FiT Member, Douglas E, Welch, offers these Step-by-step instructions on installing the latest (and future) IOS updates for your iPhone or iPad.
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I have an older Mac Mini that I use for recording my podcast, Quicken, iTunes and other typical uses, but lately I have taken to working on my Macbook Pro while ensconced in my easy chair. I figured I could make better use of the screen on the Mac Mini so I went looking for possibilities.
When I first saw mention of DEXTR, I thought it might finally provide an easy way to get the “lean back” Twitter ticker I always wanted. I can’t always have my Twitter client in the foreground. (I have to work SOMETIME (LAUGH)), so DEXTR provides a great way to casually monitor and consume my Twitter feed while I doing other work. It is especially great for monitoring when breaking news is happening and I like it a lot better than leaving the TV tuned to CNN as the news I find in Twitter is directly related to me.
Even better, DEXTR requires no software downloads or install. It runs in your favorite browser. To try it out, visit http://dextr.riglondon.com, login to your Twitter account using OAuth (so DEXTR doesn’t need your actual password) and resize the window as large as you wish. In my case, it runs full screen so I can read it from across the room. If I really want to geek out, the Mac Mini is also connected to my big screen TV, so I can make it big enough to read from the Moon (well, almost).
I find that DEXTR can run for hours on end with no crashes of the browser or slowing of the computer — something that can’t be said for some Mac apps, or even some Flash-based web sites.
How do you consume your social media? Do you use tools like this to make it easier? Let me know in the comments.
Douglas writes on a variety of topics on several blogs and podcasts including TechnologyIQ, the original source for this article.
Feed your Christmas geekiness over at 8bitchristmas.com, where they have a collection of 12 Christmas Classics all done in the style of retro-videogame music, hence the 8-bit in the title. You can stream the entire collection from their site, donate any amount to download the tracks or even (how retro) purchase a CD of your very own.
Today marks 6 years of podcasting for Friends In Tech member Douglas E. Welch so he deserves a special mention and highlight on this blog. His blogs are listed below but be sure to check out the main website at welchwrite.com for more information and links to his other communities. Congratulations once again Douglas!
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES PODCAST
Helping to Build the Career You Deserve
CAREERS IN NEW MEDIA
New Media Tools and Answers
TECHNOLOGY IQ
Control your technology – don’t let it control you
A GARDENER’S NOTEBOOK
Join me in my garden
MY WORD WITH DOUGLAS E. WELCH
An eclectic personal blog
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES PODCAST
Helping to Build the Career You Deserve
CAREERS IN NEW MEDIA
New Media Tools and Answers
TECHNOLOGY IQ
Control your technology – don’t let it control you
A GARDENER’S NOTEBOOK
Join me in my garden
As some of you may have experienced, sending mail from your email program might not work when you are using public WiFi networking hot spots, such as those in hotels or coffee shops. This is usually due to port restrictions on the network, put in place to prevent anonymous users from using the network to send SPAM or attack other network systems.
Unfortunately, sending and replying to mail is often one of the most-used features when you are on the road. So what are you to do? You could always use the web mail access provided by most ISPs or use web-based services such as Gmail or Windows Live Mail (formerly Hotmail.com). Of course, this can be cumbersome when you simply want to reply to email you receive.
So, in my own laptop setup, I have done the following:
Now, when I am confronted with an error when I try to send mail, I can change the outgoing email account to my Gmail account and, since Gmail uses different, usually unblocked ports, the mail will be sent. Also, by setting the Reply-To address, any replies will automatically be re-directed back to my standard email account. This allows me to work in my normal fashion, even when the local network puts roadblocks in my way.
Gmail recently added IMAP services to their offering, so now it is even easier to send and receive email while you are on the road.
For more great information on Gmail, check out fellow Friends in Tech member, The Gmail Podcast, hosted by Chuck Tomasi.
When you are as much of a bibliophile as my family, it can be a trial to manage all the books you have checked out and those you have on hold, waiting to be delivered to your local library. Add to this a spouse who is engaged in the final stages of a Ph.D and you have the makings of an organizational nightmare. This is what makes it such a lucky chance that I discovered Library Elf a year or so ago.
Library Elf, in cooperation with hundreds of libraries across the US, Canada Australia, New Zealand and the UK, allows you to collect information for each card you manage and combine it into one, easy-to-use, interface. If your library is included in their list of compatible library systems, you can enter your library card numbers and login information. Then, regardless of the online services your library provides, you gain automated web and email notifications of due dates and books on hold. Library Elf also provides RSS feeds, if you prefer to receive your notifications that way.
If you have a family-full of library accounts to manage, Library Elf can help to make your life a bit easier and also save you some money on late fees.
Sometimes we plan deeply and then take concerted action to build a computer consulting career. At other times, good fortune just seems to fall into our laps. That said, it doesn’t mean that you can’t learn something from my good, if somewhat accidental, fortune.
It is a natural part of any consulting business that you often make clients of people who once worked for you. In my case, a contractor who remodeled part of our house has hired me several times over the last few years to maintain his office and home computers. When he launched a new endeavor, running a high-end photo studio, he called me in once again.
As it happened, this studio was connected to a property management company that owns both residential and office properties. In fact, they were remodeling part of the photo studio building into office suites which were rapidly filling up. Before I really knew what had happened, I became the de facto computer consultant not only for the photo studio and the property management company, but everyone who rented from them. Through this one connection, I have added 3 new clients in the last 2 months. Even better, they are all at one location, so I can make one visit to handle a number of problems. Sweet!
Of course, while I really wasn’t trying to gather up a flock of new clients, I see now that anyone can actively pursue this particular method. In past Career Opportunities columns, I have written about the possibility of becoming the on-site computer consultant for local resort hotels. Connecting with property management companies is very similar. The goal in both is to maximize your client relationships so that they start working for you. Imagine the possibilities — Can you set up a meeting with the owners of that high-rise office building on the corner? How about the small set of office suites above the dry cleaners? How about that 5-star resort in Beverly Hills, Sedona or Las Vegas?
Be aware of the possibilities when dealing with your clients and their clients might just be your clients, someday.
