Spring clean your gadgets and gizmos
It’s time for spring cleaning. Just as we need to spruce up our home and yard, we need to clean our computers and electronic gear… both inside and out. Here’s some high tech spring cleaning tips. Let me start with the easiest way I’ve found to clean a keyboard. Spread a green goo called Cyber Clean POP-CUP Cleaning Compound over the keys. Press it down and lift it up and it removes all the gunk. It works with all our tech gizmos… cameras… cellphones.. anything that collects dirt. Cost is under bucks. Your computer itself needs cleaning. The fan and heat sinks ...
Google Bicycle Maps
With spring approaching fast, a lot of people are getting ready for outdoor activities, like bicycle riding. Many, in fact, are turning to bicycles as a way to be more green, to commute to their jobs on two wheels instead of four. Whether for work or fun the folks who make Google maps have added a new service worth checking out: Bicycle maps, the safest and best bike route between two locations. Enter in two addresses and, just like that, Google’s new bicycle mapping service displays a suggested route on a detailed map, utilizing bicycle paths and trails, sidewalks, bike lanes and back ...
All-in-one desktop touch screen from MSI
It started with the iPhone and now, touch screen technology is showing up everywhere, including computers. But then, our home computers are being used for lots more these days, too. That's what we have for you this week, a look at a very handy all-in-one home computer that shows off the many different ways we’re using computers. Remember what a big deal it was when you could use your fingers to navigate on an iPhone? Now you can do this on a home computer, too. Case in point: The MSI AE2220 Wind Top. It borrowed something else besides touvh screen navigatopn from ...
Portable GPS units for the car
I was pricing out a vacation trip I’d like to take later this year and, in the process, thought it would be nice to include a GPS unit with the car rental. Until I found the extra daily fee they’d be adding for a unit -$10 a day. That is $140 for a two week rental. Yikes. No way, I told the reservation clerk in cancelling the GPS option. I could buy one for that. And indeed, I could. And did. My first stop was over to a new GPS store that from Amazon. There I could quickly do near ...
Google’s Voice, Buzz and Task programs are all very handy
When it comes to new ways of connecting, communicating and organizing our life, technology and the Internet has sure been on the move. But one company these days has been particularly busy. Google, the Web search giant, has been adding a slew of new features that are basically free and take the online experience to a whole new level. Here’s three of my favorite new Google offerings. This is Google’s new voice telephone service… which not only gves out free telephone numbers but then actually transcribes your phone messages and emails you a written record. You can still play the calls and ...
Transfer VHS tapes to DV
Technology marches on. Remember when VHS tapes were the rage? Now, of course, it’s DVDs. But what do do with all those memories stored on those old VHS tapes? Transferring them to DVD has never been easier… or more affordable. Take a look around your house and I bet you'll find VHS tapes stacked in closets an on shelves and in boxes out in the garage. If you've had them for awhile, and the sound and images on those tapes are important to you, listen up. These tapes deteriorate rapidly. In fact, after 10 years, they breakdown. Significantly. It's a chemical problem at ...
Astronomy software to know your universe
It’s a big world out there and an even bigger universe that – strange as it may sound - technology has actually made smaller and much more understandable. Thanks to incredible advances in astronomy and computer processing, the universe can be explored from your home PC… even your mobile phone. Here’s a guide to some of the coolest software you’ve ever seen: With just a few mouseclicks, you now have the universe at your control. Powerful software once available only for planetariums now is either free or so affordable anyone can tap into the secrets of the universe. Of the dozens of packages ...
How To: Change your Facebook Privacy Settings
If it seems to you that everybody these days is on Facebook, that’s because, well, everyone is. More than 350 million people in fact, enough to make the popular social networking site bigger than most nations. But with Facebook’s massive popularity has come new problems. It happened because of recent privacy changes Facebook made that users may not realize leaves their personal details exposed for the world to see, You may think only your Facebook friends can see your postings, pictures and status updates. But changes Facebook made to its privacy policy in December have left the lives of many people ...
Scamming the Scammers
Despite years of warnings, we still get those scam emails from Nigeria and other far flung places offering us huge sums of money if we’ll help someone claiming to be a banking or political figure smuggle out a fortune. It’s called the 419 scam after a law in Nigeria that prohibits such practices. While the scam continues, it’s produced a counterforce, a group of Internet vigilantes that turns the tables of the fraudsters by… scamming the scammers. The 419 Eater website is a place dedicated to what’s called Scambaiting, or intentionally responding to those 419 scam emails, leading the scammers ...
