Weekend website: Google Groups

I doubt that anyone visiting this page hasn't heard of Google, however, some of you may not be aware of Google Groups. From this site you can search a variety of Usenet newsgroups (a forum/BBS system that predates the web), as well as Google's own groups. This page can be exceptionally useful when you are searching for help and advice about computer problems - after you have checked for help on this page, of course. The chances are you are not the only one with a particular problem. Someone has probably asked for help with it before and maybe received an answer on Usenet.Students should also be interested Google Scholar, which can be used to...

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Posted in: Websites

TPAssist2007-To Be Released September 1-Part 2

In this post, I will conclude my interview with Brad who discusses some of the advantages and features of TPAssist2007. If you are involved in project management and are using MindManager Pro 7 then please take advantage of the free trial version of TPAssist2007 which you can download. -------Brian: How will using TPAssist 2007 with MM help someone keep on top of projects?Brad: Effective Project Management, in my opinion has two distinct stages: Planning and Management. Project Management tools, like Microsoft Project, are great for creating the initial project plan and for capturing the process that will be used to deliver the project. Unfortunately...

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Posted in: MindManager Pro 7,mindmapping,project management,TPAssist2007

Keyboard shortcut of the week: refreshing changes

Need to refresh or reload the web page you are looking at? Press the F5 key.If the web page still doesn't appear or does not look right you could try Ctrl + F5 (hold down the Ctrl key and press F5). This keyboard shortcut bypasses any copy of the web page that may be stored on your PC. Web browsers will keep a copy of web pages you visit in something called a cache, which they will access first when you return to that page.See the last post on Bloody Computer! for information about clearing this cache in Internet Explorer. If you use Firefox you can empty the cache by following these instructions:In Firefox, go to the 'Tools' menu and select 'Options..'Click on the 'Advanced' iconClick on the 'Network' tabThere you will find a button labeled 'Clear now', pressing this will empty the cac...

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Posted in: Firefox,Internet Explorer,Keyboard shortcut

TPAssist2007 to be Released September 1

I had the opportunity to speak with Brad Allen the developer of a new MindManger Add-in called TPAssist 2007, which will be released on September 1. TPAssist 2007 is an integrated solution using Mindjet® MindManager®, Microsoft® Office, and leverages the power of mind maps to give you a flexible and effective productivity management tool.TPAssist extends the power of MindManager, adding capabilities like automated task tree summarizing, structured journal management, brainstorming to task tree creation, powerful project team tracking, plus automated integration with Microsoft Outlook® and Microsoft Excel®.In the course of my interview, I was...

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Posted in: IntelliGantt Add-In for MindManager,MindManager,MindManager Pro 7,TPAssist2007

[TIPS] digital forgery

As we teach kids about trying to decide what’s real and what’s not, the issue of digital images raises the bar. It’s a LOT tougher nowadays to tell if images have been forged. The first link below is a short movie showing a few examples of images that have been altered. I think it’s a great place to start.   The second link below takes you to a spot on a page containing several links to other sites that show forged digital images. I’m sure a good search will show even more. But, it sure is fascinating!   http://www.csmonitor.com/slideshows/2007/detective/ http://pages.citebite.com/g2a0l9q6h7jdx - lots more ...

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ConceptDraw MINDMAP 5 Released for Macintosh

August 28, 2007CS Odessa today announced the general availability of ConceptDraw MINDMAP 5 for Macintosh. ConceptDraw MINDMAP 5 is an easy-to-use software tool that supports mind mapping, brainstorming and other personal productivity methodologies thus providing businesses and individuals with an engaging and creative way to increase efficiency and productivity when organizing ideas and projects. ConceptDraw MINDMAP 5 is compatible with all major Mac OS X project management software titles and MS Office. Complete support of MS Project XML file format allows data to be transferred between ConceptDraw MINDMAP 5 to project management applications...

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Posted in: ConceptDraw MindMap 5 Mac,mindmapping,Odessa Software

Where has all my hard-drive space gone?

