Posts Tagged ‘computer’

Why Haven’t You Organized Your Passwords?

In my work with clients I have run into passwords in all kinds of unbelievably random and insecure places. I always shrink back from them when I see them… I don’t want to know! Passwords are the key to unimaginable ruin in the wrong hands, and it consistently shocks me how careless people are with this information. (It’s just as bad as how often I see people who don’t do… » Continue

July 1 2008 | By Lorie | Tagged: computer, organization, password, security, software | 12 comments»

Keep Your Home Business Green

Earth Hour has come and gone for 2008, and it was an easy opportunity for people who don’t normally think about their environmental footprint to do something about it. Apparently it was quite successful, with local utilities such as EnergyAustralia claiming that energy consumption for that hour was 10.2% less than usual.

But, while Earth Hour is a great awareness raising campaign and does provide some relief against our constant… » Continue

March 31 2008 | By Joel | Tagged: computer, green, lighting, Money, paperless, power, recycling, water | 5 comments»

5 MORE Ways to Make Your Computer Work For You (And Not The Other Way Around)

In my last post, I focused on ways to automate tasks on your computer, from backing up to document writing. Automation is something that computers are especially good at — it is, after all, what they do.

An important part of mastering your computer, though, lies not in the software you use but the attitude you bring to the computer, the worldview that shapes how you interact with it… » Continue

March 26 2008 | By Dustin | Tagged: automation, centralization, computer, internet, Productivity, tip, web-app, workflow | 8 comments»

5 Ways to Make Your Computer Work For You (And Not The Other Way Around)

Computers have the potential to vastly increase our personal productivity. They are also, of course, capable of becoming vast time-sinks, sucking our productive moments away in a haze of frustration and imposed patience. Alas, the line between one and the other can be exceedingly thin. Here, then, are five ways to keep on the “productive” side of that line and avoid the “time-sink” factor. I’ve focused here on practices… » Continue

March 24 2008 | By Dustin | Tagged: automation, computer, file_management, internet, Productivity, tip, web-app, workflow | 14 comments»

How to Survive as the Family Tech Support Guy (or Gal)

One of the most insidious pressures on tech-savvy people these days is the seemingly constant pressure to provide quick, top-quality computer and web support — to our families. If you happen to do web design, system administration, programming, or other vaguely computer-related work as part of your job, the pressure is magnified all the more.

It’s work we do out of love, and usually because we want our family… » Continue

October 1 2007 | By Dustin | Tagged: client, computer, family, techsupport, timemanagement | 67 comments»

Holding It All Together On the Go

This week marks the beginning of the Fall semester for me, and as usual, I have a crazy schedule. I thought I might share some of the things I do to manage the frenzy that the life of an adjunct can be, in the hopes that it might give you some ideas about how to deal with the craziness of your own schedule.

First, some background. I’m an adjunct… » Continue

August 31 2007 | By Dustin | Tagged: adjunct, computer, mobility, office, Productivity, routine, schedule, working | 14 comments»

Make your idle computer work for you

Since you’re not sitting at your home computer all day, (you have a job right?) your computer is probably available to become your personal productivity/fun slave. The following are five ways to make use of your idle computer when you are away.

Legally download (good) music for free
If the whole copyright issue surrounding free music irks you, and if P2P clients aren’t your bag (Limewire, BearShare, etc.), don’t… » Continue

April 11 2007 | By Kyle | Tagged: computer, Productivity, Technology | 12 comments»

20 Minute Guide to PC Security

IT Security posted a guide covering the basics of computer security. Some of the tips I would consider common sense, but it would be a good article to pass along to an inexperienced user. The tips are broken down into the following categories:

The Basics: Spotting and Eliminating Threats
As the saying goes, before you can run, you must learn how to walk. And you can consider your first baby… » Continue

February 13 2007 | By Kyle | Tagged: computer, security, Technology, tips | 2 comments»

But What Do I Do When My Internet Connection Goes?

Some of us work from the net and when, for whatever reason, the connection is lost for longer than 5 minutes, frustration can reach boiling points.

But don’t let that stop you from being productive! Let’s get done some of those PC-related things we usually neglect to get around to.

Here’s a handy list of five things you can do while you’ve got some time off from the internet while on… » Continue

February 8 2007 | By Craig | Tagged: computer, internet | no comments»

10 Tips for Optimum Printer Functionality

Since the tips I posted on computer maintenance received such a large (albeit mixed) response, I thought a follow up on printers might be appropriate at this time.

1. Clean your print head once per month. Remove the cartridge and clean the head with a little warm water. Don’t use alcohol or tissues. After the head is COMPLETELY dry, pop the cartridge in and out a few times to… » Continue

February 6 2007 | By Reginald | Tagged: computer, printing | 4 comments»

Productivity and Screen Size

Jakob Nielsen gives a stab on recent Apple’s study on 30″ LCD Productivity Benchmark (source). He argues that Apple’s study focused on measuring the wrong level of work:

Apple’s study focused at the wrong level of work. Pasting spreadsheet cells is not a user task, it’s an operation at a low interaction level. More meaningful productivity has to be measured at a higher level, where users string together a… » Continue

October 24 2006 | By Leon | Tagged: computer, Productivity | no comments»

Health Problems Related to the Geek Lifestyle

There is a contribution at Carotids.com which talks about health problems related to the technical people work style. He identified couple of usual and repeating patterns - they are: Horrible Sleep Hygiene, Headaches, Back Pain, and Poor Attention Span. Like myself, I had experienced all those in my bad days, but I especially interested on what he talks about on the Poor Attention Span area:

… I believe that “poor attention… » Continue

April 5 2006 | By Leon | Tagged: computer, health, life | 1 comment»

14+ money saving computer user ideas

Make You go Hmm has a good post compiled with couple of good money saving tips for your computer and its expenses. TDavid has saved over USD $200 in last 60 days from cutting some excess expenses and adjusting his way of handling regular expenses. At the moment there are 15 tips. Here are the summary of them:

Switch to VoIP.
Keep a running list of online subscriptions
Consider turning your online hobbies

» Continue

February 15 2006 | By Leon | Tagged: computer, Money | 8 comments»

Ten Ways Computer can Ruins your Health

There is a Tech/Health article surfaces which talks about 10 ways a computer can hurt your body, mind and environment. It also suggest ways to defense or minimize the damage. Read this article if you are sitting in front of computer all day. Here are summary of the ten: