Computer and Web Articles

Here we have a lovely, very well-done, animated video clip that gently points out easy adjustments we can all make while using our laptops to prevent short and long term pain. No talking or voiceovers. Just calm colors, interesting animation, and simple reminders in a short video clip. I highly recommend taking a look not only to those unfamiliar with desk/computer ergonomics, but to anyone who works at a laptop. Even for those of us who should know better, this video clip serves as a genuinely friendly and helpful reminder. Here’s the link: http://tinyurl.com/462v4fu

I recently stumbled upon a site for Vitamin-R, a Mac OS X program that promises to help you “recapture the lost art of joyful concentration” by allowing you to “split large tasks with vague objectives into short time slices with specific, reachable objectives.” The website’s homepage states that not only does using Vitamin-R help you steadily move toward your goals, it helps you through the most difficult part of many a task: getting started. Most intriguingly, Vitamin-R’s creators claim that the program provides you with tools that a) allow you to overcome inherent limitations and b) actually make you smarter. That’s a bold claim. Here’s the link: http://publicspace.net/Vitamin-R

• http://bit.ly/eVQPQF - Here are your happy, funny, should-hopefully-make-you-smile photos of the day. You’ll likely get a chuckle out of these if you love dogs and/or funny photos. I give you: running basset hounds.
• www.Instructables.com – Do you ever browse through the Instructables website? If you like making things, you’ll like perusing the endless number of DIY projects offered in the site, ranging from building your own hanging chair out of palettes to creating self-watering plant pots to making green tea pancakes with ginger syrup. A fun site indeed.
• http://tinyurl.com/3bljgo8 - Foot Locker has launched “Sneakerpedia”, a Wikipedia for the sneakerheads of the world.
• http://tinyurl.com/3ueswm5 - Attention Facebook users! Facebook does not have a Dislike button. All claims to the contrary are fraudulent, typically with unethical, spammy, or malicious intentions. Be smart, be careful. Learn a bit more here.
• http://tinyurl.com/3qcjng3 - Speaking of Facebook, have you heard of the latest Facebook fad? It’s called planking. Sadly, a fellow in Australia just died doing it.

When you visit a website that updates frequently (such as a blog, weather, or news website), you’ll likely see a little tab or icon somewhere on the page that says “RSS” or “Subscribe” or looks similar to the icon you see here:

So what does RSS mean, what does it do, and most importantly, why should you care?

RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication, provides you with a way to track all the updates on your favorite websites in a single location. Instead of jumping from site to site, you visit a single page to view the info you care about. Fantastic for anyone who visits even just two or three of the same sites on a regular basis to find out what’s new.

RSS generates “feeds” containing the stream of updates your favorite sites make. All you need to do is use a Feed Reader (such as Google’s free Reader) and subscribe to your favorite sites (that’s what those Subscribe buttons and sonar-style icons are for) and your Reader will keep all your info in one spot that you can visit at your convenience. That’s it.

RSS isn’t intimidating. It’s simple. (It’s not called Really Simple Syndication for nothing, you know.) Your Feed Reader isn’t much different than an always-updating email inbox displaying the stories and information you care about most.

If RSS sounds intriguing to you, I encourage you to take a quick look at the following article for a better explanation of RSS and a friendly walkthrough on how to set it up: http://tinyurl.com/63dconl.

When your customer clicks what turns out to be a broken link in your site and-gasp-gets a 404 Error (page does not exist) error message, it’s instant frustration. He didn’t get what he wanted and he doesn’t know how to fix it. Getting a generic, default error message that you didn’t customize is even more frustrating, as default 404 error messages offer little guidance to help your visitors deal with the problem your site caused.

Creating a custom error message with a few soothing words for your visitors can decrease frustration and potentially improve their opinions of you as a business-despite the fact they didn’t get what they wanted. Sympathetic error messages can help make your users feel like their frustrations are being heard, and funny error messages can make them smile and show them your sense of humor is at play even at the worst of times.

Please note: When I use a word like “frustration” when describing users’ web-related experiences and emotions, I’m not talking about people ripping their hair out and banging their heads against their desks. I’m speaking of subtle emotions. Think heavy sigh, eye roll, or a quiet “aucghkch.”

Friendly error messages containing links back to the home page or other key pages in your site or even instructions on what to try next can keep your visitors moving, ensure more fluid experiences, and prevent your visitors from reaching abrupt dead ends.

Woot.com has a brilliant error message; take a look: http://tinyurl.com/lqcjpj). It’s compassionate, it offers two links to return to the homepage (the logo and blue underlined link), and it gives the user the immediate opportunity to write the company and mention what happened so it can be fixed (or so the user can vent his frustration).

