Main Computer

My main work machine is a 27” iMac. Bored of sitting all the time and for health reasons, I switched the desk legs for some extendable ones at IKEA and I now have a fantastic simple standing desk that’s actually really solid. If you already have a suitable desktop, you can pick up just the legs for about $100. I do need to do something about the cables though.

I have a second monitor beside it which runs Windows 7 inside a virtual Parallels machine, mostly used for testing purposes and because it’s much easier to take screenshots with a virtual machine.

Network

With a total of about 10 clients, everything in my house is networked together – including the TV. Where possible, I run a wired ethernet connection. No matter how good your wireless router is, a wired connection is always going to be faster, especially important when shuffling around large files and streaming HD movies. The main router is a stock firmware device given to me by my cable company – it’s good enough, and acts as both a 4 port switch and a wireless router. To extend the network upstairs, I then have a separate network switch connected via a simple crossover ethernet cable.

The number of devices is perhaps a bit excessive, but most are old laptops that wouldn’t sell anyway, and like most geeks I can’t bear to throw hardware away.

If you’d like to learn more about setting up a home network of your own, be sure to read our Easy Guide to Computer Networks for a great primer on the topic.

Home Server

Sitting in the cupboard is my home media, backup, and file server. Right now it’s running Windows Home Server 2011 – I know we’ve covered a lot of free alternatives before (such as Amahi and all these), but ultimately I prefer the stability of a Windows server and the fact that apart from being a rock solid server, it can also run Windows apps at the same time. With 2 x 1TB drives, it’s able to backup all the Windows machines on the network automatically, as well provides a remote time machine based backup for any Macs (though I don’t use that). Apart from the usual Windows file-sharing, I also run Plex Media Server which I showed you a few weeks ago. That’s then able to serve movies and TV shows around the house with full metadata information and covers automatically downloaded.

Of course, with all that space it also runs uTorrent. Rather than use the built-in uTorrent remote access, I prefer to have Windows Remote Desktop activated so I can use the entire desktop remotely. You can set this up on any Windows 7 machine easily using new features introduced in the Windows Live Mesh app. For security, any traffic to the outside world is secured across an anonymous VPN – I use VPN Tunnel (a paid, unlimited access service perfect for torrents).

Situated in a small room with a window upstairs, it’s also ideal as a motion-sensing security system using a webcam and a suite of tools I showed you before. When activated, the system can send Growl alerts to my mobile and around the network. Learn how to set up your own free home security system here.

Media Center

Though the TV is able to read some files straight off the network, I prefer to use my media centre PC and just output to the TV. This avoids any format issues, and allows me to have wonderful metadata and covers from Plex as I said, streaming from the server – this is done through XBMC and the PleXBMC plugin. Last week, I hacked the Xbox360 Kinect camera into this Windows PC to let me control XBMC by frantically waving my arms around, but plugging the camera back into the Xbox got tiring quickly so I’m making do with a long-corded USB mouse until I get a chance to test out some remote control apps. Android owners have a free official app from XBMC, and here’s a free app for iOS that handles Plex, XBMC and Boxee – I just haven’t got around to trying them yet!

To be honest, there’s quite a few Media Center apps you could use, and it’s really down to personal preference which you choose in the long run. Some of the writers here prefer Boxee, which I’ve yet to try myself but apparently has great social features, while others go for a straight up XBMC install, with all the hacks and tweaks that involves.

Web Services

I must admit I’m quite minimalist when it comes to web services. GMail and Reader have permanent tabs in my Chrome browser, and I have the obligatory Facebook account. Other than that, I don’t tweet, and virtually all my web browsing originates through various feeds in Google Reader. Sorry to disappoint, but I’m much more of a hardware and networking kind of guy.

That’s it from me, but I hope you’ll get to see what works for other writers in the coming weeks, so stay tuned and we can both look forward to reading those. As ever, feel free to comment or ask questions and I’ll do my best to reply. For general questions, you might want to ask in the Q&A part of the site, where our regular contributors and eagle-eyed editors jump at the chance to share their computing knowledge.

Image credit: ShutterStock

The full breakdown of the 386 votes is this: 38% prefer Google Talk/Gmail Chat; 15% prefer Skype; 13% prefer Windows Live Messenger (MSN); 8% prefer Yahoo! Messenger; 5% prefer Facebook Chat; 4% prefer AOL Instant Messenger (AIM); 4% prefer using IRC; 3% prefer XMPP/Jabber (Other than Google Talk/Facebook); 1% prefer ICQ. Another 8% of people marked that they preferred some ‘other’ service. A few good IM chat services were mentioned in the comments, as were many multi-purpose IM chat clients.

