Translating Human

I don’t understand what you said.

Fortunately for me, I have help “translating” what you said (or, more accurately, wrote) – thanks to “tech” and the Internet.

Do not get me wrong, I do not use these services very often (most people communicate to me in fairly decent English) but when I need them, I need them. If you know what I mean.

When I run across a phrase, or some website, so rude as to be in some language other than American English, I first go to Babel Fish. Babel Fish allows me to ‘paste’ up to 150 words into the ‘translator box’, choose my language – to – English (in my case) conversion, and – click – I will instantly have a rough idea of what’s being said. Or I can enter a website’s URL, and the whole page will be ‘converted’.
I have yet to try using Google’s Goggles app on my ‘droid (see, Does Your Android Wear Goggles?)

When someone is using American English, but their choice of phrase or colloquialism (“expression”) is unfamiliar to me (maybe because I don’t get out enough..) I use one of three ‘options’:
* if I suspect the phrase is young and hip ‘street talk’ or popular slang, I go straight to the Urban Dictionary.
* if I suspect the phrase is regional, or from an era before my time, I look in Phrases.net.
* [Parents take note] if I am asked to decipher a teenager’s chat ‘texting’ (more accurately, “lingo”) – which is deliberately not meant for adults to understand – I use either Lingo2Word, which is a ‘paste in’ instant translator very much like Babel Fish, or NoSlang.com which has the same tool as well as a dictionary. NoSlang is a bit more comprehensive.. it includes “net speak” (Internet slang).
Bonus Quick link: 25 Internet Slang Terms All Parents Should Know)

And last but not least.. I can ‘Google it’.

I think, out of all of those.. I use Urban Dictionary the most. But I am not a parent. If I were, I would bookmark NoSlang…

Today’s free link: Download FREE Microsoft Office Training Manuals and Quick Reference Guides

“Most people only know the basics of this powerful Office Suite and only challenge themselves to learn more when the the environment they are working in demands its. Any edge you can get to make your job easier, with Microsoft Office, can pay dividends in the end; not only for you, but for those you are working for.“

Bonus bonus: Take a look at Google today. They have one of their “artsy” name mods up…

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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Reader Question Answered: Disposing of Floppies

Proper Way To Erase Floppies If You Don’t Have A Working Drive

Q: Paul I am hoping you can tell me what I should do. I have boxes of old floppy disks and I want to get rid of them. I want to delete the files on them, but I no longer have a computer that has a floppy drive. How can I erase these disks without a drive?

A: Dear Reader,
Let my start my reply by commending you for being aware that it is very important to remove (aka “erase”/”delete”/”shred”) the data from any “memory device” before you dispose of it.

The proper method for destroying files is to run a “shredding” program, (sometimes called “secure delete” — which repeatedly writes a random series of 1’s and 0’s onto the memory) as simply formatting, deleting (or Trash-ing) the files is not enough.
(See, What You Need To Know About “Delete”*.)

Since you do not have a working 3.5″ Floppy drive (the floppy having gone the way of the dodo) you will need to use an “alternative” method to destroy your files and/or the diskettes themselves — and there are many of these. Probably the simplest is to touch the floppy to a reasonably large magnet (such as you will find on the back of old stereo speakers).

A few other methods
Some of the more “heavy duty” document shredders have a slot for shredding CD’s, and some of those can shred floppies. Consult the booklet that came with the shredder.

One fella I know clamps several into a vice, and then drills several good-sized holes; while another cuts them in half with a chop saw (please be careful.. and wear eye protection..).

You can bend them until they snap open, remove the soft brown disk, and cut it in half with scissors.

You can take them to a trusty tech, or Data Destruction service, and pay a modest fee. This last is my reco for most folks.

