Sean and I are both pretty interested in getting ourselves back into school. We both want to focus on the Computer Science aspect of things, but obviously we’d like to specialize in certain areas. He’s more into Programming so he’d look into a degree in that field specifically. I’d like to get one in the Web Design field. I know I’ve been involved in this field for 10 years but without a piece of paper showing my skills it’s hard to find a job down here. I’ve been considering certificate courses, while they aren’t a full-fledged degree – they do at least give me a piece of paper noting that I’ve dedicated the time and money in the attempt of getting a piece of paper proving what I’m capable of. That, I would hope, could get me in the door so I could work enough to eventually afford to enroll in a full-time college and earn my Bachelors in Computer Science. For now, I may pick up my IT Certification from quickcert.com. I can choose from a Microsoft Certification, COMPTIA Certification, Cisco Certification and a few other different programs. I’m not really sure which one I’d choose in the end but I think just having the Microsoft Certification would be all I need to at least get my foot in the door…right?
Archive for April, 2008
Getting an IT Certification
Wednesday, April 16th, 200889 Best PC Tips – Travel
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008Over the course of the next couple of days, I’m going to post quite a few articles in relation to the 89 best PC tips. This will include everything from Audio, iTunes, Email, Productivity, Mac OS X Tips & Tricks, Security, Travel, Video, the Web and even Media in general! This is a very well thought out and well written list originally from Laptop Mag. I enjoyed reading this article so much that I decided it was worth re-publishing. All of the original copyrights are in place, the next series of articles, titled 89 best PC tips, are completely credited to LaptopMag!
The following series of tips is in complete dedication to Travel.
#1 – Turn your laptop into a navigator
If you work out of your car and your laptop rarely leaves your side, skip the standalone navigator and try Microsoft Street & Trips 2008 with GPS Locator ($99.95 – www.microsoft.com/streets). This software includes automatic rerouting, night view, and perspective map view, which displays your route as seen through the windshield. Users can access detailed maps of the U.S. and Canada and enjoy spoken directions and construction updates. For $50 more, Microsoft’s Streets & Trips 2008 with Connected Services includes maps of 37 European countries and an FM receiver, which streams traffic data from MSN Direct and searches for gas stations and prices.
#2 – Charce your notebook in the car
If you’re in a vehicle and your notebook is running on empty, don’t fret. Lind Electronics (www.lindelectronics.com) offers a slew of car adapters, starting at $59.95, that are compatible with a wide range of systems from more than 30 notebook manufacturers. Each adapter connects to the cigarette lighter and provides the proper voltage for your notebook. Output filtering and short-circuit protection keep your system safe from power fluctuations.
#3 – Stay connected (and get directions) from anywhere
Besides a place to eat and rest, the modern road warrior requires two essentials: directions and Internet access. Sprint’s Novatel Wireless Ovation U727 ($79.99 with a 2-year contract and mail-in rebate – www.sprint.com) combines a USB EV-DO Rev. A modem and GPS location capability (along with 4GB of Storage) for accessing the Web and navigating the streets right from your laptop.
#4 – Register your laptop before you fly
When you return to the U.S. from overseas trip with your laptop, you may have to prove that you didn’t just purchase it abroad and are therefore liable for import duties. So register your laptop with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which you can do at your airport before departure or at a CBP office. For a list of local offices, go to www.cbp.gov.
#5 – Charge your notebook in the air
As any road warrior knows, the degree to which an airline can accommodate a laptop varies. Fortunately, there’s a Web site that can give you an approximate idea of what to expect; SeatGuru (www.seatguru.com). Once you’ve used the comparison charts to identify the airplanes that offer EmPower in-seat power, you’ll need an adapter that will keep your notebook up and running during long flights. We recommend the iGo everywhere85 ($129 – www.igo.com), a thin, 8-ounce power supply that can charge your laptop and another gadget (like a cell phone or MP3 player) at the same time.
#6 – Label your laptop
It seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how rarely people actually do this. Services such as TrackItBack (www.trackitback.com) sell ID tags (starting at $9.95), that you can attach to your notebook. If you lose your laptop, the person who finds it can call the toll-free number to receive $50 worth of TrackItBack tags (and a user’s optional cash reward). of course, there’s no guarantee that your lost equipment will be returned. But it certainly doesn’t hurt.
