October 28, 2009
Do you keep a list of all the items in your home? You do? Really? And how about serial numbers, warranty information, purchase dates and how much that special something is worth? I recently had to create a home inventory list for the insurance company and now here is a great program that will let [...]
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October 27, 2009
Clothes make the man (and always, the woman!) but how much care do you put into dressing up your documents? Is it all title, headings, subheadings, bullets and paragraphs or do you put some more thought into the Word document? There are a lot of things which can go into creating a professional looking document. [...]
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October 27, 2009
I love reading science fiction stories. Not only because they allow our imagination to soar free, but also because they are – as one writer philosophically puts it – the way for humans to question their humanity. From my writer’s point of view, crafting science fiction is as exciting as – and so much even [...]
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October 27, 2009
Thunderbird is Mozilla’s desktop eMail client. In my hands Thunderbird has been working smoothly and efficiently for many years, which is reason enough to stick with it. Did you know that eMails in the Thunderbird eMail client are not terminally deleted? Even if you empty the trash folder, they are not physically removed, neither from [...]
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October 26, 2009
It’s a common problem among computer users: after a few months, our computers become weighed down by programs and all sorts of other junk, and inevitably become sluggish. For the less tech-savvy users, this may induce thoughts like “Why is my computer so terrible?” or “I guess I could always upgrade this… what-cha-ma-callit RAM thing”. [...]
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October 26, 2009
If you are stuck with a non-native language on your Windows computer, there is no need to panic. You can install additional languages easily. There are two options you can look into. The first one is available to users of the Ultimate or the Enterprise edition of Windows and is called the Multilingual User Interface [...]
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October 26, 2009
Of course, the easiest way to get rid yourself of almost all performance issues is to have the money to buy a new, faster computer. But it’s much easier said than done, especially when you are not so financially independant. So, let’s say you have an average PC/Mac and whenever you start Photoshop, it takes [...]
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October 24, 2009
So when you get a new machine or you do a reformat what is the first thing you do? If you are not imaging your system, chances are you will need to install the pieces of software that enable your machine to be a tool instead of a big paper weight. I find myself downloading [...]
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October 24, 2009
Here at MakeUseOf, we love doing cool things with webcams. One example is Simon’s cool article on how to control a game with your webcam. Another is a recent article I wrote on how to put together a home security system with your webcams. It was actually writing that article that made me start thinking [...]
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October 24, 2009
A snarl is something you would associate with a really cross guy. But the software which takes the same name does its job ever so silently. Snarl is a universal notification handler for Windows. Under normal running, applications (or Windows) display bits of information in a comment balloon or a bubble in the area of [...]
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October 23, 2009
The best things in life are free. How trite. I think the best things in life are free things that don’t suck from a company that gets picked on a lot. Don’t worry, I’m not standing up for Microsoft. They’ve got broad shoulders and can take care of themselves. You should know, however, that Microsoft [...]
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October 23, 2009
All of us use the keyboard to create symbols daily. Look at the thumbnail. That’s a simple symbol created with just four keys. Symbols existed even before the alphabets. Over the years they have been part of folklore, myths and legends. Some have stayed on as indelible marks. Some, like the swastika, are better forgotten. [...]
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October 22, 2009
Windows 7 will be released today. We have already given plenty of love to Windows 7. If you are still using Windows XP and want to switch directly to Windows 7, you might get disheartened knowing that there is no direct path to upgrade Windows XP to Windows 7. However, with a bit of planning [...]
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October 22, 2009
I hate, I repeat, I HATE fake antivirus programs with a fury! You know exactly what I am talking about. These are pieces of software that advertise their ability to protect and fix your machine, yet once they are installed, they take over your machine, disable your antivirus and hold your computer as a virtual [...]
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October 21, 2009
Tomorrow evening, just after dinner, I’d like you to do me a favour. All of you. When you get up from the supper table, go look out your window and count the number of kids playing outside. If you see more than 3, count your blessings. Chances are, you won’t see any. Now think back [...]
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