Making Your Monitor Easier on the Eyes

I've recently started reading the RSS from a really great computer tips and tricks website called makeuseof.com, they also have a Twitter feed (@makeuseof), which is updated enough to keep up with their RSS--something many others don't practice!

There was a recent article on how a piece of freeware called f.lux can help regulate the light emanating from your monitor, so it can be a little kinder to your eyes and make it easier to work then give in to your circadian rhythm.

F.lux had already come my way some time ago, but I had given it up as a resource sapper in a less capable laptop. I installed it last night and haven't noticed any performance lags.

Something to give a try if you suffer from dry eyes, and tend to work for extensive amounts of time on the puter.

How-To:
To install f.lux, go to their website and download the free installation package, which is available for either Windows (XP/Vista) or Mac (OS X).

You will need to tell it which location in the world you're in (they even provide a nifty long/lat search tool so you can input that), so it can track the daytime/nightime cycle of your specific area.

You will need to specify what sort of daytime or nighttime lighting scheme you prefer (natural light, fluorescent, halogen) for your screen. Then it's set it and forget it, as it rests unobtrusively on your taskbar.

Monetizing and FeedBurner for Blogger

I checked on my Monetize tab for each of my 4 Blogger blogs, and realized something was off for the feed ads. I tweaked the feed info (deleted it out) from the Settings tab/section, and then proceeded through the steps on the Monetize section under Feed Ads to correct and add ads to the bottom of my posts (text only).

I have no idea why this just now came to my attention, but glad I caught it, cause it's good to support these blogs with whatever half cents come in through page impressions ^_^ if things continue as they are, I'm hoping to earn my first $2 in 2020 ;o)

Cloud Computing

I love love love CommonCraft, they ingeniously explain things clearly without making you feel stupid. Or stoopid ;)

So their latest covers what cloud computing is. Cloud computing is more and more lightening the load of individuals and businesses looking to take advantage of services, software, applications, etc., without having to bear the brunt of local storage, installation, management, etc. I've been delving into the cloud with my Google account, via Google Documents. I'm storing my documents on there instead of my computer, so that I can access assignments, files, and legal documents from anywhere that has an Internet connection.

Easy, breezy, the way of the future.

Master of My Domains

Yesterday I purchased a domain for my personal website. I went through Google and it led me to GoDaddy...not one of my favorite domain handlers due to the lack of intuitiveness in the navigation.

And so 24+ hrs later, for some reason, my domain isn't forwarding correctly. I made my 3rd call to GoDaddy and they've assured me they corrected what the problem was. Alas, I need to wait another 24hrs. Blah!

Not only that, my friends, oh no no. But you know what the rep tried to do on my last call? She tried to edge me towards signing up for a longer contract than the 2 year one I signed up for. I told her I will consider extending the domain contract if and when the forwarding starts working, since I'm already 24hrs+ into it, yesterday's rep didn't help me fix the issue, and my money's been paid...and no URL forwarding yet! Naughty, naughty!

The funny thing is, I just received an email this evening from a URL forwarder I had signed up for in 2000...January 28, 2000 to be precise. Koikidenke? Me thinks not!

Anyway, if I get the forwarding to work my way tomorrow, I'll be a happier camper.

That Sync-ing Feeling

I've experienced some amazing sync-ing issues on iPhone over the last month. It's been a combination of operator error and lack of intuitiveness on the iTunes iPhone management system.

I've come to the realization that because there's many ways of doing things, it's very easy to get screwed up:

• I sync my Google calendar using these instructions, because iTunes' iPhone management center only offers Outlook sync-ing...
• I entered email accounts separate from the above instructions, because it makes more sense for me, though you may wish to sync your Google mail account like they tell you to
  
• I should only use the iTunes iPhone sync of contacts, and not the above instructions, else chaos and deletion of perfectly useful contacts ensues--this has plagued me for 2 mths and I just figured out why, operator error based on above instructions and iTunes sync-ing issues
  
• My email accounts are sync-ing just fine they way I have them, thank the cybergods
  

I hate writing "synching" because I know it's wrong but it feels oh-so-right when typing it. I also hate writing "syncing," because I don't trust it as being correct. I like sync-ing ^_^ it's a safe, congruent way of saying it.
The above, just thought I'd throw that in there. Courtesy of my anal retentive biatch editor side...

Much luck and sync-ing.

Backup your Flickr

I became a Pro member of Flickr (translation=paid) because I felt it's the best and more social media friendly online photo repository. It doesn't hurt that I liked people's photos on there better than on Picasa, either.

But it's always tricky for me to decide whether I want to upload ALL the pics from my PC onto there, vs. keeping private ones private and away from the Internet. Er...we all have our reasons...

But then there's the new question: how do you backup Flickr photos in case something happens to your PC or to your Flickr (you decide you don't want something then you do after all and it's too late, etc.). Well apprently there's a few little tools you can leverage at your disposal. An article on 3 Tools to Backup your Flickr at makeuseof.com helps you figure out which option is best for ya.

As for me, I've bought a USB external drive to which I save all my music, movies, and photos on a weekly basis. I am still going to reread the above-mentioned article and see if this is an option I'm willing to try out. I shall enjoy solving the new conundrum of backup choice-making when I get a mac at the very end of this year.

Hook Phone up to PC

You can use your Bluetooth to connect your phone with your PC if you don't have your tether/cord/whatever handy.

But it's not as intuitive as I first thought...especially when the significant other unit is in an **urgent** need to grab my Fergie mp3s (meet me half way) for his commuting/listening enjoyment.

So I found this really awesome website (http://www.makeuseof.com)that has tons of totally useful, smart, and easy to understand how-tos. Here's the how-to for connecting your phone to your PC using Bluetooth.

Njoy!

Twitter Trends and Retweet Updates

Twitter news about two new projects/releases today: Twitter's trending topics fix, and their roll-out of a Retweet tab.

Trending topics sometimes feature obscene or obnoxious terms because of people with lots of time and strange senses of humor. The RT tab project entails making RTing much easier than all that darn cut and pasting (sure, probably doesn't add up to more than nanoseconds in all truthfulness, but annoying none the less) we've had to endure to this day.