Facebook Tips and Tweaks

Written on March 14, 2010 by Kay

Facebook Extensions

It’s amazing the number of hours that get swallowed when you lose yourself in the Facebook universe. It’s almost like the early days of AOL (chat rooms, IM, profiles, etc.) There’s just so much to do on the popular social networking site. Check your inbox, peruse the live feed to see what everyone is doing, compose a status update, and perhaps play a bit of Blitz or Tetris before signing off. Such an interesting way of interacting with others is not without its regrettable quirks and flaws, though. Luckily, there are plug-ins or extensions that will enhance your Facebook experience, making it even more fun and enjoyable.

Photo Album Downloading

Facebook wouldn’t be much of a social networking site if it didn’t allow photos to be posted of its users. The site’s method of dealing with images is adequate at best, it’s easy enough to upload, tag, and browse photo albums of your friends, but it’s a shame that FB doesn’t provide a way to download an entire photo album all at once. It’s cumbersome to download each photo individually in an album, so here’s where the help of an extension saves the day.

This is a Firefox plug-in, so you’ll need to download the FacePAD extension, which stands for Facebook Photo Album Downloader. With this simple Firefox plug-in, you’ll be able to download entire albums in one fell swoop. Download and install the plug-in, restart Firefox, right click an album link, and select Download Album with FacePAD.

It’s a pity that FacePAD doesn’t allow you to choose a download folder (it downloads to the default Firefox download directory), and there’s no way to tweak out each image’s file name as they’re pulled and saved to your hard drive, so you end up with obscure file names for all photos living in an album.

Facebook Sidebar Chat

Facebook chat sessions don’t get saved and are cut off when you leave the site or log out. Firefox users can have a Facebook chat session living in the sidebar at all times. This means you can be surfing any website and still be chatting with your FB friends. It’s easy to do in Firefox.

In Firefox, press Ctrl-B to materialize the Sidebar in Bookmarks view. Choose a bookmark folder that you’d like to add the Facebook chat in, right-click, and select New Bookmark. Give the bookmark a name, then copy and paste this URL into the Location box: http://www.facebook.com/presence/popout.php. Now load the bookmark into the Sidebar and you’ll be able to Facebook chat while surfing any website.

Eliminate Notifications

Facebook Purity is a plug-in that removes all the extra stuff that can clutter up your homepage, making it more confusing to peruse. Take note that this extension requires that Greasemonkey to be installed first. Once the Purity plug-in is installed, you probably won’t see any immediate results right off the bat. It takes a bit of time, but you’ll eventually notice all the extras (Jon Doe Took This Quiz, Jack is friends with Jill, Bill Clay Just Sent You A Reindeer, and so on and so forth) in the Purity header. Before long, your Facebook homepage will look neater without all the external chaotic noise cluttering it up into a confusing mess.

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How To Take Out Computer Viruses

Written on March 11, 2010 by Kay

Virus Definitions, also known as Virus Signatures, are the individual identifiers that are used by anti-virus software to identify and neutralize virus software which attempts to infiltrate your PC system. When fighting the enemy - it helps to know what and who they are!

Viruses are usually unique, or, if similar, can be variants of one another. Whatever form they take, and however they work, they are designed with one, and only one thing in mind - the manipulation of your machine to serve the purposes of the person writing the virus programming code.

The purpose could be mischief - to some people it is highly amusing to destroy something which does not belong to them. To others, it could be a means of cheap advertising, such as in virus spam mail, where they piggy back off your expense account by getting your computer to send out spam mail on their behalf. Yet others have much more sinister aims, and attempt to infiltrate your system for the purpose of obtaining personal details such as banking account numbers, personal ID data, for purposes of criminal behavior, identity theft, or fraudulent transactions.

Viruses generally work behind the scenes - they arrive as hidden code on the backs of innocent looking emails, links which you are encouraged to click on in websites which you perceive to be safe (these are known as Trojans), and as hidden code in the form of downloadable programs such as games (malware). Spyware records what you look at, where you go when you surf, and sometimes your keystrokes, which endangers your security.

