Make My Stuff Work

Make Your Mobile Maps Social With Waze

2011-01-26T16:12:00.000-06:00

I've had an iPhone for over 2 years now and one of the features that I absolutely depend on is the maps app. It is rather reliable and having a GPS guided set of directions is a godsend. But the native maps app on the iPhone while simple, doesn't offer near the functionality of a standalone GPS unit. There are some great GPS apps for the iPhone, but most of them cost $40 or more. If you're like me, you'd rather purchase a standalone unit before you would drop that much on a phone application.

As I was looking for a cheap or free solution I stumbled across an application called Waze. Waze is a collaborative mapping program that gives you much of the functionality of a standalone GPS unit along with some really fun and useful features. Features such as:

3D/2D Maps
Voice Directed Turn-By Turn Directions (no text to speech)
Live traffic updates including Police Traps, Hazards, and Traffic Jams. All user submitted.
Intelligent routing. Can offer multiple routes and learns your route preferences as you go.
Map editing and reporting abilities. You help make the maps better by tracking road changes/additions/deletions on the app and online on waze.com.
Completive point system. Earn points for "munching" roads, submitting road reports, and for just using the app. See how your score compares to others in the area.
The more people using Waze, the better the road information will be in your area, so Waze rewards you for participating.
Facebook and Twitter integration.

Waze is a free app available for most smartphones: iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian, and Blackberry. For more information on what Waze can do, visit their website - www.waze.com. You can also check out the introduction below.

Netflix Channel Now Out for the Wii

2010-10-28T15:12:00.000-05:00

Tired of swapping out your Netflix watch instantly disk from your Nintendo Wii? Well good news for you! There is now a free Netflix channel you can download from the Wii Shop channel. Once you download, all your Netflix account information will be auto-loaded into the app and you can now turn that Netflix Wii disk into a coaster.

I've used the new channel and my favorite new addition by far is the new search option. No longer do you need to visit Netflix on your computer and add movies to your Instant Que, now you can look for a movie right on your Wii.

Netflix Instant is now available (diskless) for the PC, Mac, Wii, PS3, X-Box 360, and dozens of other hardware devices. It sure makes the $8.99 basic account worth it!

Netflix, now for the iPhone!

2010-08-28T13:08:00.000-05:00

For movie and TV lovers, Netflix has one of the best deals available. For as little as $8.99 a month you can rent DVD's off their website and have them mailed to you. Also included is unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows from their online "Watch Instantly" catalog.

Netflix has been expanding their instant streaming options through their dedicated "Roku" TV box, Netflix streaming Blu-Ray players and TVs, Nintendo Wii, X-Box and PS3 options and now there is an app for that. This week Netflix released their official iPhone streaming app. You can now watch instantly on your iPhone and iPod Touch (version 3.1.3 and later). The application is free and all you have to do is plug in your account info and you have access to all their streaming titles.

Trying out the app, it's still a little buggy/laggy, but the video quality is supprisingly good and works over Wi-Fi and 3G. Keep in mind that streaming video uses a lot of data (for those on limited data plans, so stick to Wi-Fi if you have those) and the battery live of your device will drop quick unless you plug up.

Enjoy the hour of distractions...er entertainment!

Download the iPhone App

Stay Logged Into Multiple Google Accounts at the Same Time

2010-08-14T12:58:00.001-05:00

Have you found yourself needing to log out of one Google or Gmail account just to log into another one in the same web browser?

Google just rolled out a great new feature for those of you needing to access multiple Google accounts. The only way around this problem before was to log out or use a separate web browser to access 2 or more accounts simultaneously. Here is how to get the new feature enabled in your Google account.

Visit your Google account settings
Under "Multiple Sign-In" click the edit button
Read the important information about multiple sign-ins from Google and then click to enable the feature.
Visit your Gmail account (or refresh it) and you should see a new drop down menu were you can switch to, log in and out of separate Google accounts.

This new feature is super handy for computers that share multiple Google users or someone who has multiple Google accounts for any reason
If you don't trust other computer users with your Google account/email/etc, remember to log out when you're done!
This multiple sign-in feature works for: Calendar, Code, Gmail, Reader, Sites, and Voice features. Be advised that offline backup will no longer work if you enable this new multiple sign-in feature.

How to use Google Voice for free unlimited calling to any mobile number

2010-08-07T10:54:00.001-05:00

Google voice is an incredible telecommunications tool. Not only can use set up Voice as a free local number for your family to call you on, but there are other great ways to utilize the call forwarding services to your advantage.

Most cell phone plans come with a limited amount of minutes that can be used (usually during the daytime). Because Google Voice works as a forwarding service, you can have it connect a call for you and forward it to any mobile or land-line phone. Here are 2 options for free (for you) calling.

Option #1 - use a land-line with unlimited incoming calls.

Most all land-line phone services offer free local calls and free incoming calls. This can work both ways to your advantage. With outgoing calls, when you dial out from your Google Voice number (via the Google Voice website), Google will call you and connect you to the long distance number for free. If your Google Voice number is local for you, you can call your GV number directly and dial out from your land-line.

Option #2 - Add your Google Voice number to your cellphone plan's free unlimited calling list.

Some cell phone carriers allow you to have a small list of numbers where you don't get charged any minutes for calling. When you use your Google Voice number as one of your unlimited calling numbers, you can now use Google Voice as a bypass and call any United States number without using any of your "minutes."

If you don't have a Google Voice number, signup today. Visit voice.google.com to sign up

10 Apps to Install On You New iPhone

2010-07-31T08:47:00.000-05:00

It's contract renewal time and you've finally decided to make the leap. You've got your self a shiny new iPhone. One the the best things about the iPhone platform is the thousands of applications you can install on the device. These apps do everything from allow the user to play games to tools that let you see how level your bookshelf is.

Here are my top 10 apps to install on your new iPhone (all links are iTunes links)

10. Facebook - FREE

The Facebook app lets you stay connected with your friends (real and imaginary) on the mega-popular social platform. You can check friend updates, make text and picture updates, post on the walls of others, send messages, chat, and view videos - all within the app.

9. Twitter - FREE

Like the Facebook app, Twitter has a free official app of its own. You can view all the updates of the people you follow and make picture and photo updates to your own account. Search trending topics and and make direct and @ messages.

8. Pandora - FREE

Pandora.com is one of the greatest music tools on the internet. You can create your own custom web-based radio station based on artists and songs that you like. Pandora is based off the Music Genome Project and makes surprisingly good suggestions of new music you will like. The iPhone app allows you to listen to your stations or create a new station. With the iPhone version 4, you can run Pandora in the background while you are doing other things, pause and skip using the iTunes controls.

7. eBuddy - FREE (or $4.99 pro version)

If you need to keep in touch with your buddies, eBuddy is a great App. eBuddy allows you to connect to friends on AIM, MSN / Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo, Facebook Chat, GTalk, MySpace, Hyves and ICQ. The application supports push notifications and leaves you logged in so you won't miss a message.

6. Flixster - FREE

Need to check on a movie showtime? Flixster allows you to find movie showtimes in your area and includes movie trailers, reviews, and online purchasing. You can connect your Netflix account and search for movies to add to your queue. Flixster is a powerful tool and I use it all the time.

5. Yelp - FREE

Yelp is location aware program that helps you find the best businesses, restaurants, and entertainment in the area. You can search for a specific business or look for entire categories (like restaurants) in the area. Read user reviews and see pictures of where you're going. Yelp solves the question "what is there to eat around here?"

4. Google - FREE

The Google app lets you search the popular search engine by speaking (or typing) your queries. There is great location based results as well as integration with other popular Google services. Results can be opened right in the application with no need to launch a web browser separately.

3. The Weather Channel - FREE

The built in weather app is good for a quick glance, but if you need more details, the Weather Channel App is where it's at. You can check all the current conditions, get future forecasts, see any weather alerts, and view local and regional Doppler radar.

2. Dragon Dictation - FREE

Dragon Dictation is a voice recognition program. If you need to voice record a thought and would benefit from the surprisingly good text translation, this app can be a great help. Speak a text message while you're in the car and Dragon Dictation can copy it to a text message or an email. There is also integration with Facebook and Twitter.

1. Dropbox - FREE

Dropbox is a web-based storage service that lets you store up to 2 Gigs of files for free. Once you set up Dropbox on your PC, Mac, or Linux system - Dropbox automatically synchronizes any files you put in your Dropbox folder across all your computers. Through Dropbox, you have access to your most important files anywhere that is connected to the internet (there is a web interface as well). The Dropbox app lets you view all the files in your Dropbox and lets you email links to them to your contacts. You can also view documents, images, and PDF files within the application.

These are just a few apps I use all the time. I'll have to share my top 10 games sometime as well.

How to make Firefox or Chrome browsers open mailto links in Gmail

2010-07-28T22:11:00.002-05:00

Web based email is becoming more popular than email programs such as Outlook and Mail.app. It seems like most everyone has a Gmail, Yahoo, or Windows Live mail. Ever click on an email mailto link only to have your email opened in Window's mail? If so, this trick is for you.

Let me direct you to this cool Lifehacker.com article that shows you how to set up Firefox to open Gmail when you click on email links:

http://lifehacker.com/392287/set-firefox-3-to-launch-gmail-for-mailto-links

Once you set everything up, click on a link and then set gmail as your default mailto program. Just remember to "middle click" these mailto links because they will open in the same window as the link.

Using Google Chrome as your web browser? Try this extension for Gmail: https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/dgkkmcknielgdhebimdnfahpipajcpjn?hl=en

or this one:
https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/ahldefgplekckalfcolhhnljbbgaiboc?hl=en

or for Hotmail:

https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/ejehbgbfdfnchemfndgkiggeiibmgeic?hl=en

Finally, you can get some use out of those pesky mailto: links, enjoy!

How to Install Ubuntu Linux on Your Computer: Part 2, Try Ubuntu No-Risk With a Live CD

2010-07-19T11:44:00.003-05:00

If the idea of installing an entirely new operating system without first trying it out concerns you, this tutorial is for you. Ubuntu provides a way for you to preview what the OS is like without ever having to save anything to your hard drive or make any changes through the Live CD option.

If you're wondering why you would want to install another operating system on your computer, check out my previous post.

The Ubuntu Live CD is a bootable CD-ROM that allows you to either preview the Ubuntu experience or install the entire OS to your hard drive. Here are a few factoids about the Ubuntu Live CD:

The Ubuntu Live CD is the same thing as the operating system installation disk
The Ubuntu Live CD is FREE. If you find it somewhere and they are charging for it, you are getting scammed.
The Ubuntu Live CD works on most but not all hardware configurations. That means desktop and laptop computers with a CD-ROM drive.
You can not make any changes to the Live CD, you must install Ubuntu to your hard drive if you want to start using the OS to store information.
You can connect to the internet and browse the web with the Live CD provided that it supports your computer hardware.
The Live CD is small enough to fit on a CD-R disk (but will work on a DVD-R disk as well).

A couple of unique uses for the Ubuntu Live CD:

Use the Live CD to access your Windows files when you can not log in or boot your Windows OS.
Install the Live CD onto an USB flash drive for a portable OS you can use on many different computers while traveling.
Browse the internet on a computer covertly without leaving any evidence on the hard drive of the computer you are using.

