14 New Articles on MakeUseOf |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [May 10th 2013]
- You Are Missing Out By Not Creating A Personal Website: Disproving The 6 Myths
- Posterous Might Be Gone But Here Are 6 Alternatives To Replace It
- 9 Active And Knowledgeable Dota 2 Streamers All Players Should Be Watching
- Snapseed For the iPad and Phone Makes Photo Editing Easy [iOS]
- SpeedFan Tells All: A Free Windows App To Monitor Every Aspect Of Your System Temperature
- Start Screen Shortcuts – Connection Tiles For Windows Phone 8
- Can Reading Be A Social Experience?
- Is the Microsoft Fix It Service Really Any Good? [MakeUseOf Tests]
- Battery Woes Got You Down? Supercharge Your Battery With Wakelock Detector [Android]
- 5 Awesome DIY Tablet Mounts For Bed: Vote For The Best And We’ll Build It
- Become An Expert Data Analyst Overnight Using Google Spreadsheet Report Tools
- Star Conflict Free-To-Play: A Multiplayer Space Sim Game You Can Go To Combat With
- Google Launches YouTube Subscription Program With Channels Starting At $0.99/Month [Updates]
| Cool Websites and Tools [May 10th 2013] Posted: 10 May 2013 09:31 PM PDT
These are just half of the websites that we discovered in the last couple of days. If you want us to send you daily round-ups of all cool websites we come across, leave your email here. Or follow us via RSS feed. The post Cool Websites and Tools [May 10th 2013] appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| You Are Missing Out By Not Creating A Personal Website: Disproving The 6 Myths Posted: 10 May 2013 08:30 PM PDT
This is the first article of a two-part series where we will explore the benefits of creating a personal website. Today, we’ll cover the common misconceptions that are keeping you from creating an awesome personal website. Myth 1: What I Do Isn’t Interesting Enough To Have On a Website
You might be thinking, “How is what I do interesting at all to people?” And you’re right – the things that the majority of us do don’t really seem that “interesting”. So why bother then? Well, for a couple reasons. First: it’s not about being interesting — having a personal website is much more than that. Second: how you view yourself is different from how others view you — having a personal website is your public persona. Myth 2: I’m A Private Person and I Don’t Like Being Known About
If this is how you feel, I definitely respect that. Everyone is different. Some people are very outgoing and like to put everything out there, while others are more reserved and like to keep most things to themselves. However, this isn’t about putting out your phone number, family photos, etc. on your website – it’s about providing professional information to people who are looking to find the best candidate for the job. I, personally, am more outgoing. My Twitter account isn’t private, I have several blogs, and I’m all over the Internet. But I still feel that much of what I have on my website isn’t anything that would sacrifice my privacy. I share my goals and dreams, hobbies, what I’m currently doing and things I’ve done in the past that shaped who I am, and then how to contact me. I keep it professional – but open at the same time. You might feel different, but the important thing is to represent yourself professionally, no matter how you chose to do so – that’s what matters. Myth 3: I Have No Idea Where to Even Start
Neither do most people! Or at least they think they don’t. But the Internet is a great help. There could be several reasons why you’re feeling like this, but probably the biggest one is that you don’t feel confident in your skills and expertise, and don’t know what your options are. This was the case as well for my dad. Despite him knowing that having a website is crucial for his business and being fed up with the lack good results from phonebook* ads, he really didn’t push for one because he didn’t have any idea where to start. It wasn’t until I created my own and found out how easy it really is (which I’ll talk about next), that I pushed for creating one. Now we’re working together to create one and he’s feeling much better about it. *Phonebook: an obsolete “tool” that contains numbers and addresses for people and businesses. (sarcasm) Here are some suggestions for where to start:
Myth 4: I Don’t Know How To Code – Like, At All
Although coding skills are helpful in creating a website, they most certainly aren’t necessary. It really depends what route you want to go for your website. The most simplest ways to create your own website would be a self-hosted option through WordPress, or through another website that allows you to design your website using their service, such as Weebly. I’ll cover these in more depth later on in the article. Now, should you learn how to code? I think so – it definitely helps to have a basic understanding of how to do a few things. I personally know very little, but I’ve discovered that anything I want to figure out how to do is just a Google search away. Here are some of our recent articles articles that might help you learn how to code:
Myth 5: Building A Website Would Take Far Too Much of My Time
Perhaps you have a lot going on and in addition to not knowing much about creating your own website, you also are very short on time – this is probably a situation a lot of us are in. When I built my self-hosted WordPress site, it took one dedicated weekend. But it probably wouldn’t even take many of you that long. In fact,the actual “building” of the site shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes. Above is a video by Thomas Frank, the one who inspired me to build my own personal website with his article The Ultimate Guide To Building A Personal Website, which lives up to its name and is a very good resource that I recommend for creating your own self-hosted WordPress site. Myth 6: Owning A Website Is Way Out Of My Budget
For a long time, I thought making a website would cost hundreds – how could I, as a college student (at the time), afford to have a website if I’m barely able to keep my bank account from going negative? With the domain purchase and hosting for one year, you are looking at a cost of under $100. I personally went with Namecheap for my domain and HostGator for hosting, and have been pleased with both. When I renewed my domain just recently it was less than $20 for a year. That was it! Of course, you can save even more by paying for more than just a year. This, of course, requires more capital upfront since you pay it all in full, but in the long run you save more. There are also lots of coupon codes to help you save as well. The Bottom line: A personal website is not expensive. Some costs, however, that you might incur would be if you decided to have someone build a website for you. Another cost that you might have is themes. There are tons of free themes, but you can also get premium ones which can range from $50 or less to sometimes hundreds, depending on the theme. That said, sometimes the traditional WordPress theme is the best choice. If money is tight, I recommend starting out with a free theme, building the website yourself (either through WordPress or a website that helps you easily create and design one, scouring the net for coupon codes, and if you have the capital, pay for more than just one year upfront so you can save more. ConclusionSo what’s stopping you from creating your own personal website? We’ve looked at the six myths, but perhaps you are still not sold on why you need a personal website. If you still don’t feel like it can really benefit you, I highly recommend you follow up with the second article in this series where we look at how it can add value to your career. There are also a ton of awesome websites that you can use as inspiration. Thomas Frank, the guy I mentioned earlier who wrote the ultimate personal website guide, put together another article where he featured several of his own readers’ websites. If you’re looking for some inspiration as to what it should look like or have on it, those will definitely be a help. We’d love to hear from you now – do you have your own personal website? Which myth kept you from building your site and how did you prove them wrong? Share your thoughts (or even relevant questions) in the comments below! Image Credits: Bored Businesswoman; Woman peeping through hole on paper; Businessman thinking a solution; Businesswoman pointing to programming script; businessman with post-its on his face; Money via Shutterstock The post You Are Missing Out By Not Creating A Personal Website: Disproving The 6 Myths appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posterous Might Be Gone But Here Are 6 Alternatives To Replace It Posted: 10 May 2013 08:00 PM PDT
While Posterous was, in the traditional sense, a blogging platform, there’s no reason you have to stick with the same concept if you’re still wondering where you should head next. While there are a few blogging options – Tumblr, WordPress and Jux – you could also opt for a photo sharing site like Flickr. No matter what platform you end up using, you could simply opt for the auto-sharing service, IFTTT to autopost your new blog posts to any social networking site of your choice. TumblrTumblr is the most obvious place to go if you’re feeling the sting from Posterous shutting down. Tumblr brings the same ease-of-use, a simplified dashboard that makes posting easier than ever, and a built-in system that makes cross-posting and sharing links to your blog posts on social media sites automatically possible. A few key features that will appeal to the Posterous fan is the ability to create posts on the fly in a variety of ways. You can create and publish posts using the Android or iPhone apps, or if you’d rather not download a dedicated app, you can also create posts with the simple act of sending an email. Just head over to your Tumblr settings, select the blog you want to post to, and jot down the private email that you can use to send posts to. In the same place, you can connect your Tumblr and Twitter accounts to automatically share your latest posts with your Twitter followers.
