256 GB SSD by Toshiba

Who can ignore the Solid State Drive (SSD) - solid state hard drive that don't spin and run much faster. How could you go wrong with that? We do, however, take exception to the ridiculously small sizes they're available in--all right for netbooks, but little else.

Thankfully, Toshiba hasn't kept us wanting for long. The Japanese company has announced new 256 GB SSDs that use a new multi-level cell (MLC) technology, which will make the drives hold more data for lower costs--something we always like hearing. The drives will use the SATA II interface, and will be read at up to 120 MBps. Most importantly, here's an SSD that you can stick in your desktop, and it'll actually take a while for you to fill it up! Don't forget that Windows will start up much faster, as will your programs, and games will take so much less time to load.

Alas, no word on price yet, but we're betting it won't be pretty.

Source: Techtree.com

10 Must Have GTalk Tools

For those of us who are active Google Talk (GTalk) users, sometimes chatting is not enough. Luckily, there are tools to make your GTalk experience more interesting like VOIP, translations, and more. Here are 10 third party tools and special features that will help you get the most out of the service.

Which ones are your favorite? Know any more? Tell us in your comments.

Extended Talk

Extended Talk is a free addon for GTalk that brings in enhanced features such as making your chat windows transparent, changing font colors, message and typing areas, creating text filters, using smileys, and custom images. It also provides shortcuts to insert dates, time, IP address, email, etc. in your messages. Overall, the addon is non obstructive and fits quite well with the GTalk interface, while providing a few handy extra features.

Google Talk Shell

Google Talk Shell is another GTalk addon with some extra features that you might like. Firstly, it allows you to add several avatars and make them rotate in short intervals in your GTalk application. You can auto-hide the GTalk main window so that you have a large work area, or you can configure GTalk to always be on top of the desktop. You can also run several GTalk user names simultaneously using this addon. There is even an anti-boss hotkey to hide the GTalk window quickly.

Translation bots

Translation bots are described by Google as pieces of software that act as chat contacts and provide some fun or useful functionality. Whenever you need to translate any word or sentence from one language to another, you can send that as a message to one of the appropriate Google Chat translation bots. The bot then acts as a translator and replies to the translated version of your message. Of course you need to add the translation bot as your GTalk contact beforehand.

Currently there are 50 bots available in two language pairs. The names of the bots have been made of two letter abbreviations of languages, the English to French translation bot is ‘en2fr.’ To add the bots as contacts, you simple need to add the email of the specific bot in this format: name_of_the_bot@bot.talk.google.com. For example, for English to French bot, it’s ‘en2fr@bot.talk.google.com.’

Transliteration bots

Transliteration bots are somewhat similar to translation bots, but here they convert English sentences to scripts of various Indian languages like Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu. You can add the bots using their names ‘en2hi’.translit, ‘en2kn.translit,’ ‘en2ml.translit,’ ‘en2ta.translit,’ and ‘en2te.translit,’ ending with ‘@bot.talk.google.com’.

Chatback Badge

Chatback badge is a nice little tool from Google that you can use to chat with non-Google users. The badge can be put on your blog, website, or anywhere you can embed an html code, and it will display your online status along with a ‘Chat with me’ message in a nice chat bubble. You can create the chatback badge in different styles as well.

GTalk Sidebar

GTalk Sidebar is a convenient way of chatting with your GTalk contacts using the Firefox sidebar. Every chat window opens in a new tab in the sidebar itself. You can make the GTalk application pop out in a new window if you wish. Although GTalk Sidebar doesn’t provide any additional feature, it can be another nice alternative, just in case you don’t want to open a Gmail window on your browser and don’t have the desktop client installed. An alternative to this addon is to save the GTalk Gadget as your Firefox bookmark and set the bookmark to load in the sidebar.

GTalk Profile

GTalk Profile is an online service that you can use to find other GTalk users from across the globe. You can simply click anywhere on the world map provided at the GTalk Profile site to look for users in that area. You can also look for users using its search box.

Ping.fm

Ping.fm is not an exclusive GTalk application. What it does is update your status on as many as 21 of your social sites including Facebook, Twitter, Jaiku, Wordpress, Tumbler, Pownce, Blogger, Plurk, Xanga, Friendfeed, etc., and even Mashable, simultaneously. All you need to do is add Ping.fm as a contact in your GTalk application and send it to your status update as a chat message. You also need to create your account at Ping.fm and add your social profiles so that it can do the posting for you.