Step 1, Download Ubuntu

To get started downloading Ubuntu, head on over to the Ubuntu website and download the desktop ISO: http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/download

Step 2, Burn the Ubuntu ISO to a writable CD

Insert a blank CD-R into your computer and open your CD burning program. Select the Ubuntu ISO file and burn it to the disk. If you don't know how to use a program you already have to burn the ISO, Ubuntu has a guide using an open source program: Infra Recorder

Download and install Infra Recorder, a free and open-source image-burning program.
Insert a blank CD in the drive and select Do nothing orCancel if an autorun dialog box pops up.
Open Infra Recorder and click the 'Write Image' button in the main screen.
- Alternatively you can select the 'Actions' menu, then 'Burn image'.
Select the Ubuntu CD image file you want to use, then click 'Open'.
In the dialog box, click 'OK'.

Step 3, Reboot

Once you have your ISO burn to your CD, reboot your computer and make sure you new Ubuntu CD is in your CD-ROM drive. Most computers are set up to boot from a CD-ROM drive before your hard drive, but if you start booting into Windows, you will need to change your computer BIOS to boot from a CD first.

Step 4, Give Ubuntu a try

Select "Try Ubuntu" when you are prompted. Ubuntu will load from the CD and you should be up in running in a minute or two. If you like what you see, you can install Ubuntu to your hard drive. Next time, we'll talk about how to install Ubuntu without making any changes to your current OS, allowing you to boot into either Windows or Ubuntu.

How to Have iTunes Organize all your music into one folder

2010-07-09T07:05:00.001-05:00

If you're a big user of iTunes, this tutorial is for you. Many times people have their music scattered all over their computers which makes it hard to locate the files if you ever need to. With iTunes, you can set all your files to reside in one folder and automatically copy anything added to the library to the iTunes music folder location.

Interested? Check out the video below.

I'm on Twitter

2010-07-08T14:32:00.003-05:00

If you use the social networking tool Twitter and you would like to follow updates to this blog you can follow me: @mmstuffwork

The new Twitter feed will give you blog updates as well as screencast videos so you can learn how to better make your stuff work.

How to Install Ubuntu Linux on Your Computer: Part 1, Why?

2010-07-07T12:20:00.001-05:00

Windows, Mac OS, Linux? The first two are familiar for most of the modern world, the third is - well, only for computer hackers, nerds, and socialists right? What people think about Linux is that it's an old operating system that isn't relevant to computing today. It's left to the realm of hobbyists and computer servers.

The truth of the matter is that Linux isn't really that well known in the United States. It's almost non-existent in stores (because it's FREE), and is most popular with a younger, geekier crowd. But Linux has a lot to offer and might be enough for most people's everyday computing needs. Enter Ubuntu Linux. Ubuntu is a flavor of the Linux OS that is centered around being easy to use. "Linux for human" beings as they say. Even if Ubuntu is easier to use and understand than other Linux-based operating systems, why would we want to use it?

I have spent a considerable amount of time tinkering around with the Linux OS, specifically Ubuntu and have discovered that it has much in common with both Windows and Apple OS. You might not know it, but both Windows and OSX has it's roots in the command-line text terminal interface. Like the old joke "See DOS run, run dos run," you type your commands into a text prompt. To make things a lot more user friendly the GUI (graphic user interface) was invented. The GUI let you control most functions with a mouse and keyboard visually. Linux operates the same way.

So what can you do on Ubuntu? You can browse the internet complete with watching flash videos on YouTube. You can download music from sites like AmazonMp3 and listen to it on your computer, you can rip your music to your hard drive as well. You can watch DVDs and videos, check your email, write a paper, print a document, play some games, instant message, view and edit photos, record and mix music, and much much more. Sounds like a Mac or Windows machine? That's because many of the programs that are available for Windows and OSX have a version for Ubuntu Linux or some sort of free alternative.

Ubuntu can't run Windows programs or MacOS programs (well, for the most part anyways). You will encounter times when you want a specific program and it's not available on the platform. But for 90% of what people do on computers, Ubuntu works as well or better at these tasks, and for FREE.

How about your hardware? Will it be compatible with Linux? The answer is for the most part, yes. Ubuntu isn't as resource hungry as modern OS's like Windows 7 and OSX so in many cases it can run better on older systems than these flashy new OS's.

Even if you don't plan on running Ubuntu on your primary computer, it can be a great addition to your computing household and since it's free, it's great to install on older computers instead of purchasing a new OS. Have an extra PC laying around? Install Ubuntu on it and set it up in the kitchen or game room for people to browse the internet. Been itching for a way to watch DVD's on that old laptop but don't want to pay for Windows? You've found a great and free answer.

If you're interested in trying out Ubuntu, you can visit their website and try their live CD today without making any changes or installing anything on your computer. In my next post I will walk you through the process of downloading and burning a live Ubuntu CD for you to try out, so hang tight if you need more instructions.

How to Make your Computer Run Faster Part 4, Install Extra RAM

2010-07-02T07:00:00.017-05:00

You have tried all the tricks. You’ve closed or uninstalled programs you don’t need or don’t use. You have reduced the programs that run at startup and in the background and you still are running low on RAM. What’s left to do? Well all you have left is to upgrade your RAM.

In the first post of this series I showed you that your computer speed is often tied to your RAM.

In the second post in our series I showed you how speed your computer by getting rid of unneeded program baggage.

In the third post I talked about how to optimize your startup programs and processes to speed things up

This tutorial is going to require you to get a little down and dirty with your laptop or desktop computer but if you’re looking to save money on a whole new system, this is the only thing left you can do. Let’s get started.

Opening up your computer is not nearly as scary as you might think it would be. In either case of laptop or desktop, a RAM upgrade can take as little as 5 minutes of your time. I am going to walk you through two separate processes in this article – one for laptops and one for desktops. The first couple of steps remain the same for both kinds of machines.

Step 1: Find out what shape and speed RAM you have.

If you have the documentation that came with your computer, there is usually a manual that has the hardware specs. You’re looking for the size, kind and speed of your RAM. Something like 1GB of PC2700 DDR or 256Mb SDRAM. If you are still unsure or can’t find your RAM information from your documentation, look up your desktop or laptop specs to find out the information you need. A quick Google search for your computer make and model along with the word “RAM” will often yield correct information. When all else fails, have a tech-savvy person look up the information for you.