WordPress (Self-hosted)Getting a self-hosted WordPress site is another decent (if not even better) alternative to Posterous. With the use of a minimalist theme and an array of plugins you can get close enough to the Posterous experience, so much so that you’ll never look back. While the theme hasn’t been updated in a while, Minimous is labeled as a Posterous-like theme for WordPress. The good news is that it isn’t hard to find recently updated alternatives. A few great minimalist alternatives that you can put to good use on your WordPress site include Stack, Minimalizine and Chaos Theory. If you want to automatically share your WordPress posts on a variety of social networks, a decent plugin to give a try is Next Scripts. Major social networks and sites that are supported by the plugin include Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn and much more. JuxJux is another great blogging platform that brings the same simplicity that sites like Tumblr, and the now defunct Posterous, bring to the table. The blogging platform divides posts by content type – photo, video, text and more. Unfortunately, one feature that Jux still lacks is a more convenient way to post to when you’re away from your computer.
Posting via email or using a mobile app isn’t an option, but Jux does make up for it with a few other unique features. It’s one of the only blogging platforms that makes it easy to harness the power of Google Maps Street View, as well as being able to create entire series of posts within one post (almost like a blog within a blog). To find out more about how the platform works and what features it supports, check out our in-depth review of Jux. PosthavenIf you haven’t already migrated your content from Posterous to Posthaven, you’ve missed the boat on that feature, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take full advantage of the service. We’ve taken an in-depth look at what Posthaven has to offer, and it will just set you back $5 a month. Writing about his own personal experience with Posthaven, MakeUseOf's Aaron Couch says, “There's something to be said about awesome customer service, especially when a site is just run by two guys.” FlickrIf you’re main focus on Posterous was to use it to share your photos, why not simply opt for a photo-sharing site rather than a blogging platform. Flickr is a solid option, one that makes it easy to post on the go, and while the site itself isn’t necessarily the prettiest to look at, you can always use third party services to create a slick Flickr-powered portfolio, like Flickrock or Pullfolio.
The revamped Flickr iOS app also makes it a pure joy to use the site on the go on your iPhone, while Flickr also makes it possible to upload photos to the photo-sharing site via a private email address. IFTTTNo matter what platform you use, as long as it has an RSS feed, you could always opt for a service like IFTTT to make sure that your latest posts are shared on all the social networks and services you’ve been using on Posterous. To find out more about how IFTTT works and how you can get the most out of it, check out our in-depth IFTTT how-to. Are there any platforms you think should be added to this list? Let us know about them in the comments. The post Posterous Might Be Gone But Here Are 6 Alternatives To Replace It appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 Active And Knowledgeable Dota 2 Streamers All Players Should Be Watching Posted: 10 May 2013 06:30 PM PDT
For the first time in my gaming life, I am regularly watching streamers play Dota 2. There is so much depth to the game, and watching highly skilled players helps a great deal. What follows are the streamers I’ve found in my travels that I think are particularly good. Watching these streamers will not only bring you entertainment when you are not able to play the game, but they will help you become a better player. If you want to watch a streamer who is not all that good, feel free to watch mine. I am new to streaming, so don’t expect the same level of quality as the rest in this article. PurgeGamersPurge is, without question, my absolute favorite Dota 2 streamer. He’s incredibly active, streaming at least a couple of days a week. He also takes the time to edit clips of some of his best games, which is generally where you will be able to do the most learning if you cannot watch live.
Purge is great at interacting with his fans, and his commentary is among the best you find among Dota 2 streamers. When he makes a mistake, he is quick to explain what happened during the play, which will prevent the viewers from making the same mistake he made. Most important of all, he is entertaining, so spending hours sitting there watching his streams will never feel like a chore. BlitzBlitz plays with Purge all the time, and he has his own stream where he plays some quality matches that are well worth watching. Admittedly, his commentary is not up to par with Purge, but his games are still enjoyable to watch.
If you start with Purge, like I did, switching to Blitz is a great way to branch out to other streamers, as his is a voice you’ve heard plenty while hanging out in Purges lobbies. An important thing to note is that Blitz often plays music during his stream, so that might be something you like, and it might not. SingSingWhile SingSing might not be as concerned about teaching his viewers as Purge, his skills are just as high, and his antics during games are downright hilarious. SingSing gets a little animated during intense moments during the action, and this makes for some serious entertainment.
SingSing is not nearly as active as some other streamers, when he does go online, he typically plays for five hours or more, so there is plenty of quality matches to be enjoyed during a SingSing stream. In addition, SingSing plays with some other really cool individuals most of the time, and their personalities really add a lot to the quality of his streams. MerliniDotaWhen it comes to commentary during Dota 2 streams, Merlini and Purge are probably tied for the two best. Merlini never shuts his mouth during a stream, which is so incredibly valuable to any player using it to improve their game. Did he make a mistake? He will tell you what it was. Was that kill perfectly executed? He will make 100-percent sure you know why so you can recreate it.
