Marc on tech

By Marc Saltzman

Bookmark Croozed.com for the Net’s best

While I’ve seen this kind of web site before — a collection of links to other web sites, with links conveniently divided into categories for easy access — Croozed.com, a Toronto-based site, looks and works better than others.

This clever web site is an ideal home page. You’re a mouse click away from top newspapers, search engines, new music, videos and digital magazines.

Play games, shop online and do more with a clean and easily navigable layout that features rows of colourful icons.

Croozed.com also features top 100 lists. You can see web sites ranked in various categories as well as sections for humour, family and cool sites you’ve probably never heard of.

Check it out to discover what the web has to offer.

Got game?

More than half of adults play video games, and one in five plays just about every day, according to a new survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Furthermore, 50 per cent of women and 55 per cent of men play video games.

Surprised? Don’t be. The kids and teens who dumped quarters in arcades to play Pac-Man and Donkey Kong in the early 1980s are now in their 40s and still crave interactive entertainment. In fact, the median age of a video game player in Canada is 37 years old, according to the Entertainment Software Association. And those surveyed are still playing for the same reasons: for entertainment, for relaxation or for a bit of both.

Meanwhile, the breadth of game titles, genres and platforms — in their PCs, TVs or mobile devices — ensures there’s something for everyone. My four-year-old loves his Nintendo DS, Treehouse TV web site games and Guitar Hero. My mom has been known to play a round or two of Wii Bowling. My dad is addicted to poker and gem-swapping games on the PC.

And me? Well, as a syndicated video game critic, I play everything!

So, what are you waiting for?

Take a (free) screen grab in Windows

Screen capture software lets you take a still image of your computer screen by pressing a button on your keyboard. Handy? Sure, but some of these programs can cost up to $40. Here’s a little secret: Windows has a built-in screen capture tool.

Do you see something you want to take a screen grab of — a web site, a document or an error message you want to send to a tech-savvy friend for help? Press the Prnt Scrn (the abbreviation differs with computer brand) button located on the top right corner of your computer keyboard.

Nothing will happen, so you might not think it worked. To see the snapshot you just took, open Microsoft Paint (Start > All Programs > Accessories > Paint), click Edit at the top of the screen, and then choose Paste. The snapshot you took will now appear on the screen.

To save the image to your hard drive, click File at the top of the screen, then click Save As, give the file a name, and select where to save it.

Pay versions of screen capture programs might contain additional features, but this little-known free solution built into Windows is ideal for most computer users.

Just in time for the holidays, Eye-Fi is now available in Canada

Digital cameras offer many advantages over traditional film models, but for some people, transferring photos to a computer — for editing, archiving or e-mailing — can be a tricky or mundane proposition.

Transferring usually involves connecting the camera to a computer with a USB cable or taking out the memory card and inserting it into the correct reader on the PC or printer.

A new product called the Eye-Fi ($99.99) aims to simplify this process by introducing wireless into the equation.

As long as you’re within range of your home wireless network, this 2-gigabyte Secure Digital (SD) card will automatically and wirelessly upload photos directly from your SD-compatible digital camera to your Windows or Mac computer. It will also upload images to your favourite online photo-sharing, printing or social networking site.

The Eye-Fi is available at Black’s photography stores across Canada.

Happy holiday snapping!

Add album art to your Windows folders

Is the music collection on your computer a sea of boring yellow folders? You don’t have to give up album artwork just because you’ve gone digital.

By following the steps below, you’ll see the album artwork, as well as the name of the CD, as a thumbnail image for the folder in Windows Explorer or My Computer. No more clicking to open and read filenames.

Rock on!

Enlarge your mouse pointer

Many of us are moving to larger and wider PC monitors and using better graphic cards that display more pixels (dots that make up an image). But sometimes you can't help but squint to see that little white mouse pointer.

Who needs premature crow’s feet?

Here's how to make your mouse pointer more visible:

1. Click on Start and then Control Panel.
2. Under Hardware and Sound, you'll see a subsection called Mouse. Double-click it.
3. The third tab is called Pointers. Click it and choose a larger alternative.

