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Water Safety Tips for College Summer Fun

June 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Summer means school is out for most college students, who are usually looking to do one thing: have fun. Their search will surely send many of them to the beach and out on the water in boats and jet skis. While water activities provide a lot of fun, they also need to be taken seriously, so here are tips that will let college kids still have fun on the water and stay safe.

Don’t Forget Floatation Devices

Every type of watercraft should have floatation devices like life jackets on board, and in easy-to-find locations. Even the best swimmers will struggle against a strong current or while waiting for help to arrive. There should be an ample amount for each person in the boat. If you plan on throwing a party on a boat, make sure there is enough for each party goer.

Always Track the Weather

Before you leave and during your time on the water, keep track of weather conditions as they can quickly change. In addition to what’s happening in the sky, pay attention to the state of the water to avoid choppy waves. If the forecast calls for rain or storms don’t risk it, and in the case you do get caught in a storm, head to the nearest land right away.

Refrain From Drinking Alcohol

Driving a watercraft while drinking alcohol is a danger to others on the water, as well as yourself and your passengers. And if you’re under 21, it is illegal to be drinking in the first place. Remember, police patrol the water too. Consuming alcohol will also dehydrate your body, which can turn serious in the summer heat.

Be Prepared for an Accident

The water becomes a crowded place during the summer leading to eventual accidents. When you consider young watercraft drivers, such as college students, are a little more adventurous it’s important to be prepared. Be sure to have contact numbers and the appropriate documentation on hand, such as records of insurance for your watercraft. Keep a first-aid kit near at all times in the case of physical injuries.

Protect Your Body

When venturing outdoors protect your body from ultraviolet rays and high temperatures. Not all watercraft provide a lot of shade, so wear sunscreen and clothing items like hats and sunglasses. Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated. Blankets should be on board in case temperatures drop or for when boating in the evening.

Know the Body of Water

Venturing out in an unknown body of water can be a risk because you lack a familiarity with your surroundings and the currents. It’s safer to stay in local areas to avoid getting lost, and having a better grasp of where you are in case of an emergency. When heading somewhere new be sure to notify someone like a parent.

College students will find plenty of summer fun out on the water and with these tips they can enjoy it safely. What water safety tips to you follow?

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Using a TV as a Computer Monitor

February 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Wouldn’t it be nice if that video you’re watching on your computer could be seen on a bigger screen? Of course, it would, provided you didn’t have to deal with pixilation and other issues that can really ruin a viewing experience. Instead of worrying about those kinds of things, go out and take a look at TVs that are designed to have computers hooked up to them. There are cables you can get to do the job, and some TVs can even connect wirelessly, so you can use your TV as a computer monitor any time you want to. It may sound too good to be true, but it’s actually possible.

Before buying a TV that you’re going to use with your computer, do your research. Highest price isn’t always the best choice, and lowest price might not give you what you want. Instead, focus on value – what you’re getting for the money you’re spending. If you can get low price and high quality all in one package, you’ve gotten a great deal of value that way. Everyone has a budget, too, and it’s important to stay in yours. Look at what you really want. If you can’t get it at your price point, move down the line until you find what falls into your price range.

What you can afford and what you really want may not be identical, but they can be close enough that you’re happy with your TV purchase. Connecting it to your computer will depend on the way it’s designed, but make sure it has that capability before you buy it. If there are specific cables you need, get them, too. Then you won’t get home, hook your TV up, and realize that you have to go back to the store because you don’t have what you need to plug your computer into the TV properly.

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How to Make an Editable PDF using Acrobat Professional

January 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Having electronic documents makes telecommuting easier. With a click of a button you can send a form halfway across the world, wait for it to be filled out, and find it waiting in your inbox the next day. But while word processing software is great for creating documents, filling them out and watching all the lines and page breaks get skewed isn’t much fun at all.

A simple solution is to create the document the way you normally would, then edit it in Acrobat Professional.

Once you have your document, create a PDF. You can usually do this from the print screen. Import your PDF into Acrobat Professional.

At the top of the screen, select Tools and a pull down menu should appear. Go to Advance Editing, then to Forms. Select the Text Field Tool. Move your mouse over to where you want the text field to be, hold it down and drag it over to the opposite corner of the area so that you make a rectangle.

An option window will pop up. Go to Appearance to set the border and inside color. At the bottom of the window is a box that says Text. Change the Font Size from Auto to 10 or 12. Do this on all the text fields to keep the forms consistent. Next click on the Options tab. Unclick the box that says Scroll Long Text. This is important because if the form is printed, not all the text in that box will print.

To make a clickable check box, go back to Forms under Advanced Editing, and select the Check Box Tool. Draw a box with your mouse over the area you want to be checkable. When the option window pops up go to the tab that says Appearance, and set the border and inside color.

Now you have an editable PDF you can send to clients.

