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Blog Details for "Technically Easy"
Technically EasyTechnically EasyMaking the world of technology easier to understand. Technically easy contains many articles about various aspects of technology used by everyone almost everyday. 
Articles
Interested in Guest Posting?
2008-06-10 15:00:00 I usually publish blog posts on Mondays (review), Wednesdays and Fridays. I came to thinking about also publishing posts on Tuesdays and Thursdays to fill out the week. The problem is finding the time to publish on all five of the days.This is where guest posting comes in. I have decided to allows those interested to provide posts that I will publish on Tuesday or Thursday of each week. If you are interested read the details below.Post RequirementsThere are several requirements that need to be met when submitting a post:The post must be about technology, whether it is informational or instructional.Must be your own unique post, which means it can't be a copy of an article written by you or someone else.The spelling and grammar must be good, although it doesn't have to be perfect.No foul language will be accepted.How to SubmitTo submit an article for posting, simply send an e-mail to psalmon12@gmail.com with the following:Your orginal written post.Any images you want to include in ... More About: Blogging , Guest
Review: My Ideas 4 You
2008-06-09 15:00:00 I have reviewed several personal blogs in the past, and compared to more niche oriented blogs I find them the most difficult to review. Personal blogs aren't written with one specific topic in mind, but rather, can span a whole range of topics.The one aspect of personal blogs that is different compared to some niche blogs is the frequency in which they are updated. Many are updated on a daily basis. This week I review a personal blog that is updated several times a day.Web Site: My Ideas 4 YouDescription: It's a blog about my personal life as well as gadgets and tools which I have seen or used before. I will also publish my own point of views and reviews of movies, computing software and hardware.Design The design of the blog and the colours chosen by the author is pretty unique to this blog. The author has chosen to go with a black background with orange and yellow highlighting. Since the background is so dark, and the orange and yellow is so bright, it provides a nice contr... More About: Review
How To Open Microsoft Office 2007 Documents in Earlier Versions
2008-06-06 15:00:00 I recently ran into an issue with an e-mail attachment. The extension of the attachment was .xlsx, which made me believe that it was a Microsoft Excel document. I saved the document to the local hard drive and attempted to open it, but was dismayed to find that no application was associated with it.After looking online to find the application associated with the extension I found out that it was indeed an Excel file for Microsoft Office 2007. I had Office 2000 installed, which explains why I couldn't open it. After some more research I found out that there is a tool you can download and install that will allow older versions of the Office tools to open files from newer versions.The Microsoft Office Compatibility PackIn the past, many people have had trouble opening documents from newer Microsoft Office tools in older versions. It seems that with each new version Microsoft creates a new file format. With Office 2007 it is no different.The file format I explained above is the Excel M... More About: Windows , Open
Fix: ASP.Net Client-side Validation
2008-06-04 15:00:00 Besides managing Technically Easy, I also manage other web sites. These web sites were developed using Microsoft's .Net framework and were coded in C#. Recently a problem had developed that caused me some grief.In the test environment, the ASP.Net client-side validation controls (used on some web forms) worked perfectly. They highlighted the fields that weren't filled in correctly when a visitor clicked the submit button. In production, however, they stopped working. After some serious research I determined the cause of the problem and was able to fix it. This post will explain how I did it.ASP.Net Client -side Validation ControlsIf you have developed a web site in ASP.Net chances are you have looked at, or even used the built in validation controls. These are used to validate a visitor's input for fields on a web form. These controls use Javascript to validate the data in the client's browser before the form is submitted back to the web server.After the validation controls stopp... More About: Side , Web site
Review: Palanthir
2008-06-02 15:00:00 There are many blogs for various niches online. Some blogs are focused specifically on a single niche, while others may focus on several niches. Those that do focus on several niches will hopefully focus on niches that complement each other, such as discussing PC games and video cards.This week's blog is really difficult to determine the niche. The author has chosen to discuss a variety of topics, which unfortunately doesn't provide a nice flow for the visitors.Web Site: PalanthirDescription: A Blog with variety of articles, news clippings, softwares, rare mp3s, polls, quotes, wallpapers, personal ramblings, advisory content etc.Design The blog is organized into three columns. The left column is dedicated to the content, while the two right columns contain the navigational links and advertising. The blog itself is not badly laid out as much of the advertising has been placed in the right column.The left sidebar consists of the main navigational links, including labels and ar... More About: Review
What are Web Sites, Domain Names and Hosts?
