Hello there and welcome to our weekly feature of all kinds of tips.
We at the business desk are pleased to bring you our weekly feature of a
plethora of tips that cover a wide range of topics.
All of our tips are designed to help you save time, cut down on your
research, and help you get ahead.
So go ahead and read on.
This week we bring you our monthly tips.
It’s what we do for a living! We help you to help yourself!
Enjoy!
From the business desk team at http://www.sterlingcreations.com.
Helpful tips for January 2012
In this issue:
General tips
Tech tips
Quotes for the day
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General tips
Courtesy of the research team at http://www.sterlingcreations.ca
With Christmas just over, here is a question for you.
Do you know the difference between a Christmas Carol and a Christmas song?
A Christmas Carol is religious in nature; example being Silent Night.
A Christmas song is secular nature; example I saw mommy kissing Santa
Clause.
Looking for a way to shine up your jewelry after the holiday season?
JJust place your jewelry in a container and make sure that the container
contains a cap full of MR. Clean liquid and is half filled with water.
Here is a travel tip for you:
Most airlines do not advertise their seat sales.
Here is a tip about the types of funds that companies have available to you.
Many large corporations have funds set aside for social and community
development but somehow, they manage to hide it somewhere on their websites
and in their brochures so that you cannot easily find information on it.
Some very important tips on how to read your pressure levels!
Feeling dizzy? Your pressure may be low!
Feeling nautious or have a headache? Your pressure may be high!
What are some of the fruits with high sugar content?
Mangoes, pineapples, apples, papaya.
Want some tips on when is best to swim in the Caribbean ocean?
August is probably the best month of the year to swim in the Caribbean
ocean.
The Caribbean ocean is often very choppy at Christmas.
Jelly fishes are present at around Easter time.
Looking to drive those bothersome flies away?
Well, here is something for you.
First, fill a transparent bottle with water.
Place bottle near to the spot where those bothersome flies are congregating.
Presto! These little pests will soon go away!
Why? Because when they see their reflections in the bottle of water they
will be come scared and simply run away!
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Tech tips
Taken from Melanie Mama’s corner
Site Of The Week
100 new guidelines for eEtiquette
Think of Netiquette updated to include new technology and you get
eEtiquette, recommendations for behavior in the digital age.
Our digital world is expanding quickly, changing our lives and shaping our
behavior. The devices we use to communicate aren’t just email anymore – new
technology comes with new questions and new vocabularies. New guidelines are
ways to keep communications flowing smoothly whether you’re face to face (is
talking while eating a meal with others ok?) or a world away (can I ignore
requests on Facebook?).
The guidelines were put together by people from twelve nations and apply to
a wide variety of communication tools like texting, email, smart phones,
etc.
The main lettering on the site uses an embroidered or stitched appearance
for guidelines which might make it difficult to read for those who have
troubles with their vision. Guidelines are in blue, with the rest of the
text in pink using a sans serif font. The story behind that is in the FAQ’s.
A plain text version of the site would be a welcome addition.
101 Guidelines for the Digital World
http://eetiquette.com/
If you have any questions about the tips posted in Dan’s Tech tips, please
contact Dan at the following email address:
dthompson5@mchsi.com
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How To Hide A Windows Folder
Updated September 19, 2011, 6:29 AM by, Gizmo.richards
Folder hiding is a simple way of keeping prying eyes away from your private
documents.
From a human point of view it’s a good solution; what you can’t see, you
don’t know you want.
Encrypting a folder can have the opposite effect. The folder is visible and
if access is attempted, the need to enter a password positively shouts the
message that someone is trying to hide something.
This probably explains why there are so many commercial utilities that claim
they can securely hide folders.
I use the word “claim” deliberately. It’s actually quite difficult to
securely hide a folder in Windows without risking creating problems in the
operating system itself.
And there can be all sorts of practical problems. For example, what happens
to the hidden folder when you delete a visible folder above it in the folder
tree? Will the hidden folder be backed up? Will it be scanned by your
anti-virus program? Can the files in the folder be recovered in an emergency
such as a system crash?
