The 1940 U.S.Census is now public

Where were your parents in the 1930s? How much money did your dad make back then?
The U.S Census data from 1490 is now public, as of 8 a.m. today, April 2, 2012.

Data data, everywhere you look

Today's New York Times reports more law enforcement agencies are using cell phone records as a routine tool.

We see the benefit in a case such as a child abduction or suicide calls, but civil liberty advocates express concern over privacy issues and constitutional rights. Seen as valuable data sources, the article quotes one training manual writing that cell phones are: "the virtual biographer of our daily activities."

Get to know Google Plus

Here's an excerpt from a review I did on the Complete Idiot's Guide to Google+. If you're tired of Facebook and want to step up to a productive social media tool - give Google+ a try.

The language of social media has moved beyond 'friends' and 'posts' and 'like' to a time-wasting mess resembling a dorm room during Finals week.
There must be a better way.  With Google’s move into social media with Google+ I think we finaly have a way to manage the mess.

Here's a look at The Complete Idiot's Guide to Google+ by Michael Miller. We now can sort, manage, and grow our social media presence with Circles, Streams, and Hangouts in Google+. Add in video conferencing, a layout you can tweak, and ability to publish across all social media, and Google+ starts to look like the answer. And, its free.

You're probably thinking if Google+ was completely intuitive we wouldn't need an Idiot's Guide, but it is the quickest way to see the logic of Google+ so you can get started.

Not quite a year old, Google+ is differentiated by the ability to segregate friends into “circles” where you can follow messages, posts, photos, video sharing, even email and instant messaging. But what goes on in a circle stays in a circle. So when you’re at work, looking for the photo of a product concept, you don’t have to scroll through hundreds of friend’s photos to find it. The integration of Gmail and Google search is also a time-saver.

 Unlike Facebook, which is stuffed with updates on kids, pets, and coworkers all mixed together, in this CIG Google+ book, you'll see the ability to post to circles is well  explained by Miller. You’ll see that when you create a post you can choose to send it to specific circles, such as ‘family’ or extended circles that includes friends of friends. Go further and make a post public and it will appear on your Google+ profile, to any visitor, even if they are not in your circles.Or, you can choose to post to 'specific contacts’ to quickly communicate the same information to people in different circles.


Read the rest of this review and feel free to comment at http://open.salon.com/blog/helen_gallagher/2012/02/19/book_review_the_complete_idiots_guide_to_google

It's 2012: Is your protection software updated?

Protecting your computer from malicious spyware and viruses remains critically important. Make sure you have protection software running and that it does two things: 1. updates itself to be aware of new viruses and spyware, 2. runs a periodic report and cleans up the problems.

I use TrendMicro.com (a question I'm often asked) and here's the report for January. It protects every web link and email I receive, but also runs this month end report:

Computer Clarity makes news

Thanks to Glenview Lantern journalist, Alan P. Henry, Computer Clarity has enjoyed a moment in the spotlight.
the article appeared in Glenview, Wilmette and Winnetka.

 

http://www.winnetkacurrent.com/Articles-News-c-2012-01-11-234710.114133-An-assertive-approach-to-technology.html

Bing is the 2nd highest-ranking search engine. Do you use it yet?

I wrote a blog post here a few months ago entitled "Why I Bing," at this link.

I can't take credit for its subsequent success, but I'm happy to report today that it has become the second highest-ranking search tool, right after Google.

If you want to learn more, or see what you're missing, go to bing.com. It offers more focused search results, indexed along the left side of your screen. Google searches return a lot of junk because results are based on popularity of searched terms, among other complex algorithms.

Instead of Google's plain white screen, Bing features a beautiful photo each day - an interesting way to gear up for research.

Here is a USA Today article with the full details, in an article entitled "Microsoft eclipses Yahoo in U.S. search."

Perhaps the move to Bing.com will grow, now that Google is in trouble for "enhancing" its search results by providing what might be too much information, raising concerns over privacy and antitrust issues. Full article is here.

A Social Media Rabbit ??? Holiday Gift Idea

Just in time for the holidays -- here's a social media rabbit from the clever Karotz Store...

Add it to your internet connection and it reads your email and social media updates aloud, play online music, and is even a webcam.

Don't laugh Take a look at Karotz Store:  You know you want one!

Visit Laptop Magazine for more holiday gifts for geeks.

Make money from your old tech gear

Getting new gadgets has become as common at the Holidays as the tradition of buying someone a sweater or new gloves.
There's never been a bigger variety of tech equipment, gadgets, and smartphones.

If you want the latest and greatest, you might be glad to know there are resources where you can recycle or get paid cash for trading in your old equipment.

Staples.com works with Gazelle to let you sell your used electronics. Details are here.

Google the phrase 'get cash for used electronics' for lots more resources to see your used equipment; printers, computers, disks, phones, cameras and more.

Want more blog traffic? Think "Keywords"

Keywords are the grabbers that search engines sort and rank. Your blog topics should fit popular keywords, depending on your foucs. whether science, dieting, philosophy, or celebrities, your keywords help your blog rise in the search engine rankings.

Google, long known for their algorithms, has just made a sweeping improvement. The result for you is better exposure. One of the sites I follow, FreelanceSwitch.com, reports:

"This freshness change will impact 35% of searches. What will happen is when a user types a phrase into the Google search engine the most recent content will be returned first. Google has always attempted to provide searchers with the latest results, but their old algorithm methods had an impact of approximately 17.5% in the past."

So, if you want more blog readers, post more and know the words and phrases people use when find information similar to yours.
You'll have higher search rankings now, so use it to your advantage.

Okay, here's a sample:  If you want to learn more about social media, especially social media for beginners, jump over to Amazon and purchase "Blog Power & Social Media Handbook" the social media how-to, available in softcover for $12.

When good tech goes bad

Read this today in a writer's newsletter, (Wooden Horse)...

Hewlett Packard and Conde Nast, perhaps in some altered state of business consciousness, have partnered in an odd venture, encouraging readers to receive their favorite Conde Nast magazines using a desktop printer widget, then print them out - using their own ink cartridges.

