Computer and Web Articles

Logitech’s Wave Keyboard is a lovely combination of form, function and affordability. It’s laid out in a slightly curved manner to conform to the natural inward inclination of your hands, and its keys are progressively elevated in the middle.

The Wave Keyboard’s ergonomics mean that your hands and wrists will experience less fatigue and strain when you type, and with it retailing at only $49.99, it won’t put much strain on your wallet either. (And if you spend a minute or two on a Google search for “Logitech Wave Keyboard,” you’ll actually be able to find it for even cheaper.) Learn more here: http://tinyurl.com/2df4bp.

Alright, listen up everyone. And yes, I’m talking to you.

I continue to be surprised by the number of people I interact with who do not understand that a website and a webpage are different things. And yes, it’s true, they’re different. Keep yourself from sounding silly in the future; pay attention here.

A website is a collection of webpages. If you visit, say, www.timeforcake.com and click around on the links, you’ll be viewing various webpages within my website.

If you want to get tricky, you can consider the fact that if your website happens to be comprised of only one page, your website and your webpage are the same thing - but that’s really the only exception to the very basic definitions of these two terms.

So, just for clarity’s sake, the sentence “Erin, how long will it take you to update our company’s entire webpage” is incorrect - because the person speaking is actually referencing her company’s website, not webpage. So the correct wording would be either “Erin, how long will it take you to update our company’s entire website?” or “Erin, how long will it take you to update all the webpages in our website?”

• http://tinyurl.com/ye3woe - Learn how to make your very own ringtone from any MP3 file.
• www.excessaccess.com - This site links donations of businesses and household items with the wish lists of nearby nonprofits that can provide pick-ups or accept drop-offs. SUCH a great idea.
• http://tinyurl.com/2gh54h - This great blog entry compares the websites of world leaders.
  http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov - NASA’s alternative to Google Earth allows for fantastic viewing of three-dimensional landscapes, pretty much anywhere in the world.
• http://2prong.com - Disposable e-mail service. Free. No clicking or sign-up necessary to make it work. That’s right. Without so much as one click you can have your very own disposable e-mail address for a total of zero dollars.

I cannot believe I just learned this.

Did you know that if you drag a website’s favicon (that teeny little icon sitting to the left of the website address at the top of your screen) directly onto Firefox’s Home button and then let go, you’ve just updated your default home page?

Perform this one easy action and the next time you click the Firefox Home button, you’ll be taken right to the website from which you dragged and dropped that little icon.

It works. Try it.

I’ve bought and sold quite a few items on eBay over the years, and if there’s one thing that hasn’t changed, it’s the fact that there are always people who insist upon making their listings as lame as possible.

For goodness sake, you’d think that if people were going to take the time and money to list their items, they’d at least put a little bit of effort into making their listings informative and clear. Nope.

Here are some rudimentary eBay listing tips you should be aware of if you’re serious about selling your item. They may sound quite obvious, but based on the sheer volume of listings I’ve viewed that ignore several (if not all) of these, perhaps they’re not quite as obvious to everyone as I would have hoped.

• Show a photo. It’s nice that you’re telling me about your gorgeous blue necklace but there’s no way in hell I nor anyone else will even consider buying it without being able to see what it looks like.
• Be realistic with your price. Honestly, I think that Care Bear doll is adorable too, but it’s used and worn, and I kind of think that $250 is more than you’re going to get for it when there are 12 other listings for the same bear in mint condition for $30.
• Explain any flaws! I bought my dining room table from you and I knew it was used, but you never mentioned the enormous oil stain in the middle of it nor did you show it in the photos. You’re getting some big fat negative feedback from me and I’m going to dispute this purchase with eBay because I want my money back.
• Reply to questions. I’m really digging those striped socks you’re selling, but I have no clue what size they are because you failed to mention anything about size in your listing. So I’ve e-mailed you a question via eBay but you’re not responding. Unbelievable You just lost an easy sale.
• For heaven’s sake, please spell check. Because I honestly can’t tell if you’re selling glow in the dark stars or glow in the dark stags. Here’s where a nice photo would have helped me out as well.

A click on any of the following links will immediately prompt your browser to download a handy little VBS script specifically designed to solve one specific problem - and one specific problem only. See if any would be useful for you and, if so, just save the script(s) to your PC and double-click them. Problems solved!

Problem 1: You want to change the name you originally gave your computer when you first got it because “My Awesome Computer” no longer seems clever to you. Fix: Download and double-click this file: http://tinyurl.com/39bz4v.

Problem 2: Every time you open Outlook Express, that pointless splash screen is displayed. It does nothing but waste a bit of your time each day, and you want it gone. Fix: Download and double-click this file: http://tinyurl.com/yetmew. (Alternatively, if for some odd reason you decide you want that splash screen back, use this link instead: http://tinyurl.com/38r35f).

Problem 3: Your Programs and Favorites lists are out of control. There are a ton of items in the lists and it’s becoming very hard to find what you’re looking for. Fix: Downloading and using this file will ensure that your Programs and Favorites always stay alphabetized. Follow this link: http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/sortordermenu.reg and choose File > Save Page As, and save the file to your desktop. Click on it and your messy list problem is solved!

• www.salesrankexpress.com - Quickly check the Amazon Sales Rank (and more) of specific items at Amazon Stores worldwide.
• www.bookswim.com - Not sure how I feel about this concept, but their motto over at BookSwim is “Don’t buy books, rent them.” Kinda like a Netflix … for books.
• http://tinyurl.com/222shj - Looking for a chuckle? Check this blog post, showing the “50 Greatest Local TV Commercials.” Quite entertaining.
• http://tinyurl.com/262g3w - One of the more disturbing online articles I’ve read recently, describing the atrocity that is canned hunting. Unbelievably, over half the states in the U.S. continue to consider it a legal activity. Looking for the quick facts on this topic? Check out this link instead: http://tinyurl.com/yrmryf. There’s even a video you can view if you click the link on the right of the page.
• http://tinyurl.com/yov9st - Are you a Photoshop user? If so, take a look at this link and you’ll find tutorials on 80 great text effects, from reflective liquid type to ancient gold lettering to laser-cut metal letters.

It’s pretty. It’s functional. It’s tiny. It’s amazing. It’s currently the world’s tiniest two-microphone Bluetooth headset.

Motorola’s H12 headset sports what’s called “CrystalTalk,” a dual microphone noise cancellation technology that cancels out background noise, meaning the person on the other end of the line will here nothing but your voice, even in the noisiest of environments.

The H12 weighs in at a whopping 12 grams and offers approximately 5.5 hours of talking time (with approximately 200 hours of standby time). Design-lovers will drool over the glossy black top, spun metal accents, diamond-cut metal, and matching desktop charger.

The cost, you ask? $120 -$130, depending on where you’re buying it from. Available at a countless number of online stores as well as directly from Motorola right here: http://tinyurl.com/2ortkn.

• www.readycolorado.com - A site designed to help Coloradans prepare for responding to and recovering from a wide array of disasters. You know. Just in case.
• http://tinyurl.com/2279zn - A blog entry detailing how you can use 25 percent less gasoline with the vehicle you already own.
• www.ambientdevices.com/products/umbrella.html - This umbrella’s got you covered, whether rain, snow or sunshine. It knows and it glows when rain or snow is on its way. No setup required, either.
• http://tinyurl.com/yr6bp8 - How to load any website directly into your Firefox sidebar.
• http://ebaysupplies.usps.com - Attention eBay sellers; this site allows you to order free Priority Mail shipping boxes (delivered to your home at no charge) with the USPS and eBay logos on them. The boxes are available in six sizes.