The How-To Geek Blogs

Friday Fun: Take a Break from Spreadsheets and Play Excit!

mysticgeek — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 06:00:00 +0000

It is another Friday and you’re sick of entering data and reviewing spreadsheets. So today we will show you the fun action-puzzle game Excit! which helps you break away from spreadsheet chaos.

Playing Excit!

The goal of Excit! is to navigate the cross around the spreadsheets obstacles and reach the exit without leaving the screen.

After each level you complete you’re given a password so you don’t have to go through all the levels every time you play.

Another goal to work at is collecting MIS logos scattered throughout the levels.

As you progress through levels they become increasingly difficult and add more challenges and include different items to collect to complete the level.

This game is a lot of fun and helps you get away from the normal drudgery of looking through spreadsheets by putting a fun twist on them.

Play Excit!

Check Weather Conditions in Real-time with Weather Watcher

mysticgeek — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Even if you are a computer geek who never sees the light of day, you should still be aware of what the weather in your area is doing. Today we will look at Weather Watcher, a free customizable desktop weather station program that allows you to keep up with current conditions in real-time.

Using Weather Watcher

Installation is quick and easy following the installation wizard. One thing to point out is to uncheck the Ask Toolbar install if you don’t care for it. Also make sure to uncheck Ask.com as your default search provider if you already have a favorite.

The first time you launch Weather Watcher after the installation you will be prompted to go in and setup options.

The main thing we sat up right away was a location to start getting current conditions, which is under the Active City tab. Here you can enter in what locations you want to keep track of, either by city name or zip code.

The main interface is pleasantly laid out, is skinnable, and controls are easy to use.

Hover over the Weather Watcher Taskbar icon which you can set to show the current temperature to get an overview of current conditions.

You can also set up severe weather alerts.

They offer various other world view weather maps you can view such as this one powered by NASA imagery.

There is also the ability to add other types of world maps you might be interested in such as wind streams, humidity, rainfall totals, etc.

Another great feature is checking out the regional or national radar which is powered by Microsoft Virtual Earth and The Weather Channel.

Being powered by Microsoft Virtual Earth allows you to zoom in to specific areas for a detailed view.

If you are a “weathergeek” or just a geek who wants to know if the sun is shining outside your dungeon, Weather Watcher is an excellent free application to have. Weather Watcher works on versions of Windows from 98 – Windows 7.

Download Weather Watcher for Windows

Friday Fun: Karoshi Suicide Salaryman

mysticgeek — Fri, 29 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Friday is finally here and today we will look at a unique stress relieving game where the goal is to have your salaryman kill himself!

The object of the game is simple, kill your character, but as the game progresses the scenarios increase in difficulty.

When you begin the first levels there are helpful hints telling you what different objects are.

If you get stuck you’re allowed restart the level.

A game that requires killing your character may seem easy, but the methods increasingly become more difficult. There are 50 levels and a boss to kill in the end which should keep your mind off work until the whistle blows!

Play Karoshi Suicide Salaryman

Easily Inventory System Information with PC Audit

mysticgeek — Mon, 25 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Have you ever wanted to be able to easily take inventory of a computer's hardware and software setup with one small application? Today we will look at the free program PC Audit which allows you to get detailed inventory of computer systems.

PC Audit is an easy to use free application that doesn't require installation and will run directly from a USB flash drive, CD, or even Floppy Disk. Simply double click the executable and it will scan your system and generate the findings.

It runs quick and will give you details about installed hardware, software (including version and product key), and processes running.

If you are working on an older system you can run the 997KB program from a floppy disk which comes in very handy for troubleshooting old systems.

PC Audit may not be as detailed as other system information utilities but it is small, fast, and gives you a good amount of system data … great for troubleshooting legacy computers.

Download PC Audit for Windows

Friday Fun: Get Your Mario On

mysticgeek — Fri, 22 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Here at How-To Geek we love the Mario series of games and today we picked a few cool flashed based Mario games to pass the time until the bell rings. Original Nintendo Mario Brothers and Super Mario Brothers 3 To start off playing where it all began (After Donkey Kong) check out this original version of Mario Brothers for the 8-bit Nintendo System. You will need Java installed for this site to work. Play Mario Brothers at Nintendo8.com If you are a fan of the original Super Mario Brothers 3 – 8 bit Nintendo version – this is the place to go. In fact this site has a bunch of original 8 bit Nintendo games you can play. Play Super Mario Brothers 3 at Nintendo8.com Super Mario 63 This game is 2D but includes a lot of the Super Mario SNES and Super Mario 64 elements into the game play. Play Super Mario 63 at MeltGames Mario Tetris 3 This actually allows you to enjoy both Mario themes and play one of the most fun and addicting games ever in Tetris. You can change the backgrounds and different music from the various Mario games. Play Mario Tetris 3 These are just a few favorites we have for you to check out on your boring Friday afternoon. If you have come across any cool online Mario games please lets us know by leaving a comment!

