Check out 1290 public real estate companies

Are you curious about publicly traded real estate companies? Here's a spot where you can get up to date information on 1290 Publicly Traded Real Estate Stocks on 36 Securities Exchanges in 34 countries. With a click or two you check a complete information profile of each company including analysts' reports and the latest media releases and news.

While there you can also check out the Real Estate Research Report Search Engine which accesses 25,000 reports on commercial real estate markets worldwide. To top it off, there is no cost to access all of this good real estate information! Great place!

What's your stuff worth?

Ever wonder what people are paying for the things you're looking to buy -- or for that matter the possessions you have in your home and office?

They call Strong Numbers "The Blue Book for Everything!" Here, without any cost, you can find out what computers, watches, jewelry, furniture (or almost anything you can buy) are selling for.

These smart folks provide consumers with fair market values based on actual on-line transactions to determine what a product is worth before buying or selling. Retailers and manufacturers can also receive real-time pricing data to support initial price setting and discounting decisions, track customer demand and make critical product decisions.

Interesting and useful place for consumers and business folks of all ages!

Published: October 1, 2003

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

John M. "Jack" Peckham is the Executive Director of REcyber.com (the Real Estate CyberSpace Society). In that capacity he oversees the development and delivery of the latest up to the minute Real Estate Cyberspace tools, strategies, networking structures and services that the Society provides its members to leverage their effectiveness, visibility, professionalism and earnings. As host of Real Estate CyberSpace Radio, he provides over 40 hours of programming to help listeners integrate the power of the Internet into their daily business lives. He is the author of several real estate books published by Prentice Hall and Harcourt Brace Jovanovich including his latest Master Guide to Income Property Brokerage from Wiley Publishing. A columnist for the Boston Herald for nine years, his syndicated columns have appeared in over 100 papers nationwide. Jack loves to sell real estate has been involved directly in the sale of over one billion dollars in Real Estate. Today he sells in his jeans and fuzzy slippers as a one-man shop and has closed over $40,000,000 in sales on the Internet recently in 20% of his working time. The balance he spends directing the affairs of the 10,000 member Real Estate CyberSpace Society. The Society awards the RECS (Real Estate CyberSpace Specialist) Designation to members based on the current criteria. He served as Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee for the National Association of Realtors (NAR), is a Past President of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors and has been honored as the Massachusetts State Realtor of the Year. You can reach Jack at or by calling 617-523-4441.