2008-05-30 15:00:00 I recently received a question regarding the difference between web sites and domains. I replied the best I could without including too much information as to make the answer confusing.The person asking the question was new to web site management. As there are probably many more out there that would like to start a web site and are new to this online world, I decided to create this post to explain a few things.Web Sites Most people have an idea of what a web site is. They know that when they type in a URL in a web browser a web page will be displayed on the screen.A web site is a simply a collection of web pages that are located at a single web address. Within a web site you may also include other files such as images, CSS, Javascript, and flash. All these are used to manage the design and interative content of the web pages.In a nutshell, if you were to create a directory on your local computer, add some HTML pages, images and other files, then you would have a web site.HostsRunning... More About: Domain , Domain Names , Blogging
How To Create a Development Blog in Blogger
2008-05-28 15:00:00 In a recent post titled Developing a Blog Process I described how you can use a separate development blog to test your blog changes. This allows you to change your design at will without impacting your visitors.One point I didn't touch on was how to create a development blog. In this post I will explain how you can easily create one in Blogger .Development Blog RequirementsAs mentioned earlier, a development blog is where you can try out different template changes without having an impact on your visitors. This means that if a design change completely breaks your current design, your visitors won't know since they will be accessing a separate production blog.There are a few requirements that you may want to include in your development blog:No indexing by search engines. Since this is a development blog, you don't want any posts published to this blog to be indexed by search engines. Many posts you create in this blog will probably test out your CSS, so they probably won't be actu... More About: Blogging , Create
Review: Insight on a Gamer
2008-05-26 15:00:00 The electronic gaming industry is huge with many games earning as much as blockbuster Hollywood movies. The industry brings in billions of dollars, which at times is more than the movie industry. There are many fans of electronic games, for which I am one, so it is by no coincidence that there are many blogs dedicated to this topic.This week I look at the first gaming focused blog, since I started writing free reviews, called Insight on a Gamer .Web Site: Insight on a GamerDescription: My insight on up and coming games, reviews for released games, and my insight on anything game related.Design There are many web sites that are geared towards the gaming industry, and most of them contain a lot of high-tech graphics. This blog by comparison, is more of a simple design with no graphics.The actual template used is a standard Blogger template, with the content on the left and a navigational sidebar on the right. The background is completely black with the colours of the fonts being w... More About: Review
How to Separate Multiple Photos from a Single File in Photoshop
2008-05-23 15:00:00 I do quite a bit of scanning whether it be slides, negatives, or printed photographs. For slides and negatives I can easily scan multiple items at one time. Scanner applications are able to save each image to a separate file with slides and negatives.Scanning multiple photographs is a different story. Many times people would scan multiple photos in at one time and then manually separate them. My scanner software can do that, but with automated settings only. Photos hop includes an automated action that can do this for you after the scan, and straighten your photos automatically.Scanning the PhotographsThe Photoshop automated action is executed after you have scanned in your photographs. To scan in the photographs, use the following steps:Place the photographs you want scanned on your scanner. Ensure that you leave some empty space between each photograph.Open your scanning software.When you select what to scan, ensure all the photographs are outlined so you will have one large photog... More About: File , Single
What You Need to Secure Your Computer
2008-05-21 15:00:00 I have written many posts regarding securing a computer in the past. Many of the posts have gone into detail about using specific software and hardware to secure your computer.In this post I will provide a more quick overview of the main components that you should have if you want to secure your computer.Hardware FirewallA good hardware firewall should be your first line of defense. This piece of hardware is connected directly between your modem and computer, so any data that is sent from the Internet to your computer passes through the firewall. This allows it to protect your computer from malicious traffic.I have both a wired and wireless router/firewall connected to my modem. My wired router/firewall is the Linksys 10/100 Mbps Router. My wireless router/firewall is the Linksys WRT54G Wireless G Router.Software FirewallThis piece of software performs a similar function to it's hardware sibling. The biggest difference is that it is installed on your computer and runs once your op... More About: Security , Computer , Secure