GTalk to VOIP

GTalk to VOIP offers a number of free and paid VOIP services that you can use with your IM tools including GTalk, Yahoo Messenger, and Live Messenger. These include incoming calls to your IM tools from any mobile, landline phones, or Web services; outgoing calls to SIP phones, Internet radio, video conferencing, offline messaging, IM interoperability, SMS service, etc. Payment can be completed through Paypal.

Inezha

Inezha allows you to use your Gtalk application as a feed reader. Simply send the RSS feed url to the Inezha bot on your GTalk and ask to be notified on all future updates. You can also access you online account at the Inezha site and add the feeds you want to subscribe to. There are also Firefox and Internet Explorer bookmarklets and widgets that you can add to your blog. Inezha also provides a social networking feature where you can add your friends and subscribe to their updates.

Technorati Tags: chat,google talk,gtalk,im,messenger

Free calls to your friend in US

Gizmo is another peer to peer VOIP service. It uses open protocols like SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) and Jabber, unlike Skype, which uses proprietary systems. It works across the Windows, Mac, Linux and Symbian operating system. It is free and cab be downloaded from www.gizmoproject.com.

Backdoor Dialing (Free Calling)

Approximately 11% of US telephones, including mobile numbers and land lines from carriers such as Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc., are connected via VoIP. Working with telecom partners we are now making it possible to dial these numbers without going through the traditional phone system.

This means you can call certain mobile and land line numbers from any computer connected to the net and talk for free. Because these calls are bypassing the traditional phone network entirely there is no per minute fee or other charge for the caller regardless of where they call from.

First check the number is available for backdoor calling. Click here

How to do backdoor dialing:

Download and install Gizmo5 for PC/Mac/Lin.

Dial 0101 + 10 digit US telephone number.

Backdoor Dialing Model

Two-way calling feature:

After calling a mobile or land line phone that's available for Backdoor Dialing using Gizmo5, the person you called can call you back directly on your computer anytime you're logged in to Gizmo5!

Technorati Tags: VOIP,Free Call to USA

e-Sword - the Sword of the LORD with an electronic edge

"Freely you received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8)

Jesus told us that since we've been blessed we should bless others. I am happy to provide a blessing to others in the form of free Bible study software!

As a Bible student and teacher I have experienced the necessary work involved in searching the Scriptures for the competent preparation of a Bible study, Sunday school lesson, or a sermon. There are volumes of books available as study tools (and the Christian community is indebted to the various authors' perseverance and scholarship), but there is not enough time, money, or shelf space to properly take advantage of these resources. Computer software has changed the way we can study the Word of GOD. With a simple search or click of the mouse button, we now have access to these same volumes of scholarship within seconds!

e-Sword is a fast and effective way to study the Bible. e-Sword is feature rich and user friendly with more capabilities than you would expect in a free software package. The fact that e-Sword is free is just one of the blessings and does not speak of the quality of the software.

Download link : PC version Mobile Version

Technorati Tags: electronic Bible,Bible,ebible

360desktop gives your desktop a life!

360desktop transforms your desktop into a panoramic workspace - with more space for everything.

With a safe, fast and free download, your desktop comes to life, with stunning 360 interactive wallpaper you create and share.

See something you like online? Clip it and put it right where you need it: take part of any webpage or your favorite web widgets, RSS feeds, videos and more, and turn them into widgets for your desktop.

Download Here

See 360desktop in action

Minimem - Minimize Memory Usage of Your Programs

Technorati Tags: Memory Usage

If your PC crawls when you run many programs at once, You can make it faster by optimizing or Minimizing the memory or RAM usage of the programs you are running. Minimem can help you put memory hogs–and only memory hogs–in their place. Unlike most memory-freeing utilities, Minimem lets you select which programs to optimize and which to leave alone.

Programs like music players or Web browsers, "leak" memory as they stay open. Minimem was designed to stop the leaks by removing unneeded memory pages. In theory, it would also help with programs with very large memory footprints.

You can optimize any program Minimem detects, and you can set it to hide programs below a certain RAM footprint. I tried Minimem with a number of my usual applications open, but optimized only the Web browsers. (In theory, I could have used it on the malware scanners that run in the background, but messing with security software is unwise.)The resulting memory bonus was small but perceptible.