If your mouse has a middle scroll button (and chances are it does), you can enlarge the font when you’re reading a web site or document with small words. Hold down the Ctrl button and push forward on the middle mouse wheel to enlarge the font on the fly! Pull the wheel back toward you to shrink the font again. Neat, huh?

Awesome file-sending plug-in

For a couple of years now, I've been using — nay, relying on — the YouSendIt file-sending service. It’s a free web tool that lets you send files that are too big for your regular e-mail program to handle.

Well, the service has introduced a much easier way to send files if you're an Outlook user — a plug-in that lets you send up to 100 MB of files.

Here’s how it works: when you send an e-mail with an attachment within Outlook, a small window pops up that asks if you’d like to send via YouSendIt instead. (You can change the settings so that the pop-up only appears for files bigger than a certain size.)

When you select the service, the recipient receives an e-mail with a link to download the file(s) to his or her computer. Works like a charm.

Spam by the “letter”

Did you know that the first letter of your e-mail address may determine how much spam you get?

According to a new study by British computer scientist Dr. Richard Clayton, addresses starting with “A,” “M” or “S” received about 40 per cent more spam than e-mail addresses starting with another letter. On average, those beginning with a “Q,” “Z” or “Y” received about 20 per cent less spam.

This University of Cambridge study analyzed roughly 550 million junk mail messages between Feb. 1 and Mar. 27, 2008.

Dr. Clayton says these “dictionary” attacks attempt to find a live address by cycling through common English names, such as Steve, Mary or Adam. Then these attacks try different domains tied to the same first name.

I’ve received a lot of e-mail from frustrated computer users who can’t seem to lick the spam problem. But a Microsoft technician gave me a great tip: if you use Microsoft Outlook, install a free plug-in program called SPAMfighter to dramatically reduce the amount of junk mail you get.

SPAMfighter segregates suspicious messages and drops them into a specified folder. You can review the folder’s content when you have time or ignore the e-mail messages altogether and delete them.

The program is free, but you should know that SPAMfighter adds a signature to the end of your outgoing e-mail. That’s so you’ll spread the word about the software — and no, you can’t remove it.

Recover the Recycling Bin

About twice a week, I receive e-mail from frustrated computer users who accidentally delete the Recycling Bin from their Windows Vista desktops.

Don’t stress — it’s easy to trash your bin by mistake. But what do you do when you want to get it back?

There’s an easy way to return the icon to your desktop. Follow these four steps and you’ll be refilling your bin in no time!

1. Right-click an empty area on the desktop and select the last option, Personalize.
2. On the left side of this window, click Change desktop icons.
3. You will see a small box beside the word Recycle Bin, near the top. Check it off with your mouse.
4. Click OK.

A new USB thumb drive protects while on the move

You can hardly call SanDisk’s Cruzer Titanium Plus USB thumb drive sexy. But when you compare it to today’s touchscreen smartphones and sleek laptops, you can definitely call it impressive.

Like all thumb drives, the Cruzer Titanium Plus ($49) is a keychain-size gadget that on-the-go computer users such as students use to transport files between PCs.

But where the Cruzer Titanium Plus really stands out is with its top-notch file protection, which is handled in four ways.

1. Built-in encryption software lets you password-protect files, so if the drive is lost or stolen no one can access the data.
2. All the files are automatically uploaded to a password-protected web site whenever the drive is plugged into a PC’s USB port. This handy back-up service is free for six months and $29 a year thereafter.
3. Antivirus software from Avast! is included on the thumb drive. It quickly scans the host PC to further protect stored files and lets you restore accidentally deleted files.
4. Finally, the rugged Cruzer Titanium Plus can take quite a beating thanks to its crush-resistant metal case.

Sorry kids — those excuses about the dog eating your homework just won’t fly anymore.

Get more out of (battery) life

As I endured another five-hour transcontinental flight, I realized the topic for my next Microsoft Home Magazine column was, quite literally, staring me in the face.

Many Canadians, including me, travel with laptops for work or pleasure. But poor battery life can make a trip more frustrating and feel longer than it should.

Shy of purchasing a second (and longer-lasting) battery, you can do a few things to extend the life of your existing battery.

