Are you as annoyed as I am was insanely cluttered webpages?

Cluttered webpages block access to information.

You know the ones I'm talking about… You click on a link somewhere to read a news story or an article in the page that pops up is so cluttered with ads, auto-play videos and pop over demands to sign up for the site that there is only about one third of the page left for the actual information you are trying to read. This annoys me to no end!

I have found a solution that works for me.

It's called Readability.  This awesome free program strips away everything but the actual article and reformats the article in a nice clean page in a large enough font to easily read.

Here is a simple example:

This is what a typical page looks like.

This is the same page after readability is stripped away all of the crap.

All of the images are included and the only thing that is stripped off is all of the distractions of the ads, videos and pop-overs.

Additionally, Readability allows you to save the article to read it later, send it to your Kindle reader or capture the Readability link that can then be pasted elsewhere or, using PushBullet (another awesome free app) to push the link to your mobile device if you don't have a actual Kindle reader 

Getting a new computer? Here are my recommendations on how to set it up.

One of the questions I am most often asked by friends and associates - especially those buying and setting up a new computer - is: "What do you think is the most essential software I should install?" This is almost always followed by a statement that they would like free software if possible. With that in mind, I have put together a short list of what I think not only answers that question and requirement, but which I also use (or have used) on my computers and those I have set up for others.

For most users, the first software I would install is an antivirus program. Do Not spend any significant time connected to the Internet without an active antivirus running on your computer.

While Windows comes with an antivirus program, it has proven to be less than effective. I would recommend Avast Antivirus . It has one of the best detection and removal rates of any of the free antivirus programs, it is feature rich with an included sandbox feature, it scans email, offers excellent support, and it is light on resource use. It does come bundled with Chrome Browser by default so you will need to select a custom installation to avoid installing the Chrome Browser (which I do not recommend). Avira AntiVir is a second choice if you want something a bit less feature-laden requiring less user involvement. It also has a very high detection and removal rate.   

For additional security, I would install Malwarebytes . Malwarebytes has earned a much deserved reputation among experts and computer professionals as the "go to" program for malware detection and removal. This is a standalone program that updates almost daily, and that can be used as an on-demand scanner only. If you want a second on demand scanner the silly sounding SUPERAntiSpyware is an excellent choice and will sometimes find something the others might not. You do not need to have these running in the background. One other small program that I always add to the security arsenal is SpywareBlaster . SpywareBlaster has been around for years and prevents spyware, adware, browser hijackers, and dialers from being downloaded by adding known dirty Web sites to your browser's "not trusted" list. It uses no resources, updates regularly, and also offers cookie management as well as a few other features. Last, but certainly not least, is WinPatrol 

. WinPatrol is a tiny yet powerful program that runs in background, will play well with your other security programs, uses very few resources and guards against unwanted toolbars; changes to your homepage, host files, services, and active tasks; and, guards against programs trying to insert themselves into your startup group. This is an invaluable tool and one that I install on every computer I own or work on for others.   

That's all you need for security software. Too many people try to run several security programs at one time and then are confronted with constant conflicts, slowdowns, crashes, and the like. Most security programs do not play well together. You need only one security program running in background and any other such programs used as on-demand scanners only. Now, you may be asking "What about a firewall? If you are using a router or router/modem you do not need a firewall because a router already serves that purpose in most instances. If, however, you still feel that you want a software firewall, the firewall that comes built-in with Windows will be more than adequate for most people.  

Most users need only one Windows cleaning-type utility and that is the well known and respected CCleaner . CCleaner not only cleans all parts of your Windows PC safely but also includes a very safe Registry cleaner, a startup manager, and an uninstallation feature as well. CCleaner uses very few resources and updates almost monthly as it is under constant improvement and development. In the category of essential utilities, I would also include Revo Uninstaller 

. While Windows does have an add/remove uninstaller application built in, Revo will not only remove and all programs on your computer but also scans your computer for leftover remnants of programs such as empty files, folders, or Registry entries. It offers a few additional tools as well, and comes in a Pro version; however, the free version is all most will ever need.  

