USEFUL OUTLOOK TIP..

Now here's a strange thing. And a problem. And a solution to the problem.

All in one blog post.

Can't be bad?

I use Outlook to collect my work emails like a lot of people. Today I created a message and saved it to the draft folder as I wasn't sure I wanted to send it (it was a rant!).

Then I carried on working. Something went wrong and I had to restart my PC.

When I loaded up Outlook all was ok and I was happily receiving and sending out mail. However, when I clicked on the 'Drafts' folder where the saved message was it froze Outlook.

The only way out was to hit Ctrl+Alt+Del and force the Outlook process to end. It did the next time. And the next time.

Stuck in a loop (even after another reboot) I didn't want to not have access to the drafts folder. I often save messages down to calm off and then decide whether to send them or not!

A solution was found. If you are ever in the same pickle you need to know it (if not stop reading now obviously, but remember where you saw this issue last!).

The solution is to start Outlook in safe mode. By that I mean
go to the start menu (bottom left)
select Run...
type "outlook.exe /safe" (without the quote marks!)

Then you should be able to navigate to the offending folder and delete the offending message. Don't forget to then go to the 'Deleted Items' folder and delete it a second time - if you don't it is likely that next time you go to the deleted items folder to clean out your system Outlook will crash once again.

Solution disseminated. Good deed done for the day. I'm off to the pub.
 

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE..

Everybody is aware of personal security when they approach a cash machine these days, perhaps less so when loading the car with groceries at the supermarket or returning to your vehicle in a car park after hours.

But most people use common sense and are prompted by the environment (dark corners, late night car parks) and remain safe. In the cosy surroundings of your home or bed though, things are a little different.

Once you logon to facebook and chat away with friends you loosen up a little. Everybody does. It's natural. So the helpful Veracode blog came up with this brilliant web security infographic..



Infographic by Veracode Application Security

WINDOWS 7...

Slowly getting there with Windows 7 that all our new workstations have.  I was looking forward to an all new 64-bit operating system that would whizz along and cause little problem. We bought and installed massive graphics cards, the machines had 6 Gb memory and quad-core CPUs.  Real monsters.

..but then the machines arrived.

To be fair, it's not been all that bad.  The updating process worked a little odd.  A few times the machines seemed to hang on the Windows logo when they were started up? A hard reset was needed by pushing the on-off button and holding.  Next time the machine would boot ok after checking the hard drive for error. Odd but not critical.

One of the main issues we had was that the graphics look and feel was poor for our use.  We are power users and want to simply get to the files we use rather than see all the animations and whizzy Aero interface that Windows 7 ships with as standard.  So switching off Aero and choosing Windows Standard is always going to give you a better performance however much RAM and however good your graphics cards are.  I'd recommend it, it gave us back oodles of RAM!

The Windows 7 OS seems to run a whole heap of services that most will never need though.  It's here that the main speed and performance tuning can be done.  So, here's a list - for our sakes as well as yours - of all the services that are probably unnecessary in Windows 7.  The choice is whether to DISABLE or switch the service to MANUAL (hence it is not run on Windows start-up). Your choice.  afely set to Manual or Disabled.


It is more safe to set Windows 7 services to manual rather than disabling them - some times windows may needs a service due to a new install or something new that you are attempting to do.  It can start it by itself only if it is set to MANUAL. If you disable the service altogether Windows 7 cannot start it.

1. Application Experience
2. Computer Browser (If your PC is at home & does not connect to a network)
3. Desktop Window Manager Session Manager (If you don’t want the aero effects)
4. Diagnostic Policy Service
5. Distributed Link Tracking Client
6. IP Helper
   
7. Offline Files
8. Portable Device Enumerator Service
9. Print Spooler (If you do not use a printer)
10. Protected Storage
11. Remote Registry (You can safely disable it for more Security)
12. Secondary Logon
13. Security Center
14. Server (Mainly home users - where PC does not connect to a network)
15. Tablet PC Input Service (unless you have a tablet PC!)
16. TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
    
17. Themes ( If you want Aero and good visual appearence (classic theme will be applied))
18. Windows Error Reporting Service
19. Windows Media Center Service Launcher
20. Windows Search (If you rarely use Windows Search feature )

Go ahead, experiment. Do try and remember which service you are switching and test each one as you step through.  That way, no harm can come your way.

