LCD monitor Blackout.....here's a quick fix for you!

If your LCD display is turning itself off due to aging capacitors, an easy work around is to turn the brightness down! Brightness goes down, display draws less juice, and you can at least use it. As it warms up you should be able to gradually turn the brightness back up, although probably not all the way.

Sometimes this problem manifests itself as a display that turns itself off after a few seconds or will turn itself off and back on over and over again.

Raspberry PI running Quake 3....it's coming in January 2012

his little guy runs a stripped down version of Linux, an open-source operating system. Here are the specs:

• 700-megahertz processor (the iPhone has a 1-gigahertz processor)

• 128 megabytes of RAM (the iPhone has 512MB)

• SD Card slot for storage

• USB port

• HDMI Port

It still packs a punch, though — the processor is beefy enough to run Quake 3, a first-person shooter game that has some moderately intense graphics. It runs that game at about 20 frames per second at a 1920 by 1080 pixel resolution....about as high as most modern laptops!

Raspberries in January....they're coming....check it out....

The $25 computer project known as Raspberry Pi is set to go on sale next month.
The tiny computer, which runs Linux on an ARM processor and sports USB, audio and video out, as well as an SD card slot, was designed to be an ultra-low-cost computer aimed at children.
In a blog post picked up by Business Insider this week, its creators noted that the machine will be available in January following some additional testing on the hardware and software.
At launch the diminutive machine will be offered in two configurations, one at $25 and the other at $35. The extra $10 gets you double the RAM at 256MB, as well as the addition of an Ethernet port for getting online. Its creators have also announced the "Gertboard," a small expansion board that can be added to the Rasberry Pi. Its purpose is to "flash LEDs on and off, drive motors, run sensors and all that other fun stuff."
The computing project is the brainchild of game developer David Braben, and follows in the footsteps of previous low-cost computing initiatives like One Laptop per Child, which aimed a $100 price tag for Internet-ready laptops. There was also last year's $35 tablet in India, which ran Google's Android OS

Using Swype on your Android Phone....here's the tips

Swype Basics

 

Introduction Swype is a fast way to enter text. To Swype, put your finger on the first letter of the word and draw a path from letter to letter, lifting up after the last letter.

Automatic Spacing Swype automatically inserts a space between words when you Swype the next word in your sentence.

Double Letters Swype usually knows if you want a double letter in a word without your doing anything special, but you can help Swype recognize you want a double letter by scribbling slightly or making a loop on the letter. For example, to get the "ll" in "hello", scribble (or make a loop) on the "l" key.

Word Choice List When there are multiple suggestions for the word you want to enter, Swype displays a Word Choice List. To accept the default word in the Word Choice List, just keep Swyping. Otherwise, scroll through the list by dragging your finger, and tap the word you want. You can also customize the way the Word Choice List behaves while tapping - just go to Options and select Word suggestion to see more options.

Changing a Word There are many ways to edit a word. If Swype does not output the word you wanted, tap on the word and select an alternate from the Word Choice List. To quickly replace a word, simply double-tap on the word and Swype (or tap) a replacement word.

Adding Words to Personal Dictionary If a word is not in the Swype Dictionary you can add it to your Personal Dictionary. a) Tap in the letters of the word, b) select the word from the Word Choice List, and c) tap the "add to dictionary" prompt.

The Swype Key Press and hold the Swype key to access Swype Settings, Swype help, and change input methods.

 

Advanced Tips

 

One-Letter Words Swype one-letter words like "a" and "I" by gliding from the letter to the Space key. Swype automatically capitalizes the word "I" for you.

Contractions Many words with punctuation and punctuation combinations are in the Swype dictionary, making them easier to enter when Swyping (I'm, I'll, it's, how's, etc).

Alternate Characters Tapping and holding your finger on any key brings up a list of all the characters available on that key, including letters with accents like "é" and "ñ", symbols like @ and %, and numbers.
To enter an alternate character explicitly, tap the '=@#' (symbol) key to be taken to the Symbols layer. You can see that there are two pages of alternate characters. If you don't see the character you are looking for, press the Shift key and this will show you another set of characters.
All of the characters are Swype-able from the main keyboard (whether you can see them or not). You can Swype while on Symbol layer of the keyboard, but you will only get words that have at least one number or symbol.

