Site of the Week (WonderHowTo.com)

WonderHowTo.com is one of those sites that makes curious people happy.
It started out as an effort to find, curate and index all the great videos on the internet, and now provides more than 170,000 how-to videos & articles from more than 17,000 specialized creators, spanning 35 vertical categories and 424 sub-categories.

The success of the site is based people powered curation with a focus on quality with their front page an ongoing update of how to information and the latest DIY news.
The categories page is nicely organized for easy reading, with the amount of videos per category displayed neatly next to the title.

I find the amount of information to be a little overwhelming even though I'm quite curious, but if you like how-to videos then this is the place for you.
Videos vary in length and overall the site is graphics intensive - not good for slow dial-up connections but not too bad for low bandwidth connections such as satellite internet. Definitely worth a visit if you have the bandwidth.


Wonder How To » How To Videos & How-To Articles

The Best iPad Tips and Tricks

A great link from Gizmo's freeware for those of us who have an iPad

The Best iPad Tips and Tricks

http://bit.ly/qy5inV

The Best iPad Tips and Tricks

Updated 20. September 2011 - 7:39 by Jojoyee

Introduction

Best iPad Tips and TricksA mobile device has changed the ways you interact with the computer. It neither needs a mouse nor a giant physical keyboard any more, but you still can find the ways to work around with it.

Just like the iPad, it has only one hard button—the Home button—facing you. Some frequently used keys turn ‘soft’ and appear only when you're running the apps, and special keys like Ctrl, Alt, Esc and Function keys are removed from the onscreen keyboard.

Shedding some light on this trend, these tips and tricks might be of interest to you and come in handy especially when you've just got a device in your hand. They have been tried on the iPad running on the iOS 4.x, and most of them may also work well on the devices like the iPhone and the iPod touch running on the same OS.

iPad Tips and Tricks - Quick Select Index
Apps
Icons and Folders
Editing
Screen and Wallpaper
Browser
Mail, Notes, Calendar and Contacts
Picture Frame and iBooks
Backup, Security and System

from www.techsupportalert.com http://bit.ly/nvFCHo

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Emailing a Youtube video

Hi, i have another question, i have watched a funny youtube video and would love to be able to send it to my email address as an attachment (not a link) so that i can send it to others.
Do you or someone you know, know how i can do this.
Thank you Gayle

This is a topic we have discussed here before so can definitely help

I have 2 choices for you - one uses a program you install and one works over the internet (no install)

This Mullies post from January 2009 discusses how to use SaveYoutube. From the Site:

NEW! Download YouTube videos online without even copy-and-pasting the URL

Just write 'save' in front of the URL in the address bar and hit enter. For example: http://saveyoutube.com/watch?v=dXP2GdqYCOM

So this is the easiest way. However I do like the using the Freemake Videodownloader program we discussed a couple of months ago. We posted instructions for use here:

 

How to download nearly any song from the internet using YouTube

If you follow the instructions you can't go wrong - just make sure you select 'only download' if you want to keep the video and audio and not just the audio (as described in the post)

A word of advice though - why would you want to download the video to email?
Why not just send them the link to the YouTube video?
Either way they have to watch on the PC but I would guess most videos would end up a pretty large file for download and many email programs and internet providers don't handle large email attachments well. If you do need to share large files via email or otherwise then this post might help you files  

How to share LARGE files like videos

So that's 2 ways to skin a cat and a word of advice to avoid the cat-skinning all together :)
Hope that helps

 

Google Docs Tips For Beginners

Google Docs Tips For Beginners

http://bit.ly/onO00M

google-doc-tips-introGoogle Docs is Google’s online document creation and management application. If you haven’t used Google Docs and you have a Google account, it is really worth checking out. It could easily save you from purchasing MS Office or upgrading.

Like many Google applications, Google Docs has been doing some testing behind the scenes. Being able to use and manage your documents well can save lots of time. Here are a few tips to help you be more versed with Google Docs.

Starting from scratch

If you are just starting with Google Docs, here are a few things you will want to start with. Note there are features you can add via web apps and extensions if you are using Google Chrome browser. The newest is offline support.

Collections

These are folders where you can organize your documents. I cannot stress enough how much easier it is to organize from the start. If you need to go back and sort through all of your documents and files, it will be a daunting task.

To create a collection, click on the Create button in the top left of the Google Docs homepage. In the drop down, you should see Collection as an option. Name the collection and you are ready to go.

google-doc-tips-create

By default, you will be taken into the new collection. If you want a sub-folder, this is a good time to make one. If you need to add a sub-folder, you can always do it later.

google-doc-tips-sub-folder

Importing

To move your current documents to the Google cloud, there are a couple of methods. If you have a lot of them to import to the cloud, you may want to consider an application like Gladinet. What Gladinet can do for you is upload all of the files from a certain folder or set of folders. You will need to sort them after they are all uploaded.

