PowerPoint to Flash converter free download

Professional PPT to Flash Conversion

Now your presentation can turn from PowerPoint to Flash in one click and get all advantages of Flash format, such as compactness, easy distribution, high compatibility with all browsers and OSs. iSpring creates high quality Flash movies with vector representation of standard PowerPoint objects and keeps most of advanced PowerPoint features.

PowerPoint 2000/XP/2003/2007 Hyperlinks and action buttons Animations and hyperlinks on Slide Masters 180+ PowerPoint animation effects All PowerPoint slide transitions

One click conversion Embedded music and audio narrations Synchronization of animations and sounds Embedded video clips and Flash movies Flash based Player

Web Friendly Presentations

iSpring Free converts your PowerPoint presentation with all external resources into one solid Flash movie. With iSpring Free you can generate .html code ready to place an .swf file on your web page or blog. iSpring wraps Flash slideshows in the attractive Player for effective navigation. iSpring supports automatic and mouse click animation step advance and looped playback.

Handy PowerPoint add-in All iSpring Free functions are accessible in your PowerPoint through the standard toolbar. Just click Quick Publish and iSpring will generate a Flash movie form your PowerPoint presentation in a few seconds.
http://www.ispringsolutions.com/download.html

-
This worked like a charm on a big (83) PowerPoint file I have.  -tp.

Spend ten bucks for a locking gas cap...

If someone steals a couple of gallons of gas, your 10$ cap has paid for itself. Also, you might need that full tank some morning when you rush out...only to realize the neighbor kids took about half your tank the night before. It's also dangerous to have someone siphoning gas out of your tank. STANT makes good caps, and most auto supply stores will have a locking cap for your car. You do NOT have to buy one at the dealer.

Rogue spyware, Test Security, More freeware, PDF Unlocker, Utilies from Pristy, DVD converter and a couple of Checklists

Comprehensive listing of Rogue, Suspect, Anti-Spyware.  Do not use anything listed herein: http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

Test your computer's security. Kim's Tips: http://www.komando.com/tips/index.aspx?id=3984

Freeware by MeeSoft: http://meesoft.com/  Have a look at COMMANDER for file management, there.

New. PDF Unlocker is a simple and useful application that will remove the password and restrictions on any PDF file that you can read:  http://jayaprakashkv.blogspot.com/2008/06/download-free-pdf-unlocker.html

Pristy Utils 2008 1.1.5:   http://pristyutils.freehost386.com/

HandBrake is an open-source, GPL-licensed, multiplatform, multithreaded DVD to MPEG-4 converter, available for MacOS X, Linux and Windows: http://handbrake.fr/?article=details   I am testing this one on an decrypted video I made from a DVD movie. MPEG-4 is ready to stream incredible-quality audio and video today in QuickTime. With the free QuickTime Player or browser plug-in, you can play back any compliant MPEG-4 file.

Checklist for buying a new computer: http://www.simplychecklists.com/TechnologyElectronics/computer_purchase.asp  A FREE FORM.  See also, Traveling with a Laptop: http://www.simplychecklists.com/TechnologyElectronics/travel_laptop.asp

File Management tips from Scott Dunn

Save time by creating folders in bunches 

By Scott Dunn  Simplify file management by generating new folders from your right-click menu that automatically have the current date in the folder name. Run a four-line batch file from your context menu that creates whole hierarchies of folders that you name from the Command Prompt.

Name folders based on their creation date 

It's often useful to sort files into folders based on when the files were created. This is especially handy for storing digital photos. Of course, you can simply create a folder and name it manually. But it's much faster to add the date to the folder name automatically.

Date-based folders are more useful if their names are automatically sorted in chronological order. They won't sort chronologically if you use a date format such as "June 30, 2008."

But you can sort folders by date if you use the year-month-day format (for example, "2008-06-30"). This way, your folders will be listed in date order automatically when you sort them by name.

Start by choosing Windows' short-date format:

Step 1. Press the Windows key (Win) plus the letter R to open the Run dialog box. Type control intl.cpl and press Enter.

Step 2. In the Regional and Language Options Control Panel, click Customize (in XP) or Customize this format (in Vista).

Step 3. In the Customize Regional Options dialog box, click the Date tab.

Step 4. For Short date, choose yyyy-MM-dd from the drop-down list. Click OK twice.

Now add a command to your folders' context (or right-click) menu that names new folders based on this format.

In Windows XP, this can be done via Windows Explorer dialog boxes. Unfortunately, doing so triggers a Windows bug that can be fixed only by editing the Registry.

In Vista, you have to edit the Registry from the start, so it's best to use the Registry Editor to make the change in both Vista and XP.

Careless Registry changes can cause Windows to misbehave, so create a restore point before you begin. That way you can revert to the pre-modification Registry in case something goes wrong.

In XP, follow these steps to create a restore point:

Step 1. Choose Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore.

Step 2. Select Create a restore point, click Next, and follow the instructions in the wizard to complete the process.

Follow these steps to create a restore point in Vista:

Step 1. Click Start, type SystemPropertiesProtection, and press Enter. Click Continue if prompted by User Account Control (UAC).

