Is your PC broken?

As of today I have launched my remote Pc repair service right here on my blog.
Using Crossloop & GOOGLE Checkout if you scroll down a bit and look to the right sidebar of this page you will see my Crossloop link and the associated Google Checkout billing button below. (look to your right and scroll down a little silly.)
This is how it will work, Visit my Crossloop Bio.
Now go get the crossloop software for free then request a service call and we set a time and if there is billing involved you come back here and pay with the blue Google Checkout button as directed and I visit your PC remotely to fix it. Of course some issues will still require a house call. And other rates would apply but your bottom line is $20.00 for a remote fix and you don't even need to wait for me to drive over. Crossloop will get by your home router and give you a secure tunnel for me to help you out, Its EASY even your mom could do it!

Do you have a long weblink?

this is cool take any old long format web address and make it tiny.
By example this site is www.lotsofideas.blogspot.com but visit TinyURL and you get this (tinyurl.com/acy82) or just acy82 simple and easy to carry.

Are you still paying for long distance????

Oh man, I just talked to some poor student the other day that just wants to call home "Canada" but on a student budget Mom and Dad are just a little out of reach after getting the Pop-tarts, Ramen and of course books and smart fuel er,well, B E E R.
Hers the master plan in easy to use steps.
1. Get a nice T-Mobile My Favs or Alltel My circle account. (call 5 to 10 numbers free anytime)
2. Visit AllFreeCalls not a 1-800 line so you need the my favs.
3. Or Try This. Got broadband try Skypeout 14.95 a year currently Us & Canada.
4. Eh,,WHAT! are you hard of hearing or deaf? Well theres even a free relay chat service here Ip-Relay also good if you had too much beer and your slurriing woords after that dorm kegger.

Call Mom & Dad tell em to SEND MORE MONEY!

I just got a Damn ipod!

So yo lucky SOB someone just gave you IPOD and lets see,,, how the hell do I get the music on it, No disc, No option but going online to Apple for DRM laden music that I will never really own. I have to say iTunes is ok but its not about you and your stuff its all about your lack of control over your rights. Anyways don't feel locked into iTunes there are other ways to enjoy music on YOUR IPOD. Try getting your music DRM free from eMusic or Grooveshark both places have lots of cheap plain old MP3s the best part is you pay once and use em any way YOU see fit. Ok next you found some cool legal music and don't want iTunes what now? Well try MediaMonkey or vpod for free transfer software. You have a great toy and now you call the shots.

Hmm, you might want to see the future of digital music sales here Allofmp3 but understand the RIAA isn't so happy about these guys in Russia. You can bet no matter how things pan out Allofmp3 is visionary and ahead of its time but but the RIAA "and their new world order" still considers allofmp3.com not legal for USA consumption.

Have DS will hack

You may already have one of the greatest game systems ever to run on a battery. To get to the point there are some great homebrew games and such for the Nintendo DS. You will need a few things first see the following link for the lowdown. MetkuMods Have fun on the cheap.

Oh so many games, and free.

Go visit 1UP.com Great site for all game players or go directly to this link 101 FREE GAMES for awesome free games. There are multiple pages of incredible fun games. NOTE: there are a couple not for kids games listed here.
BTW if your at work now just tell the boss you gotta go home because your feeling sick with one of those 48hr flu things, because your gonna be busy playing free games for at least 2 days. HaHa!

One word UBUNTU!

Ok actually two, Ubuntu and Linux.
Did you know there is a option beyond Microsofts Windows and its well crafted, works very well and its in many cases just plain FREE!
Well lots of folks have been swearing by Linux based operating systems for a long time. I have finally found one that keeps it so darn simple it's time to see for yourself.
See the Ubuntu linux distro its well rounded and includes Open Office a free office suite thats compatible & just like MS OFFICE.
Bottom line, If you want Internet, E-mail, a good office package then you can actually make a CD from a download or get one or more for FREE sent to your home. Visit my link. Even older PC's will run it and when you see a "LIVE" cd that means you can run it without changing anything on your PC directly off the CD itself.

My Pre-paid Cell phone guide.

So many choices.
The point here is currently a post-paid or contract monthly plan for one line runs about $52 with taxes each month. Although you get great features and typically more minutes, most people can save real money with a pre-paid cell phone.
Many pre-paid phones let you roll minutes over as long as you add more airtime before the last minutes expire and typically don't require any commitment or activation fees finally no suprises!

Ok here are some questions.
1, Do you know how many minutes you will use per month?
can you answer less than 30 min or less than 150 per month?

2, Will the phone be off when your not calling?
Lets face it, If you call a friends phone a couple times and they don't answer or they tell you that they keep it off will you ever call them on that line again?
That alone may put you in the 30 minutes or less category.

