Emailing in Ubuntu Linux – Video Tip

This is a three part video tip showing how to setup and use email in Ubuntu Linux using the included Evolution software. Evolution is a full fledged Personal Information Manager (PIM) that can perform calendaring, tasks, email, contact management and more. Think of it as Outlook for Linux, but easier. Setting up your email in Evolution   Using the Evolution address book   Sending email with Evolution ...

No charge or time limit calls to anywhere in the w...

I stumbled upon this site tonight that allows anyone to call over seas from any phone and talk for as long as you want. The site looks legit and I read many reviews saying it works, but I would love to hear from you if you have used it and how you like it. I would try it out, but I don't know anyone over seas, so I can't test it out. The site is called Yak 4 Ever . It's free and simple to setup an account with...

What did you do with your time?

What did you do with your time before you got a computer? I know that I watched more TV and read more magazines and books. I have to admit that I also think that I spent more time outside than I do now (except summers where it is hard to stay inside except on the hottest days). My information gathering has changed. What I used to rely on newspaper and TV for, I get first on the computer. Or if I read something or hear...

Do you remember your password for…?

If you do any online shopping and/or banking, user name and passwords have infiltrated your life. Many of my customers can easily knock one-half hour or more off their bill if they kept track of their passwords. I get many blank stares when I’m troubleshooting a machine and need to log into an Internet service or web site and I ask the customer for their password. Often times I receive the classic, “I don’t...

Magnifying Your Screen

With today's higher resolution screens, some computer users have trouble making out some items on the screen. Microsoft has a built-in screen magnifier that works OK, but isn't perfect or necessarily intuitive. Recently, I found a great application, called the Torian Screen Magnifier , that magnifies any portion of your screen by simply moving the on-screen magnifying glass over the area you want magnified. It is...

Macintosh inching more and more

I really thought the computer world was simple. Ultra-geeks used Linux, cool cats with a little attitude used Macintosh and the rest of us used Windows. None of the three major platforms worried to much about the other and software remained pretty much platform specific. Then two years ago Apple released software for the Macintosh that allows Windows to be installed on their systems, an upstart Linux version called Ubuntu...

Ubuntu on the road

I continue to experiment with the Ubuntu operating system. This past weekend, my family and I made a quick trip to the South Dakota Black Hills and I took my Ubuntu laptop along for the ride. My Ubuntu laptop is an older Compaq (almost six years old) that was destined for the trash heap by its previous owner. It no longer performed well for them and required reformatting and upgrading to run Windows XP and other software at...

Collectors Celebrate

One of my customers was using some interesting and well laid out software for collectors (she collected books). We are often asked to suggest software for organizing and tracking CD, DVD, Book, Coin and other collections. This company called Collection Database Software produces software for collectors of all types. You can try the software out for free to see if it fits your needs before buying it. ...

Easily replaced hardware items…

Sometimes I am accused of being too laid back about life and problems. I take that as a compliment and consider my low key approach to life to be an asset not a liability. When it comes to computers, many computer users should also take a low key approach to many hardware problems. Keyboards and Mice If you start having a problem with a mouse or keyboard, the first thing to try is shutting the computer off, unplug and re-plug...

Take a break …. Physical Therapy Advice

Many of you know that I started out as a Physical Therapist, but switched careers almost twelve years ago. I notice that many computer users (including myself) can get absorbed in reading online news, working with pictures, researching, learning a new computer program, or just playing a game. Unfortunately, when we get absorbed, we also lose track of time and thirty minutes can quickly become two hours! We have all been...

Actual drop in computer productivity from 1986 to ...

I just "Stumbled Upon" this article from Hubpages.com and article which compared one of the earliest 'personal' computers (an Apple Mac Plus). What it concluded was what Adam and I complain about on the show often and what all computer users feel when they sit down at their keyboards; our computers are not any faster today, than they were 10 or more years ago. Processors, hard drives, RAM have all...

Internet Explorer 7 Zoom

For many computer users, viewing some web sites can be frustrating because text tends to be too small. Since many of you might be using Internet Explorer 7, take advantage of the improved zoom functuon in it. To access the zoom function: 1. Click Page from the menu in the upper right of the screen 2. Click Zoom from the menu 3. Choose a Zoom value from the options (I recommend trying the 125% first and then move up from...

Make multiple computers work for you

The last few weeks I have seen many clients who own multiple computers and are learning to use a computer network to take advantage of printers, Internet connections and file sharing. If you own more than one computer and a high speed Internet connection, you need to consider connecting the computers together via a network. Doing so will allow you to own just one printer that all the computers can print to, take advantage of...

Reset your HP Printer

I don't remember where I learned this trick or why it works, but it  does work in many instances with some HP printers. Use this technique to reset your printer if it is hung up for any reason, can't automatically "align cartridges" or is just acting goofy. Unplug the power cable from the back of the printer Let the printer sit untouched without the power cable for at least two to three minutes Push and...

How to use System Restore

I don't know how we missed posting this tip, but somehow we did so now I'm rectifying the situation. One of the best features of Windows XP (and now Vista) is the ability to undo many problems that we may cause ourself or the system causes through updates or other unknown situations. It is called System Restore and it allows you to roll back your system to a previous time when all was blissful without losing any...