Tech Tips You Should Know

Back in the saddle. Well, it’s been a while since my last article and some of my followers have been asking for more tech pointers, tips and tricks. After nearly a two-year break from writing, I have decided to get back in the game and have since opened two additional blogs. So, along with this weekly tech blog, I am also hosting a “C#” and a “SQL Server” blog site.
Here are the links for the two new sites:
C# – https://pailwriteroncsharp.wordpress.com/
SQL – https://sqlfundamentals.wordpress.com/

They may seem a little rough at the moment, but bear with me and I will get them straightened out and looking good.
The two new sites are much like this one, no particular order for the articles, just a random set of pages to help the average user understand how to accomplish things “here in the real world” as opposed to just practicing from a book.
With that said, let’s jump write into todays article with 7 new tech tips for the modern-day computer user.

1.) Re-open a recently closed tab:
Have you ever had the misfortune of accidently closing a tab in your browser only to realize that’s not the one you wanted to close? Fear not, there are a couple of ways to re-open that tab.
a. The easy way:
Click on your browser to open a new tab, now press the “ctrl”, “shift” and “T” keys on your keyboard and magically it re-appears.
b. The hard way:
In the browser tool bar click on “history” (you may have to look for this since it’s in various locations on different browsers). Now scroll through until you find the page you want to re-open.

2.) New tabs for me!
With the growing number of web developers and the massive quantity of websites, most of them have multiple links per page linking to dozens of different (but related) web pages. As the quantity grows, a majority of web developers are putting in a function / feature that opens a new tab when you click on a link. It’s advantages for them to do so, because it keeps their page open in your browser while you temporarily look around on other pages. However, not all links on a web page open in a new tab.
Fear not, there is a simple fix for this also. Simply mouse over the link and click the “middle” mouse button instead of the left mouse button and the link will open in a new tab.

3.) Paste plain text:
One of the problems I’m often asked about is, how to copy/paste text without any special format, font or color background associated with the text. Often people will copy/paste some text from a web page for example; and the formatting of that text gets copied as well.
Well, there’s a couple of ways of doing this:
Probably the easiest of the two is to use “ctrl” + “c” to copy the text, and instead of using the basic “ctrl” + “v” to paste it in a word document, email, etc. use “ctrl” + “alt” + “v”. This will paste the desired text without any special formatting, coloring, etc.
The other option would be to simply do your standard “ctrl” + “c” to copy the text, and “ctrl” + “v” to paste it in a word document or email. Next, highlight that text and find the “remove formatting” button in the tool bar and click on it. It should look like the upper-case letter “A” with a pink eraser over it.

4.) Delete an entire word with one stroke:
Instead of deleting a word one letter at a time with the “backspace” button, you can place your cursor at the end of the word and press “ctrl” + “backspace”.

You can also highlight an entire row by moving your cursor to the end of a sentence and pressing “shift” + “home” on your keyboard.

5.) Display the system (computer) information window:
Traditionally, we have used the manual method of navigating to this rarely seen window by clicking on the “Start” menu, then selecting “Control Panel” then clicking on “System”. Now, we can simply press the “Windows” key and press the “Pause/Break” button on the keyboard.

6.) Going Incognito:
While there are times you may not need hidden browsing, there are also times that you really should use “incognito” browsing. For example, when your browsing or shopping on a public WIFI (hot spot), or using a shared computer.
You can open an incognito browser tab via the menu in most browsers, but why go through the hassle of navigating through those exhaustive menus.
In Firefox, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge, simply press “ctrl” + “Shift” + “p”. In Google Chrome and Opera, press “ctrl” + “shift” + “N”.

7.) Read Installers: (No seriously, read them):
Ever wonder how you wound up with so many programs installed on your computer that you don’t recall downloading and installing? It’s become standard practice for a lot of companies to sell space on a program to install a totally different program provided by a different vendor. It’s what I call “piggy backing” and I hate it. I have had instances where I wanted to install a program and during the installation it would default check a box to install an additional third-party program.
Too often, we just click through an install process accepting the default settings, and for the most part, this is the best method. But, be careful when you click the “Next” button, and read the details of what it is going to do each step of the way.

