Zip It

Do you need to send someone a large number of files?

You don't have to attach dozens of files into your email.

Just use the built-in Zip feature of Windows.

The Zip format is a widely used process to compress large files into a "zip" file.  The resulting file is smaller and can contain numerous files created by a variety of applications.

This was especially important before the days of high-speed internet when dial-up ruled the online world.

But zip files can still be useful to keep all files together when you send them to recipients.

There have been a number of utilities to create zip files for years.

But most people don't know that you can create zip files without these tools just by using the function built into Windows.

Here's your step-by step guide:

• Create your email message and click Attach File.
• Use the file selector to option to find the files you want to attach.
• Choose all of the files you want to zip. Use the Control key to choose more than one.
• Bring up the options window by right-clicking any of the selected files and then choose "Send To, Compressed (zipped) folder"
• Attach your new Zip file to you e-mail.

Wasn't that easy?

Don't Get LinkedJacked on Facebook

Are you on Facebook?  If you are, you're in good company.

Facebook says that over 500 million users world-wide are connected through its service and over 70% of the users are outside the United States.

With an online population like that, trouble is bound to happen.

While specific threats shift over time, the most recent security issue on Facebook is "Linkjacking" also known as "clickjacking".  That's when a user clicks a link posted to his or her wall by a friend, or adds javascript code to his or her browser window based on a friend's link that causes actions unknown to the user.  Like posting the same link to all of his or her friends' Facebook walls.  And so it continues, on and on and on.

So, what can you do?  When online, always play it safe.  If it's too good to be true, don't click on a link.  Even if its for a FREE iPad, or a spicy hidden video of Britney Spears. Yuk.

Facebook offers some specific advice on the subject as well:

Clickjacking
Certain malicious websites contain code that can make your browser take action without your knowledge or consent. Clicking on a link on one of these websites might cause the website to be posted to your Facebook profile, for example. Don't click on strange links, even if they're from friends, and notify the person if you see something suspicious.

It's a jungle out there in the online world.  Be smart and practice Safe Computing!

For more information about Facebook Security, visit their Security page at http://www.facebook.com/security

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Skype for the Apple iPhone and iPad

UPDATE 6/11/15 - Check out the new post HERE about Skype's new version that works within a browser.

Most of us have already heard about Skype, the VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) company which was recently purchased by Microsoft.

It's a big deal for Microsoft and the future of mobile and video telecommunications.

Skype is widely known for allowing users to initiate and receive video and audio calls from PCs.  But it's more than that.

Many do not know that Skype already allows calls from mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad.

Best of all, unlike Apple's own mobile video service Facetime, Skype for iPhone allows calls over cellular data networks, not just higher-speed WiFi connections.  And Skype can initiate and receive calls to and from PCs and Macintosh computers as well as other iPhones and mobile devices which use Skype.

So, is it any good?  By and large, yes.  It's remarkable that this technology--once only dreamed possible in science fiction--is now available to consumers.  But even a video call from iPhone to iPhone over a 3G cellular network is pretty good.  Calls made over WiFi are even better.  And if one of the callers is on a wired, high speed PC, the call quality improves.

So while performance can degrade while on a mobile data connection, similar to voice calls, Skype's decision to allow cellular data calls is a good one.

Facetime is currently limited to only WiFi connections and to certain newer Apple products.  The quality is better, but the ability to send and receive calls using a mobile makes it very limited.

As mobile computing devices and data networks increase and improve, video calls from all types of devices will be regular features for most people.

But if you can't wait, the future is now with Skype.

Learn more about the iPhone and iPad Skype HERE.

Skype is also available for a number of other mobile phones although the full capabilities may differ.  For example, Skype for Blackberry is available for voice calls on a limited number of devices for Verizon.  Skype is also available for some Android devices but service is limited to WiFi connections only.  More information is available HERE on using Skype for other mobile devices.

READ MORE

• Skype for Web Now Open for all Users
• Amazon Echo Now Reads Audible Books
• Waze is Your "Must Have" Driving App
• Check Out Google's New "My Account"
• How Do I Get Windows 10 for Free?
• NASA Ring Tones Just Launched
• Google Photos is the New "Must Have" App

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Angry Birds Fly to Chrome

Looking for some Angry Birds on your PC?

Then look no further than Google's Chrome Browser App store for the game FREE.

