If you’re like me, you let your computer – and particularly your PC’s desktop – become a complete mess before you dive in to tidy it up. One way to speed up the cleaning process is by filing away all that mess. If you want a fast way to dump files into predetermined folders, take a look at FileMenu. FileMenu is simple in concept, but it is like the Swiss Army Knife of file management. Read more
Whether you are single and dating or have been married for years, it is always a challenge to come up with interesting date ideas. Sometimes “dinner and a movie” just isn’t enough, you know? Thankfully, some folks up in Canada — in the Greater Vancouver area, just like l’il ol’ me — have taken the time to create an iPhone app that helps solve that problem.
DateBank is a simple, slot-machine style app. There is a slot for Style, one for Budget, and one fore Time of day. Select from a range of style entries like Playful, Chatty, Artsy and, Outdoorsy, pick a price range and a time of day, hit “Show Results” and voila! A list of interesting date options will appear, each with a fun description and some tips on how to take it up a notch. If you’re unsure of what to select from the slots, there is an option for that, as well, along with some tips, a ranking/sharing element, and the ability to submit your own ideas for inclusion.
Here are a few results from a search for Playful/$20-60/Afternoon, as well as the top-ranked dates on the app, currently:
DateBank costs $0.99 and is a fun and useful app. There are a few things I hope to see in the near future, however, such as a local component (which ought to work well with the suggestions area), and the “shake for a random idea” function to start working. Other mobile apps and a web app for the mobile-impaired would also be useful, as would a social element that allows people to give a brief description of how the date went.
In fact, I think it would be very cool if some of you grown up geeks out there were to try DateBank and let us know how it worked out for you! I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours…
One nice feature of Ubuntu, a slick Linux build, is the way that it handles application updates with a unified app. For a similar experience in Windows, try out FileHippo Update Checker. Once you install it, you can direct FileHippo Update Checker to scan your system, and return a list of apps on your system that need an update. It runs in seconds, and requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 (which it will download for you, if you don’t have it).
Update Checker isn’t quite as slick as Ubuntu’s solution, as it downloads each update separately, and requires you to install them. Ubuntu does this in a unified manner, with downloads and installs occurring right in the update app. Still, Update Checker can save you considerable time, as you won’t have to open multiple apps or check multiple sites for updates. Update Checker’s site does warn that it doesn’t check ALL apps, which is understandable considering the nearly endless number of Windows apps out there.
When I decided to hunt for a unified app updater, I did check out a couple of other alternatives, SUMo and Update Notifier. I scratched Update Notifier off of my list, as, best I can tell, its database doesn’t seem to be up to date. It told me that all the apps on my system were up to date, when they were not. I didn’t get past the installation screen of SUMo, as I noticed that it asked to install a “marketing research” app during the installation process. You can decline to install this app, but if you’re not paying attention, it would be easy to end up with some spyware on your system.
For these reasons, FileHippo’s app was the winner for me. If you know of any other solutions, let us know in the comments.
Today, 40Tech is pleased to present a guest post by Keith from Computer Repair Calgary.
The modern computer workstation is made up of a wide variety of parts. Unfortunately,
when any one of these parts runs into problems you, the computer user, are likely to feel
the negative consequences.
RAM, the shorthand for random access memory, (a form of computer short term
memory), is no exception. When your RAM starts misbehaving you will notice certain
signals. What are the likely signals, you may be asking yourself? Well, bad random
access memory generally causes a computer to become somewhat unstable. In other
words, you may be working on a word document, or loading up a picture when suddenly
your PC suddenly quits the application or decides to restart entirely (often giving you
some kind of error). The biggest problem here is that your computer is not wise enough
to tell you exactly what is happening. It doesn’t come right out and say, you know what;
your memory is no good. Rather, it will typically give you an archaic error message
which is generally of little help. As a result, it is up to you, the computer user, to figure
out where the problem truly lies. Consequently, you have two choices. You can either
attempt to determine the problem yourself, or you can send your machine into your local
computer repair shop.
If your system is becoming increasingly erratic, one way you can test your computer’ s
RAM is through the use of a free Microsoft designed product known as Microsoft
Memory Diagnostic. As its name suggests, this particular application is solely designed to
diagnose your RAM. In layman’s terms, it will tell you if it believes that your memory is
good or bad (and in need of replacement).
So how does one go about using Microsoft Memory Diagnostic then? Luckily, the
procedure is fairly easy; especially if you take your time to work through it.
1) Head over to the Microsoft Memory Diagnostic webpage and download the program.
2) Run the program and choose to create a CD Image
3) Burn this CD Image onto a CD (you can find a wide range of free programs online
which allow you to burn a CD Image – also known as an ISO – onto a CD)
4) Put the CD into your CD drive
5) Reboot your computer and choose to boot from your CD (take a look on Google if you
are unsure how to boot from a CD – trust us, it’s not that hard once you take the time to
learn how).
6) Let Microsoft Memory Diagnostic run for at least 1 pass
7) If there are error messages at the bottom of the screen then some of your memory is
likely bad. If there are no error messages then there is a reasonable chance that everything
is ok.
8) Restart your computer when done.
That’s all there is to it!
Bio: Computer Repair Calgary is a computer repair blog hosted by Keith. On his site, he gives various computer tips and tricks, including how to test RAM.
Has this happened to you? You’re in the middle of working on that important document for work, when you step away from the keyboard for a break. You return an hour later . . . to find that your little bundle of joy has hammered away on your keyboard. If you’re lucky, your document is now only a mess, and not lost. To prevent situations like this, check out two free Windows programs, Kid-Key-Lock, and Toddler Keys, which were both covered in the Lost in Technology blog.
Both programs work similarly, allowing you to lock down your keyboard and mouse. Kid-Key-Lock allows you to specify exactly what you want to lock out. For example, you can allow just numbers, letters, and spaces, while locking other keys, like system commands. This can be handy if you want to allow your toddler to use your keyboard to work on typing.
Toddler Keys allows you to lock your keyboard, mouse, and CD drive door, and even the power off button in Windows XP. It will play a sound every time a key is pressed, and you can even select which images and sounds to play. You can set a time period, after which the app kicks in and the lock is set.
Head on over to Lost in Technology for a look at the two apps. Do you have other ways you protect your work from your kids?
Kid-Key-Lock and Toddler Keys [via Lost in Technology]
