So, let's try this again.

AND, we are back....

So, what's new? Well, I have a few freebies for ya first off:

www.pandora.com

I can NOT say enough good things about this music/radio station. Using the Music Genome Project, the good people of Pandora have created a flash based streaming music player for Internet Explorer or Firefox (or any other flash capable browser). You start off creating a station by entering a song, or artist. Pandora will play that, plus other music that matches that style. You can increase the included styles by adding more music to that station. As you rate the music (thumbs up or thumbs down) the player will take the traits of that music into consideration when adding additional music.

I have found dozens of new artists through my several stations. Check it out...Registration is NOT necessary, but helpful because it will save your stations for you, and you can share them with friends a variety of ways. They have a Facebook app that updates what you listen to, and when you add a favorite artist or song, they have a streaming mobile player, and javascript blog plug-ins (as you see to the side).

http://www.free-av.com/

The new version of AVG (free) is out. It lagged up my computer, and Internet. Sorry, I have used the free version of AVG for several years, but had to find an alternative. I have in Avira. Out of Europe, it is a small footprint free anti-virus program. Using very few resources, I have seen a dramatic improvement since unloading AVG. More to come on this little gem.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

Windows XP Powertoys are a little known secret. They expand the functions of Windows XP through a variety of ways. My Favorite is the photo re-sizer. Right click on an entire folder of photos after installation, and re-size to a high resolution web friendly format (without deleting the original). Great for people who want to email lots of pics. Check out that one, and the rest at the link above.

OK, that's it for now, more to come later.

HEY! I'm Back!

Well, I took a little unexpected hiatus for a few months, but it was well deserved, and productive. First a few housekeeping items.

• Look for some format changes.
• Look for some MAJOR additions, like tutorials and links to great instructional sites!
• I am going to try mobile blogging with some interesting new tools.
• Lots and lots of FREE software and MORE!

Until then enjoy what's here until we get going...

HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray Round 3

Well, Blockbuster seems to be ready to announce that they will be going over to all Blu-Ray disks for it's High Definition content, versus the HD-DVD format. They say that, "content, and not price" was the determining factor for consumers. In test markets according to them 70% of all HD disks rented were Blu-Ray. Read the Article Here.

I am still sticking to my guns on this one, and believe that HD-DVD is not dead. Most of these rentals were probably driven by the PSP3 market, and not Moms and Dads renting movies for themselves. If tweeners & teenagers are asking their parents to pick up movies for them, it will be in the PSP3 exclusive Blu-Ray format. How many Blu-Ray players are out there on people entertainment centers? Once the HD-DVD stand alone players start coming down in price, I think we will see the pendulum swing back in the other direction.

A Mouse That Works like a Pen

So, Graphic Designers better perk up for this one. Get ready to throw your tablets in the trash and invest in this! Salient Technologies has developed a wireless mouse that is used like a pen. Called the "V Mouse" the company is touting it as the "World's most Versitle Computer Input Device". (Notice the Larger "V") Anyway, it comes in three varieties wireless, wired, and Bluetooth.

The cheapest wired version of the V-Mouse comes in at $29.50, and with 1000DPI resolution, might be worth it if you aren't looking for "Graphic Designer" quality, and are bound to a desktop computer. The Designer VM-201 is at the low end of the wireless category, and comes in with a price tag of $64.95. It seems kind of pricey, but with 1020DPI, and the wireless feature, it is well worth it. If you are looking for the high end of the spectrum, you can look check out the Presenter VM-223. This gives you a Laser Pointer, the ability to scroll through documents, and work with Power Point presentations. At $90.95, this is well worth it, and will probably be my V-Mouse of choice for teaching classes.

Check out the full line of them Here.

Firefox, Firefox Firefox

I thought more people were using it already?!