Step 2. Click Create. Type a name for your restore point, and press Enter. Click OK to acknowledge the completion of the process and OK again to close System Properties.

Now you're ready to add a new command to Explorer's context menu for folders:

Step 1. Press Win+R to open the Run dialog box. Type regedit and press Enter.

Step 2. In the tree pane on the left, navigate to and select:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell

Step 3. (Optional) The next tip I describe entails returning to this location, so you may want to choose Favorites, then Add to Favorites; type a descriptive name; and press Enter to facilitate reopening the key.

Step 4. In the tree pane, right-click the shell icon and choose New, Key. Type a name, such as Date_Folder, and press Enter.

Step 5. With Date_Folder (or whatever you named the key) selected in the tree pane, double-click the (Default) icon in the right pane.

Step 6. In the Value Data box, type the command as you want it to appear on your context menu. For example, you might type "New folder with today's date" (without the quotation marks). Click OK.

Step 7. Right-click the Date_Folder key in the tree pane and choose New, Key. Name it command and press Enter.

Step 8. With the command icon selected in the tree pane, double-click the (Default) icon in the right pane.

Step 9. In the Value data box, type:

cmd.exe /c md "%1\%%DATE%%"

(including the quotation marks) and click OK. Exit the Registry Editor.

Now when you right-click a folder icon in Explorer or on the desktop, you'll see your new command. When you choose it, a Command Prompt window may briefly flash on screen.

The command creates a new folder inside the selected one, so you may find it easier to use on folders in the tree pane. If you don't see the new folder, press F5 to refresh the Explorer window.

Once the folder contains a folder named for the current date, the command can't create another folder with the same name. So once you invoke it, subsequent use of this command on the same folder will have no effect until the next day.

Mass-produce new folders via a batch file 

By default, the only ways to create a folder in Explorer are to click File, New, Folder or to right-click in the right pane and choose New, Folder. If you need to make more than a few new folders at one time, this gets old very quickly.

Save time and trouble by adding a command to your folder context menu that lets you create all the new folders you wish — including a hierarchy of subfolders — almost as fast as you can type.

Start by creating a batch file that will generate new subfolders within any folder you right-click:

Step 1. Press Win+R to open the Run dialog box. Type notepad and press Enter.

Step 2. In Notepad, type the following four lines exactly:

@echo off

set /p name="Type one or more folder names: "

cd %1

md %name%

The first line hides the code from the Command Prompt window.

The second line prompts you to enter the folder names and then stores the names in a variable called Name.

Be sure to place one or more spaces before the closing quotation mark in line 2. That way, the names you type won't run up against the prompt in the Command Prompt window.

The other commands in the batch file switch the current folder to the one you right-clicked and create folders based on what you type at the prompt.

Step 3. Save the file to a location of your choice, for example C:\batch. Name the file something like manyfolders.cmd and then exit Notepad.

Next, add a command to launch the batch file from your folders' context menu. As in the context-menu customization I described above, this change requires some Registry editing:

Step 1. Set a restore point as explained above.

Step 2. Press Win+R to open the Run dialog box. Type regedit and press Enter.

Step 3. In the tree pane on the left, navigate to and select:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell

(If you saved this key to your Favorites menu as part of the tip above, choose the entry there to open the key in a flash.)

Step 4. In the tree pane, right-click the shell icon and choose New, Key. Type a name such as Make_Folders and press Enter.

Step 5. With Make_Folders (or whatever you named it) selected in the tree pane, double-click the (Default) icon in the right pane.

Step 6. In the Value Data box, type the command as you want it to appear on your context menu. For example, you might type Make one or more folders. Click OK.

Step 7. Right-click the Make_Folders key in the tree pane and choose New, Key. Name the new key command and press Enter.

Step 8. With the command icon selected in the tree pane, double-click the (Default) icon in the right pane.

Step 9. In the Value data box, type:

"c:\batch\manyfolders.cmd" "%1"

(with the quotation marks) and click OK. Naturally, your path and batch file name may differ. Exit the Registry Editor.

Now when you want to make one or several new folders within another folder, right-click that folder and choose your new command. A Command Prompt window appears telling you to type the name(s) of your folder(s). Type the name of each folder you want to create at that location, separated by a space.

If you want a folder name to include spaces, put that name within quotation marks. To create folders within folders, use the \ symbol. When you're done, press Enter.

For example, if you type:

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri

you create those five folders within the current folder. Typing:

Mon\draft Mon\final Tue\draft Tue\final Wed\draft Wed\final Thu\draft Thu\final Fri\draft Fri\final

creates five folders, each of which has two subfolders named "draft" and "final."

If you don't see your new folders, press F5 to refresh Explorer.

Note that you can use this command to create a single folder as well.

Bonus tip: Looking for a fast way to add a single subfolder without taking your hands off the keyboard? Select the parent folder in Explorer, press Alt+F, Enter, Enter. Type the new name and press Enter again.

Note that this technique doesn't work if you have an object selected in the right pane. To fix that, press Ctrl+Spacebar to deselect it before using the aforementioned key sequence.