Also visit my new “About me” blog at https://www.aubreywlove.com

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Tech Support Error Codes

 

We have all heard the term “user error.” It’s the official-ish way of saying that your computer, phone or other device that appears to be having problems isn’t the source of the problem…you are.

In other words, user error is tech-speak for a mistake, and we all make them. Unfortunately, your pompous techie friend, IT help desk agent, or tech support rep will, on occasion, use his or her knowledge of your lack-of-knowledge to poke fun at your user errors.

You may not know the difference in an EEOC, HAL, or ID-10T issue, but the techie you ask for help from does… and knows you don’t. One of those is a real problem, and the other two are not-so-nice ways of making fun of you without you knowing!

Here’s a list of euphemisms for what the pretentious techie you’re talking to really wants to say: you’re an idiot. Consider yourself lucky or tech-savvy if you haven’t heard any of these.

ID-10T: The “IDIOT” Error

Pronounced as eye-dee-ten-tee, this is an “old favorite” among the tech savvy. It rolls off the tongue and sounds as legitimate as any other computer jargon you might hear.

The ID-10T joke has almost reached a point of common usage.

PEBKAC: Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair

This one is usually spoken as a word, pronounced as peb-kak.

Sometimes you’ll see this one as PEBCAK (swapping chair and keyboard). Other times you’ll see computer or monitor swapped for keyboard, making for all sorts of variations on this one, like PEBCAC or PEBMAC.

PICNIC: Problem In Chair Not In Computer

This one is easy to remember and has recently replaced PEBKAC.

EEOC: Equipment Exceeds Operator Capabilities

This one sounds so technical that it almost doesn’t feel mean.

The implication here is pretty clear: you’re not smart enough to use whatever you’re having trouble with.

RTFM: Read The Freaking Manual

This one seems to me like more an anger-filled reaction than a statement about your intelligence, but I have seen this used in support forums more than once.

This particular techno-insult has a variation on the ‘F’ part that I won’t spell out for you.

Code 18: The Problem is 18 inches Away From the Screen

Another “proximity” joke here, although I personally find 18 inches a bit close to sit to my screen.

The metric version of this joke is Code 40 or Error 40, so don’t let your centimeter-using friends slip one by you.

Please know, however, that there actually is a Code 18 error that you could see yourself – it’s a Device Manager error code. No, it’s not Bill Gates giving you a hard time – it means that you need to reinstall the device drivers for whatever hardware you see it on in Device Manager.

Layer 8: That’s You

The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model is a way of looking at how computer systems communicate. The “deepest” layer is Layer 1, the physical layer, and ends at Layer 7, the application layer – the one you and I interact with.

If you bring the OSI model a bit further out, you get Layer 8 (you), Layer 9 (your organization), and Layer 10 (your government).

This is certainly one of the more geeky ways to insult anyone without an IT degree. Now that you have a little more knowledge of these “error codes” you will be more prepared the next time you are on the phone with tech support.

More User Error Jokes

You can find a list of user error joke codes in the image “IT joke codes.” They are for your reference so you can respond appropriately when you hear one, but let’s be honest… they’re sometimes fun to dish out, too.

Yes, I did skip the offensive jokes for obvious reasons.

While no one deserves to have any of the above “jokes” hurled at them, there are a number of things you can do to make that interaction with tech support, or even your smarty-pants friend, a bit more successful. Reading these weekly tech tips is just one of them. You may also want to take a class at your local college or tech center.