Well, you can't say enough good things about Firefox. It is a safer browser than Internet Explorer, the tab options are first rate, and you have way more control over customization. I know, IE just released a new version with tabs, but it doesn't excuse the fact that IE is still a security nightmare. Get your butt in gear today and install it, and make sure you include the Google toolbar! I even made it easy and put a BIG SHINY BUTTON on the left side of the page. Push it, I know you want to! Even if you aren't ready to give up on Internet Explorer, that is OK, you can run them side-by-side for now and compare them.

A new look

The Black was giving me a headache! When you stare at a monitor all day, you usually get the hang of it, but that dark template was getting to me...

Let me know if you like it!

I want a mii statuette of myself

I know...I know...It sounds crazy...But check it out Here. Fabjectory will take the digital "You" created in your Nintendo Wii, and create a 5" statuette for a mere $100.00. They will also make a Statues of characters from Second Life and models from Sketchup, but I am shooting for a 5" tall mii for myself. I wonder how much for a Life Size model!?

A Couple of Freebies

First off, Try out a great photo organizer/editor called Irafanview. This little piece of software is compatible with almost all image types and is extremely easy to use. It has easy to understand dialogue boxes and is much better than Microsoft paint for resizing pictures.

Also check out Microsoft PowerToys. These are a collection of Microsoft Windows XP tools that can be integrated into Windows XP to extend the use of your computer and make it more functional all around. I especially like Tweak UI which gives you extended settings that you normally have to go hunting for.

So check them out, install a few and see if you like them.

My New Toy!!!

Over the weekend I got to head down to the new North Jersey location of MicroCenter. Finally, a local uber geek mecca, where I can go to and pay homage to the gods of computing...

While there I picked up some freebies for being on their mailing list, one of them was the 2 Gigabyte U3 Flash Drive from Sandisk. This is fantastic technology for me. I can carry email, web browser, contact list, cell phone numbers, anti-virus/anti-spyware programs, security programs, and anything else I might need in an emergency while out on customer visits, or even when I am just out somewhere and want to access my programs. I always have them, and My settings with me.

If you need something that will let you take files with you, or you need to constantly access email from remote locations but can't carry a laptop, one of These might be an option for you.

So THAT'S how it works!

Ever wonder what AMAZING technology goes into making your cursor move around the screen? Well, now you can know for sure...A great website from Japan has shown us what goes on underneath our little tiny arrow cursor. Go to http://www.1-click.jp/ and move your mouse around. As your cursor moves under their magnifying glass, you will see just how the mouse interacts with the cursor to move it around the screen. It even shows you what happens when you click!

I'm gonna make you an offer, you can't refuse....

Well, I wish I was...Dr Moz is actually gonna make you the offer. The offer is, try out his software, GoodFather. This interactive CD Rom is designed for expecting daddies who have little fathering experience, but lots of geek-a-tude. Imagine, strolling into the backroom of the Godfather's estate with the lights dimmed, and asking him for a little advice on how best to burp your little tyke. Sounds almost surreal, I know, but this Godfather themed software does just that. With scenarios that allow you to create baby announcements, to teaching you how to change a diaper expecting fathers can learn everything they ever wanted to know about fatherdom, from The Don. Check it out Here.

As an aside, the team that created it promotes adoption, and Father's groups. Check them out, Here.

Yada....Yada....Yada....

Annoying Cell Phone Overage charges getting you down? Tired of Paying Overage Charges? No, this isn't an infomercial, or cell phone service commercial, it is a pretty cool service though. Minute Alert is a service you pay for, as low as $1.25/mo to monitor your minutes on your cell phone, and alert you when you are about to go over. They text you, email you or call you when you hit the minute threshold YOU set. Pretty good service for those of us who tend to yack away without paying attention to how long we are on the phone. Also VERY good for businesses who need to keep track of all the phones they have out in the field. putting fifteen or twenty phones out there for drivers, salesmen, or installers might add up if they are using them willy nilly! I might even go sign up my own phone just to see how well their service works...more on that later if I do!

So check them out Here if you are so inclined.

Play that funky Music White boy....

