Archive for category Instruction
How to Secure Your Windows PC – Part 1
Posted by admin in Company & Product Profiles, Downloads, Free Stuff, how to, Instruction, Internet, news, productivity, Security, Spam, Technology & Gadgets, Timesavers, tips, Tools, Tricks & Hacks, Web on June 1, 2010
According to NetMarketShare.com Windows PCs hold a market share of just over 90% of all operating systems. Because the market share of Windows is so large, these systems end up with more problems than any other type of computer on the market.
It’s not necessarily that Windows (XP, Vista, 7) is a bad product (okay, so Windows Vista was pretty bad). But with a market share so large, Windows is what people work with the most, so there are bound to be issues. Since Windows is also the biggest target, more malicious software is developed to bring down Windows machines as opposed to, say, Macintosh or Linux machines.
It’s important to note that both Macintosh and Linux are susceptible to viruses and spyware, but fewer cases of spyware exist for these operating systems because of their smaller market share (4.5% and 1% respectively).
Additionally, any Windows computer, regardless of brand (HP, Toshiba, Acer, etc.), is just as prone to viruses and spyware as the next Windows computer. If a computer acquires a virus or other malicious software from browsing websites of ill-repute, you should know it is not HP’s fault (or Toshiba’s, or Acer’s for that matter). Consider a real-life example:
Let’s say you have a Hewlett-Packard laptop running Windows 7. You get an e-mail forward from a friend promising wealth and fortunes by clicking on a link (you didn’t know this until later, but snopes.com determines it’s a fake). After clicking on this link, your computer won’t open Internet Explorer anymore and Antivirus Soft is asking you to pay $49.95 to get rid of 119 detected viruses.
First, you should know Antivirus Soft is malicious, illegitimate software – under no circumstances should you pay them a single penny. Second, this scenario would have played out the same way if you had a computer by any other name. The brand of computer simply doesn’t matter when it comes to software issues.
Now, armed with this understanding, the posts that follow in this series will help you to protect your computer from a number of issues related to software, saving you both time and money in the future.
Why You Shouldn’t Use LimeWire
Posted by admin in Downloads, File and Data Sharing, Free Stuff, how to, Instruction, Internet, news, productivity, Security, Simplicity, Spam, Technology & Gadgets, Timesavers, tips, Tools, Tricks & Hacks, Web, Web Applications on March 5, 2010
I have seen far too many computers infected with spyware, viruses, trojans, malware, etc. There are numerous ways to end up with the problems caused by malicious software. Unsafe browsing practices, such as visiting untrusted websites and downloading software from untrusted sources are just two of the ways to acquire malicious and damaging software.
On many of the computers I have seen with malicious software, one common piece of software I find is LimeWire. LimeWire is a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) software that allows users to share files. It is a haven for malicious software, pirated music and illegal videos.
Mark Stone has written an excellent piece about LimeWire here.
If you have this software on your computer, do yourself a favor and uninstall it now. It’s not worth the trouble.
Beth’s Blog: How Nonprofit Organizations Can Use Social Media to Power Social Networks for Change
Posted by admin in church, college, Company & Product Profiles, environment, Free Stuff, Instruction, Internet, news, Simplicity, Technology & Gadgets, Web on February 24, 2010
Beth’s Blog is one of the more popular resources for non-profits and socially-conscious organizations. The blog offers practical information and real-life stories about using social media for social change Beth Kanter, the author of the blog, is the CEO of Zoetica, a communication organization intent on “Connecting Organizations with their Networks”.
If you’re responsible for social media in a non-profit or socially-conscious organization, Beth’s Blog is worth adding to your feed reader or checking in on a regular basis.
DimDim Creates a Totally Free Meeting Space Online
Posted by admin in Company & Product Profiles, File and Data Sharing, Free Stuff, how to, images, Instruction, Internet, Simplicity, Technology & Gadgets, Timesavers, tips, Tools, Tricks & Hacks, Web, Web Applications on February 24, 2010
If you’re looking for some space online to meet, look no further than DimDim. This free web service with a funny name offers a comprehensive package for meeting online.
Here are a few highlights:
- No software installation necessary – DimDim runs completely in your browser
- Desktop Sharing
- Use your webcams and microphones for video and conversation
- Record and embed meetings
- Social media integration
A complete run-down of the feature set is available here.
As mentioned above, a free version is available that allows up to 20 users and 1 webcam. Premium, paid packages are available, too. Here is a full-comparison of the packages.
DialMyCalls Makes Automated Phone Calls For You
Posted by admin in Company & Product Profiles, File and Data Sharing, Free Stuff, how to, Instruction, Internet, news, productivity, Simplicity, Technology & Gadgets, Timesavers, tips, Tools, Tricks & Hacks, Web, Web Applications on February 23, 2010
Need to get a message out to a group of people through a phone message? You could spend several hours making the calls yourself. You could pay someone to do it for you. Or you could use DialMyCalls.com.
DialMyCalls offers a free subscription that will make 1 call per day to a maximum of 25 people. The message is limited to 30 seconds or less in length and will be branded with a DialMyCalls message. A premium subscription is available with fewer restrictions and no branding.
It’s an easy service to use, with only 3 steps required to make a phone call:
- Create a new message
- Setup your list of people to call (an address book feature is available too)
- Select your call options and schedule it to call.
That’s all it takes to make automated phone calls to the people you need to contact. Give DialMyCalls.com a try the next time you need to call a group of people.
