Note – after using this program for a couple of weeks, my desktop disappeared. Literally all the icons on my desktop went away. I also noticed that when you install the Fences program it also installs “Stardock Impulse,” another program taking up resources. They don’t ask you if you want to install it, they just put it on your computer – not very nice.
I have now uninstalled both of these programs
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Chances are your desktop looks something like this – probably a lot worse. One solution to organize and keep things a bit neater is the FREE program Fences. I’ve tried it on two XP computers and it does a great job, although I did have to reboot on one computer. Here’s what my desktop looks like after I Fenced it in.
If you just can’t seem to get your fill of online news Google FastFlip might just be what you’re looking for. It allows you to quickly flip through mounds of articles and even specify areas of interest like hi-tech or health etc.
One of the few programs I use on a regular basis is Acronis True Image. While I paid for mine, they now have a FREE version available through Western Digital. (click here)
The program is somewhat limited in that it appears you can’t make Incremental backups, but only Full Backups and you need to be cloning to a new Western Digital Drive. Still it can save your computer the next time you have problems.
If you’ve ever used Handbrake to rip a video, one of the options in the iTouch/iPhone format is MP4 or M4V. Which should you use?
In my experience, the files are exactly the same except that the iTouch needs the .M4V extension, while my WD Media Player needs the MP4 extension if you want to Fast Forward through a video. To play videos in my iTouch I use Better File Rename to rename all my videos with a M4V extension. If I want to play them on my TV using my WD Media Player, I change the files extensions back to MP4. Weird – but it works.
Windows Live Movie Maker is a free download for Windows 7 or Windows Vista. It appears to be a nice option for people that just want to do basic movies. It uploads to YouTube and Facebook and allows you to make your own DVDs. The limitations are that it only will save in a WMV format and won’t allow you to do picture in picture or add a voice over.
If you’re coming back from vacation with hundreds or thousands of vacation pictures, your next step after moving them to your computer is figuring how to share them with friends and family. The problem these days is that everyone has a digital camera which takes pictures of ENORMOUS size. How can you get them down to size which are more reasonable and easy to send or load on a website. FastStone is one Free option which will allow you to resize, crop, reduce redeye, and all those basic functions you want to do before you release them to the world.
Two other great features is that it will do batch processing, you can change multiple files at one time, and you can also create a slide show. I’m impressed!
One company that I can recommend without any reservations is B&H Photo-Video. I have spent thousands of dollars with them and always gotten great service and quality equipment. The picture to the left also shows the difference between them and the competition.
I order the same printer from B&H and one of the big box stores. Look at the difference in packaging. The printer on the right has no packaging other than what the printer came in. B&H encases the printer in large bubble wrap and puts it in a sturdy box.
As a former mailman I know how packages are treated and I appreciate the extra work that B&H does in getting their equipment packaged so that it will arrive without any damage.
It’s amazing to me how some people will spend $200 a month for a fancy cell phone, when there are so many inexpensive options available. Here are a few I use or suggest.
You can forward any incoming phone calls to your Google Voice phone number. Google Voice will record the call, transcribe it and send it to you email address.You can then send an SMS text message (FREE) to the number which called you. What I like about this is that I don’t have to talk to marketers and people who I’d rather forget.You can look at the email and just delete it. Note – some companies may charge you for call forwarding – mine (T-Mobile) does not. You can also enable “Do Not Disturb” on Google Voice so that the message is instantly recorded and transcribed.
Google Talk is like Skype, just computer to computer, but I’m hoping that in the future I can use that feature to integrate it with Google Voice and be able place calls to a phone via my computer.
Buy a cheap phone in the country you are visiting and a new SIM card with 1000 minutes. When you go to a new country, buy a different SIM card for that country. (I haven’t tried this, but will on some upcoming trips.)