Well, not that music...My son plays Clarinet in advanced band, and was all district for his school. Now he has a scheduled band audition for a private school next month. Needless to say he is practicing intently, and his music teacher is taking great pains to train him.

One thing I am doing to help is I picked up a microphone today, and have started recording his practices at home, so he can hear for himself where he needs help. The microphone is a GE PC Microphone 2 in 1, seen here. It has a removable laptop mic so you can use it with a stand, or with a laptop.

The software we are recording him with is Audacity, and can be downloaded Here. Audacity is a free software package that allows for direct microphone recording, and digital audio editing. You can do multi track recording, mp3 editing, wav file to mp3 converting, and work with a number of other audio file types, such as .ogg, FLAC, Vorbis, and a few more. It supports very easy and intuitive cut and paste, and the waveform generator makes it easy to see what the music will sound like when you play the result.

If you have kids playing instruments, I highly recommend trying out this software for their practice sessions. It is very helpful for them to hear what they are doing, and fun to send the results to family and friends that might live far away, and can't make it to a concert, or recital.

Hard Drives as Paperweights No MORE!

I am constantly being asked if I can save old data from Hard Drives that have crashed. Yes, this is something I do, but losing data is somewhat preventable.

Well, as sure as the sun rises and sets, a hard drive will crash. Here are a few steps you can take to possibly keep your data safe:

1. Buy a USB 2.0 external Hard Drive. External Memory is Cheap. A 500 gigabyte MyBook is approximately $175, and almost completely plug and play on Windows XP with Service Pack 2 installed. You keep ALL your music, pictures, important documents and files on there, and if your hard drive crashes you will still have everything. Another advantage is you can take it with you to work, and your families and friends houses.
2. Keep up to date virus/spyware protection. A well maintained and clean hard drive is less likely to fail.
3. Keep your computer clean, and dust free. Overheating is a common cause of hard drive failure. Consider keeping the case up off the floor away from dust.
4. If you have a laptop, keep it off your lap. There are fans on the bottom that need to breath.

Ultimately you may or may not have a hard drive crash on an old computer. If you do, you may or may not need someone like me, but don't pay too much. Consider how much your data is worth, and shop around.

Windows Shortcuts Everywhere!

When I sit down at a person's computer to work on it, the one thing that always surprises them is all the keyboard shortcuts I use. I try to learn as many as possible because of how much quicker it makes everything. So, without further delay, here are my Most used Windows Keyboard Shortcuts:

CTRL+X: Cut
CTRL+C: Copy
CTRL+V: Paste
CTRL+Z: Undo the last command
CTRL+A: Select all the items in the current window
CTRL+B: Bold
CTRL+U: Underline
CTRL+I: Italic

ALT+ENTER: Open the properties for the selected object
ALT+TAB: Switch to another running program. Hold down the ALT key and then press the TAB key to view the task-switching window.
ALT+SPACE: Displays the main window's System menu. From the System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the window.
ALT+F4: Closes the current window (PLEASE Don't push that one now...)

SHIFT+DELETE: Delete selection immediately, without moving the item to the Recycle Bin

F1: Opens the Help Window Screen (Go Ahead, Push it, I know you want to...)
F2: Rename object
F3: Find all files

To copy a file:
Press and hold down the CTRL key while you drag the file to another folder.

To create a shortcut to a file:
Press and hold down CTRL+SHIFT while you drag a file to the desktop or a folder.

To select ALL the info from a starting point to an ending point, make the first mouse click, then while holding the SHIFT key select the ending mouse click. This will select everything in between both mouse clicks, whether it be files in a list, or text in a document or on a page.

To select only Certain files in a list, select each file you want while holding down CTRL. to de-select certain ones, click on the highlighted ones while holding CTRL, and unhighlight them.

These are by no means ALL the shortcuts out there. You may know others, and there are even more that are intended to be used only within some programs. Many of these are Windows specific though, and will also work within Windows based programs. Try them out, and see if they help with productivity. I find one hand always going for the ALT and CTRL keys, and it helps me immensely.

