There’s a FREE online productivity suite that uses none of your system’s resources and requires no download. Google Docs is fun to explore and to play with. If you want to jump on the bandwagon and get some of the larger programs off your own harddrive, in other words, go for cloud computing, start with Google’s tour of Docs.
The idea is to upload your existing files and then create new documents from scratch or from templates. You can share the stuff you write, store it online and set controls to keep it private and secure, they say. I’m not sure I trust online workspaces just yet. I mean, how many times a month do we hear that a given site was hacked and all the users vital data has been scattered across the universe?
It all works pretty well if you have a robust broadband connection, though you’ll doubtless experience lags when web traffic is snarled or crowded. I’ve seen lags. Type a sentence and it appears a couple of seconds later. However, consider this, too. Sites come and sites go. This isn’t to say Google’s going anywhere soon, but who thought half the banks of the world would skate the edge of failure, either?
Google Docs is worth a look, especially if you have a thousand year-old version of one of the big name productivity suites and you’re seeing the necessity of upgrading. Those high price tags are intimidating in today’s bleak economy. Go up online, sign in with your Google account or Gmail password and take a test drive. You might like it and you’re likely less paranoid than I.
While not as exciting as Chistmas, Halloween or even… Fruitcake Toss Day, Clean Out Your Computer Day is an actual day which you just might want to consider participating in. Little is known of its origin other than it’s been around since 2000, and it was originally sponsored by the Institute of Business Technology as a day to declutter and clean out old and unused files from our computers. It lands on the second Monday of each February.
(Today we’re looking at a guest post by computer gurus at iolo technoligies, fans of DigitalGrandparent. There are some great tips in this article for cleaning up your computer and getting it back to good computer performance. If you want to try the software mentioned, System Mechanic is currently available at a special sale price. I have no vested interest in the product, but you might find it useful.) –mkpelland
Clean out your computer day
Is your computer running slow, or low on memory? Does it take forever to boot up? Are there programs or files on it that you never use and/or don’t even know why are there? Maybe Clean Out Your Computer Day is going to be your day.
In time for Clean Out Your Computer Day, here are some PC Clutter Facts and PC Cleanout Tips provided by iolo technologies, PC tune-up company and makers of System Mechanic software.
PC Clutter Stats
The average American adult has 1,800 digital files, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, making searching them quite a task.
Executives waste six weeks each year looking for lost items and information, according to a study published in the Wall Street Journal, adding up for huge corporate operating losses.
Americans waste nine million hours per day searching for misplaced items. On average, people spend a year of our lives looking for lost items, according to the National Association of Professional Organizers.
In 2007 alone more than 40 million computers were dumped, up from 20 million in 1998. On average, each computer lasted only 30 months (2.5 years), that short life span often attributed to the PC running slow and having low memory/drive space due to unnecessary clutter.
10 Useful PC Clean Out Tips, and how a utility (like System Mechanic) can help
Delete unused, old or duplicate files, emails, email addresses, bookmarks and favorites. Tools like SM’s “Remove Junk Files”, “Remove Internet Debris” and “Find Duplicate Files” tools can be used to recover a lot of lost space – and a lot of time wasted while looking for files on a cluttered hard drive.
Organize your files. Make sure to use a logical file naming system and put them into folders that make sense and are easy to remember and access.
Defragment your hard drive. While that won’t categorize your files (you have to do that manually, see #2 above), defragmentation will speed up your access to them, again saving you valuable time.
Back up your files and programs at least every month. Imagine all the time wasted if your files are lost. Back up regularly to a separate device like a portable hard drive or set up an automatic online back-up service.
Uninstall programs that you no longer need or use. To make sure they are completely uninstalled and do not leave any residual clutter, use a tool like System Mechanic’s “Remove Installed Programs” to uninstall even the most stubborn components.
Once you’ve uninstalled unused program, make sure to clean out your registry as well. Invalid or out-of-date registry settings can slow down your computer’s boot time. Use System Mechanic’s “Repair Registry Problems” and “Defragment and Compact Registry” or choose another good quality registry cleaning program to shave valuable minutes off your boot time.
Further improve your computer’s start-up time by removing unnecessary start-up items. Many programs lodge themselves in start-up without your knowledge.
Once you’ve organized all your files into folders, make sure all the shortcuts are still accurate. Remove those that aren’t working properly – as you’ve guessed, SM can do that for you.