1K Buffer	Implies a low capacity for learning (1K is tiny)
C2K	Chair 2 Keyboard issue
CBE	Carbon Based Error
Code 18	The problem is 18″ away from the screen
EBCAC	Error Between Computer And Chair
EBK	Error Behind Keyboard
EEOC	Equipment Exceeds Operator Capabilities
ESO	Equipment Smarter than Operator
HKI Error	Human Keyboard Interface Error
I/O Error	Ignorant Operator Error (from legit Input/Output Error)
ID-10T Error	The “IDIOT” Error
Layer 8	You are Layer 8 in the OSI model
OHE	Operator Headspace Error
PEBKAC	Problem Exists Between Keyboard and Chair
PICNIC	Problem In Chair Not In Computer
RCSO	Reboot Computer, Slap Operator
RTFM	Read the Freaking Manual
TSTO	Too Stupid To Operate
UPI	User Perception Issue

Also visit my new “About me” blog at https://www.aubreywlove.com

De-clutter your computer world

Organized chaos

I am not asking you to throw away all your computers and other electronic devices, but isn’t it time to start syncing things into time-saving steps? Below are a few tips, tricks and shortcuts to help bring most of your digital devices to a more productive level.

Re-assign some of those unused function keys.

You see them every time you sit down to work with your computer, but how often do you actually use them. In a recent article, we discussed what they did and let’s face it, how many of those functions do you remember? It’s time to start using them for things you actually do. Here’s how;

• Go to Netflix, Facebook, Twitter or wherever you frequently go then highlight and copy the address in the address bar of your browser.
• Close or minimize your browser then ‘right click’ on the desktop and choose New à shortcut and paste the link in the box provided – then click Next.
• Now, right-click on the newly created icon and choose ‘properties’ from the drop down menu.
• On the dialog box that appears, select the “Web Document” tab and click in the “Shortcut Key” box then press the function key you would like to use for this application, such as the F7 key.
• Now, to go to Twitter, simply press the F7 key on your keyboard.

Continue assigning various shortcuts to function keys. Remember to avoid using the F1 and F5 keys if possible. F1 is reserved for ‘help’ while F5 is reserved for refreshing your screen.

If you want to get rid of or hide all these newly created icons, simply create a folder on your desktop or somewhere else and move them to that folder.

Cross-posting on social media

Gone is the time when you had to post your comments, threads, resumes, blogs and everything else on social media sites one at a time. We are in an ever-growing social media world creating and maintaining our digital profiles whether it be for personal or business reasons.

Through a collection of different  apps to choose from, you can cross-post on multiple sites at the same time. TweetDeck, Buffer, HootSuite and IFTTT are some of the more popular examples of social media management applications that can do this for you. A simple Google search will list a larger selection of these apps and instructions on how to use them effectively.

Managing email, spam and newsletters

Even I have to admit to sometimes being overwhelmed with unwanted clutter in my email. Of all my accounts, only one has no clutter save for the daily email newsletters from http://www.codeacademy.com, which I want.

As I mentioned in a previous article, the best way to avoid all these spam emails and newsletters is to set up a ‘dummy’ email account. When you are visiting a site that asks for your email address, simply type in the dummy account, not your primary.

However, if it’s too late for that step, then try some online tools to help eliminate some of the daily clutter. Unroll.me is a great tool to help you unsubscribe from multiple newsletters with a single click . It also offers an option to combine your subscription into a daily digest email so you just receive one email per day instead of dozens. Currently, Unroll.me works with Outlook, Hotmail, MSN, Windows Live, Gmail, Google Apps, Yahoo Mail, AOL Mail and iCloud.

Managing time for emails is an issue within itself. Reading and replying to each one can be a daunting task if you simply go down the list in chronological order.  Start by spending some time to see the time of day your email is busiest. Do you get more emails between 2-3 p.m. as opposed to 4-5 p.m.?  Try to schedule just two times a day on email rather than every 10 minutes. Pick the two times per day your email is most active and set aside 30 minutes or so at those two times.

Read through all your new emails and respond to the simple ones first, then tackle the ones that may require more research or a lengthy response. You can also create a folder in your email program and call it ‘pending’, to address the more difficult emails. This will unclutter your inbox while giving these emails a priority so they can be addressed later, in the meantime, your email is more organized and your work day will be more effective.

Summary

There are as many solutions as there are problems when it comes to our digital life, making use of ‘free’ or ‘pay-for’ tools is a great way to start.

Also visit my new “About me” blog at https://www.aubreywlove.com