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Instant Messaging is Here to Stay

January 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Programs that enable people to chat with friends have been popular for much of the history of the Internet. In fact, instant messaging pre-dates the Internet itself. However, these programs didn’t become well known until the 1990s. Some of the earliest internet services that were available to home users like Prodigy, Compuserve, and America Online had easy-to-access chat programs available either for download or on the web servers themselves. These early chat programs were very basic, set up in several different chat rooms that users could visit. The main drawback of chat rooms is the fact that you have to be in the same chat room as the person you wish to chat with.

These chat rooms lead to the creation of instant messaging. Instant messaging programs blended the instant chatting aspect of the chat room with the convenience of e-mail. The first instant messenger that really became well known among the general population was the America Online (AOL) Instant Messenger. In the mid 1990s, it became the must-have computer application. It did not take long for others to spring up, opening the door for more users to participate. The three that broke free from the pack to become the most popular were ICQ, Yahoo Messenger, and MSN messenger (now known as Windows Live Messenger.)

These were commonly used among computer users throughout the 2000s. As cell phones and, later, smart phones became more common, texting took over some of the instant messaging market, but did not kill it. In the last few years, Facebook chat has become a major player. Now, there are literally dozens of instant messaging programs. Many of them are simply shell programs that allow users to access their accounts from AIM, Yahoo, ICQ, MSN, and Facebook on the computer and from their mobile devices. Instant messaging is here to stay, and from the looks of things, it will adapt to the current needs of computer users.

Filed Under: General, Internet Tagged With: , ,

Web-Based Conferences can now be Held in Conjunction with Telephone Conferences

January 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Technology has come so far that it is now possible to hold “face-to-face” conferences. It’s just another example of what was once considered a figment of some science fiction writer’s imagination coming true.

Digital media has made it possible to expand communications beyond the traditional telephone conference. Now, thanks to different types of software and hardware, it’s possible to hold both telephone conferences and live web-based conferences at the same time.

Having the capability of holding a video conference, whether alone or in conjunction with a telephone conference, means that the participants can actually see diagrams, charts, notes, and other written material rather than having to deal with leafing through page after page of the same thing. This allows them to concentrate more fully on what is being talked about rather than finding the page or content to which the speaker is referring.

You are probably already aware of the other types of communications that you can accomplish over your computer. These include instant message chat and email, of course. And, you may have already had an inkling that video communication is possible, especially if you’ve used one of the many programs that allows you to make a phone call and actually see the person to whom you are talking. Skype is a perfect example of this technology. The same kind of technology has now been expanded to include joint telephone/web-based conferences.

There are several programs available for implementing this function. Your computer system may already have the hardware necessary for engaging in this kind of communication (sound cards, video capability, and other things), so now it’s just a matter of choosing the software that best suits your needs.

The software comes in different price ranges, so you should have no trouble finding one that fits your budget. Just like you would with any other purchase, shop around for the bes

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Find a Good Home for old Computers

January 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

New Year, new notebook? For millions of consumers that might be the case. Computing power usually doubles every two years, which means that a laptop or desktop purchased five or six years ago might seem as chic and necessary as a fax machine. Purchasing a new computer might not mean getting a traditional laptop since tablets such as the iPad seem to be the hot trend on the consumer market. As the purchase of the new computer one of the mot important questions that remains is what to do with the old one.

Tossing the old computer in the garbage might seem like the most efficient manner to free up space, but it is also the worst option. If personal data has not been properly removed, the hard drive could be used to steal the previous owner’s identity. Computers, like most electronic devices, contain hazardous materials including mercury and cadmium. If tossed into a landfill these materials seep out and poison water supplies. Recycling is a superior option. The National Recycling Coalition’s Electronics Recycling Initiative provides a list of computer refurbishes and recyclers. But why destroy a device if it still works?

There are plenty of people who cannot afford a laptop. A donation to a charitable organization can provide someone in need with the means to find a new job or have a laptop for school. The donation provides the benefit of a tax deduction. Get an idea of the value of the computer by pricing it on eBay or Craigslist for tax records and then pick a charity that needs old computers. There are probably dozens of local organizations that would put the computer to use. And there are lists available online of charities seeking old computers. Computers should be treated like pets. Just because a new one has been brought into a home, it does not mean that the old one should be forgotten.

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Mulitple IM Accounts, One Program

January 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you find yourself switching between instant messaging (IM) programs, the time has come to reassess your situation. Regardless of whether you use one, two, or five IM accounts, you should not need to have more than one program for communicating via IM. The great thing about technology in this situation is that one piece of software can bring all accounts together, saving you stress and confusion.

Instant messaging is the online equivalent of texting on cell phones, where users who are logged into an IM account (AIM, Yahoo, MSN, etc.) can type to each other in real time. One of the biggest problems is the wide variety of IM accounts, which can cause some headaches if you have to switch programs. However, there is a solution for programs that can handle several accounts at once.