Troubleshoot a balky folder-creation shortcut 

If your new folder-generating commands don't work as expected, double-check your settings in the Regional and Language Options Control Panel and the text in your manyfolders.cmd batch file.

You may also need to reopen the Registry Editor and double-check the names and values of the keys you just added. Double-click the (Default) icon of any key whose commands you need to edit, make the required changes, and click OK.

If the batch file still refuses to run and you decide to remove the commands from the context menu, navigate to and select:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell

in the Registry Editor, right-click the Date_Folder or Many_Folders key in the Registry Editor's tree pane, and choose Delete. Click Yes to confirm.

If the file causes other problems, choose Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore. Select the restore point you created before starting the process to return your computer to its previous state.

Gates talks about the future of the PC

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techinvestor/corporatenews/2008-06-24-gates-microsoft_N.htm?csp=tech

Get your money back!

Get your money back! - There are lots of stores out there that offer price protection policies -- when the price drops on an item you've purchased, they'll refund you the difference. But there's a catch... it's up to you to watch prices. Price Protectr makes it simple to keep track of your purchases, watch prices, and get your money back. It's free. It's easy. It's free and easy money. How often do you get that offer? http://www.priceprotectr.com/index.jsp

Keep Your Nozzles Clear

Leaving any inkjet idle for even a week or two can allow the ink in the tiny tubes that feed the nozzles to dry. The resulting clogs cause streaks and other anomalies in your pictures. If the tubes become too blocked, you'll need the services of a professional (at upward of $85 an hour). The results of inkjet cleaning kits (which cost from $15 to more than $50) are mixed at best. To avoid clogs, print at least once a week. Some printers run a maintenance routine on startup, meaning that you can keep the nozzles clear simply by turning your printer on and off once a week. Check your device's manual to see whether it has this feature.

Free anti virus removal, Software Inspector softare, copy from scratched CDs, freeware...

Kaspersky's FREE virus removing tools: http://www.kaspersky.com/removaltools   They are listed here, by date and alphabetically.

Secunia:  Free Software Inspector: The Secunia PSI is the FREE security tool that is designed with the sole purpose of helping you secure your computer from software vulnerabilities. Software vulnerabilities affect all applications installed on your computer, from the Operating System down to your email client, office application, instant messaging, and so on. What are software vulnerabilities? A software vulnerability is basically a programming error/flaw in a software application, that can be used by a hacker to perform actions, which have a security impact on your computer. These actions range from disclosure of sensitive information stored on your computer (like credit card numbers and account information) to automatic installation of viruses, trojans, keyloggers, or other code. https://psi.secunia.com/

Unstoppable Copier 3.51 recover files from scratched CD's or defective floppy, hard disks: http://www.roadkil.net/program.php?ProgramID=29

Freeware by Arnaud Bouchez: http://bouchez.info/projects.html
 
Freeware By Nemex: http://www.planetnana.co.il/nemexsoft/soft.htm

Email SHORTCUTS

Make a shortcut to send a new email message.  The first shortcut just opens a blank email message in your default email client.  Right click on the desktop and choose NEW | Shortcut.  Enter mailto: and click on Next.  Enter a name for the shortcut and click on Finish.  Double click on the new shortcut to make sure it correctly opens a new, blank email.

Now we'll expand on this.  Right click on the shortcut you must made.  Choose Properties from the menu and edit the URL field.  Add two email addresses, separated by a command and click on OK. 

Example:  mailto:bill@gates.com,steve@microsloth.com.  Launch the shortcut and check whether your email works  If it doesn't work, change the COMMA between the names to a SEMICOLON.  Outlook requires a semicolon, for example. Thunderbird works fine with a comma between email addresses.

Next, you can add other fields to the URL.  The first field must be preceded by a question mark, and any addition fields must be preceded by an ampersand (&).  The cc= and bcc= fields can be used to add recipients.  The subject= field defines the subject of your email and you can include a little text with the body=field.  The subject= and body= fields are a little tricky.  Special characters must be encoded.  Every space has to be replaced by %20, and new lines in the message BODY are represented by %0D%0A.

Here is a sample that uses everything described.  It creates an email with a subject and body and sends it to several recipients.

mailto:mrclaus@northpole;boss@work.com?cc=rudolph@northpole.com&subject=This%20Chirstmas&body=Been%20a%20good%20boy.%0D%0AReally%20I%20have!

Try this with your email client for email you send often.

