Here’s a life rule that I discovered with the help of my sister, Kirsten. While on vacation in Spain, trying to find the next little church in Donostia, we got lost. We immediately turned around to retrace our steps and gain our bearings. After driving back the way we had come about 10 minutes, we had determined that we had it right the first time (argh).

So we flipped and went back the way we were traveling in the first place. Now granted, we were driving in a beautiful foreign country and weren’t tied to a schedule so the delay wasn’t too bad, but it’s the principle behind the mistake that irked us. We passed the place we turned around and within 5 miles we found our destination!

As we walked up to the church we were visiting, we discussed the matter, and came up with the 5-Mile Rule, which was quickly formalized thus:

“When traveling in a foreign country, and you seem to have lost your way, continue on the pre-described route for another 5 miles, then turn back and ask for directions”

This rule helped us several times on that trip. And, no, I can’t remember the Church we were visiting. Maybe Kirsten can remember for me. (Oh, and Kirst, sorry about not mentioning the House, there may be complications…)

So now I’ve got the 5-Mile Rule. As I’ve said it came in handy in Spain, and other places I’ve traveled to. But I’ve adjusted this rule to several other aspects of life. Now I call it the Rule of 5 - Here’s how it goes:

The Rule of 5 - When working on a simple task, whether it’s driving to an unknown location, researching a topic, getting a job/task completed, apply the appropriate unit in a quantity of 5 (miles, minutes, steps, etc.).

So why am I blogging about this rule on a tech-ish blog,here’s a case in point. Check out the blog entry I wrote earlier today. I decided to add a tool to my blogging “Quiver of Knowledge” (quote from Dr. Germaine Murray of Maryville University). I used the Rule of 5 to avoid wasting time trying to implement this tool. I researched the topic for about 5 minutes and made the decision to stop and adjust my thinking. There are too many things that need to be done in the day to waste more than 5 minutes on.

So, I mentioned my sister, Kirsten. I would be remiss if I didn’t throw out her website. For all the lady’s out there looking for a little bling, she makes beautiful jewelry out of Swarovski Crystals. Check out her site Objets d’Envy

So as you may or may not know, I’m working more and more on this and another blog. In an attempt to work smarter not harder, I’m constantly searching for things to make this task easier. So, when I came across a very helpful tip from reading Matt Cutts’ blog about quickly adding links, I just had to check it out.

Ok, so here’s the task I set myself. As Matt’s describes, he’s using a link creation javascript that you can load into your bookmarks. I’t’s called linkify. A simple highlight of text in any text entry field (not a wysiwyg) and a click of the link will bring up a side panel google search of the highlighted text. Each search result has a Create Link button below it and when clicked - guess what?

I’m getting excited, right? I can hardly believe that this little tool is out there just waiting for me. So here I go. . .

No, wait, opps. This is a nogo for Internet Explorer (sigh). Ok Ok OKAY! I get it. Finally. People have been telling me for years that I should be using Firefox. So why did I wait so long? No, it wasn’t because I’m fiercely loyal to Microsoft. I suppose it’s because I (we) know Internet Explorer so well. It’s familiar, and I can play it like a fiddle. And Firefox has tabs - when this was introduced, my thoughts were “Why have you brought me these tabs, and what have you done with my many many windows of IE?” I was a fool…

FYI - Linkify works BRILLIANTLY! I’m swimming now…

Baby Steps - I’ve decided to dedicate all blog related tasks to Firefox. I suppose I’ve got too much invested in IE to go cold turkey on it.

This blog entry has been written happily via Firefox (with about 8 tabs open!).

Ok, so here’s a quickie.  My new favorite web application is this little favicon generator I found at http://www.htmlkit.com/services/favicon/.  So here’s the back story:

One of the bosses came up to me last week and asked me about the little icons that show up in the title bar of Internet Explorer and next to each site in his bookmark list.  He was browsing around and noticed them on other sites, but not on one of ours. 

It took me a while to remember what these files were called, but a quick google search reminded me fairly quickly (I love how Google can do that!).  So I explained the basics to him.  Years ago I had helped a family member with this exact issue.  At the time I had to download some icon-generator that would output the specific format that these Favicon files need (16×16 .ico format). 

When we looked at trying to create one for our site, google helped out again.  At http://www.htmlkit.com/services/favicon/ we found an easy converter that will take darn-near any image format or size and convert to this.ico format.  Pretty slick!  I didn’t have to download any software or try to figure out the file format or image parameters.  This web-app gave us a preview of what the .ico file would look like and then let us download the compressed file.  The whole process took about a minute. 

The only thing I had to figure out was what do do with this favicon.  Another quick search and we’re home.  The trick is to keep the file named FAVICON.ICO and upload it to your website’s root directory.  The browser does the rest.  Want to see the site we were working on?  Here it is:  TopHat Tobacco.

Toshiba Memory Tips 

Toshiba produces a large variety of computers, both desktops and laptops.  Whether you have a Satellite, Satellite Pro, M-Series Desktop, Tecra, or Qosmio Series, eventually you’ll probably have to upgrade its memory.  When upgrading your Toshiba computer memory, you must always remember the 4 Steps to Evaluate Your Computer’s Memory 

1. Information – Here’s what you’re going to need to find out. 
   1. Your computer model number – Located on the computer itself.
   2. How much memory is installed and what configuration it’s in – You may have to open the computer and look at the memory modules to determine this.
   3. The maximum amount of memory you can install and it’s configuration – Located in your computer manual or at Toshiba’s Support Site.
   4. The type of memory it requires – Located in your computer manual or at Toshiba’s Support Site.
2. Required Memory – How much memory do you need to install to have your computer operate and perform the tasks that you will ask it to do.  Here are some things to consider when determining this.
   1. What operating system do you use?  Windows 98se runs well on 256 or 512mb.  Windows XP runs best at 512mb or higher.  Windows Vista will require at least 1gb.
   2. Are you running any Anti-Virus programs?  These types of programs are heavy on system resources.  If you are running Norton or McAfee you should add 256mb to your total.
   3. Do you run larger applications like Auto-CAD or Media (video) editing software?  If so, you may want to have at least 1gb or more installed.
   4. Do you play high-end games?  Most high-end games such as WOW or Battlefield perform better with more ram installed.   You should have at least 1gb installed, or even consider maxing it out
3. Explore – Open the computer up.  Locate your computer memory slots and determine what type of memory it is.  Familiarize yourself with the installation procedure and note what configuration your computer memory is currently in.
4. Purchase – Now that you’ve follow the previous steps, you’re ready to purchase your new memory.  You’ve determined the type of memory, how much you need for your specific needs and you know where the memory slots are and how to install.  Now you need to find a qualified retailer.  Make sure you find one that sells Grade A, brand new memory modules.  Your computer manufacturer will probably have some options for you, but typically they are overpriced.  Look for a third-party retailer and stay away from anything called salvage or “Value”. 

Toshiba computers, just like all computers will require memory upgrades as you use your computer more and install more programs.  Buying the correct memory for you and your computer can boost your performance and save you a lot of frustration! 

Visit Upgrade Computer Memory to find the correct memory upgrade for your computer.  Click here to view this blog in PDF. 

Tags: Toshiba Memory

Toshiba Memory Tips PDF

Tags: Toshiba Memory PDF