Full results and this week’s poll after the jump.

As you can see Google Talk has the most support from the MakeUseOf community.

This week’s poll question is: How Many Computers Do You Have In Your House?

Let’ see just how computer-obsessed we all are. Include any smartphones and tablets which you think are powerful enough, but don’t get silly and include all of your appliances.

Now that you’ve told us how many computers are in your house, maybe you’d like to explain why they’re all there. Let us know in the comments!

Usually, people bring along laptops with them when they travel. Since most homes are equipped with Wi-Fi, and since most people bring along their laptops wherever they go, there are a lot of ways you can use that network to host some excitement. What excitement, you ask? Well, if you’re trying to come up with fun party games this year, I encourage you to make use of that Wi-Fi network and host a few networked games amongst your guests with laptops.

If you need help setting up your Wi-Fi network for LAN gaming, make sure to check out Karl’s instructional guide.  I recently covered a cool LAN game you could play called WarZone 2100, but there are a few more games that especially lend themselves well to Wi-Fi LAN gaming with the family.

Play RISK

You’ve probably played the strategic board game called Risk, but you’ve never played it like the Yura.net SourceForge project. So fire up your laptops and then download and install this desktop version of the RISK board game.

When you first launch the game, one person can launch the server and the additional players can attach to the game server.

Game play can get pretty grueling as each person takes turns situating their armies across the globe, and then attacking neighbors in order to conquer the entire world. The game automatically handles rolling the dice and calculating gained or lost armies.

The game can get pretty heated as you completely wipe out your opponents. The game is pretty addictive so if you’re going to try it out, plan to set aside a couple of hours at least.

Play Poker

If you prefer classic card games more than board games, you’ll love the multi-platform game PokerTH. When you play this game, it’s like sitting around a huge billiards table with your friends and playing round after round of Poker.

If you’re hosting the game, just select option three from the main menu and configure the game settings, including the number of players, how much cash each player starts with, and other details.

The graphics are pretty decent, especially considering the game is free. It’s a lot of fun to try your hand at bluffing to see if you can get the other players to fold.

When you’re networked together on the same Wi-Fi network with this game, there’s no need to worry about dealing with cards, chips, or keeping track of everything. The application does it all for you.

Armagetron

There’s no getting around it, Armagetron is one of the best Tron clones out there. This game is built upon the lightcycle sequence from the movie Tron, and I have to say that it definitely does the movie justice. The pace of this game really does get your heart pumping. Setting up a multiplayer game is a breeze.

Just configure network setup in a couple of quick steps and you’ve got your game server ready to roll. One very cool feature of this game is that you can split your screen into up to four views to see all four players.

Racing through these levels are wild. You’ll either crash into your opponents forcefield, or you’re going to crash into your own, but one thing is for certain – you’re going to crash.

The point is – who is going to hold out the longest? Do you have what it takes to stay alive as each of your opponents collides into a wall at full speed? Challenge your guests to a heart-pounding game of Armagatron.

Warsow – A Family Friendly First Person Shooter

The most popular type of LAN party game is definitely the first person shooter, but there aren’t many FPS games that are suitable for all ages. Warsow is unique in that way because the characters are more cartoonish than anything else, and when you shoot, you’re blasting electricity, not bullets.

Once you’ve got your local server running, additional players can log in and look for your local server to join. Once they do, all of you will be in the virtual world where you can configure gameplay to be a free-for-all, deathmatch, duel, or anything else.

The environment and scenery is of a quality that you’d expect from some of the latest FPS shooting games – it’s only the character and weapons, as you can see in the image above, that are cartoonized.

There’s a lot to be said for a good old-fashioned sit-down with family and friends for a coffee and a chat. There’s a place and time at every family gathering for that. But, once the conversations have died down and people start looking for something interesting to pass the time, give these games a shot and transform your holiday gathering into an event that your guests are sure to remember.

Do you know of any other cool games that would be great at a party? Try these out at your next gathering and let us know how it went. Share your experiences in the comments section below.

Image credit: stokfoto

Imagine heading down to your local coffee shop to edit some photos only to find, when you arrive, that you forgot them on your USB drive! Such a scenario has happened to me a few times, and it is more than a little annoying.

There is however a solution – Windows Sync. This program makes it possible to sync files and folders between computers through an Internet connection. Microsoft Sync literally syncs all files in a folder, no matter what kind of files they are. And get this – Microsoft Sync works for both the PC and Mac.