These are not theoretical problems; they are real and need to be seriously
considered.
I’ve used a number of commercial folder hiding programs over the years and
have ended up un-installing them all. They were simply not worth the
trouble.
Instead of using complicated and expensive security utilities, I suggest you
stealth your folders using a far simpler method using the Windows “hidden”
attribute. And once you have hidden your folders you can then protect them
using free open source encryption programs.
The Windows hidden attribute works similarly to the more familiar “read
only” attribute. It’s a property of every file and folder that can be turned
on or off. Let’s try it.
1. Create a folder in My Documents and call it “test.”
2. Now copy a couple of unimportant files to the folder.
3. To turn on the hidden attribute:
A. Using a mouse:
1. right click on the folder icon,
2. select Properties
3. Then move to the General tab
4. Check the Hidden box.
The folder should disappear from My Documents. If it doesn’t then you have
Windows Explorer configured to display hidden files.
5. To change this, select Tools / Folder options / View then check the “Do
not show hidden files and folders” box. Now the test folder should
disappear. To make it re-appear select the “Show hidden files and folders”
option.
B. Using the Keyboard:
1. Highlight the new folder you just made.
2. Press the application key or shift plus f10.
3. Press the letter r to select Properties
4. Then move to the General tab by pressing control plus tab.
5. Tab across and check the Hidden box checkmark by pressing the spacebar
once.
The folder should disappear from My Documents. If it doesn’t then you have
Windows Explorer configured to display hidden files.
6. To change this:
A. Press alt plus t.
B. Press the letter o.
C. Press control plus tab until reaching the “view” tab sheet.
D. Tab three times.
E. Press the letter h once until reaching “hidden files and folders.”
F. Arrow down until reaching “do not show hidden files and folders.”
G. If this says “on”, press the space bar to turn it off.
H. Tab to “apply to all folders” and press the spacebar.
I. Tab to okay and press the spacebar.
Now the test folder should disappear. To make it reappear select the “Show
hidden files and folders” option.
So now you have a way of hiding a folder and revealing it again using your
folder settings.
Now I’ll show you a simple trick that allows you to access your hidden
folder without constantly changing the folder settings. However, before I
can demonstrate this we have to make the folder hidden but the files within
it not-hidden.
Go to My Documents and make sure your folder “test” is visible. Open “test”
and select all the files by using Control A. Now right click or press the
application key. Then click on properties or press the letter r. Next move
to the general property sheet and uncheck the Hidden attribute. Now your
folder is hidden but the files are not.
Go back to My Documents and hide the folder by changing the folder settings.
Your test folder should disappear from My Documents.
Now here’s the trick. Windows allows you to navigate to a hidden folder. So
while in the My Documents folder, type into the address bar “\test”
immediately after “My Documents” with no spaces between and hit enter.
Voila you are now in your secret “test” folder and all your documents are
visible!
Of course locating your private folder in My Documents is not a great idea
as it will be immediately revealed should another user enable the display of
hidden files. Better to stash your folder in some obscure location well away
from prying eyes but easy to navigate to. Additionally, name the folder to
be as uninteresting as possible.
Hiding your folder like this is fine if you only want to keep information
from prying eyes but if you really want to properly protect your hidden
folder you should encrypt it.
Luckily that’s easy; simply use the free open source program AxCrypt:
http://axcrypt.axantum.com/
Using AxCrypt is dead simple so I won’t explain how. AxCrypt is also
near-unbreakable so make sure you don’t forget your password. If you do,
your data is lost forever.
Using this technique you can hide and protect your folders without spending
a cent and, unlike commercial folder hiding utilities, this technique is not
going to potentially create a whole set of other problems.
If you have any questions about the tips posted in Dan’s Tech tips, please
contact Dan at the following email address:
dthompson5@mchsi.com
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three Shortcuts To Help Make Managing Files And Folders Easier
Windows Explorer is the main interface to files and folders so anything that
makes its use more efficient is welcome. Here are three shortcuts to help
make managing files and folders easier.