Breath Powered USB Charger!

Well, you aren't going to go down to Best Buy to pick one up, but you can build one if you go over and follow these directions at Instructables.

As a "proof of concept" idea, this is awesome! Imagine a soldier in the field, you have a GPS device, Satellite phone, small Satellite enabled laptop computer, Night Vision goggles, and a few various other items. You are deep behind enemy lines, and you need power for all that. How many extra batteries are you going to carry? You are breathing 24 hours a day, pretty heavily if you are running a few miles to an objective. The guy who wrote this one is not getting huge currents or amperage, but he is going in a direction the US government is interested in.

If you click over to the comments section, one person mentioned heel strikes in the boots of our service men that generate power. Coupled with a chest band that generates power, those soldiers might just generate enough electricity to shoot lightning bolts from their fingertips!

I've got a Bad Feeling about this...

If you are a Star Wars fan you know this post is about something SW related. Imagine biting into a chocolate bar resembling a hunk of carbonite containing the frozen body of General Han Solo. Well, thanks to Instructables you can. Well, you do have to make it yourself though, just like all the stuff you find their website. The link for the Han Solo Chocolate bar is Here.

Instructables is a user defined, interactive site that hosts do-it-yourself project tutorials on everything from cooking, to robots to taxidermy (and more). You can even find out how to build various explosives (but you probably should leave that up to the experts).

There are some great ones to work on with Kids, just do search for Knex inspired Instructables, and anything to do with paper airplanes. You can even check out their iRobot Create Challange. Using the iRobot, you modify it, enter it in their challenge, document your build and Voila, you may win fame, glory, and geek bragging rights!

Sweatin' to The Email

The Mayo Clinic has come up with a way for us to exercise while we work. Hold on. First of all anyplace called the "Mayo Clinic" should be making my BLT better, not telling me to exercise. That aside, see the picture at left? That is the "Mayo Clinic vertical workstation " and they are promising that you can lose nearly 70 pounds in a year using one, and walking only one mile per hour using it, while at work. That is not even enough to work up a sweat.

In a busy world where none of us get enough exercise, this is not a bad idea. Of course, how many employers are going to pony up the $1500 per desk? Of course, Google will, and maybe Microsoft... Maybe just having one or two in an office would be a good idea, and everyone can work on it for a few hours a week would be a good idea.

I think a more interesting concept might be a 12 noon fight club in the parking lot, complete with beer bottles, and brass knuckles. Winner take all betting would bring out the killer instinct, and if you knew you were up against the beefy copier intern who is in for the summer, you might drop a few pounds in sweat just waiting for the opening bell....

You can read up on the Mayo Clinic's projects at the Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) lab at Mayo Clinic.

A Bendy Screen computers from LG

Very cool stuff. Imagine a newspaper in a lightweight frame, with a WiFi connection. Advertisements in the borders change as you walk by the shops you frequent, but the news stays the same as you walk by on the street. Or as you take the train to work, it updates with stock info, the time, weather and updated news. The whole thing could roll up and fit in your shoulder bag, or laptop case.

The guys at LG are on to something. Read more Here.

Google-Made Easy(er)

Can Google get any easier? Well, Chris McEvoy thinks so. He took Everything Google has to offer and put it ALL on one page. Check it out Here. The simple thing about it is how you can set it as your home page, and just search/jump off from there.

Another great Google tool is the "Find a Place Between Us" Google map page. If you are planning on meeting someone, this Google map will find a coffee shop, restaurant, movie theater or meeting place halfway between you. Put in your address, and theirs, hit GO and voila! See it for yourself Here.

I Squidoo, Do You?

The coolest website you never heard of is Squidoo. Created by Seth Godin, Squidoo will allow anyone to create a website for free, promote products, launch ideas, ramble on and talk, or just spread information. The official description can be found on the home page:

Squidoo: SKWID-OO, n. v., adj., addiction. 1) thousands of people creating a
handbuilt catalog of the best stuff online 2) a free and fun way to make your
own page and get traffic 3) a place to find what you're looking for, fast.

