Tech Tricks

Planning to invest in a Printer or an MFD?

2009-11-20T06:54:02Z

Deciding When and What type of a printer/combo device can be a confusing time and believe me whne i say that. I’m, at present, hunting for one and am not pleased with the reviews from most Tech Mags. They just blow you out with those intriguing ideas of configuration and usability.

There’s always a better piece around the corner when you plan on buying a device and also a better one was standing inside the previous store’s window.

Here’s a quick guide to help you know what’s the stuff you need to know, and the jargons and crap involved.

READ THIS, GET OUT, PICK THE ONE YOU SEE TO BE GOOD FOR YO. PAY FOR IT AND GET OUT, END OF STORY.

Do I need an MFD?
MFDs provide an ideal way of cutting down on your desktop clutter by combining a printer and scanner-copier, and fax in one box, while requiring just the footprint of the former as the scanner is usually built into the top of the printer.

Advantages
With only one power supply and case between them, there are also some money-saving opportunities to be had.

Is the print and scan quality as good as separate units?
MFD printers get pretty close to offering you the best of both worlds. The underlying printer is almost always based on the same mechanics and consumables as regular printer models in the manufacturer’s range.

The associated flatbed scanner is also generally of high quality although, in a straight shoot-out, it wouldn’t match the very best of the latest dedicated photo scanners.

Even so, the bit-depth and resolution, as well as the colour and contrast accuracy, tend to be more than capable for most scanning tasks.

Can I use an MFD without a PC?
Of course. A particularly awesome feature of MFDs is that you can use them for standalone mono or colour photocopying, even when the PC is not connected. With this in mind, most models come with on-board controls that range from simple mono or colour copy buttons to fully-fledged interfaces with colour screen menus.

These enable versatile control of magnification, cropping and a range of tasks from straightforward plain paper photocopying to making copies of photos on specialist glossy paper, at popular sizes from 6×4-inch to A4.

Both PictBridge ports and media card readers are also usually built in, for direct photo printing, from digital cameras or memory cards.

Inkjet or laser?
With the multi-tasking photocopier facilities in mind, it’s worth bearing in mind how much you (and everybody else in the home or office) will want to make use of the copying facilities.

For higher volumes of both mono and colour copying, ink costs can be quite high, so it’s worth considering that the cheaper ongoing toner costs of a colour laser MFD can soon offset the initially higher purchase price of this kind of printer.

If photo printing is high on your priority list, go for a Canon or Epson inkjet MFD.

Do I need a built-in fax?
Sending faxes is far less popular than it used to be, thanks to practically everybody being on email nowadays.

If you do need to send faxes, you can do this through your internet-connected PC in Windows, using the MFD’s scanner.

For more than occasional use, however, it’s best to get an MFD with built-in fax capability, so it’s always ready to send or receive faxes, even when the PC is switched off. Get the built-in fax one, as it’ll just matter a $8-$20 extra and will be worth in the longer-run.

If you have any questions regarding this, please feel free to mail me or better, use the comments option.

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How To Find The Best Digital Camera.

2009-09-11T10:25:30Z

It seems that every month, if not every week, different manufacturers are coming up with the latest digital cameras to entice potential clients. And it’s just not working for us! Right? I find myself the other day in our local photography store and was going through the different models available. I just couldn’t get one out of the shelf with satisfaction. When i chose one, i thought the other one beside it looks better than this one and is of the same price range, so why not it? Dilemma at it’s worst, and i wasn’t getting anywhere.

I figure it’s the same situation most of you are facing.

After spending sizeable amount of time at the store figuring out which is the best digital camera for us, we finally have enough money to buy for that eye-popping, 7 mega pixel, 10x digital zoom, potable, candy colored, up to 512MB expandable memory of super hi-speed SD memory card and not to mention very portable, (that will be the envy of almost everyone we know). We march to the mall armed with our life savings and lotsa pride in ourselves, when we pass by a new display - an eight mega pixel, up to 1G expandable memory, with built it mic and stereo surround, video playback capable, with 22 scenic modes kind-of-camera. And we sigh because the producer of this amazing gadget claims that this is the best digital camera yet out in the market. And so as we always want to have the best, armed with our life savings and a few credit cards, we buy the “best digital camera.” But then again, that doesn’t last too long, after two months or so, there’s another “best digital camera.”

And so it confuses us. What makes a digital camera, the best digital camera?

Well, there are certain factors to consider when looking for the “best digital camera” for us.

MEGAPIXELS
One of the most important features of digital camera to make it into the best digital camera category is its mega pixel property. The higher the mega pixels the better the actual photograph will come out. A mega pixel is equivalent to one million pixels. The resolution of your image is based upon the mega pixel property of your camera. This means that as you enlarge the picture, you would get more detail and less blurry colors.

LCD SIZE
The best digital camera will always have a large LCD to help you frame your subject without having to squint to the viewfinder. This is also helpful when reviewing your images, some cameras enable touch up and editing features with its LCD. A 1.5-inch display is average, a 2-inch LCD display is good, but the best LCD size would be 2.5 inches or higher.

