Computer and Web Articles http://www.computerandwebarticles.com by eRin pheiL of timeforcake.com Sun, 18 Mar 2012 23:22:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 en Use Gmail to check your Rackspace Email http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2012/03/16/use-gmail-to-check-your-rackspace-email/ http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2012/03/16/use-gmail-to-check-your-rackspace-email/#comments Fri, 16 Mar 2012 23:38:48 +0000 eRin pheiL http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/?p=2117 Learn how to use Gmail for your Rackspace Email

]]> http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2012/03/16/use-gmail-to-check-your-rackspace-email/feed/ Grab Bag: Your Seven Links of the Week http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/12/12/grab-bag-your-seven-links-of-the-week/ http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/12/12/grab-bag-your-seven-links-of-the-week/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:36:28 +0000 eRin pheiL http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/?p=2114
  • http://tinyurl.com/yhxodbz - And here we go, everyone. Here’s the obligatory “best gadgets to give as gifts for the holidays” Gift Guide article you’ve been waiting for! Courtesy of CNet. Make sure you check out their Stocking Stuffer suggestions.
  • http://vimeo.com/28962540 - A great find courtesy of the Etre Blog, this video shows you how technology can render synthetic objects into legacy photographs. In other words, this is the technology “that has product placement companies salivating.”
  • http://tinyurl.com/7r4mhw3 - A colorful, fun infographic comparing the Internet in 1996 to the Internet in 2011.  Most popular site back in 1996?  AOL.  Most popular site in 2011? Google.  Average page load time in 1996? 30 seconds.  Average page load time in 2011? 6 seconds.  (Six seconds is still a bit too high for me.)
  • http://tinyurl.com/7wvnlcz - The “new” SEO. Take everything you know. Now throw in some branding, some user behavior, and some social factors. Mix it up and then get back to work on improving your search engine rankings.
  • www.iGrillinc.com – Are you a griller?  Would you like to be able to monitor your food without getting up off the couch (so long as the couch isn’t more than two hundred feet away?) The iGrill is an app-enabled, meat and fish, wireless thermometer that works with Applie iPod Touches, iPones, and iPads via Bluetooth.  Dual probe capacity, works as a standalone thermometer, alerts you when your food is ready, and comes in your choice of black or white.
  • http://tinyurl.com/7fh9f5c - Spend a lot of time in the kitchen (but grilling and the iGrill aren’t up your alley)?  Belkin now offers a $39.99 Fridge/Cabinet Mount for your iPad2. No tools or hardware needed, no permanent installation required, no surface damage when it’s removed.
  • www.ChefSleeve.com - Spend a lot of time in the kitchen but don’t care about grilling and don’t have a desire to mount your iPad2 to a cabinet or fridge?  If you’d like to better protect your iPad from goop and goo and crumbs and spills and grease, take a look at the iPad Chef Sleeve. It’s a smart, exceptionally designed clear plastic sleeve with a perfect fit that allows you to “easily grip your iPad while providing coverage for all output/input ports. Just slide your iPad into a sleeve, peel off the resealable strip to close, and you’re ready to go.”  You can recycle the sleeves when you’re done.
    • ]]>     http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/12/12/grab-bag-your-seven-links-of-the-week/feed/     Grab Bag: Your Five Links of the Week http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/12/08/grab-bag-your-five-links-of-the-week-75/ http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/12/08/grab-bag-your-five-links-of-the-week-75/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:35:30 +0000 eRin pheiL http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/?p=2112
  • www.TheColorOf.com — What is the color of summer? Of happiness? Of fear? What is the color of school? Of work? Of Monday? This simple site attempts to answer these questions. Type a word into the box on the homepage and the site will look through search results to find associated colors, all the while building a beautiful, digital painting right before your eyes of its interpretation. Make sure you take a minute to browse the gallery.
  • http://tinyurl.com/6djtqvb — Where and when did you learn to open doors? I’m going to go ahead and guess that you didn’t learn how to open doors in the proper manner. Good thing this 1979 Finnish instructional video, helmed by a man with the most fantastic of mustaches, walks you through the correct manner in which you should open all outward-opening doors. Super awesome.
  • www.Grasshopper.com — Grasshopper is an entrepreneur’s/small business owner’s phone technology dream with “all the features to run your business from anywhere with no hardware to purchase.” Get your calls, voicemails and faxes anywhere — and oh so much more. Plans range from $9.95/month up to $199/month and come absolutely overflowing with features. We’re talking unlimited extensions, on-hold music, conference calling, customized call forwarding and screening, read-your-voicemails technology, fax on demand, true 800 number, number portability and even informational extensions that let your callers learn everything they need to know, from your hours of operation to driving directions to product descriptions.
