I remember when I used to compile a list of the essential freeware to install on a new computer. Now it is much simpler thanks to Google. Google Pack is a bundle of quality freeware that may be downloaded easily at pack.google.com. Google Pack includes: Adobe Reader, Firefox with Google Toolbar, Google Earth, Google Desktop, Google Photos Screensaver, Google Talk, Google Toolbar for IE, Norton Security Scan, Picasa, RealPlayer, Skype and StarOffice.
Internet
RSS
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and is an easy way to keep up with your favorite websites without having to look at each page individually. Certain websites and blogs that display the RSS symbol (on the right) make their content available by syndicating articles. Many news sites use RSS. You can copy the RSS feed address and paste it into a RSS reader. There are many RSS readers available. Some mail clients, such as Mozilla Thunderbird, also serve as RSS readers. One of the easiest RSS readers to use is Google Reader, a web-based RSS reader. The link below is the RSS feed for this website.
TinyURL Bookmark Trick
You don’t have to go to TinyURL.com to use their service. Simply drag the favorite/bookmark below to your toolbar and you can easily click one button and have a TinyURL generated for the page that you are viewing.
Bible Software
Are you looking for Bible software for your computer? Two free alternatives are BibleGateway and e-Sword. BibleGateway is a website with many translations and reference tools. e-Sword is a free Bible study software application that includes many reference tools. e-Sword is available for Windows and Windows-based handhelds.
VPN and the Internet
Do you notice that when you connect to a VPN (virtual private network), you sometimes loose your internet connection? That is because all your internet traffic is being routed through your VPN’s gateway. If your only use of the VPN is to connect to a network for email or a specific application, this is unnecessary. If you wish to surf the internet privately, you would want to use this and your VPN will probably be configured to handle this, so do not disable this feature. Follow these steps to turn off this feature. Learn more.
- Click Start > Setting > Network Connections > Show all Connections, or select Network Connections from the Control Panel
- Right-click the VPN connection
- Click “Properties”
- Click the “Networking” tab
- Double-click “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)”
- Click the “Advanced…” button
- Uncheck “Use default gateway on remote network”
- Click OK three times
Remember the Milk
Do you live out of your email inbox, using it as a default to-do list? Remember the Milk (RTM) is an online task list. You can create tasks and be reminded via email or text message. It is simple and easy to use and can help you organize your daily tasks. It evens works when you are offline and offers many plugins.