WinDirStat

Is your hard drive full?  Do you know why?  Sometimes one of the hardest parts of freeing up space on your computer is figuring out exactly what is taking up all of that space in the first place.  That's where WinDirStat can help.  It's a free program and you can download it at: cnet.  Here's how to use it:

1.) Install WinDirStat or open it if it's already installed.
2.) Select the drive that you want to analyze.

3.) After the graphic pops up if you hover over one of the boxes it will tell you the name of the file at the bottom left corner of the window.

4.) To go to the folder location click it once in the graphic and press Ctrl+E.

Video chat on Facebook with SocialEyes

SocialEyes has launched a new service that allows Facebook users to connect one-on-one via video.  It's possible to connect with friends or with other people in communities that you share interests with.  Get the app at socialeyes.com or apps.facebook.com/socialeyes.

Free unlimited storage of small photos with Picasa

Picasa no longer counts files under 800 pixels wide or videos less than 15 minutes long.  See the article: [lifehacker]

Adding Excel tables to Word

If you’ve ever needed to copy an updated table from Excel into a Word document you might have wished there was a way to automatically update both copies at once.  Or if you’ve ever tried inserting a table in word using the quick table you know it just isn’t the same as all of the features available in Excel.

Creating a dynamic link between an Excel spreadsheet and Word

It is possible to link the table so that when you updated it in Excel, it concurrently updates in Word.  You can select a few cells, a table or an entire worksheet.  Just copy what you wish to insert and then open the Word document.  The next step may vary depending on which version of Microsoft office you have.  If you are working with Office 2007 or 2010, you can click the arrow button under the Paste button in the ribbon to locate it.  If you’re unsure of where the ribbon is located, check out this picture from About.com: Paste. Then, once in paste special, select Paste link and the documents will now be linked.  Note: In Office 2010 there is a button for linking that you can click after selecting the arrow button under Paste.  The next time the Excel sheet is updated the Word document will be updated as well. If you insert an entire worksheet you will need to double-click the Excel object to display the next worksheet as it will only display one at a time.  When you open a document that contains linked objects, Word will prompt you to update the document.  It is also possible to break the link at a later time if it is no longer needed.  To break the link in Office 2007, go to the Microsoft Office Button, then hover over Prepare and then click Edit Links to Files.  Once in Edit Links to Files, click the link that you want to disconnect and click the Break Link button.  In Office 2010, you can highlight the table and right-click on it.  Then select Links.  In the window that opens up, select your table and click the Break Link button.

Creating a static Excel table within Word

If you don’t need to link a table and just want to create a table for Word you don’t need to open up Excel.  There are a few ways to go about adding a table and it depends on what type of table you which to create.  Word has a quick table feature but it doesn’t contain any special features.  To use this, in Office 2007 and 2010, go to Insert on the Ribbon and then select the arrow below Table there boxes that you can select the size of your table with or you can use the Insert Table… button.  You can also see the following link from About.com on how to insert quick tables: tables.  It is also possible to create an Excel formatted spreadsheet in Word as well.  In Office 2007 and 2010, if you go to Insert on the Ribbon and then select the arrow below Table there is an Excel Spreadsheet button that will create a spreadsheet where your cursor is.   This option will look very similar to working with an Excel spreadsheet in the Excel program but it isn’t linked directly to another file.

Search inside Gmail attachments with Attachments.me

Gmail's search is great unless you want to find an attachment.  That’s where Attachments.me comes in.  If you sign up for an account, you can search your Gmail by content of an attachment.  Check out a video of it in action and get an invite code here.

Want to make something with just the stuff in your kitchen? Try this.

Google now has a recipe search engine that you can find recipes with using just some ingredients.  There are many other ways you can search for a dish such as calorie content, occasions, and type of food.  Then you can further subcategorize results with prep time, ingredients, or calories.  It will also show recipe ratings. [wired]

How to completely uninstall iTunes

iTunes isn't one of the easiest programs to uninstall but when it needs to be done, you can use the following directions.

Use the Control Panel to uninstall iTunes and related software components in the following order:

1. iTunes
2. QuickTime
3. Apple Software Update
4. Apple Mobile Device Support
5. Bonjour 
6. Apple Application Support (iTunes 9 or later)

Then you may want to verify iTunes and related components are completely uninstalled

