As a thrift store shopper I'm always looking for ways to save a buck. Google provides a couple of tools for free that you should consider before buying Microsoft Office products. If you want basic Office apps like Excel or Word you should consider using Google Docs.
Whenever you post something like this you always risk getting flamed because people will say "I already knew that, way to be obtuse". However, there are plenty of people who don't know about Google Docs and are ready to drop $150 on Microsoft products.
A few great things about Google Docs. First, you can save documents with .doc or .xls (haven't tried their version of PowerPoint yet) file extensions. Which means you or other people can open them with Word. GD doesn't have every bell and whistle but if you simply want to write a term paper or something simple, there's no better way.
You can store documents on Google servers (as well as other files from other apps as well, long story). This means if you are working on the great American novel but don't have access to you laptop you can sign on to Google and work on your document.
Documents can be shared and updated globally. You can collaborate with other people because they can access the document and work on it at the same time. Great for projects.
There is one caveat. Though you can store the documents on your machine, if you store them on Google servers then conceviably they could be accessed without your knowledge. The odds are slim that you'd be hacked but truth be told, you shouldn't have ANY private data stored on your laptop or PC much less on Google's server (yeah, I know, cloud, nevermind). You should be cautious with any private data.
Picasa is another great tool. It isn't Photoshop but it does allow you to enhance pictures, re-size them, upload them to photo sites, etc. Lets face it, people with Photoshop don't use all the fantastic tools available.
The last great tool that isn't a Google product is Windows Movie Maker. It allows you to perform simple movie editing. If your camera can take movies with still pics it is a great tool for beginners.
Showing posts with label Google. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Google. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
A Different Way of Looking at Things
Something we try to teach to our kids is to consciously view everything you do of consequence as having a cost. Some might call this a cynical look at life but that's not true. We often make this cost analysis subconsciously. For example, when you get married, an immediate cost that everyone makes is that you forsake all others. Just because something has a cost does not mean you don't gladly pay it. Not saying it aloud or happily paying it doesn't make it any less of a cost.
More to the point. Think about it another, less momentous, way. If you're living close to the bone and decide not to get a daily paper you're saving yourself 5 to 8 dollars a week, depending what your subscription. However, there is a cost as well. You might lose out on opportunities you find in the classifieds or business section. To a lot of people, though, they lose out on the coupons in the Sunday paper.
A Sunday paper usually costs a couple of bucks but if you use a lot of the coupons inside you are not saving.
You already knew that, I know. But you need to start thinking of other things in your life that way. Wired magazine recently published an article on how you can receive virtually everything you get on cable through the internet and, sometimes, desktop devices like Google TV,
For example, if you have a good internet connection, you can use subscription services like Netflix or Hulu to stream shows. If you're a technophile you knew that already. However, if you are spending tons of money for premium channels but watch just a few selected shows like Dexter or Boardwalk Empire you might be better served by ditching cable
Lets say you watch baseball, major networks and a few other select shows. You can get an HD antenna for about $30 to watch local and network shows, a cable A/B switch for $17, a Netflix subscription for $10 and an MLB subscription for $120. That's $300 a year. If you buy a box for $150, that's $450.
How much is cable costing you a month? How much of it do you really watch for, say, $100 a month?
Here's a good link.
http://www.labnol.org/internet/watch-internet-videos-on-tv/12177/
More to the point. Think about it another, less momentous, way. If you're living close to the bone and decide not to get a daily paper you're saving yourself 5 to 8 dollars a week, depending what your subscription. However, there is a cost as well. You might lose out on opportunities you find in the classifieds or business section. To a lot of people, though, they lose out on the coupons in the Sunday paper.
A Sunday paper usually costs a couple of bucks but if you use a lot of the coupons inside you are not saving.
You already knew that, I know. But you need to start thinking of other things in your life that way. Wired magazine recently published an article on how you can receive virtually everything you get on cable through the internet and, sometimes, desktop devices like Google TV,
For example, if you have a good internet connection, you can use subscription services like Netflix or Hulu to stream shows. If you're a technophile you knew that already. However, if you are spending tons of money for premium channels but watch just a few selected shows like Dexter or Boardwalk Empire you might be better served by ditching cable
Lets say you watch baseball, major networks and a few other select shows. You can get an HD antenna for about $30 to watch local and network shows, a cable A/B switch for $17, a Netflix subscription for $10 and an MLB subscription for $120. That's $300 a year. If you buy a box for $150, that's $450.
How much is cable costing you a month? How much of it do you really watch for, say, $100 a month?
Here's a good link.
http://www.labnol.org/internet/watch-internet-videos-on-tv/12177/
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