The coolest thing about this is really that once you build it, and get it set up, you can get paid for linking to other items! You link to Amazon, Cafe Press stores, or other commercial sites, and you can receive "payments per clicks" every time people click on those links.

Once you start to amass this Internet fortune, you decide if you receive the money, or donate it to charity.

It is easy to set up, free, and has a simple user interface. Once you have signed up for an account, you can create multiple lenses, on multiple topics. Check out my Computer Lens Here.

The Squidoo main page is Here, and you can browse Lenses Here.

Most Useless Form of Web Technology

Ok, so there are ALOT of useless webpages....

Here is my vote for the MOST USELESS one out there...Watch Cheese age...That is right, you can watch Mold form on cheese...

Here you go: Watch Cheese Age

AVG, Redux

Since I have been doing so much Anti-Virus stuff, I want to mention AVG, by Grisoft again. If you are a home computer user, you must have Virus protection. AVG is, by far, the best free anti-virus solution you can have. It contains auto updating features, auto scanning features, virus vault, email scanning, computer resident scanning engine, and uses very little system resources. I have tested it extensively, and it has passed with flying colors every time...

Grab it here now, and install it right away if you have no anti-virus protection. If you have other virus protection, as soon as your protection is close to expiration, replace it with AVG.

Also consider their free Anti-Spyware product too!

Viruses, Trojans, and Spyware-OH BOY!

I have been on the hunt to kill some viruses recently... I have been asked by several people to clean up computers that have been infected with many MANY viruses and trojans. The one common denominator in these cleanups has been Limewire. This program is, if you are not aware, a common peer-to-peer file sharing tool. It allows people to download music illegally. Set aside the legal issues for a moment, that isn't what this post is about. If you choose to use a program like this, without adequate virus and spyware protection you will be infected. In addition, without knowing what kind of file you are clicking on will get you into a world of hurt when you double click it to listen to it later on.

Take, for example, downloading a typical song. The typical five minute long song is approximately 5megabytes in size . A typical search return of that song name in Limewire will return dozens of returns that are 192kilobytes long. Obviously these are NOT song files. Invariably, teenagers, in the rush to listen to the song will double click the files and BANG install a virus.

I asked a couple of teenagers I was teaching, "Have you ever downloaded a song through Limewire, double clicked it, and had nothing happen?" Their response was Yes...all the time. They told me they just delete it, and try downloading it again. What they do not realize is they just infected their computer with a virus, and their virus protection software (if it was not active or not updated) did not pick it up.

This happens constantly, and is why it is incredibly important to keep these programs off your computer, and keep your virus protection software updated and functioning. If you do choose to download music from one of these sources, learn about filetype extensions, and filesizes so you know what you may or may not be downloading.

Simple technology, changing the world.

Five For Fighting is a great band. Well, a guy, actually, who has made a huge difference in a small way. He has invited anyone to use his music as a backdrop to videos they create on their own computer, and then upload to a site he pays for. He will then pay 50 cents per watched video to the charity that is chosen by the creator of the video. Amazing. This encourages everyone with a video camera, a computer, and a cause, to get working. This is a fantastic marriage of simple technology, and philanthropy.

I have a friend whose son has Autism. He turned me on to the site where these videos are hosted. You can view his son's video Here. Please, take some time to view more than just his son's video. There are a bunch of great ones, and if we all just spend a few minutes of our lunch hour clicking a video here or there on this site, it will make a difference.

From the site:

"We are all connected to one another
through our actions. Each person
has the ability to make a difference. "

MPR Coumpters Blog - How Cutting Edge!

Back, Back, WAY BACK a few weeks ago, I was talking about the Google home page Customizations...Well, I was reading this article in TG Daily today, (TG Daily is a High Tech Webzine that I am completely addicted to by the way...) and they admitted that they hadn't even been messing around or reviewed the very features I mentioned here in this blog.