While Windows does include Windows Media Player in all of its installations, it is a huge resource hog andf often lacks all of the codecs needed to play all media. There are several excellent free media players available. but the one I almost always recommend is Media Player Classic Home . It has been around a long time formerly known as simply Media Player Classic, is under constant development, is extremely lightweight, works equally as well on older machines as well as new high powered machines, and will play just about any video you throw at it. It is not fancy and does not offer a lot of features, but if all you want is a simple program to play videos without problems, then I think this is the best bet. If your needs are for something more sophisticated and feature-laden, VLC Media Player is an excellent choice and is is highly recommended. My only problem with it is that it is huge download and somewhat of a resource hog. Again, most people will be more than satisfied with Media Player Classic Home.   

One other program I consider essential involves not just installing but also replacing an existing program and that refers to a PDF reader. Almost all Window installations come with Adobe Reader preinstalled. Adobe Reader is the most resource hungry, huge, and slowest PDF reader you could find to put on a computer. I recommend that you remove (uninstall) Adobe Reader and install the lightweight, fast, and excellent Foxit Reader .  

Finally, you may want a program for your document writing. Unless you really want to spend more than $100.00 for Microsoft Word, there are several free programs that are near clones to Word. One of the best is Libre Office. Libre Office is essentially an open source clone of Microsoft Office suite. The only part that Libre Office does not include is Outlook, Microsoft's business email program. (Which is now morphed into Office Live) Libre Office as a word processor, a spreadsheet application called Calc, a slideshow Creator and presenter similar to Power Point, called Present, as well as a database program like Microsoft Access.

All of Libre's modules are capable of opening as well as saving as Microsoft Office formats. If you don't need Outlook, Libre is an excellent and free substitute. 

But what about a browser? Today's browsers are now all highly developed and nearly alike in speed, ease of use, and stability. As such, it really becomes more a matter of personal choice/taste than any objective differences. Firefox was my primary browser and the browser that nearly killed Internet Explorer some years ago. Its popularity has waned, in part, due to problems associated with its nearly monthly updates and memory leaks that caused it to consume all the memory if left running with many tabs open. This memory issue has since been fixed.

Google Chrome has become my default browser of late. I have actually produced many "screencasts" for training about Google services such as Gmail, Calendar, and others.  Of course, there are other browsers as well. There is Safari, Maxthon, PaleMoon, SeaMonkey, Avant, Comodo, RocketMelt, Lunascape, Enigma, CometBird, and on and on and on. All are free and all have their loyal fans. 

If you are not "adventuresome" and don't want to try an alternate browser, my recommendation - a recommendation I would have never believed I would make - is to simply use Internet Explorer 9, 10, or 11.

Since Internet Explorer 9, it is as safe, solid, and fast as most of the other browsers. While it does not yet have all of the add-ons and gadgets that many of the others offer (and tend to cause most of the problems people experience with those browsers), Microsoft has, over the past two years, dragged Internet Explorer into the world of modern browsers and it has become on par with the other major browsers.  

Now you are thinking, "What? Only eight programs needed on my computer?" . Surprisingly, yes. Eight programs, along with those included in Windows, are really all you need to keep your computer safe and make it usable. Do I have more than eight programs on my computer"? Of course, and so will you. 

You may need a graphics editor, an office suite, or any other number of specialized software programs. And with today's huge hard drives you might think why not load up a lot of software that I might want? The answer to that is simple: the more software you install, the slower your computer will eventually become. Software does not simply install as a single entity, but installs folders and files - often scattered throughout your computer -as well as sometimes hundreds of entries in your Registry. 

My advice is to install only what you know you need. 

You can always add new programs as you find that you need them.  

So, when you get that nice new computer (or decide to cleanup or refresh your old one), go through and remove all of that trial crapware on your new computer; and on your old computer go through and remove any program you have not used for, say, six months. Then, install the few programs I have listed above. Your computer will love you for it. :))    

ADVISORY/WARNING - ALWAYS download any program from the developers direct website, or a site that you know is safe such as CNET. Failing to do so will often result in many "PUPS", Potentially Unwanted Programs. These programs that come bundled in with the download will frequently install unwanted toolbars, change your default search engine and homepage to theirs and can potentially contain malware.