Copy Website Tables into Excel 2007 Spreadsheets

mysticgeek — Thu, 21 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

If you find interesting or important data in a table on a website it might be helpful to import it into Excel. Today we will look at how to import data from a table on a website into Excel which will allow you to organize and add to reports.

Open Excel 2007 and under the Data tab select Get External Data and From Web.

This will open up the New Query window where you enter in the URL of the site you want to get data from. There will be yellow arrow icons next to the table data that can be imported, click the areas of the data you want to import which turns the box to a green checkmark. After you have what you want selected click on the Import button.

Next choose the cell where you want the data to appear in the spreadsheet and click OK.

The data will begin to be retrieved from the site, the amount of time it takes will depend on the amount of data you selected. Now you can organize the data how you like for presentation.

This tip comes in very handy when doing research or for easily adding website table data to reports.

Slacker Geek: Update Your Facebook Profile from Outlook

mysticgeek — Tue, 19 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Do you have Microsoft Outlook open all day at work dwelling on company business but would rather be updating your Facebook profile? Today we will look at a small add-on utility which allows you to interact with your Facebook profile from within Outlook. Using FBLook FBLook is a small utility that integrates seamlessly with Outlook and allows you to update your Facebook status, show what your playing in iTunes or WMP, see your friend status, and receive notifications. The download is less than 320KB and installation is quick and easy following the installation wizard. After installation you will see FBLook as a inconspicuous toolbar in Outlook. To start using FBLook you will need to log into your Facebook account from the toolbar. Also, the first time you want to change your status you will have to allow 3rd party application updates so just click OK. Then you will be brought to the Facebook page to allow FBLook to do status updates. Now you can change your status by writing in your own custom thought or choose from some of the preconfigured messages from the drop down box. If you have music playing in WMP or iTunes there will be a selection for the music. Drop down the FBLook menu on the left to log out, check new activity, or visit the FBLook site. The left dropdown arrow will show you the amount of messages you have. Scroll further down on the FBLook drop down menu and you’ll see what all of the messages above actually are. FBLook is a great way to clandestinely keep up with your Facebook activities while at work and works with Outlook 2003 and 2007. The pointy-haired bosses will just think your busy writing business speak to their clients and be none the wiser. If you’re a Twitter fan, check out how to Integrate Twitter with Microsoft Outlook which The Geek wrote about a while back. Download FBLook from Tech Hit

Add Google Gadgets to your Desktop

mysticgeek — Mon, 18 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

One of the new trends in computing is the use of desktop gadgets which are small applications that run on your desktop. If you like desktop gadgets for work or play today we will check out the ones available from Google and how to get them. The first thing you will need to do is download and install Google Desktop. You may think of this as a free product offered from Google that will index email, files, and web history on your computer for faster searching and access. While it does offer faster searching for computer items, when you install Google Desktop you're not required to include the enhanced search features. We will cover the indexing and other enhanced features of Google Desktop in future posts. For the sake of this article we are only going to install the Sidebar with Gadgets. The desktop gadgets will work with a basic install and no additional features. After installation there will be a sidebar shown with some gadgets like an analog clock and notepad. The bar can be minimized or placed on different areas of the desktop. To find and install new gadgets for your interests Right-click and select "add gadgets". This will pull up a menu of different gadgets available where you can browse through different categories or search for specific ones. In this instance it's adding the Music Player gadget. After choosing the gadget there may be a description and note and just click OK. New gadgets will be placed in the sidebar and you can easily unlock them and move anywhere on your desktop. These can be a lot of fun and productive and for XP users it can really transform your desktop to a more modern look and feel. Google Desktop Gadgets are also available for Linux and Mac OS X users. Download Google Desktop Gadgets for Windows, Linux, or Mac

Friday Fun: Boxhead The Zombie Wars

mysticgeek — Fri, 15 May 2009 06:00:00 +0000

We made it to another Friday and today we will look at a great way to let our your frustration by killing zombies in Boxhead The Zombie Wars.

From the site - Boxhead: The Zombie Wars is the 5th game in the series. It comes with new graphics, new enemies (lots of them) and Zombie Wars brings a new feature to the series, now you can construct your own base with turrets and barricades. Choose Classic or Defence mode and get ready to enter Hell.