If you’d like to check out some of the web’s funnier error pages, take a look at Mashable’s list of 35 Entertaining 404 Error pages here: http://tinyurl.com/399shxk.

1. http://www.timbuktu.me/ - The first iPad magazine for children has made its debut. Surprise! It’s gorgeously designed.
2. http://tinyurl.com/4ydc6ly - Five new features in Google Analytics version 5.
3. www.backupify.com - An “all-in-one” archiving, search and restore solution” for services including Twitter, Facebook, and Picassa.
4. www.yournextread.com/us/ - Receive book recommendations far more customized and interesting that those you can find on Amazon, based on your favorite books. For each book you specify you’ll receive eight suggestions. The more you fine tune your preferences, the better your recommendations. (Click the “About Us” link at the bottom of the page to learn about the site’s benefits.)
5. http://tinyurl.com/6y7×37z - Head for the hills. We now have robots that can catch two balls thrown to them at the same time. [Yep, go ahead and insert a playing catch with dad or robots talking over Major League Baseball quip here.]

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erin pheil is the owner of timeforcake (www.timeforcake.com), a web design/development studio in Frisco, CO. She can be reached via email at erin@timeforcake.com.

I know that you know the importance of backing up your computer’s files. (If you’ve been told once, you’ve been told a thousand times…) But I don’t know if you know which files you should be backing up.

Perhaps you’ve asked yourself, “Should I back up all of the files on my computer, or just the important ones?” And then perhaps you asked yourself, “Wait–which ones are the important ones?”

Let me help. Here are some of the more important files you should be backing up:

Documents – All the files in your Documents folder should get backed up—and frequently. Most of us change the files in this folder more often than those in any of our folders. This is where you’re most likely to lose information you just updated in case your computer crashes.

Pictures & Videos – Got gorgeous pictures of your children on your computer? What about videos from big family events or memorable moments in your life? The pictures and videos on your computer are akin to that stack of photo albums, and they’re just as crucial to keep safe. Back ‘em up.

Music – If you have a large music collection on your computer, it’s going to be pretty hard (and potentially rather expensive) to replace it. Back those files up. (If you’re an iTunes user, back up your iTunes folder.)

Emails - If you use a desktop email program such as Outlook, Mail, Thunderbird or Windows Live Mail (vs. an online-only program like Gmail or Hotmail), make sure you back up your emails! Losing important email communications can be devastating (speaking from personal experience, here). The location in which your emails are stored on your computer depends on your computer’s operating system and the email program you use. To determine where your emails and associated email program’s files exist, head over to Google and search for, “backup email TypeYourEmailProgramandVersionHere”

What don’t you need to back up? Most of your applications/programs. You’ll most likely have to re-install them if your computer is damaged, so there’s little point in having them backed up (though backing up files such as your preferences, actions, and brushes in programs like Photoshop is a great idea).

1. http://vimeo.com/22306468 - Wedding invitations have come a long, long way over the years. (At several moments while watching this video clip I found myself wondering “How much did each one of their cards cost?!”)
2. http://tinyurl.com/3laj3ke - A recent, very interesting “Using the Internet Safely” article that ran in the Denver Post titled: Wi-Fi owners face legal troubles when others tap into network. The moral: password-protect your wireless router. Or else.
3. http://tinyurl.com/3bmegmq - Adobe’s exploration of Photoshop interaction with tablet devices. Very, VERY cool…
4. http://tinyurl.com/6dly7jh - Use this handy infographic to determine what, exactly, your home state does best.  (To save the native Coloradans time: Colorado is #1 in beer production *and* has been the skinniest state 2 years running.)
5. http://tinyurl.com/3wufng3 - iPad vs. iPad2: The real performance difference.

At first glance, Foursquare can seem a little bit creepy. It’s an application that you download to your phone which lets people know when you’ve arrived at certain locations. It’ll tell people you’re at the local bar for happy hour, or at the corner bookstore, or in the next town over grabbing a coffee.

Sounds a bit stalker-ish, yes. But here’s the cool part.

You don’t have to let everyone know your whereabouts – only people you choose. That means you can allow, say, only your ten closest friends to see where you are at any given time.

So, if Foursquare alerts your friend Matt that that you’re at the coffeeshop when he’s right next door picking up a new phone adapter, he very well might just drop by to say hi.

In this way, Foursquare offers a unique and subtle way to tell people you wouldn’t mind company, and it’s an excellent way to up the odds you’ll run into someone you like. Just make sure to add your friends with caution – after all, you wouldn’t want the sketchy guy from work just happening to show up wherever you go.

Want to give it a whirl? Have a look at this Mashable article for some tips on getting the most out of Foursquare: http://tinyurl.com/3e4hrds.