I. Resize a single column in Details View
If you are using Windows Explorer in Details View, you may find that the
columns are not wide enough to display the entire length of entries. An
individual column can be changed to the proper width by:
A. Using a Mouse: double-clicking the separator bar at the right-side of the
column.
B. Using the Keyboard: To resize every column so that all data shows, hold
down the Control key and press the + key from the numeric keypad (not the +
key from the regular part of the keyboard). This not only works in a Windows
Explorer folder display but also in certain applications that display
columns of data. It may be necessary to expand the window to see all the
columns after they have been resized.
II. Quick way to enlarge a Windows Explorer window to full screen
You may be familiar with the simple shortcut that uses the key F11 to expand
most common browsers to full screen. Not as well known is that this shortcut
works for Windows Explorer also. Note that this gives a somewhat larger view
than the one obtained by maximizing a window. It can be very handy if you
have a lot of files listed in a folder. This method works for all views.
III. To return a window to its previous size, press F11 again.
If you have any questions about the tips posted in Dan’s Tech tips, please
contact Dan at the following email address:
dthompson5@mchsi.com
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How To Find Help At Microsoft For Your Computer Problems
Updated October 27, 2011 – 16:01 by v.laurie
If you want help with a Windows problem, the ultimate source is Microsoft.
There is a vast accumulation of information on the Microsoft website.
Unfortunately, the site is huge and keeps changing. Finding anything can be
like the proverbial hunt for a needle in a haystack. To help find things on
Microsoft, I have put together a short list of some Microsoft links that may
make it easier to get answers when help is wanted.
Microsoft Answers- Post your question here for help from experts
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us
Microsoft Fixit- Automated fixes for certain common problems
http://support.microsoft.com/fixit/en-us
Microsoft Forums- Another place to post your questions
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/community
Windows 7 solution center
http://support.microsoft.com/ph/14019
Vista solution center
http://support.microsoft.com/ph/11732
Office solution center
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/gp_off_main#tab0
Internet Explorer solution center
http://support.microsoft.com/ph/807
Microsoft being Microsoft, these sites are not always as useful as they
might be. However, it is possible to dig a little deeper into the vast array
of Microsoft articles when that seems necessary. If you can describe your
problem in a short phrase, try doing a Google search on the phrase and add
site:Microsoft.com to your search query. This will often turn up something
useful in the encyclopedic collection called the Microsoft Knowledge Base or
in one of the Microsoft forums. For example, if you need help with a System
Restore problem in Windows 7, a Google search query might look like:
Windows-7 system restore failure site:microsoft.com
And there you have it. Now you can make good use of all those Microsoft
articles.
If you have any questions about the tips posted in Dan’s Tech tips, please
contact Dan at the following email address:
dthompson5@mchsi.com
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How To Find Out Which Windows Process Is Using A File
Updated October 30, 2011 – 4:21 by adrianc
http://www.techsupportalert.com/users/adrianc
Ever come across the following messages and wondered how to find out what is
using the file?
A. Cannot delete file: Access is denied
B. There has been a sharing violation.
C. The source or destination file may be in use.
D. The file is in use by another program or user.
E. Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is
not currently in use.
I found a neat utility that allows you to find out, the site has a list of
other alternatives. Unlocker gives you an option in the context menu when
you right click on a file that will detail windows process using the file.
http://www.emptyloop.com/unlocker/
If you have any questions about the tips posted in Dan’s Tech tips, please
contact Dan at the following email address:
dthompson5@mchsi.com
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What’s The Difference Between SATA, PATA And IDE?
Article Source:
“Ask Leo Notenboom”
http://ask-leo.com/whats_the_difference_between_sata_pata_and_ide.html?awt_l=OIFaJ&awt_m=JwlTU30xNZdfbL
Date: 11/3/2011
One part of this is easy: IDE and PATA are two names for the same thing.
The rest – well, the easy part is that SATA and PATA are two different ways
of connecting a hard drive to your computer. Your computer will have one or
the other and what you purchase must, in general, match.
When we go further, however, things start to get a little complex.
