Here is an interesting article discussing the possibility of Google creating it's own cell phone network, and providing service for FREE! No more roaming charges.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/213328/Report_Google_Working_on_Cellphone_to_Compete_in_Mobile_Market
Friday, August 3, 2007
How to get your computer back in shape
If your computer is slow and cluttered with programs you never use, you can get your computer back in shape by doing a fresh install of Windows. This first thing you want to do is back up your data files (pictures, word documents, music, etc). Before you actually do the back up, I recommend installing AVG anti virus and running a virus scan to make sure you're not copying a virus.
After you back up all data files, it's time to reformat the drive. Reformatting the drive removes, deletes, and destroys any and all files on the drive. The reason you want to reformat is because your system may have spyware and or a virus, and the only sure way to remove spyware and any viruses is to totally wipe the drive clean by reformatting. I use a program called Darik's Boot and Nuke to wipe my hard drive. I also found a program called Ultimate Boot CD which appears to include Darik's Boot and Nuke plus other utilities.
After you reformatted the hard drive, then you simply put your W indows XP disc in the CD ROM drive, it will ask you a few questions, then start installing. AS SOON AS THE INSTALL IS COMPLETE YOU MUST TELL WINDOWS TO CHECK FOR NEW UPDATES. More than likely, the Windows XP disc you have does not contain the many updates Microsoft released to patch security holes (i.e. Service Pack 2). After installing updates, you'll have to reboot your machine, and then tell windows to check for updates again. I recommend you continue to check for updates until Windows says there are no more updates (sometimes you have to check for updates 3-4 times before you get them all).
After you have all updates installed, the next step is to install an anti virus, I recommend AVG. Personally, I don't install a firewall because Windows XP has a built-in firewall, and I am behind a router - which is a firewall. At this point if you want to install any anti spyware program, now is the time to do so.
The final step is to copy your data files back to your desktop, and install any programs you use (i.e. MS Word, Excel, etc). Here are some of my favorite programs:
Web browser - Fire Fox
E-mail - Thunderbird
PDF viewer - Foxit
Office Package (Word processor, Spread sheet, etc) - Open Office
After you back up all data files, it's time to reformat the drive. Reformatting the drive removes, deletes, and destroys any and all files on the drive. The reason you want to reformat is because your system may have spyware and or a virus, and the only sure way to remove spyware and any viruses is to totally wipe the drive clean by reformatting. I use a program called Darik's Boot and Nuke to wipe my hard drive. I also found a program called Ultimate Boot CD which appears to include Darik's Boot and Nuke plus other utilities.
After you reformatted the hard drive, then you simply put your W indows XP disc in the CD ROM drive, it will ask you a few questions, then start installing. AS SOON AS THE INSTALL IS COMPLETE YOU MUST TELL WINDOWS TO CHECK FOR NEW UPDATES. More than likely, the Windows XP disc you have does not contain the many updates Microsoft released to patch security holes (i.e. Service Pack 2). After installing updates, you'll have to reboot your machine, and then tell windows to check for updates again. I recommend you continue to check for updates until Windows says there are no more updates (sometimes you have to check for updates 3-4 times before you get them all).
After you have all updates installed, the next step is to install an anti virus, I recommend AVG. Personally, I don't install a firewall because Windows XP has a built-in firewall, and I am behind a router - which is a firewall. At this point if you want to install any anti spyware program, now is the time to do so.
The final step is to copy your data files back to your desktop, and install any programs you use (i.e. MS Word, Excel, etc). Here are some of my favorite programs:
Web browser - Fire Fox
E-mail - Thunderbird
PDF viewer - Foxit
Office Package (Word processor, Spread sheet, etc) - Open Office
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Money saving idea
This week's entry comes from my PDA since time is limited. I have always liked Linux because it is a secure operating system, but did you know how much money you can save by using Linux? Here is a real example from a company you may have heard of, IBM. http://slashdot.org/palm/19/07/07/31/238219_1.shtml (this is a very short read)
Some food for thought: if one company can save millions by switching to Linux, how much can our schools and government save? Maybe instead of implementing another tax increase or cutting another vital program, our government leaders should consider a FREE alternative to the cost burden , vulnerable, filled with problems (Okay, I'm a little bias) Microsoft operating system currently in place. The alternative is Linux!
Maybe a tax refund is in our future. :)
Some food for thought: if one company can save millions by switching to Linux, how much can our schools and government save? Maybe instead of implementing another tax increase or cutting another vital program, our government leaders should consider a FREE alternative to the cost burden , vulnerable, filled with problems (Okay, I'm a little bias) Microsoft operating system currently in place. The alternative is Linux!