Browser wars continue: Firefox vs. Googzilla's Chrome

This report excerpt from CNET.com shows user interest in Internet Explorer fading. People favor the versatility and smart web browsing of Firefox, and increasingly, Google's Chrome.  I'm always a champion for the underdog, so my loyalty remains with Firefox because their values are not capitalistic.

excerpt:
Mozilla believes its independence from other agendas will serve it in good stead, though. In a statement, the organization said:

Firefox demonstrated just how important browsers are, but it's important to remember that the reasons for building Web browsers are significantly different from one company to the next. Mozilla is unique in that we build Firefox to provide a truly independent offering, focused solely on individual experience and the overall good of the Web. Firefox is holding its own in the face of increased competition, with 450 million users worldwide choosing a Web browser that answers only to them.

Chrome has an advantage for Google over Mozilla's Firefox: searches from Chrome are performed directly with Google technology. That means that Google doesn't have to split the revenue with partners such as Mozilla or Ask.com that drive search traffic. With such deals, the search-ad revenue Google pays partners is called traffic acquisition costs, or TAC.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20114278-264/chrome-could-unseat-firefox-as-no-2-browser/#ixzz1ZxspmZfm

Weren't we already spending too much time online?

Today's SmartBrief from The Business of News reports:

Tablet owners' daily Web usage is 48% higher

• Tablets appear to increase by nearly half the amount of time their owners spend online and double the amount of time they spend on mobile devices, including phones, according to Knowledge Networks. In all, tablet owners spend 38% of their daily screen time on mobile devices. The data suggest marketers need to pay attention to mobile and the kinds of campaigns that work on these platforms, said Robert DeFelice, vice president for client services at Knowledge Networks. MediaPost Communications/Online Media Daily (10/3)

Amazon ramps up instant video/movie downloads for $79/year

With all the news about NetFlix changing its pricing structure, looks like Amazon is positioned to become #1...

This from Amazon.com home page today, 9/27/11:

"Amazon just signed a deal with FOX to add a broad selection of movies and TV shows to our unlimited instant streaming service later this fall. The new additions from the FOX library include 24, Arrested Development, The X-Files, Ally McBeal, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and - available on digital video for the first time - The Wonder Years. We now have deals with CBS, NBCUniversal, Sony, and Warner Bros, and adding FOX will bring the total to more than 11,000 movies and TV shows available for unlimited instant streaming."

Tech time takes a big bite out of the day

Will Forsythe of the CEO Forum shared this analysis of the INC Magazine feature on the 500 fastest growing companies.

You might be surprised at how much of the day is eat up by tech, even at the highest levels in companies.

"Summary:  The average CEO worked an average 13-hour work day.  Since most CEOs I know work some hours on the weekend as well, I am assuming a 70-hour work week.

• 3 hours selling and talking to customers--23%
• 3 hours in meetings and talking with employees--23%
• 2 hours emailing--15%
• 5 hours other and misc.--39%"

At 2 hours per day, that's a minimum of 10 hours per week, or a full week of time each month.

Something to think about when you're short on time - like maybe let the email wait a while and spend your time in better ways?

That darn keyboard!

How many times do you hit CAPS LOCK without looking and have to retype your work?

Is your computer's Page Up key in an awkward place? This is especially true on laptops where Delete often interferes with your efforts to page up and down.

Well, I have the answer for you. A cool program called KeyTweak. It allows you re-assign or remap the Microsoft keyboard and works with all current versions of Windows. So if there's a key you never use, give it new life as an easy-to-reach key you frequently use. See the site, linked below, for full details. I've used this for years and hope you enjoy it.

Best of all, its a free download you can find with a web search, or here at the company.

Why I Bing...

Sure, Google used to be cool, and has always been a better search tool than what came before. But its market share, and its features, haven't changed much in the past two years. That's why I switched to Bing as soon as Microsoft released it.

Bing is something new, fresh, and a product that delivers better results every time. I'm one of those people who always support a product for innovation over popularity. Google became a household word, and a habit... sometimes a useless habit, when the clutter it produces doesn't yield the best results.

A New York Times article on 7-31-11, in fact, the Page 1 feature in the Sunday Business section explained how Microsoft has worked hard to be better, and to redefine search with Bing, creating a decision tool to deliver the results you want.
Instead of a blank screen, Bing also surprises you by presenting a gorgeous photo each day, usually in the realm of nature or culture. 

Since Google hasn't done anything clever to improve the search experience in the last few years, why not switch to Bing. You'll find true logic when you search for topics in the travel and health area, as well as literature, quotes, computer problems, language translation, calculators, movie reviews, local listings and more.


Search tools are free, and so is our right to use the one we like, not the dominant player.

Since most web browsers offer a choice of search engines, you don't have to use the one that comes up when you search.

For Firefox, here's how to change the default search tool to Bing
http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Location%20bar%20search?s=default+search+engine&as=s

If you use a different web browser, search the Help for 'default search tool' and you'll find similar instructions.

Let me know how you like using Bing! -- email Helen@cclarity.com

A better way to listen to music: CNET says "five thumbs up"

I've heard three times this week about an exciting innovation for music lovers. Spotify is hitting the U.S. with an outstanding service. YOU can control all your music, and share it freely.

Many are calling this "the new golden age of music,"

The creator is Sean Parker, who was behind Napster, says:

"By making music social, the experience of discovering and listening to new music will be more fun than ever before. While Spotify can be downloaded and used for free on the desktop, users of Spotify will need to purchase content when they want to take music with them "on the go" via their iPod or iPhone.

In this sense, Spotify is the answer to piracy: migrating millions of piracy-based music fans to a legitimate platform where their consumption of music can be monetized, and the artists who dedicate their lives to creating music can finally get paid."

Read more: http://www.facebook.com/notes/sean-parker/at-long-last-spotify-launches-in-the-us/10150260494833293#ixzz1SqBHepQj

Eye pattern movement in online reading

We formerly thought people scanned the computer screen, when reading web pages, with eye movements following the shape of the letter C or a backward Z.

