I was in a predicament.  I needed to email an Adobe PDF file containing sensitive information but had no way of password protecting the data.  To do this I would need a full blown version of Adobe Acrobat, which I didn’t have.  The free and widely used Adobe Reader does not allow users to secure PDF files.  So I went on a search.  There had to be a way and there is!

Follow me!

I was explaining these steps to my wife when I was confronted with the wide-eyed stare often accompanying wild animals at night when they discover oncoming headlights. That’s when I got the idea to formalize these steps using screen shots for those who are visually minded.  Forgive the fact that I am relegated to using Windows 2000, these pics should get you into the ball park.

The first thing you will need to do is open up a new MS Windows document.  Next, click on “insert” from the menu bar and select “Object” from the drop down list. [Below]

An ‘Object’ dialog box will open asking you what you want to insert.  Select Adobe Acrobat Document from the top of the list.  Also check the ‘display as icon‘ box. [See Below]

Click on “OK” and a file browser window will open where you can then navigate to the PDF document you want to insert.  After you have selected your PDF ‘object’ file, you will see the default PDF icon and file name at the top of the Word page.  Now it’s time to Save your new Word Document.

When the “Save As” dialog box opens there will be a drop down list under “Tools” where you will need to choose “Security Options” [See Below]

Another dialog box named “Security” will open and all you have to do is plug in your password for file encryption. [See Below]  After clicking “OK” you will be taken back to the Save As dialog window where you can now create your Word document file name and location.

Now that you have saved your new password protected Word document with the included PDF file, you can attach it to an email and feel confident that prying eyes won’t uncover sensitive data.

You can test this process by emailing yourself the file and making sure the Word Document prompts for a password, followed by double clicking the PDF icon to make sure everything is accessible.

Posted via email from geakz @ posterous

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

I love soft pretzels.  I love pretzel bread. Which I like to call Bretzel. I like sandwiches on bretzel. But plain ol’ bretzel is a treat to eat on its own. There is a bakery in town that makes fresh, soft, bretzel sticks. I try to get some on the weekends. I discovered that the bakery in the small town where I work also makes bretzels in the shape of the traditional pretzel. I brought home a bag today. Not bad. Soft and slightly salty. Good salt is the key to good bretzel. The salt that comes with the store bought frozen “Super Pretzels” is really good.
What de-luscious bretzel bread encounters have you had?  Are you a closet bretzelholic?  Do share!

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Editor’s Note:

I was recently contacted by Eva Vespa of www.webhostingsearch.com asking if I would consider them for a  guest post.  A guest post? What!? Me?  Our ensuing email conversation went something like this:

Geakz: Are you a spammer?  Why would you want to guest post on my blog?  Geakz.com hardly has the readership you would be after.

Eva: We contribute to sites both large and small; part of it gives us a little oomph, and part of it gives the receiver blog/site a great article.  We’re also on digg and stumble upon but mainly twitter (@hostingsearch).  [Two examples of articles WebHostingSearch.com has provided other bloggers]:

http://elitebydesign.com/inspirational-political-websites/
http://sixrevisions.com/tools/6_tools_analyze_web_host/

Geakz: I would be interested in an article that would share the needed steps to allow someone to start their own, self-hosted blog – preferably with WordPress.   It would also be a plus if your article was an original to my site and not picked from a list of ‘canned’ articles being placed on other websites.

Eva: I can definitely work with that request as we have a couple writers in house that produce everything, then I edit and beautify it for publication.  About how long do you want the article to be?  And if you want us to include some images, what would be preferred size? I’ll throw it at the editors tomorrow and can get it back to you next week.

The ensuing article is what Eva and her team sent over.  I hope it helps anyone hoping to install a local Wordpress installation on their own machine!  It’s a great way to understand how Wordpress works  and offers a ’sandbox’ approach to blogging.  And if this inspires you to research hosting your Wordpress blog on a web Hosted service, make sure you utilize WebHostingSearch.com as a resource in finding the right company to host your masterpiece.  [Mr. Geakz received nothing in return for promoting this guest post.]

Hosting Your Own Wordpress Blog on Apache

Hosting a blog on your own local server requires two things:

1. Server software
2. A Content Management System [CMS]

Let us assume you choose the two most popularly used: Apache (server) and Wordpress (CMS).

Installing a Web Server and preparing it for Wordpress.

Apache is  freeware, meaning you can download it to your local computer without ever touching your wallet! The same goes for Wordpress, a CMS used by millions of everyday bloggers.  The following  steps will guide you through the initial steps to successfully host a Wordpress blog on your own server.