Once you figure out the type, size and speed of RAM you have you need to figure out how much your computer can handle. Older computers max out at 1-2GB (Gigabytes) of memory. Most computers – laptops and desktops alike have 2 or more slots for memory. For instance you could have 1GB of ram made up of 2 sticks of 512Mb of ram (I know the math is off, but remember one KB is 1024 bytes).

Step 2: Decide how much RAM you need.

Most people running Windows XP will do fine to have 1GB of ram. Those running Windows Vista and Windows 7 will want 2GB or more. Remember you can’t add more RAM than your computer can handle. If you have a 64-bit operating system like Vista 64 or Windows 7 64 you can have 4 or more gigs of memory, if you’re sporting a 32-bit OS you’ll be limited to just under 4GB. 95% of the people reading this article will never need more than 4 GB of memory anyways so don’t worry.

Step 3: (Laptops only) Find out if both of your RAM ports are easily accessible. When I upgraded the RAM in my HP Pavillion (zv5000) I could only add one stick of RAM because the other one was too difficult for me to get to. Often times, one stick of RAM will be all you need to add anyways.

Step 4: Purchase your RAM

This step is up to you. There are many great online hardware retailers as well as some local retailers that can sell you RAM. I make all my hardware purchases from www.newegg.com. Newegg is great because they have a great selection and nearly unbeatable prices. Make sure you purchase the right speed of RAM for your system and make sure it will fit your computer (desktop vs. laptop).

Step 5a: Open up your desktop computer case (Laptops, move to step 5b)

Unplug your computer from the wall and all attached devices.

Locate the screws that hold your computer case together. You will only need to remove the part of the case that covers up the mother board. There are often 2 phillips-head screws holding the side panel on towers and 3-4 holding the lid on models that set on your desk.

Once you open things up you should see a large circuit board with all kinds of wires and chips on it. Locate the RAM slots with your current RAM installed. Make sure to discharge any static electricity you might be carrying since it can damage sensitive electronics (touch something metal such as a chair or door handle). If you are replacing RAM, remove the old RAM by unclipping the stick of RAM on either end. Pull the sick straight up.

To add RAM, make sure to line up the notches properly (one notch is longer than the other). Open the two clips and press the RAM straight down onto the motherboard. The two clips will move into place, if they don’t clip the RAM in manually on either side.

Close your case and secure it with the screws you removed. Plug everything back in and power up the computer. If you installed the RAM properly (and if it’s the right kind) you should boot right into Windows. If you stay on the boot screen or BIOS screen, you might not have installed your RAM correctly (check to see if the RAM is fully inserted). Once booted you should be able to confirm the new RAM by right-clicking on the My Computer Icon and selecting “Properties.” The RAM amount is displayed in the Windows System window.

Step 5b: Open the RAM slot on the bottom of your laptop.

Unplug your laptop and remove the battery.

Most laptops have an accessible RAM port on the bottom of the computer that is accessible through removing a few small screws. Look for a text label or a picture of a stick of RAM. Make sure you discharge any static electricity by touching something metal (not the laptop).

Once you open up the RAM port you should be able to release your RAM by pulling apart the two clamps on either side. Once loose, remove the stick(s) and replace with the new memory. Close everything up, put in your battery and turn it on. Once booted you should be able to confirm the new RAM by right-clicking on the My Computer Icon and selecting “Properties.” The RAM amount is displayed in the Windows System window.

If you did your homework and purchased the right kind of RAM, your computer should be running smoother now that it has plenty of virtual legroom for your programs. Give yourself a high-five and treat yourself to a favorite beverage because you're on your way to becoming a computer wiz.

Review Otterbox iPhone Case

2010-06-30T08:45:00.005-05:00

Yes, the new iPhone 4 is out but for some of use we can't make the upgrade yet so we need to keep our iPhone 3G and 3GS safe and secure. I would love to say that iPhones are rugged and so well built that they don't need a case, but the majority of people will find that they drop their phones more frequently than they would like.

If you're one to drop your shiny $500 piece of phone hardware daily you need a case that can take a beating. The Otterbox is such a case. This case provides several forms of protection from a silicone exterior that makes it hard to slip to a hard plastic case and screen protector, your iPhone is sealed up like Fort Knox.

When I got the case in the mail, it took me a little while to figure out how to put the thing on. You have to remove the silicone membrane to get to the hard plastic clips that hold the case together. Once you get everything apart, your phone fits snugly inside with easy access to all the hardware buttons (some of which have silicone covers on them). Once shrouded in it's new protective case your iPhone is ready for the rigors of drops, bumps, and angry fits of rage. The only little niggle I've found with the case is that the screen protector leaves an oil sheen effect on the phone when the screen is turned off. There are several fixes available including using a light dusting of baby powder to eliminate the effect.

Overall, the Otterbox is an outstanding protective case for the price and is good for anyone who often drops their phone.

Use Google Voice to Give Your Family a Local Number to Call You On

2010-06-23T13:54:00.000-05:00

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm big into Google online services. One of my favorite little known Google tools is Google Voice. Google voice is a telephone service that allows you to tie multiple phones (land line, mobile, work) into one phone number. For instance, you can set up Google Voice to ring your cell phone when your Google number is called, it will forward the incoming call and even the caller ID to your mobile phone.

Google Voice doesn't stop at call forwarding - it also offers free text messaging, customized voicemail greetings, voicemail transcription (sent to your email, or SMS), and even custom calling schedules so calls from work won't come to your personal phone after hours.