Now, fast-forward to F patterns of screen viewing.

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html

The above link will take you to more info on these interesting images, and the project's author suggestion of what it means for you. If you want pepole who glance at your web page to find the critical content, put it where they will see it.

• Users won't read your text thoroughly in a word-by-word manner. Exhaustive reading is rare, especially when prospective customers are conducting their initial research to compile a shortlist of vendors. Yes, some people will read more, but most won't.

• The first two paragraphs must state the most important information. There's some hope that users will actually read this material, though they'll probably read more of the first paragraph than the second.

• Start subheads, paragraphs, and bullet points with information-carrying words that users will notice when scanning down the left side of your content in the final stem of their F-behavior. They'll read the third word on a line much less often than the first two words. 

Read full analysis here: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html

Blogger change coming soon

Mashable.com reports that Google is finally ready to pay attention to the Blogger.com blog hosting service.

Fast and easy and free, it has fallen far behind WordPress, the only other dominant player.

So look for an announcement soon, if you have a blog on blogger.com. The product will be rebranded as Google Blogs soon.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20076925-17/report-google-to-rebrand-blogger-picasa/#ixzz1RKp47TqM

The two worst words in tech: "SIMPLY LOG-IN"

Surely, you, like me, have been frustrated by the inability to log-in at a site, where you know your user name, and of course, you know your password.

My frustrations mount when I have to try various user names and passwords, and check my encrypted password list to be certain I've got it right.

Today, the problem was worse than usual, so I tried creating a new account.
No matter what variation on my name I tried, or which email address, the service responded that name was already in use.

So I was instructed to "simply log-in..."  and it simply failed, over and over again.


Then I tried to re-set my password, and even though my various names were "in use" none of them allowed me to re-set the password.

I think from now on, once I get past this obstacle, I'll change my password to IFIHADAHAMMER...

Hope your day is going better, and the tech gods on on your side,

Helen

Requiem for a Website?

If you're an active blogger and use social media daily, when is the last time you checked your website?

Perhaps the time has come to put your site to sleep. Web sites are no longer the first place we look for up-to-date information or news. Social media is a more active and immediate place to stay connected.

Read this article at BNet.com and see if you agree. The most stricking evidence in the article is this:

"Shutting down your website to communicate solely through social meda channels might seem like a crazy idea for any large organization. But then again, there is some logic to it. The Wall Street Journal reported that Starbucks receives over ten times as much traffic to its Facebook page (19.4 million unique visitors each month) as to its corporate website (1.8 million). For Coca-Cola, the divergence is even starker: 22.5 million visitors on Facebook vs. just 270,000 to its website—over 80 times as much traffic."

Something to think about before you renew that annual hosting bill ???

Learn to deny access to your data

Even the simplest web search seems to leave us prey to search engines who monitor our search behavior.

Today, while trying to past a Facebook comment from The New York Time, I noticed the paper has become particularly grabby about letting me do a simple one-click post from their site. these are the choices I was given. If, like me, you don't want to give them all these rights, you can get around it by pasting the article link into your Facebook update.

Special Education Week & Autism Awareness Month

From Kelly James-Enger "Kids with special needs aren't weird or odd. They only want what everyone wants... to be accepted. Can I make a request? Is anyone willing to post this & leave it on your status for at least 1 hour? It is Special Education week & Autism Awareness Month. This is in honor of all children made in a unique way. You never understand a situation until you are faced with them." Share!

What browser do you use? IE, Firefox or Chrome

Please take my one question poll about your web browser. The short poll is right above this post.


Internet Explorer continues to lose market share, I personally think Firefox is superior, and a growing group of clients and colleagues have made the move to Google Chrome.

There are advantages to each, so if you're not happy with your current browser, please explore Firefox or Chrome.
the poll expires April 5, 2011 at noon.   I'll comment on the results here after that date.

Helen Gallagher

Recognizing Tech Overload

David Pogue, the clever and funny New York Times tech columnist has an interesting post here.

A Parent’s Struggle With a Child’s iPad Addiction

If you're lucky, you don't have the same problem he does, with a six-year-old child craving time with an iPad.
Many of us have a similar problem with attention and focus, very likely caused by the growing mutli-tasking trend of the 21st century. But it is clearly affecting children as well as adults. When families are all together, but each person is isolated in their own tech world, the comfort of that electronic stimulation becomes normal.

Whether 6 or 60, we need room in our lives for critical thinking, original thought, face time with family, and ways to develop our character... something a plastic screen can't provide.

from Poynter.org on LinkedIn

Get more value out of LinkedIn by following the suggestions here on the Poynter.org "Ask The Recuiter" blog. Details include use of Signal - a free LinkedIn feature:

"One of LinkedIn’s cool, free tools is Signal, which helps LinkedIn users extract more value from the growing amount of content on the careers site and Twitter accounts by helping users slice and dice a tsunamic newsfeed down to a stream they actually can use.

It works like this: There is a “Search Updates” window just under the “What should your network know?” window near the top of the screen. Type in the term you are interested in, and LinkedIn will extract all the relevant messages from its general newsfeed. With 70 million users in 150 industries, there is a lot in that general feed.

When you click after the search term, it will open up a three column-page with the  selected posts running down the main central column. Headlines on that subject, passed along by others, are in the right rail. The left rail lets you refine your search further."

Power up for a Snow Day

In Chicago, we are familiar with the routine of a snow day, especially those of us who were here during the 1967 blizzard.
Walking on top of cars the next day was the only way to have fun.

But now, over 40 years later, you have so many more ways to have fun on a snow day. You and your computer can pass the time and catch up on all the things you feel you never have time for:

1. EMPTY YOUR MAILBOX - Sounds drastic but its a great time of year to backup your old email and purge the Sent and Trash folders. Get through your Inbox and either read the messages, reply, take some action, or copy useful information into your calendar or note files. Shovel that clutter !

