Personal Technology Tips in Plain English
Archive for August, 2008
Stop Reinventing the Wheel
Aug 31st
Most business owners wear many hats. . .
You’re the accountant, janitor, marketing guy, sales guy, employee counselor, boss, friend, mentor, etc, etc.
Do you feel like somedays you didn’t do any “work” — but a lot of unnecessary time-sink activities that prevented you from doing what’s really important? Somehow as each day passes, you may feel like more items just get added to that LONG To-Do List.
Do you sometimes just want to drop it all and let out a big scream?
It’s time that you look for incremental gains and realize that there are free resources out there that actually will help you achieve your goals, not deter them. For example, how about that website you are supposed to design or get produced? What if you could find a way to build a website quickly that was A) professional, B) quick to create, and C) presented your company in a clear, easy to read & understand way?
Now you have some help. . .
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Must-Know Free CD-Burner Back-up Utilities
Aug 22nd
The past month, I’ve been asked a couple of times about how to make a simple back-up copy of CD’s.
For some it was a simple audio music CD’s for others, it was multi-media CD-ROM’s. And for another it was a CD of photos they wanted to pass along to family members.
Although Windows has a built-in CD-Writer feature, making copies of CD’s sometimes is easier with a simple dedicated CD burning application. Here are a couple for you to download and try (without any piracy guilt because they are free, unlike the EXPENSIVE but good NERO program):
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Download Full Versions of Microsoft Office for $5.99/Program [NOT a typo]
Aug 21st
It is not often that you come across completely full versions of programs that are discounted at 91% off MSRP list price.
This deal was really a shocker when I first heard of it. OMG! style shock.
At $5.99 / program, Microsoft is doing the equivalent of giving away the store. Especially since this deal is for the mainstay software product – Office 2007.
Even the standard student discount at BestBuy type big-box local stores was more expensive. They’re selling the Home & Student version with only Word, Excel and Powerpoint for $100.
This deal is 40% cheaper and comes with 10 programs, not 3!
Aimed at students, if you are a current or entering student, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you take advantage of this deal. If you haven’t upgraded to Office 2007, you will need to at some point in the future. And at $59 for all 10 programs in the Office 2007 ULTIMATE suite package, this really is a steal.
I downloaded the entire Microsoft Office 2007 suite and installed it on both my PC’s at home.
I suggest that you do too! If this promotion is anything like the last time it came around, it won’t be around for long. Better buy and download it from Microsoft directly soon (like today?).
A Version of Texas That Is Portable And Handheld
Aug 13th
Everything is big in Texas.
Even the current cultural craze over Texas Hold ‘Em is gigantic.
However, here’s one instance where it ain’t that big. In fact, it’s so small you can take it with you wherever you go. . .
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Real-time Spectacular Spectator Streaming: Olympic Edition
Aug 12th
Couch potatoes rejoice! The Olympics are here.
Actually it is 12-hours away on the other side of the globe in Beijing China.
Normally you would have to wait for tape-delayed broadcast of your favorite sporting events and compeitions from the Oylmpic host country wherever it may be. Usually that means waiting for prime time evening TV for hours and hours of TV coverage to watch until the wee hours of the morning.
But this is 2008 and the Video Internet has really arrived. This means you can AUGMENT your nightly watching MORE video all day. . .Here’s a list of place to get your Olympic fix live through streaming video online. Real-time cheering. Real-time viewing. . .
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Quick Click Tip For FTP
Aug 6th
If you have a website, chances are that you upload files via FTP once in awhile.
If you have a blog or site that is updated with fresh content regularly you probably find yourself uploading image or other files constantly via FTP.
As part of my continuous search for eliminating redundant/unnecessary tasks in everything I do, I realized that launching my FTP application, selecting the server to connect to and then logging in each time just to transfer a single new photo or image file for a blog post was a complete waste of time.
What’s more, I realized that if I could figure out a way to do it effortlessly, I’d probably end up writing more too.
Then I thought, “Hey, what if you could just RIGHT-CLICK on a file and then let it automatically transfer via FTP into my “images” or any other specific folder on my web server?”
Guess what . . . here’s the solution. . . Read the rest of this entry »
I love tech, gadgets and the web. Hope you pick-up a useful tip or two here today that helps you use technology to your advantage! Better yet, why not share your own expertise in a comment on a post today to help the other readers that land here for answers!