SATA and PATA are two different ways of connecting a hard drive to your
computer. Your computer will have one or the other and what you purchase
must, in general, match.
When we go further, however, things start to get a little complex.
The Interface
SATA and PATA (aka IDE) are two different disk drive interfaces. By that I
mean that the physical and electrical connection to a hard drive will use
either a SATA or a PATA interface 3.5 inch SATA (left) and PATA/IDE (right)
drives
The picture at the link below shows the physical difference.
http://ask-leo.com/whats_the_difference_between_sata_pata_and_ide.html?awt_l=OIFaJ&awt_m=JwlTU30xNZdfbL
the SATA drive on the left in the photo refered to at the link above is a
pair of flat connectors – the larger one for power, then the smaller one for
data. The PATA drive on the rightin the same picture uses the larger
connector full of pins for data and the four-prong connector on the right
for power.
“As for compatibility, there is none. SATA and PATA drives are completely
incompatible at the interface.”
SATA is an acronym for Serial Advanced Technology Attachment, often
shortened to Serial ATA. Serial refers to the fact that data is sent one bit
at a time down a single connection in each direction. There’s a separate
connection for data going into and out from the device.
PATA is an acronym for Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment, often
shortened to Parallel ATA. Parallel refers to the fact that data is sent 16
bits at a time through a single 16-bit connection that is used for data
traveling in both directions.
While it might seem faster to send 16 bits at a time, the PATA actually
transfers data more slowly for a variety of reasons. Current PATA interfaces
can transfer at up to 133 megabytes per second, where as SATA interfaces can
transmit up to 150, 300, or 600 megabytes per second depending on the
version of the interface being used.
The History
PATA is the older interface. Originally known as IDE (Integrated Drive
Electronics), it was the connection of choice not only for hard disks, but
for floppy and optical (CD/DVD) disk drives as well.
In recent years, the PATA interface has been slowly disappearing. Most new
machines today come with SATA hard disk drives and may use a PATA interface
only for the optical drive. As expected, optical drives are now also
becoming available with SATA interfaces, so we could soon see the end of the
PATA interface completely.
Compatibility
As for compatibility, there is none. SATA and PATA drives are completely
incompatible at the interface. They can certainly co-exist in a machine but
only if that machine has both SATA and PATA interfaces.
If a computer has only one of the two styles of interface, then only drives
compatible with that interface can be used.
What it all means
In practical terms, what this really means is simply that you need to know
what you have when you replace a drive or get drive-related equipment.
When replacing the drive in your computer, you must know whether your
computer uses a PATA or SATA interface and make sure to get a replacement
that uses the same.
If you decide to take a hard drive and put it into an external disk
enclosure, you’ll need to know whether it’s a PATA or SATA drive and get a
compatible enclosure. It’s not the actual enclosure that’s different, but
the small amount of circuitry included that physically connects to the drive
to provide the USB interface.
If you have any questions about the tips posted in Dan’s Tech tips, please
contact Dan at the following email address:
dthompson5@mchsi.com
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Sites Of The Week
1. Best Free IPhone Apps
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-iphone-apps.htm
First, I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Reid J. Thaler, (bio below) the
new iPhone App Reviewer. I really want this “Best Free iPhone App” section
to be a community space, so if you know of an app that you like and want
others to know of too, please let me know! (with iTune links, please). I
only have two eyes, but collectively, we have thousands!
So what makes a great iPhone app? Simple elegance in what it does, unique
ability to access the net, or utilize and manage your data, and of course, a
design that’s easy to navigate, visually appealing, and adds ease or joy to
your life.
On this page are apps that do all or most of those things. After using an
iPhone for two years, I’ve learned that lots of things are just easier to do
on the iPhone and it’s great always having it near. If you are just
starting to use an iPhone, I hope this list gets you up to speed with a lot
of really great tools. If you are a seasoned iPhoner, I hope I can share
some new apps that make your visit worthwhile. As I said, let me know if
you’ve found a great app. Some (apologetically) may only work in the United
States. If that’s the case, let me know so I can note it.