Review: Makoy's Memoirs of a Certified Blogger
2008-05-19 15:00:00 I have reviewed a few personal blogs since I started offering free reviews in November 2007. They are probably the most difficult to review since they aren't usually focused on a single niche.This week I review a personal blog from a blogger in the Philippines who apparently will be moving to Singapore.Web Site: Makoy's Memoirs of a Certified Blogger Description: Makoy's compilation of thoughts and ideas, comments and reactions to current events, major and minor happenings in his life, photo collection, and whatever things that can be classified as BLOG.Design The design of Makoy's is very simple. The content is on the left and a single navigation sidebar is on the right. I recognize the blog template as one that is available for Blogger users, with the exception of the header.A portion of the header is taken up by Project wonderful ads that stretch over the content and sidebar sections. Two more Project Wonderful ad segments appear in the sidebar with another appearing belo... More About: Review
How to Display Recent Post Titles in Blogger
2008-05-16 15:00:00 Most blogs display the last few posts on the home page, and Technically Easy is no exception. I like to display the last five posts that I have written so that visitors have a choice. If a visitor doesn't visit the home page, but rather is redirected to a post, I wanted to display the last five posts in the sidebar.For those with Blogger blogs, it is very easy to display the last few posts you have published to your blog.The Feed WidgetThere are several widgets that you can add to your blog. One of the widgets is called "Feed", which simply retrieves and displays the last few posts from an RSS feed. This is the one we will be using to display the last few posts of your blog.The following steps walk you through how to do this:Log into Blogger and then click the Layout link for the blog you want to change. You should now see the template layout for the blog.Click the Add a Page Element in the location you want to include the recent post list. Blogger's Choose a New Page Element wind... More About: Blogging , Post , Display , Recent
How to Create Printable Web Pages
2008-05-14 15:00:00 When I started Technically Easy the one thing that I wanted to do was make sure that my posts were printable. By this I mean I wanted the printed pages to not include the menubar and sidebars, only the content.Those who are just starting out in Web development may just create a second copy of the current page, and then create a text link to this page for printing. I wanted a more simple solution and realized the same task can be done easily with CSS.CSS FilesI have talked briefly about CSS in a previous post title Introduction to Cascading Stylesheets. In a nutshell, a Cascading Stylesheet (CSS) is a separate text file that controls the look and feel of your web pages. If you need to change the look of your web pages, you only need to change the CSS file.For most Web developers, they use CSS files to control the look of a web page in a browser only. CSS files also allow you to control the look of the web pages when they are printed as well. Implementing this feature is as simple as ... More About: Blogging , Pages , Create , Web site , Printable
Review: Caribbean Web Development
2008-05-12 15:00:00 There are many technology blogs on the Web today, such as my blog - Technically Easy. I haven't reviewed many blogs that are focused on technology, and most blogs, such as this week's review, are focused on the Web.This week I take a look at a technology Web blog that is described by the author as helping to "improve the skills of Caribbean Web professionals.Web Site: Caribbean Web Development Description: Aims to provide tips, tutorials, hints and other resources that will help to develop, enhance and improve the skills of Caribbean web professionals.Design The design of Caribbean Web Development is the strongest aspect of this blog. I like the design, from the content to the navigational sidebars. Everything is as it should be in a blog.To start, there is a content section on the left and two navigation sidebars on the right. The font size and type chosen for the content makes it very easy to read the posts. There is some whitespace between the posts that differentiates one ... More About: Review
Default User ID and Password for Various Routers