ZOOM
Most digital cameras have both digital and optical zoom. A higher optical zoom is always better than a higher digital zoom. Digital cameras are usually furnished with optical of between 3x to 10x. The better the optical zoom, the higher it climbs up to the best digital camera category.

MEMORY CARD
Always make sure that your memory card is the right one for your digital camera. There are different types of memory card like the xD, SD, Flash card and the likes. And these types of memory cards go with certain types of digital cameras. of course memory storage is also up there in choosing the best digital cameras. Choose the size of memory that you need, if you’re a photo junkie, you might need more than 32MB. Memory cards can go up to 1G.

The key point to find the best digital camera is to find one that will best fit you and your lifestyle. Don’t just buy the latest or the one that claims they are the best digital cameras out in the market. You wouldn’t want to buy a DSLR and use it with your home activities or family outing and have to lug it around?! Or you don’t want to buy the latest point and shoot camera when you’re serious about being a professional photographer. (Of course, you can use this for starters, but if you’re not a novice photographer anymore, you wouldn’t want to get this kind of camera.)

Actually, the best digital camera is the one that you will enjoy and use. Not the type that you’ll just leave rotting in its box or after a few weeks of usage or so, up there in the attic.

Photography is an art and a wonderful hobby to enjoy. If you love photography and have any questions about it, then please do respond in the comment box. We love to hear from you.

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The 12 commanodments of WEALTH!

2009-08-29T14:41:51Z

Taken from The Richest Man in Town - W. Randall Jones

1. Seek Money for Money’s Sake and Ye Shall Not Find
Money will only come when you are doing the right thing in the right way. - Randal J. Kirk

Pursue your goal, make it your hobby, but don’t do it solely for the money’s sake.
Remember, the joy is in the journey.

2. Find Your Perfect Pitch
Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. - Tao Te Ching

You can’t be something you’re not.. but you can be so much more of you who innately, intrinsically are. Everyone has his or her own unique perfect pitch.
The path of least resistance is your surest road to success and sizable riches.
How much you capitalize on your personal makeup ultimately determines how much capital you have in your personal wallet.

3. BYOB: BE YOUR OWN BOSS
You don’t get rich working for other people! - Phil Ruffin

Be the man; don’t work for the man.
Partner only with those who can bring something mission-critical to your success (joint ventures hint hint!)

4. Get Addicted to Ambition
If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we should literally astound ourselves - Thomas Edison

Replace bad addictions with good addictions — and in particular, high-octane ambitions.
Hard work becomes great fun when you’re pursuing your perfect pitch.
Persistence, diligence, and self-belief are cornerstones of ambition addition.
Great wealth is the by-product of ambition addiction.
Work is empowering: the only sure cure for failure.
5. Wake Up Early — Be Early
The sun has not caught me in bed in fifty years. - Thomas Jefferson

Start young.
Show up early.
Don’t let education insecurity hold you back.
Put yourself in situations where you experience collateral learning.
6. Do Not Set Goals — Execute or Get Executed
Vision without execution is hallucination. - Thomas Edison

Goals are great, but execution is essential.
Ideas are important, but implementation and execution are everything.
Daily incremental improvement is the key to substantial wealth creation.
Have a life-altering, world-changing silent goal - known only to you.
7. Fail to Succeed
I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. That’s why I succeed - Michael Jordan

If you are going through hell, keep going. - Winston Churchhill

Never fear failure. Have the courage to fail.
Failure is often the greatest teacher.
No pain, no gain.
Resilience is the most universal quality among the rich.

8. Location Does Not Matter
There is no great success than hometown success. - Buzz Oates

Hometown success is indeed the sweetest success.
It’s the size of the bottom line that matters, not the size of the town.
You can build a billion in any town in America.
9. Moor Yourself To Morals
It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently. - Warren Buffet

The Golden Rule delivers gold to the wallet.
Putting others’ needs first ensures that you finish first.
Reputation is your greatest single asset.
Integrity is integral to wealth creation.
10. Say Yes to Sales
Nothing happens until something is sold. - Joe Rickets

Nothing happens until something is sold.
Listening is the core component of successful selling.
You can enhance your EQ - simply put other people first.
Find your inner salesperson.
EQ equals SQ (sucess quotient), which delivers a high WQ (wealth quotient).

11. Borrow From The Best - And The Worst
I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow. - Woodrow Wilson

No matter its source, a good idea is a good idea.
Read biographies of the best and brightest (and richest).
Seek the counsel of wise people wherever you can find them.
If we’re wise and observe carefully, we can learn from the mistakes of even the most successful people.
12. Never Retire
Find something you truly love to do and retire for the rest of your life. - James Hartley Click Sr.

Retirement is hazardous to your health and your wealth.
The brain needs continual stimulation — the great source for that sustenance is work.
The rich are in a constant state of reinvention
Love what you do and “retire” for the rest of your life doing it.

Lifestyle Traits of The Rich

Tip #1: Be a Social Animal. Play Poker. Play Golf and Tennis. Your friendships are the most important investments you’ll ever make.

Tip #2. Be Optimistic. The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist the hole!

Tip #3. Hoard Your Health. Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity.