Note! Before installing Apache, make sure any other server application is closed.  Otherwise the installation will fail miserably. Also make sure you are aware of the safety risks of installing a web server on your personal computer before executing Apache.

1.  Install Apache
Start by downloading Apache HTTP Server version 2.2.11, over at Apache.org. Locate specific version Win32 Binary without crypto (no mod_ssl) (MSI Installer) and click on the link to the right. Follow the installation wizard and type in your server information:

• Network Domain: homeip.net,
• Server Name: homeip.net
• Email: your email.

Select the “For All Users-box” below and finish the installation. Your Apache files should be located on your C drive.

Then go to  http://localhost/ –  A message will tell you if the installation was successful.

2.  Install PHP & MySQL
So far,  you have a web server running on your local computer. But in order to make it compatible with Wordpress, you will also need to download and install PHP and MySQL, Wordpress’ two main components. Go to PHP.net and MySQL.com and download the software and install them on your computer. Make sure they are compatible with the Apache version you have installed.

3.   Install Wordpress
Now it is time to download and install Wordpress.  Head over to Wordpress.org and download the latest version. Extract the Wordpress files and transfer them to your servers root directory. Open wp-config-sample.php and configure the MySQL database details and rename the file to wp-config.php. Save and refresh your browser window.  Go to http://localhost/wp-install.php and finish the installation.

It’s as easy as pie!  You now have your own WordPress blog hosted on your own server.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

ColKorn1982

Like many this season, I’ve been looking for the Nintendo Wii system at all of the big box stores but to no avail.  This was going to be the Christmas gift my wife and I were going to share in this year.  We received some nice accessory gifts like the Wii Fit, an extended battery and a couple of games.  We just needed the box to plug everything into.  Off from work for the holidays I was hoping I could get in a game of tennis right in the living room.  But no luck – until today!

My quick thinking wife said, “Why don’t you try the local Pamida store?” The do have some electronics and it was worth a shot.  An often overlooked destination for the main stream gadget shoppers, as they immediately gravitate toward the  Best Buy, Target, K-Mart and Circuit City stores to name a few.  Well low and frigging behold Pamida had them in stock!  The woman at the service desk mentioned they had received around 50 before Christmas and the stock-dude who brought mine to the register mentioned there were about eight units left.

Pamida has stores in 17 states, primarily the Mid-West and the Upper Plains.  So if you are still jonesin’ for your Wii, get thee to a Pamida – quick!

[editorial note:  I don't have a cat.  I don't even like cats.  But my four year old will probably look like this after playing it for the first time.]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

I had a toy at one time that played MP3’s, had an FM tuner with Voice Recorder and gave me many hours of enjoyable music playback – until I bought a new PC with Vista. Now my perfectly good iAudio player is dead in the water, unrecognized by Windows. Firmware updates stopped long ago as this player is several generations old and can’t be found on the manufacturer’s website. This is one of the many drawbacks of a new OS that won’t accommodate older hardware. Fortunately, the price of these bad boys has dropped substantially. It was approximately a buck a megabyte when I purchased this several years ago. That’s right, $250.00 for a 250MB player! What we won’t shell out for gadgets.

Enter the Sandisk, Sansa Clip 1G MP3 Player. At $40.00 I get all of the above, plus a large-enough-for-me capacity for storing plenty of music. Techware Labs has a detailed review with pictures of the Sansa Clip player, so there’s no need for me to rehash the basics. There were a couple of observations I wanted to pass along to anyone having purchased, or is about to purchase, this player. Here we go, starting with charging the player:

There were no details in the instructions about charging the battery, specifically the duration needed for a full charge. While plugged in, there is a flashing battery indicator on the unit but there was no way for me to know how much of a charge it had, out-of-the-box. And I had to find out online how many hours of playback a full charge would give me (15).

• Fix: While the player is plugged in, via the included USB cable, navigate to Windows Explorer (keyboard shortcut: Win key + ‘E’). You will find a new Drive labeled “Sansa Clip 1 GB”. Right click this and choose ‘Properties‘. At the bottom of the Properties window that opens you will find a battery indicator icon showing the percentage of battery life left [see below]. I had to charge mine for about 2.5 hours before I was at 100%. Although the Sansa’s on-screen battery icon will stop blinking when complete, many people might not wait long enough to enable a full charge.

Included Software:

I installed the included software (Rhapsody) thinking it was essential for ‘added functionality’ of the device. It is not. I uninstalled this immediately and RealNetworks (real.com) left an ugly trail of 334 registry entries and 15 files behind. I hate programs that don’t fully uninstall. Note: You do not need the included software to install or download MP3’s to your Sansa (listening Apple?).

