New Millennium Computers' Technology Blog

Beware of fake product reviews when shopping online

2012-11-21T10:00:00.001-05:00

As many of us begin shopping for holiday gifts, NMC recommends that you take the time to read consumer reviews and feedback on products before buying BUT beware of fake reviews! Techlicious offers some great tips on how to spot a fake review, read the article here.

When shopping for tech gifts, we recommend reading reviews on reputable sites like CNET
Read our tips for safe online shopping

9/11, never forget

2012-09-11T12:41:00.000-04:00

Why not take your webmaster to lunch today?!

2012-07-06T09:00:00.001-04:00

Today is Take Your Webmaster to Lunch Day! Show him or her your appreciation for the hard work in keeping your website and server up and running all year round.

Kids in tech

2012-06-21T11:00:00.001-04:00

We whole-heartedly support the idea of kids studying science and technology! Here are links to three great articles about kids in science and technology:

The mobile fashionista gets app-y

2012-06-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

Fashion bloggers and everyday fashionistas are using mobile apps such as ShopStyle: Mobile and Instagram to shop and to connect with the world through shared photos of their sartorial hits and misses.

Follow the links below to learn more about the hottest fashion apps:

Top 10 Must-Have Fashion Apps

10 Celeb-Endorsed Fashion Apps That We Can Actually Get Behind

Strike a Pose: Rachel Zoe Invests in Fashion App

Fashion App, Kaleidoscope, Unveils New Web Experience

Devil’s in the details for fashion apps

How shopping and fashion apps are taking over Facebook

Blogging is a Fashionable Business!

2012-06-06T11:48:00.001-04:00

Fashion and beauty bloggers with popular blogs which have diverse and engaged audiences are the newest influencers making them sought after partners for fashion and beauty brands. These bloggers post photos of themselves wearing the free clothes, accessories and cosmetics that brands send them, host parties for brands, walk runways and even star in television commercials like Lindsay Calla of Saucy Glossie. Fashion blogging has become a serious business!

Check out the links below to learn more about the business of blogging:

The Business of Blogging | Elin Kling (See Kling's blog, here and a video Kling did with H&M, here)
Who's The New Judge of America’s Next Top Model? BryanBoy! (See BryanBoy's blog, here)
Fairchild Fashion Media Buys Blogger Network of BryanBoy, Elin Kling, Rumi Neely and Anna Dello Russo
Fashion’s Top Bloggers Make It Work For The Gap
Beauty Bloggers Design a Color Collection for MAC
Fashion Bloggers on the Runway
Marriage of fashion and social media
How a Blogging Duo Is Changing Fashion Photography With Animated Cinemagraphs
Straight Talk: A New Breed of Fashion Bloggers
What I Wore's, Jessica Quirk wrote a book based on her blog
In 2010, fashion blogger Gabi Fresh became MTV's first Twitter jockey

TIP: Use Microsoft's OneNote to plan your summer vacation

2012-05-08T12:10:00.001-04:00

Summer will be here before we know it! If you are planning a vacation for you, your family and/or friends, try using Microsoft's OneNote to organize your travel plans.

Earth Day

2012-04-20T11:40:00.001-04:00

This Sunday, April 22, is Earth Day so we're sharing some previous blog posts on e-cycling electronics. Check them out below:

How to "e-cycle" broken and unused electronics
Protect our Earth - follow these tips for recycling electronics
If you donate your unwanted electronics, please be sure to read: How to remove personal information from your hard drive

Here are some more helpful links:

Earth Day international site: http://www.earthday.org/2012
Where Can I Donate or Recycle My Old Computer and Other Electronic Products?
Find information on e-cycling events in NYC - http://www.grownyc.org/recycling/events

It's International Shareware Day

2011-12-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

It's International Shareware Day. Learn more about shareware, here

What is a QR code?

2011-11-17T10:50:00.001-05:00

Quick response or QR codes such as the one at left are appearing everywhere - in magazines, brochures and newpapers, in stores, on billboards and other advertisements, in BlackBerry Messenger, on your grocery packaging and even on rooftops.

With a scanner app downloaded on our smartphones, we can scan these codes and access online content such as websites, Twitter pages, videos, contests and other multi-media content about products, stores and services. Many of the scanner apps are also able to scan EZ codes, Data Matrix codes and Universal Product Code or UPC codes.

Wikipedia describes QR codes as:

a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside of the industry due to its fast readability and comparatively large storage capacity. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be made up of any kind of data (e.g., binary, alphanumeric, or Kanji symbols).^[1]

Created by Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave in 1994 to track vehicles during the manufacturing process,^{[2][unreliable source?]} the QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. It was designed to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.*

Check out the links below to learn more about QR codes, how they are used and how you can create your own!

With the good news, there is always the bad:

*Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code

Use Microsoft's templates for Thanksgiving craft projects

2011-11-14T11:01:00.001-05:00

Check out Microsoft's templates, here, for ideas for Thanksgiving craft projects. For an extra special touch at your Thanksgiving dinner, try the menu templates :) You can also find Thanksgiving themed images and clip art from Microsoft, here.

What is RFID?

