Friday, June 28, 2013

PhotoPad Photo Editor New for Mac OS X

PhotoPad mac photo editor now available PhotoPad photo editing software is now available for Mac OS X. If you own an Apple computer and have digital photos or pictures you would like to touch up before you share them or print them out you will want to try PhotoPad for a free and easy way to edit your pictures.

Not every photo needs a full-blown airbrushing session. And, just like how not everyone who snaps a photo is a professional; not everyone who wants to edit a photo should have to use software that takes professional know-how. That's where PhotoPad steps in, providing features to touch up blemishes, remove red-eye, adjust the color or brightness, crop or rotate, and more all at your fingertips. So you can make your edits and post your photos before you could even download another photo editor.

Whether you are a Mac or a PC, if you have pictures to edit download PhotoPad picture editing software for your computer today to make your digital photos shine.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Stop Balancing Your Checkbook By Hand

Checkbook Balancing The Old Way How do you track your spending? Did you learn how to balance a checkbook in school? Do you take the time to go through it by hand each month? Or, maybe the question should be if you balance your checkbook at all?

The good news is that there is no reason for your checkbook to stay analog in this digital world. You can track your spending and balance your checkbook easily with simple software like MoneyLine Personal Finance Software, which will even download statements directly from your bank. So save yourself the trouble and the time of doing things the old-fashioned way without letting the chore gets left on the side of the road.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Protect Your Kids Online

Protect Your Kids Online with Verity Internet Parental Controls We are heading into summer—in the northern hemisphere anyway—which means a lot of kids will be spending more time at home during the summer break from school. Unless you are teacher, or a stay at home parent, chance are you don't have the luxury of being at home too, so putting some parental controls in place to block websites or applications you don't want your children to see, may well be in order.

Monitoring children online has been a hot topic for a while now. Parents have cause to be concerned about everything from inappropriate content to predators and cyber-bullying. A program like Verity Parental Control Software can't solve all problems, but by making it easy to block websites based on keywords, or domain, block applications, put time restrictions on computer use, and monitor all activity so the parent can look at statistics and screenshots of what their children are doing on the computer, it makes it much easier to prevent potential problems. You can see for yourself if something isn't right from the web control panel, so you can have peace of mind that your children aren't getting into things that are inappropriate when they are online.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Improvements to Home Security with Software & Technology

Guest post by Sara Stringer

Home Security Software and Technology Improvements Smartphone software apps are entering almost every industry at an astonishing pace. From finance to the entertainment industry, innovation in home security technology has made way for mobile apps that allow home owners to take control of monitoring while on the go. Software has also made monitoring much more affordable than conventional monitoring systems which likely also require technical knowledge to operate and use.

Authorized dealers of leading security providers such as www.selecthomesecurity.com dealing in ADT and other security companies have adapted to mobile software and their customers can take advantage of real-time monitoring, updates and the ability to arm or disarm the security system remotely.

Here are some benefits of software monitoring applications:

1. Video monitoring
Video monitoring was once considered as an expensive investment, but software like EyeLine home surveillance software has made video monitoring quite easy and accessible from any remote location with an active connection nearby.

Review the recorded video footage at any time. If you want know who left the microwave on or what the pet is getting into while you’re away, you just need to check the video recording. Eyeline can also be configured to allow 24-hour live streaming and to send alerts the moment when someone enters or goes out of the house.

2. Energy savings
Advanced monitoring systems can even link in with your appliances, including your television and air conditioner. For example, you can turn on the television to portray that someone is in the house while you’re away. Or, remotely turn off appliances in case you forgot to turn them off when leaving home for both energy savings and increased security.

3. Wider coverage
Security software has extended the monitoring coverage by leaps and bounds. Conventional systems only enabled users to monitor from a specific range, which was a barrier for those who were traveling but wanted to keep an eye on their home. Mobile home security monitoring is quite flexible in this regard and can be accessed when you are out of the city or state, and receiving alerts in the form of e-mail or SMS can provide further peace of mind no matter where you are.

Despite all the attractions software apps offer for home security, you should also note there are security issues that need to be taken into consideration. Your home would be at risk if you don’t configure passwords on your phone, Wi-Fi and other devices. Even with passwords there are still potential security vulnerabilities.

Your best bet is to keep your phone and mobile devices in your possession at all times. And it isn't recommended to feed your home address, social security number, or other private details into your phone in case it lands in someone else's hands.

Security systems, software and apps can also be used for other functions like parents making use of new technology to make sure their children are getting home after school, or checking in on a house sitter while you are away.

This kind of monitoring software may also be used to monitor investment properties, temporary vacation homes and more. Take your home security efforts to the next level as this industry continues to grow and discover itself.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Creative Business Card Ideas - Improve & Customize Templates

I love creative design and looking at articles showcasing interesting, effective and creative business cards and logos. Although often the ideas featured, while incredibly creative, aren't using techniques that a majority of companies would find feasible to implement. But, even if you are a one-man show just getting off the ground, doesn't mean that you can't be creative and add a little flair to your business cards that will make you stand out from the crowd. Here are a few ideas to start you thinking about the possibilities of what you can do even if you are making your own cards using a business card template instead of going to a high priced design firm:

Pick the Right Paper
Not all paper is created equal. The same design can have a different effect when printed on a different kind of paper. Heavier card stock will help create an impression of strength and stability. An interesting or unusual texture will stand out and grab a closer look. Use vellum or a transparency sheet to let the light shine through, or create an earthy feel with a natural paper. Small changes like the type of paper you pick can help support your brand and help your business card stand out.

Change bussiness card color schemes
Change the Color
One of the fun features of CardWorks business card software is the option to change the color scheme of a template expanding the range of possibilities. This not only gives you more choices and flexibility in finding a single card design for business; this can be a fun way to add a little variety by printing several cards using the same layout but different color schemes.

