Email Newsletter - 05-14-08

Castellini on Computers Free Weekly Email Newsletter
May 14, 2008

Hear (and see) our show LIVE
Every Thursday night at 9:30 PM MST
or
Visit HelpMeRick.com ANY time to download or hear
any of our shows.

Spelling and punctuation guaranteed to be at least 78 percent accurate

In this week's issue. . .

*** Tip of the Week

*** Geek Speek of the Week - (Simple definition of common computer terms)

*** Computer News...and comment

*** Last week's Poll results

*** Adam's Comments - Stuff from the digital world that is rolling around in Adam's head.

*** Email of the week
Rick spent the week researching and purchasing new audio equipment for the show. We probably won't have the new system up and running for this week's show so you will want to tune in for our last episode of crappy audio.

Consider it another special edition episode of Castellini on Computers.

You can listen to - or download - any and all of our previous shows here.

Email your questions to us and we will answer them live on the air or on our daily website updates!

Custom Computer Help from Rick and Adam

We have been posting a new how-to video every week since November 2006 and the feedback has been tremendous. Now YOU have the opportunity to get your own customized video tutorial about a topic that you are having trouble with or just want to learn.

To learn more, visit: www.HelpMeRick.com/videohelp

Tip of the Week

Successful eBay Buying - Video Tip
eBay has been around for more than 10 years. However, many computer users still find eBay either dangerous or hard to figure out. In this week's tip, I set forth some simple steps to help make your eBay experience, a good experience.

In the video, I demonstrate my four steps to finding a reputable eBay buyer:

1. Never consider an auction that has exorbitant shipping costs
2. Study the eBay sellers profile. Positive feedback percentage (I recommend only 98% and higher), total number of feedbacks, and read actual member feedbacks
3. Carefully read the auction description and study the item photos.
4. If you have any questions or would like more information, ask the seller BEFORE bidding.

I also point out, in the video, that none of these rules work unless we all leave honest feedback after the completion of any auction you complete...good or bad. I didn't mention in the video that you should always know your product and not get caught up in the excitement of auction bidding and over-bid your position.

Take a look at the video below...it will save you a lot of grief when buying on eBay, and probably make you a more frequent eBay buyer!

Click this link and watch the video.
Geek Speek Computer users everywhere love spreadsheets. Creating lists of addresses, class attendance, and financial calculations makes us feel like we are using our computers for their native purpose.

However, spreadsheets are often misused. creating spreadsheets for information that may need to be sorted later can lead to big problems.

We will use a teacher as an example. By using a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel to keep track of grades she can easily fill out the names, assignments and grades of each student.

At the end of the year the teacher may decide to sort all of her students grades from A-F placing the higher achievers at the top.

If she sorts the list incorrectly, she may sort the grades from A-F but leave the student's names in alphabetical order. Thus, each student would receive the wrong grade.

This is a time where a database would have been better. Databases are like spreadsheets that keep each row together as a single entry. Sorting (or querying) for information in a database allows the user to find the exact information they need in the correct order and place.

Using a database, this same teacher could not only sort by grade but sort for multiple factors at once such as 15-year-old, male, B students with brown hair.

If you would like to give databases a try, the more common ones are Microsoft Access, Microsoft Works Database, Zoho Creator (free at zoho.com) and OpenOffice Database (free at OpenOffice.org).

DATABASE vs. SPREADSHEET

Computer News...and comment

UK acts to remove Office 2007 from classrooms

Microsoft Office 2007 is barely Microsoft Office at all. Microsoft went to great measures to scrap the comforting interface and file formats that we have all grown so used to for the past 13 years and replaced them with something foreign and difficult to navigate.

Many businesses have banned the use of Office 2007 products as it prevents others from being able to view and edit their files if the recipient does not have Office 2007 or proper viewer.

This week the UK submitted a formal complaint against Microsoft in an attempt to ban the product from classrooms until Microsoft finds an easier way to play well with others using standard formats.

Google blurs faces in street view
Google Earth is an amazing piece of free software. The program allows users to look at the globe from space and then zoom in to any point and see the buildings, cars and people.

Recently Google added street view to Google Earth. Now you can zoom right into a street level view of many streets and landmarks.

The feature is made possible by Google allowing users to submit photos and work on the project. This of course has raised some concerns over privacy as many streets are crowded and faces are easily recognized.

This week Google announced that they are implementing new software that will recognize and blur faces to address privacy concerns.

iPhone supply dwindles as world waits for 3G in June

Apple has for all intensive purposes announced that a new iPhone will be released in June or soon thereafter. The new model will likely offer few surprises but, for once, surprises aren't what iPhone users are after.

The current iPhone uses an older Internet technology making it almost useless for the purposes it is advertised for such as YouTube, Google Maps and downloading music from iTunes store unless you happen to be connected to a standard wireless connection (wi-fi).

3G Internet connectivity should give users 256k or better connection speeds thus opening up a whole new world for mobile web users.

Poll Results

What size of monitor do you use?

Next week's poll:
Do you consult the Internet for medical information?

15" CRT
7%

15" LCD
10%

17" CRT
15%

17" LCD
17%

19" CRT
5%

19" LCD
18%

> 20" CRT
1%

> 20" LCD
17%

Adam's Comments
Tomorrow I am taking the day off to celebrate my colonoscopy. That makes today, Colonoscopy-eve. And I have a newsletter to do.

Only those who have had a colonoscopy, or have a friend or loved one who has, knows that the colonoscopy-eve is a much bigger party than the day itself.

I am actually kind of glad that I have the newsletter to do this evening. I got home from working today and got all setup for the big event. I setup my laptop and picked out my favorite DVDs. I even setup my computer on LogMeIn so that I can remote control my desk computer from my laptop.

What did we ever do before wireless Internet? I have spent the past hour and a half researching news stories, compiling the newsletter and even watching some YouTube now and then.

I have written before about how much easier it is to travel with young children than it used to be, but I can't imagine colonoscopy-eve festivities without a laptop and wireless Internet.

Email of the week
Hello Rick,

Is it ok to run spybot spywareblaster and avast all at the same time?

Ruben

----------------

Hi Ruben,

It's absolutely OK to run the two together...and recommended! Spyware Blaster is an anti-spyware program and Avast is an antivirus program. They will work in tandem to keep you safe.

For my money, I think the best way to stay safe is to use AVG (now a combined antivirus and antispwyare product) together with Mozilla Firefox. This combination works great for me and hundreds of my clients and millions of our listeners/web visitors.

Thanks for writing. Have a good day.

Rick

Castellini on Computers & HelpMeRick.com ©2008
Rick Castellini and Adam Cochran

• ‹ previous
• 54 of 1341
• next ›