Lock PowerPoint File From Being Edited
August 1st, 2006You might have to distribute copies of your PowerPoint presentations to other people. It is important that you lock or protect that PowerPoint file so others can view it, but not make changes to it. There are numerous software that will promise to add password protection to your file but you will have to pay money for those software. As a matter of fact, Microsoft PowerPoint already has a built-in feature that will allow you to lock the Power Point file.
1. Open up your PowerPoint Presentation
2. Go to Tools
3. Options
4. Security
5. Enter a password for “Password to modify.”
You can also type in a password to restrict viewing of the PowerPoint file. Just type a password in “Password to open” and click OK.
That’s how it works in Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, and I assume it’s similar in older versions of Power Point.
Another method is saving and distributing the presentation as a Powerpoint Show (.PPS) instead of PowerPoint Presentation (.PPT). The presentation cannot be edited anymore when in (.PPS). To do this:
1. Click File
2. Save As…
3. Select (.PPS) under “Save as type.”
Have you considered converting the (.PPT) PowerPoint file format to an Acrobat PDF format? But you’d be better off just password protecting the file, that way they could still watch the slide show. But if you want make a PDF, carry on. Granted, not everyone has the full version of Adobe Acrobat Pro (which costs well $). But there are freeware tools, such as Pdf995. Pdf995 can convert various files to PDF. PDFs are much harder to modify than a Microsoft-password-protected PPT file.
Turn Off Sounds in AIM
July 13th, 2006You might be using AIM for its ‘Get File’ function, and always stay signed on so you can access shared files anytime. I bet you have tried everything that you have found in order to turn off the annoying sounds. Settings will say “Do not play sounds”, but you will still get the sound of door open and door slam when friends sign in and out.
Once you choose the setting “Do not play sounds”, you will no longer get the message alert sounds, but the sign in and sign out sounds will still play. It will not work if you move the folder ‘program files->AIM->sounds’ to a different location in hopes that AIM wouldn’t find the path to find the sound. Follow the directions below to turn off the sounds in AOL Instant Messenger:
Double check that to make sure they are turned off by going to: My AIM > Edit Options > Edit Preferences > Buddy List > Sounds > Do not play any sounds. Below is the screenshot of the location to turn off the sounds.
This works because you might have turned off the sounds from the IM/chat/mobile section and not both areas.
Microsoft to Compete iPod by Christmas
July 6th, 2006
On Wednesday, sources within the Microsoft Corp. disclosed the launch of company’s revival to Apple’s iPod music player; the release date is Christmas time. Microsoft has been revealing the new mp3 player to companies for weeks and is expected to send out prototypes in coming weeks. This mp3 player will allow users to download music and videos over the air, a feature that Apple iPod lacks. New software similar to Apple’s iTunes will also be unveiled with the launch. Experts believe Apple’s iPod was a hit because of its combination of hardware and software.
The company source told Reuters that: “They’re proposing an iTunes model approach. They’re now interested in controlling the whole vertical stack of technology from the device to the service to the software.”
Success won’t be easy as some experts believe. In order for Microsoft to have any odd of competing with Apple in the coming year, it will need to have the player along with the service ready for the Christmas season. Christmas season is the best time for any consumer electronic success.
Update: Microsoft Denies iPod Rival Report
The reports of Microsoft releasing an MP3 player for competition against Apple’s iPod were denied by Microsoft Corp. The report was based on “speculation and rumours.”
First Blu-ray Writer Unveiled
July 4th, 2006Taiwan’s BenQ electronic company has disclosed its new optical disk writer manufactured to comply with the Blu-ray DVD format. The Blu-ray writer will be released at the beginning of July, making it the first on the market. Sony, Philips, and Pioneer, companies accountable for making and publicizing format, intends to release the writer at the end of August. If BenQ delays its release, then it will be in direct competition with the three companies.
The BenQ Blu-ray disk recorder will be sold for $1,022 (€799). However, competitors’ writers will sell for double the price of BenQ writer, starting at $1,800. HD DVD, created by Toshiba, is competing with Blu-ray. HD DVD started selling for $499. On a DVD-size disk, HD DVD and Blu-ray can offer up to 50 GB of storage. Majority writers will also accept standard DVD and CD formats.
Create an Editable PDF Document
June 30th, 2006A friend emailed me asking for help on editable PDF files. He wants to create a PDF file that is editable. By edit, he means PDF documents that people can fill it out, like tax forms. He knows that it can be done since he had himself filled out many forms but never created one. He reminded me his goal was to not to fill out a PDF, rather to create a form that is editable in certain fields only.