3, Where will you use it?
Coverage. This is tough one don't waste time listening to those folks that complain about any certain brand, instead ask about return policys Wal-Mart is a good place to buy one they actually give you 90days on pre-paid phone returnsnote: keep everything and the reciept. Be aware that airtime cards you buy are impossible or at least difficult to return so consider this before buying the larger or one year cards with your first phone.

Here we go.
If you can say 30 minutes or less monthly use I recommend, Tracfone, buy a 20 dollar phone and 60min card at less than 20 bucks every 60 days and you end up paying $10 bucks a month to have a working cellphone and here's the best part, anytime you don't use all your minutes you get to keep them!

If you just can't live with less them 100 min per month or up to 150 minutes average then I recommend NET10 phones. Here's the deal, you pay about $15 a month and you can buy one for just 50 bucks you get 300 minutes that last 60 days and a nice phone. Ten cents a minute ALL THE TIME same deal as above the minutes rollover as long as you buy more airtime.

Now lets cover some other brands.
T-mobile to Go
Nice phones, Samsung & Nokia models reasonable rates and if you buy $100 dollars of minutes you get one year of service and possibly the best pre-paid rates the next $100 dollar card you get 15% more minutes 8.5 cents a minute imagine that. If you are deaf you can get a Sidekick keyboard phone even.

Cingular Go-Phone
Good phones here too currently Sony-Ericsson bars phones and other models starting at 40 bucks. Go-phones offer plans like a typical post paid plans even offering nights and weekends for a price. More money than a post-paid but no contracts visit the link above.

Verizon Inpulse
If your people are Verizon you get "in-calling" Verizon free mobile to mobile thats a good thing, 10 cents a minutes also a good thing, 99 cents a day if you use it or not everyday hmmmm, take a look anyway link above.

Virgin Mobile
We're on MTV! whoops lost me already!
No seriously kids will love some of the OPTIONS here, penny text messages free "Primetime 7pm to 7am" minutes cool phones on the Sprint network. Virgin sells a messaging phone with a keyboard for $129 its a cool deal. Look carefully at what they offer you may just love the plans! Sadly my suburban Sprint coverage is poor here otherwise I would consider them as the best overall carrier.
Go see the link above I don't get it but your kid might.

Alltelu
Well I'm not going to try to describe Alltel's plan offerings but they are different and you can get any 2 features like unlimited text or night and weekends included even in pre-paid plans, go visit the link above.

Boost Mobile
Booost Mobile, let it roll off your tongue baby we are all about the urban groove.
I have a Boost phone Boost is a pre-paid Nextel phone that means national Walkie-Talkie if you friend or business associates use Nextel you just have to get one of these. I can tell you I love push to talk but hate charging it everyday. Bottom line once again go visit the site.

Summery,
Yup, there are lots of choices and more pre-paid companies out there.
But I like simple practical options and even though Tracfone & NET10 are the same company they still keep it simple and cheap. By the way I don't invest in any one company I've mentioned and I welcome comments on this subject but once again remind you try one even if someone tells you they don't like a certain brand I have found mileage varies.

Also, Expect customer service issues with ALL pre & post-paid carriers. You are speaking to real people just like you, sometimes in other places. Be polite and if things get off track then try telling them you need to call back for some reason, the next person you reach may be more helpful. Many pre-paid carriers will ask for a zip code this is because they want to know where you will be using the phone. Cell phone companies consider their costs in each market if you use that companies product in a typically suburban area said company may not let you activate your new phone at YOUR SUBURBAN "hint, hint" address/zipcode.

Good luck, don't call us we'll can you.

How to save a wet cellphone

This one rocks! Go to WikiHow they have the whole thing in a easy read.
However, always remember battery out ASAP and the longer u wait to start drying the less apt it can be saved. Soda and saltwater are really bad things to dip your phone in, find a pro with the right tools for disassembly if you can for those.

You Know Your a Geek Tip deux

VIDEO DRIVERS
PC Gaming is all about graphics
Always make sure you have the newest drivers
Visit this link Tech power up a cool site that is all about performance.

Laptop gamers see Notebook hardware control CPU throttling temp control ect. hit the road jack!

Fonts written visual art, or just pure fun?

How many times have you made a sign for a yard sale or sent a special email (I think ransom notes are excluded) and just didn't find the perfect font to set the mood.
There are some great programs out the to make things a bit easier but if your the un-artistic type like me then finding the perfect typeface can give you that sense of accomplishment.



OK lets find some fonts!
A quick google search will send you to a bunch of places but some are just bull and some want you to buy everything. I have a few for you to start with but let me warn you some sites employ ad-ware or spyware to profit from your perceived gain so proceed with caution.

Here are some good ones!

Simply The Best Fonts simple layout great font selection.

Fontfreak

Fontfoundry

Iconian 300 or so here but some good ones PC and Mac.