Promoting Your Business
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 One of my favorite things to do during the Spring and Summer months is head up to Laurel, DE and visit the local camp-grounds to look at trade show items. They vary from new ideas to ones that were improved on. I really enjoy finding new items, and I’m happy that I found a few resources online that will give me the opportunity to push my own. There’s this site called Gimmees.com where they provide promotional products and trade show items for business owners and really just about anyone interested in promoting their product or brand. I floated around the Apparel and the Office section, I figure with business cards on hand and things like bumper stickers, shirts, caps and even pens – I can really push my design business to the local companies in the area. Word of mouth advertising is just about the best thing in the world and if I can partner up with upcoming companies, even existing ones, there would be a solid flow of work coming in so I can pay my bills without any major concern in upcoming months. They aren’t expensive either, you can buy items in bulk for as low as $.50 cents a unit. Talk about affordable!
89 Best PC Tips – Security
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008Over the course of the next couple of days, I’m going to post quite a few articles in relation to the 89 best PC tips. This will include everything from Audio, iTunes, Email, Productivity, Mac OS X Tips & Tricks, Security, Travel, Video, the Web and even Media in general! This is a very well thought out and well written list originally from Laptop Mag. I enjoyed reading this article so much that I decided it was worth re-publishing. All of the original copyrights are in place, the next series of articles, titled 89 best PC tips, are completely credited to LaptopMag!
The following series of tips is in complete dedication to Security.
#1 – Avoid Slowdowns
To protect your data, you need not only an antivirus program, but also a firewall and an antispyware program. The overhead of this extra software can slow a laptop to a crawl, however, One alternative is Virtual Sandbox 2.0 ($49.95 – www.fortresgrand.com). This software allows you to use untrusted programs, attachments, and Web sites in a safe, isolated environment
#2 – Slay Spyware
There are some decent free anti-spyware programs that primarily block pop-ups and repair damage already done to your PC. Webroot’s AntiVirus with AntiSpyware & Firewall ($29.95 – webroot.com) works comprehensively; It blocks known and emerging threats while you’re browsing the Web, performs deep searches of your computer, destroys installed spyware, and scans incoming and outgoing e-mail attachments.
#3 – Connect safely in a hotspot
Public Wi-Fi is a godsend, but the open nature of hotspots can prove a security risk. Boost your notebooks defenses with JiWire Hotspot Helper ($24.95 per year – www.jiwire.com), which automatically encrypts all of your incoming and outgoing data to prevent Wi-Fi hackers from tapping into vital information.
#4 – Carry a cable lock
This may seem like overkill, but how many times have you worried about leaving a laptop in a hotel room or, worse still, in a meeting room? How many times have you had to lug the laptop to lunch because you couldn’t find a safe place to leave it? A simple, lightweight cable lock such as the Kensington Microsafer Retractable Notebook Lock ($29.99 – us.kensington.com) will protect your laptop from thieves and give you some peace of mind.
#5 – Secure your laptop’s BIOS
Think your laptop’s data files are secure? Keep in mind that someone can boot your laptop with a Linus CD and bypass the Windows user password. Be sure to adjust the BIOS or Setup program on your laptop so that the system will boot off the hard drive first (Hitting the F12 key during startup with usually get you into the BIOS or Setup program.) Then put a password on the BIOS, so nobody can undo what you just did.
#6 – Avoid Evil Web Sites
Trend Micro’s TrendProtect (www.trendsecure.com), a free browser plug-in, gives you a good idea of how likely a given search result from Google, MSN or Yahoo will load your laptop with spyware and other obnoxious programs. Safe sites are marked green. Enter the red sites at your own risk.
New Opportunities
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008In the past week I was approved to work at a new Web Design company. Well, they aren’t new but it’s a new company for me. Things look pretty promising, I haven’t done much work yet but I had to work on a Sweat Equity project where I donate a template for them to give to potential clients looking for free templates, even premium ones. The first one I designed was a little over-the-top for them but I was told to archive it so I could use it later on. I don’t mind that though, at least I know it’ll be an easy project for me considering the bulk of the work is completed. I’ve already been asked to design a template for one of their business networking projects and while I don’t have that many ideas running through my head as of right now, I’m sure within the next day or so of spending some much-needed time in the garden, something will come to me.
