About Ryan Dube
Ryan has a BSc degree in Electrical Engineering. He's worked 13 years in automation engineering, 5 years in IT, and now is an Apps Engineer. A former Managing Editor of MakeUseOf, he's spoken at national conferences on Data Visualization and has been featured on national TV and radio.
Latest Articles
9 Strange US Government Efforts to Make Use of the Internet
I just want to make it very clear that I don't intend to make fun of the US Government. I am an upstanding, patriotic citizen of the United States. With that said, I do have a very personal, intense dislike of bureaucracy and lack of common sense. So even though there are plenty of great websites and online resources offered by the US Government, there are also a whole lot of silly online sites as well.
What in the World Is PLC Programming?
In the world of manufacturing, there are computers, and then there's computer automation. While you may think you know all there is to know about computers, you just haven't even scratched the surface of using computers to automate things until you've used a programmable logic controller - known in the automation industry simply as a "PLC".
3 Awesome Things You Can Do With Windows Scripting
Whether you work in the IT field, as a web designer, or if you are just a student or regular office worker, Windows Scripting has something to offer you. Of course Applescript does as well, but my focus in this case is on Windows. When I refer to Windows Scripting, I'm referring to text files filled with code that are saved as .wsf files, which Windows is able to compile and run on the fly.
Two Awesome Free Tools To Monitor & Verify Your Website [Windows]
Owning a website seems like a terrific idea on paper. The last thing most people consider when thinking up the next great website is the work. Owning a popular website means regular server maintenance, closely monitoring the health and uptime of your web server, and keeping track of the health of your internal and external links.
Coolendar - A Cool Calendar & To-Do List In One
I usually just stick to using Google Calendar for my scheduling needs, and Workflowy as my online to-do list. It takes a lot to impress me about any calendar/scheduling system. So I was a little bit hesitant to try a new calendar system that I came across, and more than a little surprised to discover that I loved the new system. It's called Coolendar.
How To Build A WiFi PC Radio With Subsonic [Cross-Platform]
Downloading or streaming music is definitely an activity that I love to do when I'm relaxing or just trying to pass the time. The problem I have is that when I download music to a PC, I may want to access that music from different PCs in my house. To solve that problem, I decided to create a sort of Wi-Fi PC Radio server where I can store all of my music and then allow users from anywhere to stream that music.
5 Great Apps for Avid Readers Who Prefer a Real Printed Book [Android]
If there is one area in life that I believe technology will never completely eradicate older "technology" is in the area of reading. While many people have adopted the great e-book readers and publications that are available out there, I believe there will always be people who will enjoy the experience of holding and reading a real, printed book.
Encrypt Or Completely Wipe Files With the Axcrypt Encryption Utility [Windows]
There are plenty circumstances people may need to send an encrypted file, such as academic researchers sharing highly-sensitive information with each other over the Internet, corporate communications, or just friends that are discussing very private matters. One of the easiest and fastest utilities for doing this is AxCrypt.
Capture Missing Time In Your Work Schedule With Klok Time Tracking
Over the past few months, I've discovered a very strange phenomenon creeping into my work schedule. I seem to keep losing time. How do you lose time? It's easier than you might think. You get started on a project, and then it strikes you to check email then Facebook, and then Twitter too. You then glance at the clock and realize that somewhere in there you've just lost two hours.
Reorganize Your Files & Folders in Batches With AdvancedRenamer
After a while, our computers become like cluttered closets, or even worse. One of the best ways to become more efficient is by simply getting organized in the first place; and when it comes to those thousands of files and folders that you've piled upon your hard drive, the best way to get organized is by using mass renaming software.
Monitor How SEO-Optimized Your Site Is With SEO Panel
Most SEO experts out there have come to recognize how humbling the field of search engine optimization can be. Just when you put together a series of rules or techniques that work well, Google up and turns the world upside down. The nice thing about optimizing a site however is that most of the really important core issues still matter, even after Google makes any change - whether it's big or small.
Nmap - Wi-Fi Security Auditing Software to Check Your Home Network [Windows]
When most people think of network security, they think of people sitting up in the computer rooms deep inside corporate headquarters, sifting through thousands of computer assets on networks stretching across the entire globe. Not many people consider monitoring a network as something that is really important in a home setting.
5 Cool Lesser Known Free Android Apps
When it comes to free apps on the Android Marketplace, I don't think we'll ever run out. Searching the "Just In" category almost always turns up some real gems. No matter what you need to do, what information you need to find, or where you need to go, the odds are good that there's an Android out there that will pretty much get the job done.
Use Your WiFi Connection Setup On All PCs With WiFi Network Backup Manager [Windows]
Having multiple wifi access points isn't much of a hassle, because you can just configure all of them in your wireless network setup and then click to connect to whichever one you want. The hassle comes in when you switch to a new computer or if you switch computers often. You have to set up all of those Wi-Fi points again.
FTP Droid – Transfer Files To Your Android Device From Anywhere [Android]
Having an FTP server available, whether it's one associated with your web hosting account, or a standalone server you've set up at home, is a nice convenience. When people started getting excited about "cloud" apps like DropBox or SkyDrive, I couldn't help but wonder how different it all really is from simply having an FTP server available.
The New Wayback Machine Lets You Visually Travel Back In Internet Time
It seems that since the Wayback Machine launch in 2001, the site owners have decided to toss out the Alexa-based back-end and redesign it with their own open source code. After conducting tests with the code on smaller collections, the owners have now transferred the entire archive over to the new software. Hence - Wayback Machine Beta.
Make Craigslist Part of Your Internet Experience With the Helper Browser Extension
It's pretty clear to most people that use it, that Craiglist is one of the largest, if not the largest database of items and services for sale. Craigslist spans the entire world, and serves communities from the largest cities to the smallest towns. The only thing Craigslist lacks in a very big way is a front-end that makes any sense at all.
Get Your Windows PC Back Into Shape With WinUtilities
If there is anything that a Windows user can't deny it's that the Windows operating system is an irritating thing to maintain. There are so many hidden stockpiles of temporary, log and history files. Honestly, who has time to "clean up" the mess that other OS processes and installed applications leave behind?