The other option is to upload them individually or by the folder. If you choose this method, you can import the files into collections you have already created.

google-doc-tips-upload

Spreadsheets

If you are an Excel user, this may be slightly different for you. However, many of the same features and settings will be in Google Docs. If you are a hard-core Excel user, you may not have everything you need. Also look at used for Google Forms. These export to a spreadsheet and stored in Google Docs.

Keyboard shortcuts

These are a few of the many keyboard shortcuts when you are using spreadsheets.

  • Show all formulas  Ctrl + ~
  • Make a copy  Ctrl + Up arrow + S
  • Add new sheet  Up arrow + F11
  • Select column  Up arrow + Space
  • Select row  Ctrl + Up arrow + Space
  • Strikethrough  Alt + Up arrow + 5
  • Redo  Ctrl + Y
  • Move to next sheet  Ctrl + Up arrow + PageDown

Conclusion

Google Docs is a fantastic replacement for most desktop If you an everyday user, you will do great. It is an easy transition from Microsoft Office. Having the flexibility to access your documents from anywhere with an internet connection including your phone, outweighs the small features that are lost.

What did you find useful when you first switched to Google Docs?

Image credit: Kinologik

Related Posts:

Google Docs Tips For Beginners originally published on Make Tech Easier (RSS)
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from Make Tech Easier http://bit.ly/o5jchS

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Facebook updates - Again!

Facebook users are once again looking at a changed site with the 'News feed' having been revamped. For one of the most popular sites/networks in the world it is amazing how often FB changes it's look and functionality. Every time there is a change a majority of users are very upset and can't understand the changes. New groups open up saying 'Don't change it' or 'Bring back the old way' with users expressing their wish it hadnt changed. This is probably a reflection of how many FB users are novices as compared to other internet sites and services. Obviously FB could be doing a better job of communication too

Do you use Facebook and have the changes effected you?
If so you might like to check out the Facebook help section - click the pic below

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

YouTube announces post-production editing suite

YouTube announces post-production editing suite

15 Sep 2011

If your tabby cat looked like a shabby cat during that last take, have no fear – YouTube has announced an editing suite for budding cinematographers to tweak and improve their videos before inflicting them upon the general public.

In addition to handy rotation, stabilisation, brightness and contrast adjustments, users can also chuck in the standard sepia and vignette effects for an extra little pinch of madness. Check out some of the possiblities below, but be warned – it features dogs in people clothes.

 

Now you can upload your videos to YouTube and then edit them to suit yourself with tools provided. Until now you needed to edit the videos on your own computer (or another site) before sharing to YouTube so for some this may be a simpler option
However given the upload speed of most (Australian) broadband connections I doubt this will appeal to most of us. Video and still cameras take video at pretty high resolutions these days which means big files to upload so for most of us editing and downsizing the video BEFORE you upload I makes more sense.

An increase in Mullies articles and How to subscribe in Digest mode

G'day fellow Mullies

Those subscribed to our group site via email may have noticed an increase in articles you are receiving. Don't worry the robots haven't taken control - yet!.

Over the last week or so I have been experimenting with a new way of sharing interesting articles with you. Now when I read something interesting I can share almost immediately via a service call ifttt.com (Those interested can read about it here - but its not important)

So there may be more regular updates for everyone. I will try to keep the articles general interest and not too technical but we have users/members at all levels so what interests some may not interest others.

If you are currently getting an email for every post you might like to change your subscription to digest mode. Digest mode will email you once per day with all posts and is definitely what I recommend. This Posterous article shows you how to change your subscription options:
http://blog.posterous.com/posterous-groups-adds-daily-digest-emails-and

Occasionally one of the items won't post to the Mullies site exactly right.
For example in the recent post about How To Cailbrate your HD TV the links didn't work. Thanks Kris for letting me know!
I have since updated the links in the article on the Mullies site and for those interested the correct link is: www.pcworld.com/article/148462/how_to_calibrate_your_hdtv.html

If you find a link in future that doesn't work please leave a comment on the post and I will correct it
To find the article yourself just copy some relevant info into Google and it will find it for you.
E.g. with the above typing "pcworld calibrate hd tv" takes you straght to the correct article.

Hopefully this won't happen very often but as a group we can catch and correct any mistakes.

I encourage everyone to click on your email links and comment on the info you like or don't like. You can also click the like button and share on Facebook for those who use it.

As always we love questions - whether about the site, emails, commenting - or just for any general help. Just email mulligrubs@miltonulladulla.com any time if you need a hand

Ask LH: What Are My Best Options For Buying Music Downloads In Australia?

http://bit.ly/pK5NGr

Dear Lifehacker, As a person of the technology age, I find it hard to believe that digital music is an unknown to many Australians. The only options I’m aware of in Australia are iTunes and BigPond. I don’t use iTunes (nor do I want to), and Bigpond is. . . well, horrible. Here are some examples of why: (more…)

from Lifehacker Australia http://bit.ly/nn4afY

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