Acronis Backup and Recovery Video

How lost would you be if your computer crashed or your hard drive failed?  I was surprised to see on this video that 85% of us do not use any kind of backup for our computers.  Are you one of those 85% who see no need for an online backup service?  You must be very fortunate so far.  Only someone who has not had their computer crash without warning and lost it all would feel that they have no need for an online backup service.

Once You Have Lost It All You Realize You Should Have Backed It Up

Personally, I have had to use 3 or 4 different computers in the last year and it is so frustrating that the last 2 computers I’ve used, I didn’t even bother to put any programs or backed up files onto them.  That means I now have no pictures, music, documents or programs on my computer.  Worse yet, I have lost all my contacts and have to rely on the white pages to find my families addresses and phone numbers.  Crazy, right?  I actually did back up my files, but not with an online backup service.  That would have been so much smarter.  Instead I used an external hard drive, that works, you say.  NOT.  Why?  Because I have to share it with at least 3 other people and I somehow did not manage to get all the files I needed backed up onto the hard drive.  So when it came time to do taxes for our small business this year, I had no copies of last year’s tax returns to transfer into this year’s forms.  I had to start over.  On top of that, I seem to have lost all of my years of Quicken accounting.  That is NOT COOL.

Websites That Can Help You Compare Online Backup Service

There are so many available options for you these days in the area of online backup service that it should be easy to get yourself set up.  Some of the options include: Mozy, Sos Online Backup, Back Blaze, Live Drive, idrive, and Carbonite.  The problem is in the diversity of companies, options, and prices.  If you are overwhelmed by the many options out there for online backup service, there are even websites, like Gadget Advisor or PC Mag, that compare the different backup options and companies for you to help you find the company that best fits your needs and budget.  Since your online backup service is not really something that you want to try before you buy, it is helpful to find out what others know or have experienced with these different companies before you entrust your “brain” to them.

Prices and Payment Options Will Vary

As I have searched I have discovered that there are both free online backup service and fee online backup service companies out there.  There are online backup service for home and online backup service for business.  There are monthly payment plans and one time payment options.  Then there are, of course, all kinds of different size options.  With all the companies out there, you really do need to know what you need from your online backup service, and then pick what you can afford that meets that need.

Xlerator Stand For Logitec Wheel

Xlerator Gaming

My son loves driving games that have a wheel controller that he can use his xlerator.  He has multiple gaming systems.  We have an original nintendo system, an original xbox, a xbox 360, and a wii system which also plays our Gamecube games..  He also built a gaming computer for his driving games.  In addition we have tried game boys, game boy advance, nintendo ds, nintendo ds lite (the hand held games have driving games but can’t really use the xlerator products).

In all the driving games the use of a steering wheel and pedal controls are sometimes difficult to find away to set them up.  The first time we bought a logitec wheel we tried setting it up with just a chair and sitting the wheel on his lap.  We also tried a TV tray and a coffee table even the dining room table all the time wishing we had something like the xlerator stand for the wheel.  It was still better than using the hand controllers or even the mini steering wheel controller but it really needed some support system and xlerator has the perfect product to make your driving game experience the best it can be.

Xlerator Dryer

Excel makes an excellent hand dryer called the xlerator.  It is not as much fun as the xlerator for gaming but it the best product for use in your business or your high end home if you prefer a hand dryer for your guest wash room to avoid hand towels and the clutter of paper towels.   It comes with several different options like a variety of colors and the option of the xlerator automated switching.

Battle of Linux vs Windows

Linux vs Windows Personal Experience

I have a couple of friends, both techies, who use it and encouraged me to give the test of Linux vs Windows a try. I finally did after ANOTHER frustrating experience with Windows, and one of them helped me install Linux. It is an operating system, just like Windows and Mac, but it’s what they call an open source system. Open Source means that anyone can write programs for it, but as soon as you offer it, other techies around the world are going to scrutinize it for suspicious content – hence there are no viruses with Linux. There are thousands of apps that you can install, and it runs OpenOffice. Caveat: I tried to install something a couple of weeks ago, and now I can’t get it to boot up, so I’m back to Windows for the time being. Don’t try the Linux vs Windows test unless you have a good, available techie to help you out in a bind. Sounds negative, but you have the same problem with Windows for sure, and maybe Mac as well. One feature that I really like is that when you turn it on, you’re ready to go in less than 30 seconds, and it turns off in 5 seconds, instead of the 90 that Windows takes.  Linux takes a little getting used to, layout and such, but overall I like Linux. Maybe Linux For Dummies would be helpful. P.S. Linux is free which makes taking the Linux vs Windows test very appealing.