Of course, more physical RAM is the best solution for a memory shortage. But if your budget or your case design won’t accommodate that, Minimem might boost your system response enough to make your problem applications bearable again.

Backup and Restore Firefox Profiles

Transferring a Firefox profile from one computer to another can be a pain if you have to do it manually. Sure, you can locate the firefox profile directory and then copy it to the new machine, but then it doesn't automatically show up in the list, etc.

A much easier method for backing up and restoring profiles is to just use the MozBackup application to backup and restore the profiles to a single backup file.

When you launch the application, you can choose to either backup or restore the profile. You can choose which profile to back up, and what file to save it as.

You can restore the profile on another computer by simply launching the MozBackup application on that computer, and then selecting the profile to restore to, and chosing the backup file that you copied from the first computer:

It's really as simple as that.

Download MozBackup

Technorati Tags Firefox,Mozilla

How to Troubleshoot Microsoft Word Macros

If you're like me, you like macros. Maybe it's because Microsoft didn't anticipate your particular work style, or perhaps it's just because you get a rush from pressing a few keys and having a series of commands execute. Personally, I get a kick out of creating programming code simply by using Word as I normally would.

But what happens when your macro won't execute, or gets stuck in the middle? There are a few steps you can take.

1. Which template?

If you save your macro in an individual document's template, then no other document will know to call it. Make sure to save macros in Normal.dotm (or Normal.dot in pre-2007 versions), which is the global template.

If you made the mistake of tying a macro to a specific document, you can either remake the macro, choosing to save it globally, or explore Word's most deceptively stupid dialog box: the Macro Organizer. When you open the Organizer, you'll see the global template represented on both sides, and the item "NewMacros" listed in each. (If you don't see In Normal above the box at left, select Normal.dotm (global template) from the drop-down menu labeled Macro Project Items available in.) Below the left-hand box, click Close file, then the same button again when it reads Open file. Change the file type in the Open dialog to Word documents and then navigate to the file that contains your macro. Open it. Oddly, you'll still see only "NewMacros" in the Organizer. Click it, then click Rename. Rename the macro using the name of your actual macro, then copy it over to the right-hand side. Does this make sense? Nope. But it works. Your macro will now be available to any document using the global ("Normal") template.

2. User error and messy code

What if, despite your practice run, you left out a letter in the text to insert, or used a few redundant commands? You don't need to learn VBA code to invoke the VBA editor and try to find and correct your mistake. In the worst scenario, you can always delete the macro and rerecord it.

I made a quick-and-simple macro that takes the mouse cursor to the top of the active document, inserts two paragraph breaks between the top line and the rest of the text, and then inserts some dynamic information about the status of a file, using the Insert Quick Parts dialog. When I tested the macro, though, I wasn't pleased with the results, so I examined the code by clicking on Developer Macros, then selecting my macro and clicking the Edit button. See the results below.

BEFORE:

---

AFTER:

How to tweak Firefox 3 download manager

The download manager was dramatically improved for Firefox 3: a progress indicator in the status bar, automatic antivirus scans, a streamlined interface with filtering capabilities, and most notably, download resuming across sessions.

As usual, you can use all these enhancements without touching anything, or go the customization way and tweak a preference or two.

You will need to access the advanced preferences entering about:config in the location and looking for the related setting. To change it, just double click it and enter the new value.

• By default, documents you download with Firefox are automatically added to the My Recent Documents folder on Windows’ Start menu. If it is cluttering your menu, you can deactivate it by setting browser.download.manager.addToRecentDocs to false.
  
• By default, downloaded files are passed by Firefox to your antivirus for scanning. Since some antivirus already monitor and scans downloaded files on their own, this may be redundant. To deactivate automatic scanning, set browser.download.manager.scanWhenDone to false. Note that the feature is available on Windows only.
  
• When you close Firefox, active downloads are paused and resumed automatically the next time you start. To change this behavior, modify browser.download.manager.quitBehavior and set it to 1 to pause downloads but don’t resume automatically; or set it to 2 if you prefer to cancel active downloads (you won’t be able to resume).
  
• Now that there’s a download status indicator in the status bar you may no longer need the download complete notification. To deactivate it, set browser.download.manager.showAlertOnComplete to false.
  
