Letterpress is something that has been done for many, many years in the printing industry. Many designs incorporate it to add a texture and a nice touch of sophistication to a printed business card, menus, etc.

In the following video, I will show you a simple and nice letterpress effect that you can make yourself in Adobe Illustrator. Since the technique being used is very simple, the version of Illustrator that you use is not that important, it uses three basic fills and moving two of those up and down to achieve the letterpress effect. The finished effect can then be applied to text or objects alike.

Another great thing that you can do after following this tutorial, is to save the end result as an Illustrator graphic style that you can reuse and most importantly modify for future projects.

Excellent move, many people don’t want or know how to upgrade their browser, they are concerned that doing so will break things, etc., so doing it this way will benefit users worldwide.

I personally don’t use IE and suggest to all my clients, friends and family to switch to Firefox or Chrome, but changing habits can be difficult for some.

On the other hand, it is unfortunate that corporate users will not see the change right away. Administrators have a difficult job dealing with other things, so upgrading the browser might not be a priority, especially not knowing what things will break in the process.

But fixing a problem creates solutions and those solutions will create new problems, is all part of life!!

Full article on geek.com

How to fix slow Itunes movie downloads

For awhile I’ve known of the problem of slow Itunes (specially) movie download speeds. The problem is really well explained by Joe Maller in this post. The solution that he gives is pretty straight forward also, and fixes the problem if you are using a service like OpenDns or Google Dns. However if you still want to keep using any of those two dns services, you need to go back and forth adding, deleting and choosing one over the other.

The solution: Set multiple dns server addresses inside your network adapter

The fix is pretty easy to set, just make sure you get the dns server addresses from your internet service provider, choose OpenDns or Google Dns if you haven’t done so already. Then open your network connections, choose the adapter you use to connect to the internet on your computer, right click and select properties, then choose Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IP v4), click on properties which will open a new window.

At the bottom, you will have two radio buttons and above it will say “Obtain DNS server address automatically” if you are using a dns server address you will see their numbers in there. If not choose “Use the following DNS server addresses:”

Then click on advance, which will open another window with three tabs, choose the middle one that says DNS. If you didn’t have any addresses there before, now you can add them. If you had two addresses before you can still add more in there. With the arrows to the right you can give priority to one over the other.

Keep in mind that these addresses work in pairs, so for example the primary one for OpenDns is 208.67.220.220 and the secondary is 208.67.222.222, don’t mix them if you have others their, and remember that one is the primary and the other the secondary so don’t change their order.

By default Windows will use the first two of the list, so you can have a few different pairs in there, for example the ones for OpenDns, Google Dns and the ones from your ISP.

How to make it work for you?

For most users using a dns service like the ones mentioned above is the way to go, because they offer many benefits over your ISP’s dns. You basically want to have them running on your computer 99% of the time, for that moment that you decide you need to download a movie from Itunes or other services, then just open your network adapter and change the settings, open Itunes and start your download. Once you are done simply go back and change them again.

In that way you can have the best of both worlds and not have to choose one service over the other permanently.

Usually when things like this happen, it comes to mind that maybe you just upgraded a plugin which caused the problem, or your WordPress installation became corrupted somehow, perhaps your database is having problems, and the list goes on and on.

It can be really easy to become desperate and try to do too many things at once, which might make things worse, or in the best case scenario fix things, but at the end you don’t know what fixed the problem. So here are some tips on how to gain access to your WordPress dashboard. Try them one at a time and hopefully you will regain access again to your WordPress dashboard.

Check your WordPress htaccess file

In my case I am putting this one first because it was the problem I was having. The .htaccess file is a hidden file that controls directory-level configuration and is supported by several web servers. What that means is that it locks down and protects certain areas of the server from unauthorized access, improves performance, and most importantly if configured the wrong way can cause all kinds of trouble.

With that said if you have an .htaccess file that you plan to edit, make sure that you make a copy or copies of it in case something is wrong and you need to go back. I suggest renaming it like .htaccessBak_Date.

This file in my case had a wrong directive that was somehow changed most likely by me, but I didn’t noticed until the next time I was trying to do some administrative tasks and couldn’t log in.

*Important* there are a few places where you might find an .htaccess file, like the root of your website and in my case I have one inside the wp-admin to only allow access to myself from a specific ip address. You can read more about how to harden and secure WordPress at Wpshout.com

Also you can check some more resources to learn tips and tricks at perishablepress.com

Check your file sizes

Let’s say that you recently were updating your WordPress installation, plugins or themes, the process of doing that can corrupt files for various reasons. The file that you want to check is the index.php inside the wp-admin directory. That file is one of the files which allow you to access the administration area, if during the upgrade that file somehow became compromised and was overwritten or became corrupted then you have problems.

To troubleshoot this one, you can try and check and compare the file size if you have access to another WordPress installation that is working fine, of course you need ftp access to check the file size to check for differences. You might also want to download both the good file and the “suspect” file if they are both the same size, and use a good text editor like Notepad++ and use the compare plugin included to check for file differences.