You might be thinking to yourself, "I don't need all that fancy telephone stuff." That's where I was not too long ago when I first heard about Google Voice. Then this great idea came to mind. I have family members who do not have cell phones or free long distance. Since I live in another state, my family members were paying money to call me. What I decided to do was to create a Google Voice account with a number that was within my family's area code (they let you choose local numbers). Since all of my family live in the same area, they can now call my Google voice number using the free-for-them local number and it instantly forwards the call to my cell phone. And there you have it, FREE long distance calling for my family.

Check out the video below to learn more about Google Voice:

How about you? Do you have any clever uses for Google Voice. Leave your tips and tricks in the comments section.

The blessings and curses of adblocking plugins

2010-06-18T09:00:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite things about the internet is that content is free. Sure we have to pay our ISPs to connect to the web, but the pages we visit provide very useful enriching content that often takes a lot of work without asking you to pay anything. The main way they pay for this is through online advertising, banner ads Google Adwords, etc.

This is all well and good as long as the ads are tasteful and not obtrusive or distracting - which leads me to one thing I hate about the internet, crazy ads that just hurt my eyes. Some websites overload you with advertising some of which can be scams or malicious software advertisements, things you don't want to click on. Enter Adblock browser plugins. These plugins are useful to eliminate browsing distractions and are generally a very good thing to add to any browser.

Adblock browser plugins like Adblock Plus work off a list of known advertisers automatically blocking them across the web. You can whitelist or blacklist entire sites or just specific ad publishers. It's a powerful tool that I have been enjoying for years. Before I share what I use, a word about the ethics of using adblocker software.

There are people that work full-time in the internet content publishing industry. Some of your favorite websites to get content from and enjoy your social networking pay for some or all of their operating costs through online advertising. Advertising is what keeps the internet free and drives high-quality content and websites. Adblocking software should never be used to get something for free that cost someone else hard-earned money. That is why I recommend that if you like a website or blog (like this one) and the content they offer, disable your adblocking software on that site (whitelist it) so that they can get paid.

The best adblocker out there in my opinion is Adblock Plus. ABP is a Firefox browser plugin that lets you blog picture and flash advertising accross the internet. If you're using Firefox, you can download the plugin here: Adblock Plus for Firefox

Once you download the plugin, simply restart the browser and you should be asked to subscribe to a blocking list, the default (Fanboy's List) or "EasyList USA." At this point you're good to go. If you come across an ad or picture you wish to block, simply right click on it and block it with Adblock Plus. If you notice, Adblock Plus added an icon in the shape of a red stop sign to your toolbar. If you notice a site not working properly or would like to turn off Adblock temporarily or for a specific site, click (or right click) the icon and there will be options to disable it there.

If you're rocking the Google's Chrome Browser (like me), there are a few adblocking options, but not as robust as Adblock Plus for Firefox. I like the Adblock extention here: Adblock for Chrome

Once you install the extension, you may also want to install a toolbar icon for easy access. You can find that here: Adblock toolbar button

If you would like to whitelist a website with the Adblock for Chrome extension, simply press the CTRL+Shift+L keys. You can edit your whitelist in the extension settings.

By all means use adblock plugins to hide the worst of the internet, crappy ads, invasive pictures. But for the sake of the free (internet) world, please disable it for sites you know and love - it will help keep internet content free. Questions, comments? Leave them in the comments section.

Five Best Reasons to Use Google Calendar

2010-06-16T07:02:00.004-05:00

Are you one of those people that would forget their own birthday if they didn't have it on a calendar somewhere? How about friend birthdays, anniversaries, or important meetings? One too many times I have either double-booked an appointment or completely forgot about something I had to do. I used to keep a written planner/calendar in college, but I wouldn't use it everyday and would forget to check it. In the age of technology, Internet, and cell phones there has to be a better way. Enter Google Calendar (*heroic music*).

With Google Calendar, you can create one or more calendars, set appointments, reoccurring events, attach notes, invite friends and much much more. Here are my five best reasons you should be using Google Calendar.

Your calendar lives on the web and can be accessed from nearly anywhere. One problem I always had with planners was that I never had one around when I needed it. Thankfully, I don't have to lug around my laptop either since I have a cell phone that has a web connection. With my iPhone I have actually set up my phone calendar to auto-sync with my Google calendar so when I add a date to my calendar on my phone, it gets added to my Google Calendar and vice-versa.
Never miss an appointment with reminders. Every event you add to your calendar has it's own reminder settings. You can set up your reminders to notify you hours or days before your appointment with a popup (most useful with the iPhone or a computer with a calendar always open in the browser), email (very useful for us GTD poeple) and best of all.... SMS text messages!
Share your calendar with others. You can choose to make your calendar private or public, share the url of your calendar for others to view online, or add one or more co-authors who can cooperatively create new events and edit yours. This is super handy for people who work together or couples that make plans together (while they are apart). For instance, my girlfriend and I have a shared calendar that we can add to with dinner dates and important upcoming events we need to remind the other about.
Create multiple calendars and subscribe to other calendars. You might want more than one calendar to work with in order to keep things organized. You could have one for personal use, one for public meetings, one for your organization or work appointments, and one for birthdays. Each calendar you create can be color-coded and have it's own personal settings so you can make it private or public, or share it with your friends.
Search your calendars. Search is what Google does best and this goes for your calendars as well. Search for a person's name, or name of an event. In the advanced search you can limit it to a specific date range, or location, person, or search only one calendar (or all of them).

There is much more that Google Calendar has to offer, things like the ability to link to and auto-sync with Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird, offer public and private iCal addresses, embedding the calendar in a website, a Tasks Manager, and offline synchronization. Try Google Calendar today!

How to make your computer run faster part 3, a speedy startup

2010-06-14T07:10:00.002-05:00

When your computer is fresh and new, it can boot up rather quickly. Over time, things can slow down considerably because your system loads programs while it's starting your computer. The more programs running at boot, the slower things can get. For those of you who put your computers to sleep or hibernate, you probably don't restart your computer very often. For the rest of us we sit and stare at our monitors for 2, 3, or even 5 or more minutes waiting to get a responsive system that is ready to go.

