Free SXSW Music

Posted by Scoroncocolo March 7, 2010

Caps Lock Warning and God Mode

Posted by Scoroncocolo February 24, 2010

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Posted by Scoroncocolo February, 21 2010

Caps Lock Warning Tone

Don't you hate it when you unintentionally hit your Caps Lock key? There's no way to turn off the Caps Lock key in Windows without fiddling around in Windows Registry. But you can configure Windows to give you a heads-up that you've hit that useless sucker. In Win 7 and Vista go to the Control Panel and click Ease of Access Center and then Make the keyboard easier to use. Put a check mark in Turn on Toggle Keys. Click Apply and from now on when you inadvertently touch your stupid Caps Lock key, you'll hear a high-pitched, little "ping" sound. Hitting the stupid Caps Lock key again to turn the thing off will give you a lower-pitched ping sound.

In Windows XP, go to the Control Panel and click Accessibility Options. Click the Keyboard tab and select Use Toggle Keys.

Posted by Scoroncocolo January 25, 2010

Windows God Mode

Here's an OMG trick you can use with Windows 7 and even Vista. It's called God Mode. What God Mode does is put everything that is changeable about your Operating System into one God Almighty folder. This means that you no longer need to roam about in your Control Panel hunting for this or that among all those icons. Every single alteration you might want to make to your OS is right there in your God Mode folder. Here's the trick to make this happen. Right-click your Desktop, or any other folder in Windows and click on the option to create a new folder. Once the folder is created right-click it again and click on Rename and rename the folder this GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}. You might want to copy that long string and paste it. But re-naming that new folder God Mode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} will create a God Mode folder that is simply God-awful awesome.Word of caution, this works reliably with 32-bit Win 7 and 32-bit Vista. With 64-bit versions of either OS, your mileage may vary.

What Is the Mouse Wheel Good For?

Posted by Scoroncocolo October 13, 2009

Using Your Mouse's Wheel

Clicking a link with your mouse's wheel will open a window in a new tab. Wheel-click this link to my post on On-line Backup Strategies to see for your self.

You can hold down the Ctrl key and spin your mouse wheel up to make a web page larger. That could help you read some tiny print. Wheel down plus Ctrl makes everything smaller.

When ever your browsing the web and you've got lots of tabs open, instead of having to mouse onto those tiny X's to close them you just click them with your wheel. Clicking any portion of a tab with your wheel, closes the tab.

The PacMan Problem

Have you ever been typing away on that email to Aunt Betty or that novel you've been working on for ten years and need to insert some text between some text you've already written which is probably something you do dozens of times everyday. But all of a sudden when you've clicked where you want to insert some text and start typing, the text you want to insert is gobbling up what you've already written. This happened because as your fingers were flying across the keyboard you mistakenly pressed the Insert key which is very close to the Backspace key. So, just press the Insert key again (on purpose this time) and all will be well.

Windows 7 Vista and XP Tips and Tricks

Computer Tips and Tricks

Emailing Large Files?

I'm constantly being asked, "How is the best way to send a file that is too large to be sent as an email attachment?" Old answer: Used to, to get that done for free, you had to use a site like YouSendIt.com. And you still can send a maximum of 100 MB for free on YouSendIt.com. But nowadays there's a much better way to send and receive large files. New answer: Microsoft Windows SkyDrive as well as a number other free to use online data storage services.

On-screen Keyboard

Windows XP and Vista have a little known program called osk.exe. It's an on-screen keyboard. Click Start > Run and type osk to have it pop on the screen. Why would you ever want to use this? I haven't the slightest idea.

Making a Shortcut to Snipping Tool

Snipping Tool Shortcut

If you're like me, you take a lot of screenshots (capturing an image on your monitor). Windows Vista and Windows 7 (beta) have a handy little tool called Snipping Tool that make taking screenshots so very easy. Just click on the above link to learn all about how to use Snipping Tool. The only problem with using this great feature in Vista is that there is no easy way to get to it. So here's a neat way to make a keyboard shortcut to Snipping Tool in Vista. This should work with Win 7 as well.

Bring up the Start Menu, and then click on All Programs. Click the Accessories folder, and you will see the Snipping Tool. Right-click it and then click Properties. Click the Shortcut Tab. The Shortcut key box should have "none" written in it so click that box and type your Ctrl key and your F12 key so that it looks just like the image to the left of this text. Click Apply and OK and deal with Vista's annoying User Account Control or UAC and you're done.

Now anytime there's something on your screen you want a picture of, just type Ctrl F12 and start Snipping.

Anyone Can View Saved Passwords on Your Computer

Posted by Scoroncocolo October 9, 2009

Did you know that the passwords you ask your browser to remember for you can be viewed by anyone you allow to use your computer? It takes only seconds to download and install IE PassView. That program will reveal all of the passwords you've asked Internet Explorer to remember for you. It's a nice tool to have if you've deleted some cookies and consequently lost your passwords to some Websites. But be careful because anyone could in a matter of seconds sit down at your computer and and use IE PassView to access all of the passwords you've instructed Internet Explorer to remember for you.

In Mozilla's Firefox browser it's even easier for someone to steal your passwords. All they have to do is open the browser and then click Tools > Options > Security and click View Saved Passwords and then click Show Passwords. Firefox will then ask you if you are sure you want to reveal all your passwords. Duh...!

Be careful about allowing your browser to remember passwords for you.

How To Flip a PC Screen

Posted by Scoroncocolo October 9, 2009

O.K. it's 3:30 on a Friday afternoon at work and that cute co-worker you've been wanting to introduce yourself to just left his or her workstation for a "kill some time" bathroom break. Why not sneak over to her/his computer and hold down the Ctrl and Alt keys and then press the down Arrow Key. When he/she comes back from their break, What tha...! Their computer screen is displaying upside down!

You wonder over and regard their screen, knowingly massaging your chin with your forefinger and thumb. "Ah", you say. "Looks like you've got a Spatulated Simifracus". And then you lean over him/her to get to their computer and hold down Ctrl and Alt and press the UP Arrow key and the screen will go dark for a second and then right itself.

Help! The Image on My Monitor Is Upside-down

You can flip the screen 90 degrees one way or the other by holding down the Ctrl and Alt keys and pressing either the left or right Arrow key. Or you can go 180 (upside down) with the down Arrow key. Ctrl + Alt + top Arrow key will re-align the screen to the correct position.

A Spatulated Simifracus is easy to create and equally easy to repair. But you might want to experiment with Spatulated Simifracuses on your own machine before you start you start Spatulating the Simifracuses of other people's computers

Disclaimer...O.K., there's no such thing as a Spatulated Simifracus. I just made that name up.

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