The flocks of angry birds and the dastardly pigs have now arrived for your PC.

Here's how the the creators describe the game:

The survival of the Angry Birds is at stake. Dish out revenge on the green pigs who stole the Birds’ eggs. Use the unique destructive powers of the Angry Birds to lay waste to the pigs’ fortified castles. Angry Birds features hours of gameplay, challenging physics-based castle demolition, and lots of replay value. Each of the 70 levels requires logic, skill, and brute force to crush the enemy.

To install the game, you need Google's very cool browser, Chrome.  You can download it for free HERE.
You'll find the Chrome browser to be a fast, sleek alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) or Mozilla's FireFox browsers.

Then just head on over to the Chrome App Store HERE to find the Angry Birds App.  After a quick install, you'll be chasing pigs in no time.

But beware.  This game is addictive.

One Cool Tip.com
http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Bing App for iPad Gets It Right

While Google may still rule the world, Microsoft is still a mighty contender.

And the Microsoft search engine has taken on both with its recent Bing app for the iPad.

The free app is rich in details and graphics.  It "gets" the beauty of the iPad.

Bing graphically shows the areas that you most want to access from a portable tablet:  News, Weather, Movies, Movies, Trends, and Finance.

The new app is available in the Apple iTunes Store HERE.

Sadly, the Google app for the iPad looks like it's from 1995.  Dull and boring. Uh oh.

And while Apple's native Safari browser is a good tool, you'll find yourself using the new Bing app for iPad for many more uses.

Check out Bings video on its new app:
<br/><a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&vid=bf79720b-2fce-4f05-b880-21793cd62bd9&src=SLPl:embed::uuids&fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Touch and Decide: Introducing Bing for iPad">Video: Touch and Decide: Introducing Bing for iPad</a>

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

What's Going On? Let Google Hot Trends Tell You!

As many of our lives move to digital for our daily information and interaction, it's not surprising that we turn to search engines like Google for answers on current events.

A quick way to get a pulse on what's happening in the world is to visit Google's Trends page at http://www.google.com/trends/hottrends  Updated regularly, it lists the top trending search topics that are appearing in the Google search engine.

Clicking a link reveals additional news stories and blog posts for that search term.

Want to know what's going on?  Let Professor Google tell you.  He knows.

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Cool Tips for a Cooler Life!

#Google #Trends

Stuff Happens

You may have noticed that OneCoolTip.com was unavailable for some time yesterday and today.  And some posts have been lost.

Unfortunately, the web publishing service we use for this blog, Blogger powered by Google, had technical troubles.  Hopefully, the service is back again and the missing posts will *magically* reappear.

All this serves as a reminder that in the digital age, even multi-billion dollar companies experience technical difficulties.  And having good backups is always a good thing to do.  Read more on backups here at OneCoolTip.com.

Because *Stuff Happens*.

Here's what Blogger and Google had to say about their recent woes:

Blogger is back5/13/2011 10:33:00 AM(Cross-posted from the Blogger Buzz blog) 

What a frustrating day. We’re very sorry that you’ve been unable to publish to Blogger for the past 20.5 hours. We’re nearly back to normal—you can publish again, and in the coming hours posts and comments that were temporarily removed should be restored. Thank you for your patience while we fix this situation. We use Blogger for our own blogs, so we’ve also felt your pain. 

Here’s what happened: during scheduled maintenance work Wednesday night, we experienced some data corruption that impacted Blogger’s behavior. Since then, bloggers and readers may have experienced a variety of anomalies including intermittent outages, disappearing posts, and arriving at unintended blogs or error pages. A small subset of Blogger users (we estimate 0.16%) may have encountered additional problems specific to their accounts. Yesterday we returned Blogger to a pre-maintenance state and placed the service in read-only mode while we worked on restoring all content: that’s why you haven’t been able to publish. We rolled back to a version of Blogger as of Wednesday May 11, so your posts since then were temporarily removed. Those are the posts that we’re in the progress of restoring. 

Again, we are very sorry for the impact to our authors and readers. We try hard to ensure Blogger is always available for you to share your thoughts and opinions with the world, and we’ll do our best to prevent this from happening again.

**UPDATE 5/13/11 4:23 pm***

- Blogger appears to have restored missing blog posts.

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com
Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!