To be honest, I know many free PDF softwares to make PDFs files but not the one that can make editable documents. Nevertheless, creating a PDF document from a scratch is extremely difficult, even with the Acrobat Writer (Shareware) on your hand. The features of Acrobat for editing and creating PDF files are limited.
The best free PDF creator would be PDFCreator. This program allows you to drag any content into it, making it easy. You can also create Microsoft Word documents and save it as PDF format! Let me say it again, this program will convert anything you can find into PDF format document with just one click. Remember, this is an open source freeware tool. However, you cannot achieve the level of professionalism and organization like tax forms in this software.
If you are not looking for a long term solution, try Adobe Acrobat 3D software. This software offers 30-day trial period for free. You can take advantage of this program which includes all the powerful features of Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional. This software will promise you organization and professionalism that you are looking for. Acrobat 3D software is not designed for an average person; you will need some basic knowledge about using programs.
Another software I recommend is Adobe Designer if you are not looking for a long term solution. Adobe Designer does not require much knowledge and it can be used by an average user. You can quickly design forms, maintain form templates, make changes, and preview forms. Once again, the output of this PDF will be looking professional.
Primo PDF is freeware software that will create editable PDF documents, but has limited features. To warp this up, there is not any free software that will create excellent PDF documents. If you are looking for a long term solution to creating professional PDF files, I recommend buying a software. For short term users, you should look for paid softwares that will offer free evaluation period. Almost all PDF softwares offer trial version. Go to Adobe downloads page for more tryouts under “Acrobat family” heading.
Watch FIFA World Cup Games Live Free
June 27th, 2006This article is constantly updated
There seems to be an open door at ESPN Web site and it allows us to see FIFA World Cup games live online for free! You can watch any FIFA World Cup game for free through direct links below.
Directions:
On June 22, you could of watched Ghana vs U.S. game by going to this URL.
http://espnevent.espn.com.edgesuite.net/FIFA_June22_Ghana.asx
To watch different live FIFA World Cup games, you will need to edit the url:
1. Replace the country to the home team
2. Change the date
Here is the basic format:
http://espnevent1.espn.com.edgesuite.net/FIFA_
Example: http://espnevent1.espn.com.edgesuite.net/FIFA_June26_SecondRound_cup1.asx
This format does not appear to be working anymore for some people.
To watch games on ESPN 360 Player (not recommended, but its the only way it seems to work for some people):
1. Click on ESPN 360 Link.
2. Click Launch Video Player if it doesn’t automatically.
3. Select “World Cup” on left.
4. Pick a game and start watching!
.Asx format links are updated daily, so check back:
July 5
France v Portugal
July 4
Germany v Italy
July 1
The games are not on ESPN today. It is sunday and if you still want to watch the games online, I recommend you visit the following link.
Portugal v England
France vs Brazil
July 1 – Update:
Point Windows Media at this stream:
http://pointers.audiovideoweb.com/asxfiles-live/il81winlive2024.asx
Since the commentary is in Spanish, mute it. Then go to the follow URL for commentary in English:
http://clients.mediaondemand.net/theSun/?Channel=1
July 1 – Update 2
Thanks techgeek, you can also watch the match through TVUPlayer on ABC; you will get the same quality as ESPN.
Download TVUPlayer
Hey guess what, ESPN is broadcasting the match. Watch it through the follow URL:
http://espnevent1.espn.com.edgesuite.net/FIFA_July1_Quarters_2-55.asx
June 30
Quater Final Games
Germany vs Argentina
Italy vs Ukraine
June 27
Spain v France
Brazil v Ghana
June 26
You can now watch the games in ESPN 360 player for free since ESPN is giving access to everyone. Click Here
Italy v. Australia
Switzerland v. Ukraine
June 25
England v Ecuador
Portugal v Netherlands
Google’s GBuy, An Online-Payment Option
June 27th, 2006
Google Inc. has decided to preface a beta version of its GBuy, an online-payment service, as early as this week. Google’s GBuy will be revival of eBay Inc.’s Paypal and such other companies. To allure customers, Google’s GBuy will offer undisclosed amount of rebate to consumers who fulfill online purchases through GBuy.
The service will be integrated with Google Adwords. There will ads on Google search pages, next to the ads will be an icon or symbol showing that the advertiser is accepting payments through Gbuy. Although consumers will be taken to the merchant’s site when they click on the ads, they will be able to use GBuy checkout process on the merchant’s site.
Merchants will be charged a 2.2% commission on a sale, along with 30 cents per transaction through GBuy. The fee per transaction is same as PayPal but the commission rate is also lower compared to Paypal’s commision rate of 2.5%. There are no discounts to be offered for Adwords merchants who plan to use GBuy as one of their payment option.
