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Cutting Corners

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

If you need some basic Office software, but don’t want to shell out $300+ on Microsoft Office, there are alternatives. I’m a big fan of Open Office and Page Plus (see Open Source), but there are plenty of other options to choose from.

CNET has provided a comparison of the various office software packages out there. While they all can boast a special advantage, my lot is still cast with Open Office since it’s free. If you’re missing anything, it’s easy to find a free version online. Most of the programs listed are missing some kind of e-mail management program such as Outlook or Outlook Express, but with GMail and Thunderbird out there, you’ll have everything you need.

Blog Software Review (part one)

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

After a year of messing around with blogs, I have had a chance to work with some of the programs out there. My inamirrordimly blog uses Nucleus, but I also have been working with Typepad and WordPress. While a lot of people use typepad, it seems that WordPress has been gaining some momentum. Andrew Jones of Tallskinnykiwi.com told me that Typepad has had its day and that WordPress is on its way up. While I have enjoyed using Nucleus, Typepad and WordPress are a bit more accessible for the blogging novice. And here are a few thoughts along those lines.

I have had a Typepad blog since April of last year, while the WordPress thing is new to me as of this year. Though I could say a lot in comparison, here’s the short cut to my point: WordPress takes a little bit of time to learn and requires even a minimal knowledge of html code, but it’s free. Typepad is really easy to use and makes buidling links and editing your content really easy. The down side is that the extra convenience costs you $6 a month.

Continue reading Blog Software Review (part one)

Good Bye Blue Sky

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

It was too good to be true. The blue skies of February have left us and March has begun. I began to expect clear skies every day, but the gray clouds have moved in along with the month of March. The only plus at this point is these clouds means snow is coming later on today! Here is a picture of Mt. Aeolus in Dorset. I took it from the side of Mt. Equinox in Manchester.
Mt. Aeolus

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Coming Up

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

I’m very excited about a few things coming up. First of all I bought a new USB cable for my Canon Powershot A95. I lost the cable yesterday and was bummed that my pictures of Mt. Equinox (near Manchester, VT) would have to stay on the camera. I’ll have them up soon I hope.

The other project that I am very excited about is the development of a web page for the Northshire Non-Profit Network. We are meeting this Friday at GNAT at 8 am. There will be coffee, tea, and donuts. This is a great grass-roots kind of group that meets to collaborate on a variety of topics from newsletter, to volunteers, to this week’s topic: events. There isn’t a strong agenda driving the group, only a topic, and all are free to contribute. It’s a great place to share ideas and to find new ones.

My plan is to propose a web site for the group at this meeting.

Continue reading Coming Up

Posted in Web

Make Your Own Buttons

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

If you’re like me and you don’t have a clue about code, there are short cuts out there. For example, Adam Kalsay’s Button Maker allows you to specify the content, lay out, and color of your buttons. I made a simple one for my web site that I will offer to users who want an attractive link to put up on their own web sites and blogs.

Sometimes I want to list directories or blog tools on my site and certain products do not provide their own buttons. In order to make your side bar uniform, this button maker enables you to make your own in a matter of minutes. It’s then a matter of saving the image, uploading it to your web site, and then copying the location of the image. If you ever wonder how to do it, you can view the source of any web site by clicking on the view option of your internet browser and checking out the page’s source code.

Continue reading Make Your Own Buttons

Posted in Web

Before You Check Your E-Mail . . .

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

Wired News reports that technology has made many workers less efficient. In an article titled, “Work More, Do Less With Tech,” a series of surveys and reports point to a rushed and unfocused work force that is only able to nibble away at projects.

“Workers completed two-thirds of their work in an average day last year, down from about three-quarters in a 1994 study, according to research conducted for Day-Timers, an East Texas, Pennsylvania-based maker of organizational products.”

Continue reading Before You Check Your E-Mail . . .