If you have several IM accounts you should seriously consider a program that can manage all of them. It will allow you to log-in to all of your IM accounts. Plus, a number of these programs have additional benefits. For instance, some allow you to monitor your e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, and other accounts from social media to niche websites where you log-in.

When you look at potential downloads for IM managers, you will want to first make sure that the client is compatible with the various IM accounts that you want to control, along with e-mail and other aspects (such as social media). One of the biggest negatives with this type of software is that it can use a lot of memory, so you should be careful here. Of course, privacy options and other features should be investigated and compared as well.

This piece of software can make your Internet IM life much easier. Take a look at downloads that are available for you to try; surely you’ll find something worthwhile.

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The Dangers of Instant Messaging

December 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Technology is advancing so quickly that parents can find it difficult to stay abreast of the newest and latest gadgets that their children are using. Protection of children is paramount, but with so many new technologies it can be difficult. Instant messaging has been around for almost as long as the Internet, but it is posing new dangers to children who may not be aware of the potential harm.

Instant messaging on computers is a medium through which children can safely socialize, but it can quickly spiral out of control if not properly monitored by the parents. The dangers of chat rooms have long been understood, but with social media platforms such as FaceBook displaying to the world your child’s instant chat contact information, it may not be long before you child is chatting with strangers.

It is human nature to believe in the best of everybody but the reality is that many predators lurk behind seemingly innocuous instant messaging situations. Before long your child may be inadvertently giving out personal details such as their name, age, address and more. They may even be sexually solicited or exposed to inappropriate material.

The best way to protect children is to educate them. Tell them to beware of instant messages from unfamiliar names, and teach them how to block unwanted names. Teach them how to create log-ins and screen names that do not reveal any personal information and stress that such information should not ever be revealed to anybody via an instant message. Under no circumstances should children ever fill in a public profile as this is public information.

Instant messaging can be fun and a way to keep in touch with distant friends and relatives, but it can also be dangerous to children who are unschooled in the dangers or how to safely partake in instant messaging. A few minutes of discussion is all it will take to make your child’s instant messaging a safer environment.

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Capturing Your Customer’s Email Addresses Will Personalize Relationships

December 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If you’re a new business just getting up and running, you’re probably looking for ways to distinguish yourself from the competition. An important first step is establishing a personal relationship and one way to accomplish that is to keep in contact through email communication.

No one likes to see spam email and most of us junk the items before we ever really look at the content. Keeping your customers informed of potential sales, reductions in prices, and just sending a personal note every now and then goes a long way towards establishing a line of communication.

  • Sales – Who doesn’t like to receive their merchandise at a discounted price? If you have a customer that purchases garage door openers, finding out they can purchase in bulk to save money is a big step in reducing monthly costs. A quick email explaining new technologies or better services will leave your customer feeling comfortable and confident that you’re the right company for their business.
  • Mass email – If you’ve got important information to share with your customers, sending an email to all of them at once conveys your message in a timely manner.

Opening a line of communication with your customer is key to the retention of future business. Some people like the confidence of their sales representative stopping by for a visit. Others like the ease of the email because they can open it when they have time and you’re never infringing on their personal space of interrupting something important.

Getting new business is hard, but collecting that email address on the first visit is crucial. You can always look up the phone number or address of the business you’re investigating, but the email address of the person that matters is priceless. If you’ve made it past the gatekeeper and gotten face-to-face with the decision maker, ask them how they would like to be contacted and proceed from there.

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The New Face of Communication

December 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Communication at the business and personal levels has changed dramatically in the last few years, with various avenues for users to pick from. These options can be through instant messaging, email, or video chat, depending on the user’s preference and needs.

One of the popular programs that is used for video chatting is Skype, which is available for free. It allows users to communicate through the video features on webcams. With both voice and video capability, this program is excellent for business conferencing and personal chatting. It has become a popular method for buyers and sellers to communicate directly through eBay. Business professionals can even hold a conference and conduct a presentation at the same time, which saves money on travel.

Sites, such as Facebook, have also given another face to how people communicate. Users can sign in and easily communicate what they are doing with hundreds in a few seconds. It also has provided a vehicle for finding lost friends and to communicate through messaging with family members hundreds of miles away.

Businesses have even jumped on the bandwagon, making it possible for people to become a “fan” of their products or services. This has created a new way for retailers to market to the public, especially through advertising that appears on each user’s homepage. They can also instant message with each other, as the screen shows who is currently online, and chat in real time.

With this kind of instant access to each other, the world, in some sense, has gotten smaller. Video chat is now starting to appear on phones, which will take communication that is “face-to-face” into the palm of the hand. This means that no matter where you are or what you are doing, you can communicate just like you do on your computer at home.

Filed Under: Digital Media, General Tagged With: , ,
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