Harolds Fonts look at some freebies there.

K-TYPE only like 29 freebies but I like the dingbat ones.

I just like the look of this site Diane DiPiazza

One of my all time favorites "Ultimate cool factor ALERT" is Chank Diesel's site CHANK.com

Now keep in mind as you start your collection some fonts are free and some are NOT!
Shareware fonts you will download for free will be missing upper or lower case letters and or numbers to give you a reason to buy them from the author.
Observe copywrites if you make ads or profit somehow from type face usage odds are someone should have been paid for them.

The next question might be how do I install them?

Well you can just drop em in the windows directory "fonts" folder this works fine for the first 50 to 100 or so.
Once you get going and install lets say 200 to 2000 extra fonts to Windows things kinda slow down or some programs just can't make'em all work. (you may have to remove some fonts) Its time to organize a bit and install a font manager. I have a couple free choices for you and there are many commercial options visit Adobe.com for a good one.

Fontomatic (registration required) Load folders and view or re-sort.

The Font Thing Same idea as above also free.



Got a Mac and want True Type fonts to work try this. Macintosh software, to convert PC TrueType fonts into Mac TrueType fonts, and conversely. TTConverter

Perhaps you want to make your own fonts?
Well you certainly can, most programs out there will require that you buy a full version to get real functionality.
However ther is one freebie I found Fontforge you can get it in most OS flavors but downloading it and running it can be complicated.
Also see commerical software Fontcreator $79. to $149. and
Typetool $99.

Here is a website to make your own font on the web BitFontMaker. Also see the fonts other people posted.


If you love this sort of thing and want cooler looking emails you gotta try Incredimail its worth buying and its limited use for free.

Microsoft has some tools for you type heads out there take a look, Free font tools

Bonus links visit:
typorganism start at the ASCII-O-MATIC.
Visit BLAMBOT some neat stuff here for comicbook fans.

One final warning FONTS ARE ADDICTIVE you will find yourself using them way too much, so be creative and have fun!

Signs signs everywhere a sign

Heres a fun site TXT2PIC its loaded with editable signs some commerical like Mcdonalds or Wendy's and Walmart a few pictures with caption bubbles like George bush or a man in a gorilla suit. (not a big difference there.)


Ok now if I can just find some tee shirt transfer paper. Hehe.

Ever Made Your Own Marble?

Kids in school yards all over Japan have been doing this activity for years.

How to Make Shiny Dorodango
1. Pack some mud into your hand, and squeeze out the water while forming a sphere.
2. Add some dry dirt to the outside and continue to gently shape the mud into a sphere.
3. When the mass dries, pack it solid with your hands, and rub the surface until a smooth film begins to appear.
4. Rub your hands against the ground, patting and rubbing the fine, powdery dirt onto the sphere. Continue this for two hours.
5. Seal the ball in a plastic bag for three or four hours. Upon removing the sphere, repeat step 4, and then once again seal the sphere in a plastic bag.
6. Remove the ball from the bag, and if it is no longer wet, polish it with a cloth until it shines.

The outcome is going to vary based on type of mud the amount of skill you acquire doing this over and over and over. Give this task to your 3-4 year old or try it yourself and see what happens...

Sunday, "Project Rainy Day"

Science is fun and if you have kids and a kitchen then you already have willing lab assistants and Laboratory to solve the wonders of modern science in.
I have some links here that will wow the kids or perhaps even you.
Most experiments will just require some mundane household items and "perhaps a mop and bucket and lots of paper towels too!"

READ THIS too Disclaimer applies to this whole article in practice and spirit!

My all time favorite Steve Spangler this guy would be anyone's favorite science teacher.

You too can be a doctor of Funology a great kids site full of projects and facts.

Facts & fun stuff at Reeko's Mad Scientists Lab Quick get my lab coat!

Well this one is interesting, seems Pfizer makers of Viagra have a FunZone "hehe" and yes it is kid safe go and try the electron microscope.

This one is a hoot makes you think what is in my food? Bayer, Nails for breakfast?

Lets ask Science Bob! I like the weather part here.

Hunkin's Experiments This stop is worth the cartoons alone. If the work looks familiar you might have seen some on the TV show 'The Secret Life Of Machines'.

Don't forget one of the best "daddy how does that work?" resources on the net HowStuffWorks I go here all the time really amazing things here.

So, get out the safety glasses perhaps make a trip to the grocer for lab supplies and have lots of fun.

BONUS LINK!!!! Go here ?

Uhhh, nice cards. "Yea I just printed em on my dot Martix*"

So, are you a budding small business and want to fix some rough edges?
Lets look at a couple quick cheap options to go pro.

Business Cards
Vistaprint

Get 250 full color, FREE business cards now at completely no risk!