Just as you can never have enough cupboard space in your home, you can never have enough hard-drive space. Nevertheless, occasionally we all have to sort through our storage and throw out a few things to make some more room. This is often easier said than done when it comes to your PC as it is not always clear what is taking up all the space.The free version of TreeSize provides a graphical representation of how much hard-drive space your folders are using. Simply right-click on a particularly bloated folder and click on 'Explore' from the menu. This will open up that folder so you can set about deleting any files that are surplus to requirement....

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Posted in: Freeware,Internet Explorer,Low drive space

[TIPS] the drugging of our children

Watch this – if you can.   http://digg.com/lbv.php?id=2892241&ord=1   The drugging of our children – to keep them in their seats? This is a digg post. ...

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[TIPS] newly updated splashcast due tomorrow (Thursday)

I just received an email from the team at Splashcast.net saying that a new and improved version will appear on their site tomorrow. New features include a full screen button (YEAH!), captions, and more. Since I plan to demo that one for my part of the k12online conference I’m glad to see that it’s out now – rather than the day after I finish making my presentation.   J http://splashcast.net   ...

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[TIPS] corrected links - wikiscanner

When I copied the email out of Outlook (don’t get me started!) the url’s were changed to include the address of our webmail server. Clever, eh?   Here are the corrected links:   The wikiscanner search engine that "reveals all" http://wikiscanner.virgil.gr/ A "best of list" from Wired Magazine http://wired.reddit.com/wikidgame/ An example:  Diebold attempting to wipe out references to security issues with voting machines. (theirs!) http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?diff=prev&oldid=28623410 ...

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[TIPS] wikiscanner - get this!

MANY thanks to Dan Berger for sharing this with me. I'll post it just as he sent it to me:- - - What it is, is a site (setup up by a 24 year old Grad student) to link anonymous wikipedia edits with the organizations "owning" the IP ranges from which the edits where made. Even though we've probably suspected it, this data-mining project lifts the curtain on that fact that organizations are doctoring their wikipedia entries. What I am fascinated by is the fact that it does lift the curtain so that companies can no longer hide behind anonymity when "white washing" their entries.Enjoy,DanThe wikiscanner search engine that "reveals all"http://wikiscanner.virgil.gr/A "best of list" from Wired Magazinehttp://wired.reddit.com/wikidgame/An example: Diebold attempting to wipe out references to securityissues...

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SnagIt Output Updated for MindManager 7

One of the handiest utilities that I use to capture screen shots with, is SnagIt from TechSmith. One of the features which is really fantastic is SnagIt Outputs. I just recently found out that TechSmith updated the SnagIt output that can now be used with MindManager 7. If you have MindManager 7 open when you are using SnagIt you can use the MindManager Output that will copy the screen shot and place the image right within your mind map. It is very easy to use and very handy to have in your toolbox. I created a short screencast to show you how it works. If you need more information about SnagIt just go to TechSmi...

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Posted in: MindManager,MindManager Pro 7,screencast,snagit

[TIPS] teen fined for posting video of teacher

http://www.appscout.com/2007/08/teen_fined_for_youtube_posting_of_teacher.php   It was going to happen, wasn’t it? A student records a teacher doing something and posts it on YouTube. It gets seen by hundreds and the teacher is harassed as a result. The student is fined.   It makes me wonder what will come of the student who recorded a friend of his calmly walking to the windows of his classroom, and taking his good old time crawling out – all while the teacher worked at the board. It also makes me wonder WHO should be getting in trouble.   Thanks to Lee C for sharing this. ...

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[TIPS] the spawning of a University

How do you start a University? And don't say, "Start with a four year college and then change your name." How do you start one from the ground up? What an interesting challenge that is, isn't it? That's what's going on at the Harrisburg University.   I just had a fascinating conversation with one of the people in charge of recruiting students and faculty to become a part of this new University. She talked about the kinds of students who would be attracted to the programs being offered there, and I was struck with how well I think that MY learning style would have fit well here. The classes are small, and since it’s new the students and the professors are exploring together and sharing and building the program as they go. Consider an established curriculum, for example. There may...

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[TIPS] Moodle classes - Come and Get 'em!