They spread like worms, via emails or file sharing, and send copies of themselves to others who you normally communicate with or have received emails from (all those In you’re address book). Sometimes viruses can work behind the scenes for long periods of time without the user even being aware of them. They may sap the processor, or they may just dance along in the background causing very little disturbance at all.

It pays to be aware of viruses and how they can negatively impact on your personal computer use, and in particular, your personal life.

Minimize the risk of identity theft and fraud by installing and maintaining anti-virus, anti-malware and anti-spyware software on your personal computer. It doesn’t have to cost you much - plenty of effective freeware and shareware anti-virus programs exist and are available for you to download and use. Some recommendations include  MS Security Essentials, AVG – Free Edition, and Malware Bytes

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Buying a Desktop Computer - Some Important Considerations

Written on March 8, 2010 by Kay

Buying a desktop computer is a considerable investment can be a bit of a gamble, with pros and cons to support the purchase of both new and second equipment. Unless you know what to look for, you could be throwing good money down the drain.

No matter whether you intend to purchase new or second hand equipment, it is important to objectively weigh up whether it is in your best interests to make a different choice.

Compare the prices of both new and second hand/refurbished equipment. If there is a big gap between them - ask yourself why, and what risks purchasing second hand may pose for you. Are you competent enough to cope with problems associated with second hand gear? Do you understand how computers work, and how to analyze and replace/repair/reinstall whatever may have gone wrong.

Do you understand enough about compatibility - the concept which describes how well all the components of a computer fit and work together. This involves both hardware and software and is critical to the correct functioning of the machine itself. Older computers are particularly susceptible to this problem. Outdated hardware, for example, will not run the latest editions of software, which could severely impact your virtual happiness.

If you are comfortable with the inner workings of PCs and feel you can handle the situation - be sure to go and physically check out the equipment, talk to the seller, and enquire when it was purchased, if there are known problems, and why they want to sell. If the answers satisfy you - switch on, and check for yourself the hardware and the versions of the software the machine is running.

Heed the warning ‘Buyer Beware’, or else within a short time - you will be compelled to sell the box on again.

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How To Select The Right Laptop For You

Written on March 6, 2010 by Kay

Laptop Buying Tips

I must admit that I’d take a laptop over a desktop machine simply by virtue of portability. Think about it. With a laptop, one can fold up and take their digital life (work, games, applications, entertainment system) anywhere with ease. It’s difficult to do this with a desktop box when it’s shackled to the wall with wires.

Whether you’re in the market for a new laptop to replace your old one, or are thinking of buying your first laptop and don’t know where to start, there are a few suggestions that you can use to maximize the pleasure of your purchase.

Test Drive Before Buying

You wouldn’t buy a brand new car without taking it for a test drive, right? The same logic holds true for laptop computers. Many users purchase their laptops online (newegg.com), and the process, most of the time, is incredibly convenient in my experience. But the problem with buying a laptop online is that you don’t know how the keyboard feels, or how well the screen displays video, or if the case is made out of some material that attracts unsightly fingerprints, or whether it’s too heavy to lug around, and the list goes on and on.

Finding lower prices and the convenience is why so many users shop online. But when buying a laptop, sure, search around online for a model that catches your eye, write the model number down, and pay a visit to your local brick-and-mortar electronics store to see if they have that model in stock so that you can give it a test drive before buying it on the web.

Install Your Own RAM

The more RAM your laptop has, the speedier it’s going to feel. Let’s say you buy a laptop that comes stock with 2GB of memory; you check the specs and you realize that your laptop is expandable to 4GB or RAM. See how much it costs to max out your laptop’s memory from the seller and compare that price to buying a separate memory module and installing it yourself.

While a do-it-yourself operation can save you money (and teach you quite a bit), you still need to do a little homework. Before buying laptop memory, make sure that you know the proper type of RAM module your laptop takes and that you have an empty slot for the new memory module to live in.