  • www.GetConcentrating.com — (For Mac users only!) An impressive online tool that eliminates distractions and allows you to work (or study) more productively. If you might benefit from a good distractions-prevention tool, I recommend popping over and watching the homepage intro video to get a better idea of how Concentrate could help your productivity. You can sign up for a 60-day free trial and, if you like it, purchase a license for $29. (Family license packs are offered for $44.)
  • http://tinyurl.com/7c25cbv — Is link building a part of your SEO strategy? Do you spend time each month reaching out to other websites in hopes of increasing your site’s total number of inbound links? If so, do you ever feel frustrated because a large number of your link requests fail? This blog post by Ken McGaffin of WordTracker walks you through 10 possible reasons your link requests are failing and how you can address each issue to increase your link building success.
    • ]]>     http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/12/08/grab-bag-your-five-links-of-the-week-75/feed/     Grab Bag: Your Five Links of the Week http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/28/grab-bag-your-five-links-of-the-week-74/ http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/28/grab-bag-your-five-links-of-the-week-74/#comments Tue, 29 Nov 2011 04:22:11 +0000 eRin pheiL http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/?p=2108
  • http://tinyurl.com/7gqhszg - You want the truth? You think you can handle the truth? Let’s find out how many germs are on your personal cell phone.
  • http://tinyurl.com/6jxmjhk - [video clip] A 1,000 piece “cobra weave” exploding popsicle stick bomb. So much better than toppling dominoes plus it’s a great way to keep the kids busy. Like what you see? Learn how to make your own at Instructables (http://tinyurl.com/3rcbn4n) Warning: you’re going to need a lot of popsicle sticks.
  • http://tinyurl.com/7bgj7oc - If you like to eat out and you have an iPhone, you need to watch this video clip. Period. When you’re done, visit the app’s website: http://oink.com. You won’t be disappointed; though Oink is just getting started, this is going to be big.
  • http://tinyurl.com/7hupt3h - An easy-to-read NYTimes.com article that explains why a regularly-updated, strong password doesn’t necessarily equal strong security. According to some, keeping keylogging software off your computer “is about a trillion times more important than the strength of your passwords.”
  • http://tinyurl.com/6fcmrcp – In a tribute to Steve Jobs, this fantastically illustrated and animated video short shares how the iPhone came to be. Take a trip through history and “explore the people and technology that contributed to the iPhone becoming what it is today.”
    • ]]>     http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/28/grab-bag-your-five-links-of-the-week-74/feed/     Grab Bag: Your Five Links of the Week http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/21/grab-bag-your-five-links-of-the-week-73/ http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/21/grab-bag-your-five-links-of-the-week-73/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:00:35 +0000 eRin pheiL http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/?p=2088
  • http://tinyurl.com/7t4md4h - An article by Two Octobers (in Boulder) entitled “The Top 10 Free Places To List Your Business”.
  • http://tinyurl.com/d62cus - Need to find a present for someone just getting the hang of their ABCs? Check out this absolutely fantastic promo video (promoting an equally fantastic ABCs pop-up book). Love it? It’s on Amazon here: http://tinyurl.com/cgznmf
  • http://tinyurl.com/3ha2bmx - Virtual shopping in South Korea using QR codes. Sounds rather convenient, eh? This 2.5 minute video clip shares a fantastic case study (already viewed ~1.4 million times on YouTube) showing what might be a peek into the future of shopping.
  • http://tinyurl.com/7fh9jhc - Learn how to encrypt the data on your computer with TrueCrypt. Good ol’ Leo will walk you through the process.
  • www.FriendlyBracelets.com – Yes, if you’re in middle school you can customize the color and text of these friendship bracelets for yourself or for your friends. For everyone else though, I’m thinking that with just a bit of creativity and cleverness, these have the potential to make for some seriously hilarious holiday gifts.
    • ]]>     http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/21/grab-bag-your-five-links-of-the-week-73/feed/     Textures, Textures, Textures http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/14/textures-textures-textures/ http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/14/textures-textures-textures/#comments Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:00:52 +0000 eRin pheiL http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/?p=2062 It never hurts to keep a list of free texture websites handy. Images of textures can add visual interest to your print ads, websites, and brochures. They act as fantastic desktop wallpapers and can be worked into your videos, photography, digital artwork, miscellaneous promotional materials, and graphics (like, say, the one you might have on your Facebook landing page).

    I’ve collected a list of great texture websites for you; keep your favorites bookmarked for when they might come in handy in the future.

