Computer and Web Articles

Craiglook.com acts as a simple remix/mashup of everyone’s-favorite-and-ever-so-popular-because-it’s-so-useful Craigslist.com.

Craiglook helps make your Craigslist searches more efficient by allowing you to:

• specify your search radius
• enter your minimum and maximum prices
• see how far away your results items are located
• view sellers’ phone numbers without having to visit individual listings
• skim through the convenient image previews

Give it a shot and leave a comment — let me know what you think.

1. http://tinyurl.com/ykjrmhf - This fun article shows “nine awesome uses for dead tech products.” These nine (sometimes goofy) DIY project examples were pulled from a new book called 62 Projects to Make With a Dead Computer (and Other Discarded Electronics) by Randy Sarafan.
2. www.graffed.com – A simple, organized way to track changes in your body measurements over time. Weight change is more than just pounds; some men may be aiming for bigger arms while some women may be aiming for smaller thighs. Graffed.com lets you set a goal and then compare body measurements as they change over time through reports, interactive tools, and bar graphs.
3. http://earth.google.com/ocean/showcase - “Dive into the ocean and discover who lives there – from a deep sea octopus to humpback whales.” Listen to National Geographic ocean explorer, Sylvia Earle, narrate a fascinating tour through some of the best photos and videos contained within the amazing “Explore the Ocean” layer of Google Earth. While visiting Google’s Ocean Showcase you can also research underwater discoveries, dive deep down into the Great Lakes, check out popular surf spots, and even explore eerie shipwrecks. You’ll need to have the Google Earth plugin installed to experience all that the Ocean Showcase has to offer; if need be you can conveniently install it by clicking the big blue “Get the Google Earth Plugin Now” button that will be displayed in the center of the page upon your arrival.
4. www.mycelery.com – A service called Celery allows people to exchange emails (and even participate on Twitter and Facebook) without a computer or internet access. All that’s needed is a fax machine. Any fax machine. Celery automatically prints incoming emails and instantly sends outgoing pen-and-paper messages as email. Perfect for communicating with parents/grandparents who simply have no interest in learning how to use the internet or email. (And yep, there are still plenty of those out there.) Celery can even receive and print HTML-based emails as well as .jpgs, .gifs, .pngs, etc. Check out this short news segment on an 87-year old Grandma Twittering with paper-and-pen using just her fax machine: http://tinyurl.com/yaa32qu.
5. http://tinyurl.com/yzyxyw4 - Researching CRMs? Trying to determine which CRM would be the best fit for your company’s needs? Visit this link to receive a free report offering a side-by-side comparison that breaks down the top 15 CRMs in the industry. Compare pricing per user, service and support features, sales force automation features, and much more.

I’ve been asked a couple questions recently that I actually answered in two separate articles in the past. Here are reprints of these two questions along with their answers (tweaked just a little bit) that still hold true years later.

Question #1: I fill out quite a few online forms. It’s very annoying when there are many fields in these forms and once I type in my answer, I have to click my mouse to move to the next field. Is there a more efficient method of completing online forms that I’m not aware of? And while I’m asking about online forms, is there any difference between the square checkboxes and the circular buttons I can click on in these forms??

Answer: It’s actually very easy to move from field to field in online forms without having to use your mouse. The secret weapon? The “TAB” button on your keyboard.

Let’s say the first field of the form I’m filling is “FIRST NAME.” I type in the letters e-r-i-n. Then, instead of reaching for my mouse and clicking in the next field (most likely “LAST NAME”), I simply reach my left pinky finger up a bit and press down on the TAB key. And voila, the cursor is now blinking and patiently waiting inside the “LAST NAME” field, waiting for me to type in my information.

As a bonus, I’ll let you know a little secret about checkboxes as well. You can “TAB” from one checkbox to the next, and when you want to check/select a checkbox, simply hit the spacebar on your keyboard. The same tip works for radio buttons (the official name of those little circles you asked about).

Now let’s move on to an explanation of the difference between the checkboxes and radio buttons. When you see a list of options next to checkboxes, it means you can select more than one of those options. When you see a list of options next to radio buttons, it means you can select only one option.

I’ll put this explanation into an example. Let’s say you come across a question in an online form asking you which days of the week you prefer going to the gym. There will probably be a list of all the days of the week sitting next to some checkboxes, and you’ll be allowed to select whichever (and as many) checkboxes you wish.

On the other hand, you may come across a question in an online form asking you to select your favorite type of ice cream. Next to each option you see an empty circle (these are the radio buttons we’ve been talking about). Since this question uses radio buttons, you can select only one flavor of ice cream as your favorite. If you’re in a fickle mood and mark the radio button next to Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip–but then change your mind and mark the radio button next to Strawberry Decadence, the first radio button will deselect (become empty) as you can only have one radio button selected at a time.

It’s a good thing you don’t have to remember this; the forms handle it all for you; I just wanted to make sure you understood the difference.

Question #2: I have an absolutely filthy mouse that’s starting to “stick,” and I’m not sure as to how I should go about cleaning it up. Any pointers?

Answer: Cleaning your mouse is super simple. Just remember: DO NOT use any harsh or abrasive chemicals on during the cleaning process.

First rotate the ball container (sometimes known as the “locking ring”) to open up the mouse. Then place the ball onto a cleaning cloth and wipe it off, gently removing grime and dirt. A solution of 80% water and 20% alcohol works just fine.

Then use your fingernails to scrape the rollers inside the mouse to remove buildup—but be careful not to bend any of them. Then just pop the ball back into the mouse, screw the cover up, wipe down the top of your mouse, and you’re done.