Not only is Merlini’s commentary spot on, so is his Dota playing. He has an incredibly high win percentage (somewhere over 60%) so you know you can trust his advice. Merlini is online every three or four days, so there is usually plenty of games to watch. Plus, you can always go back and watch his previous streams to help yourself get acclimated to his style. Other’s Worth A LookThere are a ton of Dota 2 streamers on Twitch, and these are just some of my favorites. Some other ones worth your time are Dendi, IceIceIce, Draskyll, Puppey, and of course, SideOx (that’s my stream). If you want to become a better Dota 2 player, spend some time watching others who are better than you, and you will be amazed at how much you can learn, and how quickly your skills will improve. Bonus InformationLooking to discover more Dota 2 streamers to watch? You should install the Dota 2 Stream Viewer and Dota 2 Stream Browser extension for Google Chrome. These will you show you all kinds of streamers, including many competitive tournaments. I will leave you with a great video of Purge playing one of my favorite heroes in Dota 2, Tinker. The post 9 Active And Knowledgeable Dota 2 Streamers All Players Should Be Watching appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Snapseed For the iPad and Phone Makes Photo Editing Easy [iOS] Posted: 10 May 2013 05:30 PM PDT
These days you don’t have to get your hands dirty with photo chemicals and paper in order to enhance your images. There are several relatively easy to use photo enhancement iOS apps that require little or no prior knowledge about photo processing in order to produce quality images. One such app for the iPhone and iPad (among other iOS image editors) is Nik Software’s Snapseed, which is listed on our Best iPad Apps page, and is a free universal app that works on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Basic FeaturesWith a few simple taps and finger movements, you can enhance your digital images in Snapseed and get similar impressive results to what would take three or four times as long to bring about in Photoshop. Snapseed consists of over a dozen image processing and enhancement tools that you can selectively apply to improve your photos.
The app starts you off with a sample photo which you can use to learn and explore all of the features. Snapseed is not a destructive photo editor, which means that it doesn’t affect your original images. It makes a copy of the images you select to process, and you save the changes applied to the copied photo back to your iPad or iPhone Photo Library. The app even has access to the iOS camera which allows you to shoot photos and open them directly in the app for processing.
If you don’t know where to start, you can begin with the simple Auto Correct tool to see if you get results that you like. This tool basically adds contrast and auto-corrects the white balance of the selected image.
With a processing tool selected, simply move your index finger to the left or right to adjust the level of enhancement or move your finger up and down to select an enhancement feature. Tapping the tiny Help ”?” button in the top-right hand side of the app presents illustrated instructions that teach you how to use each of the selected tools.
One of the most useful menu items is the Compare button, which you can tap to view the difference between your original image and the applied enhancements. When you are satisfied with an enhancement, simply tap the Apply button in the menu bar (be sure to tap that button long enough for the processing to begin). While you can undo and redo selected enhancements while you’re in the editor, once you tap the Apply button, the enhancements are permanent. The only way to get rid of them is to tap the Revert button, which will take you back to your original image. Unfortunately, you can’t selectively undo or delete individual enhancements or layers as you can in Photoshop.
Tools and FiltersIn addition to the Auto Correct tool, Snapseed includes over a dozen tools and filters, including Crop, Straighten & Rotate, Black & White, Vintage Films, Drama, Grunge, Tilt-Shift, and Frames.
Since using these filters and tools doesn’t require you to understand layers and other complicated controls, you can simply explore them without needing a special manual for how they work. The cropping and sharpening tools (the latter of which is found within the Details tool) provide two basic enhancements that will improve most images. The Auto Correct tool should handle most of the contrast enhancements you need to make, but you might also try using the Selective Adjust tool for correcting exposure problems.
The Vintage Films, Drama, Retrolux, and Grunge tools apply more artistic filters to your images. The Center Focus and Tilt-Shift tools can be useful for changing the depth of field in your images, or selectively softening the foreground or background of your photos.
After you’re done with all your enhancements, you can save the photo to your Photo Library, or you can share it to your Google+ photo gallery, Facebook or Twitter, Email, as well as copy or print the image directly from the app. Snapseed is a relatively easy photo processing app to use, but it includes advanced features and tools for making complex image enhancements. It is the perfect application for those who want to do more with the simple point-and-shoot images captured with an iPad or iPhone camera. Download: Snapseed for iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad (Free) Let us know what you think of Snapseed, or share similar apps that you have found useful by leaving a comment, below. The post Snapseed For the iPad and Phone Makes Photo Editing Easy [iOS] appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SpeedFan Tells All: A Free Windows App To Monitor Every Aspect Of Your System Temperature Posted: 10 May 2013 04:30 PM PDT
Just as shorting a computer out will ruin it, making it run in temperatures it was never meant to take will cause it to malfunction. SpeedFan is a free system temperature monitor for Windows designed to help you keep a close eye on just how hot your computer is getting, down to the individual component level. First Impressions: A Lean, Clean, ClassicThis is not the first time we are reviewing SpeedFan: Guy covered it way back in 2009. You’ll be excited to hear that since then, SpeedFan has moved from version 4.37 all the way to 4.49, making huge strides in… well, nothing really. This tool is a classic, and it looks like one. It’s a case of not fixing what isn’t broken, and the interface shows few changes relative to four years ago. An application’s installer can speak volumes of its simplicity and polish. The worst offenders bundle browser toolbars and other junk trying to make a buck, while bloated behemoths often force you to run through a complicated multi-step process. SpeedFan’s installer keeps things simple and has only two steps, with absolutely no junk in the process:
The only caveat to using SpeedFan is that it does require Administrator access to work properly. Tabs and NumbersLaunch SpeedFan, and you’ll find an interface that makes almost no effort to make things simple. This tool is all about the numbers:
