Get 3.5

Today I got tired of waiting for Firefox to tell me there is “a new version available” — like it normally does — and so I manually told it to upgrade to the newest version... which has been out for a while now (ahem).

To do that, click on “Help”, and then click “Check for Updates”.

What’s New in Firefox 3.5

Firefox 3.5 offers many changes over the previous version, supporting new web technologies, improving performance and ease of use. Some of the notable features are:

• Improved tools for controlling your private data, including a Private Browsing Mode.
• Support for the HTML5 <video> and <audio> elements including native support for Ogg Theora encoded video and Vorbis encoded audio. (Try it here!)
• Better web application performance using the new TraceMonkey JavaScript engine.
• The ability to share your location with websites using Location Aware Browsing. (Try it here!)
• Support for native JSON, and web worker threads.
• Improvements to the Gecko layout engine, including speculative parsing for faster content rendering.
• Support for new web technologies such as: downloadable fonts, CSS media queries, new transformations and properties, JavaScript query selectors, HTML5 local storage and offline application storage, <canvas> text, ICC profiles, and SVG transforms.

Of that list of super kewl & neato doodads and gizmos and whatsajingies, I am really only interested in the topmost item — privacy (although, faster is always good!). I want it, and the first thing I did was to turn it on.

To do that:
1) Click on “Tools”, and then “Options”.
2) Click on the Privacy tab and place a check in the “Automatically start..” checkbox.

3) Click on “OK”.

Today’s free link(s):
RadarSync PC Updater – Free Driver Update Software

Are wireless keyboards secure?

Today’s free download: What? You haven’t tried Firefox yet? What are you waiting for? Click here and try Firefox 3.5 today!

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Share this post :

Happy Birthday America

Folks, I hope you have a terrific holiday.

Today’s free link: “It continues to be true  that the majority of typical users, that I meet, are unaware of the very real dangers that spam emails and social networking links, hold for their safety, security and identity protection.” Hey Sucker – Read This! Michael Jackson’s Not Dead!

Today’s free download: Panda Cloud Antivirus protects you while you browse, play or work and you won’t even notice it. It is extremely light as all the work is done in the cloud.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Share this post :

In These Tough Times, Could You Use Some Extra $$$’s ?

Income University | Earn Cash Online | Become An eBay Success Story | Earn At Home | Get Paid For Your Opinion — What do all those things have in common?

C’mon… That wasn’t a trick question.

Here’s a “Tech Paulism”: if there’s an exclamation point in the Subject line, the odds are about 99:1 it’s a scam, a rip-off, a flim flam.

[Note the "paperclip" attachment? Simply previewing this puts you on a "sucker's list" (Please see How did they get my e-mail?).]

These “work at home” (great for stay-at-home-moms!) *deals* have been around for a while, and naturally have found their way onto the Internet — old news. What is new (lately) is a GLOBAL RECESSION, and many previously comfortably-off folks now grasping at straws. Being on the outs should not lower your defenses — don’t be duped, please see Top 10 Work At Home and Home Based Business Scams.

And listen… do you really think your opinion on a survey is worth $100? Really? To me, opinions are like *bellybuttons* – everybody has one and it ain’t worth squat. See, Online Surveys: Can You Actually Earn Any Money?

And maybe you can ask yourself, do you know — I mean friends that you hang out with — anyone making real money on eBay? It does happen; see, Small Romanian Town Gets Rich Through eBay Scams

I have not even brushed the surface of all the scam “earn extra income” e-mail currently bombarding our inboxes. There’s almost as much of it as there is for our good Canadian Ph@rmacy friends, and this trend is on the rise (IMHO). It’s a sign of the times.
Maybe.. there’s a Government Grant Obama wants to give you..? Click now!

And don’t be in a rush to spend money either — for “health benefits”, weight loss, nor the secret for whiter teeth. I am not really sure why.. but acai spam is back… (yes, people, come buy my magic berries.. )

Okay. Okay. Okay. I think I’ve made my point(s). You’ve heard me say here before, more than 9 out of every 10 ‘packets’ traveling the Internet – at any given moment – is scam spam from a criminal. (90%+ dangerous.)

