Categories
computer tips

Avoiding fires

Thanksgiving. Our first national holiday based on fall feast/festival and political proclamation.
The biggest travel holiday.
Also a time of many cooking fires.
Talk about fire safety.
Basic Cooking tips:
Don’t go far from the kitchen with the stove, oven, toaster or microwave on. (don’t leave apartment or house).
Deep frying turkey, can make things even more dangerous.  If doing so, it is probably best to deep fry away from buildings outside on a surface such as concrete.
Small fires should be put out in 30 seconds or less. grease fires need to be put (stomped) out by covering flame(such as another pan or pan lid) or using proper fire extinguisher not water.
Cooking on decks/balconies can be dangerous and in Minnesota apartment complexes is illegal.
firefighterHave a plan in case of a fire where you live and where you work – how to get out – where to go after you are out and calling for help (911 in an emergency)
 
what about computer stuff:
Always have your computer backed up offsite or online in case of damage by fire or smoke.
Don’t smoke by computer(and to be even safer not in the house, especially not by a bed and not on deck/balcony). Keep it out of dust.
Use proper electrical equipment such as a surge protector and grounded. Don’t use any frayed chords.
This is of course is not a complete guide. Please be safe. Happy Thanksgiving

Categories
computer tips

MNSure

Minnesota’s online market place for health insurance.
http://www.mnsure.org

Categories
programming

Countdown by 7


I was asked to countdown from 100 by 7. I was having trouble doing it right, I ended up with 4 when I knew it should have been 2. this script shows it correctly.
 

 
 
<script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript">
num=100;
while (num>=0)
{
document.write( "The number is " + num + "<br>");
num=num-7;
}
num2=100%7;
document.write( "The remainder is " + num2 + "<br>");
</script>

Categories
video

Magnet Frame DIY

Categories
video

Video from the MN State Fair


trip to the mn state fair.

Categories
tech culture

Contributions made by Gmail

You may have heard about privacy issues with Gmail, which have always been publicized as a problem.
Gmail from Google brought these advancements.

  1. Labels: also known as tags.  They were one of the first (if not the first) to use these with email instead of folders. Tags of course were used by things other than email before this, but it was still an advancement.  This has been adapted by other email programs and even operating systems.
  2. Conversation view. To keep things organized with who you are writing to. Other programs have adapted this.
  3. Keep it, don’t print or delete.  Gmail let people have enough storage, So people don’t do unproductive things like print and delete emails.
  4. Accessibility: Made their email available in almost any email program, allowed forwarding, and compatible with most mobile devices.
  5. Allow people to use their own domain with Google Apps.
  6. powerful email search.
  7. Strong junk email filter: It errors on being too strong at times.
  8. Ads relevant to you: Some people like this. Others consider this intrusion of privacy.

Do you use Gmail? I use to, but I no longer use Gmail because of possible privacy concerns.

Categories
computer tips Going Green

Save energy

Cut out driving as much as possible: how?

  • Use web based services, telephone, and mail instead of driving.
  • Combine your stops along a single route.
  • Use Public Transit where available.
  • Car Pool
  • Walk
  • Ride Bike
  • Live closer to where you work, or Work closer to where you live
  • Kids walk, bike, or take bus to school.

If you do use your car:

  • Keep up with regular maintenance
  • Stay Below 60 Mph
  • Keep it clean, to keep weight down
  • Use windows down going less than 45 Mph when it’s hot. Air conditioning when going more than 45 Mph.

In your Home:

  • Unplug chargers when not in use.  Chargers such as phone, tablet, even some laptop chargers can take more energy just being plugged in than the  device itself.  Also Unplug printers if not in use for a long period. Make sure there aren’t orphan cables that go to nothing.
  • Use washer and dryers during cooler times when possible and cook during cooler times when possible. Using a microwave during warmer times may also save energy.
  • LED lighting (including on monitors, tvs, regular fixtures, refrigerators) can keep your place cooler.
  • Use of blinds, or curtains, in warm weather.
  • Use energy saving (power) settings on your computer (in control panel in Windows, and system preferences on Macintosh)
  • Drink tap water (I use a filter pitcher)

Home & Office

  • Use less paper, do less printing
  • Recycle – Recycled materials take less energy than raw materials.
  • Allowing a casual dress code, so workers can dress appropriately for the weather.

 
 
 
More in my e-book Datacommuting available on iBooks, Amazon (Kindle) and Nook

Categories
Going Green

What is paper good for these days?

  1. Bathroom tissue
  2. Recycled materials such as insulation, and ceiling tiles
  3. If it helps you to remember, write on scrap paper
  4. Cleaning materials (when used sparingly) – I use reusable cloths, and eraser sponges(for what I can’t get out with reusable cloths) too. I go through about 1 roll of paper towels a year. I also sometimes use antistatic wipes. update:  I no longer use the eraser sponges since I don’t have that huge a mess to clean up.  I only use a few rolls of paper towels a year, but I’ve been counting and it is more than one. I also use a  mop with a reusable cloth mop head that can be washed in clothes  washing machine.

In addition to saving paper by not printing and asking places not to send me junk mail, I also look at the packaging I use.

  • I buy bag cereal to reduce paperboard.
  • I use Presto Popper so I use popcorn not the microwavable bags ( it does use a small piece of reusable paper, so it reduces paper not paperless).
  • I wash my dishes instead of buying and throwing away paper or plastic ones.
  • I use dryer balls instead of fabric softener or dryer sheets.

And to save plastic I use reusable bags, every time (too many people just buy them and forget to use them). To save on garbage bags, I use bread bags, produce bags, cereal bags (with a tie), and shopping bags(if somehow I got one anyway). To reduce carbon emissions and foreign oil, I use my bicycle, as well as many online services, and public transit.

Categories
beware of scams computer learning computer tips Going Green

Online Banking

I use online banking frequently. Not just to check how much money is in the bank. But also to make sure that my transactions went through properly and to make sure there are no unexpected transactions.
I also use it to get my statement online instead of on paper. I download the statement onto my computer and keep it in Neat Digital filing system. Also my credit union lets my have free online bill pay by using online banking instead getting statements in the mail. The online bill pay saves me on stamps and checks and can make sure my bills get paid on time.
I also download transactions to use with my bookkeeping (Quickbooks).
About those unexpected transactions – I recommend be very cautious about giving away credit/debit card numbers or bank over the phone. If you do make sure you initiated the call and not someone who called you. Also when using online, make sure it is a company you trust and over a secure connection.

Categories
computer tips Going Green

Printing to save money?

Is it worth printing things out to save money? like coupons? online postage? printed forms instead paying online fees?
Sometimes.  If you have the printer anyway, with ink already and plenty of paper already.
But if your going to buy more ink or paper or even a printer or computer to do this- it makes no sense as no dollars and cents.
Another thing is if you print a form instead and mail it instead of submitting online to avoid a fee, you may end up waiting longer for processing. You also of course have to consider the cost of the stamp and envelope, and the check.
I recommend if you can get by without a printer, to do that. Printers break down easily. Ink jets, ink is expensive. Laser Printers are expensive and take a lot of room and electricity.
With store coupons at Superone foods I now use their super coupon code, so I don’t have to clip out or print store coupons.

Content ©1999 - Nathan Steffenson, Nate's Computer Services - All rights reserved. - Be Green! save money and energy. Please do not print this web page.