Maybe a tax refund is in our future. :)
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
The iPhone
Yesterday, I had my first encounter with the iPhone, and now I'm trying to convince my wife the iPhone is something the whole family can enjoy! Starting out with the phone features, I was impressed at how the iPhone handles voice mail. First of all, the iPhone has a caller id-like feature for voice mails, and when you look at your list of voice mails, you can select the specific voice mail you want to hear, rather than having to listen to all previous voice mails to get to the one you really want.
I was a little skeptical about the interactive touch screen before actually trying it, and after only a few minutes I was a pro at navigating the menus and entering text.
The real star of the show was the photo application. When viewing a picture, I was able to increase the picture size (zoom in) by simply pinching my thumb and index finger together at the center of the picture, then expanding my thumb and index finger towards the corner of the screen, and wammo! the picture size instantly increased.
Finally, I was impressed with the ability of the iPhone to open .pdf and other files. Although I did not try opening a MS Word document, I read on many websites that the iPhone will open MS Word documents too! Side Note: as an alternative to MS Office, try OpenOffice - it's FREE and allows you to open and save files in the proprietary MS format.
While my review of the iPhone barely scratched the surface (this is such a cliche`, and what does it mean to "scratch the surface" anyway? Was this the way wood was refined before sandpaper was invented? Ouch, talk about slivers under your nails!) of the many great features of the iPhone, I encourage you to get your tech on and play with one today!
I was a little skeptical about the interactive touch screen before actually trying it, and after only a few minutes I was a pro at navigating the menus and entering text.
The real star of the show was the photo application. When viewing a picture, I was able to increase the picture size (zoom in) by simply pinching my thumb and index finger together at the center of the picture, then expanding my thumb and index finger towards the corner of the screen, and wammo! the picture size instantly increased.
Finally, I was impressed with the ability of the iPhone to open .pdf and other files. Although I did not try opening a MS Word document, I read on many websites that the iPhone will open MS Word documents too! Side Note: as an alternative to MS Office, try OpenOffice - it's FREE and allows you to open and save files in the proprietary MS format.
While my review of the iPhone barely scratched the surface (this is such a cliche`, and what does it mean to "scratch the surface" anyway? Was this the way wood was refined before sandpaper was invented? Ouch, talk about slivers under your nails!) of the many great features of the iPhone, I encourage you to get your tech on and play with one today!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
del.icio.us
It's del.icio.us! What is del.icio.us? Del.icio.us is a place for you to store all your favorite websites with the ability to access them from any location. You can think of del.icio.us as an online bookmark.
To get started, go to http://del.icio.us, click on register, and complete the simple registration form. Once registered, you'll be given the option to add the del.icio.us icon to your web browser. I added the icon to my browser tool bar, and I stay logged into del.icio.us as I surf the web. When I find i website I want to bookmark, I simply click on the del.icio.us "TAG" icon, and the website is added to my del.icio.us account. As you add websites to your account, you can easily categorize your bookmarks by "tags" - you can think of a "tag" as a main folder containing many sub-folders. For example, you might create a tag called financial, and under financial have your bank's website, the website you use for stock quotes, and another financial related website. Using this set-up, when you click on financial, you will see all the websites you tagged with the word financial, making organizing your favorite websites easy.
Another great feature of del.icio.us, beyond being able to access your bookmarks from any computer, anywhere, is del.icio.us is a social bookmarking site. A social bookmark site means you can share your bookmarks with your friends, family, and co-workers. As an example, say you find a really great website explaining the fundamentals of molecular biology or quantum physics, you want to share with your friends. Tag your site, and send your friend the link to your delicious site. You can view my del.icio.us bookmarks by clicking here. You can find out more about the many other features of del.icio.us by visiting http://del.ciio.us/help.
Enjoy your tech. Catch you next week!
Troy
To get started, go to http://del.icio.us, click on register, and complete the simple registration form. Once registered, you'll be given the option to add the del.icio.us icon to your web browser. I added the icon to my browser tool bar, and I stay logged into del.icio.us as I surf the web. When I find i website I want to bookmark, I simply click on the del.icio.us "TAG" icon, and the website is added to my del.icio.us account. As you add websites to your account, you can easily categorize your bookmarks by "tags" - you can think of a "tag" as a main folder containing many sub-folders. For example, you might create a tag called financial, and under financial have your bank's website, the website you use for stock quotes, and another financial related website. Using this set-up, when you click on financial, you will see all the websites you tagged with the word financial, making organizing your favorite websites easy.
Another great feature of del.icio.us, beyond being able to access your bookmarks from any computer, anywhere, is del.icio.us is a social bookmarking site. A social bookmark site means you can share your bookmarks with your friends, family, and co-workers. As an example, say you find a really great website explaining the fundamentals of molecular biology or quantum physics, you want to share with your friends. Tag your site, and send your friend the link to your delicious site. You can view my del.icio.us bookmarks by clicking here. You can find out more about the many other features of del.icio.us by visiting http://del.ciio.us/help.
