Archive for December, 2009
Wednesday, December 30th, 2009
As we mentioned yesterday, the New Year is almost upon us and a few things are certain. 1) It is going to take some time to remember to write 2010, instead of 2009. 2) A boatload of people will start the year with a kiss and then a hangover. 3) Far too many people are going to make resolutions that they will abandon by the end of the month. While I know we will no be able to help you with the first two items, I think we can definitely provide a little assistance on the third. Well, at least we can help your PC help you.
As anyone who has tried before can attest, it is not easy to stick with a workout routine unless you have a bit of assistance. For most people, this is a friend or maybe a trainer. Unfortunately, friends can be unreliable and hiring a personal trainer can cost big bucks. That is why we bring you some of the top ways to use technology to help you stay on track with your New Year’s Resolutions.
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Tags: Cardio, fitness, iPhone, iPod, New Year, New Year's Resolution, P90x, Pole Dancing, Resolution, Weightlifting, Wii, Wii Fit
Posted in Online Shopping, Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
Our goal here at JumpstartMyPC.com is to help PC users get the most out of their computer. We’ve mentioned this in many of our articles, but I often look back on this mission statement to make sure that we are providing you, the readers, with valuable, useful information. I also make sure that the products, gadgets, software and sites we recommend are something that I would or have used myself for some time. Today I bring you a site that I have been watching for some time. Groupon.com
Groupon.com is a “daily-deal” type site, but with a twist. The deal is a coupon for a local business that is only valid when there is enough interest from the group (thus the name Groupon). Luckily, for the majority of our readers, Houston is one of the cities featured on the site. Here is how it works. A new “item” is posted each day and site visitors can decide whether they want the deal or not. When enough people commit to a purchase of the item, “the deal is on!” The time counts down (since the deal is only good for one day) and anyone else can jump in before it expires. The idea is fabulous, but the execution is even better. Here are some of the top reasons that Groupon.com is a must-add for your favorites:
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Tags: Body3 Fitness, Coupons, Daily Deal, Deals, Facebook, Facebook Connect, Groupon.com, Gym, Houston, Savings, Twitter
Posted in Deals, Free Programs, Online Shopping, Tips and Tricks | 2 Comments »
Monday, December 28th, 2009
Today is one of those odd days where you have either drug yourself back to work reluctantly or you find yourself with a much deserved day off. No matter where you find yourself today, it most likely is NOT a regular Monday. Most everyone had a long holiday weekend and is still trying to get their feet back on the ground after family, parties, gifts and waaaayyyyy too much food. So, we won’t put too much on your “plate” today. JumpstartMyPC.com is here to bring you something fun and simple. Wallpaper!
Our friends over at Lifehacker.com have gone and done it again. They have put together a fantastic article about the top sites in a particular category, based on reader submissions and votes. This article, titled Five Best Wallpaper Sites, covers five web sites that offer mind-blowingly beautiful wallpapers, unlike anything you have seen before. Some of the images are FREE and some of the sites charge membership fees for their content. We’ll give you the rundown on each below, so you can work on changing your boring/holiday desktop today.
Posted in Tips and Tricks, Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
If Laughter is the Best Medicine, then just call me your dealer. You are gonna love me or hate me after this article, because I am about to give you a little taste of some of the funniest sites on the web. Afterward, you will find yourself going back to one or more of these sites over and over again. You might even work them into your daily routine, as I have.
I am not sure exactly where this genre of web site started, but I know that one of the earliest “recurring-theme-as-joke” web sites was lolcats.com, where pictures of cats doing just about anything are tagged with funny, cat-speak lines of text. The recipe for a LOL (laugh out loud) site is simple. Take an idea, create a blog with pictures, add some funny text, get your readers to start submitting their own photos, rinse, repeat. The concepts for these sites are as varied as the photos submitted and the people who follow them.
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Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
We are only 3 days away from Christmas morning now. For most, this means time with family, friends and GIFTS!!!! Let’s not kid ourselves. If you have kids under the age of 15, they are really only concerned with what is behind all of the fancy, multi-colored paper under the tree. If you are 15 or over, you are still pretty excited about what Santa is bringing you for Christmas. You just have other things to worry about between now and then.
Let’s fast forward just a little bit and take a look at 3 months from now. Your shiny new ___________ has been one of the best gifts you have ever received and you are really enjoying it when BAM! It stops working. What now? Is there a warranty? Does that warranty cover what just went wrong? Talk about stress. Not only do you have to hope that you are covered, but you also have to deal with the hassle of receipts, trips to the store, conversations with managers… Who needs it? Well, I think I have just the thing for you. SquareTrade.com warranties.
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Tags: BestBuy, Gadgets, iPod, Playstation 3, SquareTrade.com, Warranty, XBOX 360
Posted in Online Shopping, Tips and Tricks | 5 Comments »
Monday, December 21st, 2009
Blister Pack 1 - Person Opening 0
Well, today is a BIG day. According to every web site I have been on (that is a lot), today is the last day for you to make any online purchases and have any chance at all of receiving the item(s) before Christmas day. For all you procrastinators out there, it is your time. Time to step up or you’ll find yourself fighting the masses at the brick-n-mortar stores. I do NOT envy you if you decide on the second option.
In case you have purchased or will need to purchase any holiday gifts for that “techie” in your family, there are some things you might want to be aware of, before you actually hand over the gift for unwrapping. I, being a techie myself, was unaware that anyone had put any real thought into this, but it turns out that my friends over at CNET (fantastic site for any computer lover) put together a little video for you to review. Check out the video “Top 5 Worst Holiday Tech Gifts.”
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Posted in Deals, Online Shopping | 1 Comment »
Friday, December 18th, 2009
Protecting your computer from security threats, like viruses and malware, has long been a necessary evil for PC users. Threats are plentiful, and so are the costs associated with anti-virus programs and updates. Unfortunately, both seem to also be on the rise.
Most new computers come with a trial version of Norton or McAfee (anti-virus programs), which expires within the first year of use. For most users, the notification that the trial period is about to expire surfaces far too quickly and forces them into some quick decision making. Uneducated and uninformed, the average user feels they should continue to use these programs after the trial ends. There are two major problems with this mode of thinking:
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Tags: anti-malware, anti-spyware, anti-virus, avast, AVG, Comodo Personal Firewall, IOBit Security 360, McAfeem Symantec, Norton
Posted in Free Programs, PC Support, Viruses | 1 Comment »
Thursday, December 17th, 2009
About a month ago, JumpstartMyPC.com posted an article titled Get More Features and Easier Access to Your Email, where we highlighted your options for email programs that you could use in place of checking your email online. The message we wanted to send was that you don’t have to be locked into using a browser to check, read and manage your email messages. In the month since that article, I have tested several things, including the newly released Thunderbird 3, and I wanted to share my results and opinions on these tests.
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Posted in Free Programs, Tips and Tricks | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
My mission with JumpstartMyPC.com, from day one, was to provide PC users with ways to get the most out of their computer. I started with a list of the tips, tricks, topics and programs that I used personally and then went from there. Somehow, I left one of my absolute favorite services off of that list and I am going to remedy that today. Maybe I forgot about it because it is so easy to use or because it has been part of my life for so long now. Either way, I hope you will also benefit from the life-changing benefits of the services available at PayTrust.com.
PayTrust is a total bill management service that allows you to use your computer to pay every bill you have in a timely, efficient way. Now, I know what many of you are going to say. “My bank offers a bill pay service and I use that.” Banks or biller sites only offer partial bill pay solutions. With Paytrust, all of your bills can arrive online and be set up for manual or automatic payment. You can gain peace of mind from not losing paper bills, and not missing or being late on payments. (taken from the PayTrust web site).
Take a minute to read the rest of this article and you will see why PayTrust is unlike any bill pay service you have seen/used before.
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Tags: Bill Management, Bill Pay, Credit Score, Mortgage, PayMyBills.com, PayTrust, PayTrust.com, Service
Posted in Tips and Tricks | 6 Comments »
Monday, December 14th, 2009
We have stressed the importance of anti-virus protection for your PC since the first days of our blog. Even before there was a blog or a JumpstartMyPC.com I talked with friends and family about securing their computer via a program like avast! Now, I want to bring a new message to all of those who take the time to read our articles. “Know your anti-virus program and be careful what you click.”
Friday I got a call from a client whose computer was suffering from a virus attack and, of course, he needed his PC right away. I am not complaining or mocking him, as I know how important it is to have a functional, virus free computer at all times. I arrived on the scene to investigate and found one of the worst attacks I had ever seen. The computer could be powered up, but that was about it. A few seconds after booting up, the pop ups began. Window after window of warnings and seemingly helpful “virus removal” options filled the screen. The problem was, many of these “helpful” windows were actually the virus.
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Posted in Free Programs, PC Support, Technical Issues, Viruses | 6 Comments »