Clear your cache

Many times if your browser is not giving you fresh content because your settings are to not refresh pages very often, then that can cause the page to display an old copy. To force your browser to flush the cache make sure your F-Key on your keyboard is active, then press the crtl key + F5, another method is to press shift + crtl + del your browser will open another window asking you if you want to delete all the contents of your cache. Click ok and try reloading the page. *Tip – when I am doing this method I usually close the problem page or navigate away from it, go to any different site and then apply either one of the cache clearing techniques.

Check your browser ad block settings or addons

I use ad blocks in my browser via addons which you might need to disable or whitelist your page. The one I use for Firefox is Adblock + which displays an icon on the browser as a red icon that reads ABP inside what looks like a stop sign. If you right click on it, you can select to disable on the page you are on at the moment. The change can be made permanent or only for that session. If you know that you are going to be logging in to your site all the time, it might be worth making it permanent. Reload your page and see if that clears the problem.

Check the WordPress Forums

The great thing about the WordPress forums is that you have a huge collective knowledge of people that are willing to guide and help with your problem. If you don’t have an account with them, make one and post your question in the right section. This goes without saying but be polite, have patience, read the responses, then read them again. Sometimes in desperate times, we miss a small detail that means fixing or breaking things further. And say thank you.

I hope that one of these tips will help you find the solution to your problems accessing the WordPress dashboard.

This article is for people looking to get a domain name for their personal or business website for the first time, or for owners that are not aware if they own or not their website domain name and hosting.

Do you own your domain name?

Many of my clients when I first met them had the misfortune of dealing with an individual or company that created a website for them and in the process, basically took over their company name without their knowledge. They don’t have ownership for their website name and hosting which poses a few problems as you might imagine.

Think of this situation as buying a property, thinking it’s yours but only to find out that the realtor registered everything under their name without your knowledge. You are making the monthly payments but when you want to sell, move or do anything else with it, you find that the company or person won’t let you because they have the control over it.

So right about now is the time to act if you think that you are in that situation.

Depending on your current relationship with the development/design company that built the website, you might get your name and hosting transferred to you without any problems, or they simply keep ownership and if you want the rights back, you end up paying an over inflated price in some cases, or they simply put the name up for bids with a third party company.

Sometimes the easy and stress-free way of dealing with that, is to simply register a domain that is close to the original or something that improves from the first one. There is always a solution to any problem.

Some tips to solve the problem if you have it

Lets see how you can simply take the steps necessary when first talking to any designer/developer when building your brand new website, to make sure that you have control of both the name and hosting to begin with.

Also it’s important to note, that if you currently have a website, it’s never too late to find out if it’s under your name, or review the contract in case there is a clause that says something about the domain name and hosting that you might not know of.

• If you feel comfortable going through the registration process go ahead and do it yourself.
• In case you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it, any reputable company or individual will assist you.
• If the company or designer tells you that they will do it for you, politely request that you would like to do it yourself (not all companies or individuals offering to get this done for you are bad, if you trust them fully is your call), this might not be a red flag but it might be a way for them to keep you around under their terms.
• Or if the company or designer tells you that they will do it for you, tell them that you would like to be involved, and use your personal credit card. This will not offend them and you get your domain and hosting under your name.
• Finally if you think you own your domain name, if won’t hurt to check. Websites like whois.net can assist. Just head to their site, and under the “WHOIS Lookup” field enter your website name only, without the .com .org etc and click go, a new page will open with the information of the owner, technical contact, emails, when it was first registered, and most importantly registered by who.

Use the Whois Lookup field to check domain name registration information.

The domain registration process

The website name registration process is done via a domain name registrar like godaddy.com, register.com and others.

For example, if your company name is Awesome Flowers, you will have to go to a registrar, pay a registration fee that costs between US$10 to US$35 for the name awesomeflowers.com so you can own that name, if it’s still available.

Now that you own the right to that name for a year, or more depending for how long you registered the name for, you are all set. A side note here, if the only thing that you want to do at the moment is to buy the name, make sure you read everything carefully on the domain registrar site.

Many times they will try to bundle a service or product that you don’t need, if you have questions ask the person building your site for their advice. If later on you need to add other services or products, you can always do it. But if you click and accepted their terms on your first transaction, it might be hard to take those extra fees/services away.

What is the hosting for my website?

The next step is to buy your website space with a hosting company. Basically your website needs a place to store your images, files, text, etc. in a computer that is secure, always on and capable of running the software necessary to let your website visitors enter your website.

Before buying the space, you should speak again with your designer/developer and see if they have any preferences or recommendations. Some hosts again offer things that you might need or not, also some designers favor Linux servers others Windows servers, so ask what they recommend for your project.

Also many designers/developers might offer to give you space on their server, which opens other potential problems.

• If their hosting service is interrupted on their account for any reason, your website will go down.
• They might decide to ask for extra money for the space they are giving you. In the end it could cost you much less if you got the service yourself.

A positive side of having them control the hosting could be that you decided that you didn’t wanted to deal with the technical aspects of your website. But keep in mind that hosting companies offer a wealth of knowledge, plus they are very supportive and helpful with non technical users.

Last but not least the longer the period that you buy the website hosting and domain name for, the more discounts you will score.