• If you don’t need to keep a full log of all the files you have downloaded, you can set Firefox to clear all download manager entries as soon as they are completed or as soon as you quit. To do so, setbrowser.download.manager.retention to 0 to discard them as completed, or 1 on quit. The default value is 2 which discards nothing.
  
• Create a bookmark to open the download manager in a new tab or the sidebar.
  Happy tweaking!

Virtual Girl of the Future, A.I. (Artificial Intelligence)?

This girl freaks me out! She always follow my cursor and randomly, smiles at me. Some says the eyes came from linux/unix app xeyes. But everybody who visited and saw this was amazed.

Artificial Intelligence?

If I will have an opportunity to re-invent the Virtual Girl of the future, I will teach her how to speak, sing a song, teach some vocabulary, reminds me of my task and many more.

Although this may sounds a dream but I hope so...

View the Virtual Girl Of the Future

Fake Antivirus/Anti-Spyware Software

For the veteran Internet users and software developers like myself this may not be a surprise but to newer Internet users or people not too familiar with spyware and malwareout there take care! First there were innocent viruses that would just popup at a specific date/time or randomly with an annoying message. Then they became malicious and wrote destructive viruses, deleting/infecting files and with the increase use of the Internet spread them like wildfire through email.

There are numerous amounts of phishing scams out there already but now they’re targetting the unsuspecting user by offerring tools to rid your machine of viruses and spyware. Unfortunately, this is the very software you may unsuspectingly be downloading and installing thinking you’re protecting yourself, while in-fact, putting yourself in harms way instead. There are now tonns of fake antivirus and spyware removal tools luring people to download and install them but leaving themselves open instead. These fakes will alert you to viruses that don’t really exist and keep pestering you to purchase the software to “effectively” remove them. All you’re doing in the end is spending money on useless software and leaving your machine, possibly, more infected than it was before.

How do they lure the unsuspecting user? Often with popups on websites you visit claiming that your PC may be infected and that you should act now by downloading their antivirus/spyware removal software now. Take my advice and stick to reputable sources for antivirus and spyware removal tools and don’t trust these freebies/free-trial offers from vendors you don’t know/trust. If in doubt, ask a friend, or a friend of a friend who may be in the know.

The ones you can trust are the ones who’ve been around the longest - and more often than not you can protect yourself without spending a fortune, or anything! I have been using, and will continue to use, Grisoft’s AVG Free edition antivirus software since it’s original release back in the 90’s and I’ve yet (knock on wood) to be infected. Regular daily update checks and daily scans (including realtime scanning) ensures my machine(s) are kept safe. If you’re using a company machine they’ve probably got some commercial version of antivirus software installed like Trend Micro,Microsoft Forefront, McAfee Antivirus, AVG Internet Security, etc.

Click here to see an example of fake antivirus software (Antivirus2008 Pro) which looks legitimate.

17 iPhone applications you should install

So when someone came up to you and asked, so what’s so great about the iPhone. You’ll probably show them how cool the iPod cover flow is, or maybe how you can multi-touch zoom in and out of the photos; flipped them, etc. I’ve got to be honest, those are part of the attractions why I got myself an iPhone even when its not officially launch here in my country but however I’ve found cooler stuff in iPhone - the ability to support tones of cool applications and most importantly, rich 3rd party application developers.
At least 2 new applications are added to Installer.app for iPhone each day. Installer.app not only opens up the gate to rich 3rd party application but also keeping the install/uninstall steps easy. Here are some iPhone applications you should install, or at least try using them.

Community Resources

Developed by Nullriver, Inc this is your gateway to more 3rd party applications upon installed.

iApp-a-Day
iApp-a-Day is a project initiated for November 2007, aiming at contributing one application a day to the community. Worth checking out.

OpenSSH + BSD Subsystem
Installation of these two application allows you to access your iPhone via sFTP. This means you can access structure and files of your iPhone. Transfer your files as easy as dragging them in/out with FTP client.

SummerBoard

SummerBoard allows iPhone users to install more themes and wallpapers, making your iPhone more interesting.

Cuztomize

Cuztomize gives you more control over your iPhone. It allows you to cuztomize default iPhone assets like dock background, carrier iamges, Wifi images, bar images, edge icons, airplane icon, alarm icon, bluetooth icon, lock icon, loading image, badge graphics, phone keypad image, battery images, sound images, hud image, chat balloons images, main slider, power slider, call slider, highlight mask, system sound, calculator background, weather icons, weather background, notepad background, etc.