In the first installation of this series I showed you that your computer speed is often tied to your RAM.

In the second post in our series I showed you how speed your computer by getting rid of unneeded program baggage.

Today we are going to tackle speeding up your computer startup. If you feel like you can change your car's oil faster than your computer boots, read on. If you can cook a 4 course meal in the time your computer boots... you might be a redneck...er you need to clean up your boot processes.

I'm going to cover 2 primary ways you can make your computer run faster.

#1. Clean out your "Startup" folder.

Most versions of Windows come with a folder you can find in your Start Menu called "startup." Any links to your programs in this folder will run as soon as your computer boots. In my case, I have placed a few programs I want running at boot: Dropbox and Launchy and have my bluetooth service set to run at boot. All three of these programs are incredibly small and light, but you might have other programs that take up to a minute or more to load (a piece) in your startup folder.

To stop these programs from running when you restart your computer, simply delete the links in the "Startup" folder. Deleting these links will not remove the programs they are associated with, so don't worry. If there is any programs you want running at startup, you can add them here by copy and pasting a link into the folder. Just take it easy since you will have to wait until these load at boot.

What happens when you clean out the "Startup" folder and you still have programs running at boot? Well, there are other more insidious ways some programs start at boot and you'll have to get your typing fingers a little dirty to disable them.

#2. Edit your startup processes with the Windows System Configuration Utility.

This utility allows you to edit how your computer starts.

To open the utility, go to the Start menu and select "Run..." from the menu. Alternatively, you can press the Windows Key + "R" on your keyboard to bring up the Run window. Type "msconfig" into the dialog box and click "OK." The System Configuration Utility will open.

For our purposes we will be dealing with the "Startup" tab, so navigate there. You will find a list of "Startup Items" that run each time you reboot your PC. Now some of these are essential system processes and some of them are programs that are not needed to run at boot. Some of the purposes of these programs are:

to start a background service that helps windows function properly (don't get rid of these)
a printer system tray utility (not usually needed)
antivirus services (don't get rid of these)
full programs like MSN Chat (not needed)
programs that help launch other programs more quickly (not necessary)
hardware support software (like the itunes helper, sometimes no longer needed if you don't use the hardware anymore)
software support software (like quicktime, not needed usually)

If you are not sure about a Startup Item, do a quick Google search for the name or try and type the program and extension directly into Google like "Apoint.exe"

Once you're reasonably sure that you don't need a startup program, un-check the box next to it. Repeat this for any other items. Apply your changes and press "OK," reboot your system. You should be greeted with a notice about some startup items that are disabled. You can choose to hide this message in the future if you don't want it bugging you.

With your startup processes properly configured, you should find a noticeable boost to the speed your computer reboots.

This competes the third part of our series on how to speed up your computer. Next time I'll walk you through upgrading your computer RAM.

How to turn your Wii into a media center using Orb

2010-06-11T07:12:00.003-05:00

In my continuing quest for all things geeky, I have discovered a gem for Nintendo Wii owners. A program called Orb enables you to view video, pictures, news feeds, and listen to music from your high-speed connected computer. Orb also works with any computer that has a fast connection and a web browser, X-Box 360, and PS3. There is even an iPhone application called OrbLive.

On the Wii, you will use the Opera browser to navigate to the Orb webpage and access your media. Here's the cool part: they have made the interface Wii friendly and you can connect to you PC through your LAN. That means you use your local network connection instead of over the internet - it's really fast too.

The only downer I've found so far (that I care about) is the lack of support for iTunes DRM-ed music. But most of my CD's I've purchased online I turn into mp3's anyways.

Pretty cool huh?

Here's the website: http://orb.com/

Collect information online using the Google Docs "Forms" feature

2010-06-09T12:20:00.003-05:00

You can create easy to manage forms and polls using Google Docs. If you're not familiar with Docs, check it out at http://docs.google.com

If you are familiar with Google Docs, then go to the main page and select Create New > Form from the drop down menu and then get started building your form or survey.

It's really easy to work with and you can have everything from required date fields (like name, address, etc.) to multiple choice check-boxes and select from list kind of questions. There are multiple pre-made templates in the templates section for you to use. Things like "Contact Us" website form, survey templates, questionnaires, invoice tracking, and more.

When you're done creating your form, you can email your form to your Gmail contacts, or link to an online version of the form through a website, blog or email. Where does the info go? Into a Google Docs spreadsheet where it can be exported and opened in Excel if you want or you can have the results emailed to you. There is even an experimental response summary that displays little graphs of your results.

What are some of your favorite online information gathering tools?

Five reasons you should be using Gmail

2010-06-07T07:05:00.001-05:00

Gmail has been around for quite a while now. From it's early days as an invite only service to last year when it finally left bet, Gmail has provided simple, effective, and powerful web-based email for millions. Personally, I've been using Gmail since the invite-only days and I couldn't be happier with my experience. Here is my five top reasons you should switch to Gmail for your primary email address.

Check your email from anywhere. Some people still use ISP based email address (like @att.com, @aol.com, @earthlink.net, etc.). These email addresses are usually set up to download locally to people's computers. This works great when you are checking your email on your computer, but what when you're on a trip or using a friend's computer? Gmail can be checked and used from any web browser and most email/data equipped cell phones. If you have a device that has a web browser, you have access to your email all the time.
Incredible, super-effective email spam filters. With Gmail, I have gone over a month without ever getting one spam message in my email inbox. If I ever do get spam it is one click away from being reported as spam and removed from my inbox. Gmail allows you to look through your spam messages as well to make sure that it didn't send a legitimate message to the spam folder.
Label your emails to keep them organized. Gmail includes a powerful set of organization tools. Among the best tools is the label system. You can create and manage color-coded labels that act like folders keeping some emails separate from others.
Filter your emails to automagically keep your inbox organized. You can create Gmail filters that do everything from automatically sending some emails to the trash, to marking certain emails from a specific sender with a label. Use the filters to automatically forward email from a domain or sender to another address.
Your email is one quick search away. Gmail gives your over 7 Gigabytes of storage and encourages you to archive your email instead of deleting it. That means that if you need to look up an email from 5 years ago, you can type some words from the email, a sender name or address, or even a type of attachment and search through the results for the email. This feature has saved my butt more than a few times.