• Turn down the monitor’s brightness. Rely on an external light instead, such as the one above your airplane seat.
• Turn off wireless features such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when you’re not using them. Look for a small switch on the side of your laptop or under the monitor.
• Avoid using the DVD-ROM drive because the spinning mechanism reduces battery life. Instead, copy the contents of a disc — such as a movie, game or album — to the hard drive.
• Unplug attached devices, such as an external mouse, webcam, USB flash drive, etc. Peripherals suck power from your laptop even when they’re not in use.

Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight.

The case of the missing cases

Over the past few years, I’ve mastered a handful of keyboard shortcuts to help make my computing life easier.

You probably use a few of these too, such as Ctrl-C to copy and Ctrl-V to paste or Alt+Tab to cycle through open applications. But I recently stumbled upon one shortcut I wish I had known about eons ago.

Imagine happily typing an e-mail or a document at a steady clip. You glance up at your monitor only to see ALL YOUR WORDS IN CAPS.

I admit that I still look at the keyboard when typing. Faced with an all-caps text, I would have had to delete all the uppercase words and manually retype the sentence or paragraph.

But not anymore...

Highlight the text you want to change and tap Shift+F3. A magical thing happens — all your capitalized text becomes lowercase. Tap Shift+F3 again and it’s in title case. A third time returns the words to uppercase.

Cool, huh? This trick works in Microsoft Outlook, Word and many other programs.

(Re)discover old time radio

I wasn’t alive when old time radio (OTR) shows were in their heyday, from the 1930s to the 1950s. But thanks to the Internet and portable MP3 players, these wonderful stories can be enjoyed in the 21st century.

In fact, if you see me walking around town with my Microsoft Zune media player, I’m just as likely to be listening to Vincent Price’s creepy tales or Jack Benny’s hilarious comedy as I am to the latest music.

Old time radio shows are ideal when commuting to and from work or while surfing the Net. They’re also a great bedside companion (with a speaker dock) when you’re just too tired to read but want to lose yourself in a wonderful story.

A number of web sites let you download thousands of old time radio shows for free or for a small fee. Some of these include Old Time Radio Show Catalog, Internet Archive and RadioLovers.com. You can also subscribe to dozens of free OTR podcasts, each offering new episodes a few times a week.

Whether you remember hearing these classic radio programs when they originally aired or are just discovering them now, take advantage of these remarkable recordings.

Reduce spam

Block annoying e-mail in a few simple steps

Perhaps it’s because I’m computer savvy, but I don’t have many of the problems my friends complain about. Spyware is blasted by Windows Defender. Viruses are quarantined and deleted. Neighbours trying to access my wireless network can’t penetrate my password-protected setup.

The only thorn in my side has been spam. You know, that junk e-mail promising to fix erectile dysfunction or bad credit. I’m not sure why I’m on spammers’ lists. And despite my best efforts, hundreds of these messages landed in my inbox daily. I set my Outlook junk filter to High to segregate suspicious e-mail, but still it persisted.

Well, I finally licked the problem.

I created a rule in Microsoft Outlook: if a certain keyword is detected in the subject line or body of a message, the e-mail goes to my junk folder. (I can also delete spam altogether.)

Instructing the program to block words such as Viagra, Cialis and porn is simple: click the Tools tab in Outlook, select Rules and Alerts, and follow the steps. You’ll significantly reduce spam, and you’ll find the e-mail you want to read more easily.

Food for thought

Make your own recipe cards
Jamie Oliver and Rachael Ray may be spicing things up on television and in bookstores, but your computer packs more heat when it comes to organizing, searching and sharing recipes. Create your own culinary collection in just a few simple steps with the help of your PC and printer, and delight in some delicious fun.

Hunt and gather
Copy and paste your favourite recipes from web sites or e-mail into separate Word documents. If you prefer your recipes to appear similar in style, use our recipe card template.

Organize
Create a recipe card folder on your hard drive, along with subfolders designated by course, ethnicity, etc. When you’re ready to start planning your menu or cooking, type in a keyword such as chicken, cilantro or Indian. Vista will pull up the appropriate document.

Print and bind
Pick up 3" x 5" or 4" x 6" cardstock from your local office supply store. Before printing, make sure to select the right paper size from your print options. Or, print on regular paper, and then cut and glue the recipe onto index cards. Drop the cards into your recipe box or binder.