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geekgirl.news
Before Hours: The new geekgirl blogFebruary 4th, 2008 Looking for the latest news about Geekgirl's? You'll find it all at my blog. Before Hours: The new geekgirl blogNovember 21st, 2007 I've been trying to get a blog off the ground for a long time. Finally, it's happening Stroll over and take a look at Before Hours. There you'll find all the tidbits which don't quite fit into the geekgirl's format: hardware and software reviews, quick tips, observations about technology done right and technology run amok. I plan to make over the entire Geekgirl's site in the Before Hours style, so I'll gradually be transitioning articles from the old site to the new. I'll also be replacing this What's New section almost immediately: I'll use the blog to write up what's new here on Geekgirl's. Let me know what you think - how you like the look, the readability, the content. And feel free to suggest topics you'd like to see me cover. You can leave a comment right there on the site. Troubleshooting VistaNovember 16th, 2007 You'll find a new guide to troubleshooting Vista in the Practical Guide to Vista. The guide won't answer all your specific questions, but it'll arm you with tools and tactics to help you fix most problems you'll encounter. A Vista cornucopia: breadcrumbs, parental controls, performance tips and moreNovember 15th, 2007 It's been a while since I've added anything to the site. I moved back into my rebuilt home in Lakeview, one of the worst affected areas of New Orleans, and then not long after lost my mum. Together with my usual workload, it hasn't left much time for the site. To make up for my absence, today I've added a swag of new articles to the Practical Guide to Vista. The first is on using breadcrumb navigation. Breadcrumbs are a part of Vista I love, one of those quiet gems in the operating system. The article explains the breadcrumb bar, shows you how to use it and provides some useful breadcrumb tricks. You'll also find articles on the new Parental Controls, Vista's slick performance tools and technologies, plus a collection of tips and tricks to help you get more from the operating system. Searching, Exploring and managing user accounts in VistaMay 3rd, 2007 You'll find three new articles in the Practical Guide to Vista. The first is an extensive tutorial on using the new search facilities in Vista. I've heard a lot of complaints about Vista search, some of them justified. But this is the first time Microsoft has attempted to build a really decent search facility into Window and, on the whole, the results are excellent. The new search will change the way you work with your files. The second article provides a guided tour of the new Windows Explorer. In fact, it's not one Explorer but many under Vista. Highlights include the breadcrumb bar, which provides much easier navigation of files and folders. The third article introduces you to the somewhat notorious User Account Control and shows how this feature provides a new level of protection for your system. Installing VistaFebruary 15th, 2007 I've added a step-by-step installation guide to my new Practical Guide to Vista. Get to know VistaFebruary 14th, 2007 So, should you rush out and buy Microsoft's new operating system, Vista? Probably not. But to ensure you can make the right decision for yourself or your organisation, I've created a step-by-step Practical Guide to Vista. The Vista Guide will help you decide whether or not Vista is right for you. And, if you do decide to take the plunge, it will get you up and running and productive. So far I've published the first two articles in the Vista Guide, Introducing Vista and Finding your Bearings. You'll also find two articles to help you decide whether you want to buy or install Vista: The Upgrade Decision and Who needs Vista? There's a lot more to come, including:
That's just for starters. I'm not out to sell Vista; nor do I feel a need to knock Microsoft. So if you want good independent advice, take a look. Share the infoNovember 9th, 2006 I get a lot of email from people who find the articles on geekgirl's useful and who share the information here with friends, family, students and colleagues. Now you can Digg any of the articles on the site you find particularly useful. I've added a Digg button like this:
at the end of each article. If you'd like to share a geekgirl article, click the button and a Digg submission page will open. Complete that page and click Submit to add the article to Digg's collection. (The process is a little clunky - Digg is working on its submission process to try to integrate it more seamlessly into sites, so hopefully this will get slicker in the future.) The Digg buttons use a little piece of JavaScript coding to do their work, so you'll need to make sure your browser has JavaScript enabled for this site or they won't work. Please note that no information is collected about you by geekgirl's when you Digg an article. If you're not yet acquainted with Digg, it's a Web service that lets people share articles they find interesting. Others who read the article can raise its profile by digging it or lower its profile by burying it. High profile articles bubble up to the top of the list. You'll need to register with Digg in order to submit articles - don't worry, it's free and you won't get spammed. Digg's a great way to find out what articles, technical and non-technical, have got people buzzing. Should you get Windows Vista?November 7th, 2006 With the release version of Microsoft's new operating system ready to roll, and the consumer version due to ship in January, now's a good time to contemplate whether you need this shiny new Windows and, if so, whether you'll need new hardware to make the transition. I've replaced the existing article in the Windows Vista section with two new articles: Who Needs Vista? and Upgrading to Vista to help you make your decision. New site picksSeptember 12th, 2006 A trip under the surgeon's knife has slowed down activity here on geekgirl's, including on my new blog. Now I'm in catch-up mode with all my