InformationAddicts.com

Do you like travelling or just need directions as you have lost your way?
Then Google Mobile Map is just for you. I have been using Google maps on my Pocket PC for sometime and I really like this application, especially as its free, and really easy to use. I often use it when I am out and about and even when I am out walking. Google map works on most mobile devices as you can see from the list below:
• Most Java enabled (J2ME) mobile phones
• Palm devices with Palm OS 5 and above
• All colour Blackberry devices
• Windows Mobile devices with Windows Mobile 2003, 5.0 and above

Would you like to be able to transfer your files and folders from one PC to another in a few clicks of the mouse? Imagine at the end of your work day and you have got some large files or spreadsheets that you could finish at home but they are too large for a flash drive. Or you are at home and you have downloaded a great movie and you want to show you friends but it is too large to copy on a CD or DVD, or you have thousands of songs or pictures and would like to play them on another PC, how do you do this? I have the answer and that being a Western Digital passport hard drive, small, sleek, very light (weighs only a few ounces) and very easy to use, I bought mine a few weeks ago and I love it, just plug the cable into your USB 2.0 port and you can either use the software supplied to get started or in my case I used Partition Magic as I didn’t need to sync my data, then all you have to do is drag your files and folders onto the passport drive, it was that simple.

It requires no power adapter as it takes its power from your PC or Laptop. The passport hard drive comes in 80GB, 120GB, or 250GB, I bought the 160GB as that’s all I needed. The price for this little Hard drive is quite cheap on Amazon at the moment but you can buy it at most online computer websites, its always best to shop around.
So why not try this handy little drive? Let me know what you think of it.

Did you know that approximately 50 percent of Britons and Americans are overwhelmed by gadgets? Gadgets were supposed to be invented to help make our lives more simple, but with more and more mobile phones, PCs, MP3 players and the list goes on, most people are unable to understand how some of these gadgets work correctly. Besieged by the jargon and thick user manuals that come with some of these products, most people are only using about 35 percent of the capacity of any one technology they get their hands on and often overlook some of the best features of the gadget.

Just imagine, you are about to finish your spreadsheet that you must have for work tomorrow to show your boss, or you have a school assignment that you have been working on for the last hour or two when suddenly your PC shuts down, and all you’re hard work is lost.
You then get a sinking feeling and do a little or a lot of screaming and shouting at you’re PC, and get the urge to throw it out of the window, but stop yourself in time before you do some real damage. I know as I have been there myself.
You check your socket and find the power light is on, power cords are plugged in correctly, and you know you have run a virus check this week (I hope you have). So what could possibly have shut the computer down? DUST!
If your PC is over 12 months old and you have never cleaned the inside of it you will be amazed at just how much dust is in there. But how does this affect your PC?
When dust gets into the computer fans, around your processor, components and blocks the vents this overheats your PC which can cause it to constantly shut down, and as it works harder to keep itself cool it slowly degrades hardware performance which shortens the life of you’re PC. You will also find your PC slows down when using applications especially processor intensive ones.
So what can you do about it? Easy, give it a good clean out, and I am going to show you how to do this.
I must admit I quite enjoy doing this, as I love taking things to bits, but don’t worry as its very easy to do.
All you will need are few basic tools to do the job.
1. Either a star or a flat headed screw driver depending on the screws to get the panel of your computer case.
2. Antistatic wrist band you can pick one up from your local computer shop (this is not a necessity).
3. A vacuum cleaner (some IT technicians disagree with me on this one however I was taught it at college and have used it for over 6 years and never had any problems with it as long as you are careful.
4. A can of compressed air, these can be bought at most photography or electrical stores.
And that’s the only tools that you need.
To clean inside your PC:
1. Make sure you’re pc is switched off and the mains plug is out of the wall socket.
2. Take all of the cables out of the back of the PC, for example, USB, monitor, keyboard etc, make sure you take a note of where they came out of. Normally most connecters are colour coded.
3. At this point your computer is free from any connections and you can either take it outside, into your garage or clean it in the same room its up to you.
4. Take off the panel from the side of you’re PCs case so that you can get to the inside of it, all PC cases are different some of them need a screwdriver to get the screws out, some you can unscrew them by hand, and others side panels just clip off. Make sure you don’t try to take off the side with the Motherboard on.
5. Now that the panel is off you will be able to see all you’re PCs components, motherboard and fans. Don’t touch anything as static from you can damage these parts. If you have a wrist band put it on and clip it onto the case or some metal to ground yourself, if not touch the case with both hands to try and get rid of the static and equalise you and the case.
6. With the vacuum I want you to suck up any dust that is on the outside vents on the front and back of the case and anywhere else on the outside of the case that is covered in dust. Next if you are very careful vacuum the dust from the bottom inside of the case, around the fans but do not touch the motherboard or anywhere else. This should get rid of the thickest dust.
7. Using the compressed air on and around anything else that you didn’t pick up with the vacuum, like the motherboard around the hard drives etc. You can spray the fans again to make sure that all the dust is out.
8. Replace the panel, cables and switch on you’re computer and there you have it all done and dusted.
This should be done twice a year to keep your computer running in tip top condition.
If you feel that I have missed anything out or you have any other tips to clean your PC then let me know. Happy cleaning.

