Online photo agency

You can go to www.scoopt.com, an online photo agency that encourages users to click pictures of anything that may be scoop to the mainstream media. Scoopt then tries to sell these pictures or images to the mainstream print media like magazines, newspapers etc and if they are sold, they can split the money on a 50-50 basis.

Games to play on the computer, free computer puzzles, mind games in computer

Playing games on the computer is necessary considering you need to de-stress you mind and indulge in some mental exercise. There are some online games that are good for your vocabulary, for your analytical mind, for developing presence of mind and also for helping you think of out of the box. Here are some good computer games or games to play on the computer.

Hangaroo:Hangaroo is an online computer game made of 10 puzzles which you must solve in order to save a kangaroo. If you make too many mistakes, the cute kangaroo will be earning his wings. This game tests your knowledge of a variety of things ranging from international holidays to the Oscar winning films. If you already have knowledge or if you want to improve your knowledge quotient, hangaroo is a must. Click for hangaroo


Scrabble:In scrabble or scrabulous, all l you have to do is to form words out of letters, which are given on a boardScrabble tests your vocabulary like no other game and besides, this is one game almost everyone and anyone plays, and you are sure to gain many friends playing this game. You can play scrabble here

Text Twist or Text Twirl: Games sites like Yahoo, MSN, Shockwave and Gamehouse use the name Text Twist; while Facebook calls it. It asks you to create as many words as achievable from a given set of letters before time runs out. Text Twirl or Text Twist is a good vocabulary building exercise.

The Brain Game or Who has the Biggest Brain: The Brain Game or Who has the Biggest Brain is available in Facebook as an online application. This one evaluates your knowledge on a variety of parameters like word power, logical ability, visual / spatial ability, and number skills. You can call the Brain Game as a smarter version of an IQ test though it is not so geeky.

Sudoku We all know that Sudoku is addictive. The computer game Sudoku checks your logic and number placement skills . It is good for people who love numbers Click here for Sudoku

Access Yahoo Mail for free from Microsoft Outlook

Would you like to access your Yahoo! Mail from Microsoft Outlook? If yes, then read on.

First of all, you need to install a free software called YPOPs. It allows you to access your Yahoo! Mail accounts through POP as it works as proxy server between your email client such as Microsoft Office Outlook and Yahoo! Mail. Here is a link to download this software:http://ypopsemail.com/download

For Microsoft Outlook 2007

Once you have installed YPOPs make sure it is running. In order to access Yahoo! Mail for free from Microsoft Outlook 2007

~Go to Tools and then click on Account Settings in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007

~Go to Email tab and click on New, you will now see 'Add New E-mail Account' wizard

~Select 'Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP, or HTTP' option and click Next

~In the 'Your Name' area type your name (this name will appear in the From: line of the emails that you are going to send).

~In the 'E-mail Address' area type your E-mail Address (e.g. abc@yahoo.com) and also put your password in the Password and Retype Password area.

~Put a check mark near 'Manually configure server settings or additional' and then click Next, you will now see see 'Choose E-mail Service'

~Select 'Internet E-mail' and then click Next and now you will see 'Internet E-mail Settings'. The 'Your Name' and 'E-mail Address' will be auto-populated. In the Server Information section, choose POP3 from the drop-down menu in Account Type area. 

   ~In the 'Incoming mail server' and 'Outgoing mail server (SMTP), type "127.0.0.1" without quotes

   ~In the 'Logon Information' section, type your Yahoo! ID in User Name area (for example your Yahoo! Mail Address is abc@yahoo.com, your user id is 'abc'). In the Password area, type the password of your Yahoo! Mail Address.

~Click on 'More Settings' button and then click on 'Outgoing Server' and then put a check mark near 'My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication' and then also choose 'Use same settings as my incoming mail server' and then click on OK.

~Click on Next and then click on Finish

For Microsoft Office Outlook 2003

Once you have installed YPOPs make sure it is running. In order to access Yahoo! Mail for free from Microsoft Outlook 2003

~Go to Tools and then click on 'E-mail Accounts' in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003

~Select 'Add a new e-mail account' and then click on Next and then put a check mark near POP3 and then click on Next.