Phones4You Funny Ad Phones4You Advertisements Some of the funniest advertisements every created have been released by Phones4You campaign. At Phones4You, they are serious about selling phones and they know all to well that the last thing a customer wants from a tele advert is a long list of product information and statistics. I am sure that some of our stodgy old countrymen are disgusted by the sometimes crass and sometimes juvenile humor of the Phones4You adverts, but the numbers don’t lie and they are growing their customer base through the use of humor. Some of the humor used in the Phones4You advertisements is very simple and straightforward but has an almost propaganda like message to move us to go to the nearest location and make a purchase that we cann’t afford to miss. The Discounts at Phones4You Sales The great thing about Phones4You is that no matter how deep the propaganda and psychological marketing tools that they are using, they simply have the best deals on the best phones. If you are looking for a smartphone, there is an almost unbeatable chance the Phones4You will have the specific smartphone that you are looking for at a better price than you can find anywhere else. To start with Phones4You offers extremely good pricing, but they also have great cash back rebates. If you can find a way to pay the price at Phones4You they will work with you to get the manufacturers rebates into your pocket. Monthly Plans at Phones4You The other side of purchasing a mobile phone is the monthly service plans. Often mobile phone companies squeeze you from one side or the other, but Phones4You will work to get you the optimal deal for both the cost of the phone and the monthly cost of the service plan. Phones4You offers a line of pay as you go phones so that you can fit it into your budget. They also offer low monthly fee plans as well as plans for unlimited minutes. Phones4You has the calling plan you need on the telephone you need. One stop telephone store Phones4You Although Phones4You doesn’t have a brick and mortar store they really offer the store that most of the younger generation are used to. They offer an online store that so that a customer can shop at Phones4You twenty four hours a day 24/7 and even on holidays. Phones4You is where ever you have a connection to the internet.

Lulu.com – How to publish a book – pros and cons

Lulu.com offers a nice broad selection of services that include how to publish a book on Lulu.com. However, upon further research many writers complain about the cost versus value of the services offered by Lulu, and recommend either more of a do-it-yourself hand-on approach, or at least finding a different POD or publish-on-demand website that will also most likely save you some money. So the question is how to publish your book in the way that makes you feel the most comfortable and satisfied with the entire process.

How to publish a book with an ISBN

The ISBN, despite its reputation for being intimidating, scary, and possibly even hard, can be one of the easiest things to acquire for your new book. According to my online research there are even websites that will let you purchase only an ISBN for your book (not the whole pre-publishing, marketing, or distribution package, like Lulu.com). It might take longer to get the ISBN that way, but it’s way more fun. Of course, you can also get an ISBN from Lulu.com with any of their prepublishing packages, which might be the best choice for someone who is completely intimidated by the idea of self-publishing.

How to publish a book; marketing and distribution

Lulu.com offers one very nice feature for publishing your own book online and that is the easy marketing and distribution packages available. While one could almost certainly jump through all of the hoops on one’s own, there is something compellingly simple about a program that will do all of that for you so that not every single one of us idealistic aspiring writers have to deal with this side of the business of writing as much (a definite plus for those of us who are not great with math nor business ).

How to publish a book; what about ebooks and other publishing or pre-publishing optinos

Lulu.com also offers the nice option (for a fee, depending on the options) of publishing books on pdf and the standard ebook format in addition to the option hardbound books (or just the standard POD or print-on-demand option). This is definitely something that I would want for my book (for some reason it seems like it would be easier to get the word out or market or even just plain sell books online than not-online).

My ASUS Notebook Customer Service Thoughts

I really like this ASUS notebook. It has an excellent screen, great performance, reasonable battery life, good speed and looks stylish.

ASUS Notebooks are not terribly new. As with any growing company there are concerns. ASUS technical support on my first call was great. The agent I spoke with was not likely from America, but handled the call very well and offered me a summary of the phone call before we concluded. It’s not that it was a cheap call mind you, as it left me owing $59 on my credit card. But with the assurance that spending this amount would resolve our issues I was satisfied. But, as the case often is, especially with technology, the $59 did not solve the problem. So another phone call to ASUS was the result and this time I was not terribly impressed. What I thought was especially odd for a technology company was that I could not send an email to them with information about my notebook/laptop. They were terribly confused that I would want to send then a screenshot so that they could actually see what was happening. And here I thought that sending a photo would be a great tool for them so they could actually see the same thing I’m seeing, isn’t it?

Hey ASUS – I’d like to interact with you!

I’m thinking that a technology company today should have their ducks in a row and I should be able to interact with my service rep in several ways as the same time. Wouldn’t it be logical that I could

1) chat with them online
2) send them screen shots / photos
3) let them take over the controls of my computer
4) naturally use the old fashion telephone too.
5) I’d even expect that I could fax them (naturally assuming the fax would turn digital on their end and be sent to them as an email.
6) And even email them for any other reason.

Well as baffled as I am, my ASUS notebook still is not working (blue screen crashes ever 10-15 minutes) and of course you know that I’m only a couple months outside of the warranty. Can you believe it? It’s like this notebook knew when the warranty expired and I had my credit card bill paid off so that it could crash like clock work.

Hey ASUS – Can you give me your best Guess?