What would you do if you lost your portable device?
We seem to carry around with us more and more portable devices these days, for instance Laptops, flash drives, USB drives, phones, portable hard drives etc and never even consider losing them, but what if you did lose your flash drive with all your files and folders on it and you forgot to back them up? Even if someone else actually found it and was honest they wouldn’t know who to send it back to.
I have a couple of ideas that might help:
For your laptop you could either purchase a roll of white sticky business card sized labels, and write “if found” and then your name, address and telephone number on one or just a contact number and stick it to the bottom of your laptop. You could even cover it with clear tape to make it a little more hard-wearing. Or you could write your details on a business sized card or better still if you have a business card then all you have to do is tape it to the bottom of the laptop. Make sure you use clear heavy duty tape (like packing tape) so it can handle the daily use. I know this all sounds a bit simple but it does work and you never know you might just get your laptop back if you did lose it. You could also do this with your portable hard drive if its big enough.
USB drives, flash drives and portable hard drives, for these little devices you could create a text file and name it “If found, please return to me.txt” which would then contain your contact details.
Mobile phones, you could make an entry in your contacts and name it “Return to” which would contain your contact details. I have a pocket pc/phone and when switched on before you enter the password I have “Reward if found, please contact Jeff Sanderson and my home number.
Try my suggestions and let me know what you think. Do you have a better idea then share it with us?

Did you know that approximately 50 percent of Britons and Americans are overwhelmed by gadgets? Gadgets were supposed to be invented to help make our lives more simple, but with more and more mobile phones, PCs, MP3 players and the list goes on, most people are unable to understand how some of these gadgets work correctly. Besieged by the jargon and thick user manuals that come with some of these products, most people are only using about 35 percent of the capacity of any one technology they get their hands on and often overlook some of the best features of the gadget.

Broccoli has so many health benefits and is one of the best vegetables’ you and your kids can eat, yet very few of us actually eat it. Studies have shown that broccoli can kill a bacterium which a lot of us actually have,” Jed W. Fahey of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine writes, “It doesn’t make most of us sick, but some of us it can give ulcers to and eventually lead to stomach cancer.” In laboratory tests the chemical sulforaphane killed helicobacter pylori, a bacteria that causes stomach ulcers and often fatal stomach cancers.
“Sulforaphane does protect against tumours or cancer at multiple organ sites in many animal models,” said Fahey. “It looks very much like it is also protective in humans.” And the good news is there appears to be enough of it in broccoli to benefit people who eat the vegetable. Not only that but Ounce for ounce, boiled broccoli has more vitamin C than an orange and as much calcium as a glass of milk, did you know that?
Broccoli strengthens the immune system and it also promotes the release of mood enhancing serotonin and is particularly good for hangovers as it purifies the liver, which helps to prevent the build up of toxins. Have I convinced you to eat it? And it is so easy to cook, next time you have a dinner give it try. Here’s a tip I use so that my little girl eats it, I cut it very finely and mix it in with the mash potato and then pour gravy over the top to hide it and she doesn’t know the difference, the things you have to do. I did a search in Google for broccoli recipes and there are loads out there, for example broccoli flan which is delicious. One more thing I would like to add is all fruit and vegetables should be eaten if possible within 2-3 days of purchase other wise they slowly lose there nutritional benefits. Do you have any delicious broccoli recipes you would like to share?

