Cool(ing)! 'Cause it's spring..and it's still cold

Hey all, I go to Utah State University... which means that it still feels cold a lot of the time even though it's almost May. And this has nothing to do with the article I read, but it had the world "cool" in it, which made me think of it (welcome to my mind?).

So! Cooling. Liquid versus Fans. Which one is better? Well, it depends on your needs. And budgets. And craftiness. Super sweet article at pcworld, and one of the easy benefits of liquid cooling is the sound. It's very quiet, especially compared to these fans we've been using forever. Air cooling benefit? Very cheap, reliable (hey, we've been using them for forever). More liquid benefits is the efficiency of it. The biggest drawbacks though are the cost and how much work goes into attaching it to the right parts correctly. If you've ever been curious about cooling options, this is an easy-read article, and you should check it out.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2028293/liquid-cooling-vs-traditional-cooling-what-you-need-to-know.html

Recycling

In honor of Earth Day (yesterday, yes, I forgot), I found an article about recycling your old tech stuff. It starts with properly removing all data so it's not recoverable (doesn't matter if everything is "deleted" if it can still be rebuilt), and it goes through all of the different ways you can recycle it. If you're like me (cough, or my family, cough), then you've probably accumulated a lot of junk. Like old mp3 players, old monitors, old desktops, and many other tech products like that. These are things you'll want to wipe properly and you probably don't want cluttering your house anymore. I recommend taking the time some weekend to do it, maybe as part of your spring/summer cleaning?? There are some helpful tips and steps listed in the article if you get a little lost or need some guidance. Happy (Belated) Earth Day!

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2035435/recycle-your-old-tech-gear.html

Skitch: I think I'm addicted to Evernote.

Skitch is one of those few apps that makes me really wish I had a tablet - or a larger smartphone screen. You've always been able to draw/take actual notes using the app, but one of those drawbacks from the Evernote app (and ecosystem) was the lack of being able to markup PDFs. Well, Skitch has now integrated that ability, and now you can take notes with it. This would have been really helpful during the leadership conference I attended last week in Arkansas (http://scweb.aisnet.org/), as I forgot a notebook and pen at one point and mooched off of a friend for a paper. These apps are what's making investing in a tablet/smartphone (LARGE smartphone, in my case) so appealing. They make it so easy to have a one-stop app, and the Evernote ecosystem integrate so seamlessly with each other that it makes it a much needed tool.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2036091/skitch-brings-markup-tools-to-evernote-pdfs.html

12 tips for PC users

I love these How-To articles on PCWorld. These are 12 PC tasks that you should do, but a lot of people don't. General maintenance will help you to get the best experience (and life) from your computer. I'll summarize them in a list here:

1. Clean your computer from dust and crumbs and gross stuff like that
2. Back Up your data
3. Guard against viruses and malware
4. Update Your Software
5. Organize Your Files
6. Remove files/programs that take up space (be careful!)
7. Encrypt
8. Change Passwords
9. Optimize Startup
10. Organize Your Inbox
11. Automate
12. Defragment Regularly

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2032032/12-must-do-pc-tasks.html

Microwaves and Computers - what?

Comparing a personal computer to a microwave seems almost heresy, but one writer managed to do it. And he did it well. According to many reports, the PC is dead, but Brad Chacos managed to express the reality in a better way. In a lot of consumer’s minds, you need a PC, but you don’t always need to have the greatest and latest. We look towards tablets and smart phones for our latest devices, and we buy them because we feel as though we need them. We generally purchase a new desktop or laptop when our previous one has given up the ghost. For example, my laptop will be three years old this summer, so now I am just waiting for it to break before I buy a new one. I’m like a lot of people and use my smartphone for most of my computer needs. There is definitely a place for computers (desktops, laptops, etc.) within each home, but it has taken a place where it’s standard, not a desire for the best. The hardware hasn’t changed much within the past decade, which is why it has gotten to this status within homes. There are changes coming, and the leader of it is Windows with their Surface tablets which are creating new ideas for hardware, such as hybrids, touchscreen notebooks, all-in-ones, and many others. I definitely recommend reading this article. It brings up a lot of really great points, and it definitely has a more positive spin than the “PCS are dead!” stuff you read everywhere.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2034820/pcs-arent-dead-theyre-microwaves.html