2. Organize your files

3. Charge all your electronics

4. Clean up your desk to get ready for tax time.

Then take a nap, make a pot of soup, and enjoy your snow day.

Computer Clarity Now In Its15th Year

The year 2011 marks the beginning of my 15th year as consultant and owner of Computer Clarity. I can still remember the weeks-long struggle to come up with the right name for my business. The two people closest to me helped and once we found 'Computer Clarity' I knew it was a name that would hold up, no matter how technology changed over the years.

And yes, we've seen big changes in consumer technology,

• from desktops to laptops to mobile devices with more power than big computers.
• from dial-up internet connections to wi-fi everywhere.
• from typing letters, and learning to fax from the computer, to ever-present email and social media.
• from adults teaching children, to children teaching adults.

Thanks to all of you for being with me along the way. It continues to be an interesting field, although my search for better knowledge management, intelligent computing, and low-cost internet access for everyone still seems out of reach for many.

How good is your memory?

Today I learned about Superior Autobiographical Memory.

Using your computer well may mean you use it to store all sorts of information, track details, keep everything at your fingertips.
How good would your memory be if you didn't use a computer? Today, on "60 Minutes" there was a fabulous segment on "superior autobiographical memory," and about James McGaugh, who discovered and studies superior autobiographical memory.

One person with this gift is bothered by the volume of all that she recalls,  Imagine if you could remember every single TV show or movie you've seen in your life? If you knew which days had rain in February of 1971? This is apparently a very rare condition, and is a fascinating topic, and there's more information about the research, and video available on the "60 Minutes" website.

Good or bad? Facebook adds email addresses

This from the Facebook Blog today:

Today I'm excited to announce the next evolution of Messages. You decide how you want to talk to your friends: via SMS, chat, email or Messages. They will receive your message through whatever medium or device is convenient for them, and you can both have a conversation in real time.  You shouldn't have to remember who prefers IM over email or worry about which technology to use.  Simply choose their name and type a message.

We are also providing an @facebook.com email address to every person on Facebook who wants one.

Now people can share with friends over email, whether they're on Facebook or not. To be clear, Messages is not email. There are no subject lines, no cc, no bcc, and you can send a message by hitting the Enter key. We modeled it more closely to chat and reduced the number of things you need to do to send a message.

Google Settlement on

Google, grabber of all the world's information, tried to capture too much private data when they launched Buzz.  Buzz was intended to let you share all your social media feed, photos and videos, but Google was keeping that information.
Sued for the privacy grab, the US Courts found Google guilty, and slapped a fine of $8.5 million, (probably one-day's ad revenue!).  Yet google users don't get a penny. The courts found:

There are too many people in this settlement and too few actually suffered any damages for Google to bother paying them directly. Instead the company will give the funds to nice Internet privacy organizations.

Thanks to  Rosa Golijan at Gizmodo for digesting the court case down to this concise summary.


Helen Gallagher
Blog Power and Social Media Handbook (Volume 2)

Email Subject Lines

If your email message aren't getting the response you desire, it may be due to a weak subject line.

Your goal in a business email is to get the recipient to open and act on the message. If it ends up in a junk mail or spam filter, you'll miss your target.

Try these three tips for better results:

1. Be brief and specific, and avoid spam catchwords, such as "Buy now" or "Fantastic link,"  etc.

2. Make it convenient for the person, by inferring a call to action

3. Convey a sense of urgency if the message is important, and live up to the promise of  your subject line.

Read more effective email tips at BizAction

"The Man Who Lied to His Laptop"

One of my BlogCritics.org book reviews is getting a lot of attention online. Here's a link:

http://www.seattlepi.com/books/428064_145835-blogcritics.org.html

Windows 7 shortcuts

If you're enjoying Windows 7, here are a few useful shortcuts to make your experience even faster:

[from LifeHacker.com]

* Ctrl+Shift+N: Creates a new folder in Windows Explorer.
* Alt+Up: Goes up a folder level in Windows Explorer.
* Alt+P: Toggles the preview pane in Windows Explorer.
* Shift+Right-Click on a file: Copies the path of a file to the clipboard.
* Shift+Right-Click on a file: Adds extra hidden items to the Send To menu.
* Win+P: Adjust presentation settings for your display.
* Win+(+/-): Zoom in/out.
* Win+G: Cycle between the Windows Gadgets on your screen.

LifeHacker has many more shortcuts for Windows 7 listed here, some with photos.

Blog Power and Social Media Handbook

It's here and available now on Amazon: the update to Social Media Handbook, including the Blog power secrets you've been waiting for.

Don't let social media ruin good communication

Not much new in technology lately, so it looks like I've been neglecting this blog in favor of the Release Your Writing and Pajama Marketing blogs.

But today, I've read a business report on something that has been bothering me. By being more efficient with tech gadgets, some people are actually becoming rude, quite unintentionally. I guess we need a new guide to etiquette: You can't save yourself time by taking tech shortcuts if it makes more work for the other person.

So when you send a message, even view Twitter or your phone, take the time to be lucid, not dash off a phrase and make the recipient guess the context.

Here's an interestng BNET article that explains it fully.

Book Review: Windows 7 Annoyances by David A. Karp

I’ve been using Windows 7 since its October 2009 U.S. launch and don’t have a single complaint. I couldn’t imagine filling a 700-page book with its “annoyances,” until I read author David Karp’s point of view, which is especially true with technology:

“One person’s annoyance is another’s feature.”

So, in Windows 7 Annoyances, Karp shares what’s cool and what isn’t, scoping out all the features/annoyances, and explaining the best way to get Windows 7 to do what you want. An hour with Windows 7 Annoyances and you’ll know how to move the software out of your way when it’s not helping.

Oh, but its so beautiful...


This is a hefty handbook that teaches you to streamline and optimize Windows 7, and find what you lost in the migration. There are plenty of hacks and time-saving tips as well as high-level operating system tech details for geeks. Overall Windows 7 is friendly and accessible to lay-users who upgrade from Windows XP or Vista, and Karp doesn’t talk down to higher level techies.