Globalclassroom.us (or globalclassroomusa.org) want to give away 200,000 (You read that right) moodle classes to your teachers. The link is at the bottom of this post.   Think about what this means, potentially. Around the world there will be teachers creating content. Using Moodle it will be collaborative, content-centered playgrounds for your students. Not only your students, but students from around the world. You’ve got students in Africa (which, according to some of the recent speakers at Ted is the next HUGE market) with $100 laptops who are hungry for the education that so many of the world’s students take for granted.   I can’t give too many details here or this email will be flagged as.. you know what. (The sp*m word) J But, DO go here: http://globalclassroom.us/m/register/teachers.php...

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[TIPS] Let the blogging begin!

Those of you who are thinking about whether or not to look into the notion of maybe finding out more about the possibility of MAYBE … :-) … having your students blog this year (whew!) may want to watch these blogs for a while. Anne Smith's students in Arapahoe School District in Colorado have been doing nice work for some time. (Remember these posts: http://tipline.blogspot.com/2007/07/tips-what-does-literature-say-about.html, http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gihttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.giff, http://tipline.blogspot.com/2006/12/tips-power-of-blogging.html, http://tipline.blogspot.com/2006/12/tips-smiths-9th-honors-class-blog.html) Well, Anne just sent me the url's for this year's class blogs, as well as her own learning and Laptops blog. I encourage you to watch these for a while....

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[TIPS] Printing Notes with powerpoint slides

One of the problems with Powerpoint as we've been using it, is that kids can complete the entire project without ever having written a complete sentence. Not good. So, here is a method that I've been showing teachers that WILL get the kids writing complete sentences.http://www.slideshare.net/jgates513/printing-notes-with-powerpoint-slides/1 - That's my slideshow detailing this process. Embed it in YOUR blog or wiki, if you wish.It goes like this: 1. Start in the OUTLINE view of Word. This forces certain styles on the outline2. Using Tab and Shift-tab to move in and back out in the outline, write your powerpoint. (Heading 1 style= new slide and title, while heading 2 style=bullets)3. When the students complete the outline they show it to you. You will ask them questions and make suggestions...

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The Computer Consulting Business and Hardware Warranties

When trying to run a computer consulting business, you can’t waste valuable time and your clients’ budgets trying to work through problems with a monitor or CD-RW drive. If your computer consulting business is so large that you have senior-level and technician-level staff, you will be able to work through these problems efficiently.But what if you are a one-person company? In this case, you would be wise to let your PC vendor’s tech support staff handle hardware warranty repairs using national service providers.What is Warranty Service?When you are a computer consulting business, you need to know how long the warranty period is for hardware. You also need to know if it covers parts and labor and what the response time will be on the service.Is the vendor going to pressure your clients to do...

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Posted in: computer consulting

Highlights of Summer Blogging

I hope that everyone has had a great summer! I have been busy blogging this summer and I hope I can keep up the pace as I move into my Fall schedule. It has been a lot of fun writing about new applications and having the opportunity to meet and talk to some of the developers of the programs. But along the way , I have met some great folks who not only have a vision as to how these programs can be utilized but are passionate about the work they do.For those of you who may be new to this blog, I have spent a fair amount of time talking about assistive technology, mind mapping, visual learning, project management, as well as talking about Web 2.0...

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Posted in: ConceptDraw,FastTrack,hyperstudio,inspiredata,IntelliGantt,JVCGantt,livescribe,MindManager,mindmapping,NovaMind 4,Odiogo,PersonalBrain,Schedule,ThemeReader,theRealizer,TouchGraph,XMIND

What Are Hidden IT Consulting Costs During Startup?

While $75 - $85 per hour might seem like enough to sustain you in the IT consulting business, you need to think ahead when setting your rates during startup. If you keep charging those low rates beyond your grand opening special, your business will not become successful enough to last long term.Think about Overhead ExpensesWhile when you first do the math, $75 an hour seems to be $150,000 per year in IT consulting it does not really work that way. You can’t bill 2,000 per year. IT consulting professionals just starting out often forget about overhead expenses that develop as their businesses grow. You just can’t handle 40 hours per week every week of billable work if you want to run a computer consulting business.Expect InconsistenciesYou need to bill higher rates from the beginning, because...