Breaking the wealth of information down to six tabs is a welcome concession to usability. Even so, the Readings tab is packed full of information, along with very few explanations. You can see system temperatures at a glance: Turns out my computer reports no less than nine separate readings, some cryptically labeled as Temp1, Temp2, and Temp3 — and then there’s Temp1 and Temp2 yet again, with different numbers. Others are clearer, though: I do have a discrete GPU (I use a desktop workstation), so seeing its temperature right off the bat is nice. Due to the cryptic labels, this screen is mostly useful for understanding if anything is amiss. You may not know what Temp2 is about, but if it’s at 70C, that’s probably a cause for concern. Exotics: What a Tab!I had to show this tab just because of its name. I mean, really, who can resist clicking a tab called Exotics? At first, the Exotics tab is tantalizingly blank, save for a button labeled Show the magic coupled with a Beta warning. All of this buildup only makes its eventual output somewhat of a letdown:
This thoroughly anticlimactic screen carries some useful data formatted into exciting rectangles. It starts out with the same temp readings we’ve seen on the prosaically-labeled Readings tab, but continues to display hard-drive S.M.A.R.T ratings (HD0 and HD1), as well as the utilization of each CPU core, the CPU’s master clock frequency, and the system’s uptime. S.M.A.R.T: All About Your DrivesYou didn’t really think SpeedFan was going to limit itself to just a single number concerning your hard drive, did you? Just click the S.M.A.R.T tab to see more information than you’ve ever wanted to know about your hard drive(s):
You can see the make, model, and firmware of the drive, followed by a list of S.M.A.R.T performance and health readings. Some of these prove too much even for SpeedFan, hence the “Unknown Attribute” labels. In other words, “here are some numbers, but we’re not sure what they mean.” To be fair, this is an SSD. When analyzing my other drive, a magnetic HDD, it did better:
Some of these metrics are cryptically named, but you can always search for their meanings online. The icons next to some of the entries offer at-a-glance health indicators: They’re all OK in my case. ChartsLast but not least comes the Charts tab. It’s not as excitingly named as Exotics, but it does offer a more visual treat:
These are not as nicely formatted as the Resource Monitor or Reliability Monitor built into Windows, but they are quite descriptive, and you can switch metrics on and off as you wish. One feature that’s missing is a way to export the data into a CSV file for graphing outside of SpeedFan. Final Thoughts: A Tool To Keep In MindThe SpeedFan system temperature monitor is not exciting. That’s not a bad thing, though: Sometimes we need a tool that’s just useful, rather than thrilling. It’s certainly established in its field, and is good enough to make it into our coveted list of the Best Windows Software under the eclectic Other category. You may not use it every day, but next time your computer starts acting weird and you can’t figure it out using the tools built into Windows, this is one tool you can try. The post SpeedFan Tells All: A Free Windows App To Monitor Every Aspect Of Your System Temperature appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Start Screen Shortcuts – Connection Tiles For Windows Phone 8 Posted: 10 May 2013 03:30 PM PDT
Now, as much as I love the platform, it does have one or two frustrating omissions. One of these is an easy toggle button to enable and display wireless networking, mobile Internet, Bluetooth…pretty much anything concerning communication. Rather than a simple on/off button on the Start screen, users must open the settings menu and flick the on/off switch. No, it doesn't take long, but it is very annoying, especially when you find yourself having to do it regularly, as I have one morning every week. Surely there is an app-based solution to this? Connection Tiles: What It Does and Doesn't DoAfter looking into the options on the Windows Phone Store, I settled upon Connection Tiles, a free app that (I thought) would give me easy on and off toggling for mobile Internet (required for setting up Internet sharing). Connection Tiles is compatible with Windows Phone 7.5 and Windows Phone 8. Unfortunately, and this is the problem with Connection Tiles and other similar apps, there is no toggle available. Although a well-developed and stable app, all Connection Tiles really does is create a Start screen shortcut to the on-off switch. It also provides a Connection Center (below) which acts as a proxy Settings screen.
It speeds up the process of connecting to the Internet, a Bluetooth device or even switching into Airplane mode, but it doesn't offer a single press toggle. The reason for this isn't a weakness in the app, however – Windows Phone settings simply don't support this level of functionality in the way that Android and iOS do. How Easy Is It to Setup a Connection Tile?Although the connection tiles perhaps don't live up to their promise, they are thankfully extremely easy to setup. Several options are available to be turned into tiles, all with a choice of icon:
As you can see, not all of these are connection tiles, and those that are not tend to be more effective. For instance, the New Text Message and New E-Mail options don't drop you into the same old screen – instead, they take you directly to the corresponding new message screen.
Note that I do have a small complaint about this app. When connection tiles are used, you can choose to display a status label (basically, “on” or “off”). However these don't always work, often displaying the wrong state. Creating a New Connection TileSetting up a new tile on your Start screen is extremely easy. In my situation, I needed to set up tile to speed up connections to my mobile Internet.
With Connection Tiles open, select +Create a new Connection Tile. From here, select your Connection Type (or “tile type” as it should really be labelled), then give the tile a Title – I'm creating a cellular/mobile Internet tile, so I've named it as such. This can be a custom name, or you can accept the default.
Next, scroll down to Connection Status; here you can toggle the option to display “on” or “off” on the tile. This should update regularly in order to display the correct details, although it doesn't always work as described, sadly. You should then select your Accent color– many are available, more than your phone might offer by default (I selected emerald green).
After this, select a suitable icon. Note that rather than a preset icon you can click the small + symbol on the right-hand side and select an image from your gallery to be used as a tile background.
Once you're done, tap the OK symbol to proceed, where your connection tile will be previewed. Use the Pin to Start button to send the tile to your Start screen, where it can be sized as a 2×2 or a 1×1 tile. From then on, you're ready to use the tile – simply tap and enjoy the shortcut! Should You Install Connection Tiles?I really, really want to like Connection Tiles, as it tries so hard to be useful. For anyone wanting an easy shortcut to creating a new message, it is – but if you're expecting the ability to toggle connectivity with a single tap of the tile, you're out of luck. While the app name might imply that this is possible, sadly it isn't. I'm not going to blame the developers for this though. It seems evident that if toggling was possible they would have done so by now. The problem is with Microsoft, who despite doing so much work to make Windows Phone 8 a platform that can begin to compete with its more mature competitors, has let the side down with this omission. A popular and competent app, Connection Tiles can be found in our list of the best Windows Phone apps. I'm sure that once Microsoft enable the functionality that Connection Tiles strives to provide then this will be a very good app (unless Microsoft simply makes them irrelevant), but until then this is an app that promises much but doesn't manage to meet needs thanks to shortcomings in the platform.