Any time you're installing a program ALWAYS choose "Custom Install" if that is an option. Even "legitimate" free programs contain additional bundled software that you most likely don't want and will later have to remove. (See Revo Un-installer above)

Pay attention to any pre-checked checkboxes during the installation and uncheck them if you don't want that particular feature or annoyance.

More Fun with Privacy

I recently read an article from blogger Dan Tynan on http://thankyoufornotsurfing.com/  about privacy and the privacy policies featured on many websites. This truly truthful Privacy Policy is a bit tongue-in-cheek but points out the truth in many cases. Pretty funny read.

TY4NS blogger Dan Tynan is what he calls "the first truly honest privacy policy":

At COMPANY _______ we value your privacy a great deal. Almost as much as we value the ability to take the data you give us and slice, dice, julienne, mash, puree and serve it to our business partners, which may include third-party advertising networks, data brokers, networks of affiliate sites, parent companies, subsidiaries, and other entities, none of which we'll bother to list here because they can change from week to week and, besides, we know you're not really paying attention.

We'll also share all of this information with the government. We're just suckers for guys with crew cuts carrying subpoenas.

Remember, when you visit our Web site, our Web site is also visiting you. And we've brought a dozen or more friends with us, depending on how many ad networks and third-party data services we use. We're not going to tell which ones, though you could probably figure this out by carefully watching the different URLs that flash across the bottom of your browser as each page loads or when you mouse over various bits. It's not like you've got better things to do.

Each of these sites may leave behind a little gift known as a cookie -- a text file filled with inscrutable gibberish that allows various computers around the globe to identify you, including your preferences, browser settings, which parts of the site you visited, which ads you clicked on, and whether you actually purchased something.

Those same cookies may let our advertising and data broker partners track you across every other site you visit, then dump all of your information into a huge database attached to a unique ID number, which they may sell ad infinitum without ever notifying you or asking for permission.

Also: We collect your IP address, which might change every time you log on but probably doesn't. At the very least, your IP address tells us the name of your ISP and the city where you live; with a legal court order, it can also give us your name and billing address (see guys with crew cuts and subpoenas, above).

Besides your IP, we record some specifics about your operating system and browser. Amazingly, this information (known as your user agent string) can be enough to narrow you down to one of a few hundred people on the Webbernets, all by its lonesome. Isn't technology wonderful?

The data we collect is strictly anonymous, unless you've been kind enough to give us your name, email address, or other identifying information. And even if you have been that kind, we promise we won't sell that information to anyone else, unless of course our impossibly obtuse privacy policy says otherwise and/or we change our minds tomorrow. 

We store this information an indefinite amount of time for reasons even we don't fully understand. And when we do eventually get around to deleting it, you can bet it's still kicking around on some network backup drives in somebody's closet. So once we have it, there's really no getting it back. Hell, we can't even find our keys half the time -- how do you expect us to keep track of this stuff?

Not to worry, though, because we use the very bestest security measures to protect your data against hackers and identity thieves, though no one has actually ever bothered to verify this. You'll pretty much just have to take our word for it.

So just to recap: Your information is extremely valuable to us. Our business model would totally collapse without it. No IPO, no stock options; all those 80-hour weeks and bupkis to show for it. So we'll do our very best to use it in as many potentially profitable ways as we can conjure, over and over, while attempting to convince you there's nothing to worry about.

(Hey, Did somebody hold a gun to your head and force you to visit this site? No, they did not. Did you run into a pay wall on the home page demanding your Visa number? No, you did not. You think we just give all this stuff away because we're nice guys? Bet you also think every roomful of manure has a pony buried inside.)

This privacy policy may change at any time. In fact, it's changed three times since we first started typing this. Good luck figuring out how, because we're sure as hell not going to tell you. But then, you probably stopped reading after paragraph three.