Karp covers audio/video, performance boosting tips, and provides excellent details on getting out of trouble, security issues, setting up networks and wi-fi, which is easier than in previous versions of Windows. Throughout the book, there are loads of links to third-party power tools.

If you've made the leap to Windows 7, read the full review here: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-book-review-windows-7-annoyances/#ixzz0qmgggHRp and you'll see there's lots to love in Windows 7 too.

Facebook & Twitter & LinkedIn... Oh My!

If you're reluctant to get on board with social media sites, fearing a complete loss of privacy and having your free time sucked into some magical vortex, relax.

You can sign up for Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin without fear:

1. On each service, control your privacy settings. It takes less than ten minutes to read and understand your options. Start by limiting your 'friends' to only the people you know.

2. Write useful comments at least once a week. No need to write every day, or to respond to other people's comments. It's not expected, so don't make it more work than you want.

3. Use a single interface to view all the traffic/feeds/comments on your collective social media sites:
-- Use Hootsuite.com to post to all social media sites at once, and update on your schedule

-- Use Echofon.com for a fabulous way to keep up with Facebook and Twitter. It's literally a little dot in your browser. Click daily to view the new stream of tweets, and you're done.

-- Don't get scared by the thought of using RSS (Really Simple Syndication) to amass all the sites and chatter you desire into a single site, such as your Google Reader page.



Find more help understanding the development of the social media craze in my Social Media Handbook.

A teacher purchased 30 copies yesterday for her classroom!

Finding phone numbers without phone books

Well, we've ruined another institution - that of the telephone book - those 5 lb. books we recycle every year. The Yellow Pages may live on, due to advertising support, but it looks like the White Pages are a thing of the past. New York Times story here.

So how will you find phone numbers?
Start with switchboard.com, and click either business or person at the top. Unless you really need to find someone, try to avoid clicking on the pay-to-view links that say something like "We have all the information for ... "

Also try whitepages.com or anywho.com, and stick with these professional online directories, so you don't get caught by a spammer. You can even use Clusty.com or Google, putting the person's first and last name together in quotes, and type the word phone after the quotes, like this:

"Roger Ampersand" phone

About the power of time off

I saw an interesting video from the TED conference today. (TED hosts 'riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world').

Stefan Sagmeister, a New York designer takes a year off every 7 years. Haven't we all though of a sabbatical at some time? Here's the clever reasoning: Sagmeister figures we spend:

25 years learning
40 years gathering (perhaps: information, family, money, skills, experience) and
15 years in retirement.

He decided to deduct some of those 15 years from the end by retiring every few years, for just a year, to recharge and reflect. As he returns to work, he finds that everything he designs in some way came out of that year of time off. Additionally the result of the year off feeds back into the world, instead of becoming time only spent with a grandchild or two in later years.

If, like me, you can't exactly take a year off, we can at least take a weekend to slow down, unplug and do something creative. Even replacing an afternoon in your desk chair with an hour in a deck chair might be enough to recharge, at least for a while.

That's where you'll find me on this beautiful Spring day.

Keep the Internet free.... Tell the FCC what you think, but hurry

Visit my Facebook page or moveon.org to learn why you should let the FCC know what you think. The issue of Net Neutrality is in the news. If control of the flow of information is in the hands of AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, they will gain, at YOUR expense.

iPad makes news

Well, Apple's iPad launched today and many are still waiting for the WOW factor.
The device is not a computer, not a phone, or camera, but you can carry it around to read email on the fly, pay a fee to download books and magazines, listen to music, look at photos, smudge the screen....

A $500 product that is not quite anything will either change the way computing happens, or be on sale for $199 instead of $500 by Christmas.

Your thoughts?

Highlight and save web page text

Have you ever wanted to grab a useful paragraph from a web site, to save?
If you cut & paste, where will you put it, how will you find it?

The answer is WebNotes, which lets you highlight, save organize, preserve links, and retrieve at your own WebNotes page. Think of it as smart bookmarks...

Standpoint Magazine in the UK has an interesting article by Lionel Shriver and a very interesting turn of phrase about the hidden cost of too much technology creeping into our minds: a “Malfunction Tax.”

"...gizmos have an inbuilt drag that I call the Malfunction Tax. It's what those rave technology reviews won't tell you: just how much of your time an iPad will eat when your shiny new acquisition goes haywire."

Read her full essay if you're exhausted by technology, then calm down and read a book...

In fact, I'm currently reading "Reboot: Refreshing Your Faith in a High Tech World." It's a quiet little book, like my book "Computer Ease," guaranteed not to beep, crash, or call you a dummy.

Windows 7: 90 Million people can't be wrong

Lifehacker.com reports there are over 90 million copies of Windows 7 sold, and happily running on computers worldwide. It is the first product upgrade to be such a success, and as I've written here before, it can improve your productivity in many ways.

Many former add-ons were clumsy to use or available only for purchase from other vendors. But Microsoft has bundled so much cool stuff into Windows 7, you won't need to look anywhere else. If your computer has plenty of disk space and at least 2 GB of memory, you might want to upgrade. Otherwise, you can get a Windows 7 computer for under $500.

Helen Gallagher

Video Email ???

Oh, you knew this was coming... We know that email is one of the most used computer applications todoay, and we know typing text won't satify the multi-media nerds.

We know the feeling when we don't have time to wade through the Inbox, we keep reading email over and over, not having time to decide where to put it, whether to keep it, how to find it later, and afraid to just press "delete" to get back to an empty Inbox.

So, this innovation from Google is not likely to make things better -- A move toward convergence of all web junk into your Inbox??? Google says this new Buzz is "a new way to start conversations about the things you find interesting and share updates, photos, videos and more. Buzz is built right into Gmail."



Learn more here.
So tell me... Do you love it? or ... Hate it?

When Oprah says "don't text and drive" will people listen?

According to the Harvard Center of Risk Analysis, cell phone use contributes to 6 percent of all crashes, which equates to 636,000 crashes, 330,000 injuries, and 2600 deaths each year.

