Practical Computer Advice
from Martin Kadansky
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Volume 7 Issue 12
| December 2013 |
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More Amazing, Wonderful, and Useful Web Sites
Here are some fun, interesting, and useful web sites. Many of these I use frequently. Enjoy!
Private searching
- http://www.startpage.com - This site uses google.com to do the searching but prevents google from getting your IP address, and it also removes google's advertising from the search results; in the past I've recommended www.scroogle.org for this, but it closed
Photos
- http://justpaste.it/3ky - "Earth from Above" - A collection of beautiful aerial photographs shot over 5 years and 6 continents
Reverse image search engines
Given a picture on your computer or on a web site, these sites search for the original and other variations:
- http://www.tineye.com - "It finds out where an image came from, how it is being used, if modified versions of the image exist, or if there is a higher resolution version."
- http://images.google.com - Don't type any keywords, instead click the little camera icon
Humor: Misheard song lyrics or Mondegreens
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondegreen for the precise definition, not to be confused with a soramimi, malapropism, eggcorn, or mumpsimus.
- http://www.kissthisguy.com - "Hold me closer, Tony Danza" vs. "Hold me closer, tiny dancer" ("Tiny Dancer" by Elton John)
- http://www.amiright.com - "The girl with colitis goes by" vs. "The girl with kaleidoscope eyes" ("Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" by The Beatles)
- http://www.topmondegreens.com - "She's electric boobs, her mom has two" vs. "She's got electric boots and mohair shoes" ("Bennie and the Jets" By Elton John)
Movies
Shopping
Interesting
- http://www.helpareporter.com - You're an expert at something, help a reporter by being a quoted source, get some media exposure for you or your business
- http://www.donorschoose.org - "An online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on our site, and you can give any amount to the project that most inspires you."
- http://www.truthorfiction.com - "Is that forwarded email Truth or Fiction? Research into stories, scams, hoaxes, myths, and urban legends on the Internet"
- http://arstechnica.com - "A trusted source for technology news, tech policy analysis, breakdowns of the latest scientific advancements, gadget reviews, software, hardware, and nearly everything else found in between layers of silicon"
Security:
Useful
- http://groups.yahoo.com - Connect with millions of users around the world on a huge variety of topics (requires a Yahoo ID), e.g. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BelmontChicken
- http://www.parkopedia.com - Think Wikipedia...but for parking - Find "the closest and cheapest available parking in your chosen area on the dates you have selected"
- http://www.savepostage.com - Inexpensive software to help you prepare Postal Bulk Mailings with minimal effort
- http://opensignal.com - "A comprehensive database of cell phone towers, cell phone signal strength readings, and Wi-Fi access points around the world," all data collected by actual Android and iPhone users; useful in finding which service providers are close to you
Technical
Macintosh
Windows
- http://www.annoyances.org - How to solve annoying Windows problems
- http://av-test.org - Is Norton Antivirus better than McAfee? What about AVG? This lab tests current antivirus software, and then rates each one using 3 criteria. Click "HOME USER," then click the version of Windows you're using to see their test results.
Where to go from here
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How to contact me: email: martin@kadansky.com phone: (617) 484-6657 web: http://www.kadansky.com On a regular basis I write about real issues faced by typical computer users. To subscribe to this newsletter, please send an email to martin@kadansky.com and I'll add you to the list, or visit http://www.kadansky.com/newsletter Did you miss a previous issue? You can find it in my newsletter archive: http://www.kadansky.com/newsletter Your privacy is important to me. I do not share my newsletter mailing list with anyone else, nor do I rent it out. Copyright (C) 2013 Kadansky Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved. I love helping people learn how to use their computers better! Like a "computer driving instructor," I work 1-on-1 with small business owners and individuals to help them find a more productive and successful relationship with their computers and other high-tech gadgets. |
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