Thoughts on book writing

   Off and on, for the last two years, I have been working on a book for publication on Amazon's CreateSpace print-on-demand publishing venue.  
   In August of 2008 I put a PDF of a working draft for a book entitled "How to Inspect Your Own Home" up on a site called MyeBook. Somewhat to my surprise, over a six-month period,it got over 86,000 views! Wow, I guess there really is an interest in this subject matter. 
   That first effort, much like the several blogs I have here on Blogger.com, Posterous, Wordpress and ActiveRain was just for fun and to help hone my writing skills. It occurred to me that with that much interest, this should be an idea to be reconsidered and expanded upon. I began looking online for publishing options that would be suitable for my needs. As it turned out there are several self-publishing solutions available to a budding author. Of the several I looked at, the program offered by Amazon.com called CreateSpace print on demand seem to be the most workable for me.
   I pulled the book off the free site and began working on it in earnest. Boy! I had absolutely no idea of what I was letting myself in for. Up till this point, I considered myself a somewhat decent writer.  At least I had a decent grasp of the English language, basic grammar and sentence construction.  Where I fell short was in the mechanics of actually crafting a written document longer than a page or two that would be acceptable to the publisher and hopefully to the public. Writing a book is a whole lot different than blogging or writing short articles. There are entire manuals written about the mechanics of doing this type of thing.

Time to go back to "school".

   I soon found that I really needed to become a student of the writing process. Thanks to the resource pages from CreateSpace, Lulu.com and others, I soon amassed a decent collection of writing guides, style sheets, and Word templates as tools to use in this endeavor.  The core material of the book was already there, much of it in my head as a result of many years in the construction trades and as a professional home inspector. Putting all of this information into a readable form was a huge challenge.

   At first, as I usually do, I just sketched out a rough outline of what I wanted to say and began writing. Essentially, I jumped into the middle and tried to do everything all at one time. Writing the content, formatting it on the fly, pagination, chapter numbers, footnotes, and all the other mechanics of actually writing a book.  I quickly discovered that this is NOT how you write a book. At least not how the professionals do it. Back to square one. 

   I have been essentially a "casual user" of Microsoft Word for many years. I've used it to write reports, short articles, personal and business letters and other simple documents since before Word 2000. Prior to that, I had been using Word Perfect. Using these word processing programs in this fashion was akin to using a limousine to run into town for beer. Part of my learning process involved learning how to use Word 2003 properly and use all of its multitude of styles, formatting and version control that were available to make your job a bit easier and to produce professional quality documents.  So now, not only was I learning how to build a house, I was learning how to use the tools to do so at the very same time. Not the most ideal way to go about it.

   What I learned is that if you know how to use the tools available and follow a sequence, it is actually pretty easy to write a book. The proper sequence of operation made a huge difference in the amount of work I had to do. After literally redoing the entire 180+ pages several times, I figured there must be a better way.  There was, and I discovered it by using the resources mentioned above.  I must give credit where credit is due.  One of the most useful resources I found was a publication called "Build Your Book" by Waltron Mendelson.  This wonderful free guide was an invaluable resource that really helped me sort out some of the more arcane details of creating a professional quality book suitable for publication.  It explained some of the publishing jargon that I was running into so that I could actually do what was expected. Terms like "verso" (the left-hand page), "recto" (the right-hand page), "folio" ( the page numbers), "front matter and back matter" ( the printed information in the front and the rear of the book that is not actually "content").  There was also an extensive section on typography which is the selection of the correct font and typeface size as well as line spacing, justification and kerning (the spacing between letters) required to make your book readable.

unformatted text from one of your master files. Bingo! If you did it right, everything looks beautiful. Now go back and insert any graphics that you want to include. After all that is done, you can then work on pagination and section breaks to fine-tune everything. It's all about the sequence.

   Looking back, now that I'm done, I'm glad I took the time to learn this very useful information. Should I decide to write another book, it will go a lot smoother than my first attempt I'm sure.

Are embedded roll-over's bugging you?

(Minor Rant)

I must disclose that decisions about making use of various web-based promotional activities is a big part of what I do everyday.  Both for my own businesses, and for those of friends and clients that I advise, I must weigh the ethics versus the ROI, often short-term, against employing many things that are offered these days.

Shameless plug: Another Blog of Mine

I decided to look at the situation through the lens of a regular user and consumer of  Internet content rather than through the lens of a business owner trying to use the “best” tools available.  Who’s definition of "Best” do you adhere to?

<rant>

I have been noticing an increasing trend lately. After having had my attention gotten by persistent pop-up roll-over hot link, embedded in a browser page I was viewing , I began to think about how intrusive they were becoming.  These little interruptions have started to  become annoying.

