Computer

How to turn on and use Mac speech commands

Has Siri gotten you accustomed to barking commands at electronics devices? Or has the absence of Siri in your life left you pining for a machine to command?

If you nodded in agreement to either of the above questions, and you own a Mac, did you know it has a built-in speech recognition tool? One that will speak back to you? Even tell you a terrible knock-knock joke?

If you'd like to begin conversing with your Mac, it is a simple process to enable speech recognition. Here's how:… Read more

How to use speech recognition in Windows 7

Voice commands and speech recognition aren't just for smartphone users; they're for PC users, too.

Speech recognition can help you avoid repetitive stress injuries, increase efficiency, and even be fun. You can launch programs, dictate text, scroll Web pages, and more, all by voice. Here's how:

Step 1: Go to Start > Control Panel > Ease of Access > Speech Recognition, and click on "Start Speech Recognition."

Step 2: Run through the Speech Recognition Wizard by selecting the type of microphone you'll be using and by reading a sample line aloud.

Step 3: Once … Read more

How to automatically rename your video files

There are billions of media files out there in the digital ether, and some of them have no doubt found residence in your hard drive(s).

If they've been there for long, it can be hard to remember which episode is which, or even which show is which on occasion. FileBot lets you grab your media, shake it up, and apply file names automatically. Here's how to use it:

If you've got the latest version of Java installed, just click the orange "Launch" button on this page; if not, or if you want to use … Read more

How to add world clocks to Windows 7

Do you have clients and colleagues all over the world? Then you know the importance of keeping track of their local time. Here's how to add two additional world clocks to Windows 7 for quick reference:

Step 1: Click on the time and date area of your Windows 7 toolbar, then click on "Change date and time settings."

Step 2: In the "Additional Clocks" tab, select the time zones you want to add, enter a display name, and be sure to check the box next to "Show this clock". Click the "OK&… Read more

How to spookify Windows 7

It's almost Halloween, which means lots of candy, trick or treating, and top-100 scary movie countdowns! For a bit of added fun, here are some themes to spookify your Windows 7 desktop:

Eerie autumn theme This theme from Microsoft, includes 15 spooky high-resolution wallpapers and some eerie system sounds. Just download the themepack and double-click on the file to install the theme.

Get it HERE.

Trick-or-treat theme This is another free Microsoft theme that includes five pumpkin-themed wallpapers. Again, download the themepack and double-click on the file to install the theme.

Get it HERE.

Ticket to fear theme This … Read more

How to share an iOS 5 Reminders list

With the iOS 5 and iCloud launch, Apple also launched a new Reminders app that aims to make iOS users more efficient. With adding the iCloud capability to sync Reminders between iOS devices as well as OS X computers, users can also share Reminder lists, as reported by The Next Web.… Read more

How to scan Facebook for suspicious links and users

Over the last year there have been many malware attacks on Facebook users. These suspicious links and apps will infect the user's timeline, messages, and even their friends' "walls." Norton offers a tool to help combat these threats, and it's very quick and easy to set up on your Facebook account. Here's how:

Step 1: Open Norton Safe Web for Facebook in your Web browser. If you're not already logged in to Facebook, you'll need to do that now.

Step 2: Authorize permission for the Norton app to scan your account.… Read more

How to automate Windows programs and processes

We often repeat ourselves when working or playing with our computers. Maybe I want to start my media player when I close my BitTorrent client, or maybe I want to shut down my computer once I exit Word. It'd be nice to automate at least some of that repetition, and Windows users have a neat, free option to do just that. When Then is a lightweight, free app that acts kind of like a PC-based IfThisThenThat, letting you direct and automate Windows processes to make life easier going forward. Here's how to use it:

Download and install When Then. … Read more

How to change the boot order of a dual-boot Linux PC

Linux is a great operating system, but it can be hard to completely switch over. For this reason, many people prefer to dual-boot Linux with Windows. The Linux boot loader though (called Grub), usually defaults to booting Linux. If you'd prefer to have Windows boot up by default, here's how to change it:

Note: The Linux distro we're using for this How To is Ubuntu.

Graphical method

If you're not quite comfortable with the command line yet or just prefer the pretty graphical interface, this is the method for you.

Step 1: We need … Read more

How to keep fonts for projects grouped together in Windows 7

When dealing with several hundred items, it's a good idea to have a solid system of organization. This is true if you're a collector of things like cards, work in a system with a lot of tools or clients, or even if you're at home working with different fonts on your computer. Unfortunately in the case of the last example, Windows 7 users get the short end of the stick on native options for font organization. However, using the free tool NexusFont can alleviate this problem.

To begin, download and install NexusFont.

Using Groups

Groups are … Read more