Robots - iPhone Robots

I was skimming through articles on Wired.com, and I saw one that said something about the common man’s robot being headless… so I decided to check it out. The article started out discussing how we have all these cool technological devices in our homes, but no robots, even though that was a big thing of the sci-fi future before. This group got together and created a base (with wheels, so it’s movable) for an iPod/iPhone. You download the Romo app (that’s what the robot is called), and it gives the device a face, and it’ll even change features and track you with the sensor. They’re working on creating a lot more advances for it, such as facial recognition between family members and friends, so that it has a “personality”. You can control your Romo with another iOS device, so you could potentially use your outdated phone as the “brain” and face of the Romo, and your current phone as the controller. It looked like they’re even attempting to bring this to the Android market, as well. I think it’s really interesting how our smartphones have become central to our lives, and this is just an example. Our phones are finding ever more uses in our lives and how they interact with us daily. The hardware and the software is there, we just have to learn how to apply it all in a way that is affordable for the “common consumer”. One of the great things about this is that the team opened up the software coding and everything to let other developers create programs that are compatible with Romo, and thereby making it even better and a bigger part of the consumer’s life. One of my favorite parts about the article was the video at the end that gave a spiel about Romo, which I have included a link to on this page.

http://www.wired.com/business/2013/02/common-mans-robot/
http://vimeo.com/51263340#

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office: the software that has always been “needed”. In fact, I’m using it right now for assignments such as this. I’m using the Office 2010, while the Office 2013 was just officially released. I have always loved Office, but as times are changing, I don’t think I will go for it again. They’ve turned it into subscription applications, instead of the buying-once perpetual license. If you discontinue your subscription, then you are unable to create or edit documents and you will only be able to view and print them. This makes your application almost worthless. You can store your documents on the SkyDrive, and you’ll have access to your documents in multiple locations. They’re not technically stored in “the cloud”, but it sure feels that way. So while I have loved Microsoft Office for years, when it comes time for me to upgrade, I will probably stick with a free source that performs the tasks I need, such as Google Drive or OpenOffice. I am not willing to go to a subscription service for my Office suite, while I am willing to shell out some extra cash to buy it and have that version forever. Maybe I’m old-fashioned that way, but it’s the way I bought all of my games and software before, and I loved it.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2026564/microsoft-office-2013-is-here-hands-on-impressions-and-buying-advice.html

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2026981/microsoft-office-subscription-plan-sparks-questions-and-here-are-answers.html

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2027057/four-reasons-you-dont-need-the-new-microsoft-office.html

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2026666/not-ready-for-office-2013-here-are-five-open-alternatives.html

Post-World Backup Day: Hardware

World Backup Day was last Sunday (March 31)! So it's been about a week. I found a handy article about backup drives (although it didn't include information about backup software). It recommends getting a backup drive that is at least double your hard drive size. So if you have a 500GB hard drive, then get a 1TB backup drive. The article also goes through some options of the hardware of backup drives. Maybe my next post will be about software? Now, speaking of World Backup Day... I think it's time for me to go and backup all my data. My laptop is a little aged, so it's always good to be prepared!

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2032508/in-honor-of-world-backup-day-how-to-protect-your-data.html

Note Taking Apps: 3 Big Options

I got on PCWorld to start reading through some articles, when in the top left corner there was a highlighted article that mentioned Evernote and OneNote. Both are products that I love to use. Then it mentioned something about “Google Keep”. Judging from the title of the article, I could guess what the purpose of it is pretty easily. The note-taking, notebook market is pretty much dominated by Evernote and Microsoft OneNote. Google has decided to enter the market, though, with their own app. This article compares all three products to each other to try and determine which ones are the best fits, and it even puts all the information in a handy table at the end of the article.

As it is, I feel like Google Keep is very young. It has yet to form the powers and functions that put Evernote and OneNote at the top of their game. Google Keep needs some more time to realize how users will take advantage of a note-taking program. I love OneNote, but it’s very limited to the way I live my life: I mainly use my iPhone for all my note-taking needs, I don’t always have my laptop, and I don’t have Office 365 (I don’t know if I ever will). OneNote has the best text editor (think about who created Word… yeah, it’s good), but, as it is, it’s limited to my laptop. Google Keep isn’t quite as flexible yet, and it’s only available for Android, not Windows Phones or iOS. Evernote, on the other hand, has a web service, a program you can download on your laptop/desktop, a dedicated app for all devices, and an entire “ecosystem” of apps, such as Skitch, Evernote Food, Evernote Hello, Penultimate, etc. They all sync to your Evernote account, which can make it an indispensable tool in your life. I feel like Evernote is still the best option. Unless you’re a die-hard Google or Microsoft fan and will take anything they create over another product, Evernote allows the most flexibility while still providing a high-quality service. They have options for both personal and business organizational needs, and they provide a great managing system. Evernote has created a niche for themselves, and I feel like their software and apps will be used for a longer time than some of the “fad” apps.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2031818/google-keep-vs-onenote-vs-evernote-we-name-the-note-app-winner.html