The PC Informant » Useful Web sites

Best free online applications

Vic Laurie — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:28:34 +0000

As people have begun to do more and more on the Web instead of on the desktop, many applications and services have become available online. Many of these are startups and they come and go so it is not always easy to know which are worth trying. Even Google applications can be rough or transient as the company tries out a lot of different things. “Gizmo” Richards has been providing evaluations of free desktop software for years and now he has turned his hand to rating online programs and services. Go to this link for his choice as the best in a wide assortment of categories.

From the files

Vic Laurie — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:12:49 +0000

Here are some stories that I thought were interesting but never had time to comment on.

Tech Support Hell: Ways to Avoid It
At Computerworld, Bill Snyder says, “Tech support is a broken system. Low-margin products leave little room for good customer service. But you can minimize the pain.”
How Apple is training you for the future
Mike Elgan writes, “It’s hard enough to invent a better way to do things. But the most difficult challenge is getting consumers to accept the change.”
Star Viewer Explores the Night Sky Google-Map-Style
Lifehacker says, “Star Viewer is a web-based tool for peeking at some of the most interesting and vivid sights in the night.”
10 handy tips for Google Chrome beginners
TechRadar tells you how to tweak Chrome to suit your own surfing habits.
The Top 5 Free Microsoft Products & Why They Are The Best
After observing, “Microsoft’s Internet Explorer may be the worst browser on the planet…”, MakeUseOf picks five free Microsoft apps that are the best.
Track Page Changes Using Google Reader
Google Operating System explains how to keep track of changes in your favorite Web sites.

Site with extensive information about mobile computing

Vic Laurie — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:15:38 +0000

These days, people like to be connected to the Internet wherever they go. In fact, for many millions, mobile computers are the major or only platform that they use. Back in December, I posted about the speculation that the smartphone would supplant the conventional PC for consumer use.

As the popularity of mobile platforms has grown, a bewildering array of different devices has become available. Trying to figure out which piece of hardware is best for your particular purposes means having to find and sift through a lot of information. But fortunately we now have a site that has put together the facts that will assist greatly in finding the right device. The site is from Sol Libes and is called Mobile Computers & Internet Access.

Sites for consumer information

Vic Laurie — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 10:53:03 +0000

There are a number of Web sites with useful information for consumers. PC World has a description of some of these. Included are:

Where to get the latest on smartphones

Vic Laurie — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:10:55 +0000

I’m still using a plain old bare-bones cell phone but I thought this might be worth passing on to those of you who have or are interested in smartphones. PC World has compiled a list of 50 blogs that cover smartphones and related subjects. The article gives a thumbnail sketch of each site. The list covers the whole gamut of devices—Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, Symbian/Nokia, Palm, Microsoft Mobile, etc.

Short takes

Vic Laurie — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:05:10 +0000

Here’s a quick summary of some links that caught my eye this past week:

LaptopFriendlyCafes Finds Great Wi-Fi Spots Worldwide
Lifehacker says, “LaptopFriendlyCafes.com lists more than 300 places around the globe that have plugs, Wi-Fi, 3G, and, oh yes, coffee.” Link is here.
Comcast running out of IPv4 addresses, beginning IPv6 trial
Ars Technica reports on the growing shortage of Internet addresses.
Power Plants Report Increase of Foreign-Based Attacks
Daily Tech reports, “A new study that interviewed power plant operators and other “critical infrastructure” indicates more than 50 percent of all U.S. power plants have had to deal with an increase in cyber attacks.”
The essence of iPad
Joe Hewitt writes why he thinks, “…iPad offers new metaphors that will let users engage with their computers with dramatically less friction.”
Why I believe printers were sent from hell
Cartoon site, The Oatmeal, explains how printers make life miserable.
Dark clouds gather over online security
Mike Elgan worries about the security of our private data stored in the “cloud”.

University lectures on the Internet

Vic Laurie — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:15:32 +0000

You can stay right at home and still enjoy hearing lectures from some of the best minds in the world. Many top-ranked universities are placing material on the Internet. I mention this from time to time because I think it is an opportunity you shouldn’t miss. Here are some more links:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
One of the great engineering and technology schools of the world.
Yale University
My ties are to Harvard and Princeton but Yale is a pretty good school too.
University of California, Berkeley
One of the great public universities.
The Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton)
Where Einstein used to hang out.

Free sites for online malware removal or detection

Vic Laurie — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:04:28 +0000

As I often mention, one of the top sites on the Web for free security software is “Gizmo” Richards’ Tech Support Alert. Among the many types of security links listed there are those that can run a Web-based scan of your system. Once a system is infected, an external scan is the best way to clean a system. There are a number of security programs that can be placed on a USB key or a CD/DVD. Also, many anti-malware programs provide for the creation of an emergency CD for use when a system is infected. However, if no external medium with security software is available, then a Web-based scan can be tried. (Of course, this assumes you can still get on the Internet with an infected system.) Here is a list of online scanners from Tech Support Alert (FF means Firefox. Otherwise, Internet Explorer is implied.):

F-Secure (FF)
Kaspersky
(no removal)
BitDefender
BitDefender qscan (FF)
Eset (FF)
Panda
Software (FF)
a-squared
OneCare
Superantispyware
Trendmicro (FF)
Mcafee
(no removal)
CA
VirusChaser
Comodo
Authentium
Ahnlab

Note that online scanners require the installation of ActiveX or other type of browser add-ons. If you are using Firefox with NoScript, you will probably have to enable JavaScript.

Lectures by Richard Feynman

Vic Laurie — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:14:45 +0000

This post hasn’t much to do with computers and I hope you’ll forgive me this personal indulgence. It’s about some online lectures by the famous physicist Richard Feynman. Feynman was already a legend in scientific circles when I was a graduate student. He wasn’t a personal acquaintance but I did attend several of his presentations at physics conferences and encountered him briefly several times. His acuity at analyzing problems was shown to the public when he put his finger on the cause of the space shuttle Challenger disaster.

Feynman was not only a truly original thinker but also a fine teacher and the books from his undergraduate physics lectures at CalTech are a staple of physics education. Fortunately for posterity, some lectures he gave at Cornell were filmed. Bill Gates and Microsoft have made them available online in an interactive and augmented format. There is also a Web site devoted to his famous undergraduate lectures.

Site for bird lovers

Vic Laurie — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:54:36 +0000

When I was young I was an avid bird watcher. Limited mobility now puts a crimp in such activity but I can still enjoy birds through Web sites such as the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. You can enjoy the sounds of birds at a number of sites but Cornell has an extensive collection of clips of bird songs. Another collection is at the State University of NY at Stony Brook. This site also has an extensive list of other sites with bird songs.