Shoot the zombies before they steal all your health. You get power ups to increase health, get more ammunition, and better weapons.

Defence Mode is another cool option where you get to set up barricades, use turret guns, and defend your home base.

You can configure different settings and customize controls for the game.

This game is definitely a lot of fun with lots of zombies to shoot. You only get one life so you will need to use creative strategies to progress up levels.

Play Boxhead: The Zombie Wars by Sean Cooper on the Geek Arcade

Save Multiple Attachments at Once in Outlook 2007

mysticgeek — Thu, 14 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

You wish your co-workers and colleagues would send you several documents all zipped into one file, but so often it is not the case. Here we will look at saving multiple attachments to your hard dive all at once.

Once you receive and email with a bunch of individual attachments in Outlook 2007 click on Other Actions in the Actions section on the Ribbon and scroll down to Save Attachments.

This will open the Save All Attachments dialog box where you can choose them all or only certain ones by holding down the Shift or Ctrl keys to highlight them. When you have selected the ones you want just click OK.

This will open up Windows Explorer so you can choose the directory to save the attachments.

Now that we have covered that lets look at an even easier way. Highlight all of the attachments by using Shift + Left Click or Cttl + Left Click, now Right-Click and choose either Save As or Copy. This allows you to save the attachments to a specific directory or copy them using the Clip Board.

A Simple yet effective time saving tip when working with a lot of documents and Outlook all day. For Office 2003 users you can do the same thing by going to File \ Save Attachments.

Keep Track of Homework Assignments with Soshiku

mysticgeek — Wed, 13 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Today we will take a look at Soshiku, a free online service for high school and college students that helps schedule and keep track of homework assignments. Soshiku will send you reminder notifications via email and SMS to your cell phone.

Go to their site and create an account which is free and easy.

After you sign up for an account you will receive a verification email and start using the service right away. The first thing to do is create a list of the subject or courses you’re currently studying.

Scheduling assignments is a simple process as well. Just type in the assignment name, pick a course, date due, then how you want to be reminded.

You can also add notes for the assignment, specific tasks that need completed, and upload documents that will help you or partners finish projects.

To be reminded by SMS on your cell phone just fill in your cell number and carrier. After saving the info you will get a code texted to you that you type in to confirm your number.

After you get everything set up simple go to your home page to get a quick overview of what needs to be worked on.

Keyboard Ninja’s will love the fact there are some keyboard shortcuts that can be used while setting up assignments.

You can also color code courses which can be handy when you have a large amount of work or are sharing assignments.

Overall this is a very promising service that allows you to easily keep track of homework and other course projects. You can share tasks with other members by searching for their profile and sending an add request. The ability to upload and share documents makes research and collaboration very simple. Reminder notifications are sent to your email on your selected schedule, and if that is not enough you can even have reminders sent to your cell phone. While this service is designed for students, you could use it for any projects or collaborations you might need reminders for. Of course the best feature of this service is it is Free!

Kantaris is a Unique Media Player Based on VLC

mysticgeek — Tue, 12 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

What do you get when you combine the plays-anything aspect of VLC with the pleasant interface of Windows Media Player? Today we'll show you the super-slick Kantaris media player.

Using Kantaris Media Player

Kantaris is a quick download around 10MB and installs very easily following the installation wizard.

Kantaris can play virtually every type of media file you want to associate with it.

The user interface is very intuitive and offers cool options such as Last.FM Radio, previewing movies, and creating a video library.

Click on the Info button to retrieve album art and song information from the Last.FM database.

You can use the Last.FM button to easily browse for and listen to music directly from the player.

It offers some cool visualizations that you can change around as well.

You can also play most video files with Kantaris and easily access settings by right clicking anywhere on the movie screen.

Another great feature is the ability to preview Apple movie trailers from within the app.

Keyboard Ninja’s will appreciate the ability to customize hotkeys for various functions.

Overall this is a great player with an attractive interface and easy to use options. It doesn’t have all of the features offered in VLC yet, but this project is in constant development so there should be more coolness coming. Right now Kantaris runs on Windows only

** Editor Note: I would like to give a special thanks to Scott Our Forum Administrator for pointing this player out to us! **

Download Kantaris for Windows

Listen and Record Over 12,000 Online Radio Stations with RadioSure

mysticgeek — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Do you come across an interesting online radio station and wish you could easily record the program? Today we will look at a great free application that allows you to easily browse over 12,000 online radio stations and record them with one click.