2011-11-10T10:00:00.001-05:00

You may not know what radio-frequency identification or RFID is but you may have already seen one if you have purchased a CD and DVD with anti-theft tag on its case; if you live in the Northeastern US and use the E-ZPass system to pay tolls or if you have obtained a US passport since October of 2006. As RFID's are adopted for more uses in our worlds, we want to share some background on this technology. RFID is defined by Wikipedia as:

a technology that uses radio waves to transfer data from an electronic tag, called RFID tag or label, attached to an object, through a reader for the purpose of identifying and tracking the object. Some RFID tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. The application of bulk reading enables an almost-parallel reading of tags.

The tag's information is stored electronically. The RFID tag includes a small RF transmitter and receiver. An RFID reader transmits an encoded radio signal to interrogate the tag. The tag receives the message and responds with its identification information. Many RFID tags do not use a battery. Instead, the tag uses the radio energy transmitted by the reader as its energy source. The RFID system design includes a method of discriminating several tags that might be within the range of the RFID reader.

Read the full Wikipedia definition of RFID, here.

Check out the links below to learn more about how RFID technology is being used in a variety of industries and applications:

SPORTS - New York Marathon Runners Getting Digital Love from RFID Chips
FUEL - RFID Monitors Wastewater Disposal at Hydrofracking Sites
HEALTH CARE - RFID tags linked to EHRs help keep track of ED patients
BEVERAGE PRODUCTION + LOSS REVENTION RFID Targets Draft Beer
PUBLISHING - Do you want a smart book?
RETAIL + LOSS PREVENTION - Christopher Burch Plots Slew of Ventures
SECURITY - Security: The latest in access controls
Xerox researchers leading way with RFID innovations

More on using your social media influence for good

2011-11-01T10:00:00.006-04:00

We blogged previously about using your social media influence for good. Since then, we noticed a few more articles about ways non-profits can connect with donors and volunteers in the digital space who are looking to use their social media influence to do good:

More Halloween fun using technology

2011-10-27T15:00:00.001-04:00

If you want to add a Halloween theme to your website or blog, check out Mashable's 8 Spooky Sets of Social Halloween Icons - See one example below:

Dress like a gadget for Halloween

2011-10-27T13:30:00.001-04:00

Showcase your innner (or outer) techie this Halloween by dressing up as your favorite gadget, here are some ideas:

Make Halloween crafts using Microsoft templates

2011-10-27T10:56:00.001-04:00

If you are looking for something to do with your kids this weekend, check out these Halloween templates from Microsoft, here, for some easy Halloweeen craft project templates. If you are a bit more creative and want to creat your own docuemtns or customize the templates, Microsoft also has clip art/images, here....Mashable has also posted a list of free Halloween fonts that you can use in your Halloween crafts, here.

Pink gadgets to support breast cancer awareness

2011-10-17T11:00:00.001-04:00

If you are interested in buying products that support breast cancer research and breast cancer awareness month or maybe if pink is just your favorite color then check out Geek Sugar's "Pink Gadgets For Breast Cancer Awareness" We do offer a word of caution, be sure to do your homework and check that the "pink" products you are purchasing really do benefit breast cancer research - the Sacramento Bee suggests using Charitynavigator.org to verify the legitimacy of a charity.

Today is Blog Action Day & World Food Day #BAD11

2011-10-16T10:00:00.001-04:00

Today is Blog Action Day & World Food Day. To learn more about Blog Action Day and the world's food crisis visit:

Cyber Security Awareness Month: Teens Learning Faster than Adults About Online Safety

2011-10-14T11:00:00.001-04:00

We wanted to share a link to the findings from a study by MTV and the AP which reveals that teens are learning faster than adults about online safety. While this is good news, the study also reveals that many young people are engaging in "sexting" or have experienced digital abuse including some form of harrasment from a partner. We encourage parents to learn how to protect their children while they are on-line and to talk with their children about the potential drawbacks of having an online presence.

Be safe and cyber secure!

How to search the web

2011-10-11T11:00:00.001-04:00

Many of us use Google, Yahoo! or Bing to search the web for information and entertainment. Here are some tutorials from the USC Beaufort South Campus Library on searching the web.

TIP: Print an Excel worksheet or workbook

2011-10-06T10:00:00.001-04:00

Unsure of how to best print the data and charts from your Microsoft Excel worksheets and workbooks? Check out Microsoft's tutorial on the different ways to print data from Excel, here.

TIP: How to Embed an Excel spreadsheet on a web page

2011-10-04T10:00:00.001-04:00

Got an Excel spreadsheet that you want to post on your blog or web page? Read Microsoft's tutorial on using the Microsoft Excel Web App to embed spreadsheets on your websites and blogs and making them interactive.

Happy Techie Day!

2011-10-03T09:00:00.001-04:00

Techies, everywhere, today we salute you! Check out AOL TV's 10 favorite techies, here.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month

2011-10-01T11:00:00.002-04:00

To learn more about staying secure in cyber space:

Visit the National Cyber Security Awareness Month website at: http://www.staysafeonline.org/ncsam
Read our blog post with links to resources help you, your family and your business stay safe online, here.

Popularity of e-readers increases

2011-09-29T11:00:00.001-04:00

The Pew Internet and American Life project reports that the number of U.S. adults with an e-book reader doubled from 6% to 12% between November 2010 and May 2011 (the report also notes that tablet ownership is growing much more slowly). We wonder how much that figure might increase with the introduction of four new Amazon Kindle devices yesterday, including the Kindle Fire tablet.

In a true sign of the times, IKEA is introducing a new, deeper version of its popular “BILLY” bookcase and offers glass doors for its bookshelves to cater to those customers who use these products to display more trinkets and fewer books.