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Posted in: IT consulting

With a little bit of care, you can maximize the battery life

Your New NotebookBe sure to fully charge your portable when you plug it in for the first time, and then run Software Update to ensure you have the latest software. Apple periodically releases updates that may improve battery performance.Standard MaintenanceFor proper maintenance of a lithium-based laptop battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time. An ideal use would be a commuter who uses her MacBook Pro on the train, then plugs it in at the office to charge. This keeps the battery juices flowing. If on the other hand, you use a desktop computer at work, and save a notebook for infrequent travel, Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month. Need a reminder?...

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WikiMindMap

For those of you who would like to do a web search using a mindmapping metaphor then take a look at WikiMindMap. Simply select your language and type a keyword into the search field and within seconds you will have a mindmap with interactive links. Just click on a link to bring it to the cent...

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Posted in: mindmapping,search engines,WikiMindMap

[TIPS] Oh boy! THIS will save us a TON of money!

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56855 Thanks to Allan Kliss for sharing this one. This article in the WorldNetDaily reports that the IRS has lost its argument against a lawyer who failed to file his taxes. The lawyer successfully argued to a jury that there is no constitutional foundation for our income tax. So, watch for huge close-out sales at the Federal Government in D.C., as well as a lot of big white buildings there being put up for lease. :-)...

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Odiogo- Adding Accessibility to Blogs

I came across a new service for bloggers called Odiogo which converts all of the posts that I have written into MP3 files. This is a very exciting product and one that makes blogs more accessible for individuals on the go or for those with reading disabilities. Now with a click on the Odiogo badge on my blog you can go to a page where you will find all of the posts are now available in a MP3 format. If you like you can listen to individual posts being read in high quality text to speech (TTS) voice or you can subscribe to the podcast version using iTunes. It was very easy to get started using Odiogo and it makes for a nice touch to make blogs...

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Posted in: Odiogo accessibility blogging TTS text to speech

XMIND- Mindmapping

It is really incredible how the mind mapping marketplace has exploded in the past couple of months with all kinds of new offerings and products. If you have been following my blog, software publishers have been coming out with new versions of their software at a record pace. We have seen a flurry of new mind mapping applications that are web based as well as some new entries from companies that are just breaking into the marketplace. I had the opportunity to connect with Stephen Zhu from Mango Software which is located in Beijing, China. Mango Software has recently published XMIND a visual mind mapping application that runs on Macintosh OSX,...

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Posted in: Mango Software,mind mapping,XMIND

IntelliGantt Update

FYIIntelliGantt for MindManager Add-in has been updated. See the Post below that John Milan wrote up for the details.-----------We just posted an update to IntelliGantt on our server tonight, mainly for maintenance reasons. I'll list some of the bug fixes shortly but also wanted to touch on which platforms are garnering the most attention. As you might expect, most IntelliGantt customers are using it with SharePoint. And the trend is accelerating (stay tuned to this space for exciting SharePoint developments in the near future).But you knew that already.So what do you think is the second most used collaboration platform? If you think the title...

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Posted in: IntelliGantt,IntelliGantt Add-In for MindManager,project management

A thought for teachers

As we head into another school year I thought I'd share something that just MAY give you a lift. File it under the category of, "You never know the impact you have on a kid's life."I was a rotten student in high school. I had been on the fast track in math class but I had to be moved to a slower class in order to get band and chorus into my schedule. As a result, I was VERY bored and so my grades fell. I was GOOD in math - but VERY bored in class. And, I also became obnoxious. NO!, you say. Yes. I was obnoxious - especially to my French and English teachers.This story is about the English teacher, Miss Belfour. She LOVED her literature and her poetry. I... didn't share her enthusiasm. In fact, one day she was having us read, "The Road Not Taken." She asked me something about the symbolism...

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Discovering the embedded code in wikispaces

This one is for the more techie folks who read this. Until this morning I hadn't known how to embed an RSS feed in my wikispaces wiki. (My wife calls them, 'Drippies'. She only HALF listens when I talk. :-) ) Once I was shown how to do that (thanks, Kurt), I immediately rushed over to add one to my last wiki - http://gatesworkshop.wikispaces.com It was fine, but then I decided I wanted to edit that code.The embedded code that I had typed in now shows up as the grey embedded code box, but when you click on the embed code tool you can't see the code, as you can when you embed, say, a slideshare. If you should ever get into that predicament, click the Text Editor button up there by the Save button. You can then see and edit the code.You may have already thought of that. This, then, becomes...