    ]]>     http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/14/textures-textures-textures/feed/     Grab Bag: Your Five Links of the Week http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/14/grab-bag-your-five-links-of-the-week-72/ http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/14/grab-bag-your-five-links-of-the-week-72/#comments Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:00:44 +0000 eRin pheiL http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/?p=2065
  • http://tinyurl.com/6f8zgfp - In 1987 Apple made a video forecasting a futuristic, voice activated assistant called “Knowledge Navigator”. The video is set many years in the future. September 2011, to be exact. Last month (October 2011) Apple’s actual voice activated assistant, Siri, debuted. Coincidence?
  • www.LessMeeting.com – Conduct fewer, more productive meetings.
  • http://tinyurl.com/5su5qo3 - A five and a half minute time-lapse video showing a screenshot of the NYTimes.com homepage every day since September 2010.
  • http://tinyurl.com/3dtw677 – A URL shortener for your Android. Generate and share shortened links straight from your phone.
  • www.BarCodesGenerator.com – Create your very own barcodes (yes, they work). Simply set the width, height, text, font size, font color, and background color, then click the big “Go, Make me an amazing Barcode!” button. Not sure what to enter into the 3 boxes asking you to choose your color options? No problem. Just find the color you like here on this page and use the associated R, G, and B numbers in those 3 boxes: http://tinyurl.com/a37yw . For example, if you liked the color “Crimson” (2nd color listed on the page), you’d enter 220 into the first box on the Bar Code Generator page, 20 in the second box, and 60 in the third box. This may sound complicated, but it’s actually exceptionally easy and anyone can do it (so long as they can settle on a color they like). Have fun with your barcodes!
    • ]]>     http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/14/grab-bag-your-five-links-of-the-week-72/feed/     Super Quick, Non-Tech Secret of the Week: You See Me Rollin’ http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/14/super-quick-non-tech-secret-of-the-week-you-see-me-rollin%e2%80%99/ http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/14/super-quick-non-tech-secret-of-the-week-you-see-me-rollin%e2%80%99/#comments Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:00:09 +0000 eRin pheiL http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/?p=2059 This isn’t technical. This isn’t complicated.

    This is a 5 – 10 second secret distraction. (Well, it’s secret unless you’re a regular social media participant. If you are, you’re likely tired of hearing about this.)

    Here are your instructions.

    1. Go to www.Google.com
    2. Type in “do a barrel roll”
    3. Hit the Enter key on your keyboard or click the “Google Search” button using your mouse.

    ]]>     http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/14/super-quick-non-tech-secret-of-the-week-you-see-me-rollin%e2%80%99/feed/     Grab Bag: Your Five Links of the Week http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/07/grab-bag-your-five-links-of-the-week-71/ http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/07/grab-bag-your-five-links-of-the-week-71/#comments Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:00:39 +0000 eRin pheiL http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/?p=2057
  • http://tinyurl.com/3gzjh7f - Your online safety: Why you should give up Windows XP for good. Right now.
  • http://tinyurl.com/3l5amh7 - I rarely come across creative wi-fi network names. Not surprisingly, the vast majority I see when looking to connect to a network are boring and banal, based on things like favorite movies, company names, physical addresses, pet names, hobbies, and the occasional cartoon character. This image shows a great list of actual, clever wi-fi network names. A few examples include: “No Free Wi-Fi For You,” “404NetworkUnavailable” and “Police Surveillance Van 2”. Great for a chuckle.
  • http://tinyurl.com/3w47p3l - It’s time. If you can’t make sense of the basic summary you see when you first open up Google Analytics, you’re purposefully staying ignorant about your website’s most basic performance data. And we really are talking basic. Do you know how many people visit your site? How long the average visitor stays on your site? Which pages in your site are the most popular? If your site runs Google Analytics (and if it doesn’t, fix this issue asap), this basic information is tracked daily and is available to you 24/7 in your Google Analytics account. Read this fantastic article and you’ll wonder why you ever found the basic tracking data intimidating or confusing.
  • www.PageModo.com – Create a beautiful, custom business Facebook page. On your own. For free. In minutes. No design, graphic, or coding skills necessary.
  • http://tinyurl.com/3dshkex - Be careful out there. Criticize the BBB and they just might pull your accreditation. (Story via TechDirt.com)
    • ]]>     http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/07/grab-bag-your-five-links-of-the-week-71/feed/     Q & A: SEO in My URLs? http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/07/q-a-seo-in-my-urls/ http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/2011/11/07/q-a-seo-in-my-urls/#comments Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:00:27 +0000 eRin pheiL http://www.computerandwebarticles.com/?p=2053 Question: I’ve been told that my site’s URLs can affect my search engine rankings. Is this true?

    Answer: Yep, absolutely. This article does an excellent job of summarizing what you need to know: http://tinyurl.com/l9bddv

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