Most of us who work and play on PCs at some time in our lives will possibly suffer from a bad back and/or neck, RSI (repetitive strain injury)or even eyestrain, yes long term use can seriously damage your health. I have worked and played on PCs for over 8 years and up until the last 2 years have suffered from a bad back and neck caused by sitting incorrectly in front of my work and home PC for too long. I decided to do something about it as the pain mainly in my upper back was getting unbearable. I read many books on back pain and with the help of my physio and yoga exercises managed to fix my back problem. Unfortunately the damage had already been done and although the back exercises and yoga were a big help, my back had been weakened, and even today if I do not sit correctly either at work or at home the pain can come back. Even though I have weight trained for many years and keep fit, this did not seem to help my back, the reason for this is that weight training strengthens and builds your big muscles and not your smaller core muscles. Why I am writing this you may ask? In hope that you learn from my mistakes. As I wrote earlier the main reason we suffer from a bad back is sitting incorrectly for too long, our bodies were not designed to sit for long periods. Below are my tips for sitting correctly in front of your PC/monitor.
1. Your chair should be high enough so that your arms are at right angles as you type, your thighs should be parallel to the floor, and your feet should be about shoulder width apart and flat on the floor. If they are not, your chair should be height adjustable so that you can correct your sitting posture. Your chair should be comfortable with a good lumbar support and preferably without arm rests as the make your elbows uncomfortable and encourage bad posture, most chairs don’t come with a good lumbar support but you can buy them, do a search on Google and you will be able to find a website that sells them.
2. Your back and neck should be straight and not leaning forward, and if possible your lower back should be supported by the lumbar support, never let your head fall forward as this is what causes your upper back muscles to eventually tighten up and become painful.
3. The top of your monitor should be at eye level as this helps to keep your back straight. If it is too low and you cannot heighten it put it on some books.
4. Try and either have a break every hour even if it’s only for 5 minutes, or do something else so that you are not constantly sitting in the same position and staring at your screen. I know this maybe hard to do at work, it is sometimes for me as it can be really busy, but even if you just stand up and having a little stretch. As I wrote earlier we are not designed to sit still for long periods of time. I have set up a reminder in Microsoft Outlook to come on every hour as sometimes you can forget about the time.
The above will also help you with RSI and eyestrain, however I will write more about these two later, as I have some excellent exercises to help with these problems.
I hope this has helped you, I know all about back pain and it is no laughing matter. If you need anymore information please contact me and I will do what I can.

Do you enjoy photography but are not able to pursue it as you have a family which take up most or all of your time? I know the feeling.
I only have 1 little girl and she takes up most of my spare time, but using the tips below I can still do my photography.
1. Set your alarm clock early one morning and get yourself out for a few hours. This is a great time to shoot some pictures as everywhere is deserted and you have it all to yourself.
2. When the little ones are in bed and the nights are light this is a great time to go out and shoot some pictures. Of course if you are a single parent you might need to ask your family to baby sit for a few hours or even pay someone.
3. If the nights are dark and the kids are in bed then you could set up a little make shift studio and experiment with various photos, for example, try a bit of macro photography, all you need is a table and some lighting.
4. When the weekend comes organise something for the family to do for a few hours and you can head off alone to take some pictures.
5. Take your family out for a country walk and see just what photographs you can take, you will be surprised. Don’t weigh yourself down with tripods and accessories, just take the basics, and remember don’t make it too boring for your family, try and enjoy it.
6. Even better get them all to join in, give the camera to each member of your family when you are out and about. You could also buy them a little throw away camera and get the pictures developed, set a competition for the best shot of the day and give a prize.
7. Last but not least spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon taking family portraits, again to get them all involved.
Do you have any more tips that you could share? Then please let me know.