Twitter tools that will get you followers and organize your tweets
The new year 2010, they say, will be THE year for social networking, led by the hugely popular Twitter service that send out those short, 140-character updates. How to manage those Tweets and get more followers is a major online activity these days. I've found three tools that will help you manage those social networking tasks. Twitter seems to be where all the online buzz is these days. Check out a Twitter popularity measuring site like Twitterholic and you’ll see that it’s all about how many followers you have…many politicians, athletes and celebrities have millions and millions of them… but everyone ...
Online help for keeping those New Year Resolutions
It’s a brand new year and if you are like most Americans, you’ve set some New Year Resolutions for 2010. Experts tell us that year after year, the top three are losing weight, getting in shape and getting organized. Technology and the Internet can help you reach your goals. If you’ve determined to lose weight this year, click on over to Spark People. It’s a free and powerful social networking site dedicated to providing support, advice and, perhaps most importantly online tools to track your nutrition and exercise. A key part is the community. You can plug into Spark Teams with others who ...
Does posting your location on social networking sites say “Rob Me Now?”
I’ve been messing with Foursquare for a week or so and there’s something about it that just doesn’t feel right. Come to think of it, the same goes for Twitter and Facebook and Google...
Loaded iPad is as expensive as a notebook
Apple opened pre-orders for the iPad at 8:30 a.m. today and, about 8:35 a.m., I ordered mine. I decided to take a pass on the WiFi-only model that is avialble April 3 and instead will, impatiently, I’m...
Motorola Devour social network phone is pretty lame
I have a general rule I follow when reviewing most tech products: If you have to read the instruction manual to work it, it’s too complicated. The Motorola Devour with Motoblur, a new Android-based...
Secret Places of the Earth as found by Google
I can get so lost in Google Earth…. and You Tube. Do a search on secret places and you’ll find several videos there. This one, of mysterious places and crop circles and bizarre natural features,...
Order iPad starting March 12, get wi-fi version April 3
April 3 is the date when the wi-fi Apple iPad will be available, with pre-orders for it and the 3G model ready to be placed on the Apple website on March 12. That’s a tad later than “late March”...
Spring clean your gadgets and gizmos
It’s time for spring cleaning. Just as we need to spruce up our home and yard, we need to clean our computers and electronic gear… both inside and out. Here’s some high tech spring cleaning tips. Let me start with the easiest way I’ve found to clean a keyboard. Spread a green goo called Cyber Clean POP-CUP Cleaning Compound over the keys. Press it down and lift it up and it removes all the gunk. It...
Google Bicycle Maps
With spring approaching fast, a lot of people are getting ready for outdoor activities, like bicycle riding. Many, in fact, are turning to bicycles as a way to be more green, to commute to their jobs on two wheels instead of four. Whether for work or fun the folks who make Google maps have added a new service worth checking out: Bicycle maps, the safest and best bike route between two locations. Enter in two...
All-in-one desktop touch screen from MSI
It started with the iPhone and now, touch screen technology is showing up everywhere, including computers. But then, our home computers are being used for lots more these days, too. That’s what we have for you this week, a look at a very handy all-in-one home computer that shows off the many different ways we’re using computers. Remember what a big deal it was when you could use your fingers to navigate...
Google’s Voice, Buzz and Task programs are all very handy
When it comes to new ways of connecting, communicating and organizing our life, technology and the Internet has sure been on the move. But one company these days has been particularly busy. Google, the Web search giant, has been adding a slew of new features that are basically free and take the online experience to a whole new level. Here’s three of my favorite new Google offerings. This is Google’s...
Transfer VHS tapes to DV
Technology marches on. Remember when VHS tapes were the rage? Now, of course, it’s DVDs. But what do do with all those memories stored on those old VHS tapes? Transferring them to DVD has never been easier… or more affordable. Take a look around your house and I bet you’ll find VHS tapes stacked in closets an on shelves and in boxes out in the garage. If you’ve had them for awhile, and the...
Astronomy software to know your universe
It’s a big world out there and an even bigger universe that – strange as it may sound - technology has actually made smaller and much more understandable. Thanks to incredible advances in astronomy and computer processing, the universe can be explored from your home PC… even your mobile phone. Here’s a guide to some of the coolest software you’ve ever seen: With just a few mouseclicks, you now...
Online help for Valentine’s Day
Here comes Valentine’s Day and big sales in chocolate and greeting cards. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But to help make this Valentine’s Day a bit different, I’ve come up with some online suggestions on how to appreciate and celebrate the holiday in some creative, new ways. A site called Gifts.com is not a bad place to start, with their Love-O-Meter guide that offers Valentine suggestions for every stage of a...
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