Tip #4. Be and Eternal Student. Twenty years from now you will be disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Tip #5. Give as Good as You Got. We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.

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Make your own fonts. Really. Check it out.

2009-08-28T12:54:09Z

Make Your Own Handwriting Fonts
YourFonts.com is an online font generator that allows you to create your own OpenType fonts within a couple of minutes. Go make your own handwriting as a font!
o Your own handwriting turned into your very own font.
o Create fonts with more than 200 characters.
o Optionally include your signature and digitally sign your contracts.
o You’ll have your very own font within 15 minutes.
o Preview your font for free.
o Make as many fonts as you like.
o Use your fonts on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux
o Personalize your digital scrapbook pages and invitations
o Make your own “family handwriting history”
o Use your fonts in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and every program that you own
o Just $9.95 (plus $5.00 if you upload both template pages) - only purchase if you’re satisfied!
o High Quality Personal Handwriting Fonts
o YourFonts allows you to upload large templates (up to 4000 x 5000 pixels) and it has the most advanced raster to vector conversion algorithm. Together this results in unbeatable high quality personal fonts.

It’s easy and fun to digitize your handwriting, so go make your own font now!

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Which host…? I’m hosted at hosting24.

2009-08-28T05:48:32Z

Hosting24 – My Number 1 Choice When It Comes To Hosting Your Blog

It’s often a difficult decision for any new blogger or site owner…

Which web host do I choose?

There’s thousands of them online… lots of good ones but also lots of bad ones.

I host and recommend Hosting24 100%

www.hosting24.com

Here’s why:

- Great customer support

- Two click install for WordPress which saves any blogger time

- Amazing value for money and even a 30 day money back guarantee

- Ultra-fast servers.

Since starting online I’ve tried a few hosts and my experience has been negative with most of them… Poor customer service and tech problems. I did find a good one I was happy with but it was very expensive. This is why I tried Hosting24 with their $8.95 Gold plan. It saves me a fortune each month over the old host I was using. You could choose from their Silver plan which gives you more than enough facility and resources for $4.95.

I never had a downtime or other issue from them. That’s why i became their affiliate.

I’d defiantly recommend you moving to Hosting24 or registering your new blogs there.

www.hosting24.com

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30 ways to explode traffic to your blog.

2009-08-23T17:04:40Z

01. Email bloggers - (once in a while) to let them know about your posts; if they like your message, there’s a good chance they’ll link to you
02. Leave comments on other people’s blogs - it’s one of the best ways of blog marketing!
03. Create social networking profiles then add people as friends (i.e. Myspace and Facebook)
04. Create controversy on a popular topic - people will have something to say about it
05. Have an RSS-ready blog/site so readers can subscribe
06. Use social bookmarking sites like Del.icio.us, blogadda
07. Have your 404 page redirect to your home page
08. Write a press release and submit it to a PR site like PRWeb.
09. Use PayPerClick traffic.
10. Create viral videos and submit them to video sites like YouTube
11. Submit your blog to blog directories like Technorati, indiae, etc.
12. Link to other blogs, and ask them to link to you. (Link exchange)
13. Purchase blog reviews on other blogs.
14. Make business cards for your site that you can give out to friends and families.
15. Purchase links on other blogs (even if it’s “no-follow”)
16. Purchase ads on social networking sites like Facebook, StumbleUpon, etc.
17. Give away a free product (i.e. eBooks, software, etc.)
18. Create a poll or survey and let people know about the results.
19. Brand your site with a cartoon character â€“ John Cow has a cow, Dean Hunt has killer bunnies, and The University Kid has a, well, student.
20. Run a contest on your site.
21. Submit your contest to contest sites and forums.
22. If you have other sites, link to your main one (make sure they’re related).
23. Use forums - Post your links into your signatures and that of your friend’s.
24. Create a newsletter list where you can have readers opt-in to be emailed.
25. Write good post titles - better titles get better clicks.
26. Exchange links and banners with other blogs.
27. Answer questions in Yahoo Answers, also ask questions linking to your blog.
28. Do article marketing (i.e. Ezine Articles).
29. Research keywords to optimize your content for SEO.
30. Last but not least, NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK! Get yourself known while you get to know others. Not many people know this, but it’s the most important part of internet marketing. The more people know you, the more they will work with you. Even having an individual blog or website requires teamwork.

Got any other tips to explode site traffic? Let us know in the comments below.

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Hello All! We just restarted!

2009-08-28T05:54:43Z

Hello guys, we have been offline for sometime due to a technical error with the wordpress installation and the database.

I tried to upgrade from WordPress 2.8.3 to WordPress 2.8.4 and then there came a massive issue with the site and the database, the site wasn’t able to load the database, and the database wasn’t able to associate with the site.

Our other blog, Online Tricks, also suffered from this issue with the upgrade and i have notified the WordPress community about this.

I couldn’t save the database even after i exported it, there was some issue. So we have to start from zero, again. I believe you’ll stay with me in this endeavour. Thank you for your continuing support. I love you all.

Dr.Viper a.k.a Tejas R
Administrator
Tech Tricks

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