1. Restart your computer.
2. After the computer restarts, open Local Disk (C:) located in Computer or whichever hard disk your programs are installed on.
3. Open the Program Files folder.
4. Right-click the iTunes folder, choose Delete, and choose Yes when asked to confirm the deletion. Note: This folder may have already been deleted if iTunes was successfully removed.
5. Right-click the iPod folder, choose Delete, and choose Yes when asked to confirm the deletion. Click Continue if Windows needs confirmation or permission to continue.
6. Right-click the QuickTime folder (if it exists), choose Delete, and choose Yes when asked to confirm the deletion. Click Continue if Windows needs confirmation or permission to continue.
7. Right-click the Bonjour folder (if it exists), choose Delete, and choose Yes when asked to confirm the deletion. Click Continue if Windows needs confirmation or permission to continue.
8. Open the Common Files folder.
9. Right-click the Apple folder (if it exists), choose Delete, and choose Yes when asked to confirm the deletion. Click Continue if Windows needs confirmation or permission to continue.
10. Open Local Disk (C:) located in Computer or whichever hard disk your operating system is installed on.
11. Open the Windows folder.
12. Open the System32 folder.
13. Right-click the QuickTime file (if it exists), choose Delete, and choose Yes when asked to confirm the deletion. Click Continue if Windows needs confirmation or permission to continue.
14. Right-click the QuickTimeVR file (if it exists), choose Delete, and choose Yes when asked to confirm the deletion. Click Continue if Windows needs confirmation or permission to continue.
15. Right-click the Recycle Bin and choose Empty Recycle Bin 

You can then reinstall or leave it uninstalled.

Send a fax without a phone line

It's possible to send a fax from your computer without a phone using a fax service such as FaxZero.  FaxZero is free for faxes up to 3 pages and $1.99 for faxes up to 15 pages.  Just upload and send.
http://faxzero.com/

How to rename multiple pictures at once in Picasa

If you have uploaded a bunch of files from your digital camera onto your computer they probably are just named with a default criteria.  If you want to rename them something like vacation.jpg, Picasa can do that but it will add a sequential number to the end since they can't all have the exact same name.

To rename a multiple files at once in Picasa:
1.) Select the photos you'd like to rename.
2.) Click the File menu, then choose Rename. You can also use keyboard shortcut F2.
3.) Enter a new name for these files. You have the option to include the date or image resolution in the filename.
4.) Click Rename.

Google to make social links first in search results

Your friends Twitter and Facebook posts, Flickr, YouTube and even their blog posts will now appear first in your search results.  Google’s referring to it as Google social search.  Although it’s been around since 2009, they’ve just recently updated it by adding social to Google Images and the social posts used to be at the end of the search results.  You can control the people and accounts you see in the searches and if you’re not logged in you won’t see the social results.

 

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/update-to-google-social-search.html

7 of the greatest viral videos ever

Cell Phone in a microwave:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5Zs0a0TOy4

Greatest freakout ever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YersIyzsOpc

Banned xbox360 ad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNuRQmvykwk

Evolution of Dance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg

Coke and Mentos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKoB0MHVBvM

And of course, all your base are belong to us:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qItugh-fFgg

5 hilarious face transforming apps for the iPhone

They are:

1.)    Fat Booth – See what someone would look like weighing 300+ lbs.

2.)    Aging Booth – See what someone would look like 50 years from now.

3.)    Bald Booth – See what someone would look like bald.

4.)    Zombie Booth – See what someone would look like as a zombie (and it’s not pretty).

5.)    iSwap Faces – Face swap!

 

Detailed descriptions and screen captures of the apps are at: [iphoneappcafe]

iPhone 5 could have slide-out keyboard

An Apple blog states that there are three models being considered for the iPhone 5 and one of them has a slide-out keyboard.  It’s certainly a possibility that the iPhone 5 could have one.  Would you prefer an iPhone with a slide out keyboard? [cnet]

J.C. Penny illegal search engine optimization

J.C. Penny may have been participating in black hat optimization.  They became number one for many keywords beating out competition such as Amazon and Macy’s.  An expert in online search, Doug Pierce of Blue Fountain Media states that J.C. Penny’s attempt at altering search results is the most ambitious attempt he’d ever heard of.  [NYTimes]  

Amazing video shot in 2,564 frames per second

The Phantom Flex video camera can slow video down to an incredible rate with crystal clear images.  [Phantom Flex]

SyncToy

SyncToy 2.1 is a free Microsoft PowerToy.  It works with Windows 7, Vista and XP. 

With it you can:

·         Synchronize: New and updated files are copied both ways. Renames and deletes on either side are repeated on the other.

·         Echo: New and updated files are copied left to right. Renames and deletes on the left are repeated on the right.

·         Contribute: New and updated files are copied left to right. Renames on the left are repeated on the right. No deletions.