For an ultimate clean out, try a program like DriveScrubber. DriveScrubber can securely wipe out all your hard drive data or you can use a more selective approach, removing only your personal files and leaving the programs intact. Definitely opt for this clean out option if you are planning on donating your computer to make sure your personal information is not recoverable.
For a complete PC clean out on Clean Out Your Computer Day, don’t forget your PC’s outside. Clean the screen, dust the keyboard, clean the mouse. After all, your computer deserves some pampering too.
Now mark your calendar – kick-start your spring cleaning on Monday, February 8 – it’s Clean Out Your Computer Day!
(The photo above was borrowed form a very cool blog called My PC Crashed)
I read a recent email from a PR agency that works with entertainment clients, and I almost hit delete. The email quoted book making odds on which electronic reader will top the 2010 market in sales. I though it was plain silly – and useless to argue odds about whether Apple iPad will bludgeon the rest of the readers. But then, I figured my readers have a right to know. So here it is.
Bookmaker’s odds – will iPad beat Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader and the rest?
The email press release says:
With the recent unveiling of the new iPad, it has without doubt raised awareness on how it will compare to similar pieces of technology on the market today. CEO Mickey Richardson and his team at Bookmaker.com, one of the leading sportsbooks, have put together odds on the BEST SELLING TABLET IN 2010.
AMAZON’S KINDLE
+300
BARNES & NOBLE NOOK
+275
SONY’S READER
+400
IREX ILIAD
+500
FUJITSU FLEPIA
+550
DELL’S MINI 5
+400
APPLE’S IPAD
+200
MICROSOFT/ HP SLATE
+350
The +/- Indicates the Return on the Wager. For Example: Betting on the candidate least likely to win would earn the most amount of money, should that happen. The percentage is the likelihood the contestant(s) will win.]
That’s for what it’s worth. My two cents-worth: None of these electronic book readers is quite there yet. I’m waiting for electronic paper, promised by gurus since the early ’90s. It will, they say, look, sound, and feel like paper. (Harry Potter’s newspaper?) I also want the equipment to be smaller, and to do more, and to multi-task.
I haven’t seen iPad up close yet, so I won’t critique it. Early word is early adopters of that unit will be folks who are slightly less tech-oriented. No problem there, plenty of baby boomers like technology but don’t want to wallow in it. Let’s see how it goes.
The odds above are not much use to me, but if you’re in to that sort of thing, maybe you can get up an office pool or something. Of course all proceeds would go to charity, and none of you would gamble….
Writers and agents are at war. There’s a battle in a fairly well-known agent’s blog. Agent Chip MacGregor published a guest post about agents refusing to read slush pile stuff. A writer took exception and commented that she consigned Mr. MacGregor’s blog to her slush pile and 86ed it.
Attitude is everything. <a title=”agents authors” href=”http://chipmacgregor.typepad.com/main/2010/01/im-going-to-add-a-coda-to-what-sandra-wrote-one-reader-wrote-to-us-and-argued-you-can-do-something-about-it-how-would-yo.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email” target=”_blank”>Mr. MacGregor</a> retorted the writer’s comment was “stupid. For me, dissension never warrants bandying about the word “stupid.” It’s an offensive word, especially when translated – “How dare you call me out? You’re stupid.”
<strong>Why neither writer nor agent is stupid</strong>
Writer – agent is a business arrangement. No one owes anyone anything unless and until a contract is negotiated. Writers may submit whatever they want to whomever will allow it over the transom. Agents are free to read or not to read. I’m puzzled by apparent animosity between the two groups. Writers and agents, most especially writers never before published. Is it a battle? Is there need for a battle?
If an agent decides not to read <em>anything</em> coming across her desk this week, and sets fire to all, cool. Do it. How does that indicate lack of prowess in writers?
If a writer chooses to submit dreck and embarrass herself, not attending to mechanics of producing publishable writing, does that indict other writers, all writers heretofore unpublished?
<strong>How agents and writers can stop the battle</strong>
I shake my head when this perpetual argument, good agents vs. bad writers, sparks. It’s like silly arguments about should bad writers go ahead and write for content mills. There is no right answer. Both are just arguments. They make great article and blog fodder for articles and blog posts.
Some “professional agents” have a chip on their shoulders as big as a Sequoia. Their halos blind their own vision. they get puffed up with a sense of bloated importance. Read some tweets at Twitter, or blogs in the blogosphere, or columns in publishing industry periodicals. some agents are rational and compassionate, remembering how all written work begins – with an idea, often a great idea.