~In the 'Your Name' area type your name (this name will appear in the From: line of the emails that you are going to send).

~In the 'E-mail Address' area type your E-mail Address (e.g. abc@yahoo.com) and also put your password in the Password and Retype Password area.

~Put a check mark near 'Manually configure server settings or additional' and then click Next, you will now see see 'Choose E-mail Service'

~Select 'Internet E-mail' and then click Next and now you will see 'Internet E-mail Settings'. The 'Your Name' and 'E-mail Address' will be auto-populated. In the Server Information section, choose POP3 from the drop-down menu in Account Type area. 

   ~In the 'Incoming mail server' and 'Outgoing mail server (SMTP), type "localhost" without quotes. If 'localhost' does not work, you can try "127.0.0.1"

   ~In the 'Logon Information' section, type your Yahoo! ID in User Name area (for example your Yahoo! Mail Address is abc@yahoo.com, your user id is 'abc'). In the Password area, type the password of your Yahoo! Mail Address.

~Click on 'More Settings' button and then click on 'Outgoing Server' and then put a check mark near 'My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication' and then also choose 'Use same settings as my incoming mail server' and then click on OK.

~Click on Next and then click on Finish

PS: The above steps will cause all your Yahoo! e-mails to be moved to Microsoft Outlook. Hence, when you access any Yahoo! e-mail account through a web browser (by mail.yahoo.com), the Inbox will be empty.

Tools and software to speed up your computer performance and create space!

Tweak UI:
Here is a Microsoft utility which is called the ultimate user interface (UI) tweaker for XP.This utility will let you twist,over-ride and even manipulate the way your Windows interface should appear. An indispensable tool that offers multiple UI tweaks under a single interface
URL: www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx


Free Commander
Free Commander is a simple, user-friendly alternative to the standard Windows file manager. Here you can find all the necessary functions to manage your data stock. The efficient thing about this is that you can use this utility on a USB pen drive and you take it without you to take control of any computer that catches your fancy.
URL: www.freecommander.com


Double Killer
A disorderly, messy hard disk can slow your computer down, and what adds to the mess is duplicate files that hog space for no reason. This ‘double killer’ utility finds out duplicate files and removes them leaving you with just one file.
URL:www.bigbangenterprises.de/en/doublekiller


Task Shuffle 2.2.
So you think the Windows taskbar controls you? Here is one utility that will let you turn the tables.It lets you shift the buttons for open applications anywhere you want on the taskbar, or group open documents together. By the way, it works for all Windows version even the ones back to Win’ 95
URL:www.freewebs.com/nerdcave/taskbarshuffle.htm


Pistachio
Pistachio is another utility that could come helpful enough to customize to your style of working.This background utility called Pistachio minimizes windows to the tray, snaps them together as you drag, and disables specific keys (such as the numlock key) if you like. It also give statistics on how much your use the keyboard.
URL: http://pitaschio.ara3.net/


Defraggler
Fragmentation of the disk is a menace that slows down your computer. This utility can clean up the mess; it not only defragments your hard disk but defragments individual files.If you’re unsure about what needs defragging, it also gives a list of files that need it.
URL: www.defraggler.com


Windirstat
If your hard disk seems totally filled up and bloated, and you have no idea what exactly is taking up all that much space, here is something you should look at. Short for Windows Directory Statistics, this program shows your hard drive’s directory in multiple views, some resembling Windows Explorer—files represented by 3D boxes in full color. You will definitely come to know what the items that are clogging space are.
URL: www.windirstat.info

Winpatrol
We knows that there are quite a few useless programs that come pre-installed with your Windows, which end up eating plenty of CPU cycles. You can use the WinPatrol mascot to keep a sharp eye on your computer. It gives you warning on new programs that plan to run at start up and also warns you of any system changes. Trust winPatrol to increase the boot-up speed.
URL: www.winpatrol.com