"Bouncing" between letters Sometimes avoiding letters when Swyping ensures you get the word you want the first time.
For example, "pot", "pit", and "put" could be drawn with the same path. Fortunately, you don't have to move from letter to letter in a straight line. Avoiding the "i" and the "o" when gliding your finger to the "t" ensures that the word "put" is first in the Word Choice List.

Swype Gestures Swype Gestures are shortcuts on the keyboard to quickly accomplish common tasks. Not all gestures below are available on all versions of Swype. Some gestures are described below:

• Capitalization: Capitalize a letter while Swyping by gliding your finger from the letter up past the top of the keyboard and, without lifting, gliding your finger back down to the next letter of the word.
• Punctuation: Swype from the comma, period, or other punctuation to the Space key instead of tapping punctuation and then the Space key.
• The Edit Keyboard: The Edit keyboard allows the user to move the cursor within text, as well as perform other editing tasks. To get to the Edit keyboard, Swype from the Swype key to the Symbols key (=@#) on the keyboard.
• Select All: To select all of the text you entered, just Swype from the Swype key to the 'a'.
• Copy: To copy a word or block of text, just select the text by double-tapping on the word or do the Select-all gesture, then Swype from the Swype key to the 'c'.
• Cut: To remove a word or block of text and store it to paste elsewhere, just select the text by double-tapping on the word or do the select-all gesture, then Swype from the Swype key to the 'x'.
• Paste: After doing a copy or cut of your text, Swype from the Swype key to the 'v' to paste it.
• The Number Keyboard: To quickly get to the Number keyboard, Swype from the Swype key to the number 5.
• Hiding the Keyboard: To easily hide the keyboard, just Swype from the Swype key to the backspace key.
• Turn off Automatic Spacing: Suppress automatic spacing before the next word by gliding from the Space key to the backspace key. This is useful when creating compound words.
• Editing the Case of a Word: Change the case of a word after you enter it or when editing your message by tapping the word in the message and then gliding from the Swype key to the Shift key before lifting. A Word choice list with capitalization options will display, allowing you to choose lower case, Capitalized, or ALL CAPS.
• Switching languages: To switch between the two most recent languages, Swype from the Swype-key to the key with the language initials on it.

Personal Dictionary Management You can add, remove or edit custom words, email addresses, phone numbers, etc. from your Swype personal dictionary via the following ways:

• a) While entering text
  
  Adding a word:

  • Tap in the letters of your custom word
  • Select it from the Word Choice List
  • Tap the prompt that appears to add the word

  To add many words at once, or phone numbers, or words that contain numbers and symbols:

  • Highlight the word(s) in the editor
  • Tap the Swype key
  • Tap the prompt that appears to add the word

  Removing a word you added:

  • Highlight the word in the editor you want to delete
  • Tap the Swype key
  • Tap the prompt that appears to delete the word
• b) Personal Dictionary Editor
  
  In the Swype Settings menu you can navigate to your Personal Dictionary to add, remove or edit custom words, email addresses, phone numbers etc.
  Note: Your Contacts are automatically imported in your Swype Personal dictionary.
  
  LINKS TO THE VIDEO HOW TO'S
  
  
  

  Basic Swyping

  • How to Swype
  • How to Swype Double Letters
  • How to Capitalize Letters
  • How to Swype Punctuation
  • How to Swype Apostrophes
  • How to Correct Words in Swype

  Advanced Swyping

  • Word Choice Window
  • Word Addition
  • Swype Key
  • Hoppings
  • Symbol Layers
  • Languages

Opt-Out of Google advertising cookies....here's how

Google does allow you to opt out of advertising if you’d like.
To get started, jump to this Google Plugin page. Google provides several different versions of the Advertising Cookie Opt Out Plugin, which is initiated via web browser. Currently, the plugin is available for Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer. Using one of the mentioned web browsers, click the Download the advertising opt-out plugin button.