Vnotes

Voice recording is not build-in in a default iPhone but with Vnotes, you can record voice notes and playback anytime you wish.

iSplit

This is a very handy tool for those who like to go dutch on meals with friends but having problem calculating how much each individual have to pay. Option of tax, tipping calculation included.

NES

This is a NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) emulator. Upload your ROMs to given folder and enjoy NES games on your iPhone. Save games are also supported.

weDict

As the name speaks, mobile dictionary with tones of dictionary files available in Community Resources.

Apollo

Apollo is the first and perhaps the only application based IM for iPhone for current time being. It supports AIM, ICQ, MSN and .Mac accounts.

Finder

Finder behaves like Mac’s finder. Search through your iPhone file structure with functions like Create, Modify, Send files.

Lockbox

Lockbox allows you to keep important information like account username/password, credit card information, etc all behind a password protected screen.

Navizon

Navizon GPS application that make use of Wifi to track your current position and sent it to Google map. Very useful for route navigation.

PDFViewer
Transfer your PDF files to your iPhone and view them with this application.

RSS

Keep your entire feed reading under one roof, read them all from your iPhone.

Sketches

Sketches allows you to do more than just snapping photos. It gives you an option to sketch and send photo instantly to friends via email.

ToDoList

Keep your Todo list organized, with functions like priority settings, categorizing, etc.

How to change Windows Vista Boot Graphic

Some of us love the Vista boot screens. We love when that little orb appears in the middle of the screen and then the colorful login screen displays. For those who don’t love it just the way it is, well, you can actually change it slightly. During boot, behind the scenes is a boot screen that Vista techno-geeks call Aurora. The only difference between it and what you see by default is that, instead of a scrolling bar with a Vista graphic at the beginning of the process, you see a stationary picture with the text “Starting Windows Vista” at the bottom. If you are tired of the default boot screen in Windows Vista, there is a better looking one hidden away, and it looks like the “Aurora” that everyone has been raving about since Longhorn was in its alpha days. To enable the “Aurora” boot screen: 1. Press the Windows+ R combination on your keyboard to display the Run dialog. 2. Type MSCONFIG.EXE. 3. If User Account Control prompts you to allow the action, click on “Continue.” 4. In the “System Configuration” window, click on the “Boot” tab. 5. Select your Windows Vista installation and under “Boot options”, check “No GUI boot.” 6. Press OK. 7. In the dialog that appears, check “Don’t show this message again”, and then click on “Restart.” 8. Your computer will now reboot, and you will see the “aurora” boot screen with text that says “Starting Windows Vista.” And if you really like the Aurora boot screen you should also try out the Aurora screensaver.

How to Extend Your Laptop Battery Life

You seasoned techies are no doubt thinking, "Another article on how to get more life from your laptop battery. Big deal. I already know how to do that." Well, Mr. or Ms. Techie, I scoff at your hubris. There's still plenty to learn when it comes to getting more juice from a charge and extending your battery's overall life.

So, yes, there are tips that most of us know:

1. Dim your screen.


2. Minimize background processes.


3. Don't use the CD/DVD drive.


4. Disable your wireless antenna when not in use.

But there's still a lot you may not know about battery technology and the things that both help and hinder your laptop's juicebox.

Getting More Minutes per Charge

You can fiddle with background processes and other software settings all you want, but your hardware is the biggest factor in battery life. In fact, software such as power-management utilities can help minimize the impact internal components have on battery longevity. Knowing this can affect your buying decision if you're looking for a new laptop (see the "Picking a Laptop for Maximum Battery Life" section below) or help you get the most out of the trusty laptop( you've got. Here are a few ways to optimize hardware for maximum battery output.

1. Turn off ports. Disabling unused ports and components, such as VGA, Ethernet, PCMCIA, USB, and yes, your wireless, too. You can do this through the Device Manager or by configuring a separate hardware profile (see next step).


2. Create Power-Saving Hardware Profiles. Configure your laptop for the various scenarios in which you use it (on a plane, at the coffee shop, at the office, and so on). You can do this through the Hardware Profiles menu by right-clicking on My Computer and selecting Preferences or by using a freeware utility such as SparkleXP (for Windows XP users).


