Category: Software
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In the Heat
If you have a Google account, Google is using your profile information to target ads to others in your groups of friends and such. It may not sound too bad to learn that your friends find that you “liked” or +1’d that new restaurant down the road when they are searching for hot new places…
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April Follies
In Windows you can chain-load many programs using ninite.com and now there is a similar method for installing many applications at the same time on the Mac Head over to GetMacApps.com and don’t get scared with using the Terminal to accomplish this. One final reminder Windows XP and Office 2003 security support ends this month,…
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CryptoLocker and more
For many years, viruses and other malicious software have not deleted your files, maybe hidden them but not actually deleted them. A new piece of ransomware, CryptoLocker, will actually encrypt your data files, images, documents, videos, etc. on your computer and files that you have on any attached external and/or networked drives. You have to…
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Gleanings
When you are looking at Apple hardware, always remember to look at Apple’s refurbished store too. When you are in the online Apple store, look for the link to the Refurbished & Clearance section down at the bottom of the store page. Apple checks all items and offers their same one-year warranty. If you find…
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Programming as mind gym
When you stare at the computer screen a good part of the day, when Facebook makes you feel dumb, when you think there must be a way to get your mind going again, try programming. I can already hear the screams of “I can’t do that, I am too old” or “Why would I need…
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Under the shade tree
Classicshell for Windows 8 is one of those tools that makes Windows 8 look and act like Windows 7 or earlier that Microsoft did not want to include. For all of you who are not enjoying learning “Russian” when you are switching to Windows 8, you should try downloading this tool that will let you…
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Google-Fu
Does it sounds like a kind of magic for search on the Internet? Actually, it is just learning a few extras to really improve the results you get to spend less time sifting through the list of results. Just throwing out some terms or even a sentence at Google does not guarantee that the first…
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Games people play
Time wasters or brain makers, computer games have always been tagged as something with a whiff of the naughty and anti-social. They can teach useful skills, one of the “justifications” for playing Solitaire on office computers in the 90s was that it taught mousing skills. Although many think of computer games as first person shooters…
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Can you live in the Cloud?
What is the shape of that cloud that has been brewing up for quite a few years and can you put all your computing needs in it? The cloud we talk about for computing means really nothing more than doing your work and play through some service or website that does not use anything other…
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2012 Resolutions – nearly new
Here is that time of year again, new resolutions and some old ones that I didn’t get to. Check all UPSs (uninterruptible power supply). Make sure that only the computer and the monitor are plugged into the side that says battery and surge protection. All other things, especially printers, should only be plugged into the…
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Software hiccups, tips to make a difference
Running two antivirus or Internet security programs at the same time may make your computer feel really slow or broken. Although some antivirus installers will force you to uninstall the competition, others won’t. So take the time to uninstall what you currently have before you install the replacement. It can become much harder after the…
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Alternatives to paid software
There are times when you just don’t want to pay retail and for computer software there are often free alternatives to many of the programs you pay for. These are legitimate and often as good or even better in some situations, and this list is focusing just on Windows software this month. So, starting with…