The post Start Screen Shortcuts – Connection Tiles For Windows Phone 8 appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Can Reading Be A Social Experience? Posted: 10 May 2013 02:30 PM PDT
Discussion, that's how. I know that when I finish reading a well-written book, I need to go out and tell somebody about it. I need to find someone else who's read that same book so we can talk about it, maybe for hours if the book was that good. Reading may be an individual activity – nobody sits around in a circle and reads aloud, right? – but the social aspect afterwards is what truly completes the joy. So, yes, reading is an intensely social experience. One way to partake in that experience is to join a local book club, but if you're looking for more of a technological, modern medium for reading socially, then here are some great communities that you should consider joining. Goodreads
It's impossible to talk about “social reading” without mentioning Goodreads. Launched in 2007, Goodreads started off as a cataloging website that acted as a database for books, book reviews, and annotations. Within one year, Goodreads boasted over 650,000 members and 10 million books. Within five years, the member base increased to over 10 million and the database is constantly growing. When you sign up on Goodreads, you can manage something called a “bookshelf”, which is just a collection of book titles that you’ve read, are currently reading, or plan to read one day. Once you’ve read a book, you can give it a rating and an optional review. The social networking aspect involves the ability to make friends with other readers so you can see each other's bookshelves and discuss certain titles together. Based on what you've read and liked, Goodreads helps you discover new books that fit into your interests. Personally, I've been using Goodreads for about two years and I've found dozens of great books that I never would've read if I hadn’t joined. Highly recommended, and not just by me: check out Erez's article on why Goodreads is a must for readers! LibraryThing
LibraryThing is like a less hip, more cerebral version of Goodreads. Even though it debuted nearly two years before Goodreads, their minimalistic interface and their refusal to catch up with the times has kept their community from blowing up. Depending on your viewpoint, that can be good or bad. Still, LibraryThing has over 1.6 million users and 78 million books. With LibraryThing, you can create and manage your own personal library of books: books you've read, books you're reading, books you wish to read. You can tag, rate, and review books. Since everyone builds their own personal libraries, you can browse them and interact with other people through comments and forums. LibraryThing gets their book data from Amazon and over 700 libraries globally. Most book-related social networks will let you read and write reviews and leave comments, which LibraryThing does, too. However, the big draw of LibraryThing, in my opinion, is their Talk forum section where you can have high quality book discussions. And let me tell you: their forums are extremely active. One cool feature is their Early Reviewers program, where you can receive free books in exchange for well-written reviews. In addition, they have a version of their site that's optimized for mobile devices so you can participate on the go. BookLikes
BookLikes is a newer social network that focuses on allowing users to share their thoughts on books in their own space. In a way, you can think of it as MySpace for books: everyone can create a shelf of books that they've read/are reading/will read (nothing new here) but everyone also has a blog for expression. The networking aspect is that you can search and browse the blogs of other users. Honestly, it's a great concept when you want more substance than simple book reviews and forum threads. The blog format allows for deeper thoughts while giving users the freedom to follow whoever they'd like to follow. Being able to see the shelves of your friends is useful, too, especially when you want to start reading the favorites of someone who thinks like you. The only downside is that they've currently limited registration. Instead of instantly creating an account, you have to request an account and wait for them to approve you. Perhaps they're still developing some features behind the scene and will open the gates soon. If you don't mind waiting a bit, go ahead and request an account now. Online Book Club
And Online Book Club is aptly named. Their forums are quite active with daily threads that cover topics such as: book discussion, author discussion, reviews and recommendations, e-book discussions, books of the month, and there's even a subsection for aspiring writers. You'll find a lot of reading enthusiasts at the Online Book Club and it's an entirely free community. ConclusionReading is both an isolated and social activity. Sure, you can enjoy your book and lose yourself into the mind of a compelling protagonist, but who are you going to talk to when you're done? Sharing in the experience of that book is just as important as reading it, so use the communities above to find like-minded readers with whom you can discuss stories. Know of any other social reading websites that I missed? Please share them in the comments. I'd love to check them out and see what I'm missing out on. Image Credit: Reading Girl Via Shutterstock The post Can Reading Be A Social Experience? appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Is the Microsoft Fix It Service Really Any Good? [MakeUseOf Tests] Posted: 10 May 2013 02:00 PM PDT
The Microsoft Fix It Center desktop program is no longer available for Windows 7, but Microsoft hosts a web page where you can browse all their Fix it solutions. This page allows you to locate a Fix It that will hopefully solve your problem and run it. You may also find Fix It programs suggested to you when you browse for help elsewhere on Microsoft’s website. For example, there are Fix It scripts for repairing your Internet Explorer settings, fixing Windows security settings, and more. We’ll find out whether Microsoft Fix It scripts are actually any good for fixing computer problems or whether you shouldn’t bother with them at all. These Fix Its work on Windows 7, Windows Vista, and even Windows XP. Help, My USB Drive Doesn’t Work!To put our first Fix It to the test fixing a USB drive that failed to work, we:
After this, we ran the “Diagnose and fix Windows USB problems automatically” Fix It with the USB drive inserted. This Fix It did not find the problem, only recommending that we use Windows Update to install USB drivers.
To be fair, Windows Explorer itself prompts us to repartition the USB drive — so the only real problem is that the USB drive itself is disabled in the device manager. We gave the Fix It service another chance to fix the problem by running the “Hardware devices are not working or are not detected in Windows” Fix It. This Fix It did find the problem.
Together, the two Fix Its found the problem, but they’re a bit too fine-grained. How is a user supposed to know whether the USB device isn’t functioning because of a USB problem or if it isn’t functioning because of a hardware device problem? You almost need to know what the problem is to choose the right Fix It — and if you knew that, you wouldn’t need the Fix It service. One Fix It that ran through all the related problems would work better. Fixing Internet Explorer ProblemsThe Fix It service can’t check for problems with other browsers, but it can with Internet Explorer. It can theoretically set Internet Explorer’s settings to recommended ones. To test this, we:
The Fix It service didn’t even make it past the invalid proxy server, failing to connect to the network and providing no help on solving the problem. However, to Internet Explorer’s credit, it noticed the invalid proxy server itself and suggested we disable it.
The Fix It service noticed all other problems and offered to fix them. However, don’t rely on the Fix It center to fix network problems, even if it’s downloaded directly to your computer ahead of time.
Internet Connection ProblemsWe were going to test the Fix It service’s ability to help you solve Internet connection problems, but we skipped this part — based on our test above, it wouldn’t even be able to contact the Internet and download the appropriate data. The Fix It service doesn’t even attempt to help you repair Internet connection problems if it can’t connect to the Internet. It gets a failing grade here, which is too bad as this would be a great use for Fix It tools.
Securing WindowsMicrosoft offers a Fix It tool that promises to help make Windows more secure. To test this, we:
The Windows Action Center started to complain about many of these changes, alerting us to them. We went ahead and ran the “Automatically fix Windows security settings to keep your PC safe” Fix It tool. The Fix It tool prompted us to re-enable UAC and automatic updates. It also noticed that our antivirus was “not up-to-date” — not an ideal message, but at least an indication that something is wrong. It didn’t notice any problems with the Windows Firewall at all, even though it was disabled. This is disappointing — there appears to be another Fix It that handles problems with the Windows Firewall, but we should be able to run the security Fix It and fix all security problems. This is the same issue as the USB and Hardware Fix Its above. They should be logically grouped together, but are separated to the detriment of users.