You can download it from Microsoft at [synctoy].  It's great for keeping computers on your home network synchronized.   You can also schedule it to run if you want it to update the computers regularly.  The instructions for that are below:

To schedule a task using the operating system:

1. From the Start menu, select All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Task Scheduler.
2. Select Create Basic Task in the Actions pane on the right.
3. Add a Name and Description and select Next.
4. Choose when you want the task to start and select Next.
5. Choose date/times (if applicable) to run task and select Next.
6. Choose Start a Program option and select Next.
7. Select Browse and locate the SyncToyCmd.exe.
8. Type "-R" in the Add Arguments textbox. –R all by itself will run all folder pairs that are active for run all. If you want to run just a single folder pair, add –R “My Pair” to the end of the command line.

Note: If the folder pair name contains a space, surround it with quotation marks, as the example above shows. For another example, assume that SyncToy is in the folder named C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.1\ and that you want to run a folder pair named "My folder pair." Enter the command line as follows, including the quotation marks: "C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.1\SyncToyCmd.exe" -R "My folder pair." Note that there are two sets of quotation marks in this case: one is around the path to the SyncToy program file and the other surrounds the folder pair name.

Windows XP

To schedule a task using the operating system:

1. From the Start menu, select All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Scheduled Tasks.
2. Select Add scheduled task to start the Scheduled Task Wizard. You will see a list of possible programs to run.
3. Select Browse and locate the SyncToyCmd.exe.
4. The wizard will next prompt you to enter how often you want to run the scheduled SyncToy (for example, daily, weekly, et cetera). Select a frequency.
5. The next page asks when to start the task. Select a start time.
6. The next page asks for the user name and password to run the program under. Enter your user name and password.
7. The final page contains an option to open the properties dialog when the wizard ends. Select this checkbox.
8. Modify the Run textbox to include the –R command line option. –R all by itself will run all folder pairs that are active for run all. If you want to run just a single folder pair, add –R “My Pair” to the end of the command line.

Note: If the folder pair name contains a space, surround it with quotation marks, as the example above shows. For another example, assume that SyncToy is in the folder named C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.1 and that you want to run a folder pair named "My folder pair." Enter the command line as follows, including the quotation marks: "C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.1\SyncToyCmd.exe" -R "My folder pair." Note that there are two sets of quotation marks in this case: one is around the path to the SyncToy program file and the other surrounds the folder pair name.

AT&T 1,000 free rollover minutes

AT&T is handing out 1,000 free rollover minutes to anyone that texts 'yes' to 11113020.  See the article [free minutes].

Set up secure Facebook browsing

Facebook browsing is now more secure with the the ability to enable https.  The setting is turned off by default so you'll need to turn it on.  To do this, log onto Facebook and go to 'Account Settings' in the upper right corner of the screen.  Then on the 'Settings' tab, click 'change' next to the account security section. Then click the check box next to 'Browse Facebook on a secure connection (https) whenever possible'.

Best apps for iPhone, iPod, and Android

Gizmodo came up with a best of list for the iPhone, iPod, Android.  Check it out: [gizmodo]

How to see if anyone else is logged into your Facebook account

Facebook lets you check the location of your most recent account activity.  You might be surprised to find that your account is logged on somewhere that you haven't been.  Luckily you can disconnect any unknown connections.  To do this you need to go to Facebook and click on 'Account Settings' in the upper right corner of the screen.  Then on the 'Settings' tab, click 'change' next to the account security section. Then if you see an unfamiliar device or location, click "end activity".  You can then set it up so that Facebook will send you an email when a new device logs on.

How to activate the admin account in Windows 7

To remove certain programs and to do certain tasks you may occasionally need to use the admin account in Windows 7.  It is disabled by default so to to enable the built-in Administrator's account by using the Command Prompt follow these steps:

1. Click Start and type CMD, then right-click CMD and select "Run as Administrator".

2.) When prompted to allow the Command Processor to run, click on "Yes".

3.) Type the following into the command prompt window to enable the Administrator's account:

net user administrator /active:yes

The next time you restart you will see the option to log on as the administrator.

The end of Guitar Hero

Activision, the maker of Guitar Hero, has decided to discontinue making the game.  Check out the story: [digitaltrends]

iPhone app sale!

Lots of apps have are on sale for 99 cents. The list includes FIFA, Madden, The Sims, and Prince of Persia.  See more of the reduced price apps at [cnet].

Windows won't let you delete a file? Use the command prompt.