Having been a publisher and editor, I empathize. Some awful stuff is submitted by writers who don’t have a clue and don’t want a clue. Burn them!
Controversy draws readers. Is that what perpetuates the battle? If junk lands on an editor/agent/publisher’s desk – it should be junked. Why bother to chastise the sender, indict writers, yammer at anyone who has ever or ever will make a submission? And is there <em>any</em> purpose for less than conscientious writers to whine about rejection?
<strong>How agents and writers, authors, can use their time</strong>
Now, both agents and writers could resign themselves to the state of the publishing nation and realize it’s all in flux anyway. Five years from now neither writing nor agenting will resemble the current paradigm. Agents may not even exist. Sad, but true. Chill the battle.
Agents, you might simply vow to never read anything that doesn’t come in from, say, a subagent who screens the stuff before they bother you with it. spend more time, then, shopping the bright, shiny stuff that sets your soul afire. You <em>know, </em>deep in your heart, there is <em>no</em> King, Steele, or Updike in that pile.
Writers, stop whining when work is rejected. Don’t write slanderous challenges to the editor or agent who says you need to clean up your work. Authors and writers can use the extra time to learn self-editing. Read books. Take classes — a grammar brush-up? Learn how verbs and nouns must agree. Understand that not every line of dialog can begin with the name of the person being addressed. Learn the difference between “effect” and “affect.” Learn that punctuation rules are seldom optional, and a comma is not something sprinkled liberally about a page for embellishment. Commas have functions. Hire a ghost or an editor to help you succeed.
At the end, isn’t it stupid to be intolerant or set oneself up on a pedestal, whether writer or agent? Am I right, people?
<strong>How to land an agent!</strong>
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<strong>More reading</strong>
<a title=”web links for authors writers” href=”http://ontext.com/2009/10/freelance-writers-top-online-tools/” target=”_blank”>Must have web links for successful writers</a>
<a title=”sell your writing” href=”http://ontext.com/2009/08/stop-bitching-sell-writing/” target=”_blank”>Stop bitching and sell your writing</a>
<a title=”brad pitt headlines” href=”http://ontext.com/2009/08/brad-pitt-headlines/” target=”_blank”>Brad Pitt doesn’t belong in your headlines</a>
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) the trade show that debuts all kinds of electronic gadgets, toy, and equipment for consumers happens in Las Vegas every January. Despite a troubling economy, pundits say 2010’s show has a record number of new companies demonstrating their products. Attendance, however, may lag. But “tablet” computers will draw attention.
What the heck is a tablet?
Show of hands…who knows exactly what a tablet is? Well, I’m going to tell you. Apple hopes to shake the tech world January 27, or, depending on who you read, in March with the launch of their long-awaited tablet. Microsoft could decide to eclipse them with horns and whistles at CES about their pending Courier tablet and a start-up in India, company called Notion Ink had one too.
A tablet is a manageable size sort of netbook, sort of laptop. It’s a hybrid. Microsoft’s Courier, they say, will weight less, have ungodly power, and capabilities like pen input (you use an electronic pen to take notes right on screen) and finger gesture input as well. An upscale camera will be part of it. Of course the latest mobile connectivity. It will have a split screen, sort of like Nintendo’s DS gaming system, but larger and brighter.
Apple will likely go with fewer features, a much higher price than anyone else, and perhaps, fewer bugs, more reliability. Isn’t it wearying to watch Apple trail the carrot in front of consumers for so long and then release a piece of technology that very few in this economy will want to afford?
Notion Ink? Slashgear.com says:
The Notion Ink smartpad measures 6.3 x 9.8 x 0.6 inches and weighs 1.7lbs; as well as the triband (850/1900/2100) UMTS/HSDPA, WiFi b/g and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR it also squeezes in A-GPS, a digital compass, accelerometer and proximity, ambient light and water sensors. Connectivity includes USB, HDMI, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microphone input, and there’s also a 3-megapixel autofocus camera with video recording support. Onboard storage is either 16GB or 32GB of SSD, and there’s an SD slot for augmenting that.
Tablet computers and everyday consumers
As with most new gadgets, these little gems will come out all full of high price tags. Early adopters will include students with unlimited funding, rich business moguls, celebrities, and those who don’t balance their checkbooks. We frugal baby boomers will likely watch and wait for a bargain or for more competition.
It would be pretty cool if all these companies and a few more decided to release their stuff all at once. I really want a tablet. What writer wouldn’t feel coolishly geeky with one of these babies on their lap in the park?
Let’s take a quick look at CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, before it opens in Las Vegas and see what might be coming to consumers in 2010. Baby boomers are often early adopters, since we have some discretionary income and resources, and, of course, free time. But baby boomers, while we buy electronics and like them, are very discerning about quality and purpose.
I wandered the Web looking to see what the consensus is. My take, no one is expecting much in the way of mind-blowing excitement. We may not be buying truckloads of gadgets this year. The big thing is expected to be electronic readers, if you’re talking how many will turn up in CES booths.
Electronic Readers
Molly Wood, of my favorite podcast, Buzz Out Loud from Cnet, says it will be raining readers. Only trouble is, most agree that of the dozens or maybe even a hundred that will debut, only three or fewer are likely to have much new to offer. And the prices still suck. Color is still not going to be a factor since the technology is too pricey.
As for 3-D TV
3D sets will probably be available. Molly says it’ll be dead on arrival, no one wants to wear the glasses at home – the providers will charge high premiums; it’s just not main stream. It’s a toy for people who have too much money and too much time. But who fits that demographic these days? 3D was to have been the big deal for 2009 and it fizzled out. As I see it, some people will buy the set, watch one show and say, “Is that all there is?”
Other electronic stuff
Google’s Nexus One Phone will get attention, for sure. I hope they don’t attach it to a particular carrier – rather see it come out unlocked, meaning it can be activated on more services than a single carrier. Three major cell carriers are tooting about 4G technology. Okay. Yawn.
The superstar of CES?
I would love to see wireless recharging – but not a dozen for a dozen different devices or manufacturers. I want a universal. If someone brings one out at CES, I’d buy it – so would a lot of other people. But I’m not going to buy all new electronics so I can recharge batteries wirelessly.
Something like 25,000 new electronic items will spring from about 3,000 companies before millions of show-goers. Some years, consumers latch on to new stuff and spend money like crazy — ya gotta have the latest and greatest. But since 2009 was the year that taught us how dangerous it can be to practice such conspicuous consumption, I don’t believe crowds will line up outside the big box stores, especially crowds of smart baby boomers, like us.
Here are 11 cool places on the Web to take your favorite children – maybe your grands? You can explore together and find FREE entertainments, games, stories and time passers for children and adults to share.
Every Video Game - Here you’ll find not every, but tons of old video games, playable online, free. With or without grandkids, you’ll revisit this more than once!
FREE Audio Books online - Tom Sawyer, Wind in the Willows – thousands of downloadable classic ebooks. Sit back, feet up, snuggle with your favorite kid and listen to a great read.
Google Earth – If you haven’t hooked up here yet, you are missing something special. A very easy download gets you started. See how the birds see your planet – including your own back yard. Help a kid learn geography – when a special girl of mine joined the NAVY and was ordered to Spain, she said, “Wow! I always wanted to see South America!”. Spend time on this site, learning all it can do – hours of amazement.
Frenchtoast.com- Got a little girl in your family? Here’s a set of FREE virtual paper dolls to play with. Click the icon in the left margin. More paper dolls at Zwinky .
Word puzzles - more for grandma and grandpa, but fun for advanced kids, too
M&M Morph – Transform yourself into an M&M – who could resist? An impressive array of body parts (sort of like Mr. Potato Head)
) -when you’ve created your perfect personality you can make movies, post cards, letterhead and whatever. Play with your food.
Want to stuff some stockings for some old duffers like me? Well, head over to these websites for a kick of nostalgia and spend a couple bucks making a baby boomer think back to the good old days.
How many websites are there? Nearly uncountable. How can a webmaster be visible and compete? Webmaster have to be in the know. Latest tricks. Current secrets. Those are the keys to attracting visitors and making some money.
Being a webmaster or webmistress isn’t easy. They think about content, arrangement, programming, graphics, and traffic. Advice abounds, but the direct path for the successful webmaster is building a site with appropriate traffic, a good retention rate, and value for the reader/user.
Good websites draw traffic
Here are essential webmaster secrets that will make the job easier, keep visitors coming, and provide a worthwhile experience while meeting the web owner’s goals.
Create landing pages for categories or sections. If correctly done, these draw search engine spiders. List FAQs (frequently asked questions), links to outside resources and links to key articles. Make sure the meta information is sharply targeted to the section.
Learn about SEO but don’t obsess. Effective natural use of key words, titles, and excellent content will make spiders crawl the site. Don’t over use any one technique and forget invisible keyword strings or purchased links.