Oprah Winfrey just announced her “Hang Up and Drive Campaign” to educate consumers on distracted driving (i.e. texting, phone calls etc.) On her show today (Monday, January 18, 2010) she had guests on who have lost loved ones to distracted-driving crashes. Furthermore, a law was passed on January 1, 2010 that banned texting while driving in the state of Illinois (a law that has been in act since October 2008 in Chicago.)

So, texting and cell phone talking and electronic distraction while driving is illegal in Illinois... for good reason.

Something of value on YouTube??? It's possible,

I'm not a big fan of YouTube, even if there is good content out there, or very funny content with laughing babies or juggling hippos. Too much consumer-generated content, too slow to wait for video and too much time wasted.

But, reading Hemispheres on United Airlines last week, I learned there is something out in that vast wasteland. YouTube Edu -- here you can listen to and watch lectures and presentations from the academic world... online & free. Just launched in 2009, it contains lectures and coursework from over 100 universities. An interview in The Wall Street Journal states the content just from the Univ. Minnesota contains 200 lecture-based courses in literature, history, law, engineering and other subjects.

I know what I'm watching tonight...

Social Media Handbook: New book out in January 2010

If you're wondering what to make of all the cross-traffic on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter... wonder no more. I've put together a small book called Social Media Handbook, and will announce its availability here next month.

While most of the social media sites are temporary blips on the radar, more companies are using them to reach the friends of the friends of their friends, and the impact on society is undeniable.

I myself am a Twitter quitter, but participate in Facebook and LinkedIn, just enough to say I'm out there.

But this kind of stuff... just not worth any energy:

Connect with Twitter?

"Would you like to connect TweetMeme and Twitter together to be able to easily and quickly tweet your links? You will be able to edit your tweets before they are tweeted."

Hmmm. I think I'll just say 'no.'

Favorite new toy: Windows 7 under the tree

If you're wishing for a new computer, I hope you find a Windows 7 PC or laptop under your tree. If you have a Windows XP computer with enough power, memory and disk space, you can get by with a shiny new Windows 7 DVD and install it over Windows XP.

It's not quite as easy as opening a box with a fully configured Windows 7 set up on a hot new computer, so here's a link to some resources to help you if you choose to upgrade over Windows XP.

The Windows 7 Easy Transfer process will copy all your data files to the new computer (cross-over cable required)


Microsoft installation guide for each version

TechFlash guide to loading Windows 7 over XP

Holiday Gift Idea #1

If you have a techie on your holiday gift list, perhaps he/she is too smart to need Computer Ease, but here's a great gift idea...

For the techie who has everything and no pockets to carry it all....


Acccording to the Scottevest.com web site, this jacket has:
# Patented Personal Area Network (PAN)
# Interior cell phone pocket (connects to PAN)
# Interior iPhone/iPod/iTouch pocket (connects to PAN)
# Travel documents pocket
# PubPocket - typically large enough to hold a magazine, eBook reader or small netbook
# Camera pocket and ID/business cards pocket
# Eyeglass pocket, including chamois with versatile clip
# Magnetic pocket closures

it even has "Clear Touch fabric, allowing a traveler to see and control their iPod and cell phones through the fabric." Quite possibly the coolest way to stay warm this winter!

Helen Gallagher

Reverse Ingenuity

Here's a twist: Converting a PDF back to Word. Most people ask me for help increating a PDF but we used to need the full version of Adobe to make a .pdf editable.

This is the answer - and it's a free download from www.pdftoword.com

Windows 7 features continue to impress

Besides the fresh new look and fast performance of computers running Windows 7, here are a few more impressive reasons to move up or to add a Windows 7 computer to your life.

Easily partition the large hard drive into two. Why? With Windows on C: and your data all on D: if there is a system crash and you need to reload Windows, it won't disturb your data.

Use Windows Easy Transfer software to copy from old to new. (Cable required). TIP: Clean out all your temp files before copying.

Windows has a Backup utility.

If you have more than one Windows 7 computer at home, you can use a wi-fi signal to share files.

What's missing? So far -- Outlook and Outlook Express. Outlook Express is gone forever, in favor of Windows Live, which encompasses mail and calendar programs. Outlook is still available in certain versions of Office 2003 and 2007.

Browser wars are over!

Netscape always reigned supreme in comparison to the dreadful Microsoft browser Internet Explorer.

When Netscape was devoured and killed by AOL, the Netscape development team at Mozilla created SeaMonkey. Then Firefox from the same team, made browsing a dream, but lacked the integrated email that Netscape and SeaMonkey had. So that required using Thunderbird, a separate email program.

NOW - Seamonkey 2.0 is .. get this: A combination of Firefox and Thunderbird.
Are you dizzy yet?

AND the combo now includes the badly needed online, integrated calendar, so Lightning was embedded in Thunderbird.

So my personal experiences with the new Windows 7 operating system will immediately include launching SeaMonkey 2.0 to give me all three in one program:

A New, New Computer

Today is the launch day for Windows 7, the first new PC operating system in about seven years. I was one of the few to buy a new computer today. You know I did it for you -- so I can work with the new system and hep you with yours.

Windows 7 is available as a DVD to upgrade your Vista operating system. Prices for the DVD start at $119. And, I got a 15" laptop with Windows 7 for only $299. So you can see why it was such a good deal.

I'll report back soon on what hardware and software problems crop up, and explore some of the beneficial features. I'm hoping there are at least a few improvements in file management and intuitive interfaces. But for speed and performance... it rocks!

New Tech Gifts for the Holidays

Just when you think there's nothing new in computers, along comes Quirky. Here are just a few of their clever product innovations on the market or coming soon.

Now this is what I call a useful error message

Okay, I admit I've been working lots of overtime the past few weeks, and not taking much time for the lighter side of life. But then I got this error message today, and finally had a good laugh:

Anti-big-burger Day

World Anti-McDonalds Day is October 16, 2009

World Anti-McDonalds Day is a global day of action against McDonalds, including protests against promotion of junk food, unethical targeting of children, exploitation of workers, animal cruelty, damage to the environment & the global domination of corporations, mass distribution of leaflets by local activists around the world. Coincides with U.N. World Food Day

Visit : www.mcspotlight.org. Contact : info@mwr.org.uk

While this a U.K. based organization, let me know if you're aware of a U.S. counterpart.

