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Riding Shotgun with Adam

The string theory of personal computers

One of the most common questions I get as I work on other peoples’ home computers is, "Where did you learn all of this stuff?’

Today I setup a large office copier on a business network. It is the first time I have ever set up such a thing.

It seems like at least two or three times per month, I fix a problem that I have never seen before. It is the ultimate in on the job training, however it is not voodoo or a vast supply of knowledge that allows me to do theses miracles.

Over the years I have discovered the string theory of personal computing.

Photoshop and Photoshop Elements Red Eye Removal Tip

Here is an alternative method for removing red eye in Photoshop Elements. It is more complicated than using the red eye tool, but it allows much more versatility in fine tuning the adjustment. The results are also more realistic.

I want a Palm Centro!!

I just read the review of the new Palm Centro at TreoCentral.com. It sounds wonderful. I was very excited to hear about it when it was announced, but after reading the review, I feel that it is a device that would change my life. I have used the Palm Treo 600, 650 and 700p. Each new generation has been better than the last. My only complaints about the Treo have been over form factor. It already does more and does it better than any other converged device on the market.

Find Ann Coulter in Firefox

Have you ever followed a link from Google only to find that the page it leads you to is full of text that you must read through in order to find the terms you searched for?

In Firefox and most other browsers, you can press the F key on your keyboard while holding the CTRL key down and you will open a find tool.

What does default mean?

The word default in tennis, is not the same as the word default in computers.

In the computer world, the word default means, what your computer will do when you don’t tell it to do something else.

Most families have two or more cars. Chances are that each member of the family has their favorite car to drive. If they have to go somewhere, there is a good chance that they will drive the same car every time. This, in the computer world, would be considered the default car for that person.

TIME inc. makes another mistake – Business 2.0 pulled from racks

A few months ago, I discovered Business 2.0, a small magazine in the Time empire. I have read every issue since over and over again in the room where I do most of my reading.

I have bought the past few issues off the stands. I bought the October issue with every intent of filling out the subscription card this month replacing my Popular Photography subscription. I was very disappointed to read the banner across the top of the October Issue – "Collectors Item: Our Final Issue."

Desktop Shortcuts Make Computing Easier – Video Tip

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.

How to get our newsletter

After several months, we think we have all of our newsletter issues corrected. If you haven’t been receiving our free weekly email newsletter, you can now subscribe simply by tying your email address into the box at the top left of any page on HelpMeRick.com.

If you are using any kind of spam filter, you will need to add response26262629 @ zinester.com (delete the spaces before and after the @ symbol) to your accepted email addresses.

If you are a Bresnan broadband user, you may need to email this-is-not-spam@bresnan.net and tell them to take the above email address off of their blocked spam list.

Now I remember what I don’t like about Apple and Macs

Apple products are beautiful and functional. Many people brag about their iPod or Mac’s stability, but there is a good reason that Macs are so stable. Apple is very restrictive as to what others are allowed to do with their systems.

For example, if you have a iPod, you can only use iTunes if you want to sync music to it. If you have another brand of media player, it will not work with iTunes.

Most standard hardware such as keyboards, mice and printers are compatable with both Macs and PCs, but when it comes to software, Apple has some very strict standards that developers must meet and money must exchange hands to apply for Apple approval.

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.