Email checklist - from Seth Godin's BLOG (edited)

A lot of folks have no idea about email etiquette. Everyone that sends email should read this, and before you hit send on that next email, perhaps you should run down this list, just to be sure:

1. Is it going to just one person? (If yes, jump to #10)
2. Since it's going to a group, have I thought about who is on my list?
3. Are they blind copied?
4. Did every person on the list really and truly opt in? Not like sort of, but really ask for it?
5. So that means that if I didn't send it to them, they'd complain about not getting it?
6. See #5. If they wouldn't complain, take them off!
7. That means, for example, that sending bulk email to a list of bloggers just cause they have blogs is not okay.
8. Aside: the definition of permission marketing: Anticipated, personal and relevant messages delivered to people who actually want to get them. Nowhere does it say anything about you and your needs as a sender. Probably none of my business, but I'm just letting you know how I feel. (And how your prospects feel).
9. Is the email from a real person? If it is, will hitting reply get a note back to that person? (if not, change it please).
10. Have I corresponded with this person before?
11. Really? They've written back? (if no, reconsider email).
12. If it is a cold-call email, and I'm sure it's welcome, and I'm sure it's not spam, then don't apologize. If I need to apologize, then yes, it's spam, and I'll get the hurt I deserve.
13. Am I angry? (If so, save as draft and come back to the note in one hour).
14. Could I do this note better with a phone call?
15. Am I blind-CCing [Bcc:] my boss? If so, what will happen if the recipient finds out?
16. Is there anything in this email I don't want the attorney general, the media or my boss seeing? (If so, hit delete).
17. Is any portion of the email in all caps? (If so, consider changing it.)
18. Is it in black type at a normal size?
19. Do I have my contact info at the bottom? (If not, consider adding it).
20. Have I included the line, "Please save the planet. Don't print this email"? (If so, please delete the line and consider a job as a forest ranger or flight attendant).
21. Could this email be shorter?
22. Is there anyone copied on this email who could be left off the list?
23. Have I attached any files that are very big? (If so, google something like 'send big files' and consider your options.)
24. Have I attached any files that would work better in PDF format?
25. Are there any :-) or other emoticons involved? (If so, reconsider).
26. Am I forwarding someone else's mail? (If so, will they be happy when they find out?)
27. Am I forwarding something about religion (mine or someone else's)? (If so, delete).
28. Am I forwarding something about a virus or worldwide charity effort or other potential hoax? (If so, visit snopes and check to see if it's 'actually true).
29. Did I hit 'reply all'? If so, am I glad I did? Does every person on the list need to see it?
30. Am I quoting back the original text in a helpful way? (Sending an email that says, in its entirety, "yes," is not helpful).
31. If this email is to someone like Seth, did I check to make sure I know the difference between its and it's? Just wondering.
32. If this is a press release, am I really sure that the recipient is going to be delighted to get it? Or am I taking advantage of the asymmetrical nature of email--free to send, expensive investment of time to read or delete?
33. Are there any little animated creatures in the footer of this email? Adorable kittens? Endangered species of any kind?
34. Bonus: Is there a long legal disclaimer at the bottom of my email? Why?
35. Bonus: Does the subject line make it easy to understand what's to come and likely it will get filed properly?
36. If I had to pay 42 cents to send this email, would I?

She keeps Mozilla safe -

SAN FRANCISCO — Window Snyder isn't your average security czar. YES....This bright, young woman's first name is WINDOW. Her mom is from Kenya.  Her first name, Mwende — which means "beloved" and is the name of her maternal grandmother — by custom is used only by family members.

As chief of security at Mozilla Foundation, the unconventional non-profit whose popular Web browser Firefox underwent a major facelift this week, Snyder cuts an unconventional swath. I downloaded my copy of 3 for my iMac and for Windows early yesterday. -tp

Full story at USA Today site:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2008-06-17-mozilla-window-snyder_N.htm?csp=tech

PhotoShop secrets, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Clean your registry, Rod Zimmerman sings, Graphic interface to popurls and FireFox 3 tip

Twenty PhotoShop Secrets: http://blogof.francescomugnai.com/2008/06/photoshop_secrets_revealed/

YouTube - Neil deGrasse Tyson - Stupid Design. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1cKD93W3yg

Clean Registry: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/clean_after_me.html

Maximum PC, August, 2007 e-magazine: http://issuu.com/infohuntr/docs/mpcaug1007?mode=embed&documentId=071221145102-c68bc48c0c144a3089fde75f3a586bfb&layout=grey

Jerry Falwell's God by Rod Zimmerman: http://www.youtube.com/v/MyE5wjc4XOw&hl=en

Our Signal: http://oursignal.com/  - graphic interface to news - including: digg, reddit, del.icio.us and hackernews

FIREFOX 3, final release: It’s not a new feature; it’s just a change in how the autocomplete feature in the location bar (where you type the Web address) works. When you start typing something, it doesn’t only give you the corresponding Web addresses which start with the same letters; it actually searches through your bookmarks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/bookmark and history and tries to present the most relevant results based on both frequency and recency of your visits. For example, when I start typing “mas” I’ll get Mashable as the first couple of results, but I’ll also get Mashable if I start “soc” because it matches the site title, “social networking news.” The location bar learns and adapts from your usage, which should in theory make it better over time. However, some users might get annoyed at this new feature; if you’re accustomed to writing the first couple of characters of the domain name and want that exact domain name as the first result, you won’t immediately (and, perhaps, never) like the location bar. Luckily, there’s a Firefox add-on called Oldbar which tweaks the location bar to give you the functionality similar to the location bar in Firefox 2. Another tip which you may find useful will let you change the number of results for the autocomplete feature: type “about:config” and find the item named “browser.urlbar.maxRichResults.” Doubleclick it and change the number of results to whatever number you like

MAGIC JACK...Free local and long distance...