Gmail is a powerful tool and one of the top email options out there. I've only scratched the surface of what can be done with the web based Gmail and in the coming months I plan to share more of what this web app powerhouse can do. Visit www.gmail.com to sign up today.

Some wise advise for those who use social media

2010-06-04T07:13:00.003-05:00

People posting information about themselves on the internet is becoming a normal occurrence. With social media sites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter as well as blogs (like this one) - it can be scary how much information there is about you on the internet.

What many internet users don't realize is that people actually read their blogs and personal profiles. In fact, some schools and police departments actively search the internet for information about people. Users of blogs, Facebook, etc. need to realize that if they post any personal information, it has the potential to be read by anyone. That's right. In an age of identity theft and hackers, your information is not private even when a website claims that it is. If you can access your page from any computer, your info is fair game.

I have noticed another bad trend. Most young people no longer use email, their only source of online contact is through instant messaging, Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace. While email is a much safer option when it comes to your personal information, many young people are trading security for convenience.

Here are a few tips for protecting your privacy while using the internet:

1. Never give out your personal information (address, phone number, name, social security number, etc). If a website requires some personal info, make sure that it will not be shared with anyone...ever. Do not post your phone number or address on Myspace or other social networking site.

2. Do not put any information in your Facebook or on your blog that you don't want everyone in your life (and the world) to know. Do not trust the "private" features of these websites...they have been cracked before. If you leave yourself signed in to Facebook for instance, anyone can gain access to your account through your computer. This leads us to #3

3. Unless you are the only one that uses your computer, and you have a password - NEVER STAY LOGGED IN, SAVE YOUR PASSWORD TO THE COMPUTER, OR CHECK "REMEMBER ME" IN ANY WEB SERVICE. This is the most common way for others to gain access to your accounts. The second most common way...

4. Never, NEVER, NEVER, give your passwords to anyone, period. Just like gossip, you cannot control the spread of your password to others. Even if your friend never shares your password, they might by mistake allow someone else to access your account.

5. Use email for personal, private communication with other people. Email is much safer than putting your private communication up online for everyone to view. Just make sure you follow #3 and #4.

6. Never post your email address anywhere, period. This leads to lots of unwanted spam messages. If you must post your email somewhere, type it out so a human has to read it and not some computer program - like youraddress AT G M A I L Dot Com
Blogs and Facebook are great to keep in touch with your friends and family...just don't be stupid with them. Use common sense and be careful what you let the world know about you. One last tip... don't count on others to be computer illiterate. Your parents/friends can ask someone else to log on and view your profile. Be warned! ;)

How to use Facebook Pages to promote your church group [Geek Your Church]

2010-06-02T16:07:00.005-05:00

Facebook has become the premiere tool to promote products, groups, brands, and organizations. Because of its social nature, Facebook is an effective tool connect organically with friends and friends of friends. My experience in the past has been as a youth pastor, but this could apply to any organization or business that is looking to promote their brand/product.

So why use Facebook for your group? Here are a few great reasons:

Your people are already using it. Many people don't even visit websites anymore for information, they use social media platforms like Facebook to find what they need.
Facebook is people focused, so are you. The members of your church group have friends the do not attend your church and may never otherwise know about what you are doing.
Let your people be the evangelists for your group. They can invite their friends, promote events, and share how they are growing in their faith with people they have influence and relationships with.
A well designed Facebook page can replace a website. And it's FREE! With discussion boards, the ability to add custom pictures and widgets, an events calendar, and news updates - Facebook is poised to provide the same rich content that a static website would provide.
Have your group members find out about updates in their Facebook timelines. For those who check their Facebook daily, this can be as effective or more than email for communicating.

Ready to get started?

Step 1: Sign up for a page

Notice I am saying "page" and not "group." That's because Facebook has both pages and groups. It used to be that the only way you can make a place for your group to interact was with Facebook groups. These groups were treated separately from the normal timeline so people wouldn't see updates about the group regularly unless they checked. Facebook wanted to do groups better and they didn't want to get rid of them so they created pages. Pages are better because they act like a regular friend and can show up in the regular timeline of your group members. Not only that, but Pages can add HTML and Application widgets that groups can not. There really is no reason at all to use Facebook Groups for your church or organization.

With that said, lets get started signing up for a page. Visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php to get started. You don't need a Facebook account to sign up, but if you're already logged in, the page will be created separate from your personal profile. That means you can make status updates for your page without anyone knowing it's you doing the posting.

Step 2: Fill out your information & set up your page

You can fill out as much as you would like about your church/organization. I suggest including a short description, you address, website, and meeting times. Make sure to include an image for your profile picture, a church logo would be good here.

Under edit page, you can add all kinds of applications and widgets. Make sure to set up your page to be viewed by everyone in the settings and make it public. Make sure your wall settings are set to your liking. I would suggest letting your members make comments and posts on your wall. It is social networking after all. You can keep the crazies out by booting any "fans" that cause trouble. As of now, Facebook does well to manage any random fan page spam. None to speak of in my experience.

Step 3: Get "Fans"

On your page, you should find a link on the top left that says "suggest to friends." Invite everyone you want from your friends list and invite them to invite their friends. This is the beauty of social networking. Your page fans will help you grow your page even larger if they get their friends to "like" it. Everyone who "likes" your page will automatically get your news and status updates. If you're managing a website, you can place a fan page widget on it for website visitors to subscribe to your facebook page.
You can find that widget here:
http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/like-box. Place your facebook page ID in the setup wizard and it will give you the code to paste in your website.

