Updating programs made easy

One of the biggest problem in securing your computer involves keeping up with all the other programs on your computer that need updating.  Windows does a good job of updating itself as long as you have Automatic Updates turned on.  For those other programs, you have to do much of the work yourself in keeping them updated.  I am about to lift the heavy lifting from you.  Go to Ninite.com to update your other programs.  It is a free website that is quite simple.  The homepage lists various categories of programs.  Simply check the programs you want installed, go to the bottom of the page and click "Get Installer", follow the prompts and sit back and wait.  Ninite installs all the programs for you.  There are several advantages to using Ninite.  One, you always get the latest version of whatever program you select, so it is great for updating those programs.  Two, if the program is already updated, it simply skips it.  Three, it only installs the program, it automatically unselects any software that may try to piggyback itself onto your computer.  An example of this is when you download a program and it also comes with an optional "toolbar" or similar program.  Ninite automatically unselects everything other than the program you chose.  Four, Ninite is free ( for personal use).  Yes, it is that simple

Yes, you can surf the Internet safely!

I would like to thank Vince for inspiring this post.  He takes a class that I have at the Salvation Army.  A couple of months ago in response to many people complaining about malware, I suggested a program to use that would give you the best protection possible against malware.  It is a program called Sandboxie.  It runs your browser (or any program) in a virtual sandbox, preventing any action taken in said browser or program from actually making any changes to your computer.  Vince stunned me by telling me that he actually uses it and it does work.  I assumed that that advice would go in one ear and out the other.  When you fix computers for a living, you find that most people ignore your advice and suggestions.  For example, those who use peer to peer programs to illegally download movies and music and then act stunned that they downloaded a virus.  You clean the system, return it, and the cycle repeats.  Well, just for those customers, I recommend Sandboxie, although I do not condone the illegal downloading of copyrighted material (what else would you think I would say, lol).  For the law-abiding computer user, Sandboxie can help protect you from rogue websites, infected emails, etc. 

Virtual Desktops, made easy...

Ever wish you can have different desktops running on the same computer?  One for playing Solitaire, another to type in Microsoft Word, etc.  Yes you can just run multiple applications and just minimize the ones you are not using, but what fun is that?  Try Dexpot.  It's a free program that will allow you run virtual desktops on your computer.  Similar to VMWare that allows you to run multiple operating systems, Dexpot allows you run multiple desktops.  Give it a try, you might find yourself being more productive as a result.

Repost: How 10 years ago may have been different with today's technology

On August 25th, I linked to a Houston Press article that examined how 9/11 may have been different for all of us if we would have had some of the technology that we enjoy today.  Check it out and see if you agree.  Read it here.

Google uses how much electricity?

260 million watts of electricity is the answer.  More fascinating is that that number does not represent a day in the life of Google, that number represents what they use continuously at a time, ALL THE TIME.  Enough to power 200,000 homes.  Check out the New York Times article for more information and for Google's explanation on how that enormous amount of electricity use is actually very green and good for us.

Groupon is fantastic!, really..

The other day I got a text from a friend telling me about a Groupon deal on something that I love.  Of couse I had to check it out and the deal was one that I could not pass up.  I have known about Groupon for awhile but dismissed the service as just another coupon, discount service that did not have much appeal to me.  A second, unbelievable deal popped up again in the past couple of days and I am now hooked.  Give it a try, you will see why the service is so popular, many of the deals are impossible to ignore.