It is the "persistent” part that finally pushed me over the edge.  Each day I spend a lot of time on the computer for various reasons, both business and personal.  The majority of that time is spent "Web connected” since a majority of services have moved to the “Cloud”. 

In the past, prior to all of this web connected goodness, the links that were embedded in web pages were active, but only popped up a momentary small window offering to link out to that site.  These links are generated by a search algorithm that is run against each viewed webpage.  When a keyword that has been preselected from a list is recognized, the directed and targeted link connected to that paid for keyword  will be offered as a first choice when that keyword is rolled over by the mouse cursor. 

Now, that many spend the majority of their work and leisure time in the Cloud and Web connected whether they want to or not, they have become persistent. They no longer just pop up and go away after a few seconds.  They are no longer, to varying degrees a polite and gentle nudge.  Now they are that “in-your-face” pop-up search results, right in the middle of what one was reading and requiring an active click to dismiss, interruption to my train of thought has become intrusive. So much so that it now often causes me to click off and close the page and go elsewhere. I suppose it really depends on how badly I want to view the content containing these types of links.  If I decide the content is not worth the intrusion  I am required to deal with , You Lose! 

You may not be directly involved in using these tools.  It might be something your webmaster is doing or something that the company you are paying to promote your business on the Web is doing.  In any case, as an ethical business person, it bears looking into.  No matter who's generating these pop-ups, ultimately, it's your call whether this is a boundary you choose to cross in your promotional activities.

In my humble opinion, some have stepped over the line.  I began to seriously question my personal ROI for using that particular browser or visiting YOUR website. I understand the need to "monetize” content. I’m involved in doing so myself, as mentioned above.  “How far should you go?” is the million dollar question. 

</rant>

I must admit that I fall into the camp that believes that ethics are a consideration. I do not agree with those that follow the "Anything goes-buyer beware” philosophy. Doing so is not ethical in my opinion.

Technorati Tags: web,internet,promotion,tools,ethics,ethical use,business,business owner

Is “Big Brother” getting even closer?

  In George Orwell's movie, 1984, released in December of 1984, they painted a very dismal picture of dystopian England in the year 1984 A D.
   The main premise of the movie was that the government, known as "Big Brother" monitored everything the citizens did via "Telescreens” that were essentially two-way TV monitors that watch you while you were watching it.  Nothing could be hidden from Big Brother.  (Trivia note: This movie also coined, the term "black helicopters".)
    I just finished reading the article called 5 Trends That Will Shape Social Media (http://linkd.in/aftDVU)  highlighting some key trends in social media such as Geolocation targeting, RFID tagging of devices and objects and how social networking will redefine how organizations communicate.
   My current "smart phone", a Motorola Droid, has a feature that I can turn on called "Locations" that, through the use of the built in GPS on the phone, will spot where I am currently located and provide some detailed information about businesses and people nearby.  Great idea, if you're a business that wants to promote their offerings or if you just can't stand to be out of touch with anybody for more than five minutes.  Can you say, "privacy concerns"?
   Here are a few of the predictions from this article:

• Identity will become embedded in devices.  Our social media identities such as Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin etc. will be entered as part of the initial process of setting up the device.
• Online sharing will become embedded in media life.  With social identity embedded into the devices we use daily, social sharing will become an integral part of the way we enjoyed media on our regular TVs, DVD players and music players.
• "Location" will be embedded into all activities.  Location aware devices will employee, pre-emptive use of location to alert the user of things or people nearby that may be of interest.
• "Smart devices" and web applications will automatically check in and post updates.  Identity aware devices, empowered by embeddable RFID tags, will allow this type of technology to spread beyond the mobile phone.
• Social networking will redefine how large organizations communicate.

   As an advocate and user of emerging technologies, I am not overly concerned about these trends.  I do think it is incumbent on anyone using these technologies to be fully aware of all the ramifications.  One needs to learn how to use them, and more importantly, know how and when to turn them off to protect their privacy.  As long as there is an "opt out" provision built into the device, I don't have a problem with it.  I can choose to use or not use the capabilities at my own discretion.

Technorati Tags: social media,geolocation,RFID,privacy,Facebook,Twitter,smart phone

   
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Avatar? I was disappointed!