Step 4: Get your Facebook url

Once you accumulate 50 fans or more on your Facebook page, you get to sign up for your own custom Facebook url. This will be great to put on buisness cards and bulletins and should be easy for your church members to remember. It's in the format: facebook.com/"yourgroupname"

If you have 50 fans right now, you can get your custom url by visiting http://www.facebook.com/username/ and selecting your page there. You can also get a custom url for your normal Facebook account here as well.

Step 5: Keep your page updated!

The more you keep your Facebook page updated, the more your church/group members will see your updates and news in their timelines. Make sure to add events and "invite" members to them. You can send mass Facebook messages (emails) to your members and even import a separate RSS feed (like website updates). If used correctly, your Facebook page will become a social media hub for your organization where information can spread out organically to your Fan Page friends and their friends.

How to make your computer run faster part 2, clear out the baggage!

2010-06-01T07:11:00.001-05:00

Your computer is like a train. The more programs your have running, the more energy and effort it takes to get it started. In part 1 of our series, I showed you how to clear up your RAM by closing programs you don't need to be running.

Sometimes there are programs running at startup that you don't even need at all. These programs run in the background every time you boot your computer sucking your precious RAM dry. A good indication if a program is running in the background can be found in your system tray. The system tray can be found on most Windows computers in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. It looks something like this:

This screenshot is from Windows 7, but XP and Vista are similar. Each one of these icons represents a program running in the background. You can see that my Dropbox program is running in the background signified by the little blue box. Most of these System Tray programs run on a light set of resources, but what happens when you have programs running that you don't want running or that you're not sure about? Uninstall them!

You can substantially speed up your computer simply by removing programs you don't use. To uninstall your programs on Windows XP, go to your control panel and click the add/remove programs icon. On Windows 7, just click the start button and type "uninstall" in the search box and select "Uninstall a Program" from the results. You will see a window similar to this one:

Find whatever programs you never use or want to uninstall and remove them here. You can do this by right-clicking the program and selecting "Uninstall" (Windows 7) or click on the program you want to remove and select the "remove" button (XP).

If you're not sure if you need a program, search Google for the program name and see if it's something you want to keep around and use.

If you are having a hard time removing a pesky program, I suggest using a program called Revo Uninstaller. This program will help you delete programs and program data that the built in Windows uninstaller can't get rid of. There is a free version (which I use) and a paid Pro Version as well.

The first step to lightening your load of programs is to uninstall the obvious programs you don't want on your computer. Most computers and laptops come with some core programs that you will want to keep around such as programs related to your graphics drivers (like NVIDIA) or sound drivers. There will be Windows updates listed sometimes that you don't want to get rid of, and you'll also want to keep around plugins like Adobe Flash Player, some PDF viewers, and Java. Just remember not to go hog wild in your zeal to rid your computer of program baddies.

A short list of programs (crapware) that I often uninstall from friend's computers are:

Toolbars (such as Ask.com, Google, MSN, Yahoo, etc.)
RealPlayer
MSN Messenger (if you don't use it)
Microsoft Works (if you have a full version of Microsoft Word or other word processor)
Game demos that ship with new computers
Trial versions of software
Customer support/tutorials and updater for some vendor hardware if they will not be used (HP, Dell, Gateway)
ISPs (Earthlink, AOL, NetZero) - if you don't need them (most people don't)

That's all for today. Next time, I'll show you how to keep your remaining programs from all trying to load at startup slowing your booting experience to a screeching halt.

Sync files to the internet and any computer with Dropbox [Programs I Like]

2010-05-31T07:10:00.053-05:00

I've known more than a few people that have lost important data when their computer crashes unexpectedly. It can be a sobering experience to loose pictures, music files, original documents and term papers the instant your computer hard drive decides to give up the ghost.

One solution is to make sure that your important files get backed up automatically somewhere safe. Enter web application Dropbox. Dropbox is a program that you install on your computer that creates a folder (usually in My Documents) that automatically synchronizes any file you place in it across the internet and to any other computers that you set up with your account.

To get Dropbox visit www.dropbox.com and sign up for a free account. You get 2 Gigabytes for free (.25 gigs more if you sign up with my referral link). You can pay for more space if you need it, but 2 Gigs is plenty of space to keep important documents, pictures, and files easily and securely backed up.

Once you install the program on your computer you need to log in or create your new account. Next, start dropping files in your "My Dropbox" folder and they will automatically be uploaded to Dropbox's servers where you can access them on your online account through any web browser (in case you need to download a file from you account on a friend's computer). You can also create share links to let others securely download files you upload. Best of all, if you have 2 or more computers, you can keep your files in sync across all of them just by installing and running the Dropbox program in the system tray.

So do you need super easy free space to backup your files and/or share them across computers? If so, give Dropbox a try!

Dropbox is a free download and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux

Sign up with my referral to get an extra 250MB of space, click here

How to reboot your iPod & iPhone and why

2010-05-28T10:23:00.005-05:00

Everyone knows that Apple makes some great products. From the breakout success of the original iPod to the iPhone and now the iPad, Apple's hardware is solid and extremely popular.

But just like most electronics, the iPod and iPhone are actually miniature computers and sometimes they (*gasp*) mess up or freeze. If your iDevice is slowing down to a crawl or locks up you can reboot it leading to improved performance and that like-new feel.

Rebooting your iPod and iPhone/iPod Touch is completely safe and you will not loose your data. Think of it like rebooting your Mac or Windows machine.

Here's how you do it:

For iPods, you hold the center scroll wheel button and menu button together until you see the Apple logo. Now wait for the device to reboot and you are good to go.
For iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch, hold the home button and the power button on the top together until the Apple logo appears. Wait for the device to reboot.

I recommend everyone to reboot their iDevice (especially iPhones and iPod Touch) at least once a week to keep their device nice and peppy.