The VerdictThe Microsoft Fix It service isn’t perfect. In addition to not offering enough Fix it scripts, it isn’t robust enough to deal with network problems. It solved many of the problems we caused, however. To its credit, where the Fix It service failed — with an partitioned USB drive or an invalid proxy server — other parts of Windows noticed the problem and alerted us to it. However, you may have to run several related Fix It tools to identify and fix your problem. The next time you have a problem, should you run a Fix It script you see on a Microsoft support site or even head to the Fix It center and look for one to help you? It certainly can’t hurt. Fix It does help. Unfortunately, it’s rather limited in what it can do. Whatever your problem, you’re likely better off using the troubleshooter utilities included in Windows 7 and Windows 8, which can handle network connection issues and other more difficult problems. To be honest, the Fix It utilities feel like a beta test for the troubleshooting tools found in Windows 7. This is a shame, as Windows Vista and Windows XP users would benefit from having more robust Fix It tools available. They’re also still advertised on Microsoft support sites, including to Windows 7 users. Go ahead and run a Fix It tool if Microsoft suggests one — it can’t hurt and can only help. Unfortunately, given their limitations and the low number of tools available, you’re probably better off looking for help elsewhere than fixing your problems with the Microsoft Fix It service. Have you had any luck with the Fix It service in the past, or has it been unable to solve your problems? Leave a comment and share your experiences! The post Is the Microsoft Fix It Service Really Any Good? [MakeUseOf Tests] appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Battery Woes Got You Down? Supercharge Your Battery With Wakelock Detector [Android] Posted: 10 May 2013 12:00 PM PDT
However, my battery problems went away after using a single app: Wakelock Detector. Unlike other battery analysis apps, Wake Lock Detector provides an easy method to seek out app issues causing battery drain. This article explains how WLD identifies the apps causing your phone’s battery drain, demonstrates its use and compares it to two other superlative battery analysis tools: Carat and BetterBatteryStats. What’s a Wakelock?A wakelock is a mechanism within the Android operating system. Programs requiring system resources use the wakelock function to keep the phone awake. When the process finishes its task, it releases the wakelock function and the phone goes back to sleep. Wakelocks occur because an app requested the CPU’s processing power to perform a task. However, many wakelocks occur for trivial reasons, not actually related to the core functions of your phone. Two kinds of wakelocks exist:
How Does Wakelock Detector Work?Simply install the app and leave the phone alone for a few hours while Wakelock Detector monitors your power consumption. When you’re ready:
In my case, I found that two apps caused the most amount of battery drain: Google Search and Google Maps. Reconfiguring the two apps yielded another full day of use. How Does Wakelock Detector Compare to the Competition?Two other apps take very different approaches to monitoring battery drain: BetterBatteryStats, which requires a more technical understanding and Carat, which requires that you run the app every day. Both have their various strengths and weaknesses, but after using all three apps it’s clear that WLD provides the quickest identification process while being extremely easy to use.
For additional apps that might help you save some battery life, check out my article, which covers alternative means of monitoring inefficient apps. Or, for more mainstream methods, check out Ryan Dube’s rundown of several highly effective battery saving apps. ConclusionWakelock Detector really can help get your Android device’s battery consumption down. It’s easy to just install the app, identify the problematic battery wasting apps, then eliminate the source. While a multispectrum approach using all three apps would also provide additional efficacy, if you had to pick just one, go with WLD. Does anyone else have any favorite battery aiding app? Let us know in the comments. Image Credits: Fireworks via MorgueFile.com The post Battery Woes Got You Down? Supercharge Your Battery With Wakelock Detector [Android] appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 Awesome DIY Tablet Mounts For Bed: Vote For The Best And We’ll Build It Posted: 10 May 2013 11:00 AM PDT
Today, we’ll take a look at a few different designs for DIY tablet mounts; vote for your favorite in the comments, and I’ll try my best to actually make it, along with full instructions and build photos. Choose wisely! Swing ArmA simple, extendable arm design from Tom Gaurmond that uses lengths of 1″ timber with bolts to allow movement; holding the iPad is a fairly pricey mount with a ball and socket joint, but this could perhaps be swapped out for something cheaper.
I like this design, but would need to think of an alternative to screwing it into the wall; an upright timber frame would solve this, but perhaps not be as stable, and would certainly add to the cost. A similar design is featured here with a built-in charging cable and more solid timber, though it’s not clear what it attaches to at the other end. A nice, matching dark color finish on the wood gives this the professional edge.
Vote “swing arm” in the comments to choose this design! Swivel ArmA practical and professional design by Roey Leon – though very little DIY is involved - that can be easily moved to a variety of positions. It uses an old drafting table lighting fixture and iPad mount bought from eBay, then screws directly to the wall.
There’s quite a few downsides to this design. Unless you have an old swivel light sitting around, this is going to be pretty expensive to source as new; and then there’s the iPad mount part which will presumably be new too. Added to which, not all of us are happy making holes in the wall. Vote “swivel arm” in the comments to choose this design, but I doubt if it’s feasible on a tight budget, in which case commercial options would be best. Headboard BoomA simple “boom” design from eHandyMan which nestles over your headboard, extends and slants down. All parts are fixed, so there’s little chance of things randomly falling. The only weak point here appears to be the bungee cord which holds the actual tablet; I won’t know how weak this is unless we actually try building it – it might be worth integrating a more solid wooden frame than we’ve seen elsewhere in this round up.
This is my personal favorite for a few reasons. First, it’s at a DIY level I think any of us can handle, with standard parts I can grab from any hardware store and no complex wood cuts that you’d need specialized tools for. Second, it’s 100% DIY – there’s no “buy a tablet mount on eBay” steps here, so it’s probably also the cheapest. Vote “headboard boom” in the comments for this design. Headboard EaselFrom Eduino77, this is a slightly more complex version of the fixed design above, apparently inspired by an artists easel. Affixed behind the headboard (we could easily adjust that), a single thumbscrew nut and bolt allows it to be angled in various positions. The iPad is held in place with a close-fitting wooden frame at the top and bottom.
I like this design too, though the flexibility adds some complexity to the wood cuts needed; and I’m not entirely confident about the wooden clips – it seems like the iPad would slide out or get scratched. To vote for this design, enter “headboard easel” in the comments. HybridA number of other designs I found (but without decent photos) make use of a cantilever bracket / wall mount, typically used for LCD televisions and monitors – such as this one from Amazon.co.uk for around £12. It might be interesting to combine one with a wooden frame behind the bed, or epoxy glue a cheap eBayed iPad mount.