What I really like is that when you become a Designer with this company, you’re provided with just about everything you’d need in regards to Business Cards, Letter Heads, Custom Envelopes and you can even access their supply of Logo’s to design your own Thank you Cards. When searching for initial template ideas I did poke around on cardsdirect.com, they have a lot of different templates to choose from, my favorite being the one I posted to the left. I know it looks a little bit on the plain side but I’m someone who really likes clean-lines and simplicity. It’s a simple white design with gold embellishments. There’s a lot of other ones to choose from, but I have to say that I like the fact that they give you the ability to customize your cards so you can use your own images and logos when sending out your notices. Anyone who knows me, knows that I tend to over-customize things so that it’s easy to tell when something came from me. Sure, I could go and pick up a package of generic “Thank You” notices, but with my stamping abilities and special stickers for the envelopes – I can stand out in your boring stack of bills, let me tell you!
Productivity
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008Over the course of the next couple of days, I’m going to post quite a few articles in relation to the 89 best PC tips. This will include everything from Audio, iTunes, Email, Productivity, Mac OS X Tips & Tricks, Security, Travel, Video, the Web and even Media in general! This is a very well thought out and well written list originally from Laptop Mag. I enjoyed reading this article so much that I decided it was worth re-publishing. All of the original copyrights are in place, the next series of articles, titled 89 best PC tips, are completely credited to LaptopMag!
The following series of tips is in complete dedication to Productivity.
#1 – Translate words in Microsoft word.
Parlez vous francais? Habla espanol? No? Well, Microsoft Office does. The U.S. version includes spelling and grammar checkers not only for English but also for French and Spanish. In fact, the Research Task Pane in these programs can also translate single words or entire documents into one of a dozen different languages.
#2 – Do more with Power Point
A lot of users don’t know that PowerPoint has some great graphics features and can do a flowchart almost as well as Microsoft Office Visio. Select a blank slide layout, and try the Flowchart and Connectors collection by clicking the AutoShapes button In Office 2003, you’ll find the AutoShapes button in the lower left corner of the screen; in Office 2007, click on the Insert tab and look for the shapes button under Illustrations.
Power Point can even help you put together a nice photo album. To create one in Office 2003, click on New then select Photo Album in the pane that appears on the right side of your screen. For Office 2007, click insert and then Photo Album under Illustrations.
#3 – Find Lost Files
The fastest way to find files is by using Google Desktop (desktop.google.com). But quite often the document you lost is the one you just closed. Sounds like a job for the Recent Documents folder. Too often this handy feature is turned off by default. Be sure to turn it on. (In Windows XP, right-click the Start button and choose Properties. In the start menu tab; click the Customize button, choose the Advanced tab and then click the box for “List most recently opened documents.”)
#4 – Boost Display to Eye Level
Do you find yourself slouching over your notebook as you pluck away at the keys? Alleviate the strain that you place on your body with the Matias iRizer ($39.95 – www.matias.ca), an adjustable notebook stand that lifts your system into one of four heights for optimal display visibility. When used in conjunction with the Matias Folding Keyboard ($59.95), the iRizer provides a desktop like feel without sacrificing mobility.
#5 – Scan and Organize Business Cards
Business cards have a nasty habit of accumulating to the point where it becomes difficult to manage them all. CardScan Executive ($259 – www.cardscan.com) features a desktop card scanner and contact-management software that allows you to organize business card information from the convenience of your notebook, as well as sync the data with smart phones or iPods.
#6 – Present and Collbaborate Online
WebEx’s MeetMeNow (meetmenow.webex.com) combines data, voice and video, and can be lanched from Microsoft Outlook and Office, Yahoo, MSN Messenger, or AIM. It’s also integrated with Microsoft Office aps, allowing you to share and view, for example. Excel and PowerPoint documents. The service now iincludes video-conferencing, too. It’s $49 per month, or $468 per year.