First month is FREE.  Buy the jack for 40$.  The first year of calls is free, and only 20$ thereafter.  Plug your regular phone into the jack and then plug the jack into  your USB port.  It works on Windows and Intel Based MACS. Free directory service, your computer does NOT have to be on for it to work, FREE phone number, FREE call waiting, FREE voicemail and Caller ID.

http://www.magicjack.com/3/index.asp

Spotted on a cubicle wall

In the right environment

Thinking is valued,

Ideas flow freely,

Fresh eyes are welcomed,

Egos are checked,

Ideas stimulate better ones,

And thinking generates teamwork.

(and one conversation at a time whenever possible).

Web tools, Who is the HOST, Font Tool and Torrents

Useful WEB SITE tools: http://www.marcofolio.net/tips/60_ridiculously_useful_tools_for_your_blog_or_website.html

Who Is Hosting This is a tool that enables you to find out who is hosting any web site. Simply type in any domain name, and you'll get a link to the company that's hosting this particular domain. It's that simple! Check out the FAQ and our blog for more info. http://whoishostingthis.com/

What fonts do you have on your system. Changes sizes, use preview text. See them ALL, here: http://www.stcassociates.com/lab/fontbrowser.html

Torrent Relay (for prop heads): http://www2.torrelay.com/fresh/web.pl

Electric Vehicle Dealer in Seattle...delivers to Sequim, I hear

http://mcelectricvehicles.com/detail.php?catid=1

Support, rebates, Vista admin hack, free software sites, nature guides and text to speech.

SupportSpace gives you instant access to a robust network of certified tech support experts. Secure Environment, Certified Experts, Advanced Technology Tools, Money Back Guarantee.  http://www.supportspace.com

REBATES.  Which companies pay rebates in a timely manner? This site will tell you. And you decide the ratings (grades).  http://www.rebatereportcard.com

Unlock Vista's Administrator Account.  Open an elevated command prompt.  Either type cmd into the search box on the start menu and press Enter or right click the command prompt icon at the top of the Start menu, and then select RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR.  Second...enter the command net user administrator /active:yes AND PRESS ENTER.  FROM NOW ON, THE ADMIN ACCOUNT WILL APPEAR AS AN OPTION ON THE WELCOME SCREEN, ALONG WITH OTHER USER ACCOUNTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE SET UP. 

LOG IN AND SET YOUR USER PASSWORD.  iF YOU WANT TO DISABLE, USE THE COMMAND:  NET USER ADMINISTRATOR/ACTIVE:NO AND PRESS ENTER.

[Upper or lower case commands should work.  Background M/S article: http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/library/9fe3a3eb-01ec-47d4-abac-227bd6d8490f1033.mspx?mfr=true ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brads FREE VB2 proggies: http://btmtz.mvps.org/

Kelly's FREE software:   http://www.kellysoftware.com/software/  including this great little RENAMING proggie:  http://www.kellysoftware.com/software/Rename4u.asp

Nature Guides:  http://www.enature.com/zipguides/  - Find a species near you.  Know what animals and plants share your backyard? Taking a trip? Use ZipGuides to get a comprehensive local wildlife guide to the animals and plants native to any place in the United States. Or narrow your search to focus only on Endangered Species or poisonous and dangerous species.

Free software: http://www.english.aionel.net/  Tooler looked useable to me.

Vozme - Text to Speech: http://vozme.com/index.php?lang=en

Electric Scooters in Carlsborg

http://www.evparts.com
Ev Parts handles the fully electric scooter and has spares in house.  This was written up in The Gazette the other day.

Digital photo printing

Digital photo printing review of on-line services, etc. http://digital-photo-printing-review.toptenreviews.com/ 

I recommend sending THE SAME file to three or four services, then comparing the results, prices, etc.  Here are some services to start with that have been given the highest marks for print quality by reviewers.  Again, it's UP TO YOU: http://www.snapfish.com/  - http://photo.walgreens.com  Shutterfly at: http://www.shutterfly.com/ -   Dot Photo at: http://www.dotphotopro.com/pro/   and York Photo at: http://www.yorkphoto.com/

Some maps, foam for packing and equipment cases, car repairs, share docs and making word clouds...

-Motherlode of maps: http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Maps.shtml - FireFox not supported.

-Packing foam: http://www.thefoamfactory.com/packagingfoam/packagingfoam.html
Polyethylene: advantages: closed cell, dense, non-absorbent material lasts 100% to 200% longer than less expensive foams.
disadvantage: 25% more expensive, extremely stiff which may not be suitable for cushioning gear for transport.

Urethane-Ether/Charcoal Foam: advantages: inexpensive, excellent for protecting gear, lasts 7-10 years, available in many densities.

Polyurethane: advantage: inexpensive disadvantage: breaks down quickly, open cell structure absorbs water, isn't as dense as polyethylene.
-----------
Repair tips and prices for car repairs: http://repairpal.com Note the range of repair prices....it's amazing.