Score, MPR 1 - TG Daily 1,434,859

I'm on my way to being a cutting edge, hip blogster who scoops the mainstream! Woohoo!

Give me a PDF ASAP!

We all use PDF Files, but what are they? A PDF is the short name for the "Portable Document Format" file type. Companies use a PDF file to dissemenate many of their specifications and data of their products. It is relatively static and unchangeable by users, so it is a safe file to send out to customers with important data. You can use it as a form on a website, and can also be password protected. The average user out there is not going to be changing the text and marking up revisions on a PDF file. But, how can the average user create a PDF?

Companies and corporations spend thousands of dollars on Adobe Acrobat Professional to create, edit and polish their PDF files and packages. They send PDF files back and forth, mark up revisions, track them, notate them and use all kinds of fancy tools to set them up for pre-printing runs.

For everyone else out there we don't have to spend a dime. You can create your own PDF file free, all you need is PrimoPDF. Just download, and install this handy utility, and it will add a "printer" to your printer list. When you are ready to print, instead of just clicking the print button, go to your menu bar and click file->print and bring up your file dialogue box. You will see a new printer listed there. It is a "Virtual Printer". When you select Primo PDF a new dialogue box will come up asking you where you want to save the output file. This output file is your PDF! Once you save it, you can open it in Adobe Reader. Primo PDF now also has the ability to merge multiple PDF files into one large pdf files. Check out the website Here for more.

HD DVD VS Blu Ray

I got asked by a friend the other, "So, do I need to invest in a new disk player, and if so, which one?"

Well, it has been about a year since both of these formats have hit the streets. I could go on to explain why Sony is in a losing battle with it's proprietary Blu Ray format, but I won't. In addition, the Blu Ray players aren't selling that well. The Playstation 3 accounts for fully 75% of the Blu Ray players already purchased by consumers. Now, once the novelty wears off for playing movies through your gaming console (much like it did with the PSP) Blu Ray disks are going to start disappearing from the big box stores as fast as they are popping up. Which leaves us with HD DVD.

High Definition TVs are very popular right now, are coming down in price, and the LCD is winning out over the plasma. People are becoming comfortable with the terminology of their High Definition broadcast TV, cable and satellite providers. In my opinion, you will see HD DVD hanging in there as a comfortable alternative to Blu Ray. Neither format has soared yet, but as the Sony format drops off, I think you will see the HD DVD become more popular.

Gaming For Hope!

Marist College is hosting a 12 Hour LAN Party Tomorrow, April 21 to raise money for Child's Play. If you haven't heard about it, Child's Play is a Seattle-based charity that has collected over a million dollars in donations of toys, games, books and cash for sick kids in children's hospitals across North America and the world since it's inception. You can read a little more about them here.

Child's Play Collects NO Administrative Fees! 100% of the money, gifts, and games they collect go to the partner organizations and children they work with, so please, go to their website and spend some money on one of their wish list's, or donate something to their pay pal account.

This is a Very worthwhile cause. Imagine being a scared, lonely child with a long term health care issue, holed up a in children's ward of a hospital...wouldn't you want something to take your mind off of your pain?

Thanks.

Where Nature and Computing Meet.....

Or "How I learned to stop worrying and love global warming."

Think about it. Global Warming. All the animals dying out soon. If one artist/geek has her way, there may be a positive outcome to all that death and carnage. We can use the rotting carcasses to improve our computing power! In Strolls....ahem....uh, it ain't strolling anywhere...here is the Compubeaver.

Artist Kasey McMahon has taken a Intel Core 2 Duo processor - T7200 2.00 GHz 667 4MB 1.0375–1.3V, and a taxidermist's stuffed beaver, and merged the two. Quite well judging by the pictures, might I add. She topped it off with a bright red "On/Off" button right near where you would expect his belly button to be. (Do beavers have belly buttons?)

I wonder if I can get a stuffed bear made into a server rack, or a 42" LCD HDTV put into the side of a 16 point buck from last hunting season?