We all use our Computers more and more in daily life whether at work or at home, and most people just tend to use the most basic functions of the software that’s needed to carry out those daily tasks, but don’t realise that they are missing out on a wealth of options. Underneath Windows XP there is a wealth of tricks and shortcut keys that will help make your tasks just that much easier and I would like to share some of them with you.

1.Quick launch your applications, on the task bar you can put a shortcut to your most used applications and files here, which can be launched in one click. Here’s how, right-click the taskbar and choose Toolbars>Quick launch. Now you can customise it to contain only the applications and/or files that you want to open by dragging them out of the Start Menu and onto the Quick launch bar. You can delete those not needed by right clicking and choosing delete.
2.Tidy up your desktop, I often laugh to myself when I see other people’s computer desktops as they seem to be so cluttered with files and programs etc that they cannot see the background. Not only does this look really messy but it takes toll on your memory. If you don’t use them all why not clear them up by creating a folder which is very easy to do. Right-click the desktop and choose Arrange Icons By>Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard. This will place the icons that you have chosen into a folder named ‘Unused Desktop Icons’, which you can rename, any files that have not gone into the folder just drag them in. Now isn’t that much neater, give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.
3.Get straight to your desktop in a jiffy, do you sometimes end up with lots and lots of applications open and then decide that you need to get to your desktop fast, and then try and minimise everything in order to quickly get to it? Simple, press the Windows key and (M) simultaneously and tadaa your there, to get back to where you were press Shift + Windows key + (M) simultaneously.
4.Get to them .com sites faster, Web sites that end with .com for example http://web.archive.org/web/20070712094656/http://web.archive.org/web/20070712094656/http://www.amazon.com/ can be accessed that bit quicker by typing just the name in the address bar and then hit (Ctrl) + (return) for example informationaddicts then the shortcut, this will save you seven strokes.
5.Double clicking mayhem, I don’t know about you but double clicking each time to open up a program, folder or file is a bit of a chore rather than just single clicking. There is an answer and all you need to do is go to Control Panel and find folder options, check the box that says ‘Single click to open an item’ and click OK and there you have it, one click wonder.
6.CCP shortcuts, What are you talking about you may ask? Highlight some text or an image and try (Ctrl) + (C) for copying, or (Ctrl) + (X) to cut and (Ctrl) + (V) to paste. You can also use (Ctrl) + (Z) to undo your action or (Ctrl) + (Y) to redo your action.
7.Use your Windows Key, When you are at work and want to quickly log off your Computer press (Windows) + (L) it works a treat, also to bring the run box up press (Windows) + (R). Pressing (Windows) + (E) brings up Explorer.
8.Use the tab key, this key is a general purpose key as it can be used to help you navigate through things. It can be used to move from one field to another in different applications. Another good idea is if you have a lot of programs, files, etc open, pressing (Alt) + (tab) will scroll you through each one of these.
9.Make you own shortcut keys for your favourite applications, Here’s how, Right-click the desktop and select New > Shortcut. Browse to the program that you want and then give a name to the shortcut. A new icon will appear on your desktop. Right-click it and select Properties, click the Shortcut Key field and press (Ctrl) and the letter that you want to use to activate the program. Now using (Ctrl) + (Alt) and the letter that you choose will open it.
10.More shortcuts can be found, click Start > Help and Support, then in the search bar type ‘keyboard shortcuts’ hit the search or arrow button then in the results click on ‘Windows keyboard shortcuts overview’.
What shortcuts do you use? Share them with us.