2008-05-09 15:00:00 I have received a few e-mails regarding the default user ID and password for different routers. Most people that ask for this information usually have reset their router back to the factory default, but can't seem to find the instructions to the router.I have decided to begin compiling a list of default user IDs and passwords for various routers. This is by no means a complete list, but I will add to it as time goes by.The following sections provided the default user ID and password for different routers. For the values that are listed as (blank), simply leave that field empty.LinksysModelUser IDPassword BEFSR41adminadminBEFW11S4(blank )adminWAG54GadminadminWAP54G(blank)adminW ET11(blank)adminWET54G(blank)adminWRT54G( blank)adminWRT54GS(blank)adminWRT54GL(bla nk)adminD-LinkModelUser IDPasswordDI Models (eg. DI-524)admin(blank)DIR Models (eg. DIR-625)admin(blank)It is important that you change these values in your router configuration to secure your router. Never leave these values as th... More About: Security , Networking , Routers
Photoshop GIF Settings
2008-05-07 15:00:00 I have recently wrote a post titled Photoshop JPEG Settings where I described the various settings for a JPEG image in Photoshop. The settings were available via the Save for Web option in the File menu.In this post I will discuss the settings that you can change when saving an image as a GIF. There are more options available for a GIF file, mainly because of the limited colours (256) that can be saved in a GIF image file.GIF SettingsThere are many options that can be changed when saving a GIF file. I will not discuss all the optoins, but will touch on the more common ones. The GIF settings are as follows:Preset This dropdown list provides several quick settings that you can use to apply to your image. There are several JPEG settings listed that include some default options for GIF.File Type The dropdown list below and to the left of the Presets list provides a list of all file types that you can save your file as. Selecting GIF will display settings for GIF files.Colour Reduction B... More About: Technology
Review: Angelika
2008-05-05 15:00:00 There are thousands of blogs on the Internet today, and a vast majority of them are under the category of personal. For personal blogs, the authors write about the events that happen in their lives.Many people enjoy reading these types of blogs since they may read about someone sharing the same experiences. This week I review a personal blog about a single mother who enjoys writing in her blog on more than a daily basis.Web Site: AngelikaDescription: Personal blog by a single mother living in the southern Unites States suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, Insomnia & a Hugh Laurie addiction.Design Personal blogs usually have one thing in common: they usually contain many widgets about anything and everything. Angelika is definitely in that category. This blog contains two navigational sidebars one each on the left and the right side, and with the content in the middle.Both sidebars contain many different widgets, links, and images (if you are a House fan, there are images of Hugh ... More About: Review
Photoshop JPEG Settings
2008-05-02 15:00:00 I have written several posts in the past relating to digital photos, and more specifically JPEG files. I have talked about the differences between JPEG and RAW files. In one post I also compare JPEG and GIF files, and provided examples to illustrate when to use a particular file type. The JPEG and GIF post also listed the settings I used to get the resulting image in Photoshop .When you save an image you are provided with many options to optimize your image for size and appearance. In this post I will describe each of the features associated with JPEG files to hopefully help you make a better decision.Save for WebFor those that use Photoshop, or are thinking of starting to use it, there are many ways to edit and save an image. One of the methods involves simply pressing CTRL+S to use the Save dialog and select JPEG. You can then set a few options, such as compression and then you are done. I use this method when saving digital photos, and set the compression to the best quality, whic... More About: Web site , Jpeg , Settings
Internet Explorer Opens a Blank Window
2008-04-30 15:00:00 I recently was informed of someone having an issue with Internet Explorer . The problem happened when they clicked on a link that opened a new browser window. Once the new window was opened, the new Web page was not requested and the browser window remained blank.After some quick searching, I came across a fix that was easy to perform and fixed the issue. I explain how to perform the fix in this post.Fixing the Blank Internet Explorer Window Many times when an application stops working properly it is the result of a file or registry key missing. In the case of this issue it was some missing registry keys. The good news, however, was that we didn't need to manually go into the registry and add those keys, there was a more simple approach.To fix the blank Internet Explorer window, use the following steps:Press Windows Key+R to open a Run dialog box.In the dialog box type regsvr32 urlmon.dll. This will re-register the DLL file and recreate the registry keys it needs to work.A confirmati...