Today’s free download: Many “utility suites” (and also many “security suites”) have a “secure delete” function, so you may already have a file shredder. But if you don’t, and are planning on disposing of/donating old tech gear, you can download File Shredder

“If you’re looking for a reliable utility for utterly erasing files from your hard drive, you’ll be pleased with File Shredder’s performance. This free tool’s attractive interface is designed for ease of use, and even novices will comprehend its functions right off the bat.”

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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Shortcut: Quickly Tile Your Open Windows

Windows 7’s Snap feature lets you arrange your open windows side-by-side simply by dragging them to the edge of your screen. This greatly enhances working with multiple documents. Today’s Quick Tip shows the shortcut method for those who are using XP or Vista. This window arranging (or “stacking”) is called “tiling”.

First, hold down the Ctrl key. Then click on the tabs in your Taskbar for the windows you want to arrange and work with. (In this screenshot, I have ‘select’-ed Firefox and Word.)

Click to see larger image

Now right-click on a blank area of the Taskbar, and a context menu window will open.

XP: choose “Tile Vertically“.
Vista: choose “Show Windows Side by Side“.

That’s it. When you are done, and want to return to normal, right-click a blank part of the Taskbar and choose Undo. (Or, drag and resize manually with your cursor.)

Today’s reading reco: Top 10 smartphones of 2011 … for now

Today’s free download: SecureBrowsing from M86 Security

“SecureBrowsing scans pages from popular search engines and social networking sites and detects even the trickiest malware, so you can reject it. Unlike other services, SecureBrowsing scans all links in real time, giving you instant, accurate results. Using cloud-based scanners based on M86 Security’s award-winning secure web gateway, it anonymously scans and analyzes web pages every time a link appears in your browser, providing you with the safest ratings possible.”

• Free browser plug-in for Internet Explorer and Firefox
• Real-time safety ratings
• Ideal for Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

(note: this tool does not block, only warns.)

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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It is time to face facts and finally dump Windows XP

I have been saying this for a while now; but, sometimes people just want to know what other pros are saying..

Microsoft Windows XP is 10-year old technology; it is time to dump it for something better and safer.

“It is time to finally dump Microsoft Windows XP. There are no longer any truly compelling reasons to stick with XP, just excuses. Yes, it still works, but so does Morse Code, horse and buggies, and the IBM PC Jr. I have on display in the office. The Windows 7, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems are all better operating systems than Windows XP. They are more secure, they take advantage of modern hardware and software technology, and they are closer to the beginning of their respective product life cycles.

And consider what we have seen in the past few years. Smartphones and tablet PCs are selling by the millions and the way your users will interact with the network has changed forever. For many, the idea of a 9-to-5 job is the stuff of nostalgia; we work when we work and we need to be connected at all times with any device that happens to be available. Not one of those devices is running Windows XP and with good reason.”

To read the entire Tech Republic article, click here.

Not only am I a tech, but I write about, and study, Internet safety. A big part of my RL job is repairing machines which have been infected with “malware” (spyware, keyloggers.. “viruses”). 90% of the machines on my workbench for malware removal in 2011 have been Windows XP (32-bit) .. and 90% of those had antivirus or a “Internet Security Suite” installed.
These facts mirror what I observed in 2010.

I am going to be blunt (again) — I would not connect a Windows XP machine to the Internet unless it were fully “sandboxed” by an application like Time Freeze ($39) or Time Machine (free) and the web browser was sandboxed by an application like Sandboxie (free+pro).
Or it was a virtual machine.
Or I was deliberately trying to get infected (to gather malware samples).

None of those three things are things the “average computer user” is going to take the time to learn and implement. (I would hope they would at least do the first.. but.. let’s be real.) And let’s not forget: Microsoft has come out and said they want us off of XP and are ending support for it. Hint?

(And, please. I do not want to hear from people telling me they are running 32-bit XP and have never been infected. I am certain there are some of you out there, yet.)

Bottom line is – it sure seems to me – it is past time to get yourself a new 64-bit computer.

Be that Windows 7 SP1, Apple’s Mac, or Linux.

