Photo Sharing Websites

In this post I'll cover a few photo sharing websites using random pictures. These websites are all free to use and very simple once you get the hang of it all. If you can use Facebook, you can use these so there is no sense in not figuring them out.

Photobucket: Photobucket is very easy to use and makes linking even easier. To the right of each image you can view the direct link, HTML, and also IM links to the pictures. Simply clicking on each one will automatically copy the link to your clipboard which is nice. Photobucket's privacy settings are also nice, ensuring that albums or pictures or either public or private. That's always a plus. This is a photo of Dorian, the coolest cat to grace this earth, on top of his throne. While attempting to pick his name I remembered one of my favorite books, The Picture of Dorian Gray. The named seemed fitting for him.

Flicker: I despise anything and everything having to do with Yahoo. I could bitch about this place all day. There was time when Flickr was good, then Yahoo butchered it as they always do. But enough of that. Just like Photobucket, Flickr is easy to use, though it does seem to take a while longer to adjust.. Upon joining Flickr, you will be greeted with others you can follow. Flickr is in a way it's own social network, giving you recommendations of other users to follow and comment on. As always, you can also manage your photos and albums, setting them to either public or private. A few minutes of exploring Flickr and you can find some nice pictures in your brand new social network. YAY!

The hoveround takes me where I wanna go. Where will it send me?

Imageshack: Imageshack has been around for quite a while. It's simple and effective and extremely to use. Much like Photobucket, Imageshack will give you the direct link of your photo right next to it. It doesn't get any easier than this, it's practically showing you how to share the image. A little explanation about this photo. That's me in a Hoveround. And yes, they are as awesome as they look on television. But what makes this one special? Well it has a light for nighttime driving, a very comfy chair, and it has a horn so you can also beep while you back up. Yes, you just read that right. The good people at Hoveround made getting old awesome, and I can't wait to see what they can offer me when I'm old and decrepit. Be jealous...

How Google Changed The World

What started as a project in 1996 quickly blew up and revolutionized the way people communicate, perform everyday tasks, and research. Google started off as a small company but managed to quickly take on all other tech giants and establish themselves in the tech world. This, however was not enough and Google reached out further, entwining  the company into everyday life for all people.

First Google server.

Google's first task in dominance was to create a better search engine than the existing engines. To do this, they had to improve in areas where others were seemingly good at the time, but could do better. Companies such as Yahoo!, AltaVista, Dogpile, AskJeeves, and Excite had already established themselves as the giants. Google did something these others companies did not. They were able to create a simple looking page but catalog and index the web at a must faster pace. Google also displayed much better results for each search than the other companies.Google skyrocketed to fame in a very small amount of time.

Google Earth

 

One of the many famous tools Google employs, Google Earth allows people to zoom in on various locations in the world. This tool was applauded by many and also became a favorite of many people. Favorites included the many bizarre finds people discovered. Crop circle pictures floated across websites and forums, pictures of half naked or fully naked people in their yards surfaced, and of course, the bizarre and explainable pictures made their rounds on many conspiracy theory websites. People everywhere began sharing Google Earth locations.

Google maps also made waves very quickly. It's design was simple, easy to use for any user, and highly accurate for the most part. It did contain it's share of glitches and amusing directions, but the tech giant quickly worked on improving their maps. Google was able to reign supreme in this area and recently Google's rival Apple unveiled their own map application. This was met with much resistance, as Apple's version featured terrible and incorrect directions and was filled full of bugs.

Not always the first to the punch, Apple had became a leader in the cell phone business with it's legion of loyal fans. Google entered the market with similar hardware but at a more affordable price. Google was also more open to users which quickly caught on and Apple's role as the leader in the market diminished. Google's Android phones quickly became leader in the cell phone market.

From everyday computer use, to cell phones and even T.V., Google has fully integrated itself into the world and connected everybody. They have successfully tackled tech giants in new and existing areas. Their e-mail service is the most popular now. Google T.V.'s and Google Tablets and PC's are now selling well and gaining more traction. The company's simplistic but open design has made it a major attraction for their services and hardware. Not only is their hardware fast and aesthetically pleasing, it always comes at an affordable price. This is another area which helps Google truly shine and connect to more individuals each day. There may come a time when an existing company or a new one will truly rival them and maybe even overtake the market but that day is far away.   

Three Awesome Apps

If one thing bothers me, its when people get a pc and make no effort to jazz things up a bit. There's thousands of free alternatives to paid versions of programs out there. Some are just aesthetically pleasing. Others are much more helpful. Here's my list for the top three.

1. Peer Block

What is Peer Block? Peer Block is a software firewall designed to protect you various organizations such as the RIAA and MPAA. When somebody is caught, they are usually sent a letter which contains some IP address. These addresses are that of the organizations who try to ruin your life for downloading a simple item. Peer Block takes the known IP address and adds them to a black list.

Remember to allow http.

Annnnnd it's working.

Peer Block is free and simple to use and might just save your butt. I used to install it on all pc's in my household. I made the mistake of not doing that and suffice to say, I got a nice letter from the good people at the MPAA wanting to send to prison for downloading The Other Guys, which somebody else downloaded in my household. It's now back on all computers. 

Twp warnings though. Upon install, make sure you select "Always allow http" due to the fact that it can cause issues with certain websites. I have noticed lots of glitches with blogger while having http blocked. Also note that this in no way will keep them at bay at all times. This blocks the KNOWN IP addresses of the companies. So don't think you won't get caught simply by using this and downloading every movie and song you want.

2. Recuva

Recuva is one my favorites when it comes to working on computers. There are countless times where you encounter somebody who deleted important stuff or simply lost them due to some strange issue.

Oh my god I lost the very important random picture of roses. Oh wait...

It's quite simple to use and you don't need to be advanced in pc skills to use it. Recuva will show you the files that have been deleted and in many cases, will often show you a screenshot of the files to make it easier. For best results, always recover the files by moving them on to a flash drive, then place them back on the pc or keep it on the drive for safekeeping.

Please remember that no matter what, there are times where Recuva or any other program like this will not recover the specific file you are looking for. Once something is deleted, it's still there but data can be written over it, making it impossible to recover. Once the new data is written, say goodbye to the original file.

3. Rainmeter

My must have for all computers. I'm no fan of Windows at all. It always seems bulky, filled full of trashy programs that I don't want prepackaged on to my pc, and it looks like crap. The widgets are terrible and in some cases, the manufacture of your pc puts in even worse ones. Enter Rainmeter to save me from that hell. It can certainly spruce up any desktop.

Before rainmeter. Boring and just blah. This is after a fresh install of Windows 7.

This is so much better

You can see the difference. The widgets are all customizable. The notes on the right are also useful in reminding me of daily tasks. I have crack baby memory enough as it is so this is an improvement. Everything is customizable and this is just one of many skins and layouts you can use. The best part about Rainmeter is there are hundreds of websites devoted to skins and layouts for it, with thousands for you to pick from. Rainmeter is one of the first things I install when I get a fresh pc. 

That's three damn good apps I use often. Hope you enjoy them.

Nature Is Scary

Random finds around the house.

  

 

The Walking Dead Is Near!!!

The Christopher Walken Dead? I would watch that as well. 1,000 internets to the person who makes this happen.