I did this offer last time I needed cards and they looked great.
Yup you do pay for shipping (less than $10) and they would love you to upgrade but the free ones are very good.
You can actually design em right online!

Domain Name / E-mail
Go Daddy
Get your web presence covered here. Yea you may never want a website or use a computer however someone is bound to snatch your dot com name and they may just get any future online customers or even worse Trademark your company name out from under you thinking "well nobody claimed it on the web so Its all mine!" Go Daddy can give you ownership of your favorite name and email for about $20 a year and they can simply create a web page without your local geeks help.
On the webpage subject you might try building your own, go visit Nvu. You know me its FREE and quite good compare it to Dreamweaver or Frontpage and like all good freebies be sure to visit the Forum for tips & tricks.

BTW, (*Martix is redneck humor for Matrix)

I hope this is news for some of you, there are many other ways to accomplish what we just covered. I just picked my favorites.
DO YOU HAVE A OPINION? If so click add comments below and add your personal favorites or helpful hints on this subject.

I Hate paying For 411

This might be a easy way out, Try dialing 1-800-free411. For those of you that truly hate phonetic numbers its 1-800-373-3411 put it on speed dial on your cellphone.
Yup its free! No more $1.25 per call "or perhaps more" fees even on broadband lines.
Of course there is a catch, they play ads while you wait to be connected.
This may not be a godsend for pre-paid phone customers but It is free of use !
Expect a voice response/recognition system with actual operators for issues.
Leave the phonebook at home!

UPDATE: Google has 411 free too 1-800-466-4411
GOOG411 great voice recognition too.

(P.S. I may elaborate on searching for stuff and people soon.)

Are you Still Playing With LEGOS?

Some of the fond memories of my childhood came from many hours of dumping out a giant tub of LEGOs and building so many of my dreams, this may have set the foundation for some of my technical skills today.
I'm still amazed when I see those huge LEGO sculptures at the big toy stores and would love to build one but, who knows where to start?
So today's Geeky link is LEGO Digital Designer this is a free program to get you started.

Wow there's like 180 brick types now! Sure beats the 10 or so I had to choose from!
here's another link (LDraw.org) "These guys are nuts about LEGOs" A super forum to help make it easier create your dreams one brick at a time!

I miss my spinwelder... :'(

You Know Your a Geek Tip

Elevator expressing.
Press down the close door button, and the floor you would like to go to at the same time, keep held till you get there. Works on many elevators.

Are You Tired of Big Company Voicemail???

Just hate Waiting on hold?
Visit Paul English, Paul has gathered a nice database of tips on how to exit Voicemail hell and tell them what you really think!
Stop Being ignored FIND-A-HUMAN

What's A ThumbDrive Daddy?

All things Thumb, and why you can't live without one...

floppy drive, hard drive, Zip drive, Tape drive, CDR/RW, DVD-R/RW all these things store our data you may have used all of them or some. However some just don't belong in your pocket...

Today's best answer is a Thumb Drive or as we will refer to it futher on as a "TD", just a few ounces and its tiny like a keychain fob or smaller and capable of holding one gigabyte or even more. If you own a Windows XP/ME/2000 system you simply put your TD into any unused USB port and in a couple seconds it acts just like the internal hard drive in your computer! I own a 256 Meg TD and its replaced a bunch of CDRs I always carried everywhere and I have forced myself to only the data that I need to repair computers some bookmarks and my resume.
I cannot begin to tell you how easy it is now to just reach into my pants pocket where the TD lives everyday.

Any data that's important needs to be backed up, Personally there are very few items I need to backup on a TD, I still copy my basic setup of my entire computer to a quick restore DVD-r "perhaps there's another post there?" but it sure would be nice to carry a few programs a resume and perhaps some of my favorite bookmarks everywhere all the time and not let the world think Im a geek.
The real point here is at what point can I carry data so its at hand anytime and not a burden to have wherever I go and be big enough to keep things that can help me or make me money each day.

At home, Instant backup of home business or school projects.

At work, take home projects and move data outside the network to other offices with total security. "Just don't loose it"

At School, well just about everything except icy cold beverages*! Scan the books you own the papers your writing ect. "*for you college students"

Some drives now offer encryption and even built-in biometric scanners (Read, James bond stuff) There are many programs to back-up the moment you plug your drive in too.
See JumpVault Backup or PicoBackup for just outlook or PC-Mac PasswordVault for logins and identity. Don't forget you can put one around your neck on a keychain or a few are small enough to slip in a wallet

Lets move on, Ok I just got a TD what will I do now???
Well here are a few ideas on how you can use it beyond a few documents and a resume.

http://johnhaller.com/jh/Mozilla/ (portable Thunderbird, Firefox, etc.)

http://johnhaller.com/jh/useful_stuff/portable_openoffice/ (portableOpen Office)

http://sourceforge.net/projects/abiwordftd (word processor)

http://www.trilliananywhere.com/ (IM)http://www.miranda-im.org/ (IM)

http://www.goosee.com/puppy/ (Linux OS)

Keep looking, there many more apps you can run off a thumb!

