Archive for Technology
Modwest has new single hosting plans
Posted by: | CommentsOf course I like BevtheGeek.com’s hosting plans the best (starting as low as $2.79/mo) (unapologetic self promotion:)! But I also like to give my readers a fair choice in plans and Modwest has just revamped their shared hosting service to include single hosting plans. Month to month is a little spendy ($14.99/mo). However, they do have a Sale going on now for $6.95/mo if you purchase for 24 months. Most of us purchase for at least 3 years anyway, so there is definitely a savings. I have two clients who use Modwest for their website hosting and, except for the complexity in backing up the databases, they have had a 100% uptime with good connectivity. The one drawback is that they are not available 24/7 for support with the $6.95 plan, but the upside is this plan offers no resource limits. If you are in the market for a 24/7 plan, Modwest provides that service in a different plan. Check out their new hosting either by clicking on the Modwest ad over on the right, or Click Here.
Do You Develop Video Demos?
Posted by: | CommentsIf you need to create video demos from your computer without spending a fortune, you might want to check out Wondershare Democreator.
SCORM compliance for under $80 for an academic license. Check it out HERE.
It’s all about WordPress 3.0 right now!
Posted by: | CommentsWordPress 3.0 is now available for download here. I will probably wait for a few updates before upgrading. In addition iThemes is still working on some things on their end, so I want to wait for them as well. Remember, even if you wait, you should BACKUP your site. I recommend Backup Buddy for that function simply because it saves me so much time. Yes, there are plugins that backup your database and plugins that backup your files and plugins that backup your pages and posts. Backup Buddy does it all with one click. Seriously. So watch the video on the new WordPress release, but remember to BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP!
F.lux – Saving You from the Monitor Monster
Posted by: | CommentsKudos to Geoffrey for telling me about F.lux. This is a fantastic utility for those who work (or play:) on their computers into the wee hours. Even better, have you awakened in the middle of the night to do some work on your computer, only to be blinded by the screen?! Holy light from beyond and back — the glare is terrific!
There are studies suggesting that, although blue light is beneficial during the day, late at night, blue light can negatively affect your sleep pattern. My own experience suggests that F.lux not only makes it easier to work on your computer at night, but apparently my sleep pattern WAS being interrupted; I now find I am sleeping better and for longer than my normal 4-5 hours a night. You can adjust the settings and, if you need to work on web design (exact colors, etc.), you can disable the utilty for an hour. If you are simply writing code, the lighting will not affect your results. This is a small-footprint application with a large payoff and I am so grateful Geoffrey told me about it.
Google Pacman – you didn’t miss it!
Posted by: | CommentsIf you missed Friday’s Google Doodle, you can still feed your Pacman Fever by downloading Google’s special verion! The users at StackOverflow, extracted the 30th Anniversary Google edition of Pacman. To play online, follow this link.
Google – have a cow!
Posted by: | CommentsGeez, I typically enjoy the anniversay pics Google puts on their search page; but if you want to have a heart attack, check out today’s Google search – it’s Pacman’s anniversary. When the music started playing I thought I had a *@&# virus! But all is well with the pc, Google, and the world (for the most part!:) Happy Anniversary Pacman. I had fun playing this interactive (yes, you can Really play it!) anniversary edition.
Mr. Zuckerberg goes to Washington
Posted by: | CommentsWill Washington beckon a visit from facebook? CNET’s own Caroline McCarthy’s article thinks it might. Washington is becoming worried about not just the changes fb keeps making, but the frequency and how it is affecting facebook users. McKeon’s article below confirms how much the privacy settings have changed.
From this in 2005: 
To this in 2010: 
Should we be concerned?
Facebook’s Evolution
Posted by: | CommentsI really like this short article on the Evolution of Facebook and the advice it promotes. The answer to facebook is NOT to delete your profile, but to set your Settings and create your Conversation in a manner in which you are comfortable sharing.
It all comes down to the advice our Moms gave us: Don’t say anything you wouldn’t want someone else to hear – your boss, your spouse, your parents, or your kids!
Snow in May and Backing up your Computer
Posted by: | CommentsIf you live in Montana, you live with a LOT of power outages and brown-outs. Last night was no exception. I picked up a friend to attend the Girls State Tea and ALL of Stevensville proper had lost power. My friend is a smart cookie, has her backup all set up and knows she needs to unplug her electronics as the winds and weather move through the Bitterroot Valley.
Even if you don’t live in Montana, weather and power outages happen. Look at Tennessee and their flooding. My heart just goes out to them. If you keep your important data files on your computer, you can use offsite backup like Carbonite or Mozy. You can keep data on an external hard drive and on CDs or DVDs. In a local disaster, you may wish you had that offsite backup. I use Carbonite and you can click on the link on my page. I am not an affiliate as I guess I don’t get enough traffic (yet!:), but I still recommend it to my customers as an excellent backup system. If you google promo codes for it, you can even find it for less than the $55/year. I found a code last week for a client and we purchased 2 licenses – one for his computer and one for his wife’s computer for $49/year — each. Sweet.
Need for Speed
Posted by: | CommentsThe FCC (the U.S. Federal Communications Commission) announced that by 2020, it expects to require Internet providers to offer minimum home connection speeds up to 100 Mbps (megabits per second). Read More→
