Categories
computer tips

Paper to Paperless

In an effort to go paperless I decided I needed to scan in my receipts for my business.
To do this I searched the web to find information about it.  I found that the IRS accepts organized scanned or photocopied receipts. I also found Neat Receipts a scanner and a program (Neat Works) for organizing receipts, business cards, and documents.  It is available for Windows and Macintosh.  I bought the Macintosh version from a seller on eBay.
I am in a long process of scanning years worth of receipts and documents in an effort to free up space in my apartment. I remove any staples.  I scan them in. If I don’t need the original paper copy I shred it.
Update: Disclosure 2-12-2013: We now benefit financially from links of this product on this site.

Categories
Going Green

LED Bulbs

I am slowly switching over from fluorescent to light emitting diode (LED).   My new notebook and monitor from Apple have LED back lit Displays.   These are bright screens (adjusts to make less bright) and with good color and quality.
As my compact florescent lights go out, I am recycling them and replacing them with LED replacement bulbs (with many LEDs inside). Some of these are not as bright as the compact florescent bulbs so you have to look at what you buy.
LEDs are very efficient.  They do not produce the heat that florescents do. LED Bulbs may run at less than 3 watts which is a lot less than flouresent. They last a long time, one I bought was estimated at 30,000 hours.  They also do not contain mercury.
LED  are slightly more expensive to buy, however there will be savings in electricity use.

Categories
tech culture

Techs, Professionals. Not Geeks, Not nerds.

One bad thing about the culture with computer technology and computer science is that people involved are sometimes called geeks or nerds.  Companies that name themselves this are helping keep this problem going.   I do not consider myself a geek or a nerd even though I’ve been called both.  This stops a lot of people from persuing these fields.   Even though more and more people are using computers and IT, not that many people seem to try to be advanced at it.    People in these fields are also sometimes called by their title such as techs or professionals.  That is a better way.

Categories
computer tips

Slow Computer?

(Windows)
Slow computers are often caused by too many programs or processes running.   These programs can be spyware or bloatware.
Bloatware can be removed using the uninstall feature in Windows Control Panel.
Spyware once in a while can be removed in the uninstall, but many times needs to be removed with an antispyware program.
Sometimes programs need to be removed in safe mode.
Running disk defragmenter can also speed things up sometimes, but these days this usually isn’t the problem.
An antivirus may slow down a computer, however it is a must for Windows.   Choose an antivirus that does not have high system requirements and make sure your computer meets those requirements.  Only have one antivirus on your computer.  You may have to tweak the preferences on the antivirus.
Many times the computer is so slow it is best to use the recovery discs/partition/os disc to wipe everything out and start fresh – make sure you back up your important data files first if possible.
Many times on the hardware side, more memory can help speed things up (using any os).   There can be other hardware slowing things down, but this is the most common.