Absolute Uninstaller
You might have uninstalled a particular program, but unfortunately there are still fragments lying here and there, clogging space, an absolute waste. One way to be sure that a program is all gone is the absolute uninstaller.This replaces the default Add/Remove Programs control panel in Windows, looks for extra stuff to delete after an uninstall (such as Start menu entries and useless Registry keys), and even, does batch removal of multiple programs at one time.
URL: www.glarysoft.com

Eraser: Eraser is no Arnold Schwarzenegger but works just like him. With more and more modern recovery tools, it can be tough to get rid of an old computer without making sure the hard drive is wiped clean. You will not have to reformat it, but also erase date by overwriting disk sectors umpteen number of times. Open-source Eraser that fits a USB drive is your best for total removal of data.
URL:www.heidi.ie/eraser/

Google Desktop
If you think searching files on your computer takes an eternity, the relatively known Google desktop can come to the rescue. Apart from just the ‘search’ Google Desktop indexes all of your data files—including instant messages and emails—so you can find it fast. The interface includes multiple search-box configurations and an advanced search option.
URL: www.desktop.google.com

Chrome browser review, Google Chrome review

Before doing the review of Chrome browser, we need to understand that Google likes to keep thing under the wraps and bring out the secret in the open when you least expect it. Well, that is exactly what Google did when it launched its own web browser, Chrome. Google’s Chrome browser launched on September’ 08, has been initiated to challenge the might of Microsoft Internet Explorer.

As of now, Chrome browser is modest to the hilt, with no menu bar, no status bar and just one toolbar. In other words, less mess! To open a new tab, you need to press Ctrl+T and if you want to go to a new window, simply press Ctrl+N.

The address bar of the Chrome browser is such that if you type, a set of suggestions appear quickly below a list picked not just from the pages that you have surfed, but also from bookmarks, popular websites on the genre that you are searching and other search suggestions. Chrome also like Firefox, auto-imports stored passwords, bookmarks and history from your old browser.

On the startup page, the chrome browser displays pictures of nine small web pages, which display the sites that you frequently visit. This page also gives the list of most recently visited websites and search options. Another interesting part of the Chrome browser is that you can download files quite easily. There is a status button at the bottom of your browser windows and you will not find a download window blocking your view. All in all, the Chrome browser is faster than Internet Explorer but it is not as quick as Mozilla Firefox. Chrome browser is now in its testing phase in more than 100 countries, and future months will see a lot of changes and positive user-friendly modifications.

Ten ways to improve the speed of your computer system

1.Let your PC boot up completely before you start with any applications.
2.Do not set huge file size images as your wallpaper. Refrain from keeping a wall paper if your PC is low on RAM (less than 64 MB).

3.Do not clutter your Desktop with a lot of shortcuts. Shortcuts aparts from looking tacky can also take up RAM. Every shortcut on the desktop consumes upto 500 bytes of RAM
4.Empty the recycle bin frequently. The files are not really deleted from your hard drive until you delete the files from the the recycle bin.

5.Delete the temporary internet files on regular ocassion.

6.Refresh the desktop after you close or shut down application. This will take care of any unused files from the RAM.


7.Defragment your hard drive once every two months. This will ease up a lot of space on your hard drive and rearrange the files so the applications runs swiftly and efficiently.

8.Always make 2 partitions in your hard drive. Install all large Softwares (like Photoshop, huge games, 3DS Max etc) in the second partition. Windows tend to use up all the available empty space in C drive as virtual memory when your Computer RAM is full. So strive to keep the C Drive as empty as possible.

9.While installing new Softwares disable the option of having a tray icon. The tray icons consume available RAM, and also slow down the booting of your computer Also disable the option of starting the application automatically when the PC boots. One can disable these options by going to Tools or preferences menu in your application.

10. Protect your computer from dust. Dust causes the CPU cooling fan to clog and slow down which heats up the CPU and affects the processing speed. Make use of compressed air to blow out any dust from the CPU.