Find and share documents. docstoc is a user generated community where you can find and share professional documents. Find free legal documents and free business documents. Upload your documents for all the world to share.
http://www.docstoc.com/

Create a word cloud from pasted or uploaded text: http://wordle.net/create

Firefox 3 will be released Tuesday, 17 June

NEW YORK — A new version of the Firefox Web browser is scheduled for release Tuesday with improvements in security, speed and design.

Many of the enhancements in Firefox 3 involve bookmarks. The new version lets Web surfers add keywords, or tags, to sort bookmarks by topic. A new "Places" feature lets users quickly access sites they recently bookmarked or tagged and pages they visit frequently but haven't bookmarked.

There's also a new star button for easily adding sites to your bookmark list — similar to what's already available on Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7 browser.

Other new features include the ability to resume downloads midway if the connection is interrupted and an updated password manager that doesn't disrupt the log-in process.

Firefox also will start blocking rather than simply warning about sites known to engage in "phishing" scams that try to trick users into revealing passwords and other sensitive information. The new version adds protection from sites known to distribute viruses and other malicious software.

The list of suspicious sites come from Google and StopBadware.org, a project headed by legal scholars at Harvard and Oxford universities.

Security researchers who need access to problem sites can manually turn the feature off.

Firefox 3 also offers speed and design improvements — the back button is now larger than the forward button, for instance, because people tend to return to a previous page more often, said Mike Schroepfer, the project's vice president of engineering.

VBS script to turn off Ballon Tips in XP

Cut and paste this into a txt file, then save as
ToggleBallonTips.vbs


------------start here--------------

Option Explicit
On Error Resume Next

Dim WSHShell, n, p, itemtype, MyBox
Set WSHShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

p = "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\EnableBalloonTips"

itemtype = "REG_DWORD"

n = WSHShell.RegRead (p)
errnum = Err.Number

if errnum <> 1 then

    WSHShell.RegWrite p, 0, itemtype
End If

If n = 0 Then
   WshShell.RegWrite p, 1, itemtype
   MyBox = MsgBox("Balloon Tips are now ENABLED", 64, "Show or Hide Balloon Tips")
End If

If n = 1 Then
   WshShell.Regwrite p, 0, itemtype
   MyBox = MsgBox("Balloon Tips are now DISABLED", 64, "Show or Hide Balloon Tips")
End If

Set WshShell = Nothing

How Computers Boot Up; Illustrated

http://duartes.org/gustavo/blog/post/how-computers-boot-up

Telecommuting

Would you cut your salary to save gas?

More than a third of tech workers recently surveyed by job site Dice.com said they would take a small salary cut to be able to telecommute and save gas.  Only 7% already telecommute. 

I would have expected the number of existing telecommuters to be a little higher, given that tech companies make the tools (laptops, cellphones, remote access software) that make working from home possible.  At least some tech companies have embraced telecommuting.  At Sun Microsystems, 17,000 employees work remotely for two days a week.

More companies may want to start thinking about offering work from home programs as gas prices rise.  Here's the breakdown from Dice:

With gas prices soaring, would you accept slightly less pay to telecommute full-time?

-- 37%: Yes, I'd cut my salary by 10% or less.
-- 36%: No way, same work = same pay.
-- 7%: I already telecommute.
-- 19%: I would take any job; I'm unemployed.

Would you take a pay cut to work from home?  Tell us by posting a comment below.

By Michelle Kessler
Photo: Scott Olson, Getty Images

Undelete Files

Undelete Plus is a quick and effective way to restore accidentally deleted files. It can also recover files that have been emptied from the Recycle Bin, permanantly deleted files within Windows using the Shift + Delete, and files that have been deleted from within a Command Prompt. Undelete Plus works under Win 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista operating systems. The program supports all Windows file systems for hard and floppy drives including FAT12/16/32,NTFS/NTFS5 and image recovery from CompactFlash, SmartMedia, MultiMedia and Secure Digital cards. http://www.undelete-plus.com/download.html

The UVa Computer Museum

Remember the Osborne?
The Osborne portable computer, open and ready for use. The screen unit fits into slots on the keyboard unit. The 5" diagonal screen (that's 3 x 4 inches!) displayed some 60 print columns and the software allowed left-right shifts to see the entire 80 column line. This model had dual floppy drives, and an 'internal' modem in the left hand disk storage slot. The modem is connected by a short jumper cable to the cabinet and has a conventional modular RJ-11 telephone plug. The socket on the right could provide (with an adapter) an NTSC or standard TV monochrome signal to drive a (larger!) external TV monitor. A RS232/serial port connector is found just to the right of the modem connector on the left side of the chassis. This can be used for connecting a printer. To the right of the RS232/serial port is an IEEE488

The University of Virginia's Computer Museum was conceived and created by Professor Gabriel Robins, who also serves as its curator. The museum contains various computer-related artifacts, both historical and modern. Most of the artifacts shown here are physically located in display cases in the hallways of the Department of Computer Science (Olsson Hall) at the University of Virginia.

