Is anyone out there?

There is no doubt in my mind that our site has the most relevant and easy to understand computer information for the average and beginner computer user. Unfortunately, the average computer user doesn’t know how to browse the web well and has trouble finding the information they need to know. Search engines are confusing. Searching a web site is even more baffling. These computer users do well when they have a recipe...

Desktop Shortcuts Make Computing Easier – Vi...

Learning to make Windows work for you instead of you working for it can yield many more happy and productive hours using your computer. One highly under utilized feature of Windows is the shortcut icon. Learning to use and manage shortcuts will give you a huge advantage with your computer. A shortcut is simply a ‘pointer’ to a location on your computer. Every entry in your programs menu of the start button is a...

Photoshop Elements 6 is out – Yawn.

Adobe released a new version of Photoshop Elements this week. I haven’t read everything about it, but looking over the "What’s New" section on the website it appears that there is little to get excited about. The new features and upgrades fall in four main catagories, organize, edit, create and share. These four catagories can be narrowed to two, useful and arts-and-craftsy. On the useful side, Adobe...

Quad Core Processors

I setup my first Quad Core processor computer today. It wasn’t for me, unfortunately, but I was impressed with the machine. My client ordered a Dell XPS Intel Quad Core machine with 4 GB of RAM and Windows XP. It was easily the fastest computer I have seen to date. With all that RAM, a 256mb video card, and the new Intel Quad Core processor everthing literally flew on this machine. One example is Adobe Photoshop...

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Scannin...

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Scanning* *but weren’t sure who to ask. Every scanner works a little differently, but these terms and tips should help you through the process. TERMS YOU SHOULD KNOW Image Editor – This is any program that allows you to manipulate an image. Some titles include Adobe Photoshop and Elements, Jasc Paint Shop Pro, Microsoft ...

Wacom Bamboo – an excellent artist’s t...

A Wacom tablet is a tool used by artists to design work on the computer using a natural pen and paper motion. The tablet is hard and flat and the stylus that you draw with looks like a pen. The Wacom tablet is pressure sensitive providing the ability to draw thicker or heavier lines depending on the amount of pressure that you apply while drawing. The stylus has a pen tip end and an “eraser” end. As...

Canon leaps ahead again in DSLR wars

I have made no secret of the fact that when it comes to digital SLRs I prefer Canon over all other brands. I have also backed up my argument with a long list of reasons. Everytime any other company gets close to Canon, Canon announces a new camera that out paces the competition both in features and price. Canon did it again this week. They have announced two new digital SLRs, both will make any serious photographer...

Mission Accomplished

As I wrote about on Friday, this was a busy work weekend for me. I think three of the computers I worked on offer an interesting comparison in operating systems. One laptop was a brand new HP with 2 GB of RAM and Windows Vista, but the owner wanted me to install Windows XP and take off Windows Vista. He uses it primarily for traveling and downloading his digital photos while traveling and just didn’t like the lack...

Watch for check boxes when installing all software

When it comes to installing new software programs I have two rules that should get you through the process and keep you out of trouble. 1. When in doubt, click on the affirmative (Next, OK, Finish, I Agree, etc). 2. ALWAYS WATCH FOR CHECK BOXES! The second rule is becoming more important as search engines and other sites that provide ad-sponsored services promote themselves by partnering up with other software companies....

Fun with Cameroon Pet Scams

I really love English Bulldogs. Recently I became aware of a common pet scam that is based on every other over seas Internet scam. Someone from Cameroon posts a desired breed up for a ridiculously low price. He/she asks for money plus shipping. You never get the dog. Here is my recent correspondence with one such scammer. I have resorted the posts from oldest to newest so you can enjoy the events as they occurred. For...

Updated gimmick feature list 2007

My list of gimmick features continues to grow. Gimmick features are features that companies add to technology to sell a product but don’t do what they claim to do in the way you expect them to do it. One of of the first gimmick features I began discussing years ago were gimmick buttons on a scanner. These are buttons that say “email” or “scan and save”, etc. All these buttons do is activate the...

11 years with my wife – 10.5 with my compute...

Every August 6th my wife and I celebrate our anniversary. Marriage certainly has its benefits. We have four wonderful kids. We each have great jobs that allow us to spend time together as a family. But, I have to admit that I got the better end of the deal. Every skill I have that makes me worth anything is a skill I have because of her. That is a total of one skill. I make no secret of the fact that I am not a carpenter,...

Ubuntu – Day 14 – Final Report

  I can’t believe it has been two weeks already that I’ve used Ubuntu Linux exclusively. If I had to sum up the experience in one word, that word would be “satisfying.” And my regular readers/listeners know that I can’t sum anything up in one word, so I will use this format to provide a complete synopsis of my Ubuntu thoughts. Minimum Requirements Ubuntu and its derivatives can run...

Use YouTube to learn something new

I love YouTube. If I were asked to come up with one single reason why everyone should have broadband, YouTube would be my first though, although I may say something else out loud. YouTube is known for it’s great home videos, goofy videos, terrible skateboarding accidents caught on tape and of course political commentaries. But, you can also use YouTube to better yourself as a person. I have had a lot of  Photoshop...

Shutterfly Studio – Online photo services

What good are digital photos if you can’t share them?  Shutterfly.com is a great website for sharing your digital photos online, but where Shutterfly really shines is what you can do with them offline. To get started with Shutterfly, you will need to setup a free account. It’s easy and takes less than five minutes. Once you have setup a free account, you can begin uploading your pictures into online albums....