3. Configure your display to turn off when not in use. This is different from just using a screensaver, because in many cases a screensaver still requires the display's backlight to be on. You can set the interval to turn the display off in Windows' Power Options—found in the Control Panel.

Extending the Overall Life

The easiest way to give your battery an early death is to damage it. And the two most common causes of damage are from overheating and overloading. Here's how you prevent overheating:

1. Use a cooling pad when using a notebook computer on your lap.


2. Avoid propping your laptop on a pillow, blanket, or other soft surface that can heat up.


3. Clean your desk. It sounds strange, but if you have a dusty, dirty desk, that dust will get into the vents and clog the cooling fan. Once the dust is inside your laptop, it is much harder to remove. You can try blasting it out with canned air, but you run the risk of damaging internal components. You can also remove the vent and clean out the grit, but remember that taking apart your laptop can void the warranty. So clean your desk at least once a week, if not daily.


4. Never store your laptop in a place where the air temperature exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit, such as a hot car or an outdoor patio.


5. Consider taking your battery out when using your laptop plugged into AC power. Just make sure to keep the contacts clean. If you need to clean them, use rubbing alcohol.


6. For lithium ion batteries, you do not need to discharge them fully and recharge constantly. Since they don't have the same "memory" as older nickel-metal hydride batteries, it is actually better to discharge a lithium ion only partially before recharging. You need to do a full discharge only about every 30 charges.

Overloading a battery occurs when you use an AC adapter that has a higher wattage than that specified on the laptop (and battery), or if the circuitry of the laptop consistently overcharges the battery. If you're using a replacement or spare adapter, make sure the wattage matches your laptop's within the specified voltage range. In the worst-case scenario, overloading can also damage your motherboard.

Picking a Laptop for Maximum Battery Life

If you're in the market for a new laptop, there are features and components you should consider to get the most mileage from the system's battery.

1. An ultra-low-voltage processor, such as the Intel Penryn or one from VIA's line of ULV processors.


2. A solid-state storage drive, which requires less power and, since there are no spinning parts, will suffer less wear and tear than a traditional hard drive.


3. An LED display. Although pricey, LEDs use much less power than LCD.


4. A smaller screen. A smaller screen means a smaller backlight, which will also save on battery drain.

According to Andrew Bradner, product line manager for APC, all lithium ion batteries are not created equal. The proof is in the pudding, or in this case the chemistry. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to discern if the battery you're buying was manufactured in a top-notch facility using high-quality materials. And making that call is not as easy as assuming your laptop manufacturer's battery will be of better quality than a battery from a third-party vendor. But you can stick to a couple of key guidelines.

1. Don't skimp on your battery. If you choose the lowest-cost battery you'll probably get a battery that degrades quickly, and you'll end up buying a replacement too soon anyway. So spend the money now to save expense and frustration down the road.


2. Don't buy an expired battery. A good indicator of a battery's performance is how far into its product life it is, whether it's used or new. If possible, look at the bottom of the battery and find the manufacture date.

Synergy lets you use one keyboard and mouse across multiple computers

(Remote Control Your Network Multi Environment PC)

Synergy is a little client/server application, cross platform and open source. The goal of this piece of code is to share one keyboard and one mouse between multiple machines (Macs, Windows, Linux/Unix) via TCP/IP.

With this fantastic application, you can experience the benefit of a multi-monitor setup with multiple OS. No more useless mess on your desk, only one keyboard and one mouse (and that too without ther use of expensive KVM switches).

Synergy shares also your clipboard and this is a great plus.

With Synergy, all the computers on your desktop form a single virtual screen. You use the mouse and keyboard of only one of the computers while you use all of the monitors on all of the computers. You tell synergy how many screens you have and their positions relative to one another. Synergy then detects when the mouse moves off the edge of a screen and jumps it instantly to the neighboring screen. The keyboard works normally on each screen; input goes to whichever screen has the cursor.

In this example, the user is moving the mouse from left to right. When the cursor reaches the right edge of the left screen it jumps instantly to the left edge of the right screen.

You can arrange screens side-by-side, above and below one another, or any combination. You can even have a screen jump to the opposite edge of itself. Synergy also understands multiple screens attached to the same computer.

Running a game and don't want synergy to jump screens? No problem. Just toggle Scroll Lock. Synergy keeps the cursor on the same screen when Scroll Lock is on. (This can be configured to another hot key.)

Do you wish you could cut and paste between computers? Now you can! Just copy text, HTML, or an image as you normally would on one screen then switch to another screen and paste it. It's as if all your computers shared a single clipboard (and separate primary selection for you X11 users). It even converts newlines to each computer's native form so cut and paste between different operating systems works seamlessly. And it does it all in Unicode so any text can be copied.

Do you use a screen saver? With synergy all your screen savers act in concert. When one starts they all start. When one stops they all stop. And, if you require a password to unlock the screen, you'll only have to enter a password on one screen.

If you regularly use multiple computers on one desk, give synergy a try. You'll wonder how you ever lived without it.

HOW TO UPDATE GOOGLE CHROME?

I'm really enjoying Google Chrome but am wondering: how the heck do you get an update to it when there's a new version? Do you just wait until the social networks are abuzz, or does the program automatically check?

The question is perfect and most of us are not given a thought about it. Yes, Google has released update for Chrome.

First, of course, like with anything else to do with Chrome, you have to figure out how to get there!

To find the "About Google Chrome" box, you need to click on the little wrench icon:

Then you probably would never notice this, but it actually checks for a new version back at Google central when this window launches. This time I caught it in the act:

A few moments later, the bottom portion changes to tell me what's going on:

Do I want to update? Uh, yeah! I click on "Update Now" and...

It took me a few minutes before it had finished downloading the new version of Google Chrome, but once it did, finally, I saw this:

I quit and restarted the browser, and now when I go to the About Google Chrome window, you'll notice the version and release numbers are updated:

Now I did this manually. I would be surprised if the browser didn't automatically check when you launched it next, so you can probably just ignore the update until it tells you to check it out. But if you're impatient or want to gain more control over the process, well, now you know how to do so!

Turbo Charge your Firefox

Surfing net with blazing speed also depends on your browser setting not only your internet bandwidth alone. There are several tweaks to optimize the Firefox. Few books are available in Amazon.com which describe these tweaks besides others. However, I have picked up few and tested myself and found it really worth the pain.

Try these easy Firefox tweaks and you’ll see that you’re surfing the Internet from 3 to 30 times faster!

To get started, open your Firefox web browser. In the address/location bar type [about:config] and then press your Enter key. (NOTE: DON’T TYPE THE BRACKETS.)

Tweak #1:
In the Filter bar type [network.http.pipelining]. Then, double-click on this line under Preference Name in order to change the value from false to true.

Tweak #2:
In the Filter bar type [network.http.pipelining.maxrequests]. Then, double-click on this line under Preference Name and change the value from 4 to a higher number anywhere from 10 to 30. I set mine to 30.

Tweak #3:
In the Filter bar type [network.http.proxy.pipelining]. Then, double-click on this line under Preference Name in order to change the value from false to true.

Tweak #4:
In the Filter bar type [network.dns.disableIPv6]. Then, double-click on this line under Preference Name in order to change the value from false to true.

Tweak #5:
In the Filter bar type [plugin.expose_full_path]. Then, double-click on this line under Preference Name in order to change the value from false to true.

Tweak #6:
In the Filter bar type [network.protocol-handler.external.ms-help]. Now, you are going to create a new Preference Name with an Integer Value. To do this, right-click on this line under Preference Name and select New, then Integer.

In the New Integer value box type in [nglayout.initialpaint.delay] and click OK. Then in the Enter Integer value box type [0] (that’s a zero) and click OK.

Tweak #7:
In the Filter bar again type [network.protocol-handler.external.ms-help]. Now, you are going to create another new Preference Name with an Integer Value. To do this, right-click on this line under Preference Name and select New, then Integer. In the New Integer value box type in [content.notify.backoffcount] and click OK. Then in the Enter Integer value box type [5] and click OK.

Tweak #8:
In the Filter bar again type [network.protocol-handler.external.ms-help]. Now, you are going to create another new Preference Name with an Integer Value. To do this, right-click on this line under Preference Name and select New, then Integer. In the New Integer value box type in [ui.submenuDelay] and click OK. Then in the Enter Integer value box type [0] (that’s a zero) and click OK.

Now, close your web browser and restart it. You’ll see how much faster web pages are loading. I sure did.

Let me know if these tweaks increase your Internet browsing speed. Know of any other tweaks or tricks? Let me know and I’ll add them.