Anyway, vote “hybrid” to see what I can come up with, but this is more of an open design option. Buy one instead?In case you’re wondering on the commercial side, StandzOut offer a flexible, telescopic iPad holder that would also be suitable for a bedside; it retails for $99 with free US shipping.
Anyway – the choice is yours. Let’s try to keep it as cheap as possible though, and at a level we could all manage. I’m certainly no expert DIYer! Remember to vote in the comments, and add your own suggestions and ideas. Here’s a summary of your options:
Image Credit: ShutterStock, iPad in bed The post 5 Awesome DIY Tablet Mounts For Bed: Vote For The Best And We’ll Build It appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Become An Expert Data Analyst Overnight Using Google Spreadsheet Report Tools Posted: 10 May 2013 10:00 AM PDT
That’s the beauty of data – something that most people look at and find boring, or overly complex, data-analysts find beautiful and revealing. We’ve covered a number of useful tools for analyzing data here at MUO, such as Bandalizer for CSV data files, which of course Excel can handle as well. Data analysis lets you do things like niche analysis research, and of course create cool data visualizations. However, did you know that one of the greatest tools of all to conduct data analysis is actually Google Spreadsheet? The reason for this isn’t only because a Google Spreadsheet report can do nearly everything you might want to do with Microsoft Excel (although you can), but it’s actually because of a few very cool reporting tools that comes standard in Google Spreadsheet. In this article, I’m going to show you how to use Pivot Report, graphs and charts in Google Spreadsheet, a few examples of how you can use them to analyze seemingly complex data, and how you can end up with some really awesome charts and graphs in the end. Using Pivot Reports to Perform WondersIf you’ve never used pivot reports, then you’re in for a real treat. In this example, I’m going to use Adsense data that includes three fields I want to analyze – the number of ads clicked, the number of ads viewed, and the length of my article titles. What I’m curious to find a correlation for is whether title length of the article affects the number of Adsense ads that are viewed or clicked. It’s this kind of seemingly unconnected data that a pivot report can calculate and reveal.
Next, you want to add values to the report. As you add new values, it’ll fill out the report with those values from the original spreadsheet, except the data is calculated in the way you define it in the report editor. In this case I use “SUM” because each title only has one value anyway. However, now I can sort by the title length under the Title row setting at the top.
These are things that just aren’t quite as clear in the messy, chaotic spreadsheet world where the data is unsorted and unfiltered. Pivot reports are extremely flexible, and will let you do other things with each column of data like summarizing by count, average, max or min, standard deviation, and a whole lot more. The power of pivot reports really comes out when you start messing around with the data and watching what amazing things come out of it at the end. Using Charts and Graphs in Google SpreadsheetAnother good way to analyze data is in a more graphical form. When you’ve got the data sorted the way you like using a pivot report, it’s time to start charting that stuff. Google Spreadsheet comes with a good array of charting tools to help you out. To get to those, just highlight the data that you want to chart, click the “Insert” menu item and choose “Chart” from the list. A chart editor will pop up, with a preview of your data charted in the right pane.
“=sparkline(E8:F8, {“charttype”,”bar”})” When you’re in a hurry and need to process a lot of information quickly while on the go, that’s a huge deal. And the fact that you can simply import data or a CSV file into the first sheet, and all of the pivot reports and charts get created automatically for you — that’s just pure gold dust. So if you haven’t used it yet – I highly suggest giving Google Spreadsheet reports a try to automate your data analysis chores. And if you have been using it for a while but didn’t know about these tools – by all means, give them a try. You’ll be glad you did. How do you make use of Google Spreadsheet? What are your favorite tools that you couldn’t live without? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below! Image Credit: Businessman Hand via Shutterstock The post Become An Expert Data Analyst Overnight Using Google Spreadsheet Report Tools appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Star Conflict Free-To-Play: A Multiplayer Space Sim Game You Can Go To Combat With Posted: 10 May 2013 09:30 AM PDT
But what about space shooters? If Star Trek Online is excluded (and it should be, as it's an RPG), the only sensible choice is Moon Breakers, a browser-based space simulation game. All of the genre's best titles are paid. Most don't even offer multiplayer or, if they do, the community has been dead for years. There is a new kid on the block, however. His name is Star Conflict. And he makes everyone else look a bit old-fashioned. The Basics
I can't honestly say that I know Star Conflict's background story. Some spaceships, some wars, blah blah, magic radio signals. You can read the story on the game's website, but none of it comes up in-game, and the writing is rather cheesy. For example, the ruins of a powerful ancient civilization were first discovered in sector 1337. Seriously! Star Conflict is a 100% multi-player game, even when played in co-op PvE, and there are no story missions. The three factions players can contract with (you play as a mercenary), serve only to enable PvP and inspire the game's starship porn. You'll never pilot anything larger than a frigate, but every ship looks awesome. Homeworld fans should check this game out just for the art.
Competitive PvP, which is clearly the game's focus, can be played in Sector Conquest, Arcade Mode and Realistic Mode. Sector Conquest is the most popular and allows players to fight over territories, though the benefits of doing so aren't clear. Arcade Mode is a non-territory fight that turns on unlimited respawn. Realistic Mode is the same, but players can only spawn once with each ship they own. Matchmaking is quick and uses some magic to throw players with equivalently powerful ships (there are many upgrades, as I'll discuss when I talk about the business model) together. However, this doesn't always seem to work, which is likely because the community isn't huge. The upside is short queue times; you'll rarely have to wait more than a minute to play. Matches are short, too, which makes Star Conflict a great space simulation game to play if you only have thirty minutes to kill. The other two game modes are PvE and Practice. Fighting the AI in co-op can provide some decent rewards, and there's a challenge to it, but not much variety. Practice is exactly that; it exists only to help players try out different ship configurations. GameplayStar Conflict is a game about starship combat, so it's important that the flight model be right. And I have good news; it's perfect. Note that "perfect" does not mean "realistic." There is some sense of momentum here but, for the most part, ships fly like they're moving through gelatinous ether than real space. And that's good; it makes for a more intuitive game that's less likely to induce motion sickness. You don't have to buy a joystick, either, as the keyboard/mouse controls are wonderful. Space can be a boring battlefield because it's mostly empty, so Star Conflict once again kicks realism to the curb. All of the maps are full of clutter like asteroids, space-stations and dying stars. These aren't just window-dressing, either, because most weapons can hit targets 2 to 5 kilometers away and sensors are omniscient unless line-of-sight is blocked. You'll have to use debris for cover.
