GeekByte: Podcasts Are Great Learning Tools

If you’re looking for a good way to learn more about technology and have access to a fast internet connection, try listening to podcasts. Podcasts are pretty much just radio shows that are in MP3 format free for download. You can easily find them by downloading and installing iTunes. Just click on the iTunes Store link on the left side and you will see an area for Podcasts on the right. They have tons and tons out there on various topics, including technology. You don’t have to subscribe to podcasts through iTunes, but I find it’s one of the easiest ways since they are all in one central location. I have about four that I listen to every week. Even if you are good with computers you will still pick up something from listening to these podcasts. I personally listen to MacBreak Weekly, The Tech Guy, This Week in Tech, and MacBreak Weekly (even though I don’t own a Mac). All are hosted by Leo Laporte. I like keeping up through this medium since I can listen to it in the truck on the way to work and back home. If you have a long drive like I do, you’ll find that you’ll have plenty of time to catch up on the week’s tech news.

GeekByte: Clear Out Those Startup Programs

In Windows XP and Vista you can clean up what starts when you boot your computer. There’s a lot of programs that you really don’t need to have starting up every time you turn your ‘puter on. Most programs seem to want to stick themselves in the startup without you knowing, and before you know it your system tray (by the clock on your taskbar) is full of little icons and your computer takes forever to boot. There’s a couple of ways to prevent those items from starting up. The first way is to click on Start and choose Run. Type msconfig and click OK. A new window will open with several tabs at the top. Choose the Startup tab. You can uncheck the items that you don’t want starting up with your computer. If you aren’t sure of what one is, the Command and Location columns may help you figure it out. You can always go back into the Startup tab and recheck anything that you decide you would like starting up, so don’t be too afraid to get creative.

The second way is to click on Start, Programs, and choose the Startup folder. Right click on anything that you don’t want starting up and choose Delete. Doing this will place that shortcut in your Recycle Bin. Keep those shortcuts in there for a while until you are sure that you are happy with the result.

Nifty Office Downloads

If you are running a version of Office prior to 2007 and someone sends you a document that is saved in the new 2007 format (.docx, .xlsx, etc.), you will not be able to open the documents. Microsoft has provided those of us who are not on 2007 a way to open the new extensions using our current versions of Office. You can download the file format converters on Microsoft’s website. Just install the converters, and the next time you try to open a document in the new format it will convert the document so that you can open it, and then save it back as an original file extension (.doc, .xls, etc.).

There’s also a nifty download for people who have the new Office 2007 and want to save their documents as a PDF or XPS file. Just download and install the executable file and you will get a new save option in your Save As menu for the two formats.

Canon Unveils the PowerShot SX100 IS

Canon unveiled a new point-and-shoot camera a few days ago that will appeal to the novice (me) and professional (my husband) alike. We purchased one Saturday and have really loved using it. It has a lot of features that your SLR’s have, but without the complication or the separate lenses and body. It’s a mini me of sorts. My husband is as excited about this point-and-shoot as I am. That should give you an idea of the features that it comes equipped with. The SX100 comes with 8 megapixels and powerful 10X optical zoom. The other point-and-shoots that I looked at in that price range for the most part had either a 3X or 6X optical zoom. It also comes with image stabilization which is a definite perk. The one thing that it’s missing that I am used to is a view finder. Good luck finding a point-and-shoot with one of those anymore. It’s slim pickin’s. The SX100 does have a 2.5 inch LCD screen though which by far makes up for the lack of a view finder. The screen is very clear and large enough that you can see what you’re taking a picture of without the need to squint.

