Archive for tools

I made a short video for you to watch:

After you’re done watching the video, check out DropBox for free:

http://www.DarrelHawes.com/DropBox

Categories : productivity, tools
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Aug
16

Google Docs Templates

Posted by: Darrel Hawes | Comments (0)

It’s no secret I love Google Docs…

Well here’s some of the “user favorites” you can use as templates for your own docs:

http://docs.google.com/templates?sort=hottest&view=default&pli=1

Categories : productivity, tools
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May
01

My Project Management Saga

Posted by: Darrel Hawes | Comments (0)

Here’s the latest word on my project management quest…

I decided that Google Sites didn’t quite do it for me. Maybe the app is just not mature enough yet.

I had been looking for something like Activecollab, which was supposed to be open source forever, but which had morphed into a paid model sometime last fall. There was a link on the site to the last free version, and for some reason that link never worked for me.

Well, in my research I stumbled upon this site:

http://collab.ws

This outfit will host Activecollab (open source version) for you for $5/month. However, they also give you the last open source version (o.7.1) if you have the means and inclination to install and use it on your own server.

I gleefully downloaded and installed it. It was a fairly straightforward process, but something went wrong and it didn’t come up for me.

Shoot.

I kept looking and found Project Pier: http://www.projectpier.org. What these guys are doing is actively developing activeCollab 0.7.1. Free, open source. I downloaded and installed it and it worked without a hitch. So, looks like I’ll be putting Project Pier through it’s paces.

Categories : productivity, tools
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May
01

The Jing-YouTube Quandry

Posted by: Darrel Hawes | Comments (0)

Why, oh why, can I not shoot a Jing video and upload it to YouTube?

Jing is so darn easy to use, and it’s the first tool I grab when I want to make a “down and dirty” video of less than five minutes.

But apparently, since the output is an SWF file, YouTube won’t take it.

I don’t want to pay for a converter, and thus far have not found a freeware replacement or workaround.

Recommendations?

I’ll pay if I have to…

Using Camtasia will avoid these problems, but sometimes I just don’t have the time required to walk through all the steps needed to use it.

Categories : media, tools
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Apr
24

In the market for a laptop?

Posted by: Darrel Hawes | Comments (0)

I have purchased several laptops over the years. In fact, I likely will not buy another desktop computer. A mind-range laptop is powerful enough for my needs, and they’re portable!

This site:

http://www.notebookreview.com

Is indispensable for  researching your laptop before you buy it. Click on the “notebook reviews” tab and you’ll surprisingly detailed reviews of many machines. The reviews often include close up photos of the keyboard and sides (so you can see the ports close up).

Highly recommended!

Categories : productivity, tools
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These print utilities make my life easier every day. Each one has a free and paid version, and I use the free versions currently.

Fine Print.

This awesome utility allows you to:

  • Bring up a print job and view it before you print (similar to print preview)
  • Delete pages that you don’t want to print
  • Shrink pages and print multiple pages on on page (2, 4, or 8 pages)
  • Manual duplexing if you don’t have an automatic duplex printer

I usually choose 2 or 4 pages, depending on the print size. It really cuts down on the paper, especially when using duplex.

They don’t really advertise the free/trial version, which prints a small banner at the bottom of every page.

http://www.fineprint.com/products/fineprint/benefits.html

PDF Redirect

I have tried many PDF creation utilities, and PDF Redirect works the best for me. One feature I really like is the ability to combine multiple PDFs into one document.

If you’ve never used one of these before, they allow you to create a PDF document instead of printing.

http://www.exp-systems.com/pdfredirect/Features.htm?1

Faststone Capture

This is a “print screen” utility, and I absolutely love it!

It allows you to:

  • Print the whole screen, the active window, or a portion you select
  • Print it or save it
  • Crop and resize

The current version of Faststone is no longer free, but you can download a prior version from:

http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=775

All of these utilities will cut down on your paper consumption, if used properly.

Let me know how they work for you!

Categories : productivity, tools
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There are hordes of free and non-free project management tools available, especially online.

If someone wants a reliable system and doesn’t want to spring for Basecamp or any of the other myriad of systems available, what is he or she to do?

Well, with the addition of Google Sites to the Google Apps suite, we have one more option to try out. I’ll be giving it a shot for one of my projects.

While it’s not a true project management system, it does provide an easy way to create new projects (simply create a new site) and group all the required files in one place. You can easily create pages with lists or whatever you need to track with the built-in page templates.

Some of the helpful links I found:

http://www.enterprise-dashboard.com/2008/02/29/google-sites-dashboards-project-management-dashboard-example

http://sites.google.com/a/altostrat.com/project-eggplant/Home

https://uto.asu.edu/blog/2008/02/29/strap-on-your-rocket-shoes-google-sites-for-asu

http://meetings.abanet.org/ltrc/index.cfm?data=20080317 (scroll down to the second post)

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P.S. I made a 17 minute video explaining how to use Google Apps for project management in more detail.

To get lifetime access, including future updates, enter your information and press the button below:

— Currently not available —

It’s risk-free! If you don’t like it for any reason, just let me know within 30 days and I’ll paypal you back a 100% refund.

Categories : productivity, tools
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My old Visioneer flatbed scanner recently died…no big loss because I was having trouble getting drivers for it.

It’s hard to find a scanner now without also buying a multifunction machine.

What I ended up with is the Canon MX310. I bought it from Costco for $95.

It’s a great little piece of equipment. It can do:

  • Flatbed Scanning (duh!)
  •  Sheetfed scanning (30 sheets instead of the standard 10 in this class)
  • Color and B/W copying (and the color copies are surprisingly good)
  • Fax

Now I’ve not had the need for a fax machine before, but interestingly I faxed 3 or 4 documents in the first week of owning it. Sometimes it’s just easier and faster to fax rather than email a scanned document.

Categories : productivity, tools
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Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve heard about Techsmith’s big giveaway of Camtasia 3.

It’s a fantastic tool for doing full motion screen capture video.

Granted, it’s not the most recent version, but it’s pretty cool nonetheless.

If you haven’t grabbed your copy and registration key, do so right away:

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Camtasia Studio download:

http://download.techsmith.com/camtasiastudio/enu/312/camtasiaf.exe

Camtasia Studio Key:

http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia/pcpls.asp

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Next, do yourself a favor and check out this fantastic Camtasia tutorial. I just bought it myself and it has already saved me hours of time learning and experimenting:

Recipe for Producing Hot Video Tutorials with Camtasia

It’s about 60 pages with many screen shots to explain everything you need to get started.

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Oct
01

101 Little Hacks…

Posted by: Darrel Hawes | Comments (0)

Check out this great blog post:

101 Hacks to Help You Get Your Work Finished More Quickly

I nearly always learn something new from articles such as this one.

Categories : tools
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