Installation & Settings

To begin you’ll need to download the Microsoft Sync tool on the two (or more) computers you wish to sync up. Microsoft Sync is part of Microsoft’s Windows Live platform, so you will need to have a Live login in order to use the program. If you don’t have a login yet, you will have to register.

Once you have downloaded and installed the Windows Sync program you will notice that a new icon has appeared in your task tray. The icon looks like two blue arrows pointing in opposite directions. This indicates that Sync is running. The interface which you will use with Sync in order to share files and folders is actually web based, but before we go to the Sync website we need to change a setting that will make it possible to sync files and folders. Go to More –> Settings.

Your login information should already be inputted from the installation process, but if you don’t see it, or it looks wrong, go ahead and change it now. Also, click the checkbox next to “Allow remote access to my computer.” This setting must be turned on in order to properly sync files and folders.

Let’s Sync It Up

Now that the proper settings are enabled, we can go ahead and sync up our files and folders. This is performed using the web interface, so go ahead and launch the Windows Sync website. You can do this by clicking on the Windows Sync icon and then clicking Website on the drop-down menu.

When you open the web interface you’ll have two options. One is to create a Personal Folder and the other is to create a Shared Folder. The Shared Folder option lets you create folders that can be shared with other Windows Live users. It is a handy way to share information, but it is also outside the scope of this tutorial. We’re just going to be focusing on the Personal Folders, so go ahead and click Create a Personal Folder.

The next screen will ask you which computer you’d like to create the folder on. This doesn’t really matter. You are going to be creating sync folders on both your computers during this process and all files in all of the folders on all computers will be transferred. I suggest simply selecting the computer you’re currently using.

The next screen will display an Explorer view of the computer you selected. You need to select the folder in which the contents you want to sync are contained or will be contained. For example, you might make a folder in My Documents and call it My Sync Folder.  When you have accessed the folder you want, click Sync Folder Here.

Note that you need to be in the folder you want to sync. If you wanted to sync My Sync Folder you would have to click the Sync Folder Here option after you have opened My Sync Folder. If you click the option while you are in your My Documents folder your entire My Documents will be synced.

Syncing With Other Computers

You will now see a menu which is labeled “Sync with Another Computer.” The computer on which you already selected a folder to sync will be grayed out. From the list of other machines select the machine you want to sync with.

This will bring up another Explorer view, and again you will need to select a folder. Obviously, it would be best if both the folders on both computers have the same name. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. If you want to sync two folders with entirely different names, you can.

The next screen will ask if you want to use Automatic Sync or On-Demand Sync. Automatic Sync will always sync files, while On-Demand Sync will only sync files when you request them. I suggest choosing Automatic Sync, as it eliminates an extra step. Then click Finish.

Your folders will now begin to sync. You can see this activity by clicking on the Windows Sync icon and then clicking Activity from the drop-down menu. This will open a window which shows the files which are currently being transferred and their status. You will also now the sync folder you created in the drop-down menu. You can access the local version of the folder by clicking on it in the drop-down menu.

Always Have Your Files On Hand

Once you’ve set up your Automatic Sync folder between two computers you don’t have much else that you need to do. Files which are placed into the folder on either machine will be automatically transferred to the other machine. Of course, both computers do need to be online for this to happen, and both also need to be running Windows Sync. Those requirements aside, the process is completely hands-free once you set it up.

In the past, we have extensively covered the topic of synchronization.   Check them out!

It’s been proven over and over again that a normal human just can’t rely on their brain cells to store hundreds (or thousands) of contact entries without losing most of them. If you don’t believe me, try to recall 50 phone numbers and emails of contacts that you’ve met in the previous month.

Unfortunately, in the multiple gadgets environment that we live in today, it’s almost impossible to always enter data to only one device. Synchronization applications are essential unless you are willing to constantly copy and paste the data manually across different devices.

Working On The Windows Side

Problems arise when you have to synchronize data between ‘incompatible’ devices such as Mac machines and Windows machines. Even though there are signs of a truce between these two giants, they have been incompatible for so long that people are not even trying anymore.

It turns out that there is a free solution to sync your contacts, calendars and events between Macs and Windows PCs. SyncMate is the name and multiple devices synchronization is the game. We have discussed the Windows Mobile sync capabilities of SyncMate before. There’s even the giveaway. This article is going to look at the use of SyncMate to sync data between Mac and Windows.

The first step would be to download and install the Windows-side SyncMate client.

Then after the installation process, you have to give the app permission to go through your Windows Firewall. Only check the “Private Networks” access as it’s not recommended to access your private data through public remote access.