Let’s be careful out there, and use some good, “paranoid common sense” (another Tech Paulism, free of charge!)

Today’s free link(s):
Top Ten Internet Safety Tips for Children

Top 10 things you should do to your computer

Today’s free download: K9 Web Protection is a  free Internet filtering and control solution for the home. K9 puts YOU in control of the Internet so you can protect your kids.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Share this post :

I am Mrs.Rosemary Jones South Africa.

Once Again It’s Time To Play “Let’s Count The Typos”

Dear Good Friend.
I greet you in the name of the Lord I do recognised the surprise this letter will bring to you, most especially as it comes from a stranger.
I am Mrs.Rosemary Jones South Africa.I am married to Mr. Mark Jones who worked with our Embassy in Ivory Coast for nine years before he died on the 15th August 2006. We were married for eleven years without a child.
He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days.
Ever before his death we were both bornagain Christians and have sown into many ministries Since his death I decided not to remarry, but feeling quite lonely if not the Lord who has been my partner and comforter.
When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of$2.8 Million u.s.dollars with the bank in Cote D lvoire.

Presently this money is still in the custody of the bank in Cote D lvoire.Recently, my Doctor told me that I would notlast for the next Five months due to cancer problem.

Havingknown my condition I decided to donate this funds to a church,organization or good person that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein.
I want a church,organization or good person that will use this funds to help the orphans, widows and other people that need financial assistance.

Using part of this money to provide facilities for
God,s work, taking the gospel to greater height is my major reason of donating this funds out.The Bible madeus to understand that"Blessed is the hand that giveth".
l took this decision because I don't haveany child
that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and it had been their wish to see my husband dead in order that they might inherit his wealth since we have no son.
These people are therefore not worthy of this inheritance.This is why I am taking this decision.

Meanwhile I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going. It is only a sinner who's deathis painful I don't need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health hence the presence of my husband's relatives around me always. I don't want them to know about this development and l know that With God all things are possible.
As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the
contact of the bank in Cote D' lvoire. I will also issue a letter of authorization to the bank that will prove you the present beneficiary of this funds.
I also want you to always uplift me in prayer.
My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy
Christian. Whoever that Wants to  serve the Lord must serve him in truth and faith, "serving him with all you have,  knowing that naked we come and naked we must go" Contact me on this email address and any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing another good person, church,organization for this same purpose.
Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I Stated herein.
Hoping to receive your response immedaitely.
Thanks and Remain blessed in the Lord.
Your Sister in Christ.
Mrs.Rosemary Jones.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Share this post :

Congratulations once again.

YOU HAVE WON ON THE COMPUTER BALLOT,

YOU HAVE WON ON THE COMPUTER BALLOT,
THE SUM OF US$ 3 million us dollars
Contact Mr Clyde Sobers
YOUR CLAIMS AGENT.
FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE FUND RELEASE
Call him on: +27-781-062-923.

SOUTH AFRICA 2010 WORLD CUP BID LOTTERY AWARD.
PRIZE AWARD NOTIFICATION
Today your e-mail id was selected through the computer ballot system, as a winner of SOUTH AFRICAN 2010 WORLD CUP LOTTERY sponsored by Telkom the Official partner of Fifa World Cup Award.
You have to contact your claim agent for your payment process and include your personal information for smooth transaction.
Claim Agent: Contact Mr Clyde Sobers
Email: saclaimsagent25@gmail.com
Call: +27-781-062-923.
For verification purpose, forward to him your claim details below;
(1) Your Tel( Mobile ):
(2) Your Nationality/Country:
{3} Your Full Names:
{4} Your Occupation
{5} Your Age.
Ref No.06 08 010 19 30 42
Batch number: 13/26/DC36.
Security code: 676
Amount Won: US $3,000,000.00 (Three million United States Dollars)
You have to contact him not later than three working days.
Congratulations once again.
Regards,
Mr, Danny Jordan

Oh! A “batch number” and a “security code”? And a time limit? MUST be real…

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Share this post :

Digital Cameras and Fireworks

This week nothing is getting done by anyone except clock watching as we prepare for the greatest of all weekends — the 4th of July Holiday. Sure, we’re at work… physically.

