Use Your Digital Camera to Take Inventory

Planning for a disaster seems almost pessimistic to some, but in the long run, planning for the worst can save you. I talk about backup of your important digital data all the time, and this week’s tip takes the term backup a little closer to home. One great, practical use of your digital camera is to take inventory of your personal belongings. Use your camera to photograph your heir loom china, your classic car, your...

MP3 Players

You can legally and in good conscience use and enjoy an MP3 player. An MP3 is a special compression code used to store music using less space. You may remember the now extinct Napster service where millions of people shared songs online using the MP3 format and the ongoing battle the music industry is fighting against ‘song swapping’. If you have your own CD collection, you can create your own digital music...

Learn to Use Your Digital Camera’s EXIF Data

In the olden days of photography, a true student of the hobby would carry a note pad and write down the shutter and film speed as well as the lens setting and information such as whether or not a flash was used. The photographer would then use this information as a reference in becoming familiar with the camera. Even with digital it is extremely important to learn how your camera reacts in various settings. Digital cameras...

Mailing Labels

Since you are likely to be sending out some sort of Christmas/holiday cards soon, I thought you might appreciate some advice on creating mailing labels. First, if you have a copy of Microsoft Works or almost any card publishing program, you have the ability to create an ‘electronic address book’ and produce labels. Check out the help sections of these programs to learn how. I like the Microsoft Works approach...

Changing Shortcut Icons – Video Tip

Lately many of our tips have focused on Internet and computer safety and security. As important as these topics are, computers still do have a fun side. In fact, Adam and I often refer to computers as the ‘hot rod’ of the new millennium…you can customize it to your own liking. In today’s tip, you will learn how to customize boring old shortcuts on your desktop. Since Windows 95, Microsoft gave users...