Try a different business card size
Change the Cut
Even with a template, you can change the size of your business card. A fancy cut may not be reasonable, but with some designs taking a little more off one of the sides would only require moving a few items. Business cards have a very standard size, so changing the proportions will be a noticeable change that will help your card unique with little extra effort.

Add a call of action to your business card
Add Some Personality
Even the text on your business card is a place to spice things up. You have probably seen companies that use creative titles like "Sandwich Artist" or "Sales Ninja." In addition to the job title, you can also consider using the space that was designated for a company slogan or tagline to add a call to action or quote to make you more memorable.

Add A QR Code
Add a coupon or a QR Code to business cards The templates available for CardWorks business card software have space for a photo. Adding your picture can make a business card feel more personable, but to change things up, you can also use that image space to add something else like a QR code that will open your website or go to a special offer. This will make your business car more engaging, and pique people's interest and curiosity.

Show where you are located with a map on your business card
Display Your Location
In The Tipping Point one idea Malcolm Gladwell discussed was how adding a map showing the location of the college health center on an immunization flier increased the number of students who came in the door, even though students would have already known where the health center was. A map can help people figure out how something fits into their lives/plans, and remind them where to go. Help people find you by changing the image on the back-side of your business card to be a map. Instead of using the default back-side of a template or leaving the back blank, load a map to be the background image to help customers remember where to find you.

Try PhotoPad photo editor to clean up your photo, crop a map or edit any other digital images before you place them on your business card in CardWorks, then have fun taking those business card templates to the next level and making them the right fit for you and your business.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Happy Birthday to the GIF

Example animated gif
I saw on Mashable this morning while doing a little web surfing and having my coffee, that today the GIF format turns 26. As a company that has several popular file format converters, how could I not also pay homage to this infamous format too?

For those of you who are interested, you can read the article on Mashable about the life and history of the GIF format,—lovingly nicknamed "Great Internet Fun" by the contributor in place of the more proper "Graphics Interchange Format"—and its early life of controversy. But, for many, it is probably enough to think of a few of your favorite, and often humorous, animated clips brought to you by the GIF to put a smile on your face, and what better commemoration could there be? Of course, you could also share some of those favorites today to continue the birthday celebration.

And if you are looking to make your own animated gifs, you may want to check out our post on converting video clips into animated gifs with a little help from Prism video converter.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

How To Generate Audio Tones

audio tone generator If you need a simple audio tone or frequency, Tone Generator is an efficient tool to create the audio wave you are looking for.

Typically a tone generator is used for tasks like creating test tones for calibrating sound equipment, but there are plenty of other applications, like sound therapy or repelling mosquitoes. Whatever you are doing, the NCH Tone Generator can easily generate everything from sine and sawtooth waves to impulses and more.

Tone Generator is very easy to use, but here are some of the basics to help get you started:
  • By default, the Tone Generator opens with a single 440Hz frequency.
  • Add up to 16 total frequencies to be played simultaneously using the Add Tone button below the tone details list.
  • Change the waveform type with the small icons at the top of the interface.
  • Update a tone's frequency by double-clicking it on the tone details list. This lets you input a frequency in Hz, alternatively select a preset with the note selector.
  • Listening to the current settings/frequencies by simply pressing Play.
  • Save as a .tdf tone file to use again or load into a tone list for creating sequences.
  • Save a .wav file for later use, or other audio software (e.g., convert wav to mp3 with Switch for loading those sound therapy tones to your mp3 player).
  • Select Edit to open the waveform as a new file in WavePad.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Easy CD/DVD Copying and Burning

As new features and operating systems come out, some things start to go away. You probably don't miss floppy drives much, but one thing that is getting harder on a Mac is an easy way to burn things like your home movies to DVD. If you have videos, music, or even data you want to burn to CD, DVD, or Blu-ray, take a look at this preview of how easy it is to create and copy disc with Express Burn.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Do More with Audio - Blog Carnival June 4, 2013

Here are this edition's entries to Do More with Audio:

Denise Thompson presents How to Choose the Best First Student Guitar posted at Find A Babysitter, saying, "Learning to play a musical instrument allows your child to strengthen a wide range of their auditory skills, benefiting her throughout her adult life if she continues to play."

Björgvin Benediktsson presents Methods For Recording Acoustic Guitar posted at audioissues, saying, "Recording an acoustic guitar requires different methods recording an electric guitar."

David Thompsonn presents Exploring the Merits of Children Learning to Play an Instrument posted at Backup Care, saying, "Once a child reaches middle school, the school will often offer orchestra or band as an elective class. If your child isn’t particularly driven or musically inclined, why would you want to encourage him to play an instrument?"

Peter Kirn presents Music for Dance, Music and Movement posted at Create Digital Music, saying, "Movement and machines are the reason I do what I do, exploring new sounds in a way that is human and gestural."

sigh presents Sounding a Social Game posted at Behind the Scenes of Lucky Lady Games Studio, saying, "So now that all the essentials of the Lucky Lady Casino is arted up & in production, we have focused our energies towards another sensory must-have in game design, sound!"

Jenifer Sarah presents Jet Audio free download latest version of MP3 player 2013 posted at Software Collection, saying, "Jet Audio free download is one of the smartest Mp3 player available on the internet. You can play your all audio and video files with this latest version of Jet Audio free download. The best thing about this Jet Audio free download is that you can also convert your favorite video files into many formats. The audio controllers provided in this version of Jet Audio free download are amazing."

You might also be interested in: That concludes this edition of Do More with Audio. If you have an audio story to share or advice, tips or tricks to share, we hope you will submit your audio posts and articles to the next edition.