So again, I’m trilled and excited to be the editor. Let’s have a great time
here!
2. Have Hours of Online Fun With These Jigsaw Puzzles 2.
If you enjoy jigsaw puzzles, take a look at
www.thejigsawpuzzles.com
It’s an online collection of Flash-based puzzles, ready to solve simply by
dragging with your PC’s mouse.
Unlike tradtional box-based puzzles, these online versions have a number of
advantages. Having chosen your picture from the thousands on offer, you can
then choose how many pieces you want. In the image below I’ve opted for 20,
but you can choose 2000 if you’re feeling brave! You can save
part-completed puzzles to return to later, and there’s never any chance of
there being a piece missing!
All in all, it’s a great online puzzle experience with nothing to download
and install. It’ll run in any browser that supports Flash (so apologies to
iPad users).
If you have any questions about the tips posted in Dan’s Tech tips, please
contact Dan at the following email address:
dthompson5@mchsi.com
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If you know of someone who would like to join Mama’s Corner, please contact
me at:
mamas-corner-owner@yahoogroups.com
_________________________
Quotes for the day
Taken from Melanie mama’s corner
Quote For Today:
The most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The
essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.
Pierre de Courbertin
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Quote For Today:
If I feel depressed I will sing. If I feel sad I will laugh. If I feel ill I
will double my labor. If I feel fear I will plunge ahead. If I feel inferior
I will wear new garments. If I feel uncertain I will raise my voice. If I
feel poverty I will think of wealth to come. If I feel incompetent I will
think of past success. If I feel insignificant I will remember my goals.
Today I will be the master of my emotions.
Og Mandino
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Quote For Today:
Learn to get in touch with silence within yourself, and know that everything
in this life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events
are blessings given to us to learn from.
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
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Quote For Today:
True success is not necessarily about being the best at all cost. It’s
about DOING your best at all times. If you do that long enough, who knows,
you might just end up being the best.
Tope Popoola
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Quote For Today:
Obstacles are a golden opportunity to quickly forge an inner self that is as
indestructible as a diamond, able to endure for eternity.
Daisaku Ikeda
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Quote For Today:
“Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have
to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do.
The body will always give up. It is always tired morning, noon, and night.
But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired. When you were younger
the mind could make you dance all night, and the body was never tired…
You’ve always got to make the mind take over and keep going.”
George S. Patton
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Quote For Today:
With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s
ability, one can build a better world.
Tenzin Gyatso
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Everything you do in life, every choice you make, has a consequence. When
you do things without thinkin’, then you ain’t makin’ the choice. The choice
is makin’ you.
Mark Steven Johnson
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Quote For Today:
Let every day be the first day of the rest of your life, but especially let
today be a new beginning.
Jonathan Lockwood Huie
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Quote For Today:
“You can do anything you wish to do, have anything you wish to have, be
anything you wish to be.”
Robert Collier
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Quote For Today:
Don’t let the past bully the future. You own the future, the past owns
itself, and you are greater than them both.
Carly Cermak
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Quote For Today:
“You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able
to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate
the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be
contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.”
Michelle Obama
_________________________
Kindness is the light that dissolves all walls between souls, families, and
nations.
Paramahansa Yogananda
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Quote For Today:
Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very
clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It
hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.
John Wayne
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Quote For Today:
If I have learnt anything, it is that life forms no logical patterns. It is
haphazard and full of beauties which I try to catch as they fly by, for who
knows whether any of them will ever return.
Margot Fonteyn
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Quote For Today:
Crisis breeds opportunity. Look for something positive, take your broken
wings and learn to fly again.
Orrin Checkmate Hudson
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Quote For Today:
Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right
thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with
integrity.
W. Clement Stone
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Quote For Today:
Never mind what others do; do better than yourself, beat your own record
from day to day, and you are a success.
William J. H. Boetcker
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Quote For Today:
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest
appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
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If you know of someone who would like to join Mama’s Corner, please contact
me at:
mamas-corner-owner@yahoogroups.com