• Fix: You will need a third party encoding program like BonkEnc! to convert your CD tracks to MP3’s. Again, non of this is detailed in the included instructions. It’s as easy as pie to convert your songs and then drag and drop them into the Sansa Clip 1Gig drive – and FAST too.

Mz. Geakz was so impressed with this player that she bought one for herself. I showed her the ropes of using BonkEnc and left the house to run errands, only to return two and a half hours later, finding her still at the computer – a stack of CD’s a foot high on the desk beside her. She was hooked and she had mobile music to jam with.

What do you use to make MP3’s and what player are you using?  More importantly, what obstacles have you encountered in the process?

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Although I’m not at the point where I’m surfing the Internet via a mobile device, there are plenty who are. I found a service that will convert your current site (blog) so it can be viewed by smaller cell phone screens.  Mippin.com offers a free conversion by simply entering your current site’s URL.

Mippin is the fastest and easiest way to get your favorite web content on your mobile phone. Whether you want to follow breaking news or tech updates, from big publishers or tiny blogs, Mippin brings them all seamlessly together in the perfect format for your phone. You can quickly search and browse, see what others are reading and share your own discoveries.

It takes just a few minutes to create a great looking mobile version of your web site. It’s free, simple to customize and easy to include advertising.

If you’ve been tweaking your site for things like Search Engine Optimization [SEO] then it might be worthwhile to take into account the growing mobile device market. You just never know what hand-held visitor might be stopping by. Or at the very least, you might want to enjoy a self-love moment and check your own creation whilst out ‘n about.

Here’s where it gets good, and stays easy.  There’s a WordPress plug-in that you can download here.

Anyone for a plate of hot steaming Mippin topped with Blackberry?

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

I was reading the “Hive Five Call For Contenders: Best To-Do-List Managers” over at LifeHacker which prompted me to share my current method of note taking.

I’ve tried a ton of different note taking programs, from pen and paper (which I still use) to web apps and freeware goodies.  It’s been more of a hobby with me than it has been trying to find a viable system for any length of time (much like this site’s ever changing WordPress Themes).

Currently I’m using Notepad++ an Open Source text editor.  Think Windows Notepad on steroids.  There are many features that I don’t use, but two functions that I like are; the fact that I can browse files ‘Explorer-like’ and also send my saved notes to a web server via FTP.  All from within the same program.

Let’s take a look at how I’ve been using Notepad++ on a daily basis.  I use it the most at work.

[Click on this photo to see a larger size.]

As I mentioned above, NP++ allows both an Explorer view (ex. A) and an FTP view (ex. B) available via plugins.  I don’t always have the FTP panel engaged as it allows for more of a viewing area  without.

First and foremost, I had to decide on an organizational structure for my daily notes.  If not, I would be faced with a huge run-on list of daily lists, all with different file names, and spread across my USB thumb drive and my work PC.  Counter intuitive and sloppy.  (Sloppy is only good when it comes to Classic Italian Subs with NO MAYONNAISE).

I created one master directory called ‘All Notes’ (ex. 1). I want to be able to collapse all subsequent files down to just this one folder since it resides on my USB stick.  Within ‘All Notes’ are folders labeled for each month of the year (ex. 2).  I decided to use a two digit month followed by a four digit year for these files (08-2008). This way they stay in numerical order by month.  If you were to open up a Monthly Folder you would see notes saved for each week (ex. 3).  Again, naming them “Week of x.xx” (8.08) allows me to visually drill down to any week quickly.

Now that we can actually find a single, weekly “note”, we can further see that it is contains headings for each of the five work days (ex. 4).  Since Notepad++ allows for easy indenting via the Tab key, it’s simple to structure each day by utilizing an outline format (ex. 5).

This is my indented ’something to do’ entry.

…….This is an indented sub-list item.

DONE_ This is my initial ’something to do’ entry preceded with my version of a check box.

Now I can glance through my weekly list and see what I’ve accomplished as well as what still needs to be ignored completed.

Working with multiple Weeks is easy.  Each Weekly Note opens in it’s own tab (ex. C), so you can jump back and forth between weeks.  Open only the notes you need.  (Firefox and I.E. 7 users will find this very intuitive).

I’ve found that I don’t need fancy formatting, URL underlining, picture embedding, etc., for my basic note taking – no more than I would with Pen and Paper.  This is a straight forward text editor with a different set of bells and whistle.  It serves more as a record of what I HAVE done, supported by short reminders of things needing attention.

I’d be interested in hearing how other Notepad++ users are utilizing this great app for note taking.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites