Archive for April, 2010
Friday, April 30th, 2010
| FollowFriday : On any given Friday, thousands upon thousands (maybe even millions) of Twitter users enter the hashtag #FollowFriday (or #FF), followed by one or more “mentions.” The idea is for users to share the names of other “interesting people” that they follow and think you should too. These recommendations serve as positive comment cards for the digitally inclined.
JumpstartMyPC.com has decided to bring FollowFriday to our blog. Read on and, if you are so inclined, add these “interesting people” to your own list.
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Tags: #FF, DS, Facebook, Farmville, Follow Firday, FollowFriday, G4, G4tv, Gamers, Gaming, IGN, Inside Social Games, iPad, Mafia Wars, PS3, Social, Social Gaming, Video Games, Wii, XBOX, XBOX 360
Posted in FollowFriday, Gaming | 2 Comments »
Thursday, April 29th, 2010
Some might call me cheap, others frugal. However you look at it, I like to keep any money I can in my pocket by researching, cost-cutting and completing projects on my own. While things don’t always go as planned, I can honestly say that I have saved the most money by utilizing my PC for things like coupon code hunting, locating instructions for DIY projects and comparing products to find the best value. Now, with the help of a new, FREE tool I just found, my PC can save me even more money by monitoring and controlling it’s own power usage. The product is called Granola, the review is below.
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Tags: Carbon footprint, Electricity, environment, Gather, Granola, green, Linux, Money, power, Save, Savings, Windows
Posted in Free Programs, Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
Laser Virtual Keyboard - Yes, it's real
Several weeks ago, we brought you the article Your Keyboard is Dirtier Than a Toilet Seat. For some of you, cleaning that old keyboard became a top priority and the Clorox wipes probably made an appearance. For others, it might just have been easier to toss that old keyboard and purchase a new one. After all, if you’ve been using the same one that came with your computer 5 years ago, you may have other issues that needed attention, like broken or sticking keys. Or maybe you belong to another group of PC users completely. Maybe you are just looking for a change or upgrade. No matter which group you belong to, you should take a minute and read this guide for buying a new keyboard.
Buying a new keyboard my seem like a simple task, but you might be surprised to find that not all keyboards are created equal. In a recent trip to Micro Center here in Houston, I found myself on an aisle full of these necessary components and honestly, a little overwhelmed. There were close to 100 different options that ranged from $9.99 to almost $200.00. I needed a new keyboard to replace my aging, frustrating hunk-of-junk that required 40 pounds of force to press the “a” and “e” keys. Where should I start? Why hadn’t I already researched this? Oh, the choices!
Before stepping foot in an electronics superstore or hitting up Amazon.com, you should go through a checklist of needs and double-check your bank account balance. Determine what you want and how much you want to spend, then get in and get out. Here are some helpful topics to narrow down your choices and speed up your decision-making process:
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Tags: Agama, bluetooth, computer, diNove Mini, guide, iHome, iPhone, iPod, iTunes, keyboard, music lover, number pad, PC, photog, purchase, Shopping, typing, USB port, wireless
Posted in Online Shopping, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010
Several days from now (May 1st) CLEAR will begin a huge advertising campaign in the Houston area. The city will be “covered” in the bright green (their company color) and CLEAR logo. Electronics retailers, like Best Buy and Micro Center, will have displays and sales people demonstrating the CLEAR 4G high-speed internet service and answering questions. Some of your friends, family and co-workers will sign up and begin using the product. The entire city will be exposed to CLEAR in some way and some of us will take the next logical step, research.
If you are anything like me, your research will encompass several resources and a large dose of skepticism. After all, when something sounds this good, there must be a catch. What are they not telling us about the product? With this article, I hope to provide you with something that you will not get anywhere else, a personal look at the product and the service here in the Houston, TX area.
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Tags: 4G, Clear, gmaing, high-speed, home modem, home phone, Houston, internet, Live, Speed, telephone, Texas, TX, USB modem, WiFi, WiMAX, wireless, XBOX
Posted in WiMAX | 13 Comments »
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
Every so often, I run across a little trick that makes me wish I had known about it all along. These are often very simple shortcuts, key combinations, tricks, or even manipulation of software that was meant to do something else entirely. We’re not talking hacking here, but simply ways to increase your enjoyment and speed while surfing the web. One rule I learned long ago when dealing with PC’s, and specifically Windows, is that there are 3 ways to do everything. You may know one way, or maybe even two to accomplish something, but one day you’ll see someone who knows a different, possibly easier way to accomplish the same thing. Could one of these tricks be that third?
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Tags: captcha, CTRL, keyboard combinations, keys, my computer, refresh, shortcuts, surfing, tips, tricks, web, zoom
Posted in Tips and Tricks | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010
QUESTION: Why is it that Microsoft, who produces the world’s most popular operating system, doesn’t provide users with simple, easy-to-use software solutions to the common problems found in many of computers still in use today?
At the risk of costing myself some paying customers and making my job look easier than it is, I am going to share a little secret with you. Microsoft has attempted to answer a question that I have been asking for years (see above) by releasing a software that can help to fix your common PC problems. That’s right, the new Microsoft Fix it Center (now in public BETA) is out there, ready to help PC users get the bugs out of their computer.
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Tags: BETA, common PC problems, Fix it Center, fixes, Microsoft, operating system, problems, solutions, Vista, Windows, Windows 7, XP
Posted in Free Programs, Technical Issues, Tips and Tricks | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
Writing a blog is really a personal experience and so I often write about things, events and people that I interact with. This past weekend, I rode in the BP MS 150 (a bike ride from Houston to Austin that helps raise money for MS research) and had lots of time to think about things as I cycled through the Texas hill country. A recurring theme for this ride, my sixth trip for this great cause, was technology and how riders are finding ways to implement it into their cycling. Cell phones, GPS devices, ipods, stereo speakers, etc. It seemed that the majority of riders had found some way to enhance their 150+ mile ride with a bit of cycling tech.
As with any technology, one thing is required for any extended period of time…. power! Most riders carry extra batteries and I even saw some who attempted to use small solar panels to power their devices. Unfortunately, each of these solutions has their own set of problems, including a mostly-overcast ride this year. One possible solution that I have kept my eye on for some time was the use of “pedal power” for our gadgets and devices. Why not use the power of our own legs to generate the juice needed for our devices? Thankfully, the folks of Dahon were working on an answer to the same question. Their answer, released just a few months ago, was the BioLogic ReeCharge.
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Tags: battery, bicycle, Bike, BioLogic, cycling, Dahon, Dynamo hub, energy, GPS, green, iPhone, iPod, pedal, power, ReeCharge, Speaker, USB
Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
Monday, April 19th, 2010
For those unfamiliar with the process, capturing a screenshot of something on the ol’ PC and sending it to a friend, colleague or support person can be a bit of a challenge. There is the Print Screen button (which really does no printing at all), the question of how to get the image into a program for editing and then the dreaded “how do I send this to someone else?” Thinking back to my first experience with screenshots, I remember thinking “Wow, I am going to use this a lot.” Luckily, a new FREE program titled ScreenCatch has come along to shorten the gap between confusion and Wow!
Our friends at Lifehacker posted a great article about ScreenCatch this morning that introduced me to the product and I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to share it with my readers. The author Jason Fitzpatrick wrapped up the concept of ScreenCatch perfectly: “If you’re looking for a lightweight – 193k! – and portable screen capture tool without tons of features you’ll never use, ScreenCatch is a good match.”
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Tags: FREE, image, screencatch, screenshot, share, Software
Posted in Free Programs | No Comments »