Installation is a snap and once the app is running you can quickly start a search for different stations. To begin recording just click on the Record button.

While Recording there will be a red indicator in the EQ section. To stop recording just hit the record button again.

If you try to change the station while recording a warning message will pop up.

Right-click the taskbar icon to get access to different playing features and a few EQ settings.

There are some options you can change around like how the playback behaves and also recording options. It will split the stream to individual tracks and you can specify the mp3 bitrate.

They boast over 12,000 radio stations from around the world and if you don't find one of your favorites you can always add it.

Click on the heart icon to save a station to your favorites list.

It would be better with a better browsing feature and it definitely needs different skins (which are currently in development). Overall this is a great utility because there are so many different stations and recording them is extremely easy.

Download RadioSure for Windows

Use Image Placeholders to Display Documents Faster in Word

mysticgeek — Thu, 07 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Sometimes when we get Microsoft Word documents with several or large images it can take an annoying amount of time to open. Here we will look at how to display the document text quickly, then get the images to display later. While the images contained in the document may be an important aspect in the information, sometimes it is just nice to quickly get to the text. First click on the Office button and go to Word Options. Next, click on Advanced and scroll down to Show document content. Now place a check next to the box “Show picture placeholders” then OK to close out of Word Options. Now when Word documents are opened there will be a placeholder where the image would be. This allows the documents to be opened and scrolled through much faster. To get the images you can go back into advanced options and uncheck “Show picture placeholders” or another option is simply click the View tab then select Full Screen Reading. This will enable the images and allow you to keep the original Placeholders. This quick tip definitely comes in handy on older machines with less power.

Transform your XP Computer to a Modern Look

mysticgeek — Wed, 06 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

I am sure most of us are very tired looking at the clouds and cartoon-like look of Windows XP. Today we are going to look at a couple of free all in one transformation packs to give XP a modern look. After using Vista and now Windows 7, when you go back and look at the original XP appearance it definitely shows its age. ** Editor Note: Major modifications like these should be attempted with caution because it can create instability in XP. ** Vista Transformation Pack You can easily add new life to the user interface of XP with the Vista Transformation Pack. In Express Mode you can choose the features for your user account where they show the amount of system resources required. The amount of time it takes to apply the settings will depend on the power of your computer and amount of features installed. When everything is set up a restart is required. After restarting the Welcome Center appears where you can make adjustments to the configuration and other settings. Go into the Appearance section to get the Windows Aero look. XP now has the Vista Sidebar, Start Menu, Icons and more that you can customize to your liking. This does take up more system resources for all the features to run smoothly but it’s pretty true to the Vista look and feel. Download the Vista Transformation Pack Seven Transformation Pack Like the Vista pack above, the Seven Transformation Pack will convert your XP based system to look and feel like Windows 7. Installation is very similar to the Vista pack with being able to select which features will be included in Express Mode. Again like the Vista pack you will get the look and feel of Windows 7 including icons and menu layouts … this is a shot of Windows Explorer. Here is a shot of the full desktop with Windows 7 start menu. Download Seven Transformation Pack

CodySafe is an Alternative to PortableApps

mysticgeek — Mon, 04 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

PortableApps, which allows you to carry around your favorite open source apps on a USB stick is one of the coolest projects out there. Today we will look at CodySafe which is a similar project that gives PortableApps some competition.

Installation

Installation is pretty straight forward following the install wizard, there are tool components that are optional but I recommend installing them because they are pretty neat.

Then you obviously want to make sure you are installing to the correct portable USB drive.

Starting Out

Unlike PortableApps there is are no applications installed by default. You will have the drive tools and folder directories but that is it, you will need to add applications individually. Also notice the menu has a Vista interface look and feel to it.

When you do click to get more applications it bring you to codyssey.com where you can browse through different categories. You are also urged to use sites such as portableapps.com, portablefreeware.com, and pendriveapps.com.

Installing Applications

Let's take a look at adding an application developed by Codessy called Freeraser which is a file shredder that will securely delete data. When running the install wizard make sure to select portable for the installation mode.

Again make sure you are installing it to the correct USB drive that CodySafe is installed on.

After the installation is complete you will see the new app in the start menu of CodySafe.

Additional Features

As previously mentioned there are some cool additional tools that can be installed such as Drive Doctor that will scan and repair sectors on the USB drive.

Here is a look at the other tools available in the CodySafe Control Panel.