It seems the Compubeaver probably won't be going into mass production, but it does show an interesting merging of nature and technology, and if nothing else, remind us that computers are still just toys that we can modify to suit our environment if the urge strikes us.

Computer and Office Moving

Moving your computer? Files? Check This out! As they call it, it is the "Ultimate Office Moving Solution". Load your files in the drawers, Load your computer in the top, strap it up and BAM! Roll it out to the Truck! You can't beat it... Get back to writing code, fragging your victims, and word processing faster, instead of loading and unloading boxes. I almost wish I worked in a cubicle, and had to move, so I could try one out...

The Rover is the name of these carts, and they are made by Cart-RiteTech, Office Moving Technologies. Give them a call if your cubicle farm is going on a road trip.

Cubicle Moving day just got easier, AND FUN!!!

To INFINITY AND BEYOOOOND!!!!

The Defense Dept released information regarding putting an Internet router into space. Now, this seems like silly stuff, but the implications are Enormous. Yes, Enormous with a Capital "E". Check out the article Here.

This is so very cool....Soon, you will be sipping Cafe Lattes on the Luna Lounge Starbuck's reading the Washington Post...

yummmmm......Spammmm.....

Oh, no...not that kind of spam...The kind in your email folder...Viagra, Italian Watches, Vicodin, Millions of Nigerian Dollars, and anything else you might thing of...It is all THERE! Well, if you are like me, you want something to get rid of it all, and you want it to be free. Well, in strolls SpamAware. This little Gem comes to us from Jam Software. Just download, run, and it configures automatically. Once it is running, it will autoconfigure to run in the background of your Microsoft Outlook, or Outlook Express client, and add a note to the subject line of every email it thinks is Spam. (See Screenshot) If you agree it is spam, you can just delete the email, or preview it to double check. If it isn't spam, click a button, and add the sender to the approved list. It is that simple. The software learns as it goes. After a while, if you are sure the software is doing a GREAT job, go ahead and click the SpamAware toolbar on your Outlook toolbar, and go into its options. Select "Move to Folder" and choose "Recycle Bin" or "Deleted Items" and Voila! All your spam just Disappears as it comes in, before going into your inbox! Of course, you may only want it moved to a temporary folder you can double check every other week or so. I have been using it for a few weeks, and LOVING it. I went from 20-30 a day, to none. All my spam goes into a new folder I created called, oddly enough "Spam".

So, check it out, and jump back here and leave a comment if you liked it.

Better Computer Skills, Sooner

One of the most fundamental problems I see in classes I teach new computer users is that they have no basic minimum standard of knowledge of how to interact with computers. Filetypes, how to organize their files, and what programs to use for certain tasks is not taught before people are unleashed on computers.

Take, for example, the housewife who wants to create a group of labels for invitations. She has her addresses book in Excel. She wants to merge that with a document, and print a group of labels. She can't figure out how to open the file in Word. She understands that she needs Word (becuase someone told her she does) but without a better understanding of file types and structures, she is lost. If someone explained that the Excel filetype (a .xls file) needs to be imported to Word, through the Labels wizard, and not just opened through the File>Open tool, then it might have helped. But I get a frantic call asking for help hours before the invitations have to go out begging me for help. It is then that I have to explain all of this. By then said housewife is a nervous wreck and can't concentrate, and is complaining that all of this should be easier.

I was talking to a customer last week whose daughter, a College Freshman, was almost in tears because she couldn't handle the most basic Excel functions. The rest of the business class she is in was way ahead of her in using that program. The professor assumed everybody had a minimum amount of knowledge, that she obviously lacked. In the end, someone helped her along, but she is still at a deficit in relation to the rest of some of the class.

