Computer and Web Articles

Prevent total information overload by taking a few moments to learn about RSS. I’ve written about RSS many times in the past, but continue to find that the vast majority of internet users I come into contact with have no clue what the acronym stands for, what it is, and how they can put it to work (for free) for themselves.

If you spend a good deal of time browsing the internet or if you have a routine of visiting the same websites on a regular basis, I highly, highly recommend that you invest a few minutes of your time in learning about RSS.

To make your learning experience as simple, entertaining, and fast as possible, I’ve located what I feel is a fun (yet extremely informative and well-done) video introduction to the magic of RSS. Take a look: http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english.

Pistaschio is a free, teeny-tiny, overachieving little program for PCs that provides little bits of additional functionality to help with everyday computer tasks.

Pistaschio does quite a lot. Some of the tasks it will gladly handle for you include snapping a window to other windows when moving/resizing, disabling the Insert key, locking the mouse or keyboard while you clean them, minimizing a window to the system tray, allowing you to control sound volume using your mouse wheel, and restricting a window’s position to inside of your screen.

Might Pistaschio be a useful program for you to download? Learn more about the various bits of functionality it can provide and decide for yourself: http://pitaschio.ara3.net/index.htm.

1. http://tinyurl.com/c8jabs – Has this link shown up in your inbox recently? In case the answer is no, this extraordinarily high-resolution, keep-on-zooming-more-and-more photo of Obama’s inauguration is definitely something worth checking out. Zoom in. Zoom in more. See George W. Bush’s facial expression? See that big bow on Arethra Franklin’s hat? See anyone you know in the crowd?
2. http://tinyurl.com/c84sgg – A short while ago I shared a few tips about saving on printing costs. Joan from Boulder sent in an email followup suggesting I also tell you about 4X Ultrasaver—which has helped her save a great deal of ink. Test it for free and, if you like it, purchase it for $39.99.
3. http://tinyurl.com/b8ooot – Did you know that January 2009 marked the 25th anniversary of the Mac computer? Macintosh has come a long, long way in the past two and a half decades. Visit this link for a nice visual summary of the evolution of Mac design.
4. www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnidazzle/ - A little program for Macs only, Omnidazzle provides you with a set of “fun and useful enhancements that help you highlight certain areas of your screen, create visual effects, and track the location of your mouse pointer.” Perfect for giving your presentations that little extra “wow” factor.
5. http://tinyurl.com/b8wmcv - A great, varied collection of unique Photoshop brushes.

I’ve long known about the option to change the case of text in a Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc.) file via the menu option drop downs at the top of the screen or via a toolbar button, but it wasn’t until fairly recently that I learned how you could toggle the case of text straight from your keyboard.

Toggle between all uppercase, all lowercase, and title case capitalization by highlighting the text you’re looking to update, holding down the Shift key on your keyboard, and then tapping F3. I’ve found this to be quite a useful, time-saving trick to have in my Microsoft Office arsenal.

Head over to www.shorttext.com and you’ll find a surprisingly stripped-down interface. Don’t let the visual simplicity of this site fool you, though; shorttext.com is quite the powerful little tool.

Post text, images, and video online by doing nothing more than pasting your content into the big text field on the page and clicking the “Create URL” button. No sign ups. No sign in. Just an instant web presence and a link you can share with others on the world wide web with absolutely minimum thought and effort.

Check one of the boxes at the bottom of the page if you’d like to allow people to comment on your content or if you’d like to make your URL private (and then choose your password).

Simple, easy, free. Take a look and consider bookmarking www.shorttext.com; it’s likely to come in handy at some point during your online journeys.

1. http://tinyurl.com/2hm8de - A handy-dandy online calculator that shows you the *true* cost of making only minimum monthly credit card payments.
2. www.endicia.com – Are you a regular at the Post Office counter? Do you ship products out for your business on a daily basis? Endicia allows you to print complete, prepaid postage for any single piece of domestic mail class offered by the USPS. The exact postage is calculated for you – meaning you never overpay or risk having your packages arrive with postage due. Shipping labels and envelopes can even be customized with your logo and messages.
3. http://tinyurl.com/4mw3vt - One of the main questions I’m asked on a regular basis is, “Can you recommend a free Anti-Virus program?” And my response is always the same; I simply say “Yes, I sure can,” and then send people to this link.
4. http://tinyurl.com/hte8a - A one-page list of over 200 helpful Firefox extensions, organized in easy-to-skim-through categories such as Passwords, PDFs, Performance, Google, Graphics, etc. This is the perfect resource to visit when you know exactly what you’d like to be able to do in Firefox, but don’t know of an extension that would take care of your needs.
5. http://tinyurl.com/2m4×3r - A list containing sixty-two (allegedly) little-known uses for vinegar. I admit I had no idea that a chicken bone will bend like rubber if you allow it soak in vinegar for three days.

In most browsers and on most websites, you can easily increase the size of the text on your screen by pressing the Ctrl key and then tapping the + key. Likewise, you can decrease the text size by pressing the Ctrl key and then tapping the – key. (Mac users: Substitute the Command key for the Ctrl key).

Not long ago I extolled the importance of using email autoresponders to provide your customers with a “heads-up” if they should expect to experience a delay in receiving a response; setting one up while you’re away in Hawaii on a three-week vacation would be a great example of wisely using an autoresponder.

I had previously assumed that, when it came to constructing an autoresponder’s text, common sense would be an adequate guide. . . but perhaps I assumed too much.

Earlier this week I emailed the owner of a company who had been looking to retain our web design services. Within moments of sending my email to him, I had received an autoresponder from his email program containing nothing other than “Hello, I am unavailable to read your message at this time.”

This type of vague, automated response can actually cause more harm than good. In my case, I had no idea if the business owner was out of the office momentarily, for the day, for the week, or for the month. I had no clue as to how long it might be before he *would* be available to read my message. I couldn’t understand the purpose of the message I’d just received; I was just downright confused.

Our goal here is to inform customers, not to confuse them. If you use autoresponders to share important information, simply remember to provide all the relevant details in a polite, clear manner. You’ll help strengthen, not weaken, the relationships you have with your customers.

1. www.clientopia.com/top.php - You think *your* clients suck? Check out these gems.
2. www.the-impossible-project.com – The folks behind this site are doing everything they can to try and re-start the production of analog film for vintage Polaroid cameras, starting in 2010. Might you consider helping them?
3. http://tinyurl.com/ak3ash - Reuse, reinvent, recycle. Have a look at these durable (though pricey) rubber totes crafted from old car tires.
4. http://tinyurl.com/an967y - This incredibly handy article will teach you how to go about sending text messages between your computer and a cell phone.
5. http://tinyurl.com/braxqe - Turn your corkboard or bulletin board into a magnetic surface with the MagTack –a magnet and a pushpin all in one.