Review: AndroidGuys
2008-04-28 15:00:00 All the blogs I have reviewed up until this point in time have been mainly authored by one individual. Although for most blogs having one author is the norm, this week I review a blog that seems to go beyond that norm.From the design to the focus of this week's blog, you will see that this isn't your ordinary blog. This week I review AndroidGuys.Web Site: AndroidGuysDescription: A site dedicated to Google Android and the Open Handset Alliance. We cover the 34 companies involved in Android including Motorola, Samsung, Intel, T-Mobile, etc. Run by a handful of guys with a love of smartphones and gadgets.Design When I first viewed the blog I noticed one thing straight away: the design and layout is not what I am accustomed to in a blog. While there is a menu bar at the top, and a side navigational bar on the right, the content section is much different than that of a standard blog.Within the content section the authors have chosen to include a featured article at the top, som... More About: Review
Windows Key Shortcuts
2008-04-25 15:00:00 In many previous posts I provided step-by-step instructions for performing certain tasks. At times I mentioned several methods of accomplishing one of the steps, and usually it involved using the Windows key on your keyboard. This key provides many shortcuts for commonly used functions within Windows.I have decided to compile a list of the various functions that the Windows key can accomplish for future reference. They are listed within this post.The Windows KeyThe Windows key is located, usually, between the left CONTROL and ALT keys on the keyboard. You use the key the same way you use the other keys, simply by pressing and holding it down and typing another key. The following table provides a listing of the various key combinations and the action they perform.CombinationActionWindows KeyOpens the Start menu.Windows Key+DMinimizes all open windows and shows the desktop.Windows Key+EOpens Windows Explorer.Windows Key+FDisplays the Find files or folders dialog.CTRL+Windows Key+FFind... More About: Shortcuts
How to Get the IP Address of Your Router
2008-04-23 15:00:00 I have written various posts about connecting your computer to the Internet, including how to connect using two different routers (Linksys's WRT54G and D-Link's DI-524), as well as various configurations.One topic I haven't discussed is how to retrieve the IP address of your router. You may not know the IP address if, for instance, someone has configured your router and changed the default address. I will show you how to get it in this post.IP Address esBefore I explain how to get the IP address of your router, I will provide a quick overview of an IP address. An IP address is a series of four numbers separated by dots that is unique to every machine and device on a network. This allows you to connect to any device by simply specifying the IP address of that device.Since each device has a unique IP address, your computer, and router each have their own IP address. The address of your router is assigned by your ISP, and the address of your computer is assigned by your router. Your ... More About: Networking , Router
Review: Upcoming Technologies
2008-04-21 15:00:00 I enjoy technology, which is evident in the fact that I am the author of a technology blog. Since I have started writing free reviews, I haven't really reviewed many technology-related blog.This week I will look at a blog that actually has a very long title, but I will shorten it to Upcoming Technolgies. In case you are curious, the full title I was given was "Upcoming Technologies ,Current Technologies,Review s,News,Info and more!"Web Site: Upcoming TechnologiesDescription: Explore the "most" interesting stuff of today and tomorrow!Design The design of Upcoming Technologies consists of a content section on the left and a single navigation sidebar on the right.The content section is well designed in that the text is very easy to read and the many posts are easily recognized and distinct. The content section is the best part of the blog, and the sidebar the weakest.The sidebar of a blog is traditionally used for navigation and advertising. In this case, it is used more for the la...
Developing a Blog Process
2008-04-18 15:00:00 For many individuals blogging is like a full-time job, in fact there are many who have made a career from blogging. They rely on their blog for their financial stability and livelihood. For those that are in this category, updating the design of a blog can sometimes be a headache if something goes wrong, as potential new visitors are turned away.I have changed Technically Easy many times in the past year, and each time it could have been difficult, except for the fact that I have developed a process. This process involves using two blogs to help ensure updates to the design of the one blog goes smoothly.Developing a Process In the business world, the IT department is run, hopefully, by processes. These processes dictate how something is changed in production to reduce the impact on clients. In the blogging world, processes can also be used to ensure visitors aren't impacted by a change to your blog.In the case of your blog, you can develop a simple process that allows you to easily... More About: Blogging , Blog
Performing Searches in Google
2008-04-16 15:00:00 I recently wrote a post titled Using Google Alerts to Track Copies of Your Web Content. In that post I mentioned using Google search results to watch for duplicate copies of your work showing up on other Web site s. The example I used was a common Google search term used by probably many webmasters, but may not be known by the general public.In this post I will explain some of the search terms that you can use in Google that can give you interesting results outside of just simple keyword searches.Webmaster SearchesMost people perform a simple keyword search, which basically involves searching for a specific word or phase in a Web page. Since most, if not all, people online know how to perform this search, I won't discuss it in this post.In this section I will concentrate on searches that could help a webmaster find specific information about their site in Google. If you use the Webmaster Tools within Google, you can easily perform these searches as they are hyperlinked in the Webmas... More About: Technology
Review: Tetsujin's Blog
2008-04-14 15:00:00 I have read many personal blogs. These are the blogs that don't have any true focus since the posts are what the author has felt like writing at a specific time.I enjoy reading some personal blogs as they can provide quite a break from reality. This week I review a personal blog, that is geared more towards the college crowd.Web Site: Tetsujin's Blog Description: It is about college life, general life on the internet, and random technology, it is a lot of personal blogging fun.Design When I read the e-mail requesting the review I never clued in that I have seen this blog before. When I viewed the blog I instantly recognized the image in the header of the blog. The header takes up quite a lot of real estate on the blog, but the image will be associated with this blog.Below the image is a menu consisting of links to a forum, suggestions, the "about me" and "contact me" pages, and a "One Buck Review " page. More on the "One Buck Review" later.The actual content portion of the blog...