Next time I go on a trip, I'm totally bringing the portable Thunderbird and Firefox with me.
So have you got one yet?
I'm gonna go get a one Gig thumb right now... hehe.

Thanks to Mike SP for the Research on links above.

All the best things in Life are free

FREE SOFTWARE GUIDE Vol 1
Yes its possible!
No no no, not pirated, pay me later or rebates,
not even a stops working after 30 days thing.
Just plain old "no strings attached" fully functioning FREE really!
You have already found a few examples here on this site.
Now I will give you a bigger roundup not security related. "Free of adware and spyware"
Replace Word, Quicken, Photoshop, and more....

OK lets start with the beginning of mans need for a computer. If you guessed word processing well that would be it.
There are sooo many Word clones and formats to consider but alas formats and spell checking are the two things to consider,with that said i give you...

Word Proc/Office apps:

ABIWORD

What use is a Word Processor when you can't share your documents with your friends? AbiWord is able to read and write all industry standard document types, such as OpenOffice.org documents, Microsoft Word documents, WordPerfect documents, Rich Text Format documents, HTML web pages and many more. Enjoy your favorite Word Processor on the operating system you like to use - be it Windows, Linux, QNX, FreeBSD or Solaris. AbiWord has been designed to integrate perfectly with the operating system it runs on. It will take advantage of the functionality provided by the system, such as image loading or printing capabilities. Don't miss the plug-in pak with grammar checking it free too. Download here.


COPYWRITER

Want simple tiny fit on a thumbdrive size and spellchecking?
Well you may want to try this one. The interface is very simple but it works its free and it spellchecks go get it. Download here.

EASYOFFICE

Why not just go all out and replace office period.
Easyoffice is attempting just that,
What you want here is Easyoffice free trial. This version of EasyOffice is completely functional for basic tasks. There is a polite start-up licensing screen, as well as small indication on the top toolbar that this is a Freetrial version. Otherwise, this version will function quite well. There's loads of applications included, Easymail, Easyword, EasyPDF, EasySpreadsheet, EasyDatabase, EasyContact manager ect,ect go see its loaded. Optionally pay later for more addons and support. Download here.

OPENOFFICE

This is a well known project out to put the squeeze on Office.
OpenOffice.org is both a multi-platform and multi-lingual office suite and an open-source project. Compatible with all other major office suites, the product is free to download, use, and distribute. To help build the community, join us.

I'm gonna stop here, anything you think you want to do it can do just visit the site get your Windows version here, Download here.
Make sure you pick the "Lastest stable release" not a beta version.

SOFTWARE602 PC suite

A full version of Office XP Standard retails for $400+. What if you were able to get many of the same functions in a software package that's free? 602Pro PC Suite 2001 from Software602 is just that. At around 14 MB, it's a realistic download even for a 56K dial-up connection and it installs quickly and easily too. Now this one does have some limits but you should try it I have also seen it retail at Walmart for less than 20$. Visit the site trust me they will sell you on the free download without question...
Download here.

Money Management:

ACEMONEY

AceMoney Lite is limited to one bank account but very useful for free.
AceMoney is small, but it has a lot of features that could be found in huge personal accounting software packages that are on the market. Download here.
You can track spending habits, Manage budgets, Track investments, Finance math calc with currency's, Import on-line files from your bank, Debt planning and lastly Internet payments like Paypal ect.
If you need more accounts then pay 30$ for the full version.

MOFFSOFT FREECALC

A great replacement for your existing Windows^® calculator. We took the standard Windows calculator functionality and added the following features:
Adjustable calculator size
Tape
Color schemes
New keys
Visible memory value
Option settings
Digit groupings
International support
and more.
Download here.

PAINT PROGRAMS:

Deep Paint

Pure 3D painting fun! I Love this one.

Deep Paint 3D® provides 3D artists with an intuitive, easy to use tool to paint and texture 3D models interactively in 3D. It uses textures or natural medium that can be brushed directly or projected onto 3D models and scenes. This creative environment supports an integrated workflow with 3ds max®, Maya®, Softimage® and LightWave 3D®. Deep Paint 3D comes complete with a bi-directional interface to Photoshop® and special support for the Wacom®TMntuos(tm) pressure sensitive tablet. Deep Paint 3D can be used standalone
If you have a Graphics Tablet its a real joy to use too.
Get it here, Download.com

INKSCAPE

Inkscape is an Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, Freehand, CorelDraw, or Xara X using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format. Supported SVG features include shapes, paths, text, markers, clones, alpha blending, transforms, gradients, patterns, and grouping.
Let me translate that last statement for you, its FREE and very much like 100$ and upward paint applications. Hence, why are you waiting? Get it here.