Zapproved Helps Your Group Make Better Decisions
Posted by admin in Company & Product Profiles, Email, File and Data Sharing, Free Stuff, how to, Instruction, Internet, productivity, Simplicity, Technology & Gadgets, Timesavers, tips, Tools, Tricks & Hacks, Web, Web Applications on February 23, 2010
Does your decision-making process look like the one on the left or the one on the right?
Image from Zapproved.com
The decision-making process quickly and easily becomes complicated and convoluted with dozens of e-mails flying in and out of mailboxes. Zapproved.com helps your group streamline the decision-making process and keep the feedback all in one place.
To use Zapproved, you can begin by simply creating a proposal, or by signing up for a free account. The free account allows users to send 5 proposals/month; each proposal is kept for 30 days. Paid accounts start at $12/month for unlimited proposals and storage retention.
Those who serve on committees or work with groups often to make decisions will find Zapproved a simple and user-friendly tool to facilitate discussion and decision-making.
Sending Faxes for Free Using Google Voice
Posted by admin in File and Data Sharing, Free Stuff, how to, Instruction, Internet, productivity, Technology & Gadgets, Timesavers, tips, Tools, Tricks & Hacks, Web, Web Applications on February 18, 2010
I’ve been a user of Google Voice for nearly two years now. This service has literally changed the way I use my phone.
I was lucky enough to get an invite just after Google acquired GrandCentral and have used it ever since. It especially came in handy when moving from North Carolina to Tennessee, as I got a Knoxville area Google Voice number which I gave to potential employers. I now use that number as my primary number for text messaging (free!) and to route business calls to my mobile phone, which is still a North Carolina number.
Over at AscendWiki.com, they’ve put together an excellent article about how to send faxes for free with Google Voice. This comes in handy for eliminating long-distance fees for faxes. Too bad Google Voice won’t allow you to receive a fax yet. Suggest it as a feature here.
Here’s an excerpt:
Go to your Google Voice account, select Settings, Phones and then the Edit option for the phone on which you have your fax machine residing. Open the “Show Advanced Settings.” Then select “Yes” and “PIN not required (for added convenience)” for the “Direct access to voicemail when calling your Google number from this phone?” You could of course have the PIN required, but then you need to add that to the phone number you construct below. I figured my home phone is safe from someone misusing it.2. Send your fax but construct the fax recipient’s number as follows
YourGoogleVoiceNumber--2--NumberOfFaxReceivingMachine (those are dashes in this number to insert 2 two second pauses).For example, if your Google Voice number is 515-555-5565 and the fax machine is at +44-55-56-57-58-59, then set up the number to be
15155555565--2--011445556575859
Handbrake Rips and Converts Your Video Files
Posted by admin in Compression, Downloads, Free Stuff, home, how to, Instruction, Internet, productivity, Technology & Gadgets, Timesavers, tips, Tools, Tricks & Hacks on February 17, 2010
Handbrake is a piece of software I use nearly every week. It’s a free program designed to efficiently rip DVDs to editable video files on your computer. Handbrake will also convert files of one format to another.
Download the Handbrake installer here [~5MB exe]. Run the installer with all the default settings and you’re ready to start ripping DVDs.
1) Choose the source using the “Source” button at the top left corner of the Handbrake window. There are options to choose a file or DVD.
2) Choose the destination for the out put in the main frame of the Handbrake window. I normally use the Desktop or the Videos folder in My Documents.
3) Choose your output settings using either a preset (right side frame) or customize using the tabs in the main section of the Handbrake window.
4) Click “Start” on the toolbar. You’ll see a DOS-looking window open with progress information. Wait until it’s done, then look at the destination folder for your new file.
Note: I offer this tip and software as a resource for professional and personal use. This software should not be used for illegal purposes, such as pirating movies.
DirSync Pro Synchronizes Files and Folders
Posted by admin in Downloads, File and Data Sharing, Free Stuff, how to, Instruction, productivity, Security, Simplicity, Technology & Gadgets, Timesavers, tips, Tools, Tricks & Hacks, Web on February 12, 2010
Here’s another Lifehacker recommended download. It’s called DirSync Pro and it allows you to backup information on a local computer to a mapped network drive or other location on the same computer. Here’s a description from the author’s website:
Using DirSync Pro you can make incremental backups. In this way you’ll spare lots of time because you don’t have to copy all the files each time you want to update your backup; only new/modified/larger files would be copied.
Use DirSync Pro to easily synchronize files from your desktop PC to your USB-stick (PDA, Notebook, …). Use this USB-stick (PDA, Notebook, …) to synchronize files to another desktop PC.
DirSync Pro is free, open source software, available for download here. It’s a Java application, so it’s supported on any system with the Java Runtime Environment, including Windows, Mac and Linux.
How to Open Those Pesky .docx Files
Posted by admin in Email, File and Data Sharing, Free Stuff, how to, Instruction, Internet, productivity, Technology & Gadgets, Timesavers, tips, Tools, Tricks & Hacks, Web Applications on February 12, 2010
I’ve had more than a couple of people e-mail to ask how they can open these .docx files. The .docx format was introduced by Microsoft beginning with Office version 2007 (that’s the version with the ribbon, rather than the toolbar; more info here).
So, the .docx files don’t open easily in versions of Microsoft Office prior to 2007. Here’s one fix: Microsoft has released an update that converts the .docx (and .pptx and .xlsx) files for use on earlier software.
There is another fix, however. I am a proponent of free open source software (FOSS). The OpenOffice.org suite is a free office suite that includes word processing, spreadsheets, presentations and drawings. OpenOffice.org will open, edit and save the .docx (along with .pptx and .xlsx) files without even blinking. Read more about OpenOffice here.