GOOGLE DOODLE DO.. OR DON'T?

 
Now the warm weather is back with us. Well, warmer weather at least.  The question must be asked.  Are Google running out of ideas?

I don't mean the entire google organisation.  I'm sure they are brimming over with new ideas for us all - Google this and Google that.  I am referring to the people at Google Doodle.  These are the group (or maybe just one person) who Google pay (I'm sure handsomely) to sit and dream up new variations on their logo for the main search pages of the world.

But I have noticed this week that they have been playing around with the Google logo to celbrate Jules Verne's 183rd birthday and today it's the turn of Thomas Edison, who if he had managed to invent a time freeze machine would today have been 164.  Although he wouldn't would he because time would have frozen and I assume he would be as old as he was when he invented the machine? Anyway.. here they are..

Now I love Google Doodle's and think they serve a useful purpose of edutainment, but the point is these are not really valid celebratory events are they?

True I would celebrate if I made it to my 164th birthday.  But my guess is nobody else would care too much?

So, come on Google less is more.  Surprise us, entertain us, amuse us even.  But please don't start changing your logo just because you've found some obscure relevance to the day..

 

WHAT A DIFFERENCE..

  

..a day makes?

I have set up my Google home page with a widget that tells me on this day plenty of events happened in history..

1791:     Bill of Rights adopted

1890:     Sitting Bull killed while being arrested

1891:     Canadian J. Naismith invents basketball

1892:     Oil magnate and author, J Paul Getty born in Minneapolis, Minnesota

1994:     Netscape Navigator 1.0 released

Anyone remember Netscape Navigator 1.0?  I do, it revolutionised my life at the time, massive improvement in graphics rendering for the few pictures that were out there on the web.  Great search box. Oh those days....

The other stuff is, as usual, very USA-centric.  If anybody knows of a good widget that reports 'on this day in history..' global info drop me a line.  There's also a lot of USA based ones for Android devices and, I am sure, for the Apple iPhone too.

I should, of course, go out and write the app!

15 minutes of fame and all that.

But I probably won't.

 

ONE GIANT LEAP?

  
Today has been a day of waiting.  Waiting for my hearing to come back - which it didn't.  Waiting for the postman - who decided to turn up at the completely inconvenient hour of 2:30 given he had a cheque I wanted to bank today.  Waiting for a new BIG announcement from facebook. Which they delivered at around 18:30 our time.

The latter is probably about as important as life today gets.. so I'll just re-gurgitate from a site I've just read it on.

----

Facebook announced a new e-mail service today called "Messages," though they're insisting that it's not e-mail.

We are also providing an @facebook.com email address to every person on Facebook who wants one. Now people can share with friends over email, whether they're on Facebook or not. To be clear, Messages is not email. There are no subject lines, no cc, no bcc, and you can send a message by hitting the Enter key. We modeled it more closely to chat and reduced the number of things you need to do to send a message. We wanted to make this more like a conversation.

The service will also be organized around your friends, putting their e-mail, or messages or whatever, into one inbox, and everything else into another. A different version of Google's "priority inbox" they introduced recently. Facebook is also saying they will store all your messages, forever, from whatever source, be it SMS, chat or e-mail.

I'm intensely jealous of the next generation who will have something like Facebook for their whole lives. They will have the conversational history with the people in their lives all the way back to the beginning: From "hey nice to meet you" to "do you want to get coffee sometime" to "our kids have soccer practice at 6 pm tonight."

