Task Manager Tabs Done Gone!

So I'm fiddling around in Windows Task Manager, probably trying to kill some unresponsive app:



Suddenly, all the tabs and the menu bar on Task Manager suddenly disappear. What the?



Scratching head. Google the issue. Ummm, must have doubled clicked in the wrong spot. My bad!

If this happens, just double click somewhere on the border of the window and your tabs and menu will come on back:

Decision to Defect

Momentous news! After more than a decade of being a purely PC person, - that is, a staunch and steadfast user of Microsoft Windows - I've made the decision to defect. Today, I ordered my brand new iMac. Being something of a hopeless geek at heart, I'm actually quite excited. I can't wait to get my hands on the new machine. It arrives next week.

So, why the change of heart after all this time? Well, to be honest, I've actually been flirting with a couple of attractive members of the Apple family for quite a time. Of course, I mean my beloved iPad and iPhone. And, once I take delivery of my gorgeous new iMac, the Apple trio will be complete.

The great thing about combining this trio is that they all get on so well together! Well, that's what I've been given to understand by the research I've conducted in preparation for the potential switch. So, theoretically, I can be working on one device and then seamlessly switch to another in the trio and continue where I left off. Via Apple's iCloud technology. And, I should be able to access any of the information I need from any one of my three compatible devices.

I admit to be pretty impressed with the way Apple does things. Their technology, in my experience, is slick, intuitive and easy to use. And, it looks great as well!  Just as an example, I'm writing this in Pages on my iPad. Of course, the app does not have all of the functionality of a word processing powerhouse like Microsoft Word. But, for general purpose applications, it has everything I need.  Plus, the interface looks terrific, all of the functionality you need is easily accessible and the app is just a pleasure to use. This experience is typical of the Apple apps and devices I've used

That said, switching my main workflow from PC to iMac is going to involve a fairly steep learning curve and there is bound to be some setbacks and frustrations along the way. So, to smooth the way a little, I'll be leaving my current Microsoft system up and running while I learn some Mac basics. Then, when I'm good to go, I'll start moving over to the new system. I'll be allowing a month for the full transition. Or more if required. Good things should not be rushed. But, it should be exciting and interesting in a geeky sort of way.  Wish me luck! 

© Matthieu Riegler, CC-BY, Wikimedia Commons

Riding the Cloud

Cloud computing seems to be on everybody's lips these days. Of course cloud computing has been around in various forms for years, but with more and more cloud services coming online, the concept and its potential benefits are now rapidly infiltrating the psyche of everyday computer users.

So, that's why I've been thinking a lot lately about "clouding" all of my online activities, so to speak. Or more precisely, using cloud computing to efficiently integrate my online life across all of my applicable devices.

Flickr is Excellent.

I recently restarted using online photo sharing website, Flickr. This time around, instead of just occasionally using the site to casually share a few pics, I've been exploring more of what Flickr has to offer with a view to using the site much more seriously. And I must say I'm pretty impressed.

One of Flickr's great advantages is that it is very easy to use, even if you are not a computer guru. Uploading and organizing your images is very simple and intuitive. You can store your images in "Sets" or "Collections" and you can even have "Collections" of "Sets".  Your front page features your "Photostream" which displays your most recent uploads, and, depending on the layout you choose, your sets or collections as well.

Flickr makes it easy to share photos via email and via Twitter and Facebook. For many blogging platforms, you can also send your Flickr images direct to your blog if you wish. Or you can embed a slideshow into your blog posts or web pages, as I've done below.

Flickr also allows you a lot of control over who sees your images and what license you want to apply to them. There are a variety of ways of controlling who sees what, ranging from full public access to completely private.  And, if you want to keep your images private, but would still like to share them with certain people, you can create Guest Passes that achieve just that.

Flickr doubles as a powerful and lively image orientated social network that allows you to participate as much or as little as you please. You can join or create Groups that focus on a great many different subjects as well as "Favorite" and comment on images and create Galleries featuring the work of other users.

Flickr offers a free account that should be more than adequate for a lot of users. And, if you want more storage and other extras you can upgrade to a Pro account for a nominal yearly fee.

Check out Flickr

Please don't Play Music at Me Without Asking!

There seems to be quite a lot of website creators who think it is cool to have music automatically play when you visit their site. Personally, I find that irritating. I often listen to music while I'm browsing, so having another unexpected music track suddenly assault my eardrums on top of what I'm already listening to can be quite jarring.

If you must have music play automatically on your website, at the very least provide a prominent "off" switch so that your visitors can choose to listen or not to listen according to their preference.

Frankly, if I visit a site that plays music without me requesting it to do so, I'm app to hit the "back" button and never return.