deadlines, but I've made time to update my Site Picks for Tips and Tutorials. I'll be working through each of the Site Picks sections over the coming week or two to bring them up to date. Check them out – there are some great sites featured. My new blog and podcast: Baroque & BitsAugust 3rd, 2006 Keeping this site fresh and interesting is a constant battle. Not because there aren't new and interesting things to write about, but because it's a one-woman site and I only get to work on it in my limited spare time. So, rather than struggle to keep the flow of full-length articles coming, I've decided to do a podcast and blog called Baroque & Bits. This way, I can provide you with short tips and snippets more frequently. I'll also use Baroque & Bits to answer some of the many questions I receive by email. I'll still be adding new articles to this site, of course, but I hope you'll have fun exploring the new content I cover in my blog. I'm very interested in hearing what you think about the blog/podcast, so please leave a comment on the blog or use the Contact form here on Geekgirl's to give me your thoughts. Oh... and the name, Baroque & Bits? It's my chance to share two of my passions, technology and music. So I'll end each episode with a little gem from my grab-bag of classical music. Vista is coming...July 18th, 2006 Vista, the next version of Windows, is on the way. Whether it reaches us early in 2007, as Microsoft currently suggests, or later in that year, it's arrival is fast approaching. In anticipation, I've created a new Windows Vista section. The section currently sports just one article, a preview called Vista draws near, based on the beta 2 test version. It provides details on the operating system's highlights, a rundown on the different versions of Vista, and a few head's up tips. Plus a bunch of very pretty pictures. There'll be much more on Vista to come, of course. Simple Windows customisationsJuly 13th, 2006 Tailor Windows to Suit is a new article in the Windows Tools & Techniques section. I've also taken the opportunity to divide the articles in that section into Beginner/Intermediate and Intermediate/Advanced topics. Tailor Windows to Suit definitely falls into the former category: it provides a good jumping off point for those who want to go a little further than taking Windows at face value. In general, I'm updating this site much less frequently since Hurricane Katrina. I'm still focussing on helping with rebuilding New Orleans and also trying to rebuild my own house (in one of the worst affected areas). They're both very slow jobs, and the rest of my life – including this site – has had to take a back seat. Things in New Orleans are still terrible, despite the good face our mayor seems to want to put on it. If you're looking for a way to help out, housing is still a major concern (entire neighbourhoods are still almost completely uninhabitable), so donations to Habitat for Humanity can make a big difference. You can also help replant some of the tens of thousands of trees we lost by supporting the Hike for KaTREEna. Spyware preventionFebruary 22nd, 2006 We seem to spend more and more time keeping our computers safe and less time putting them to good use. You can keep your computer free of spyware and other malware, with a minimum of fuss, by becoming informed and adopting some commonsense practices. I can help you with that. I'll be adding a bunch of new features on security over the coming weeks, starting with the Spyware Prevention Guide in the Internet Security section. Take a look. A slow restartJanuary 27th, 2006 After being displaced by Hurricane Katrina (I'm still writing about it in my blog, My Katrina), I've finally returned home and I hope to have a little time to devote to the site once more. Life in post-Katrina New Orleans remains difficult. The devastated neighbourhoods stretch across 70 percent of the city and even now, five months after Katrina, they are ghostlands. The White House and Congress are leaving New Orleans to rot, so if you care about the city and the USA's ability to take care of its own, the best thing you can do is contact all your representatives and let them know that. I encourage you to read the New York Times' editorial, Death of an American City. It was written in early December; with each passing month we come closer to its most dire predictions becoming a reality. I'll be slowly adding new articles here and freshening up the old ones. Coming soon will be a section on Windows Vista, giving you a heads up on Microsoft's forthcoming operating system and helping you assess whether you'll want to upgrade. For now, you'll find a new article on those collaborative web sites known as wikis. Learn about podcastingAugust 13th, 2005 Podcasting is not just for those with Apple iPods. My new article, The Pod People Are Here, shows you how you can get in on the act. Introduction to desktop search programsJuly 10th, 2005 Google has a desktop search program. So does Yahoo. And so, too, does Microsoft. It appears everyone is jumping on the desktop search bandwagon, and no wonder. Trying to find a lost file in Windows is, usually, a miserable experience. This new breed of programs rectifies that, and they add some twists of their own. The new article, An introduction to desktop search, will help you choose the best one and learn how to put it to use. You may never lose a file again. Printable versions of geekgirl articlesJuly 2nd, 2005
All the articles on this site appear to print perfectly from Internet Explorer, but if you're using Firefox or another browser, you may run into problems. So I've started adding a printable version of each article to the site. It's a slow process, so please bear with me. Ultimately you should find a little Printable Version button, like the (inactive) one above, at the end of each article on the site. Beginner's guide to online securityJuly 1st, 2005 What the heck is phishing? And how about those zombies? Am I at risk? If you're wary of online perils but...well...clueless, the new article in the Security Guides section titled A Beginner's Guide to Internet Security is for you. Security nightmaresJune 30th, 2005 A new addition to the Security Guides section: Nightmare security scenarios – and how to deal with them. Read this one before you need it! New Security GuidesJune 28th, 2005 The Net Guides section of the site has grown to somewhat unwieldy dimensions, so I've stripped out all the articles which deal with security and privacy and stuck them in the new Security Guides section. The Security Guides section has four sub-sections:
I'll be adding new material to this section very soon, and updating some of the old material. Already, you'll find a new article in the Viruses section titled Which is the best anti-virus program? Support this site - click the adsJune 2nd, 2005 I've decided to go ahead and start putting ads on selected pages of this site. Please click 'em! It's a simple way for you to keep this site running and keep me pumping out the articles. I'm still interested in your opinions about including ads in the site (see the item two below), so please drop me a line if you have a comment or suggestion. I'm also very interested in getting site sponsors, so let me know if you'd like to sponsor geekgirl's. With 40,000 monthly repeat visitors who value geekgirl's independent advice and tutorials, plus tens of thousands of new visitors each month, it's a good place to be seen. Geekgirl's utility picks1st June, 2005 New in the Geekgirl's Recommendations section is an article about the best utility software for Windows. Take a look. Should I put ads on the site?May 28th, 2005 Ever since I first started this site in the mid-90s, it's been advertising free. That's how I'd prefer to keep things, but I'm so out of pocket I'm now contemplating adding some low-key advertising to specific sections of the site. Before I do so, I'd like your feedback. Let me give you a few details first. Currently, I'm thinking of using ads in the new Geekgirl Recommends section only. It seems appropriate, because it's the one section of the site where I talk about specific products. I'd use Google AdSense to display relevant ads, and place them in the blank strip down the right-hand side of the page, and maybe at the bottom of the page, too. Hopefully, this approach will keep the pages as clean as possible so you can focus on the articles, while still providing some relevant ads and some much-needed income for the site. I'd love to do without the ads, but considering this site gets well over a million hits a month and only about two dozen people a year donate via the pay boxes on the site, something's gotta give. Having the site generate income will allow me to devote more time to adding new articles and keeping old ones up to date, so it has a benefit for you as well as me. So:
Drop me a line and let me know what you think. Geekgirl recommendsMay 26th, 2005 Which anti-spyware software works best? Which mouse makes mousing a pleasure? What are your best bets for external hard drives? After using and reviewing computer applications and equipment for well over 20 years, geekgirl has a very select list of favourites. Check out the software and hardware geekgirl uses herself in the new Geekgirl's Recommendations section. There's one article on anti-virus and anti-spyware software there now; more to come. Site Picks updatesMay 8th, 2005 I know I've sorely neglected the Site Picks section of geekgirl's for a long time. So this morning I went through it, winnowed out those sites that no longer come up to scratch, added some new picks to the Tips & Tutorials section, and checked the rest to see whether they still qualify as sites worth visiting. They all do. If you know of a site you think I should list, visit my Suggest A Site page, check out the qualifications, and then drop me a line with your suggestion. Yes, it's fine to suggest your own site if you think it qualifies! Net Guides section revampedMay 5th, 2005 Way overdue, I've revamped the Net Guides section, creating a new menu structure which I hope will make it easier for you to find the articles you're after. The new structure goes like this:
VoIPMay 4th, 2005 Wondering what that strange term VoIP is all about? You'll find a complete introduction to VoIP aka Voice Over Internet Protocol aka Internet telephony in the Internet Guides section. This technology provides an inexpensive alternative to long-distance phone calls. To SP2 or not to SP2January 29th, 2005 In the Windows XP section you'll find not one but two new articles on Service Pack 2. The first, Service Pack 2, is a guide to SP2 and how to install it smoothly. The second, How to avoid SP2 - Safely, is for those who have their doubts about using Service Pack 2. It shows how you can get by without installing this important update. Slipstreaming service packs: A real time-saverJanuary 20th, 2005 Check out the new article in the Windows Tools & Techniques section on Slipstreaming Service Packs. The slipstreaming process lets you integrate Service Pack 2 (or any other service pack) with your Windows setup disc, so the next time you have to reinstall Windows 2000, XP or 2003, you won't have to then re-install the service pack on top of it. Slipstreaming saves a lot of time, and it's a fascinating process in itself (if you have any geeky bones in your body). There are a number of sites on the Web describing the slipstreaming process, but I've taken a somewhat different – and much simpler – approach by suggesting you use the freeware nLite utility. This little program takes all the fiddly work out of slipstreaming, so it makes sense to use it. Abandon Internet Explorer!January 14th, 2005 I'm still struggling with eyesight problems, so excuse the snail-like pace with which new items appear on the site. The most recent addition is Five Reasons to Ditch Internet Explorer. I originally wrote this article last year when it was published in Australian PC User magazine, but some recent events have made it even more timely. I hope you enjoy it and – more importantly – heed the advice! Article on RSSSeptember 24th, 2004 I've added an article on RSS news feeds to the Internet Tips, References & Resources section. |
