The world around us

Well, I finally got my new laptop! I had planned to get on in the beginning of the year, but my old one died on me in early December, so I got a new one then itself. I had to do a good amount of reading and research to find the laptop that I wanted with the right amount of memory and accessories. Initially, I didn’t know any of the specifications, but after a while I could spout RAM, bits and bytes and compact flash data at the drop of a hat! It’s been a great education of sorts, since I really did manage to pick up a lot about software. Hopefully, I will continue to learn, regardless of requiring it or not.

When it comes to all things concerned with software, hardware and computer issues, I do not hesitate to contact someone who is well versed in the subject. I mean, I am tech savvy, but when it comes to issues such as complex issues and used cisco, then it’s best left to the experts. A lot of people have a problem doing just that, in the sense that they want to be experts in everything that they do, but it usually never works out too well. Do what you’re really good at doing, and leave the rest of it to the ones who are actually good at it.

I seem to be taking a lot of photographs lately and since I’m storing them all on my computer, I have been thinking of ensuring that I don’t run out of memory space. There are options of increasing the ram or random access memory, which is what one uses in daily computing, and I think it’s a great way to improve on an existing computer. Technology changes so fast these days that one has to be on top of things, else one might be completely outdated and out phased before one even realizes it. These days, even if you are not into anything technical one needs to be informed about all these aspects of using a computer. If you’re willing to learn how to use it, then you must be willing to learn how to take care of it as well.

I find it really interesting how advances in technology have filtered down to our daily lives. Thanks to technology and communication, one can now get high quality engraved plaques for a school or corporate function so easily. The quality of these has also increased significantly and the finished products now are really almost like works of art. I remember the kind of trophies and engraved plaques that one got in school were really quite basic and nothing even close to as detailed and elaborate as what is available now. Just goes to show how much technology has become entrenched in our lives.

I’ve spent the last week, sorting through my things and what has upset me the most is that I found so many old photo albums that I never get to see. One takes so many pictures and for them just to get put away in a photo album is such a waste. I think getting a lcd digital picture frame just makes so much sense, since one can enjoy all the pictures one takes, rather than just storing them away to be taken out every couple of years. With a digital photo frame, you can keep changing the picture and enjoy seeing your pictures in perfect clarity. There are also lots of options on the size of the digital frame, ranging from 7 inches to 10 inches. Once we move into our new apartment and get all our basics set up, a digital picture frame is at the top of my shopping list.

Have you checked out a site called Test Everything? Set up by Jonas John, Test Everything is a cool tool that tests everything in your site, down to CSS and HTML, web proxies, text and images tools, networking tools and social services. I was quite intrigued with it and quickly plugged in my website and selected a number of options that it should check on. Interestingly, it came up with lots of responses and errors that I plan to fix bit by bit. Test it out for yourself and you’ll see what an amazing little gizmo it is!

I love the fact that technology these days is making so many things simpler for us to handle. Today I found a program that enhances the entire copy and paste function. As a writer and researcher, I am constantly going back and forth over text and need a program that will give me greater choice and freedom in my work in terms of formatting and editing. Flashpaste is one of the new breed of text copying utilities that enhances the complete writing experience. While it is really very useful for coders and developers, writers will find it very handy as well and that’s why I’m keen to get it myself.

Flashpaste’s two main features are its smart text insertion and clipboard history. If you’re doing any work that requires repetitive typing, this program is perfect for you. How it works is that you can enter in frequently used phrases, codes, paragraphs and when you need to use one of them, all you have to do is to insert them using a hotkey, finding the right one and inerting it. These features will end up saving me a lot of time and reduce the monotony of typing in the same stuff again and again. There is a free 30-day trial version of Flashpaste available if you want to see exactly how it works.

eBay is making it easier to link to the site from blogs and social networking sites, including from mobile phones as well. The company made the announcement at the eBay Developers Conference and made the tool free to all the 50,000 developers who are registered with eBay. The new tool lets users display related products on their site and requires a ‘call’ to eBay which will now be free, upto 150,000 a month.

The age that children are getting involved in technology is getting younger with each passing year. According to research firm NPD Group’s latest report, the average age that children start using consumer electronics has fallen from 8.1 years in 2005 to 6.7 years today. Cell phones and DVD players are the gadgets that children use most of all and at the earliest age. The study also revealed that children use non-portable televisions almost 6 days a week and use cell phones and digital video recorders for about four days each week.

“Kids are drawn to the latest and greatest digital devices just as their parents are,” said a NPD’s Anita Frazier. “They appear to have no fear of technology and adopt it easily and without fanfare, making these devices a part of their everyday lives.”

As a frequent traveler, I realize the importance of accessing my passwords and bookmarks from my computer. While I usually travel with my laptop, if I am not with it, I find it easy to log on to Spyshakers and access my personal files there without worry about security. The best part of this product is that Spyshaker is simple to use and that it does not intrude unnecessarily.

Using a public computer can be quite dangerous, as if it has a keylogger or a screen capturing service, your passwords are compromised. The Spyshaker system prevents this from happening once you log in from its system and encrypts all data with a unique user key, that is unknown even to administrators. If you want to learn more about how the system works, watch a demo movie.