1. Keep RSI at bay

    May 7, 2010 by admin

    Computer users tend to get engrossed in whatever they are doing. Whether it is browsing the internet, playing a game or being engaged in work the total focus of the user is on the computer. This is where an unseen or rather an unperceived danger lurks.

    Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI) is an invisible assailant that you must be wary about. Your soft tissue is at risk of injury and conditions like Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, Tendinosis and Tendinitis can occur. Treating these conditions once they are past a certain level is a long and painful process. So preventing it ever occurring is the best course of action to take.

    1. Every hour or so, get up from you chair and walk around the room. Do this for a few minutes and try to do some light stretching as well.
    2. Switch between the mouse and keyboard on and off. That way the hand resting on the mouse is forced to switch to different movements.
    3. Get an ergonomic keyboard and mouse. This will give your hands a better resting position which is more natural.
    4. Use a mouse pad that has gel based or cushioned resting position for your wrist.
    5. Position you keyboard and mouse on your table in such a way that there is enough room for your arms to rest on the table comfortably. This is to alleviate the stress placed on the joints of your wrists.
    6. Get a chair that has good lumbar support. It should also enable you sit in a better posture.
    7. Position your monitor at a proper height and angle so that there is minimal or no strain on you neck.

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  2. Choosing the Right Keyboard

    April 30, 2010 by admin

    Computer users are no longer content to settle for the norm. They want peripherals devices that are geared towards their area of interest. In this regard, even a simple device like the keyboard is now available in many flavors.

    Gamer keyboards - As the name suggests, these are meant especially for users who are heavily into gaming. These keyboards have an integrated LCD panel built-in, backlit keys, changeable number pads and programmable keys. These features are there to specifically target the needs of serious gamers.

    Media keyboards - Although these have only a few tweaks added, they are nevertheless very useful to the right user. These keyboards often feature volume control and play/pause/stop/skip back/skip forward buttons. These are useful especially if the keyboard is wireless and the computer is connected to a TV. This way the user can sit on the bed/ couch and manipulate the media.

    Ergonomic keyboards - These are beneficial for users who spend an extended amount of time in typing activities. These help to avoid problems such as RSS or CTS and also provide a better experience for the user. The keyboard is designed in such a way that it is conducive to the natural resting position of a user’s hands. In some cases the number pad is detachable for further ease of use.

    Travel keyboards - These are designed to be small and lightweight. Sometimes they are foldable as well in order save space. Travelers appreciate this product because it is easier to lug around than a normal sized keyboard.

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  3. Video production companies

    April 25, 2010 by publisher

    Ever since the medium of television (and now in the internet through Web 2.0) emphasize on the use of rich technology such as audio/ video as opposed to text and pictures, video production is now not only a highly sought after line of expertise but a much coveted skill to possess in a market that is truly media crazy.

    Whether this involves training video production or creative video production, one must look for an organization that gives them the very best as there a lot of choices to pick from. The really good organizations know how to take even the simplest ideas of their client and turn it into gold or else build everything up from a scratch.

    Another important factor in finding an organization known for its excellent video production is find out about their previous work and the clients they have worked with.

    Apart from this, if the company is able to handle the next steps (such as media buying) involved in the dissemination of these videos, it would greatly help to have it outsourced to an organization that provides solutions from start to finish.

    Finally, the organization you finally pick should be able to cater to your needs regardless of whether they are an Austin video production company or from anywhere else in the United States.

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  4. Finding 35mm slide scanners

    by publisher

    Imagine yourself purchasing a direct-to-home television package that is digital but using a television from the eighties (provided they’re still around that is) to view your favorite programs with. Sounds kind of odd… doesn’t it?

    It’s really the same thing if one uses a professional camera with film to take photos but cannot save them for those moments of nostalgia much later on in life that can be so easily solved by purchasing a photo slide scanner.

    Even though a lot of people use digital cameras today, still photography still has a soft corner for photography with the good old film as it tends to add a more realistic touch to the photographs taken. Many professional and budding amateur photographers seem to think this way, and while they do have ‘film stock’ in the truer sense of the word, it does not mean that storing them digitally isn’t a priority and tor this, 35mm slide scanners are available so that one can do just that.