The Internet is suddenly middle-aged

The Internet, as we know it, turned 40 - the big 4-0 this week.
Boing Boing celebrates the news and has an interesting video link... something the boys in the lab couldn't have imagined in 1969.

"Forty years ago today, in Leonard Kleinrock's UCLA lab, a group of computer scientists managed to pass bits of data from one computer to another over some some gray cable. In doing so, they created the first node of what we now call (long dramatic pause)... the Internet.

Kleinrock and colleagues were working with the government-backed Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET), without which I would not be blogging these words today.

Now, some folks believe the actual "birthday" was October 29, 1969 - when Kleinrock sent the first message between two nodes, UCLA to Stanford. The message? "LO." As in "LO AND BEHOLD, THE INTERNET." Well, okay, not really. It was supposed to be "LOGIN" but the system crashed after Kleinrock typed "L" and "O."

See the video here.

Move away from AOL to GMail

Free at last - - -
"Extracting your digital life from your old e-mail account has gotten a lot easier. In the spring, Google introduced a feature — made possible by the TrueSwitch e-mail switching service — that lets you import your address book and old messages from several other mail services into a new Gmail account.

First, sign up for a Gmail account (gmail.com) if you haven’t done so. Once you have created an account and have your new mailbox on screen, click the Settings link at the top of the Gmail window."
read the full post at David Pogue's Personal Tech column here.

Long before Email, there was Enigma

The Enigma is one of the world’s best known cipher machine, and today I had the opportunity to type one that’s 64 years old.

Designed to encrypt messages during wartime, the Enigma used a plugboard with cables and involved pressing keys with an incredible number of possible key settings and machine configurations.

It also had three rotors which wired 26 input contact points to 26 output contact points on alternate faces of a disc and 26 serrations around the edge of the rotors to denote the initial rotation of the rotors.

With 26 dual-holed sockets on the front panel of Enigma, and the plugboard cable to make a connection between any pair of letters, cryptographers had the ability to create codes once thought impossible to break. The astonishing number of possible configurations led to the machine’s success in WWII battle strategies.

The unit in these photos was on display at the Joint Statistical Marketing Conference in Washington D.C., on loan from the National Security Agency.

Don't be fooled once...

Most of my clients know not to click on a link in an email, even if it is from a Nigerian princess offering $12 million, if you'll give her your bank account number.

Use this trick to avoid being fooled by scams: Look at where the link points, such as the "Click Here" link in this message. If you rest your mouse on the link, and look in the lower left corner of your screen, you'll see the actual address where the link points. Look what this example shows... (Note: It is safe for you to click on this image, to enlarge and read it full size.)




I don't know the official address of the Canadian tax authorities, but I'm certain it is not igotmyloverback.com !!

BING: Microsoft's search engine

Okay, so they are still a few years behind their competitors but Microsoft has crawled to the finish line with an attractive search tool. Their intent is to kill Google, no doubt, but mostly it will move use away from Yahoo, Clusty, and the minor search engines some of you have been using for ten years.

Bing is sharp looking, and the search results are intelligent. My favorite feature is the photo background. Maybe I'll get tired of it, but for now, it gets me every time.

Here are a few highlights from David Pogue's full review on the New York Times site. I'll give you just enough to make you start typing www.bing.com (or just 'bing' in Firefox) next time you think of using Google. Then go read David's full article, and become a convert:

"For example, if you search for a celebrity’s name, that space offers an attractive table of common-sense links: News, Movies, Quotes, Biography and Images. When you search for a sports team, you see Schedule, Tickets, Stadium, History and Wallpaper. When you search for a medical condition, that table offers Causes, Remedies, Treatment, Prognosis and News.

Both Bing and Google offer an Image Search page, where you can find photos from the Web of anyone or anything. On Bing, however, the results page scrolls forever — you don’t have to keep clicking Next, Next, Next.

As on Google, you can search for videos. But on Bing, you can preview the results far more efficiently. Just point to a thumbnail (without clicking) in the search results, and the video begins to play back sample segments, seven seconds at a time, right there on the thumbnail."

Read David Pogue's full and balanced review here

The millionth word in the dictionary is....

CNN reports today:

"English contains more words than any other language on the planet and added its millionth word early Wednesday, according to the Global Language Monitor, a Web site that uses a math formula to estimate how often words are created.

The Global Language Monitor says the millionth word was added to English on Wednesday.

The site estimates the millionth English word, "Web 2.0" was added to the language Wednesday at 5:22 a.m. ET. The term refers to the second, more social generation of the Internet."

If you're stumped, you can download my ebook "The Mysterious World of Web 2.o here"

New Email Tool: PostBox

I am always searching for better email handling. Thunderbird, from Mozilla, the Firefox company has been working well for me since Netscape was shut down by its parent company.

But now I've learned at LifeHacker.com of this new program. All the benefits of Thunderbird, plus similarity to GMail. We can't go wrong using Postbox...

"Postbox - If you're not using your email's web interface, use this. It's basically Thunderbird, the open-source email client we'd previously included in our Lifehacker pack, but remixed with stronger, almost Gmail-like powers. It finds and indexes all the attachments in your email account, groups together conversations with similar subject chains with the "Gather" command (like Gmail's conversations), offers tabbed Inbox and message views, and lets you organize emails under your own chosen "Topics." It's also got built-in easy setup steps for Gmail and other webmail systems—in other words, everything we're waiting to see Thunderbird implement."

Source: Lifehacker.com
Download Postbox: http://postbox-inc.com/

BlogHer Conference in Chicago: July 23-25, 2009

Here are the details on the BlogHer Conference for Chicago this summer.