Use headlines and subheads that position key words strategically. Leave clever puns and wordplays for print headlines. Online, every word must help target the subject. “Curing Athlete’s Foot with Natural Remedies” goes way further than “Forget about De Agony of De Feet.”
Encourage readers’ eyes to scan the web page and pick out key ideas. Subheads, bullet lists, manageable paragraphs and italicized key points allow readers to move quickly down the page. Online readers are in a hurry.
Be consistent with style and usage. Too many fonts are off-putting. Writing “1st” in one paragraph and “first” in the next is confusing. Italics for one cited title, and quotes for the next looks unplanned. Read a style guide like the Chicago Manual or develop your own but keep consistent.
Use acceptable grammar. Study up or hire a proof reader. There is nothing shabbier than a website full of poor grammar and bad syntax.
Make images tell a story and enhance the website. Choose a consistent size and border style. An image should match the topic and be of good quality. Use alternative text functions to incorporate the images into SEO practices.
Be sure all links are live and working. Links should be inspected often to make sure the target isn’t dead. Check spelling on links so they point at the target that was intended.
Limit the use of bells, whistles, sound effects, music and embellishments. Spinning parrots were once the rage but websites have matured and users are, more often than not, annoyed at slow loading, loud, annoying gimmicks.
Review completed pages in more than one browser before deploying. They should load quickly, in less than 3 seconds each. They should display the way the designer intended. The last step must be a final reading of text so that what is seen is what was meant.
Don’t battle over search engine algorithms
The webmaster who pays attention to these ten tips has a better than average opportunity to see his or her website stand above the crowd and significant web traffic. Top webmasters stay up-to-date with technology and focus on creating a well-functioning site with strong content. They let the search engine companies worry about traffic algorithms.
Baby boomers and seniors, especially women, are a driving force in determining trends. We number in the millions. We spend money. Our opinion counts. Knowing that, the Nielsen Norman Group looked into how effective Web sites are for older seniors – those over 65.
They found that using most e-commerce sites is twice as difficult for seniors than for younger users. It’s pretty dumb of corporations trying to sell stuff online to not think it through, especially considering that baby boomers will be spending about $25 billion (with a “B”) at online stores within the next few years.
Some companies who, according to the survey, are doing it right include:
It would be in our own best interests, those of us, like me, who do the majority of our purchasing online (who has time for malls??), to let companies know when their websites fall short.
If you visit a site that is too slow, or difficult to navigate, or doesn’t provide complete info, speak up. Send a note or call the company. Address the Webmaster – there’s usually a link for email. But send a copy to the executives at the company, as well. Those whippersnapper Webmasters may need advanced motivation to take us seriously.
EVDO? What’s that? EVDO, or 3G, is how to have Internet anywhere you go or anywhere you live. Need to be connected? Go Blackberry picking, get Blue Tooths (teeth?) or jump opn smart phones. But if you want somehting bigger than a phone that’s connectible anywhere, here’s EVDO, 3G for you to mull over.
EVDO is Evolution Data Only/Evolution Data Optimized which is wireless broadband Internet access – from anywhere. You’ll hear it called 3G now – it’s catching on, so it needs a name that sounds hip.
How to use EVDO, 3G
You carry your Internet access with you. Surf in the car (hopefully someone else is driving). Or from your mountain cabin, the airport or a corner of the basement, when your grandkids have taken over your house and there’s no where else to go. This service works great in areas that can’t have DSL or cable modem
EVDO is fast and always on – like your cable modem or DSL. You get is better than WiFi, the system at restaurants or bookstores. It compares to home DSL or cable modem– pretty good when you’re out wandering the world. My spouse, who used to work in the Florida outback, used EVDO in the most remote swamps and bayous with excellent results.
You can run video in real time. Watch TV, movies.
Where to get EVDO, 3G
You can buy an EVDO card for your laptop to use the service. They’re reasonably priced and readily available (about $100 and less– sometimes there are deals for free hardware with subscriptions through cellular services). Looks like Sprint, at least, offers a 30-day free trial. You might pay an activation charge (less than $40) and a monthly subscription fee (about $60 per month unlimited access).
Manufacturers are incorporating the technology into laptops. There’s no problem getting equipment ready-to-go; look for “3G enabled” or “3G ready” designations on MACs and PCs. For tons of info and a pretty good discussion forum try EVDOinfo or cruise Technorati’s EVDO section.
This technology is building out really fast, go ahead and get onboard with 3G — get connected with the rest of the world even if you’re a hermit.
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