    In another scenario, when it comes to converting photographs taken on film digitally, most professional photographers use the services of a professional digital film scanner owned by an organization that convert these photographs to their digital equivalent for exorbitant fees.

    Truth be told, this works out to be expensive, so it only bodes well for photographers to get their machine that will work out to be inexpensive in the long run.

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  5. Bring Down Your Electricity Costs

    April 21, 2010 by admin

    You may not realize it but your computer can eat up a lot of electricity. How much it consumes depends on you’re the configuration and also on what other devices you have connected to it.

    Usually a desktop PC will have a Power Supply Unit that is rated between 300 and 500 watts. This denotes the maximum power that can be delivered via that PSU. Before you start panicking, the PSU does not deliver the maximum all the time and only does it when required.

    There are many culprits that cause a lot of power consumption. Advanced graphics cards draw a lot of power, especially when graphics intensive games are played. Using apps that require a lot of memory and processing power also delivers similar results. Using a large CRT monitor or even an LCD monitor at full brightness can push up your power bill.

    To bring down your energy costs, try to do the following:

    1. After shutting down the computer, physically cut the power connection to the PC by flicking the switch to the “off” position on the wall socket.
    2. If your monitor does not draw power from the PC (enabling an auto switch off), you should switch it off manually after shutting down the PC.
    3. Switch off printers and scanners when not in use.
    4. Switch off any powered speakers when not in use.
    5. Reduce the brightness on your monitor. This will consume less power and also promote long life in the product.
    6. Use power management tools provided with the OS.

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  6. Look Out For Fake Online Shops

    April 17, 2010 by admin

    As the world shifts its shopping onto the Internet, the scammers that exist in the physical world are following them there. Plenty of fake websites have sprung up hoping to catch unsuspecting consumers and the sad fact is that the consumers are falling for it.

    The primary way to avoid such bogus sites is to stick to the old adage “If it’s too good to be true, then it is”. If you are looking for the newest X-Box on the day before Christmas and you find a website that says they have lots in stock - it’s fake! Sometimes the scam works by offering unbelievably low prices on products. Again, if it’s unbelievable, it probably is.

    But sometimes you just can’t figure it out, because the scam is pretty good. In these instances, just put good old Google to use. Let’s say the company’s name is ABC789 Inc. Just type in that name in Google and look at what turns up. Usually, if it is a company that has been in operation for a while, there will be many hits on the page. You will also run into many forums where users have commented on that company. From this information you can make an informed decision on what type of company it is and how reliable their products are.

    As always, good research can always help you before you get into a sticky situation. Don’t be impetuous and impulsive when you make purchases online, because it might even get you into more trouble than losing your money or getting a bad product.

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  7. Finding Samsung Toner Cartridge immediately

    April 16, 2010 by publisher

    Toner Cartridge

    Where does one look for product parts and accessories in case something goes wrong or in the case of the Samsung TV stand that you absolutely cannot do without. While sales and service is an important strategy of any top notch multinational company, sometimes the latter is not necessarily a situation that a customer finds difficult to navigate through.

    And then there are essential components such as the Samsung Toner Cartridge without which organizations can lose hours of productivity to that might not sit well with investors, senior management and the like, when the reports indicating unaccounted time are sent to them.

    A common issue with entertainment products such as a television is with needing a replacement for a component known as the Samsung DLP Color Wheel. Quick fixes are not advisable but a thorough inspection of your set by a professional with an authentic replacement of the part that is not working. Finally, you can also get an extra Samsung Camcorder Battery or as a replacement for your camcorder within days especially if ‘shooting’ is just more than a hobby.

    Even though products protect the customer’s rights by issuing warranties, one never knows when ‘disaster’ strikes (to put it dramatically), and so to prepare for the situation such as this, one can find plenty of online stores where they can find parts and accessories that will help them use the product to the best of its potential.

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  8. Buying an External Hard Drive

    April 10, 2010 by admin

    An External Hard Disk is a worthwhile investment for any computer user. If you are an avid downloader of content (legally, of course) then storing movies and mp3s on your computer is going to take up a lot of Hard Disk Drive (HDD) space. This is fine until you encounter the day when the HDD crashes. Backing up your data can save you the frustration and anger when that happens and this is where an external HDD really comes into play.