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NovaMind 4 Pro for Windows is now in Beta testing

I just received this communication from Gideon King about the upcoming release of NovaMind 4 Pro for Windows. Taking a look at the screenshots you can see that a lot of work has gone into the interface and making the program even easier to use. Take a look at this link to see some of the screenshots. You can see that NovaMind 4 Pro takes advantage of the Ribbon User Interface which puts all of the features just a simple click away.We are pleased to announce that NovaMind 4 Pro for Windows is now in Beta testing. We are working through the remaining issues as quickly as we can. There have been some unforeseen technical issues along the way, but...

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Posted in: Gideon King,mind mapping,NovaMind 4,ribbon,Windows

[TIPS] Google Sky - a MUSTsee

Thanks to this article by Mark Wagner (http://edtechlife.com/?p=1821) I now know about Google Sky! Check out the news video on the right of this page for Good Morning America's broadcast of the unveiling of the program. This program is free and truly amazing! http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/Technology/story?id=3509...

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[TIPS] Tony Buzan - Teaching HOW TO learn - eSnips, share anything

http://www.esnips.com//doc/e0af7148-d7b6-445a-ad1e-ba39b791c76e/Tony-Buzan---Teaching-HOW-TO-learn.flv or http://snipurl.com/1ptbz I was first pointed to this video from a post at the Classroom 2.0 ning by a member of that ning. He called it the best 15 minutes of professional development that he's seen. I agree. Tony Buzan was one of the brains behind concept mapping and creative thinking. In this speech he talks about the need to teach students HOW to learn. He also discusses creativity and how it is fundamental to learning. Please give this a listen. I'd LOVE to hear your comments (below) on it....

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Keyboard shortcut of the week: windows hopping

Ever need to swap windows while you are using the keyboard? Need to jump quickly from that email you are composing to the report you are supposed to be writing? Then try holding down 'Alt' key and pressing the 'Tab' key. Select the window you want and release the 'Alt' key to bring that one to the front.While we are on the subject of the 'Tab' key. Whenever you are filling in a form in a Windows program, the 'Tab' key will generally move the cursor to the next field or button. Hold down the 'Shift' key and press the 'Tab' key to move the cursor back to the previous field. Filling in a whole form from the keyboard means you get the job done more quickly and more easily, leaving more time available to 'alt-tab' back to that blog you were reading.Try these shortcuts out on the following form....

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Posted in: Keyboard shortcut

[TIPS] The Web 2.0 catalog - Simple Spark

MANY thanks to Jennifer Dorman (aka cliotech) for sharing this one last night on WOW2. http://simplespark.com/catalog/education/ This link takes you right into the set for education but you can browse through any of the categories. If you can’t find some good tools in here then you’ve fallen asleep at the wheel. J ...

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[TIPS] Outlook update

To be fair to Microsloth..er Microsoft…. I finally was able to get my Outlook backed up. It did NOT involve editing the registry, as I had thought. It was a bit easier than that. I just had to remove all the files that I had put into the Outlook folder and drop only the .pst file in there. Or SOMETHING like that. HOWEVER, would the average user know that there are invisible folders? Would that user know how to make them visible? Would that user also know that other parts are stored in other places – like the address book, for example? Would the average user know how to make the file extensions visible in order to figure out which was the outlook.pst file? Would the average user even know what file extensions are? The level of sophistication that a Windows user MUST HAVE in order to...

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[TIPS] Letterpop! - WOW!

The WOW in the subject refers, in part, to the fact that I heard about this site while listening to the WOW2 broadcast last night. I’ve now found my Tuesday night’s professional development. WOW2 stands for Women Of the Web 2.0. Outstanding! It’s a great group of women with great topics, and great conversation. As part of their weekly broadcast they each share their WOW site – a site that they’ve recently learned about that makes them say WOW! Go hear to check out the archives of past episodes and to see the schedule of upcoming events. http://www.edtechtalk.com/ You can subscribe to it, as well! Where was I? Oh yes... letterpop. This site was mentioned by one of the WOW2 speakers last night, but I don’t recall who it was, now. Hats off to her, anyway. http://letterpop.com is a VERY easy...

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