These artifacts came from the personal collections of some of our faculty members, and several other donors, including Professor Sam Cooke of the University of Louisville. To see an enlarged view of any or the artifacts / photos, please click on it. The descriptive captions accompanying the photos are correct to the best of our knowledge. Please report any mistakes or discrepancies to robins@cs.virginia.edu.

Enjoy!

http://www.cs.virginia.edu/brochure/museum.html

10 Tips for Working with the Not-So-Tech-Savvy

June 6th, 2008 (6:00am) Celine Roque

It’s easy to forget that the average web worker’s skills and knowhow is quite specialized, even though Internet use is growing gradually over the years. Your colleagues might have Facebook accounts, but do they know how to use it for networking? Likewise, a client may have an existing website, but have they maximized its potential? You might have been brought in to deal with the tech issues, or you may have some ideas on how to make things work better. How do you do your job well if those around you aren’t as knowledgeable in your web working ways?

1. Avoid jargon. What may be commonplace terminology to you may sound like Klingon to your colleagues and clients. When someone asks you to define something and you answer with a hundred other words they aren’t familiar with, then you’re not really helping, are you?

2. Use analogies. If you’re to avoid jargon, how do you explain how things work? Well, it helps to use analogies. However, use them sparingly and only whenever you’re asked for more clarification - otherwise it will look like you’re overly dumbing things down.

3. Talk results, not process. Usually, people don’t want to know the details of the work. They just want to know the results and when you’ll be able to deliver them. In other words, don’t discuss step-by-step keyword research or how you managed to make the CSS compliant to all browsers. Instead, give the finished product and explain what they mean to the client.

4. Link to additional resources. Instead of spending too much time explaining yourself and not enough time on the work, you can link to outside sources such as websites, PDF reports, videos, or presentations that can clearly explain the concepts your client or colleague wants to understand.

5. For proposals and reports, use visuals. Ever noticed how the best presentations have more graphics than blocks of text? It may be a cliche, but a picture truly paints a thousand words. If you convey an idea via visuals, the message will come across faster compared to text, which the reader has to read, process, and analyze before reaching comprehension.

6. Have ready access to case studies. If you’re proposing new hardware or software tools or even a new process, it’s best to show how it helped similar businesses or individuals in the past. The case studies need not be formal, and in some cases, statistics will do. It’s just a matter of demonstrating that the same technologies have worked well for others.

7. Refer to related events or issues that have been brought up by mainstream media. News features about bloggers, the effect of blogs, social media, and websites are circulating mainstream media. It helps to bring up relevant news items, as it makes your clients and colleagues feel as if your knowhow is relevant in the day-to-day world, and not just in some niche techie planet.

8. Illustrate what that idea/app/process has to do with their jobs or sales. More often than not, people can’t see the weight of your contribution until they realize what it has to do with them. Demonstrate what your part is in the bigger picture and what’s in it for them and their business.

9. Introduce new technologies gradually. For example, if you’re creating a blog for a small business, start by discussing the basics of blogging. Don’t overwhelm your audience about the benefits of certain widgets, how to promote the blog via social networking, etc.

10. Be patient, or at least look like it. It’s hard enough trying to grasp new ideas, so it’s even harder if the person sharing them with you is showing signs of frustration. It won’t be easy explaining something you find so familiar and easy to another person who’s hearing about these things for the first time. They’re bound to ask several obvious questions and ask you to repeat yourself. Try to keep your cool under these circumstances.

Your understanding and mastery of computers and the Internet might seem like a distant universe to most people, but it doesn’t have to be that way. True, the technology and jargon seems alienating at first, but with a little work and time, the divide between web workers and the people around them won’t seem as wide.

What it looks like IF YOU INSTALL ALL OF THE RECOMMENDED IE ADD-ONS

Just for fun.

Some freebies and on-line tools.

PowerSet.com - We have a new player in the semantic search arena; "semantic search" refers to the idea that a better way to find the most relevant material is to not just look at word frequency, location, links to a page and so on but to understand the sense of what is being asked and the sense of what is on web pages, and then to match the most applicable pages. For example, if I typed in a query for stock, a semantic search engine would see that this was in the context of livestock, and would find other pages that have to do with animals on farms rather than about shares of ownership in a company, flowers, or racing cars. PowerSet uses a technology that attempts to mine meaning out of web pages -- specifically, Wikipedia articles. This isn't a general-purpose search engine, but it is a tremendous tool if you are looking for information on a subject that spans a number of Wikipedia articles, or that has a number of meanings.