Over the next few weeks I have the unique opportunity to teach a group of 12-13 year olds basic computer use. This may or may not lead to some wider classes being taught. As I am preparing class materials I am keeping all of the experiences in mind that brought me to wanting to help families and small businesses with their computers. It seems crazy that the number 1 most important tool of the 21st century is being neglected in our schools. In my opinion, every 7th grader should be working almost all day on a PC. Every 10th grader and above should be carrying a laptop in school. Almost every single job you see today has interaction with a PC, so why aren't we teaching our teenagers more about computers, and how they will need them?

By the way, in case you need to EVER look up what file type extensions you are dealing with, you can look here: File type Extensions.

Freebie Friday!

I love all things Free. Try one of these:

Open Office: A Replacement for Microsoft Office, Open Office is a suite of free tools that replace MS Word, Excel, Power Point, and Access as well as including a Vector based Drawing utility that will work like Visio. I highly recommend it for Non-profits and small businesses where the bottom line is important. You can download and learn more Here.

AVG: What can I say. Free Anti-Virus, and Anti-Spyware. You MUST HAVE IT! Easy to use, auto updating, auto configuration, and almost no maintenance. Much smaller footprint than Norton, Symantec, Kaspersky, and all the "Big Name" Anti-Virus and subscription programs, this one is a no brainer, I use it exclusively and haven't been hit yet. Download Here.

Should I upgrade my computer to Windows Vista?

I have been asked that question a great deal recently. The Short Answer is No. The Long answer is NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

There is a reason behind it and I bet you want to hear it. Well it is simple. Your computer was probably designed a few years ago to work with Windows XP. Your Operating System runs everything from the nifty little clock in the corner to your virus protection (you do have virus protection don' t you?), to your email program and your games. It is the backbone, brains, and reason to have a computer. Without it, the computer is a fancy paperweight and doorstop. When your Operating System is failing or running slow it is usually because of a virus, bug, trojan, or some other major problem in your computer. Everything depends on your Operating System.

Every Company that writes software and builds hardware for Computers designs them to work with Windows XP or it's predecessors. Now along comes Windows Vista. This is a whole new Animal. It looks, acts and feels different than Windows XP. Logic dictates that it might not work and play well with the same toys that Windows XP did.

The bottom line is, if your computer works well, and does what you need it to do, stick with it. If you feel the need for a new toy, Operating System or just like "the next best thing" go for a new computer setup. Dell, HP, and Gateway have great base systems that are low cost. If you are into customizing they offer great configurators on their websites. If you want to go high end check out Alienware, and if you are into building it yourself check out Micro Center.

Of course, there are always people out there who can be persuaded to build you a custom system if you ask nicely... ;)

Customize Your Google Page

WOW! I have never been so impressed by a Web site before as I am now by Google. Just when you thought they couldn't make a their page cool they introduced "Customize your Google Page". First Sign up for a Google account. Then Click the link that allows you to start adding "Gadgets". The Gadgets are the functional modules that add interesting things like a Wiki look up section, thesaurus look up, grammar and spelling look up, games, weather forecasts, and news feeds. In addition, if any sites you regularly go to have an RSS feed all you have to do is look up their feed, and you can have an auto updating gadget with their feed on your page. "BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!" You can add TABS! Yes, add a tab for work, home, lunch time distractions, blah blah blah...Only limitation I have seen is that there can be only Six Tabs. Click the screenshot on the left and see my current Google page. I went with the "Tea House" theme. The Fox does different things throughout the day and night, depending on the local time, and the scene changes depending on the time. Great for someone with a short attention span...

Ooooohh....a shiny penny....

Free Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware Software

The two most NEEDED peices of software for ANY comptuer owner are Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware software. You must use these, or risk a visit from me. I don't charge alot, but it DOES add up. Once installed, you will be VERY happy with the resluts of these two programs. I use AVG from Grisoft. Both are free and available here: AVG Free Software.

Install is a snap, both are user friendly, and are not filled with nags to buy the full versions. They are intended for free residential use, which means at home single computer use. If you need something for work, I strongly recommend buying the corporate version of AVG from Grisoft. This will allow them to continue supporting this fantastic free product for all of the people out there who need it.

First Post

Done.