The cluttered maps also let the developers implement many types of ships. If the maps were empty, the game's frigates which carry the most weapons with the longest range, would dominate. But clutter creates a game of cat-and-mouse between slow frigates, lumbering along on the hunt for prey, and nimble interceptors that can ambush them from between asteroids. There's also a host of ships in-between with many unique abilities like cloak, warp gates, healing modules and more. All of this comes together to create a game with great tactical depth, which is unusual. Most games in this genre end with the best dog-fighter taking home the crown, but there's plenty of room in Star Conflict for players who want to take a more deliberate approach or just want to hang back and buff allies. The Free-To-Play Model
Star Conflict calls itself an MMO, but in reality it's a persistent competitive game similar to World of Tanks. There are no open-world areas and you warp straight to battles, so there's little room to make money from cosmetic or convenience items. Most of what you'll buy relates to combat. That makes pay-to-win a concern. Fortunately, the developers have tiered matchmaking, which means brand new players aren't thrown into a grinder against opponents with more experience and vastly superior ships. Your first matches will be against other free players or paying players who are approaching the game casually. With that said, pay-to-win does rear its ugly head eventually. The problem is the experience curve. There are ways to advance beyond ship upgrades and, if you don't pay, you'll gradually fall behind. You'll probably be eight to ten hours into the game when you reach that point, however. The good news is that prices are reasonable. A one-month license, which boosts your income and experience across the board, is about $9. You can also buy other licenses that last from one day to one year. As you'd expect, longer licenses are a better value.
Ships and weapons are the money sink in this space simulation game, as prices range from about $2.50 to $10 or more for a ship (you can't see the highest-tier ships till you get there. and each faction has its own progression, so I'm not sure of their prices) and $2 to $5 for weapons. Dropping $25 for a ship is possible. But I'm also not sure why you would; paid weapons/modules are usually only 5% better than free versions (or less), and paid ships aren't far superior, either. The paid upgrades seem geared towards people who have money to burn or want to stand out from the rabble. ConclusionAnyone who enjoys space shooters should download Star Conflict immediately. Heck, anyone interested in shooters of any breed should check it out. The developers managed to turn a genre based on dog-fighting into a team-based tactical game. My only concern with the game is longevity. There are only a few play modes, just a handful of maps, and PvE is not as deep as the PvP game. For this reason I don't recommend spending money on paid ships just yet, but the game is certainly worth the download time and, should you still like it after the first hour, I recommend plunking down nine bucks for the one-month license (or $4.50 for the one-week license, if you're skeptical). The post Star Conflict Free-To-Play: A Multiplayer Space Sim Game You Can Go To Combat With appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google Launches YouTube Subscription Program With Channels Starting At $0.99/Month [Updates] Posted: 10 May 2013 04:00 AM PDT
According to Google, there are over 1 million channels generating quality professional content and revenue on YouTube, making paid channels a natural way for content producers to increase their revenue beyond advertising sponsorship. The paid channels work similarly to any online subscription service. Each channel offers a 14-day free trial, with a credit card needed to access it. After the free trial ends, your credit card will be charged every month until you cancel the subscription. You can cancel at anytime, but there are no refunds or credits for a partial billing period.
Paid subscriptions might include full episodes of channel programs, or extra premium content. After subscribing to a channel (which for now must be done through your computer), you can also watch paid content on YouTube supported mobile devices, and on your TV.
There are currently 53 YouTube channels participating in the paid launch program, which range across various categories including Music, Comedy, film & Entertainment. Subscriptions range from $0.99 per month to $6.99 per month, with a discount available for yearly subscriptions. Note that paid YouTube channels are not available worldwide, so head over to YouTube’s paid-channel section to check what’s available to you. Google promises more channels will be added in the coming weeks as a self-service feature for qualifying partners. If you’re a content creator and are interested in starting a paid channel, you can apply here. Will you pay a subscription fee to watch YouTube videos? Source: YouTube Blog The post Google Launches YouTube Subscription Program With Channels Starting At $0.99/Month [Updates] appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Have you ever considered having a personal website? You know – a place where people can go to read about who you are, what you do, your goals and aspirations, and of course to contact you. Perhaps you don’t feel you need one and find yourself asking the question, “Why would anyone want to contact me?”; or “How would it really benefit me?”. Maybe, you realize it would be a good thing to have, but just feel it’s too much work or that you don’t have the skills to create one. These are all things I told myself for years, but last year I finally was convinced to build my own personal website.
We all knew it was coming. Back in February 
About a month ago I got hooked on a little game known as 
I recently wrote a 
Computers are very reliable, except when they’re not. “The computer never makes any mistakes” — that’s true, for the most part. But dunk your smartphone in a glass of deliciously refreshing mint tea, and it will probably make a mistake or two (or, in other words, die). Dunking your phone in a glass of tea would be silly, of course, but letting your computer run too hot can be almost as damaging, if less visible.
Thanks to the fact that my young twins have started attending a playgroup at our local church, I've started to work from a nearby branch of a popular coffee chain every Thursday, mainly to save on petrol and gain valuable writing time that would otherwise be spent driving. Although the establishment has its own wireless network, the Internet connection speed is pretty poor – so the alternative is, of course, to use my Windows Phone's Internet sharing feature.
Reading has a reputation for being an isolated activity. We often think of people in their pajamas or bathrobes, sunk into a massive armchair in front of a roaring fire, with a mug of hot cocoa in one hand and a page-turner in the other. Books have the unique ability to suck us into a whole new world where our imaginations are the only limit. So how can reading be social?
Have computer problems? Microsoft Fix It service attempts to fix them for you. If you’ve browsed Microsoft’s help pages, you’ve probably seen a variety of “Fix It” programs you can run to quickly fix a problem without walking through a complicated troubleshooting process. We’ve covered the 
My phone’s anemic battery life really drained the fun away from an otherwise awesome phone, the Nexus 4. Overnight, it would typically lose about 30-50% of its battery charge – while idle! I would get about two or three hours of use before needing to recharge. Not only does a weak battery irritate the user, it also diminishes the life of the phone.
I love my iPad so much, I take it to bed with me – and I don’t think I’m alone (69% of British iPad owners 
Some people like golfing. Some people enjoy surfing. Still other people are running enthusiasts. And then…there are the data hounds. Those are the people that see opportunity for discovery in every table and spreadsheet filled with seemingly meaningless and unrelated information. Once you play around with data – reorganize, repackage and resort – you can start connecting the dots and extracting clues that lead you to important and useful answers.
Free-to-play games have served most genres well. Role-playing, strategy, and first-person shooters are represented by numerous offerings that don't cost a dime.
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