THE GIMP
Yup silly name for a paint program but this is the Rolls Royce of free paint.
There are books published on this one and its used everyday by pros, this is a fully featured program you can't actually buy. Funny huh...

The application provides professional tools that can stand against the big boys without the hefty price tag. The GIMP is extremely powerful and easy to work with. The GIMP is ideal for amateur photographers, Web designers, and anyone who wants to create and edit professional-quality digital images on a budget.

Now for the catch, it is in 2 parts this one installs first GTK+ 2 for Windows and then The Gimp for Windows get both HERE

SCREEN GRAB PRO

One of those things you just should have.
Screen Grab is simple and works just fine, If you can see it you can create a instant Bitmap image of a window or box of any size on screen. Try capturing textures to paint with or pictures to create a tutorial use for creating Instant messenger icons.
Download here.


MUSIC:

JETAUDIO Basic

Way cool alt for windows media player plus you get a window into something different.
This program has it all, and sound/looks sweet! You can also broadcast over the internet and be a DJ. I'm paying for Musicmatch but still enjoy this one.
Get it Here.

WINAMP 5.1
Get with the llama Winamp's mascot.
What can I say, Winamp is FAST sounds great its totally skinable and you can get visuals for it and now it seeks and plays online video feeds.
(There are tons of shows out there, but watch your kids though some bad stuff too)
Get it here.

GAMES:

I had to put a few games in.

This one is a true find, Not a demo, 265 meg download has FPS online play and requires 3d graphics see requirements at source.
This one is not for the kiddies and Yup it was 50$ now its just FREE!!! WOO! Thank you ACTIVISON!
Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
Get it at Download.com

Not too much to say just fun time wasters your PS2, X-Box or whatever will put em to shame.
Still worth trying and lots of fun for zip$.
LITTLE FIGHTER II
SCORCHED 3D
WARNING FOREVER

Lets do this again soon, I would love some comments and any of your suggestions. and I know my spelling and grammar needs work. HeHe...
J

How do you do the internet?

More importantly, How do you get there?

Internet Explorer? AOL? Well Its possible some people just have not tried any other way to cruise the net. Thats not only sad but could be unfortunate "IE" just seems to be the ultimate target for malice. Microsoft seems to be on top of things but "IE" lacks many features some other Browsers can give you, not to mention perhaps a advantage being a minority not yet worth hacking could offer protection too!
Its worth mentioning Firefox and a few others are not based on Microsoft's Internet explorer.

Here's the short list,

FIREFOX
The current number one favorite for me and more than 75 million others is Firefox its Mozilla based just like Netscape but slimmer trimmer and currently fast reliable and secure. Firefox features Tabbed Browsing a
Popup Blocker and Smart Search go here to see the "5 minute challenge" make sure you look at some of the Extensions that add functionality and for some un-needed weight.

NETCAPTOR
I'm using Netcaptor right now. I love the advanced Tab Browser feature called CaptorGroups, just find your everyday can't miss pages and have them load automatically when you startup the program. Netcaptor uses a pop-up blocker too but keep in mind it is IE based. The free version is good worth your time to try. Free Netcaptor is ad driven however and funny enuf supports ad blocking too. Secure? yup, NetCaptor's secure clean up feature obliterates your cache, history, cookies, AutoComplete and other private data by overwriting it 1 to 35 times before deletion. So You can drop the ad's for a mere 29.99. I think most will enjoy this one enuf to drop a few bucks.

AVANTBROWSER
I use Netcaptor and find both choices quite comparable.
Avant has a very loyal following, visit the link above or search'em at Download.com the best part is its totally FREE period. Don't be to shy to donate if you love it! they accept almost anything in any form . If you’re happy with the basic structure of Internet Explorer but want to beef up your browsing experience, Avant Browser is the ideal free upgrade. Its impressive range of fun and practical features makes surfing the web simpler and faster. And it rocks.

GHOSTZILLA
So your at work no time to be looking at web sites? HeHe or is it?
Ghostzilla also mozilla based, is the Stealth browsing choice it opens in any window with a mere mouse gesture. Ghostzilla is a Web browser like Firefox, but it shows up and disappears instantly, discreetly, blended with your application -- any application -- so the Web pages look like part of it and not like the Web at all. (Read here how.) What would you use it for?
Hide from your boss and coworkers. Not a good idea; you can get caught or end up wasting lots of time.
Have a browser instantly available and dismissable within your work application, washed out from ads and unnecessary pictures. This is actually useful -- except you risk developing attention deficit disorder. Seriously.
Visit HERE but I caution you bypassing most company net filtering or limiting is naughty and could get you fired or worse in a lawsuit for compromising corporate security.