How to Create Static-Like Pages in Blogger
2008-04-11 15:00:00 For many blog authors, Wordpress is the management system of choice. It provides the most flexibility and options for managing blogs. For those that are not using Wordpress, Blogger is a good, free option. Blogger, however, is not nearly as flexible to use as Wordpress. There are fewer options and templates for that system. The one drawback of using Blogger is the inability of uploading, and using static HTML pages.There is a simple workaround that you can use to create pages in your Blogger blog that will mimic static pages. I will discuss how to create and use those pages in this post.Creating Posts as Static Pages The only option, at the time of this post, to creating static HTML pages in a Blogger blog is by using posts. Now you can easily create an HTML page on another server and then link to it from your blog, but it is much easier to use posts as they will include your template.When creating the static pages, there are a few things that I would like to point out:The static pa... More About: Blogging , Create
How To Track Outgoing Links with Google Analytics
2008-04-09 15:00:00 I use Google Analytics to monitor the traffic on Technically Easy. It is a popular, free tool that provides a wealth of information about the visitors to your web site. The problem that I find with Google Analytics is that it doesn't track outgoing links to my blog. I would be interested to know how many of my visitors click on some of the provided outgoing links, such as my RSS subscription link.I recently found the answer to my problem, and how I can use Google Analytics to not only track links to other pages in Technically Easy, but also the outgoing links to other sites.Set Yourself some GoalsWithin Google Analytics you can setup conversion goals for each of your web sites. Goals are web pages that your visitors reach once they have completed a transaction or a desired action on your site. For example, on shopping sites a goal would be defined as a "Thank You" or "Confirmation" page once a visitor completes an order.When you setup a goal, Google Analytics will track various me... More About: Blogging , Links
Review: F1-ToGo
2008-04-07 15:00:00 When viewing blogs I like original blogs. It seems most blogs today discuss the saturated topic of making money online, or SEO (Search Engine Optimization). When I see a blog that is not focused on one of those two topics, it is like a breath of fresh air.This week I look at a sports related blog, specifically F1 racing. I am not a F1 racing fan, but this is definitely one of the best blogs I have seen. Lots of content, a specific topic, with a great design.Web Site: F1-ToGoDescription: Dedicated to the fast paced world of F1 racing. Featured are original content news stories, opinions, and a bit of controversy along the way.Design The design of F1-ToGo is well done. It is a standard design with the content on the left and two navigation sidebars on the right. There is also a menu bar at the top of the blog for easy access to important pages.First lets have a look at the content section. The titles are nice and large and easy to read. The font and font size chosen for the cont... More About: Review , Togo
Using Google Alerts to Track Copies of Your Web Content
More articles from this author:2008-04-04 15:00:00 In my last post I wrote about What to Avoid When Designing Web Sites. I mentioned various points that you should not do when designing a Web site . One of the points talked about copying the work of others and posting it on your site as your own. It was then mentioned in the comments about monitoring such copying of your own work.In this post I will look at one easy-to-use method of monitoring Google results for duplicate work of yours, which you can then use to take the appropriate action.What is Google Alerts?Google Alerts are simply e-mails sent to you when a specific set of criteria you setup is found. The search criteria are a set of search terms against the Google index, and when there are new items for those search terms an e-mail is sent to you.An alert can be setup for searches against News, Web, Blogs, Video and Groups.You can easily setup Google Alerts by visiting the Google Alerts home page and enter your search criteria on the form provided. You can then manage your aler... More About: Blogging , Content , Track 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
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