    When looking to buy an external drive, you have to consider the two types available -Solid State Drives (SSD) and HDD’s. SSDs have no moving parts in them, so vibrations and small impacts will not do any harm to them. However, as long as you treat your HDD carefully there is very little chance of anything happening to it either. Of the two, HDDs are easier on your wallet.

    You should decide on the size of the external drive, depending on how much data you want to backup or transfer out of your computer. If these are mainly documents that will be stored, then even a 100GB drive is enough. Otherwise, if you do need more space, 1TB and 2TB drives have recently become more affordable.

    If you can afford to wait a while, USB 3.0 drives will be out in the near future offering staggering transfer rates. But in the meantime, external drives come in USB 2.0, Firewire and eSATA flavors. You should choose one of these depending on the connectivity you have on your computer and the availability of external power as some of these devices require that.

    Just remember that the cost of an external drive is peanuts compared to the cost you will encounter at a data retrieval service should your HDD crash.

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  9. Fun Twitter Tools

    March 31, 2010 by admin

    Twitter is here to stay. That is a fact that cannot be disputed. Nevertheless, how it evolves and sustains itself is something that cannot be envisioned yet. With Twitter CEO Evan Williams announcing the launch of the @anywhere service promulgation of Twitter, practically anyone connected to the web will have access to Twitter without necessarily going to its website. This practically guarantees its continued popularity with people around the world.

    The fun side of Twitter is still there, although online businesses, gurus, news and marketing seem to be the prominent force that prevails at the moment. So here are some fun tools you can use with Twitter and although some of these have nothing to do with Twitter, they function in the same way.

    Cursebird - A nifty little tool that gives you a list of people who are cursing and swearing currently on Twitter. It actually gives you results in real time and gives you statistics on the usage of these cuss words. You can even enter a particular person’s Twitter name and see their “curse statistics” as well.

    Twitoria - This app will help you figure out all the inactive users on your Twitter lists. All you have to do is enter your Twitter name and specify how far back in time you want to filter the results.

    Secrettweet - This website enables you to leave anonymous “Tweets”. You can also comment on your Tweets and other people’s Tweets anonymously. However, if you wish to, you can link your comments to your real Twitter account and have them appear there as well.
    twtTrip - A potentially useful and fun tool. It shows all the people who will be travelling to a destination at the same time so that they can, if they so wish, co-ordinate with each other either a place to meet or make traveling arrangements, etc. Unfortunately, this does not link up with Twitter for some odd reason.

    Twe2 - If you’ve been disappointed with Twitter stopping alerts to mobile phones, then Twe2 will be your fix. Twe2 will send you your direct messages and replies via SMS. The service supports itself by attaching little ads at the bottom of the SMS but that is a small price to pay for the convenience offered.

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  10. The Mysterious Green Light on the Motherboard

    March 27, 2010 by admin

    Opening up a PC is a task for those who know what they are doing. In the event that you have opened up the casing and just glanced inside, you might have noticed a strange green light on the motherboard. The mystery behind this little green LED light is actually quite simple.

    To understand this mystery we have to start with the first rule of messing with PC hardware - Unplug the computer. These days even this measure is not enough to protect you as the capacitors found in the power supply are quite capable of holding a strong charge for long time after the computer is switched off. In case you forget to unplug the cable or if for some reason the power supply is still sending electricity to the motherboard, there has to be a mechanism to inform you of this fact. The mechanism is the little green light.

    Therefore the main purpose of the green light (sometimes found in amber or red colors as well) is to function as a safety device. It can also be used to troubleshoot power issues as it is an indicator of whether power is coming through to the motherboard or not.

    When you do have to fix something on your motherboard, you should take the following precautions.

    1. At the back of the computer and on/off switch is located on the power supply. Shift this to the off position.
    2. Unplug the power cable from the wall socket or UPS system if it is connected to one.
    3. Disconnect the power cable that runs from the power supply to the motherboard.

    This final step will ensure that no live power is coming through to the motherboard and it is safe to touch. Always remember to de-static yourself before touching any components to avoid damaging them.

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