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

Shortened Links

This is definitely an article that I needed to read, so I'm glad that I took the plunge to click on it. It's about those handy little links that are abbreviated. Twitter uses it a lot, which is understandable since there's a limit of 140 characters per tweet. I never thought about the potential security risk these links could cause, though. You never know where the links could take you, as the usual obvious details are hidden, and they could be Trojan links. There is this really cool extension, though, called "Unshorten.it" for Chrome and Firefox. It allows you to right click on one of those shortened links, and you can "Unshorten this link...", which will take you to a new page where it can tell you all of the information about that link. It's a super handy extension, and there's a link to installing it within the article below. I highly recommend everyone at least consider using it for daily use.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2013522/peek-behind-abbreviated-web-links-with-unshorten-it.html

TrueCrypt vs. .Zip

I have never heard of TrueCrypt, but this article helped explain it to me. It's similar to an encrypted .zip file, but the author of the article really loves it. It's secure, and it's a "TrueCrypt vault' - which is seen as a virtual drive. There were a lot of pros and cons to it, such as the TrueCrypt vault is set in its size, while a .zip file can expand and compress as needed for which files are in it. The author of this article brought out some good points for both TrueCrypt and .zip files.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2016558/answer-line-truecrypt-vs-encrypted-zip-files.html

Windows 8

This was definitely an interesting article to read. For one, I am not rushing to get a computer with Windows 8. Once it's been more fine-tuned and worn-in, then maybe, but I'm not itching for it. This article was discussing the "hidden" security features built in with Windows 8, and that if you are thinking of getting it then you should purchase a new computer with updated hardware rather than just updating your OS. I understand where they're coming from, but it also felt like they were trying to "sell" the reader on upgrading their computer and spending more money (when we all know that this will be outdated quickly). I've had my laptop since the beginning of college, and my goal is to make it until graduation (whether from grad school or just with my undergrad is a different matter...). I've succeeded so far in my goal, but it's also 'cause I'm trying to take care of it and I won't be sucked in to buying a brand new laptop that'll be outdated immediately. Technology is growing at a rapid rate, and unless you have your heart set on one particular computer and have had it set on it for months, you have to be willing to bide your time before upgrading. Kind of like with cell phones... I really want a Galaxy SIII or SIV, but I also realize that by the time I need a new phone, there will be plenty of even greater options out there and it's not worth my money right now.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2027593/windows-8-put-its-hidden-security-features-to-work-.html

Protecting Your Wi-Fi

This article gave instructions of how you should change your wi-fi password. The nitty-gritty details weren't what I was too interested in, but I did enjoy that they pointed out that even the password to your network will need to be changed often, not just the ones to your accounts on online sites. People can still cause damage to you if you're not protecting the access to your network, so it's good to make sure that you have taken every necessary precaution to protecting yourself. It's not easy to have everyone in your household go and change their password, and they may all get really annoyed with you, but the protection that you gain from it is worth it.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2026340/change-your-wi-fi-password-on-various-devices.html

A Geeky Valentine's Day

Because it's Valentine's Day, I felt like it would be nice to share some fun articles I found for geeky/techy Valentines. I chose them because, well, I am a geek. Mashable's article is focused more on decorating/personalizing your gadgets, which is always fun. For example, I've had this phone case I bought last summer that holds my three most important cards: my driver's license, my debit card, and my room key. It's the coolest. Anyway, there's some cool cases and what-not on Mashable, so if you want ideas for gifts in general, it's a good place to start. PCWorld also did an article with 15 products they love. I love them, too. There's some really cool products there that I didn't know existed, like Up and Livescribe Sky, which I am now lusting after. They also pointed out the Steam platform (that I, of course, have) as one of the cool products. There's speakers, keyboards, software, and all sorts of fun stuff packed into their article. Go have fun with it!

Surviving

I got a little "click-crazy" with searching articles... and I found a fun one about creating a "survival kit" with a flash drive. Seeing as how cheap they are and how most everyone has one, I thought that this would be a great idea to touch on. It kinda links back to the previous post about being prepared for disaster and having a back-up plan (or multiple back-up plans!). First, I learned that there are lots of portable apps! I don't know where I've been, but I was very excited to discover these. Second, you can use a second flash drive to store SystemRescueCD on it. It is a free live operating system, Linux-based, so you'll always be prepared.

Now I want to go buy a couple new flash drives and prepare!

http://rikkitechthoughts.blogspot.com/2013/01/encryption.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2021326/turn-your-flash-drive-into-a-portable-pc-survival-kit.html

Encryption

I found some really fun articles (when browsing through PC World) about how to encrypt your data and protect your laptop. They recommend passwords, but passwords can be easily broken, so even that shouldn't be your only protection. It's a basic protection procedure, much like locking your door in your home; it's not perfect, but it's a good first step.

There are some really great backup software possibilities out there, too! They mentioned Dropbox, and that is a great way to keep some documents safe. Again, though, that's typically protected by only passwords. Some other great backup software is Carbonite and Acronis. They're both going to cloud storage data, and I have heard amazing reviews for Carbonite. Check 'em out if you're looking for backup options!

My favorite back-up plan: I have an external 2TB hard drive that I use only for my backups of all my data. Only problem is when I forget to update it, which is when the cloud backups like Carbonite and Acronis come in handy.

Anyway, I hope that you guys have fun, and you should check out these articles!

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2025462/how-to-encrypt-almost-anything.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2025897/a-road-warriors-guide-to-locking-down-your-laptop.html

Zombies

Yes, zombies. We all love them (and if you don't, you still know the hype). But there's a different type of zombie - that a really great article pointed out to me - that we should all be aware of. These are "Zombie Accounts". This article pointed out how many of use create accounts, or link websites/applications, that has access to a lot of personal information. We all try to be safe, but I think we tend to forget about these accounts and that they exist. The author of the article used MySpace as an example, and how he doesn't use it anymore but it still has a lot of information about him stored in it.

I love these types of articles where it's reminding us of different ways we can improve on securing our information. There are a lot of obvious ways that most of us don't seem to realize, and it's good to keep up on how to protect yourself. This particular article is an easy and great read, and the comments after the article are also worth reading. As one comment mentioned, all we need now is a program to help us find all of our lost and zombified accounts!

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2026090/how-to-prevent-zombie-accounts-from-haunting-your-digital-identity.html

The Java Problem

It's been a little while since the zero-day exploit, but I decided to look up some articles about it now that Oracle has released an update. There were two vulnerabilities that created the opportunity for the exploitation, and Oracle released an update fixing only one of them. If attackers can find another vulnerability  then we are right back where we started. There is always the opportunity for more threats, so while it should be safe for users to have an updated Java (Java 7 Update 11), I have continued to leave my Java browser plug-ins disabled on my computer. I'd prefer to be a safe than sorry.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2025797/oracles-java-patch-contains-new-holes-researchers-warn.html