They're going to be rolling out the service over the next few months, you have to wait for an invite, and then you'll be able to invite your friends. Now we get to see who Facebook thinks is important.

I'm waiting on my invite then. Come on FB!!

 

AD BLOCKING..

  
I stumbled on an interesting website link today which I'm posting here as I will never remember to use it otherwise..

Ads on the web are served to your browser based on a number of settings and your location, history of other websites you've visited etc.  Basically, tailoring ads to your preference.

Or that's how the advertisers like to market their tracking tactics, always watching where you've been and which sites you use.

Now I'm not paranoid and I'm happy to share my recent web history with everyone (on most days at least!) but the use of tracking cookies to tailor ads - or make more money for the advertisers - sits a little uneasy with me.

There is a light at the end of the ad tunnel.  You can frustrate their efforts!

Most (reputable) ad serving businesses allow you to opt out of the tracking cookie and therefore of targeted ads that are much more likely to lure you in.  No matter how web experienced you are, and how many browser add-ons you install ads will still get through and you will click on one at some point. It's just the way of the web.

So, here's where the main ad-tracking opt out sites are for (mainly my) info..

Doubleclick's DART cookie opt out page

   this is the one owned by Google and therefore the most widely used on the web.

   Go there, have a read, click the bottom link if you want to cookie-block.

24/7 Real Media Opt Out page

   A large network, useful to opt out of this one.

Network Advertising Initiative Opt Out page

   One of the larger opt out networks, a network of networks really.

   From here you can opt out of many many different ad networks.

   After Google, the most useful opt out page on the web.

Problem with all this activity though is that you need to re-do all the opting out if you clear your browser's cookie/history files.. bah!

If you use Firefox (and if you don't see an earlier post!) or IE (why?) then life is easier to block the DART cookie at least - go to the Google Permanent Opt Out download.
Unfortunately, Google Chrome users cannot use this opt-out. Yet another reason why I don't like chrome!

PLAYING SAFE...

 
Only a little post today, call it a Public Information Film web-style...

If you are not using the latest versions of internet browser, you’re putting yourself at risk. Most banks, PayPal, gmail and most other web-based email providers all support the next generation of web browsers.  These have anti-phishing technologies built in. The new generation of browsers make it easier to spot web forgery of sites id's (“phishing”) and alert or block you from entering personal information that could lead to identify theft.

Firefox 3 upwards, Google Chrome and the latest versions of Internet Explorer (version 8+) have built-in features that alert you when you're on a fraudulent site. This means if you accidently click on a fraudulent email, or mis-type a site address you'll be alerted and warned before the page opens.

To check whether you are using the latest version of Firefox, Chrome or Internet Explorer click the browser's 'Help' button and select 'About'.  It should be Firefox version 3.x or above or Internet Explorer version 8 and above.

If not, you are ready for an upgrade, you should download a latest browser technology...

Since I use Firefox and think it eats Internet Explorer for breakfast... here's a link to that download.

There's nothing wrong with Chrome either (only I didn't really like the first generation version I tried out so a link is not here!).  Feel free to google that and download if you want to. Just do something and update!
  

A QUICKIE...

Polko is getting busier.. so a quick few nods to other things I've found on the web rather than anything fresh..

It also avoids me uttering anything to do with the up coming election on this blog (apart from that statement itself). There's gonna be a lot of hot air and crap blogged between now and the election and I for one am not adding to the Gigabytes of wasted storage on it.Put simply, I'm already bored of it all.

This is hilarious - basically somebody taking apart a stupid poll about how bad teenagers are at managing finances, etc.  The main point being the publisher gets it seriously wrong with a few pie charts that don't add up or shouldn't be pie charts at ll..  Funny enough, but then the original publisher tries to be funny and clever about their use of the pie charts and gets it wrong again in the comments to the blog! doh!  Worth a read - it's only a short article.