As far as options go, there are the standard settings that most point-and-shoots have preconfigured, like portrait, landscape, foliage, night time, etc. The SX100 give you Program, Tv, Av, and M settings so that you can set all of your options like ISO, f/stop, and shutter speed manually. This is the part that my husband was excited about. I’ve found since using the manual settings that I want to learn more about what they are and how they work. You can even do white balancing with preconfigured settings, or you can manually white balance so that you get exactly what you want. The macro setting is awesome. I am finding that I enjoy this feature the best so far. The closest the manual says you can get to an object and still focus is about a half an inch. I’ve tried this out and it holds true. The picture I’ve included at the bottom of this post is a tomato about an inch in diameter in the morning dew, taken at about an inch away. The camera does come with video capability at 640x480 and 30 fps with sound. I tried this out and was able to view the video maximized on a 17” widescreen LCD monitor without any pixelization. The sound on the video is pretty good, but you do have to be careful not to bump the camera too much or you will get those noises on the video.

Now, you may think that setting all of these features is going to be difficult. Wrong! This is one of the easiest interfaces to get around in. There aren’t a ton of buttons to begin with, and they have pictures next to them to tell you what it does (like the flower symbol for the Macro setting). It does have a wheel on the back that you can either press in the four directions, or turn around in a circle to get around your menus. The four directions are considered buttons since they each do something different when you push them. The left side of the wheel allows you to set the Macro settings, the top button the ISO settings, the right button the flash settings, and the bottom what kind of shot you want to do (continuous, single, timed, etc.).

The best part…all of this comes at the reasonable price of $300. When we compared this camera to the others we saw in the store, we felt like we got the most options for the price. Canon is really making it a point to offer point-and-shoots that appeal to both the beginner and the pro who want a camera that has SLR features, but without the bulk of an SLR.

An Apple a Day…

To anyone who owns an Apple product under warranty, beware…you will still have to pay to get your product fixed or replaced if you have problems with it. To start out, you have a couple of options to get your Apple product fixed. You can either mail it in for about $30 or go to an Apple store and see a Genius. You might think that going to the store would get you out of the 30 bucks. Wrong. Even if your product is still under warranty, and the problem is something that the warranty covers, you will still have to pay $32 as a “processing” fee to get your product fixed/replaced. I have to say that really turned me off to Apple. I don’t have a problem with my iPod…I really do love it and have enjoyed using it. However, their warranty just doesn’t impress me. If you don’t own any Apple products but are looking at any, please be aware of the warranty fine print before you decide to purchase one. If my iPod ever dies and it’s out of warranty, I won’t be buying an Apple again.

Resistance is Futile

I’ve noticed from working in IT as long as I have that users hate change. It doesn’t matter how helpful that change may be, if they have to learn something new they hate it. At the very least, 85% of users hate it. Admittedly, there are always users out there that are ready to go to the latest greatest before IT is. I like users like that really. I’d rather deal with those than the ones that resist change. As an IT person I can say that we usually complain about users not willing to change with the times. Never fear though…IT people can have the same hatred of change. It’s probably more surprising to me to see IT pros resist changes in technology than a user. It’s the nature of our business. By the time you purchase a new computer, something new and improved is out a month later. Our profession is in a constant state of change. Yet, it seems that some of the geeky people I’ve worked with over time just don’t get it. Change can be good, especially if it helps you in your tasks. Yet, some people just don’t want to accept having to do things in a different way, and change how they do something. I think one of the things that really gripe me about IT pros who don’t like change is that they are really limiting what they can do. So for all you users out there who feel distanced from your geeks just remember, IT people often feel the same as you.

Happy Birthday Sputnik

I got a chance tonight to see the International Space Station fly overhead. The whole thing took just a few minutes from start to finish. It started out fairly dim but brightened nicely as it traveled more overhead. One thing that really caught my eye was the yellow color. I guess I expected it to be whiter for some reason. As I looked up at the little dot of light carrying actual human beings over head, I tried to imagine what it was like to see the first satellite fly overhead. Sputnik has its 50th birthday on October 4th. I’ve kind of gotten used to seeing satellites fly overhead. In fact, I’ve always seen them and never given much thought to the fact that there was a time that they weren’t flying around in orbit. I wonder if people back in 1957 would have fathomed what we’ve done with satellites to help predict the weather, guide us in our travels, and set up communications across the globe. In another 50 years who knows what will be in place based on technologies of today.