Computer and Web Articles

GoodReader is a fantastic, flexible, handy PDF reader for your iPad. Mashable called it a “Swiss Army knife of awesome!”

GoodReader handles big files of 100MB or more with great speed. It gives you the ability to mark-up PDFs with ease. It allows you to sync your files and folders, zoom up to 50x, and create your own inter-document hyperlinks so you can easily jump back and forth between pages in large documents.

GoodReader is also a truly fantastic reviewing and annotating tool. The program allows you to easily highlight, underline, and cross out text. It lets you type notes onto the PDF while enhancing the notes with squares and ovals and circles and arrows of various colors. You can add sticky notes and even make freehand drawings by drawing directly onto the PDF with your finger. Pretty sweet.

As an added bonus, the latest version of GoodReader supports .ppt, .xls, .html, .jpg, .tiff, and even audio and video files!

So what’s the cost for all of these amazing features? A whopping four dollars and ninety-nine cents. Worth every single penny.

Learn more about all of the many, many things GoodReader can do for you (then download the app once you’re sold) right here: http://tinyurl.com/y2v9h3g.

In the past we’ve discussed the importance of cleaning our keyboards. (Refresher: they become appallingly unsanitary and bacteria-infested become over time.)

Last week I chanced upon a brilliant DIY article that offered a great keyboard-cleaning alternative to the effective but time consuming, labor intensive methods we’ve (ahem—that includes you, right?) employed in the past. And this keyboard-cleaning alternative lets our dishwashers do the work for us.

Yep, that’s right: the article walks you through the comparatively quick process of safely using your dishwasher to sanitize your keyboard.

Though I’d have liked to have tested the process before sharing the article with you, I purchased a brand new keyboard less than two weeks ago and it’s still quite spotless. As keyboards don’t stay clean very long though, I’m looking forward to using this technique in the near future.

And to answer your question: It’s true, I purchased a new keyboard because I ever so gracefully spilled my drink across my old one.

Here’s the link to the step-by-step article. Happy dishwashing:
http://tinyurl.com/3db6eek

You’re working in your Excel spreadsheet, typing text into a cell. You hit Enter to move on to the next cell and WAIT A SECOND. Your text in the last cell just turned into a long line of hashtags. (###################)

And nothing you do fixes the problem. It’s just hashtag city.

Here’s what you do: Right click the cell (or highlight all the cells in which you’re having the problem then right click on one of them). Choose Format Cells from the menu that popped open. Let me guess. The word Text is highlighted in the list you’re looking at, isn’t it? Let’s change that. Click on General, then click the OK button, and you’re all set. Easy.

Curious as to why that was happening? In Excel, cells that formatted as Text are allowed to contain up to 255 characters. Cells formatted as General are allowed to contain up to 1024 characters.

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

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.

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).

Built-in screenshot-capture functionality gives Mac OS X users one more reason to smile. No special software to buy, nothing to install. [Note: If you’re scratching your head wondering, “What’s a screenshot?”, here’s the quick definition: a picture of whatever is on your screen.]

To take a screenshot of your entire screen, just hold down Command + Shift + 3. If you have sound turned on, you’ll hear a click that sounds like a camera shutter.

Now have a look at your desktop; your screenshot will be sitting there, patiently waiting for you.

If you’d like to take a screenshot of a specific area of your screen, use Command + Shift + 4. As soon as you hold those keys down, your cursor transforms into a crosshair. Position this crosshair at the upper left hand corner of the area where you want to take your screenshot, then left-click your mouse and (while still holding your mouse button down) draaaaaaaag that cursor to the bottom right-hand corner of the area you want to capture. Release your mouse button.

Just like before, go have a look at your desktop and you’ll find your new partial-screen screenshot will be patiently waiting for you.

1. http://tinyurl.com/6kuqpyx - Is it worth paying for cable every month? Have you considered any of the (many) free and/or more comprehensive options now available to you?
2. http://tinyurl.com/5vamtsf - The days are warmer, the sun is staying out later: spring is here. I think it’s time to replace your stale desktop wallpaper, don’t you? I knew you’d agree. Here we have a “Dreams of Spring” collection of fresh spring wallpapers, just for you.
3. http://tinyurl.com/ykgcwno - Twenty ways to drive leads through social media. Many of these might not be right for you, but if you’re on the hunt for new marketing ideas, this list might contain the spark you’ve been looking for.
4. http://bing.com/toolbox/webmasters - Improve your site’s SEO and learn what Bing thinks of your site with Bing’s Webmaster tools.
5. www.PreyProject.com – Track your phone or laptop at all times (and increase the likelihood you’ll your phone or laptop if either gets lost or stolen). Free version and paid Pro version available.