I personally recommend Crucial.com as they have an online scanner which scans your PC and identifies a compatible upgrade option

Know Your Accessories

Many first time laptop buyers don’t realize how important battery life is. If you’re not near a wall outlet, then you’re pretty much stuck with battery power if you want to use your laptop. When buying your new laptop, see if a spare battery is an option. It’s always best to go with a battery that was specially made to go with your model. If it all possible, try not to buy after-market batteries that weren’t specially designed to compliment your laptop. They may be cheaper, but they probably store less power to make up for the price cut.

I don’t know one person that’s in love with their laptop’s touch-pad. Less precise than a traditional desktop optical mouse, laptop and notebook touch-pads feel like they should only be used as a last resort. Consider buying a wireless optical mouse for better control.

Go Fast

I don’t think anyone ever complained that their computer was running too fast. If you can spare the cash, get the faster processor, double the memory, extend the storage. It would be a shame to spend the next couple of years with a laptop that cannot keep up with your computing demands. In order to avoid buyer’s remorse, you’ll want to remember the saying “You get what you pay for”, and this usually holds true when you’re dealing with hardware in particular.

A faster processor and more memory means that you’re prepared for the future. As applications get more complicated internally, the code it takes to run them is going to need more juice from your computer for optimal performance. When in doubt, upgrade your options.

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Get The Best From Windows And Your PC

Written on March 4, 2010 by Kay

A Windows Primer

In order to get very far in the world of Windows, one needs to know the absolute basics before going on to the fun stuff (web surfing, Facebook, e-mail, etc.) It’s foolish to assume that every user knows how to navigate Windows Explorer and the difference between a single-click and a double-click. We all have to start somewhere, crawling before we can walk, and so this article will begin with basic Windows skills that every user needs to know more or less.

Save As Dialog: Icons

Mostly every PC user is running some version of Microsoft Windows, and every user will likely have many files saved to their hard drive. Whether you’re using Word or Excel (or any other application that saves files to disk) you’ll need to eventually save your file for safekeeping. You may be familiar with the Save As dialog box, but did you also know that handy icons reside on said dialog box to make your work easier?

For instance, when saving a Word document, you’ll see 4 icons right next to the “Save in” drop-down on the top of the window. The 1^st icon (arrow pointing left) will take you back to the last folder you visited, the 2^nd icon (folder with green arrow pointing up) will take you back one folder in the tree, the 3^rd icon (folder with an orange spark) will allow you to quickly create a new folder, and lastly the 4^th icon lists the various views that affect file presentation. Get to know this last option very well, as adjusting the presentation and sorting via Date Modified stamps become essential when organizing and viewing your files and folders.

Files vs. Folders

It’s important to get this distinction out of the way right off the bat, as seeking a solution via technical support depends on your ability to explain the problem in the proper technical terms. Many novices understandably confuse files and folders. For instance, a user might not know where they saved their e-mail file attachment, and when explaining the problem to tech support, they may phrase it like this: “I’m not sure what file my e-mail attachment is saved in”.

Now, it’s obvious that the user is confusing file with folder. Let’s talk a little about what files and folders are. First off, a file can be a photo of your Christmas vacation, or an mp3 of your favorite singer, or a Word document, or an Excel spreadsheet, or a software device driver, and the list goes on. A folder is an abstract structure that you store your files in. Folders can be nested within other folders (sub-folders) which forms an upside down tree structure with the root folder at the top. You’re probably already acquainted with the most commonly used folders such as My Documents, My Music, My Pictures and so on and so forth.

Single-Click vs. Double-Click

I see computer novices (and even seasoned users a few times) single-click when they should be double-clicking and double-clicking when they should be single-clicking. I blame Microsoft Windows for this confusion, as it’s not immediately obvious and it’s not something Windows teaches from the get-go with a shiny wizard dialog widow to hold your hand.

The most common clicking mistake I see is when users double-click on web page links. They’re so used to double-clicking shortcuts on their desktop that it’s become a habit. Just remember this: if you’re dealing with a web page, then a single-click will do every time. Also, anything on the Windows task bar (quick launch icons, application shortcuts, et al.) requires only a single-click. Put simply, you may only need to double-click on your desktop shortcuts and even this can be turned off. All in all, double-clicking was introduced so that more mouse options could be utilized, but make sure you know the difference between single-clicking and double-clicking.

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