#7 – Unlock Windows’ Secret Tools
One of the best-kept secrets at Microsoft is it’s collection of Windows Sysinternals tools (microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals). On the main page, you’ll find tabs for disk, networking, process, and security utilities. Within each category are free programs designed to keep your machine safe and efficient. Process Explorer, the number-one download, shows what’s running on your laptop, and AutoRuns shows which programs start up automatically each time you press the Power button. RootkitRevealer, a security utility detects stealthy root-kit programs, which rob users of administrative rights. Hilariously, the BlueScreen screen saver is designed to deter thieves and busybodies by mimicking the “Blue Screen of Death,” which appears when your computer has suffered from a serious error.
#8 – Add a second (or third) Monitor
Just because you have a laptop, doesn’t mean you can’t have a second monitor. On many laptops, the process of doubling your desktop space is much simpler than desktops. Plug a display such as the 22-inch Gateway HD2200 ($349 – www.gateway.com) into your laptop’s VGA, DVI, or HDMI connector, then go to the Display’s Control Panel and adjust the Advanced Settings of either the video accelerator or the external monitor to “extend the Windows desktop” onto the second display rather than simply mirroring the internal display. Notebooks with HDMI ports make the setup even simpler because you can output the audio and video with just a single HDMI cable. If you’d like a three-monitor setup, the Matrox DualHead2Go Digital Edition ($299 – www.matrox.com) is a Mac- and PC-compatible extender box that lets you hook up two external screens with resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 pixels each.
Non-Surgical Procedures
Friday, April 11th, 2008I’m going to honestly admit that the thought of any Medical or Surgical procedure that requires anything sharp coming in my direction scares the bejesus out of me. So naturally when someone saves up tens of thousands of dollars for cosmetic surgery to make themselves “feel better”, I kind of wonder what the point really is. What’s so wrong with working with what God gave you? You’re paying to place your life and well-being in someone else’s hands and that’s when I believe the need for perfection has just gone way too far in life.
I feel pretty strongly about this because of known experiences with these routes. With botched Botox injections and breast augmentations gone terribly, terribly wrong – you wonder why people even bother. Today, however, I came across alternative routes to achieving the look you desire, without the surgical intervention. If you take a look across med spa Georgia, you’ll notice that it’s a facility in dedication to doing things without requiring a scalpel. They can do everything from skin revitalization, removing unwanted body hair, eliminating cellulite and just to shape their bodies, including reducing the signs of aging without surgical intervention.
I think it’s the route to take if you’re not looking to spend tens of thousands of dollars on irriversable procedures that you’re rarely happy with in the end.
Looking Up!
Friday, April 11th, 2008I’ve been pretty productive today. I’m now a member of a new design company on a contract basis and based on how things have been going so far, I have to say that I’m feeling pretty confident that my time with this company will be well spent. A previous company that I out-sourced for wound up screwing me out of not only money but valuable time that I could have spent somewhere else. It’s a shame that I had to deal with that for so long but it’s another thing to add to my portfolio because I have to admit that a lot of the things I did for the company turned out very nicely. I also gained quite a few business contacts as well, so that should hopefully work out well for me in the end.
I haven’t been floating around on G.A.F. as much as I used to. I’m sure there are a few thousand projects there that would bring in some decent money for me but I’m not going to force it. I’m going to see what this current company has to offer me and then I’ll just take it from there. I’m really excited to work with them, I applied on a whim just trying to get my name out there and within about a week I was filling out paperwork and contract agreements with them. I was surprised that everything went so smoothly when my email decided to cooperate with me. Now I’m just happy with the situation in general.
Sean is doing very well too right now. For the past couple of years he’s been working on a social networking site that’s supposed to trump MySpace as far as features go. He’s in the process of putting the final touches on things and hopefully they’ll be launching the site sometime within the next couple of weeks. He was just accepted as a tester and plug-in programmer for another company that’s the #1 provider of an out-of-the-box Social Networking script as well. And to add even more to his busy life, Jackie has thrown some eCommerce work his way for a custom script as well.
So as of right now, it’s pretty safe to say that Sean and I are going to have a pretty busy summer. It’s certainly something to look forward to. And while I’m sure that the Interview I went on a few weeks ago won’t work out for me, I’m confident that working at home together won’t be that bad. We’ll both be busy and money is going to come in pretty well for us so that’ll keep us off of each other’s nerves. I know before I can really do any work on the Mac I’m going to have to buy a new desk chair. When it comes to the graphics design aspect of things, I know it’d be easier to work on that, but when the chair is so horrible it’s impossible to sit for longer than 10 minutes, it’s not worth the effort. Hopefully in a few weeks time I’ll have enough money to get myself a new chair and really start appreciating the Mac for everything it has to offer me.