If you’ve ever seen the error message that you can’t delete a file because it’s currently in use, it is still possible to delete that file.  There’s a way to delete it through the command prompt using the following steps (in Windows 7):

1.   Type ‘cmd’ into the search bar and then right-click on ‘cmd.exe’ and choose ‘Run as Administrator’.

2.      Go to the folder you want to delete a file from. Click on the Address-field to reveal the actual folder path.

3.      Highlight the portion of the path after the Colon (:).

4.      Right-Click the highlighted part, and choose Copy (or Press Ctrl+C).

5.      Go back to your Command-Window and type: ‘CD\’ (This will open the Root Folder).

6.      Paste in the path using Right-Click, Paste (Ctrl+V will NOT work).

7.      To make sure you are in the correct folder you can type: ‘DIR’. This will show you the folder contents.

8.      To delete the file, type: ‘DEL[filename] /F /Q’.
The F means: Delete File even IF it’s reported as Read Only.
The Q means: you don’t have to Confirm.
If you want to delete all files in the folder, you can use wildcards instead of Filename
For example: DEL *.* /F /Q

Last.fm to charge for mobile app

Starting February 15, 2011, Last.fm is introducing a charge for the streaming functions in its mobile app. The Web and desktop versions of the radio will still be free. It will also be free on Xbox Live and Windows Phone 7 phones.

Read more: [cnet]

Picasa is awesome!

So I just started using Picasa this weekend and it’s totally awesome.  I know it’s been around for a while but I never really did much with my pictures after putting them on my computer.  I was so impressed by the facial recognition feature.  I was starting to think that it was magic until it asked me the name of this person.

Still love the software though!

Verizon iPhone faster than AT&T

For most of the tests AT&T is slower than Verizon although some of the time it was close.  Check out the CNET video:

 

http://cnettv.cnet.com/battle-networks-iphone-verizon/9742-1_53-50099685.html?tag=api

 

Get a 3-user Windows 7 upgrade for $109.99!

Haven't yet upgraded your home PCs to Windows 7? No surprise there: a single upgrade license retails for $119.99.  Now Amazon has the Windows 7 Family Pack for $109.99 shipped--the lowest price I've seen for this upgrade.  That works out to about $36 per PC, a much more tolerable price for upgrading your XP- or Vista-powered desktops and laptops to Windows 7.

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack (3-User)

How to get better search results

Searching the internet for a topic can be difficult at times but there are some techniques to searching that usually render better results.

Google gives some tips in their help section and the above graphic I’ve included is from Google.

The basic ideas are that Boolean operators and math symbols help (AND, OR, ~, +, -, etc), use quotes when searching for a phrase, and you can use a * wildcard if necessary.

Google Shortcut	Finds Pages That Have...
nokia phone	the words nokia and phone
sailing OR boating	either the word sailing or the word boating
"love me tender"	the exact phrase love me tender
printer -cartridge	the word printer but NOT the word cartridge
Toy Story +2	movie title including the number 2
~auto	looks up the word auto and synonyms
define:serendipity	definitions of the word serendipity
how now * cow	the words how now cow separated by one or more words
+	addition; 978+456
-	subtraction; 978-456
*	multiplication; 978*456
/	division; 978/456
% of	percentage; 50% of 100
^	raise to a power; 4^18 (4 to the eighteenth power)
old in new (conversion)	45 Celsius in Fahrenheit
site:(search only one website)	site:websearch.about.com "invisible web"
link:(find linked pages)	link:www.lifehacker.com
#...#(search within a number range)	nokia phone $200...$300
daterange:(search within specific date range)	Bosnia daterange:200508-200510
safesearch: (exclude adult content)	safesearch:breast cancer
info: (find info about a page)	info:www.websearch.about.com
related: (related pages)	related:www.websearch.about.com
cache: (view cached page)	cache:google.com
filetype:(restrict search to specific filetype)	zoology filetype:ppt
allintitle: (search for keywords in page title)	allintitle:"nike" running
inurl:(restrict search to page URLs)	inurl:chewbacca
site:.edu (specific domain search)	site:.edu, site:.gov, site:.org, etc.
site:country code (restrict search to country)	site:.br "rio de Janeiro"
intext:(search for keyword in body text)	intext:parlor
allintext: (return pages with all words specified in body text)	allintext:north pole
book(search book text)	book The Lord of the Rings
phonebook:(find a phone number)	phonebook:Google CA
bphonebook: (find business phone numbers)	bphonebook:Intel OR
rphonebook:(find residential phone numbers)	rphonebook:Joe Smith Seattle WA
movie:(search for showtimes)	movie:wallace and gromit 97110
stocks:(get a stock quote)	stocks:ncesa
weather:(get local weather)	weather:97132

Dude, drop the Twinkie

Fooducate has released a new iPhone app that you can scan the barcodes of food and it will give you the product highlights (good and bad) and alternative products.  You can even compare products.

 

fooducate

 

Don't want to take up an outlet just to charge your phone? Here's an idea

iPhone surge protector

Apple's superbowl ad that almost didn't make it - 1984

It's Superbowl time and everybody's talking about the game...and the ads.  This ad ran in 1984 but Apple execs wanted to pull it. See the article:
1984