Enjoy your tech. Catch you next week!
Troy
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Power Freaks
This week I decided to discuss the underlying "power freaks" who moderate craigslist.org. When one of my ads was "flagged for removal", I was instructed to visit help forum. Upon visting the help forum, I found the help forum was not very helpful, and moderated by "power freaks", I suppose I should define a "power freak". A "power freak" in computer terms, is a person with a considerable amount of knowledge in a particular topic or subject that uses their knowledge not to help others, but as a display of greatness and power. As an example, it was once common in the Linux community to respond to new user questions with, "Read the F***** Manual". However, as the Linux community continues to grow, more and more people are experiencing the helpful attitude that is now a monument of the Linux community: kindness towards others.
My early impressions of craigslist.org can be categorized as good vs evil: the FREE craigslist.org was combating the evil newspaper conglomerates who monopolized the classified advertising industry for years. However, upon searching for help in the craigslist's forum, I was unpleasantly surprised that craigslist allowed power freaks to run the help forums. As an example, here is the response to a question regarding why an ad was flagged for removal (not my ad),
"You don't know much about craigslist < --- > 07/02 23:11:40
You're obligated by the terms of use (that you agreed to and hopefully read) to flag inappropriate ads.
Your ad sucked worse than theirs for some reason. Aren't you curious what that reason could be? ".
I'm not sure how stating, "your ad sucked" is helpful in knowing why the ad was flagged. Imagine calling the newspaper and asking why your ad was not published, and being told it's because your ad sucks. Here is another example of an answer to the same question, "why was my add flagged for removal".
"in all cases:
suggestions for improvement to our system are extremely important & needed.
however, please don't ask for an explanation of why your individual posting was removed -- 'cause we don't have one!
thanks!"
If I understand this post, craigslist recognizes the need for suggestions to improve the site, but is not willing to improve their system by providing an explanation of why an ad was removed! Well, enough with the examples, you can read the rest if you like at http://forums.craigslist.org/?forumID=3
Although craigslist.org is a FREE service, does this mean the newer users should not receive helpful customer service? I think craigslist.org is a great service for connecting buyers and sellers, an online garage sale if you will. However, craigslist definitely needs to improve it's customer service by first and foremost removing the power freaks, and providing an adequate explanation of why an ad was removed. As a proactive measure, maybe craigslist should list the top 10 reasons why an ad is removed before allowing the user to submit an ad. Of course, if you want to find out why your ad was removed, you can always ask in the forum, but don't be surprised if your question is answered with, Read the Terms of Service! Does anyone actually read the Terms of Service?
I would love to hear your thoughts. Please send your comments to troythetechguy@gmail.com
Have a great week!
My early impressions of craigslist.org can be categorized as good vs evil: the FREE craigslist.org was combating the evil newspaper conglomerates who monopolized the classified advertising industry for years. However, upon searching for help in the craigslist's forum, I was unpleasantly surprised that craigslist allowed power freaks to run the help forums. As an example, here is the response to a question regarding why an ad was flagged for removal (not my ad),
"You don't know much about craigslist < --- > 07/02 23:11:40
You're obligated by the terms of use (that you agreed to and hopefully read) to flag inappropriate ads.
Your ad sucked worse than theirs for some reason. Aren't you curious what that reason could be? ".
I'm not sure how stating, "your ad sucked" is helpful in knowing why the ad was flagged. Imagine calling the newspaper and asking why your ad was not published, and being told it's because your ad sucks. Here is another example of an answer to the same question, "why was my add flagged for removal".
"in all cases:
suggestions for improvement to our system are extremely important & needed.
however, please don't ask for an explanation of why your individual posting was removed -- 'cause we don't have one!
thanks!"
If I understand this post, craigslist recognizes the need for suggestions to improve the site, but is not willing to improve their system by providing an explanation of why an ad was removed! Well, enough with the examples, you can read the rest if you like at http://forums.craigslist.org/?forumID=3
Although craigslist.org is a FREE service, does this mean the newer users should not receive helpful customer service? I think craigslist.org is a great service for connecting buyers and sellers, an online garage sale if you will. However, craigslist definitely needs to improve it's customer service by first and foremost removing the power freaks, and providing an adequate explanation of why an ad was removed. As a proactive measure, maybe craigslist should list the top 10 reasons why an ad is removed before allowing the user to submit an ad. Of course, if you want to find out why your ad was removed, you can always ask in the forum, but don't be surprised if your question is answered with, Read the Terms of Service! Does anyone actually read the Terms of Service?
I would love to hear your thoughts. Please send your comments to troythetechguy@gmail.com
Have a great week!
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