LASTLY,
I'm not gonna rant about AOL today but If you have AOL you don't have to be limited to their browser. Keep a watchful eye out for IE 7 I have seen it in beta and its heading to you sporting most of the same features and more secure too like most of the choices shown here. Also Nearly all browsers can be modified with plugins or helper apps but be very careful there many are host to adware/spyware apps causing more harm than good... Yes I am sorry all the options here are for just Windows based systems perhaps someday I will cover other OS information.

Heres a side note,
See TRILLIAN and GAIM for your alternate instant messaging needs. "there's a whole new article I'm gonna let someone else do."

What's Worse? A Virus, Hackers or Spyware?

There's a good question.

A Virus, Spyware, Adware are all bad news for any PC. A recent study shows a "naked" (read no anti-virus, anti-spyware or adware and firewall ect.) gets something in a mere 12 minutes. In any case by the time you figure out there's a issue its just too late.
So are you already halfway to the store to get your all inclusive "fixes everything" 30-60 dollar solution? Don't go just yet....

Have a plan!
Just because Its on the shelf does NOT make it the solution.
I have some reccomendations for you that work fine you can get right now for free and a few links to more facts and info.

Spyware/Adware:
Spybot™ My all time favorite works super and even watches for issues in realtime.

Adaware™ The first freebie I ever used for spyware its good.

Microsoft AntiSpyware™ Still in beta, I use it beside spybot but only run one realtime scanner either Teatimer™ (Spybot™) or the one in Mcrosofts product.

Its not a bad idea to have 2 installed and ready to scan for a problem sometimes or program will find what another won't...

Anti-Virus:
Grisoft AVG Free™ I always reccomend this to someone that just can't keep up with updates, most just won't pay for updates this one solves the problem and works well.

AVAST™ no this has nothing to do with pirates but will get you out of a jam with nasty viri. Many IT types use this because of regular updates and versitility in scanning. see the web link its cool.

UPDATE

AntiVir™ This is a free version too! AntiVir Personal Edition offers the effective protection against computer viruses for the individual and private use on a single PC-workstation.

Trend Micro™ Maker of PC-cillin™ Visit this site these guys make one of my favorite not for free scanners and theres some free tools here too.

Computer Assoc No freebies here but I trust CA over anyone for my system and you get 30 days to try em Also if you are a Time Warner™ customer you may be able to get EZ Armor™ free "firewall & Anti-virus".

Firewall:
Whats a firewall? Let's say you owned a wherehouse on the corner of B&E boulevard and Larsony Lane, Imagine lots of windows at ground level to peek at all your private cool stuff now some bad guy is just a tap on the glass from cleaning you out! A firewall is the bars on the windows with the ability to give whom ever YOU choose personalized keys to open them...
If your saying "why do I need one now?" Just imagine if I was sitting here at home now looking at anything I wanted on your PC, trust me its easy to do and there is bound to be something on it you don't want to share. The moral of this story is unless your on dialup still download a firewall now.
Note: Windows XP SP2 has a basic firewall already.

Zone Alarm™ Its free and I like it plus it has a feature thats like a panic button just click the padlock to seal off internet access instantly.

Kerio Personal™ Free go see, same idea as above.

Pop-ups:
Google™ toolbar I'm not big on toolbars I think most are ad-driven security hazards but Google gives you decent pop-up protection. Understand most pop-ups are from existing Adware that you most likely removed already. I still think Google's bar its cool.

Also on the pop-up thing it important to note both Firefox & Opera brousers automatically resist them too.
Watch later for my Brouser post comming soon!

Here's some other sites with loads of data on these things PC World has a great list for most of what we covered. The Brits love The Register new and exciting virus headlines. Most other companies also have descriptions and news on what they do.
Lastly, If its a pop-up telling you theres a problem with your PC like "WARNING YOUR PC IS INFECTED or UNPROTECTED" be afraid VERY afraid do not press that pop up just close it. (use ALT-F4) Any program you installed may also open a dialog window "this is the exception to above rule" but if you are not sure just close it.

Good luck, post some questions and I will help if I can.

Got coupons?

There are deals going on every minute somewhere on the internet.

What are you looking for???

I truly can't stop cruising the net for deals or demos. Its nice to know that you just got the best price and knew enough about the thing you just ordered to be sure it does what you wanted seeing you just can't cross the street and return it. So many Vendors and a few crooks but a little research go's a long way If you asked me to find a deal for you here's where I would start. I'm about to give away a few Tricks of the trade, Read on!