Now that the laptop isn’t working, the only thing they can offer is for me to send it in and have it repaired. Well, I’m open to that because I understand I can’t run a machine that crashed randomly (although I am a regular Windows user and should be used to blue screens by now, but I’m still picky like that). So I’ve asked them to provide me with any kind of price range – for example – if it’s a bad motherboard, how much will I pay? If the hard drive is fried, how much will it cost? What is the labor rate? Anything? No, no one at ASUS can tell me how much I might expect to pay.  If the fee was $50 to inspect it and $200 to fix it I might say it’s worth it, and I might not. But if I have to pay to ship and insure my laptop to get to them, then I’d like to know something about it ahead of time. Is there a price sheet? Somewhere? Anywhere?  I don’t really believe that ASUS is about gouging their clients, but it feels like I’m being set up for failure here. There’s no way that they will come in under budget is there?

Cloud computing isn’t really all that new. Google has been pushing for it for a long time. The introduction of Google Documents was a push to see if users could handle storing documents online and work in an online only format. Microsoft has been concerned with software licenses and has long thought that an always on internet connection would be a great way to have more control over the software platforms a user has access to. Amazon, ITunes and the other players in the music industry will have control over what people upload to their iPods by having the licensed files on their servers. The Amazon Kindle (and other book platforms) love it to for the same reason.

The pitch to the consumer is pretty easy, as it’s something new, trendy and interesting technology that is accompanying it. There are going to be a ton of problems to come with cloud computing. Reliability, hacking, reliable access, lack of full coverage wireless access in the USA and abroad are some of the initial concerns that need to be overcome. Already in the attempt to use some basic cloud computing technology you will find errors and non-functioning components.

Google cloud printing sounds great, but they have errors that do not allow many users to actually use their services. Timeout errors in the software gives the receiving computer no chance at printing. When you start talking about more advanced features the trouble is going to multiply rapidly. Now this doesn’t mean that it’s bad or is going to go away. There are a ton of benefits to cloud computing. But, it’s not the best thing since sliced bread. And really it’s not that new either. So, take your time when adjusting to cloud computing and it will get there. Not this year, and not next, but it will. And hey, there really is a silver lining to cloud computing.

Have you seen the icons that every major website has? Would you like one? How do you make a toolbar icon? Having a favicon file or fav.ico image show up on your website is just another subtle way of branding your website and making it look professional.

Design it
For the design, look at a bunch of icons that other websites use. Note how it’s incredibly small and no room for features like a lot of shading or high resolution graphics. Keep it very simple. Look for a program that you can use to make it.

Size it
16 X 16 pixel or points – you can also design it in 32X32 or 64X64 but the smaller file will be just as good and help keep your website running fast.

Export it
You need to find a program that can export as an .ico file type. CorelDraw works great for that, and there are many other design programs that will work as well.

Name It
You must name it favicon.ico, so don’t get fancy and try naming it with your website name or anything like that.

Upload It
Once you have saved it, you need to upload it to the main folder or root directory of your website. For most hosting companies that is the public html folder.

Test It
Once you upload it, test it and see if it works. Remember to actually refresh your browser so it will clear the existing version out of memory.

Fix It
If that still doesn’t work, try putting this code in the header of your html. It also works in wordpress if you go to ‘edit’ and then work on the header.php

<link rel="shortcut icon" href="http://www.ginormasource.com/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" />

Love It
Enjoy your new icon and smile each time you visit your website and see you awesome icon popping up on tabs everywhere.

Here are some icon samples – you can learn from them and they can help you design better icons.

There is a cool new trend that is arriving at the washington sports club and other sports clubs around the country. Depending on where you live and the consciousness of the environment, your local sports club or fitness center maybe taking steps to turn green. It is no surprise that people who are body conscious are also becoming more environmentally conscious. These sports clubs are becoming very creative in finding ways to reduce their carbon footprint and also some very unique ways to harness the human energy being expended in workouts throughout the sport club facility. Some of the ideas for becoming green at the washington sport club include simple steps of switching light bulbs to something that last longer and uses less energy. They also have started insulating swimming pools to reduce lost heat during times when the pools and hot tubs are not being used. Depending on the budget they may go to a system that automatically controls heat and air conditioning based on weather forecast and or usage. These sports clubs and fitness centers may also install solar heating systems for the pools and depending on the weather and location a thermal heat exchange unit to provide heat and air conditioning using the earth’s own natural heat. However what the Washington Sport Club and others have found most exciting is harnessing the energy produced by the fitness cycles, treadmills, stair steppers and many other pieces of exercise equipment. New technology has allowed the sports clubs to turn the spinning wheels on these devices directly into electricity. That means that those working out are generating enough electricity to power the televisions and even the lights in the room that they are using. We are hopeful that the technology will continue to expand to the point that it may be used to power computers, lights throughout the whole building, and perhaps someday be able to be self-sustaining by use of human power. It is a fun and exciting time to be able to go the washington sport club enjoy the challenge of a good workout while watching the news and no that you are powering the television in front of you. Very rewarding way to spend an hour.