Ashampoo ClipFinder solves a big problem with YouTube and other video sites: You can normally only watch the clips online, and can't save them to your PC. This program lets you easily save video clips, then play them whenever you want. However, there is one drawback--the program only saves the clips in .flv format, which Windows Media Player, and many other media players, can't handle. So you can play the clips inside ClipFinder, or else play them with a .flv player such as the free FLV Player < http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,63307/description.html >. The program does more than just download clips. As the name implies, it's an excellent clip finder as well. Choose the site you want to search, type in your search terms, and Ashampoo ClipFinder finds the clips for you. You can view them directly within the program, then download any you want. It searches a wide variety of video sites, including YouTube, MySpace, Yahoo Video, and many others. Get it at: http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download/fid,66882-order,1-page,1/download.html

Flexcrypt Folder enables you to encrypt a file or a folder. After installation, right-click on a file/folder and select Encrypt with Flexcrypt folder, make up a password, thats it. Decryption is done by double-clicking on the encrypted file and enter the correct password. The BIG advantage with Flexcrypt Folder is that it does not require any software to decrypt an encrypted file, simply click on it and enter the correct password. GENERAL Flexcrypt is a small software application that enables encryption and decryption of your emails. The reason for encrypting is to ensure the integrity and privacy of your email. Flexcrypt is very easy to install and use. After installation, simply add the email addresses you wish to send and receive encrypted emails with. For each address, you must make up a password. This password is the key used in order to decrypt the message, thus, you must inform the receiver of the encrypted email of your chosen password. Do this by phone or in person, NOT by un-encrypted email. This only has to be done once, after that, Flexcrypt will remember your password and encrypt/decrypt your messages automatically or as you choose. IMPORTANT You must use an email application in order for Flexcrypt to work. Any email application is OK, such as Thunderbird, Outlook, Outlook Express, etc. This means that Flexcrypt does NOT work with WEBMAIL.Flexcrypt Folder is Free to use. http://www.flexcrypt.com/downloads/flexcrypt.exe

Tips and Tricks for Multiple Sclerosis patients using computers: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA102752841033.aspx?pid=CL100605171033

Text to mind map: http://www.text2mindmap.com/

Picture Reflection Generator: http://picreflect.com/

Read at work - Read in PowerPoint
Interesting interface...See: http://readatwork.com/ - shame on you!

Visual CD Version: 3.1 File Size: 2248k License Type: Free Operating Systems: Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows 95, Windows 98.  Visual CD allows you to create catalogs of files you've moved onto a CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, or other optical media so that you can figure out where a particular picture, song, or other file is without having to load every individual disc. It can also catalog files you still have on your hard drive, but it's limited in that you can only search one catalog at a time. --Erik Larkin.  Go to the download page now: http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,71361-order,1-page,1/description.html?tk=nl_ddxdwn

How to set up shortcuts in Firefox - From within Firefox, it is possible to create customized bookmark shortcuts that function in the same way aliases do. In Firefox 2.0’s command structure, do the following: Go to Bookmarks/Organize Bookmarks. Click once on an existing bookmark and then click the Properties button (or create a new bookmark), and add shortcut text into the Keyword box. For example, if you want to create a shortcut for www.msn.com, highlight the www.msn.com bookmark, click Properties and add the shortcut text – “msn” perhaps – into the Keyword Box. Click OK. Repeat for each shortcut, and then close the bookmarks manager (file/close). -Now test to see if you’ve succeeded by typing the shortcut (msn, for example) into Firefox’s URL Address box and hitting Enter.

Alternate Energy for your Car__The Air Car

This is about a 9 minute video of The Air Car hosted by YouTube. The car uses compressed air and is largely built of aluminum, the car is built in France!

Make Internet Browsing Faster

Quick Tips: Make Internet Browsing Faster when Using a Slow Connection Speed Blocking images and animations helps Web pages load quicker when using a slower connection speed. Learn how to turn off images and animations in Windows.

In Windows Vista, to open the Ease of Access Center, press Windows logo key + U, or select:

Start
•
Control Panel
•
Ease of Access
•
Ease of Access Center
Under Explore all settings, select:
•
Use the computer without a display.
Under Adjust time limits and flashing visuals, select:
•
Turn off all unnecessary animations (when possible).
Find more Windows Vista tutorials


In Windows XP, display the Start menu by pressing CTRL+ESC (or the Windows logo key), then select:
•
Control Panel
In Control Panel, select:
•
Internet Options
On the Advanced tab, under Settings: Multimedia, clear the checkmark from:
•
Play animations in Web pages.

Creative Commons Licensing

See: http://creativecommons.org for more information.

http://www.smith.edu/hsc/museum/ancient_inventions/hsclist.htm

Museum of Ancient Inventions.  Lots of images, models, etc. 

I like to include interesting links in this BLOG for the polymaths out there.

Build a $150 Linux PC

http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Build_a_%24150_Linux_PC

Remove duplicates from Outlook

Free - Scans the selected folder for duplicates and MOVES all duplicates found to a subfolder.

Download here

Memory addressing in a 32-bit OS (AKA: Where's My RAM?)

The basics of memory addressing in XP or Vista 32-bit:
The total number of system address space happens to exactly equal the amount of address space needed by 4GB of physical memory.
Check out the forum at this URL: http://tinyurl.com/6nmdt7 to understand how and where your memory is being used.

PDF To Word Converter

Some PDF To Word Converter v1.0 [783K] [Win2k/XP/Vista] [FREE]
Can help you convert PDF to Word document files and RTF so you can edit and reuse your PDF content. Some PDF to Word Converter preserves original layout, text, images, and vector drawings of your original PDF file. http://www.somepdf.com/some-pdf-to-word-converter.html

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