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Noises that houses make

We all have a spot in our house that creeks a little when we walk on it. It might be the front porch, the fifth stair on the way to the basement, or the floorboards next to the refrigerator, but we all have them. These little creeks and moans let me know if someone is coming to the door when I ring a doorbell. Sometimes the absence of the sounds lets me know that I'm at the wrong house.

This happened to me today at my first appointment. I made a quick check on the address in my trusty Treo, and my mind registered that the address was 2226. I cheerfully walked up to the door, rang the door bell and waited about two minutes. No answer. No noises. I waited another thirty seconds or so and rang the door bell again (I could hear it chiming through the door). Still no answer. Still no house noise. I waited another few moments, and decided to check the address one more time on my Treo. "Darn it!!", I muttered out loud. The address was not 2226, it was 2226 1/2!!

The embarrassing dangers of Picasa

I have learned to be careful when loading Picasa onto a client's computer.

Picasa is one of my favorite digital photography programs. Once you install it, it scans the entire computer for all digital photos. It catalogs them and displays them as thumbnails in order of date created.

The fact that it looks for and catalogs all of the photos on a computer has led to a little bit of embarrassment to a few of my clients.

Yesterday while working with a wonderful client, I installed Picasa to help her manage her digital photos easier. After installing it Picasa displayed a large porn collection. I knew that the photos were not there because of anything she had done so I had her look away while I deleted the photos.

RIGHT Click can save you time

I still get amazed at how many computer users don't understand the RIGHT click or are afraid to use it. The RIGHT click button has one primary function: instantly pop up a relevant menu of options. Don't read any more into its function than that. After you RIGHT click on a file, picture, the desktop, an email or Internet page, in a word processing document or anywhere, you switch directly back to the left mouse button.

When we instruct a caller on the show or if I'm teaching a customer how to RIGHT click, the very next question we always get is, "do I RIGHT click again?" Keep in mind that the RIGHT click has the one basic function of invoking a relevant menu for the task you are currently working with and you interact with that menu and all subsequent steps with your normal left click.

Great online product reviews

You can become an expert in almost anything in a very short time simply by doning a little research on the Internet. Before you buy a car, computer, digital camera, or even a home, you should do as much research as research as possible.

A few of the sites we use for finding product reviews onine are:

 

To research where to buy products and do comparison shopping, try these sites:

Firewalls Redux

Firewalls became a hot topic in the latter part of this week at HMR (a web site visitor abbreviated our name that way and it works pretty well). I decided to bring up this tip and updated it for 2006.

As recently as 2003, I recommended against dial-up users using firewalls. My reasoning for this advice included the substantially decreased time most dial-up users spend online in one stretch, ISP's provide firewall services into and out of their modem banks, and most 'hacking' at the time centered around denial of service attacks and other activities that was meant for computers with 'fat pipe' connections (DSL, cable, etc).

Today, however, I believe that a firewall is becoming an essential piece of our security arsenal. Firewalls (either hardware based or software based) prevent unauthorized access to and from your computer. The most recent threat of unauthorized use is spyware and adware. Spyware and adware can bring a system to its knees if not properly and completely stopped. A firewall can help reduce the toll of spyware and adware.

At the very least, every computer user using Windows XP should perform the following few steps to enable the XP firewall. If you have updated to XP Service Pack 2, the firewall will be enabled by default. Here's how to enable the Windows fiewall:

  1. Click My Computer from the Start menu (or your desktop)

  2. Click My Network Places from the task pane on the left

  3. Click View Network Connections again from the task pane on the left

  4. When the windows opens, RIGHT click on your Internet connection

  5. Click Properties

  6. Click the Advanced tab

  7. Check the box that says "Protect my computer and network by limiting…"

  8. Click OK

If you want a more industrial strength firewall that you can tweak and configure, try one of these free or commercial firewalls:

ZoneAlarm (free version)

ZoneAlarm Pro

Tiny Firewall

For broadband users who use a router to share access with other computers, the router acts as a firewall as well. Adam made some accurate points this week about the usability of firewalls. Too many computer users, hope to 'set it and leave it', but most firewalls require careful initial setup and a good knowledge of how to interact with the messages that it will generate. Read through your manual or go to the manufacturer's web site to learn how to best utilize your router and software firewall's capabilities.

The firewall debate heats up

After my post yesterday, then my article in the newletter, a few people feel that I am way off base in recommending that most people don't need a firewall.

First, Windows XP has a firewall built-in, if you use DSL or you have your cable Internet running through a Router, then you have a hardware firewall. My comments are pertaining to the extra software firewalls like ZoneAlarm and Sygate.

My cool brother-in-law, Nishan, emailed me with a few comments about my articles. He designs and maintains a huge database for a medical billing company in Oregon. In other words, unlike me, he is a true geek. I merely pretend to understand when people talk about SQL, Linux, and Apache, Nishan understands this stuff.

Our show doesn’t even run in California

Yesterday I received a call from a lady who had been fighting an Internet problem for some time. She said that several people had tried to fix the problem but it had never been fully resolved.

She said that she was telling someone in California about the problem (she lives here in Grand Junction, CO) they told her that she should go to HelpMeRick.com.

It's a small world. Or HelpMeRick.com is a great website. Or both. 

I am worth $1,879,756.80…

As of the close of market today, that is. How did I arrive at that figure? I have heard it many times before, but this week I heard it from three different customers, "You are worth your weight in gold."  Today, gold closed $611.90 and I'll let you do the rest of the math.

When I hear that phrase, or "thanks a million" (which I also use), I think, "Ah, if only…" Heck, I will settle for 50% of market value!!

On a serious note, I also get the question regarding whether I get bored doing what I do, and I truly do not. Helping people out of a pickle, teaching computer users how to shave a few seconds from a computer task, or seeing someone marvel at what is available when they log onto the Internet for the first time is awesome. Even if I'm not literally worth my weight in gold, I enjoy each and every day that I head out for new computer and tech adventures.

One man’s search for a banjo

I decided a few weeks ago that I want a banjo.

Why? A few weeks ago I realized that everything I do is digital. I do a lot of digital photography, I spend my day working on computers, for relaxation I play XBox. I feel covered up in 1s and 0s.

Once in a while, I want to get away from the digital world and do something analog. I am not a guy without hobbies and interests, but I think I am ready to switch some gears with what I do with my free time.

What does this have to do with computers?

Well, when I guy decides to start something new, there is one place he should start… the Internet.