Upon doing so, the plugin should auto install for your specific web browser. For this tutorial, we will be using Firefox, so we will follow the required steps for installing any basic Firefox plugin. Click the Install Now button to install the plugin.
Once the plugin has been installed, that’s pretty much all there is to it, as very little configuration is needed. For detailed information about how the plugin operates with your web browser, check out Google’s FAQ page.
Installing the above plugin allows you to opt-out of DoubleClick cookies all together. However, you may not want to completely opt-out, but rather, setup custom preferences for Google advertising and marketing. This can be done using Google’s Ad Preferences manager.

Another option that you have, that is recommended by Google, is to configure more advanced opt out settings using the Network Advertising Initiative website also  a similar website that allows you to opt out and set preferences for many popular ad networks.

How to Play the Music in Google Docs

1. • 1
     Press the “All Applications” button on the bottom of your Android device.
   • 2
     Tap the “Google Docs” app icon to launch Google Docs on your Android.
   • 3
     Tap the “All items” icon.
   • 4
     Scroll down and tap the song you want to play from Google Docs.
   • 5
     Tap “Music Player” when asked what you want to play the song with. The song loads and begins playing on your Android device.

Your Music Anywhere using Google SyncDocs

The recent announcement of Google Music is great news, but it’s only available if you live in the US. There is another way to stream your music from Google. It is not as visually impressive as Google Music but sounds just as good. You can stream your music from Google Docs to your PC or phone.
To do this, you need a sync app like Syncdocs, and a media player like iTunes, Windows Media Player or VLC. Here’s how you can stream your music from the web:

1. Install the latest free beta version of Syncdocs.
2. Right click on the folder containing your music. Select “Create Google Playlist”.
If it not already on Google Docs, Syncdocs will pop-up and ask you to upload it first.
3. Syncdocs will make two “Google Playlist” files.

Syncdocs syncs these files to Google Docs, so you can just download the playlist files from another browser and open them to play your music. Open these files on your mobile, or other computer you want to listen to this music from. You can also email these files or get the short link in Syncdocs sharing.
What’s great is that you don’t need the big audio files on the device you are using to play the music. All you need are the tiny playlist files. The audio is streamed live from the Google.
Open the playlist in Windows Media Player, VLC, Winamp or iTunes on any other PC or Mac. You can also play it on your mobile, the m3u playlist file can be played with a playlist media player, like Just Playlists on Android or fstream on iPhone.

Convert PDF to HTML for easy reading in your browser...check it out....

PDFtoHTML converts standard PDFs to HTML, which can then be inserted into any website and read by any browser.

Miniature Wonderland- Enjoy in 1080p

IE6 - deathblow coming in January

If you are still using Internet Explorer 6 via Windows XP ....well, it is time to give it a rest.   Starting in January 2012 it will be phasing out thru automatic updates....You will be upgraded like it or not to IE 8
if using Windows XP....

And sometime in 2012 all support for XP will cease....

So make sure you get all the XP updates on a hard drive so if you ever want to run it again you can update it via the drive.....

I recommend WUD--windows update downloader



GET IT HERE

Homegroup or Headache? How to get it working finally.....

If you are trying to get your homegroup in order with windows 7 computers on your network here are some vital tips....make SURE all of your computers are set to HOME network.....not WORK or PUBLIC....that is the intial step....then follow below:

There could be several reasons why you might not be able to join a homegroup. First, try running a Fix It wizard to diagnose and fix common problems with joining a homegroup.

To run a HomeGroup Fix It wizard

1. Click this button:
   
   Fix this problem
2. Click Run, and then follow the steps in the wizard.

If running the Fix It wizard doesn't solve the problem, refer to the following list:.