I understand that simple economics will prevent many from following that advice. For those folks, I seriously and ardently recommend the sandboxing tools mentioned above.. and also rethinking your budget and trying really, really hard to fit a new computer into it. To put it simply, when it comes to software product cycles, Windows XP is just plain ancient. And vulnerable. The “hackers” have had it under their microscopes for 10 years…

Don’t agree? Scroll back up; click the link; read the article.
I’m just giving you my 2¢.

Bonus reading: Typical Sounds A Hard Drive Will Make When Failing

“During all my years of working around PC’s I have learned to not only monitor for the visual cues of the onset of problems; but to also monitor for the audio cues, as well.  For example, if I am assisting someone on a PC that may be experiencing problems, I am lost if there is not a hard drive LED light to monitor the activity of the hard drive…”

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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Sunday Beauty XXXV

The magical power of that morning cup of coffee

Photographer: Commander John Bortniak, NOAA Corps, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

I am hoping you have a great day folks!

Sunday Ugly #55: There is an almost .. “artistic” pattern here too…

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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Quick Tip for Firefox 4 Users | A Look At Our Future

How to Disable Location Aware Browsing

By default, Firefox 4 has “location-aware browsing” enabled; which allows websites to request your location, and display their content accordingly. If you do not want your physical location broadcast to websites, you may want to disable this function. (But be aware, your computer’s IP Address gives your approximate location away anyway.. unless you use a proxy service.)

1. Go to the address bar and type “about:config” (no quotes) and then press Enter.

2. When the “This might void your warrenty!” message appears, simply click the I’ll be careful, I promise! button. (Firefox has no “warranty”..)

3. Locate, then double-click geo.enabled. The value will change from true to false.

4. Close, and then restart Firefox.

That was pretty easy, wasn’t it?

*     *     *

If you want a glimpse of our “tech” future, this video may be it.. (but even if it isn’t our future, exactly, it is kewel!)

Related reading: To see my other Firefox articles, click here.

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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Two Bad Ideas Prove Popular

Sometimes I marvel at my fellow man. What he thinks is a great, neat, and super-cool idea, I find to be stupidity squared (S²). Sadly.. instances of this happen every day.

Example #1: Color

“Color, the brand-new but already controversial free mobile app released on iPhone and Android devices today, has already turned off plenty of potential users. What does Color do? It taps into your GPS to find your location and shares photos that you took with other users—any other users, not just your friends—who are within a 100-foot radius. It’s voluntary in the sense that you have to download and install the app in order to use it or be included in what other people see, but once you’re in, you’re in, with little ability to limit who sees what.

Guardians of online privacy have been shaking their heads all day. Meanwhile, eager early adopters are throwing their privacy concerns to the wind and snapping photos left and right of anything at all (and from what I’ve seen, little of substance; such is the elation to try the thing out)…”

See, What Color Will Need to Win Us Over: Creativity

Example #2: Omegle (aka “an anonymous chatroom”)(There are others, too)

“Omegle is a great way of meeting new friends. When you use Omegle, we pick another user at random and let you have a one-on-one chat with each other. Chats are completely anonymous, although there is nothing to stop you from revealing personal details if you would like.”

(Parents.. you do not want your kids on sites like this, read this. [and yes; “chat” includes “video chat”…])

Both of these are popular. Why? So people can ask other people, “A/S/L” (age, sex, location?). It’s about sex.. and “hooking up“. With Color, someone can snap a picture of themselves, and transmit it to strangers 100′ feet from them.. maybe one of those strangers will want to have sex with them.
Woohoo!

And, someone, somewhere, can show advertisements on these sites.

Meet new friends. Show ads. Brilliant!

Bonus! Example #3:

(Maybe this explains some of the HR people I’ve heard about…)

Bonus bonus: 3-D smartphones ditch the glasses (3D smart phones???)

Orlando, Florida (CNN) — After a lukewarm reception from television buyers, 3-D technology is pushing its way onto small screens.

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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