Being at loose ends this weekend,with Kathy and two of the dogs off to Palm Springs for a dog show, I decided to go and see Avatar to see what all the fuss was about. Wow! $300 million budget, huge blockbuster, made its money back in the first couple of weekends. What could go wrong? Actually plenty.

My wife, Kathy is not into sci-fi movies so I figured this was a good chance for me to go and see this by myself. I thought I would try to get the best experience possible since this was supposed to be very high-tech and in 3-D! I opted for the IMAX at Universal City Walk. I thought I was going to see it on a big screen in 3-D. Didn’t happen!

Although there is a huge sign on the marquee touting the huge screen experience of IMAX, I ended up in one of the little “pocket theaters” that all these "multi-plex theaters seem to have these days. It wasn’t even in one of their bigger venues! I suppose I should’ve been a little more careful in my choice and I might’ve avoided this little mistake. Oh well, I’m here, I spent my money so I might as well move forward and actually see this movie.

My first plan of attack was to park in the free Metro Red Line lot at the bottom of the hill and use the free shuttle up to city walk. Whoops! The shuttle stops running at 7 PM and I was there at 8:30 PM. Plan B. I walk the quarter mile back to my car and drove up the hill paid $10 to park in the parking structure closest to the IMAX theater. One nice thing is that they give you five dollars back at the box office when you give them your parking ticket. Okay cool, five dollars for parking, while not free, was not all that bad.

This was a Friday night and with all the buzz I was afraid there would be lines and even the possibility of a sellout. I guess the buzz died down now a couple weeks after the opening and the crowds have moved on to the “next newest thing” because there was nobody waiting in line. Actually, I was a bit amazed that on a very nice evening, CityWalk was not very crowded. I parked close rode the escalator up and walked about 100 feet to the theater entrance. I grabbed the ticket from the ATM type machines in front rather than wait in the short box office line., I went inside got my five dollars back and realized there were no crowds and I was an hour early. Luckily I had brought my new MotoDroid phone along and was able to listen to a podcast while I waited.

The disappointment began with my walk into the actual theater space. It was one of the smaller “pocket theaters” that would seat may be 500 people. Not exactly the ideal scenario to view this very hyped movie that was was to be all about the cinematography, special effects and 3-D. I quickly found a seat near the middle of the only partially filled theater. It was maybe one third full at the most. Hardly the crowd I was expecting. After sitting through 15 minutes of miscellaneous BS, ads and at least five or six trailers, the movie finally started.

I can sum this movie up in a few words; All Sizzle, No steak!


All in all, I was ultimately disappointed in the experience. The movie was just “okay”in my opinion. The cinematography, special effects and the fabulous world of “Pandora” that Cameron created were pretty cool. The storyline, on the other hand, was pretty “formula” and the acting was mediocre. I was not impressed at all. In truth, I suppose if I’d wanted to be intellectually stimulated I wouldn’t have chosen this type of movie in the first place. It did provide the visual experience I was looking for, just not as much as I had hoped. Actually, the “vortex” and the floating mountain islands were a direct ripoff of something that’s been in World of Warcraft for a long time. Cool to look at and woven into the story line pretty well, but the ripoff aspect, for me at least, kept getting in the way. It appears most of the $300 million budget was blown on the CGI and special effects, not on developing an engaging storyline and good acting.

Personally, my experience of movies is holding true. If the critics rave about it, it is usually pretty lame. If, on the other hand they slam it, I usually find that I enjoy it. Just my perverse nature I guess!

So in the end, my call is to not go out of your way to see this movie or make a big deal of it. It is worth seeing for the special effects in the amazing world of Pandora, and the 10 foot tall blue aliens were sort of cool too. The head of operations dude was the typical corporate asshole and the head of the security detail (all paid mercenaries) was the usual Gung Ho "Urah" ex-military Gunny Sergeant type that was a real hard case. I guess in order to make the storyline work, any movie needs to have an antagonist and protagonist and the resulting conflict or you got no movie or plot.

Although my visual experience may have been better had actually seen it on a really big screen and in 3-D, it ultimately does not change my evaluation of this movie. All sizzle, No steak.
Till next time……

BuzzNet Tags: Avatar,sci-fi,movies,review