Then SyncMate is ready to connect. Please take notes of the used Port, Password, and IP address from this settings window. You’ll need the data later.

The Other Side Of The Story

Now let’s look at the Mac side of the story. Assuming that you have downloaded and installed the app, your first step would be to create a new connection. Choose “Windows PC” and click “Continue“.

Enter all the data that you got from the previous SyncMate Windows client: the IP address, the Port, and the password. Then click “Continue“.

The next window allows you to change the image and name of the connection. Click “Finish” after you’ve done.

The newly created connection will appear on the top bar of the SyncMate window along with your other already existing connections.

At the side of the main SyncMate window, you can see all the available plugins. Please note that the free version of this app has only two plugins available: Contacts and iCal. This is enough for syncing your contacts, calendars and events between the two computers. If you need other functionalities – like folder synchronization, you can upgrade to the paid “Expert” version.

When you select one of the plugins, the settings will be available on the main pane of the window. The “Contacts” settings allows you to choose the direction of the sync and what groups of contacts to sync.

The iCal settings also allow you to choose the sync direction, and the calendar to sync.

Besides that, you can also determine the time span of the events to be synced.

Should you need to change the connection settings, you can do so from the “Connection Settings” plugin.

When all the settings are done, the only thing left to do is to click the “Sync now” button at the top right of the window.

The sync indicator will appear, and all you have to do is wait for your data to be synced and then appear on both computers.

Final Note

I’ve tried to use the app to sync my Mac to two different Windows machines, but only one was successful. I am still investigating the reason and I haven’t got the chance to try the process on other machines.

Have you tried SyncMate to sync your contacts, calendars and events between Mac and PC?  Was it successful? Do you know other free methods to sync contacts between Mac and Windows PC? Please share your experiences, thoughts and opinions using the comments below.

I have always believed that note taking apps should be simple bare minimum apps. The more features, the more you are likely to get distracted while creating notes. You don’t need fancy formatting and tags and categories. Most of the time all you want is to file away a thought or a task that you need to get back to later. Tomboy notes does that very well!

I often switch between Windows and Linux on my home computer and then also use a different computer at work, and you never know when you have jot something down quickly. So I like to have access to all my notes all the time no matter which computer or OS I am using. It is often too late and defeats the purpose of taking notes if you have to postpone adding them until you are on the ‘right’ computer.

So I have my homebrew method of syncing Tomboy notes across operating systems and across different computers, which I think is worth sharing here. There is nothing so special about the technique. All it uses is some built in Tomboy features and our favorite sync tool Dropbox. Here are the steps to achieve a perfect seamless sync:

• Right Click on the Tomboy icon in the tray or panel and choose preferences. In the dialog that opens we need to make sure that the Local Directory Sync Service Add In is enabled under the Add-ins tab.

• Next up we will setup Tomboy to sync all the notes to a local directory. This is done via the synchronization tab. Choose Local Folder as the service and then choose the folder you want to sync to (lets call it tomboy). This is the essential part. You either want to create a new folder within the Dropbox folder or you can create a symbolic link to the folder selected in this step within the Dropbox folder. In either case, what we need is to sync the folder you choose in this step via Dropbox.

• We are almost done. We have setup Tomboy to sync notes with Dropbox. Now we just need to receive them (so to speak) on the other side. The other side could be a different OS on the same computer or a totally different computer.

• All you have to do now is to repeat the steps above: Install Dropbox and sync so as to get the Tomboy folder on this new computer. Open up the Tomboy preferences on the new computer and tell it to sync with the notes folder within the Dropbox folder. Let it sync and voila, you can now see the notes you created on the other computer.

A Few Noteworthy Points

• Although not required in a typical case, you can get near real-time syncs if you lower the sync interval while configuring synchronization.
• In newer versions of Ubuntu, Ubuntu One can automatically sync Tomboy notes. So if you need syncing across computers running Ubuntu only, then you are saved a lot of configuration by going the Ubuntu One way.
• To install Tomboy on Windows, you need .NET framework 3.5 and gtk-sharp installed before you can install Tomboy.
• You can substitute Dropbox with any of your favorite sync tools and the rest of the steps should remain the same. You can also share your notes with other users, by sharing the “notes” folder with any other Dropbox user.

Overall the technique works seamlessly. The only thing I wish I could do was to access the notes on a mobile device as well. We could use the Dropbox public folder for read-only access but the notes are not stored in plain text and aren’t readable as such without the Tomboy application. If you can think of a way to do so, share it with us in the comments!

What is your favorite note taking app? How do you sync your notes?