Instant Watcher

I have to admit, I love Netflix and Gamefly. It's like pizza delivery on steroids for people like me. Netflix has a 'play it now' option that allows you to stream movies on your computer or to your TV, if you have a Roku box or an XBOX 360. The Netflix site is a bit unweildy, so I found this site to be a real time-saver, as it lists all the watch now movies/tv shows and has categories for them.

http://instantwatcher.com

 

Facebook's Death Policy

I just caved and set up a Facebook page a few weeks ago. After reading this article, I think I'm about to shut it down. To summarize, the sister of a deceased journalist asked to have her brother's page removed, and provided a copy of his death certificate. They refused, and here is their response:

Per our policy for deceased users, we have memorialized this person's account. This removes certain more sensitive information and sets privacy so that only confirmed friends can see the profile or find the person in search. The Wall remains so that friends and family can leave posts in remembrance.

I don't necessarily have a problem with them offering this service, but I do have a problem with them refusing to honor his family's wishes.


Source: http://consumerist.com/5157481/facebook-wont-let-you-remove-dead-relatives-page-per-policy

 

8 Years In 8 Minutes...Wow, I Had Already Forgotten How Bad Things Were

 

Speed Up That Windows-Based PC

 Friends and family are always asking if there is anything that can be done to speed up their computers.  Typically, they have computers bought from the large chain stores that are loaded with all kinds of useless bloatware, but it is difficult to tell them what is need and what isn't.  This site has a pretty good guide, so I thought I would share it:
Streamline your Startup Applications & Improve Windows Performance

Also, this site has a good listing of programs that you may see running in your taskbar, so you can tell if it is needed or if it is wasteful, or even worse, a virus.
Tasklist Pages

 

RSS Readers

I know some of my readers have never used a RSS reader before. My coworker posted instructions on his blog on how to use them and I thought that it might be a good thing to share with my readers as well.

What it is:
Basically, you subscribe to news sites and blogs, and the postings are delivered to your reader so that you don't have to surf to several pages or have to view all the ads and other nonsense on the page. Also, the reader retrieves them for you and usually delivers the articles as fast as they are posted to the site. You can place them into different categories to make browsing them simpler.

How to get it:
There are many available. I use google's reader, as I can check it from anywhere I have internet access (you don't have to install it on your computer). It is free and you can obtain it at the following link: http://www.google.com/reader

How to subscribe:
Most sites will have a feed link on them. Mine is http://oddthoughtsandrants.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default. If you see a symbol that looks like this: , you can click on it to subscribe, also.  

Y2K Bug Hits Zune...in 2008

If you own a 30GB Microsoft Zune (a MP3 player, and IPOD competitor), you may have noticed that you have an expensive brick that will not work.  Apparently, this would appear to be a software glitch that started affecting people overnight.  Isn't this how the The Terminator starts?

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28449091/
 

It's Official - Only An Idiot Would Use Internet Explorer

If you've had a password stolen recently, it could be just because you are running Internet Explorer.  If you aren't using Firefox, Opera, Chrome, or some other alternative browser, this may be the time to switch. 

Source: 

Serious security flaw found in IE

Users of Microsoft's Internet Explorer are being urged by experts to switch to a rival until a serious security flaw has been fixed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7784908.stm
 

Notepad++ Is A Lifesaver

I have been using Notepad++ at work for a while now and find it indispensable. If you have to deal with text files, need sorting, formatting, or are a programmer, you will find this program very useful. It's lightweight, portable, supports tabbed viewing, vertical select, and can open much larger files than Windows' notepad. You can specify the type of file you are editing, such as vb, php, html, and plenty of others and it will make your code much easier to edit and debug. I highly recommend it.

Notepad++ Site
Download Squad Review  

Browsers - A New Option

I downloaded Chrome, Google's new web browser yesterday night.  I must say, it has some interesting features and I think it has tons of potential.  I love Firefox 3, and especially it's use of extensions and add-ons.  How it hasn't surpassed Internet Explorer is beyond me.  It is superior to IE in every way and is free, but they just don't market it well enough.  However, it does tend to crash every once in a while and fails to render some pages properly.  That is what Chrome attempts to solve by treating each page(tab) as a separate process.  That means if one page dies, it doesn't take the browser down with it.  In addition, they claim that it handles system memory better and being open-source, will have a ton of add-ons in the near future.  Another great feature is that it will not allow data to be written to your hard disk outside of the browser files.  This should make it tougher for viruses and malware to end up on the computer.  According to Lifehacker and several other sources, it is speedier than the other browsers.

It's going to take some getting used to, and if they can match the add-ons that Firefox enjoys, it could eventually overtake both Firefox and IE. 

 

Links Galore!

I just got this one, edits sound files, great for making ringtones, and is very simple.
http://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/masters.html

Mobile 9 - Ringtones and stuff for cellphones.

Drop IO - Easy file sharing. Just upload your file, specify when it expires, and you can send a link to whomever you want to download it.


I prefer firefox to internet explorer. One of the big reasons is the hundreds of extensions available. Some extensions that I use are:

Adblock Plus - Blocks google ads, popups, and others from appearing.

Fire.fm - Music streaming, specify your favorite songs/artists, and it plays music recommended for you.

Forecastfox - Local weather appears on your statusbar.

IE Tab - Some sites will not work without MS Internet Explorer. This extension makes them think you are using IE.

NoScript - Prevents scripts from launching without your permission, allows for safer browsing and helps avoid spyware and viruses from being installed.

Video Download Helper - Allows downloads of media files, such as youtube.