• There might not be a homegroup available on your network. To create one, see Create a homegroup.
• You might not be connected to the network that the homegroup is on. To connect to a network, follow these steps:
  1. Click the network icon ( or ) in the notification area of your taskbar.
  2. Click the network you want to connect to, and then click Connect. You might be required to enter a network security key.
  After you've connected to the network, you can join a homegroup if one exists on your network.
• Computers must be running Windows 7 to join a homegroup. HomeGroup is available in all editions of Windows 7. In Windows 7 Starter and Windows 7 Home Basic, you can join a homegroup, but you can’t create one.
• The network location might not be set to Home. HomeGroup only works on home (private) networks. To change your network location, follow these steps:
  1. Open Network and Sharing Center by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, and then click Network and Sharing Center.
  2. Click Work network or Public network, and then click Home network.
     Network and Sharing Center
• The other computers in your homegroup might not be in the home, might have left the homegroup, or might be turned off, sleeping, or hibernating. For information on changing power saving options, see Change, create, or delete a power plan (scheme).
• The computer on which the homegroup was created might have been restarted and no one has logged on to it. Some services that HomeGroup needs don't start until after logon. Make sure someone logs on to the computer that initially created the homegroup.
• Network discovery is turned off. To turn on network discovery, follow these steps:
  1. Open Advanced sharing settings by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, click Network and Sharing Center, and then, in the left pane, click Change advanced sharing settings.
  2. Click the chevron to expand the Home or Work network profile.
  3. Click Turn on network discovery, and then click Save changes.  If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
  For more information about network discovery, see What is network discovery?
• One or more required services aren't running. The Peer Networking Grouping and HomeGroup Provider services must both be running. Here's how to check this:
  1. Open Administrative Tools by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type administrative tools, and then click Administrative Tools.  If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
  2. Double-click Services.  If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
  3. In the Status column next to the Peer Networking Grouping and HomeGroup Provider services, you should see the word "Started." If you don't see this, double-click the name of the service, and then click Start.
• The peer networking idstore.sst file is corrupted. If you see the message "Windows cannot set up a homegroup on this computer. Error code 0x80630801." and you're unable to start the Peer Networking Grouping service using the above procedure, follow these steps to remove the corrupted file:
  1. Click the Start button .
  2. In the search box, type command prompt.
  3. In the list of results, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.  If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
  4. Delete the idstore.sset file found in the \Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Roaming\PeerNetworking folder of your system drive (for example, drive C).
  5. Restart your computer, and then try joining the homegroup.
• Your computer already belongs to a homegroup. You can only belong to one homegroup at a time.
• Your system administrator has turned off HomeGroup on domain-joined computers.

Free Texting App for all Smartphones...check this out!

JaxtrSMS eliminates the need to pay a cellular provider for text messaging. The app works with absolutely any smartphone, and most tablets too (so long as you already have an global phone number).

Since JaxtrSMS is available on virtually every smartphone and tablet, the download process is different for each operating system. Click the Download Apps Now button, then follow the directions for your device.

Gimp - the Amazing Free Photo Editor

Here is some info on using Gimp for facial blemish removal...
 Get GIMP- download it onto your computer, then follow the instructions for installing it.
To begin, the first thing you do is run GIMP, then open the picture you want to work with:

Here’s the sample pic we’re going to use:

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net
First, zoom in so you can really see what you’re working with:

Then, move over to the Toolbox and click the Heal tool…

… then move lower and adjust the scale by moving the slider. This makes the heal tool circle bigger or smaller. Adjust it so that the circle size is about the same size as the blemishes you’re trying to fix.

… then click on a good spot very close to the major blemish you wish to fix, then do a Ctrl-Click to let GIMP know you’ve picked your good spot to serve as a reference:

Gimp responds by creating a circle with a cross in it to show it’s heard you. Then, all you have to do is move around the photo clicking on zits or other blemishes. In some case, it might work best to just click a bunch of times on and around the area to get it all cleared up, like this:

Note: Zoom in and out as you see fit to help you visualize the the blemishes you’re trying to repair.
Then, once you’re satisfied that you’ve zapped most of those blemishes off your picture…

…you can clean things up even more by using the Blur tool. To do this, choose it by clicking the icon for the Blur tool, on the tools pane:

…then choose your brush size, by using the slider next to where it says Scale, the rate of change (amount of blurring) by using the slider next to where it says Rate, and then finally by making sure you have the bullet marked next to Blur, and not Sharpen:

After that use the Blur tool to paint over areas of the skin that look like they could benefit from some smoothing;

…just hold down your mouse button while you drag the tool over the skin, following the contours as you go. Also, be careful crossing between light and dark areas, or when you’re working in a place that has lots of changes going on at the same time. The idea is to create a smooth, blemish free surface.
Here is the finished result:

Make sure you save your results when you are done...and save yourself alot of $$$ on software....