Lessfeet

My rule number 1 is: “If you don’t have two copies of a file on different devices you don’t have that file!” Here are some programs to help you to that end.

Carbonite

PC only

Unlimited storage for one computer.

Easy install! My Documents and Desktop set to backup automatically. Right-click to select other items to backup.

$49.95 per year for the first computer.

Jungle Disk

Puts a virtual harddrive on your computer using Amazon’s S3 service.

$0.15 per GB-Month of storage used
Data Transfer
$0.10 per GB of data uploaded
$0.17 per GB of data downloaded

Much harder to configure than Carbonite.

GMail Drive

Puts a virtual harddrive on your computer that save your backed-up data to a GMail account.

The downside of GMail Drive is that it is only 7GB. The upside is it’s free!

Oct 28, 2008

Convert any media file format (Documents, Images, Audio, Video & Archives) without buying or installing anything on your PC with youconvertit. It’s pretty neat! you select a file to convert. Select what format you want the file converted to and youconvertit will email you when it’s finished.

Here is an easy but useful Firefox Tip. If you see a word or phrase on a webpage you want to find out more about select the text, right-click on it and select Search Google for “!@#$%^&*%”. Then a Google search opens in a new tab.

Until recently I did not know about extensions for OpenOffice the free office suite. Here are some useful and cool extensions I found.

Sun PDF Import Extension [Beta]

New Template

OpenOffice 2 GoogleDoc

Writer’s Tools

Oct 21, 2008

Change Eye Color

Bare Basics of GIMP and Brushes/Filters

Create an oilpainting from a photo.

Making a pencil drawing from a photo.

Create Lightsaber Effects

RULE #1: If you don’t have two copies of a file on different media you don’t have the file. This being the case you have to back-up continuously. Backing up to an external drive or network drive is a good way to do this, but what happens of there’s a fire and all of your computers and backups are destroyed? All of those family photos and important business documents gone.

A great way to back-up is to a server over the Internet. One of the best services to do this is Amazon’s S3 using Jungledisk. JungleDisk is the interface for S3. S3 just gives you the storage space and JungleDisk turns that space into a drive on your computer. Jungle disk cost $20 to use forever. As many computers as you like. All the upgrade for the software as long as the the company exist.

Amazon charges you a very small fee for storage and a somewhat larger fee for the transfer. There will be one large charge (though still very affordable) It will be even better now because they are dropping the price November.

The newest version can be used to backup your Windows Home Server.

Yes, you can play any type of media file (MP3, Quicktime, MPEG4, Real) with “Windows Media Player“. All you need is a CODEC. The “K-Lite Mega Codec Pack ” installs pretty much all of the known CODECs, even the one’s that most of us are not familiar.

Sometimes a file will not open but if you save it to your desktop and then open it should work. (You may have to choose WMP to open it.) If it isn’t in this CODEC pack (CAUTION) do not download one from the site that is suggesting it. It may be malware.

This does not include server-side applications like “Flash” and “Silverlight”

Note: Do not install “Media Player Classic” that is included in CODEC Pack. If you do it will be the default player and you want WMP.

Hak5 is a vidcast on Revision3 about hardware, software hacking (white-hat) and drinking beer. I have not watched it in a while. I did not care for it then but I’,m going to take a look at it again.