BlogHer '09 will be at the The Chicago Sheraton and Towers from July 23-25, 2009. We will kick off on Thursday July 23rd with out third annual BlogHer Business Conference, and will continue with the two-day 5th annual BlogHer Annual Conference on Friday and Saturday, July 24-25.

If you're a semi-pro1 blogger, and you are if you've paid attention to my workshops these last few years!) come and see what the online blogging life does to people once they show up in a group of thousands enjoying all Chicago has to offer. It's a chance to "celebrate blogging, whether personal, professional or political, has brought us real work, real friends, real satisfaction and is most definitely a significant part of our real life!" - Read more on their site.

Cross-posted at CClarity.blogspot.com

Uh Oh... AOL is on the block

If you know me, you know I'm not a fan of America Online (AOL). It handcuffs your internet use and limits your abilities in many ways.

So I'm not sorry to tell you that parent company Time-Warner seeks to unload AOL. Any potential AOL had was exhausted by about 1997, and its not going to catch up now. Even its free service isn't keeping users on board.

So, to provide a moment of clarity, for all you @aol.com users, its time to move on.

1. If you have DSL or Comcast, you already have a better free email account included in your service, so your email address would end in @comcast.com, @att.net, etc.

2. You only need to send an email to everyone in your AOL address book and ask them all the email you at the new address. Then, as you receive replies from them, you add them to your new address book.

It's 2009 - time to move on !!

Effective Email

While the world waits for a better email system, here are four succinct points to use in your email messages to ensure you commmunicate effectively.

On Harvard Business Publishing, David Silverman writes an excellent brief on effective emails. His take is that emails should:

Call to Action. Say what you want the reader to do.

Say it Up Front. Don’t bury the message.

Assume Nothing. Include your behind-the-scenes thinking.

Do the Thinking. Avoid the generic “What are your thoughts?” atop a chain of previous emails.

Link to Source: BNET.com

Helen Gallagher

Recover a crashed USB flash drive

If you can manage to backup your files to USB drive, and keep track of where it lives: on your key chain, in the bottom of a bag, between couch cushions... your data is safe. But occasionally a flash drive just fails or becomes corrupted. You may plug it in and find no response, no data. If so, there is a recovery tool to help you:

Flash drive data recovery software.

Although, if you accidentally plant your flash drive in the garden this spring, you might want to purchase a new one.

Understanding Social Networking: Twitter, and Facebook and Furl, oh my!

If you are curious about Web 2.0 social networking sites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, I've updated The Mysterious World of Web 2.0 to version 4, with loads of new helpful information.

You can download it now. This ebook also contains great graphics and statistics on who uses these sites, and the high percentage of teens that are more involved with micri-blogging and following friends all day.

Click to see a preview and download the ebook now - cost is only $6.95

Conficker worm removal tool

You've heard about the Conficker attack, which may spread through the Intenet on April Fool's Day. Here's an informative article by Elinor Mills on CNET.

The article assesses the possible damage, scope, and includes a link to the Microsoft patch to prevent vulnerability and a Conficker removal tool, if the worm does attack your computer.

Conficker.C, which surfaced earlier this month, shuts down security services, blocks computers from connecting to security Web sites, and downloads a Trojan. It also reaches out to other infected computers via peer-to-peer networking and includes a list of 50,000 different domains, of which 500 will be contacted by the infected computer on April 1 to receive updated copies or other malware or instructions.

The question is... If the worm is a result of a Microsoft vulnerability, and Conficker hasn't yet struck, how could Microsoft create a removal tool?

Just a thought...

We are not immune, nor is the Dalai Lama

The 3/28/09 New York Times has a report out of Toronto about a huge computer spy ring, that ... "in less than two years, has infiltrated at least 1,295 computers in 103 countries, including many belonging to embassies, foreign ministries and other government offices, as well as the Dalai Lama’s Tibetan exile centers in India, Brussels, London and New York."

Yu can read the full article here. It's fascinating in itself, but you'll also identify with the need to have good spyware and malware (as in malicious) software on your computer, and to make sure it is actively protecting your system.

Internet Explorer ver. 8.0 released

Microsoft is launching Internet Explorer's v. 8 shortly. You may recall many IE users were upgraded from v. 6 to v. 7 overnight, without consent. And, many woke up to find their browser didn't work.

So, if you're an IE user, contemplating the switch to Firefox - now's the time. Avoid the aggravation of IE 8. Firefox downloads fast and imports all your favorites/bookmarks, offers tabbed browsing, and a "Morning Coffee" plug-in to load your preferred pages for each dat of the week! (Ask me how.) Overall, its safer than IE and has superior features. Download Firefox here.

If you have a web site, you'll have to test it in IE 8.0 to be sure it still looks good. As you may know, many web sites look better in Firefox and other browsers than they do in IE, but at least make sure your site's functionality isn't harmed.

Get more info in IE 8 here.

Tech book review: Thinking on the Web

Is the web as good as it can be? Have we created a monstrous database that is beyond organization? Will search efforts continue to deliver irrelevant results?

I thought so until I read Thinking On The Web, by H. Peter Alesso and Craig F. Smith. Combining a history of web development to the present, and an insightful glimpse into what developers are currently working on to make the web better, Thinking on the Web brings together the technological contributions of Kurt Gödel, Alan Turing and Tim Berners-Lee.

These three men, born in 1906, 1912, and 1955, respectively, shaped the primary technology we use today. Few would argue the heart of the technological revolution is the internet. The development of what we today take for granted, we owe largely to Tim Berners-Lee, and the works of Godel and Turing, 40 years earlier.

Read my full review at BlogCritics Magazine

Tech book review: iBrain

Visit BlogCritics Magazine for my review of iBrain by Dr. Gary Small.
Book Review - iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind by Gary Small

Print What You Like

Even if I invented this clever technology, I doubt it would make me a millionaire, since it's free. Instead of trying to print a web page and getting boxes of ads and empty pages, this tool lets you define what to print from any web page.

Visit printwhatyoulike.com for the free download. It's been a while since we've had a new, clever tool. Enjoy!