If you’re a regular Word user, I’m guessing you’ve noticed just how much the program looooooves to make a blue, underlined hyperlink out of every single email address and website address you type into your documents. Sometimes that functionality is handy. Other times, it’s a downright pain in the butt.

A neat tip I recently learned allows you to easily remove every single one of those active, blue, underlined links from your Word document–no matter how long your document is. To remove all the links, first hit Ctrl+A to select all the text in your document. After you’ve let go of the Ctrl and A keys, press Ctrl-Shift-F9. Done.

If you’d like to keep Word from auto-hyperlinking text in the future, just click on Tools in the menu at the top of the screen and select AutoCorrect Options. Next, click the tab that reads “AutoFormat as You Type“. Once you’ve made sure that the box next to “Internet and network paths with hyperlinks” is unchecked, go ahead and click the AutoFormat tab and clear that same checkbox again.

You’re now good to go.

1. http://tinyurl.com/ybsemv6 - Personally, I think it’s fantastic that you take good care of your computer. Your maintenance efforts will surely prolong the life of your machine. Unfortunately though–just like humans–computers and software do age and, while you can slow down your computers’ aging process, you can’t avoid it altogether. Learn more by visiting this link.
2. http://tinyurl.com/32l6zq - 10 reasons why you should consider using an exercise ball as your office chair.
3. http://tinyurl.com/6yqc5r - Blog usability checklist. It may be from 2007 — but it’s one of those “oldie but goodie” posts.
4. http://tinyurl.com/ybf78pv - Do you, by any chance, happen to have a phone that’s running Android 1.6+? Yes?? Well then, by all means, check out Google Goggles!! This amazing technology actually lets you search the web *using pictures*. Yes, that’s right. Take a photo with your phone and Google Goggles will tell you what you’re looking at. Perhaps you’re on vacation staring at something that you know is … some … famous … landmark … but you can’t quite remember what it’s called. Take a photo with your phone and Google Goggles will come back and say “Oh – that big thing is called the Golden Gate Bridge.” Pretty amazing. It will definitely be fun to watch this technology develop as time goes by.
5. http://tinyurl.com/yeeh9ag - A fun post from Lifehacker on how to creatively hide all your … stuff.

If you’re a regular Excel user, you very well know that when you’re type type typing away inside a cell, hitting the Enter key on your keyboard bumps your cursor down to the next cell. That’s all fine and dandy … if you want to drop down to the next cell, that is.

What if you want to simply start a new line in the cell in which you’re typing? Easy. Instead of just hitting Enter, hold down the Alt key on your keyboard, then hit the Enter key.

Simple as that.

I can hear the whispers now… “Is she crazy??” “Has she lost her mind?” “Is she shooting herself in the foot by writing about this?”

I have a hunch many people will feel a bit suprised by what I’m sharing today. Why? Because the tool purports to do for free the exact service my company offers to clients (not for free): create awesome websites.

Wix.com enables individuals and companies to build their very own Flash websites. For free. The Wix interface offers drag-and-drop site creation and requires zero knowledge of HTML or programming. To sweeten the pot, Wix sites are even search engine friendly!

Musicians can build beautiful sites to present and promote themselves. Designers can build their very own online portfolios using Wix.  Photographers can build their very own online portfolios without paying a web designer one single penny.  In fact, close to three million websites have already been created using Wix.

What’s the catch, you ask? How can such an amazing tool possibly be free? Well, while there is no actual catch, there are a few rules you have to play by. First, you can’t use your own domain name. Second, Wix ads will appear on your website. And third, you are limited to a set amount of bandwidth, storage, and number of pages.

If you’d prefer to build a website free of these limitations, you can do so by upgrading to one of Wix’s Premium Plans. Depending on what you’re looking for (eCommerce? Stats Tracking? Premium support?), a Wix Premium Plan could run you $4.95, $9.90, $14.90, or $19.90 per month. Pay a year in advance and your pricing becomes even cheaper.

And just in case you’re still tottering on the fence, Wix offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee that lets you to try one of their Premium Plans for two weeks and, if you’re not happy, get all your money back. Simple as that.

Check out the features. Check out the galleries of beautiful sites other Wix users have created. No need to hire your own website designer — just sign up, build your own website, and have fun.

1. www.macfreedom.com - Have you ever found yourself wishing, at some point or another, that you could be truly free from the temptations and distractions of the internet? MacFreedom can help you fulfill this wish; it disables networking on your Mac for up to eight hours at a time. No hopping on the Internet “you know, just for two minutes…” (But what happens if there’s an emergency, you ask? No worries — a simple reboot will get you back online.)
2. www.academicearth.org – Learn more. This fantastic site was created with the goal of giving everyone on earth access to world-class education. (Well, everyone on earth with a solid internet connection who understands English, it appears.) The website allows you to view free video lectures/courses from leading universities. There’s an amazing breadth of fascinating topics you can learn about; I highly recommend taking a look. Thanks so much to Marie Orlin for the link!
3. http://tinyurl.com/yfjr4p6 - What are the steps involved in upgrading to Windows 7? Find out right here.
4. www.vark.com - “Aardvark is a new kind of tool that lets you tap into the knowledge and experience of friends and friends-of-friends.” Use Aardvark to find recommendations, answers to questions that come up every day, answers to research questions, advice or second opinions, etc.
5. http://tinyurl.com/y8ryzes - A great blog post by Johnathan Fields explaining why, when it comes to social media, small is the new big. Love the mountain bike madness example.