So… I did what a lot of people are doing and just surfed the web a bit today.

Looking quite busy, I dropped by a site I have mentioned here before, timmyjohnboy.com, and took note of an article of his, Going On Vacation? Take Your Camera And These Tips!
I thought, well, I think a few Tech–for Everyone readers might be taking a little trip this weekend, and might like to read this collection of tips.

He also recommended a site that teaches digital photography online that I was previously unfamiliar with named Digital Photography School, and they had an article that a lot of people would be interested in: How to Photograph Fireworks Displays.

I mean, who hasn’t tried to take pictures of the fireworks and been disappointed with the result?

So, a big thanks to Timmy John Boy, and the good folks at the Digital Photography School, not only for helping me find this great advice, but for helping me look productive for a while.

Today’s free link: Don’t Sign-in on the Internet Without KeyScrambler.

Today’s free download: Monitor the Weather from your Windows Desktop

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Share this post :

How To Make A Copy Of Your Favorites List

Loyal readers of this site know that I am a huge fan of making backups of your digital stuff. Making a copy before you need it, and keeping it off to the side, makes bouncing back from “glitches” so much easier. And it prevents the anguish and frustration of “data loss”.
Backups are “good” and you want them.

Tip of the day: Today’s tip is a quick and simple action that “exports” a copy of your Internet “Favorites” (aka “bookmarks”) from Internet Explorer. You can then “import” the copy (copy back) at a later date, or transfer them into IE on a different machine.

1) Internet Explorer calls Website bookmarks “Favorites” and you access your list by clicking the gold star icon (upper left), and you add websites to your list by clicking on the icon right next to it — the gold star overlaid with the green + sign.
That is also the icon that manages your Favorites, so click that.

2) click on “Import and Export”.

3) Now a “wizard” will open and tell us how helpful it can be to us. Click “Next” to get to the actually helpful page.

4) Click on “Export Favorites”, and then click “Next” all the way through the wizard. Now you will have a file called “bookmark.htm” in your Documents folder — that is your backup copy.
[note: you can "browse" to a different Save location if you prefer.]

That’s it. You’re done. Now you can repeat this process but choose “Import” to copy it back into IE if you ever need to.. or transfer it to another machine’s Internet Explorer.

For more of my Internet Explorer tips, see Quick Tips for Internet Explorer.

Today’s free link: Firefox users interested in this type of ability will be interested to know that the process is almost identical to the steps above.. or they may be interested in a more comprehensive tool, The easy way to backup your Firefox profiles…

Today’s free download(s):
Today’s first free download is for Mozilla users and is contained in the link directly above.
For a truly comprehensive backup tool, see Backup, Backup, Backup With Free DriveImage XML

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Share this post :

Quick Tips for Internet Explorer

Do you surf the Internet? Do you use Internet Explorer? According to the statistics, the odds are pretty good that you will answer “yes” and “yes”. Because of those facts, I have written many articles containing advice and tips for getting the most out of Internet Explorer, and how to troubleshoot ‘glitches’ when they occur.

I have listed links to my more popular tips, and I invite you to scan the topic titles, and see if any catch your eye.
(The bottom link will present all my Internet Explorer articles by date.)

Restore Missing Favorites In IE*

Internet Explorer Runtime Error!!*

Quick Tip: Turn on ClearType in Internet Explorer

Can’t Download? Reset IE

How To Clear Your Cache

View Multiple Mail Identities in One Browser

Extracting text from Web pages*

Precautions for your Internet privacy*

Quick Tip: Customize new tabs behavior

IE’s Menu bar, Taskbar icons, and bad Updates*

What is a “homepage”?

