May 30
Whether you are new to computing and have never touched a keyboard, or are a PC pro that likes to keep your skills sharp, typing is an essential skill for the modern information worker.
Instead of taking the time and money to enroll/attend a typing class, there are free, self-paced online programs that can help you improve your abilities. Read more
Since many of us are now providers, as well as consumers, of goods and services, it is often necessary for us to have official documentation for our transactions. Admittedly, this is not the most exciting aspect of business processes, but an online service called Billable can, at least, make it a painless one. Read more
Although Chrome does not offer its users the granular control that Firefox’s about:config offers, it does have several about: pages that enable you to either tweak how Chrome operates, or to access some of the technical underpinnings of Google’s ascendant browser. One such page, about:flags, gives you the ability to utilize experimental features that are still in development and have not been fully implemented into Chrome’s stable build.
If you need to have access to the latest, greatest features and don’t mind being the big G’s guinea pig, read on. Read more
Mac only: Although there are a variety of third-party solutions available, Mac OS X comes with capable, built-in search functionality. With a little know-how, it can be used to perform a variety of different functions and is often an underutilized tool for the average Mac user. Today, we are going to become more familiar with OS X’s Spotlight. Read more
Whether you’re a tech professional or a tech ninny, using a computer and the Internet means that you are going to be exposed to many different kinds of files. PDFs, JPEGs, TIFFs, WAVs, MKVs, AIFFs, AVIs, they are all there and the superabundance of file extensions may seem overwhelming.
While a quick Google (Bing?) search often reveals the extension’s full name and the type of application that recognizes the format, you may desire a more detailed explanation, e.g., the format’s history, how it works and what differentiates it from similar formats. Wotsit.org may help you find the information you seek. Read more
May 18
One of the things that took some time to get used to after I first tried OS X was the way it approached windows. Coming from the Microsoft realm, I was used to working with applications that took up the entire screen, so once I saw that OS X apps rarely do this, I was irked.
Over time, I began to appreciate why working with non-maximized windows might be useful. One example is when you want to drag browser items from your selected window to the desktop. In Windows, this workflow is not feasible by default, but with a few tweaks, you can be dragging items to your desktop with impunity. Read more
For many of us, email remains one of our primary means of correspondence. More importantly, we have years of conversations stored on a server somewhere out in the ether. Whether you use your ISP’s web-based service or popular offerings from Google or Microsoft, it is a good idea to create local backups of your web-based email in case the third party you rely on suffers serious technical difficulties, or worse, permanently loses your data. Read more
Although OS X comes with a variety of useful applications, some users prefer to download and install third party replacements. A minor issue that might accompany such an approach is that file types (.avi, .doc, etc.) may still be associated with the included application (e.g., .mov files still being associated with the QuickTime Player). Learning how to change the default application associations for files in OS X is thus a substantive skill required to streamline your Mac experience.
Information overload is a common complaint of the average Web user. You have a vast amount of knowledge at your fingertips, but what good is it if it is not organized in a way that is relevant to your needs? Search engines, like Google, try to address this issue, and while useful, often lack the precision you require.
In addition, the source and quality of the provided links may not be of the highest standards. A new search and comparison engine called FindTheBest may provide an intelligent solution. Read more
Traditional media is going extinct. CDs, DVDs, Blue-ray, whatever, the utility of having optical disc copies of our prized content is steadily losing its attraction. With an ever-increasing array of easy-to-use software/hardware to digitize our music, movies and photos, the availability of cheap, large-capacity hard drives for long-term storage, and a variety of ways to stream/access our digital content, the possibility of living a digital lifestyle is now a reality.
If you’re sitting on a pile of valuable content that is just waiting to be liberated, you need to become familiar with Handbrake. Read more
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