In conclusion do your homework when buying your domain name and hosting. And make sure to ask as many questions as needed before signing anything, to make sure that you don’t have to go through any problems later on.

A Facebook post by Anthony Robbins caught my eye, “RT @Debbie_Ford: Most of us are trained to look for what’s wrong in any relationship or situation. Make a choice to look for what is right.“

I am not going to give you any relationship advice, instead I will focus on a situation that many people will have to deal with sooner or later, the dreaded computer virus/malware infection.

So lets find the good that comes out of having problems with viruses, malware and rogueware, that happen to Windows and Mac users alike.

Awareness of computer threats/vulnerabilities

Knowing that you can be infected while doing common tasks like opening an email, clicking on a link or installing a new program, is a great reminder to be careful with what you do online and offline as well.

Be careful with what you receive, where you click, and what you download.

Encourages a good computer maintenance routine

Having an antivirus program, spyware removers and even the latest secure browsers, will do nothing to protect you if they are not up to date. Take the time to create a weekly maintenance plan that includes downloading the latest Windows updates, get the latest protection definitions for the antivirus program and update any other security software you use.

And most importantly after updating make sure to scan your computer, not doing this particular step is like having a pill that will take away an infection and just looking at it, but not taking it.

It makes you take control and protect your privacy

Knowing that your personal information, like name, credit card(s), tax documents and anything else of value can fall in the wrong hands, is a great incentive to keep it safe in the first place. There are many different ways to do that.

• Using strong passwords
• Changing them often
• Using password managers to store those passwords
• Logging off or locking your computer when not using it
• Making sure you are using secure connections when visiting banks or payment websites
• Important files should be kept in secure password protected or encrypted folders

Using all or some of these ideas, will help keeping a close lid on your information.

Makes you think of backing up your important files

Many times when dealing with computer infections, the computer starts or shuts down by itself, it will lock up open documents or corrupt important system files.

Having a data backup will give you peace of mind that your data is secure, and stored in a safe place where it can be restored again, after clean up is done.

A good data back up includes multiple copies, and different locations for the backup. For example only having files burned into a cd or dvd can be good, but not good enough. In case those disks get scratched or lost, your important information can’t be restored.

Having a portable hard drive is also a great solution, it allows you to take it to a different location, for example if backing up your office information, take the backup drive to your home or the other way around.

Conclusion

As you can see, making the choice to look for what is right in a bad situation, can also bring some good practices and new knowledge. You should always be in control and learning something new to enhance your daily habits.

And if you take the computer to get repaired, ask questions. A good computer repairman will show you what happened, ways to avoid falling a victim again, and show you how to keep up your computer running safe and secure.

It turns out that you can still access a lot of content from major tv stations with the help of plugins that you can add to Windows Media Center. This feature will open the possibilities of watching media on your computer or streaming it to your tv via Xbox 360, HP MediaSmart TV, or any other DLNA-compliant device like the PS3 but this one needs to be tested.

So check the many plugins to choose from that can integrate with Media Center what they offer in terms of channels and integration with your devices.

• Hulu Desktop
• Boxee
• Playon
• SecondRunTv
• TunerFree MCE
• PlayIt
• Netflix

Read more: Msdn

Installing Windows 7 from a dvd is a simple task if your computer is equipped with a dvd drive to boot and install from. The problem comes up for example if your dvd drive is not working, or your drive is a cd drive which won’t read a dvd, or you own a Netbook which doesn’t have a drive for space reasons.

A simple search online yields many results that cover ways for you to go through the process but they take way to long, or are complicated for someone that is not technically inclined, and include Installing Windows 7 with some Linux help or this one that guides you to get a third party program to partition and make the usb stick bootable plus using the command prompt to install Windows 7.

The following method is by far the easiest and requires:

• Having an image of Windows 7 because you purchased it from Microsoft’s Online Store
• If you bought a disk at a retail store but still need a usb version  for your Netbook you can “extract” the image with a program called Imgburn
• A usb stick, usb drive, usb pen, usb flash drive, different names for the same thing.
• And the most important piece is the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool  from Microsoft

The steps to run the setup of Windows 7 on a bootable usb drive

First you need to download and install the tool from Microsoft following these steps:

Installation of the program

Step 1

Setup of Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool step 1

Step 2

Setup of Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool step 2

Step 3

Setup of Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool step 3

Step 4

Setup of Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool step 4

Step 5

Setup of Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool step 5

Using the program

Step 1

Using Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool step 1

Step 2

Using Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool step 2

Step 3

Using Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool step 3

Step 4

Using Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool step 4

Step 5

Using Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool step 5

Step 6

Using Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool step 6

Last but not least

Make sure that you go into your computer bios and set it to boot from USB

Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate

Now that Windows 7 is out for the masses, most likely you want to show the beautiful eye candy that it brings to your desktop. The base installation brings lots of choices to pick from, like different colors for the bars, wallpapers, etc.

But in case those are not enough, Microsoft created a site dedicated to creating your custom themes, or download pre-made ones with some sponsor partners like Ferrari, Coca-Cola and others, plus gadgets to go into your sidebar.

Microsoft Windows 7 personalization gallery

Via – Lifehacker