Tag: tools
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Create a WiFi signal strength map with NetSpot for Mac
Finding the best spot for wifi access in your home or in a public place is pretty much trial and error. Turn on your laptop, and see what happens. NetSpot is a free wireless survey tool that makes it more of a treasure hunt. Once you install it on your Mac (OSX only), your laptop…
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BrandMyMail mashes your email and social networks together
There are two types of email you can send: Text or HTML. Text is just the words. No colors. No photos. No layouts. HTML is basically a web page sent through email servers. For most of us, it really doesn’t matter when we send email. We just type, and the resulting HTML-formatted email is a…
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Make your apartment search easier with Padmapper
Finding an apartment on the internet is equivalent to hopping into a tractor tire and being rolled down a hill. You start at the top with high hopes: using the power of the internet for finding desirable rental properties and listings. From there, though, the process spirals downward. Apartment searching sites are hard to navigate,…
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New Features Added to Google Presentations — Can I Finally Ditch PowerPoint?
Google recently announced some improvements to their Docs platform, particularly to the Presentation app, a free alternative to Microsoft PowerPoint. New drawing tools, slide transitions, collaboration features… and suddenly I’m left wondering “Can I finally ditch Office for good?” Google Docs has been making steady gains over the years and I’ve finally gotten to the point…
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Creating a Bootable Linux USB Drive with UNetbootin
Test driving and installing a Linux distribution has become a lot easier over the years. In the early days, you needed to install Linux on a dedicated computer. Or, you could set your computer up to dual boot. Of course that meant navigating the potential perils of partitioning your hard drive. Later, a Live CD…
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Converting Graphics on the Linux Desktop with Converseen
If you’re a Linux user, then you probably know how spoiled you are when it comes to applications for working with graphics. Whatever you need to do — editing, resizing, viewing, converting — there’s an application for that. One of the most powerful Linux tools for manipulating graphics is ImageMagick. As powerful as it is,…
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Taking Screen Captures on the Linux Desktop with Shutter
Once upon a time, just about the only people who took screen captures were technical communicators and technology writers. Nowadays, it seems that everyone needs to grab a window or screen on their desktop. Which is why, I guess, the number of screen capture tools available for various operating systems has blossomed over the years.…
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Optimize Your MySQL Server With the MySQL Tuner Script
MySQL is powerful, open-source database software. When joined with PHP or another programming language, the uses of MySQL are almost endless. The ability to use MySQL in an unlimited number of ways is both a blessing and a curse. While MySQL can be used for just about anything, there is no single proper way to…
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Converting Files Online, Quickly and Easily
Ever come across a file that you can’t open? You know what I mean — an archive with the extension .rar or an Apple Numbers spreadsheet. We’ve all run into that situation before. And still do. Some of us more regularly than others, and yes, it can be frustrating. Instead of running around trying to…
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Let Anyone Send Files to Your Dropbox with JotForm
Let’s say a family member or close friend wants to show you vacation pictures, but 1) There are too many files and 2) Even when zipped, the file size is too large to attach in an email. You suggest they sign up with Dropbox, a free way to sync and share files across any computer. The…