Conclusion

CodySafe is a cool new way to transport and access your favorite portable applications. The user interface is visually appealing and is very easy to use. The author points out "CodySafe was developed in full compliance with PortableApps platform and, therefore, any application downloaded there and installed to the CodySafe-enabled drive will be fully functional." Right now the project is still in beta and some might find it a bit time consuming to download and install a bunch of new applications that are included in portable apps by default. If you have the time and gumption CodySafe is definitely a fun new toy for portable applications.

Download CodySafe

Geek Fun: Play Alien Arena the Free FPS Game

mysticgeek — Fri, 01 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Alien Arena is completely free cross-platform First Person Shooter based on the Quake III engine. Today we'll take a look because geeks love cool games and free cool games are even better! The one thing to watch out for during installation is unchecking the Crawler toolbar from being installed in Firefox and Internet Explorer. Before beginning a game you go into the Galaxy and choose a server and game to start in. You can also play as a single player. This includes cool fast game play where you collect different power ups, armor, and weapons to shoot other aliens with over 40 different levels. When your character is killed you get a quick view of the statistics of other players before regenerating. You can choose between five characters, six game play modes like Capture the Flag and All Out Assault. The game is a 200MB download and is cross platform which can be played on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Download Alien Arena for Windows, Mac, and Linux

Friday Fun: Destroy Everything with Indestructo Tank

mysticgeek — Fri, 01 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

For most of us by the time Friday rolls around there is plenty of stress and aggression to get out. Today we will take a look at Indestructo Tank an arcade type flash game that allows you to destroy everything in site on the battlefield.

The premise is simple, you are driving and indestructible tank that gets points by getting bombed then knocking choppers out of the sky. Before playing they make you go through a quick "how to play" tutorial but it's very easy.

You gain more points by achieving combos.

By scoring more points you can purchase various new weaponry.

The main thing you want to control is the amount of fuel you're using and the trajectory of the tank to get better combo shots.

This game is a lot of fun once you start moving up in levels. It is a great chance to let out some frustration without actually hollering at the pointy-haired bosses.

Play Indestructo Tank at The How-To Geek Arcade

Translate Foreign Website Text to your Native Language

mysticgeek — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0000

The glory of the Internet is the ability to gather information from all over the world and to truly utilize global content, we need to be able to translate other languages. Today we will look at few of tools available to translate text written in different languages.

Yahoo’s Babel Fish

Babel Fish has been around for a while now (1994) and seems to do a decent job of translating. You can copy and past text into the box at the website or you can translate an entire page by entering in the URL. Then select which way to translate the information.

The resulting translation side by side using Babel Fish.

Yahoo offers Babel Fish in its Toolbar and for website owners you can easily add this translation tool to your site.

Tryout Yahoo's Babel Fish

Google Translate

Of course the Internet giant offers a translation service as well with Google Translate. They offer translation from the site and no click translation directly through the Google Toolbar. There is also a simple gadget you can add to your webpage to allow others to translate your page.

They offer translation from the site and no click translation directly through the Google Toolbar.

Tryout Google Translate Options

Firefox Add-ons

For Firefox users there is are two handy add-ons the Unofficial Google Translate Firefox extension and gTranslate. Both of these extensions work relatively the the same and both rely on Google Translate. Just highlight the text and select the language translation combination. Here is an example of gTranslate from English to Arabic.

The developer of the Unofficial Google Translate Firefox extension made an easy to follow video on how to use it.

Organize your RSS Feeds with FeedDemon

mysticgeek — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0000

If you are looking for an easy way to keep track of all your RSS feeds, today we are going to take a look at a great free tool for the job with FeedDemon.

Installing FeedDemon is quick and easy following the installation wizard. In just a few moments you will be ready to use it to manage all of your favorite RSS feeds and if you are new to this application they offer a quick tutorial to get started.

After installation there is an option to sign up with NewsGator which is free service which allows access to your feeds from different locations. It is not required to run the reader so if you don't care to sign up you can just skip the step.

If you do sign up for the free NewsGator account you can then select to receive their default subscription list or import subscriptions from other services.

The user interface is laid out nicely and easy to use with topic folders on the left and the feed information in the viewing pane. There are also a lot of other customizations you can change to the view of your feeds.

Subscribing to a new feed is very easy by hitting the Subscribe button which pulls up a window to enter in the feed URL. You can also enter in keywords and do a search for a topic.

After entering in keywords to search you have the option of choosing between several search engines and the results will come up with various feeds you can add.

You can also preview the feed to make sure it is what you're looking for.

Overall FeedDemon is a very nice RSS reader with a lot of customization and subscription options. If you are looking for a way to easily organize and check out your favorite RSS feeds, you might want to give FeedDemon a try.

Download FeedDemon for Windows