One can only hope, right?
ColdFusion: Validation
Friday, April 11th, 2008I was poking around the Internet in search of more programming techniques using validation and I was side-tracked by a very well written article about programming in cold fusion. This wasn’t exactly what I was looking for because I was thinking more of th XHTML/CSS aspect of things but when it comes to a field where I’ll eventually stick my nose in – it’s worth the effort to at least do some reading about it. The point of the article was the importance of programming with required fields that have a validation option in the background. The only thing I didn’t like about the article was the lack of proper HTML validation but they’re programmers, not designers so of course the way of going about things is going to be a little different. Unless programmers are learning to care about how the front-end of their scripts look – it’s rare that you’ll find one that will be a completely valid form. From my experience, a lot of programmers outsource their completed script to have someone go through the outputs with a fine-tooth comb to make it valid and cross browser compatible.
It’s a pretty good start-guide if you’re getting into ColdFusion, I’d recommend that you bookmark the article to use as a future reference. While it’s not the authors fault, I will admit that it was a little hard to read. The text was a little too small and it was mashed right next to the Google Ad on the page. Once you can get past that it’s a pretty basic break down of something very important when it comes to all aspects of Programming. IE: Making sure you’re only going to get VALID information from the person filling out the form.
Budgets & Money
Friday, April 11th, 2008For some reason I was really itching to get out of here last night. Sean and I had spent most of the afternoon in the local libraries in search for information on grant writing. Thankfully when I came home a letter from Dick put me in the right direction. The Rehoboth Library really had nothing that I needed. The Lewes one didn’t either. They told me that the books I was looking for were up in Dover and the rest were on the Deltech Georgetown campus. I really didn’t want to travel that far so I wound up heading over to Atlantic Books and picked up a book that’s a complete guide to grants. It not only gives me a simple breakdown of everything I’m going to need to do but it also gave me a few samples so I can understand what I’m going to need to have listed, and how to go about grouping it together properly. The problem for me isn’t FINDING the grant resources, I’ve found a program that gives me thousands of listings for places to apply to, the issue was the actual write-up. While the Internet is typically a great resource for things, every “How to write a grant” website that I came across told me that I needed to purchase their eBook or the sites linked me to other sites that just kept sending me in circles. Either way I have the book I need and a few emails from Dick explaining how to go about every aspect of it so I’m sure over the course of the next couple of weeks I’ll have my formal write-up and then have the ability to start submitting to different companies.
On our way home we stopped at the market and picked up some things for dinner. I was really insistant that we BBQ last night considering it was the first nice 70°F day that we’d had in a while. So burgers and dogs were really the only menu items last night but that’s OK because there’s plenty left over to do it again tonight if we really wanted to.
After dinner I had the urge to get out of the house and something was pulling me in the direction of Dollar Tree. I knew that we needed a few house-hold items but I was shocked to find out that everything I needed was on sale. Yes, the dollar store was having a sale. The thing I like about Dollar Tree is the fact that it’s a TRUE dollar store. No matter what you pick up it’s only going to be a buck. And thanks to no sales-tax in Delaware, if you get 13 items you pay $13 dollars.
I went in for the basics, carpet fresh, toilet cleaner, air freshner, tissues, and a few odds and ends to complete my need to redecorate the bedroom. I was shocked to find out that almost everything I wanted was 2 for $1. So the simple break down went like this:
2 carpet fresh – $1
2 tissues – $1
2 air freshners – $1
2 bowl cleaners – $1
2 mirrors – $2
1 lotion – $1
Total: $8
How awesome is that?
I then took a trip over to Walmart, unfortunately the dollar store was out of a few items that I needed. There were also some decent sales going on so I picked up the items I couldn’t get at the dollar store, all of which were on sale for a whopping $1! I also loaded up on a few odds and ends for Sean to get by, that gave me another $10 worth of items.
I came home with about 10 bags filled to the rim and only spent $18. If that’s not shopping on a budget, I don’t know what is.