France’s Geoportail Deemed a Success
June 26th, 2006The project, Geoportail, developed by France was a smashing hit after more than five 
million users accessed the site on its first day of the release. Geoportail is France‘s substitute to the Google Earth, and it offers high resolution aerial imagery of France. The site was heavily bombarded by internet users and this allowed only one in five user to access the site. The state-funded National Geographic Institute created Geoportail and it hopes to surpass the US pioneer in the field, Google Earth.
The Geoportail promoters may need to maintain the access to the site by the use of passwords if the outstanding level of traffic to the site persists. On average a popular French site would receive about four million hits a day.
The project is worth €6 million, and it hopes to be as much as successful as Google Earth. Although Google Earth offers views of the whole planet, it limits the high resolution to only certain zone. The Geoportail currently covers the entire France’s territory including overseas and mainland. Users can easily switch from aerial view of a place, to detailed maps, geological data and charts. A three-dimensional tool is planned to be added later this year. The users are hoping to see a feature that allows them to zoom in within 50cm of the ground.
How to Clean and Repair Projection TV
June 25th, 2006If you have a projection TV and the picture quality seems so washed out, you might need to do little cleaning up. Don’t panic because it is better then dumping the $2000 TV and buying a new $2000 TV. I had a same issue where my picture quality was bad. I was going to dump the TV anyway, so I disassembled the TV knowing that there are projection bulbs inside the set. I decided just to take a look at them to see if they were dirty or damaged. What I found was a thick layer of dust all over them. After cleaning them carefully, I assembled the TV back again and the picture looks as crisp as ever! It saved me a bulk just doing simple repair that might cost over $400 at my local Radio Shack store.
Here are the directions if you are willing to do it. Don’t move any part of the projector assembly. Contact a technician if you spot any leaking cooling gel around the projector tubes. Do this at your own risk because I do not take any responsibility if anything goes wrong! I take no responsibility at all!
- FIRST UNPLUG THE SET! So, just because the set is unplugged doesn’t mean you can’t get shocked. Certain parts of the chassis can carry a residual charge that will injure you, by that I mean send you flying.
- Gently remove the screws from the back cover of the TV set.
Check to see if you have removed the screws around the connection area because the area will be connected to some sort of board inside. By connection area, I mean:
- Now, you should have the back cover removed by now. If you still can’t get it removed, look for other ways. I am sure there many ways and different T.V sets have different ways of removing back cover.
- When you remove the cover, most TV will have a mirror attached to the back cover you removed and you will also see the 3 “guns” red/blue and green.
- To make sure you don’t damage your own TV, you will need a safe cleaning tool. You can probably use camera lens cleaner. You can find them at a local camera store.
- Use the lens cleaner carefully to clean the mirror and lenses inside the TV.
- For other sets, like Pioneer, you will want to enter from the front. You can do this by removing the screen first – this will give you a chance to clean the front too.
This should take about one hour if you are careful enough. Don’t use ammonia based cleaners on any plastic components, lens or mirror either. The ammonia can cause the plastic to cloud. To further educate yourself, visits the Web sites listed below.
Resources:
Feel free to suggest new sites!
User-Selected Digg.com Expands
June 23rd, 2006Digg.com is a Web site that ranks various technology news according to users’ recommendation. The Web site currently only limits its topics to technology but it hopes to expand it through videos and topics beyond technology. Users are limited to tech-related categories such as hardware, gaming, digital-music and robots. However, on Monday users will start having access to entertainment and business news. Users will be able to post videos which can be non-news videos. New sub-categories such as games and science is also planned to be on general technology section. Users will have more personal choices like customize their pages, hiding certain categories or subcategories from the site. There will be user’s friends list where they can get the overview of what their friends find interesting along with other interest.
Although Digg began as a technology news Web site in September 2004, it has received great amount of pressure from users to expand. It received 1.3 visitors in May compared to 129,000 a year earlier. The chief executive of Digg Inc. says more users have been posting news that has been non-technology related anyhow.
Digg is unique a community which uncovers items that are rare and otherwise be hard to locate. Big companies like Time Warner Inc.’s AOL are transforming its Netscape portal into user recommendations Web site similar to Digg. The new redesign of Yahoo portal also introduced user-voted items. If Digg users stumble upon something interesting while surfing the net, they can simply “dig,” or post it on Digg.com. You can see at the bottom of this post there is a link to Digg it. The item that receives vote goes up on the list while item lacking enough votes are omitted over time.
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