Here's a list of some of the places I enjoy,

Sooo many places Classified listings. "put down the newspaper its in here"
http://newyork.craigslist.org/about/pr/factsheet.html

Pc parts bottom line. "Love the actual cost shipped thing they do"
http://pricewatch.com

Coupon codes "buying dell? go here 1st"
http://gotapex.com

"Hmmm, you would be braindead if you missed this one but I can't help myself" http://ebay.com

The following is a selection of vendors I personally have used and like their deals and or customer service.

Geeks.com "A personal favorite" Watch everyday for the daily specials and Hot sales on weekends, holidays even late-night they run for limited time but always have a few must have toys cheap!

NewEgg.com Always good prices nice selection of laptop parts and certainly one of the better internet retailers.

Tigerdirect.com
This one has a deeper inventory more products like plasma TV's and sends great direct e-mail offers.

I got on the lists and signed up for emails from both these guys I just can't ignore http://www.3btech.net/ and http://www.surpluscomputers.com/ wow! they get pulls and odd items Pc related "Very hard to speak to anyone by phone, expect good email results in 2-3 days".

http://9software.com Need Software? the prices are right here. Mutli packs OS ect, ect.

Also in the process of choosing a product its good to see some input from others I enjoy both http://cnet.com product reviews and http://epinions.com both will help you collect facts or impressions on a future purchase.

Lastly, If you must download tons of demos games and apps proving your just a software junkie "Like Me!" see http://download.com and http://gamespy.com to scratch the gaming itch. Why buy before you try?

You now have my links that will keep you "In the Know" and may even save you some hard earned cash and a few hard lessons we all could avoid...

Gone Live today

Listed with webblogs and Blogger today.
Publishing new content each week including my Pc tips and Internet shopping tips please click anyone of the the ads you see here to helps things along and I will keep a interesting dialog going here.
Thanks, Jason

Cheap Home Phone

Well long distance is not far from being history I hope never to see another 80-90$ phone bill.
Its been about 7 months since I subscribed to a Broadband telephone service and life is getting better a mere 22.09 a month after taxes give me UNLIMITED calling to the USA, Canada and western Europe "not like I needed Europe".
My choice after much thought was Broadvoice Just hit that link and read up!
I also got the router SIP box with 2 lines "they leave the second line unlocked for any use, like a different line or carrier if you wish. The upfront costs came to about 90$ after taxes then its been nothing but good 19.99 is the actual cost and theres even a in state version for 9.99 cheap enuf.
So, go look find a few bills from your local Bell company and I dare you to find a reason not to try it unless your "bandwidth challenged"or still on a dial-up...

War Is Heck!

EA Games new installment of the BF1942 is here! Battlefield 2, I want it gotta have it just can't get the demo to run!? Now the bad news, unlike many other games in the last few years this one simply will not run unless you meet the following minimum requirements. "quoted from EA Games"

Battlefield 2 has the following minimum requirements. If your computer does not meet these requirements, the game will not run properly if at all.

Windows XP (32 bit version) with Administrator rights.
1.7 GHz or faster processor.
512 MB or more RAM.
Supported 128 MB video card with the newest manufacturer drivers.
CD Version, 8x or faster CD/DVD drive.
DVD version, 8x or faster DVD drive.
2.3 GB free hard disk space plus space for the Windows swap file and save data.
If you would like to take advantage of the higher detail video settings Battlefield 2 offers, we recommend the following specifications.

2.4 GHz or faster processor.
1 GB or more RAM.
Supported 256 MB video card with the newest manufacturer drivers.
Supported Processors:

Intel Pentium 4, Xeon, Extreme Edition, Celeron D.
AMD Athlon XP, Athlon 64, Athlon 64-FX, Sempron.


Supported Video Cards:

ATI Radeon

X700 (PCIe), X600 (PCIe), X800 XT Platinum Edition, X800 PRO, X300 series.
9800 series, 9700 series, 9600 series, 9559 (RV350LX), 9500 series, 8500 seies.

NVIDIA GeForce

6600 (PCIe), PCX 5900 (PCIe).
5800 series (AGP).
6800 Ultra, 6800 GT, 6800.
FX 5950 series, FX 5900 series, FX 5700 series.

Soo, Perhaps its time to bite the bullet and visit one of my favorite vendors GEEKS.com or Tigerdirect.com for a new video card to replace the old? Or perhaps there will be a hack to force it to work? Time will tell. I'm sad now hoped for another year out of my current rig.

Lunchtime Photos

Neat lighting, I was lucky with composing this one off a Palm Zire71. SteaZ "Thanks Eric & Steve" Great soda I reccomend to all.

The Beginning... My 1st post.

Well Google has me, I'm sold still not sure what they are selling but, so far its all free...
Picasa2 is perhaps one of the coolest FREE programs I've downloaded in some time and in turn brought me here. Not sure what the overall vision is yet but I'm working on it and will try to create cool content for my enjoyment and hopfully others as well.
"I'll be back"