Categories
beware of scams

Scams, Solicitation, and Phishing

  • There are many scams, unwanted solicitations, and phishing schemes.
  • They can be found on the web, come in your email, your mail, and on the phone, even to your door. Many times they come from companies or individuals you haven’t heard of. Sometimes they are from well known companies and organizations.
  • My personal Examples of unknown company:
    • Non-local Advertising Companies: I received a phone call saying it was from Crow Wing County. Turned out it was a company that called itself Universal Adcom/ Premier Impressions calling from another state. I fell for this. There was an actual product, but there was limited distribution, so there were no results. They were very hard to deal with and very pushy.  It was hard to cancel and they kept calling me many times after canceling.
    • I dealt with several other non-local advertising companies that had similar situations and no results, however they were easy to cancel. I will no longer deal with them.
    • Things I learned:
      • Beware when caller id is blocked.
      • Don’t answer or answer and be very cautious.
      • Beware of businesses that you haven’t heard of and are not local.
      • Don’t do a deal with someone that forces a deal done the same day.
      • Say no thanks Hang up.
      • If they call back consider calling the police.
  • My personal example of problems from well known companies/organizations:
    • The Better Business Bureau in the Twin Cities solicited me about joining. I had a person from there that said I needed to join telling me a story about how someone got killed. There was some miscommunication that she thought I had an employee, so she also quoted me a higher price to join. She kept calling me to join later a couple times. Later another nicer person from there called about joining but the bad thing from before and the price still high made it  a no go.
    • Beware of Introductory prices for Internet, Cable and Telephone. Many times bills go up in price, sometimes more than double.
    • Beware of Free (especially mail offers)
    • Beware of contracts for Internet, Cable mobile/land line phone. Sometimes a may be cheaper to pay out of a mobile phone contract then to continue with that company. Many times people buy more phone minutes than they actually use, costing them money.
  • Internet Scams:
    • Fake antiviruses, Fake Antispyware.  Utilities that aren’t needed.
    • File sharing – people share files that are actually trojans, and spyware that may look like music or video
    • Work at home, and other easy money – There actually are some people that work at home, but there are many schemes on the internet, in newspapers, and on TV
    • Beware of the content you go to:  Porn Sites and Illegal file sharing sites are some examples of sites that cause more trouble than just what they are.
  • Email/mail/phone/text scams:
    • Taking care of money/Nigerian/out of country letter
    • Lottery winning
    • Bank account frozen/verifications – Banks hardly ever do this. These are almost always scams.
    • Certain forwards from people you know may also be scams.
    • Fake invoices/bills
  • Avoid publicly posting/submitting personal information, if possible. Telephone numbers and addresses can be used to send solicitations.   Social Security number, and credit/debit card/bank number be very careful who you give to and if given on the internet make sure it is a secure connection.  Birth date with year should be careful too.
  • Make sure your email provider/email program has a good spam and phishing filter.
  • Look at web addresses and names carefully
  • Look for misspellings in names, addresses and content
  • Be very careful about meeting someone.  If you do decide to meet, consider meeting in a public place.

There will be more on this topic in the future.

Categories
Going Green

What can I do with my used computer or other electronic that I don't want?

If it is working and usable:

  • You can donate it to an organization that accepts it.
  • You can sell it.   Craigslist.org and EBay.com are common places to list your item online.

If it is not working:

  • Recycle it properly. It’s the law.   Some manufacturers such as Apple allow you to recycle your old computer and monitor when you buy a new one.  Some stores will take used electronics for free or for a fee.   Cell phones, ink/toner cartridges, and rechargable batteries are recycled free many places.   Your local recycler, landfill, or garbage hauler may also accept electronics separate from your trash. You may want to call or check the provider’s web site or call the provider.
  • Crow WIng County Landfill
Categories
Going Green

Reducing Paper and Paper waste

  • Only print when necessary.
  • Print on both sides of the paper. Set computers to print duplex as the default option.  Collect single side printed paper and use as scratch pad.
  • Print Directly on envelopes instead of using mailing labels
  • Review Documents before printing. Make simple hand written corrections on printed documents instead of reprinting
  • Use smaller fonts and margins to fit more on a page.
  • Avoid printing cover sheets.
  • Do preventative maintenance on copiers and printers
  • Load paper correctly in printers and copiers.
  • Use recycled material in paper.
  • Have faxes go to email instead of having them printed.
  • Save emails in you inbox instead of printing them.
  • Share documents on networks or internet instead of printing to have someone review.
  • Use Online Billing, Online Statements for banks and insurance, and stop having bills and statements in the mail.
  • Subscribe to your newspapers and magazines online instead of getting them in paper form.
  • Unsubscribe from catalogs and other junk mail- some of which can be done online.   Many catalogs have unsubscribe information on the back.
  • Use the calendar/scheduler on your computer/phone/pda instead of a paper calendar.
  • Use a computerized address book on your computer/phone/pda instead of a paper address book.
  • Use computerized keeping of all records including medical records, financial records/bookkeeping, and other business records.
  • E-file your taxes. Find Services at Minnesota Department of Revenue US Internal Revenue Service
  • Register and sign up for events, classes, selective service, FAFSA , Social Security , Changing Address and holding mail with USPS , and other things online instead of mailing a paper copy.
  • For photography, use a digital camera and View and share photos online instead of buying prints (or only print some of your best photos).
  • Besides reducing paper computerizing can make processes go faster, make things easier to find, and can reduce data loss if using proper backups.
  • More Info: California IWMB   HP
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