Freakonomics - Steve and Steve are at it again, pushing their brand forward!  As if taking the two fantastic books Freakonomics and and Superfreakonomics and adding to them with a lively website and blog, then taking this and airing a downloadable Freakonomics radio station on iTunes were not enough...

Apparently a Freakonomics film/documentary is in post-production stage and is scheduled to air at selected film festivals in the USA this Spring. Details are posted on IMDB and I will blog further information if and when it becomes available in the UK.  I'm off to America in June and will dig further when there too.  I always knew the age of the Economist would arrive!

Possibly even more exciting is the fact that Zoe Sloane plays a lead role... woo hoo! She's drop dead gorgeous as far as I'm concerned and can only add more glamour to an incredibly glamorous subject matter!

To cool down a little, consider this.  The nail varnish below retails in a High Street store at £19 a 13ml bottle for colour #505.

Why during MArch 2010 did it sell at £30 - £45 a bottle on eBay then?  Remember, there's little or no guarantee that you're getting the same product as you are in the likes of Harrods, House of Fraser or your local independent when buying from a faceless eBay seller either?

Firstly, those who are happy to pay £19 for a bottle of enamel paint (for that is all it is) because it comes in a nice glass bottle as opposed to a tin like a Humbrol paint (incidentally Humbrol #62 looks a very similar match and can be had for £1-40 for a 14ml tin in model shops or here) and bears the name Chanel are likely to be little interested in the difference between it costing £10 and £30 or more.. the demand for the product is 'price inelastic' or those who want it are unlikely to change their demand with an increase in its price (to a point obviously).  Mind you, if you consider that Humbrol are making profit at 10p/ml on their product Chanel must be laughing all the way to 'le banque' charging £1-46/ml!!

Secondly, #505 is a limited edition Spring 2010 only colour. For economists this translates into a fixed supply curve.  That means only one thing, higher prices to consumers than if supply could be increased as more people demand the product.  Matched with an inelastic demand curve a fixed supply means steep price hikes will always result from very small increases in demand for a product (following advertising for example).  Little surprise then that Chanel are happy to pay high prices for glossy magazine ads promoting #505 as the new black!

Wonder if Zoe wears #505? Doesn't say so on her website?

OOOOPS...

Today's news contained a topical clip about a research team that have randomly bought up cheap hard drives from online disposal websites, eBay and PC auctions and then discovereed all manner of confidential information on them or in deleted but recoverable spaces.

They even found weapons testing details on some, contractor arrangements and corporate bank account numbers - supposedly disposed of by a responsible public sector organisation that has a published data integrity policy. And they want us to agree to ID cards? My arse. Wait til the next time somebody asks me if my company have a similar policy in place (see end picture - there's our policy on these matters).

This is topical because I have an old 3.4Gb drive that's been on the office floor for ages (say it three point four..... sounds feeble now, I paid a fortune for it in the days when drives were sized in Megabytes!). So, it's time to well and truly dispose of the thing. To help in any future endeavours of the same type that you might have - and to save your details being 'found' and used against you (!) - here's a mini-tutorial..

1. Take hard drive and crack open the case. There are no screws on most drives you just pry open the aluminium (US readers spot the second i, and pronounce it!) and peer inside.
2. Obtain a couple of star bit screwdrivers from Maplins or similar retailer and undo a load of screws. In fact, all that you can see.
3. You should now be able to lift off the metallic coated disks one by one. The last few may not come out easily - just get a big screwdriver underneath and bend 'em up!
4. Marvel at the slippery shiny sensation in your hands. They are coated and feel great!
5. Lament in the destruction of said shiny surfaces with your Stanley knife..
6. Scatter the bits across various places and places (responsibly of course) and sleep safe in the knowledge nobody will uncover your financial details or personal web surfing preferences, etc - well at least until the government give them away or sell them when harvested..

Geek? Me? Never.. You should see what I've done to one of my PS3 controllers this week!

Here's my homage to the dead drive. Art indeed!