Living a Digital Lifestyle Newsletter - April 16, 2009

LIVING A DIGITAL LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

Volume 1, Issue 43 April 16, 2009

Today's issue will be tips and articles all courtesy of Kim Komando. You can go to her website here. There will be several links that you can click on for yourself, to take you to different articles. I may include those articles in this newsletter, but then again, I may not. If I don't then you can follow the links yourself. If you happen upon a link that is closed to you, then that means you have to be a Kim's Club member to get access to that information. You can become a member very easily and the information is on the site. (By Kim Komando)

Creating a photo collage

Q. I promised my granddaughter that I would make her a collage. Then I lost my job. She's young, and really doesn't understand that. I have lots of time, but I'm reluctant to spend anything. So, I guess I need free software. On top of everything else, I've never made a collage. Step-by-step instructions would also be helpful.
-Gabriel in Westland, MI, listening on CKLW 800 AM

A. I'm getting soooo many messages from people who've lost their jobs. I'm glad you have family and you're spending time with them. This will pass, and, meanwhile, that support is important.

A collage is a great way to display treasured photos. And it's relatively easy to create with your computer. You just need the right software.

I recommend that you use Google's Picasa. It's really designed to organize photos. But it has editing tools and other nice features.

You can download Picasa free from my site. Once you install it, hurry back. I'll help you get going. Then, I'll walk you through the creation of a collage.

When you first start Picasa, it scans your computer for photos. It then organizes them by folder and date. You can scan your entire computer or just a few folders.

After Picasa scans your photos, create an album. An album groups photos in Picasa. The photos are not moved on your hard drive. You're going to put the photos for your collage into an album.

Click File>>New Album. Name your album and enter a description, if you choose. Click OK. Select your photos in Picasa.

Now, right-click one of the photos. Select Add to Album. From the pop-up list, select the album you just created.

Next, click on the album in the left pane. Click Create>>Picture Collage. Or, click the collage button below the album name. There is also a collage button at the bottom of the window.

A new tab opens. On the right, you'll see the collage that Picasa automatically creates. If you don't like the way it looks, you can customize it.

Picasa includes a number of easy tools. Let me tell you about them.

Fun free games for your phone

The iPhone has really raised the bar for smartphones. It is much more like a computer than a mere phone.

It has also changed the way we look at phones. By now you've seen all the iPhone ads featuring fun games. So, more of us want to play games on our phones.

Fortunately, you don't need an iPhone to play games. In fact, many popular phones can handle games.

At GameJump, there are plenty of great games for phones. And they're all free for you to download!

To get started, select the type of game you'd like to play. Or, better yet, start by selecting your phone model.

You'll get a list of games that you can download. There are also instructions for downloading the games.

Not all games will work on all phones. And your provider may charge you for the download.

Oh, and sorry, iPhone owners. There are no games for you here; I guess you'll need to make do with iTunes!

TO VISIT TODAY'S COOL SITE, GO HERE:
games.gamejump.com

Fixing a bothersome Desktop

Q. Somehow, my Desktop folder has been moved to a shared network drive. I need to move it back to the computer's hard drive. I've copied the folder to my computer and unmapped the network drive. Now I have a very basic desktop. I can't save anything to it. How can I remedy the situation? Where should the Desktop folder be located on my machine?
-Pat in Houston, TX, listening via Kimcast

A. So, your Desktop folder has been moved. I'm not sure how you accomplished this unwittingly. It takes some work to move the Desktop folder. Fortunately, it isn't terribly difficult to restore it.

First, you will want to remap the network drive. This isn't absolutely necessary. But you will have an easier time cleaning things up. Make sure you assign the same letter to the mapped drive. Need help mapping your network drive? No problem! Click here if you're running Vista or here if you use XP.

Now, you're ready to get to work!

If you're using Vista, moving the Desktop folder location is relatively painless. Start by navigating to the location of your Desktop folder. You're not looking for the one you copied to your computer. You want to find the one on the network drive.

When you find the Desktop folder, right-click it. Select Properties and open the Location tab. You'll see a file path pointing to the location of the Desktop folder.

Click Restore Default. This will move the Desktop folder to its default location. In Vista, the default location of the Desktop is C:\Users\username\Desktop.

Click Apply. When prompted, click Yes. This will move the contents of your Desktop folder to the new location.

How would one move a desktop? Beats me, but I have the fix.

Get a little extra help

Maybe you need some help covering college tuition. Or, maybe you need a loan to get your small business going.

Getting a bank loan can be difficult these days. But that doesn't mean you're out of luck.

In fact, the government has many programs that can help. And you can learn more about them at today's Cool Site.

There are two ways to learn about benefits programs at GovBenefits. First, you can answer a series of questions. This will show you programs for which you may qualify.

Or, you can search for particular types of benefits. For example, you can look for career development assistance. You can look for grants, loans, tax help and much more!

TO VISIT TODAY'S COOL SITE, GO HERE:
www.govbenefits.gov

Why pay monthly for protection?

Q. I recently signed up for Verizon High Speed. I need to update my virus protection and firewall. Verizon sells Internet protection for $5.99 a month. Is theirs good enough, or should I get something myself?

A. Verizon High Speed is offering a suite of programs. I assume they are reselling another company's product. Is its quality good? Probably, but I can't be certain.

However, I can be certain of the quality of programs I recommend. If you check my Security Center, you'll find many programs. Any should do the job.

I'm certain of something else, too. You can't beat the price. That's because the programs at my Security Center are FREE.

So, let's start with antivirus software. This is absolutely essential. There are countless malicious programs circulating on the Internet. Even someone who is careful could be tricked into downloading one.

It's not just viruses, Trojans and worms. Today, you must worry about losing control of your computer to criminals. It could be roped into a bot army. These compromised computers are used to blackmail sites and spread spam.

An antivirus program can't stop everything. Some malware is too new. So, you still must be careful about opening e-mail attachments.

I have three free antivirus programs: PC Tools, avast! and AVG. Do not use more than one antivirus program. Multiple programs will conflict.

As you mention, a firewall is also necessary. Even if you have a router firewall, I would install software firewalls. Firewalls in consumer routers are usually inadequate.

Even if you know security, review this. It will keep you up to speed.

Copyright 2009 WestStar TalkRadio Network. Reprinted with permission. No
further republication or redistribution is permitted without the written
consent of WestStar TalkRadio Network. Visit Kim Komando and sign up for her
free e-mail newsletters at: www.komando.com

That's all for today's edition, folks.

Until next time -

Digitally yours,

Andrea