How to use tabs in IE 7

Saving webpages as files

For more of my IE tips and repair advice, click here.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Share this post :

Compatibility Tricks for Old Programs, New Machines

How To Get Old Programs To Work On New Computers

So you went out and bought a new computer — congratulations! You got a good one, too: it has everything, including a dual-core processor. You have installed your favorite programs, and by that, I mean your games — great!

There’s just one catch — now some of your games misbehave and act like they’re in hyperdrive, everything moves at warp speed, and instead of three bloodthirsty hobgoblins, there’s thirty. You’re getting killed faster than you can press your “S” key… and that isn’t any fun! Or worse, the game will just freeze in mid-play.

I first noticed this on Battlefield 1942 (the whole series, actually). And then I noticed it on Call of Duty, but not so much on Call of Duty 2. And it was really bad on Quake. It became clear to me that the older the game, the more susceptible to this unplayability it was.

If this has happened to you, the odds are good you have a dual, triple, or quad core CPU. These processors weren’t available when these programs were written, and so the programmers didn’t factor in their ability to process multiple “threads” — basically what’s happening is these new processors are making two (or four) ‘events’ occur at the same time, where they are meant to happen one at a time.

But don’t worry… you need not say goodbye to your favorite games!

Tip of the day: Getting older programs to run smoothly on a new machine is just a couple of clicks away. Some of your programs are going to require you to “turn off” one of the ‘cores’ before it will run right.
To do this, launch the program and let it load (but don’t start using/playing it yet).
Now launch the Windows Task Manager by doing the “three fingered salute”, combination-press the Ctrl+Alt+Del keys (or Start >Run and enter “taskmgr” no quotes).
Click on (select) the Processes tab.

This shows a list of all the running processes on your machine, and how much RAM and CPU cycles are being used by each process. I have launched Battlefield 1942, which shows as the top (most recent) process.
* Right-click on the app that you want to adjust, in our case “BF 1942.exe”.

For some reason, the program-to-processor linkage is called “Affinity“, so from the menu of choices that appear due to our right-clicking, we want to click on (select) “Set Affinity”.
If you have a dual-core CPU, two CPU’s will be shown and checked, A quad-core, four.. We want to uncheck all but one… as shown below.

With luck, now your program will run like it should. Unfortunately, you must do this each time you want to launch your game/program. Sometimes, the game manufacturer’s will issue a “patch” that will mitigate this issue. Visit their website and look for downloadable “patches” and/or “updates”.

For really old programs and games, you may need to set them to run in something called “compatibility mode“. Mostly these will be items you have left over from your Windows 98 (or Me) days… but if you’re running Vista, you may need to do this for programs that ran fine on XP. Right-click on the program’s shortcut (desktop) icon and select (click) Properties. Now click on the Compatibility tab, as shown below.

Use the drop-down arrow to select the operating system you would like the program to run in as if it were installed. Here I am telling a Vista machine to run a XP environment, but you may need to set it to “Windows 98″. A little experimentation will determine your best choice.

Today’s free download: There’s a small app called Prio that allows you to “Save” priority and affinity, so you won’t have to set them at each launch.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Share this post :

Now They Have Gone Too Far

Dear Reader, I am so much in a dither this morning that I can barely type. I’m frantic. And I’m… scared. I received a message this morning and I don’t know how to respond to it… I mean, I know what I’m supposed to NOT do.. but. Well, I need your help deciding.

Even though I am not a “cat person”, I have come to love my cat; and he’s never hurt anybody, or said mean things about them. If something happened, it would break my heart.

Oh. Wait. It says I sent the note.

I don’t remember doing that.

I think I need to stop typing and go get my head examined. I seem to have a Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde thing going on…

* Folks: it seems my facetious tack and humor is not exactly clear. This image is a screenshot of my Spam folder. Spammers “spoof” the e-mail addresses: here  several appear to come from “me”. The cyber-criminals are just trying new ways to get people to click, and I though threatening a cat was kind of.. unique.
I thought my readers should be aware — they want us to click, so don’t!

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix