How-To: Stargaze Like A Seasoned Veteran

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Barry Schreibman

Follow The Giant Gourd To The North

If you were a runaway slave before the Civil War headed north to freedom,  how would you get there?

Follow the gourd. That’s how.

The fugitive slaves called the Big Dipper “the drinking gourd” and knew that it’s end star pointed to Polaris, the north star. The slaves sang “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” a coded song that gave directions on the escape route from Alabama and Mississippi. Traveling at night, the fugitives could always find the way north by using the Big Dipper to locate the north star.

Hopefully, no one is hunting you. And if you want to find the Big Dipper, Polaris, or any other celestial body, you don’t have to know the words to coded songs. Just put an astronomy app on your Android phone and then use the phone to stargaze away.

One of the best is Google Sky Map, free on Android.

With this wonderful software, long a standard for general astronomy apps, you hold your phone toward the sky and look through the viewfinder. The apps label every celestial body you can see – and some you can’t. No more confusing the Big with the Little Dipper. No more confusing anything.

Sky Map uses the built-in compass, GPS, and clock of Android-powered smartphones to display an annotated Sky Map of the area it is facing. The map will adjust as the user moves the phone. If a phone doesn’t have a compass, the app will work only in manual mode.

Sky Map even works in day time. Stars do not have to be visible for the app to label the section of sky you’re viewing with the names of the celestial bodies populating it.

A new feature on Sky Map directs you to that great movie theater in the sky: meteor showers. There’s nothing quite like a meteor shower, when the skies rain shooting stars, for beauty as well as scientific wonder. Especially for kids.

Sky Map’s “settings” lets you layer your viewing by checking and unchecking stars, constellations, and other elements on the list. To find the section of the sky most likely to host a meteor shower, you uncheck everything and point your phone skyward. When a shower is predicted, graphics will point you to the area where meteors are most likely to appear.

Not included in Sky Map is any information on moon phase – an important consideration for stargazing since the more brightly lit the night sky the more difficult it is to see celestial bodies. A meteor-specific app, Meteor Shower Calendar, fills this information gap. It gives you the moon’s phases as well as a schedule of the year’s meteor showers.

Fall is an especially good time for stargazing, especially with children. The night sky is more clearly visible than in summer. And it’s not so cold that the kids will scoot right back inside before you can say “Big Dipper” — or sing “Follow the Drinking Gourd.”

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How to App Up Your iPhone

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Barry Schreibman

Looking for iPhone apps?With Apple’s latest iPhone product announcement — and its flagship phone’s finally landing on Sprint — there are sure to be more and more people with a new iPhone. A new, empty iPhone, which you’ll want to fill up with apps. But who has time to find the good ones when finding them means sifting through the staggering number available – 300,000 at last count?

Nobody. That’s who. So this is where I come in – your friendly Cheetah Deals blogger. Read on and I’ll turn you on to some of the iPhone apps that give you the mobile experience at its best.

Google. You could access Google through your mobile browser, but the iPhone app, in addition to the usual search, adds some very nice features. Just say “latte” and the app uses your phone’s GPS to find the nearest Starbucks. Or you can snap a photo and tell Google to search for information on what’s in the image.

Soundhound. Soundhound identifies songs with lightening speed. Some say it works better than Shazam. You can even just hum the tune into your phone and Soundhound will find the song, look up the lyrics and run YouTube videos of performances.

Hipstamatic. There’s tons of photo apps out there, but none niftier than this one. Hipstamatic is basically a filter that will, in unpredictable ways, saturate, blur, or otherwise convert your photo into something very interesting – sometimes even stunning.

Evernote. Forget nothing. Evernote is a mobile notepad that synchronizes the data you enter into your phone with your desktop and browser. Use your iPhone to record a voice memo or take a photo and it will appear on your computer as well – and vice versa.

Angry Birds. You’ve got to play Angry Birds. It’s just too much fun. The object of the game is to catapult different birds with different destructive capacities into a wide variety of ingeniously built structures in which evil pigs are hiding. The heart of the game is neither the birds nor the pigs but the structures. When hit, they collapse in precise, realistic ways that suggest some real-life structural engineering went into the game’s design. Hit the sweet spot and you can collapse an entire complex structure with a single bird.

Urbanspoon. What to eat? And where? Let Urbanspoon suggest the answers. Pick your cuisine – any one up for Ethiopian? – and Urbanspoon will tell you where to get it. The app includes user reviews and maps.

Star Walk. Were you a scout? Did you learn your constellations? Me neither. This app will at long last let you sort out Ursa Major from Ursa Minor. Impress your friends! Just point your phone at the starry sky and this app will identify all you can see – constellations, planets and individual stars.

Redlaser. The perfect shopping companion. Want to bargain? Scan a bar code and it gives you product information, including prices at online merchants and other local stores. Thinking of Christmas? Follow your significant other around the store and secretly scan what your sweetie browses. You’ve just created an instant gift list.

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How-To: Troubleshoot Hall.dll Errors

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Alee Bluff

Windows XP Hal.DLL error fix how to fix hal.dll error

Getting an error message on your PC can be like taking a dagger through the heart. One common Windows XP error message pertains to a missing or corrupt “hal.dll” file. These errors usually display right after the computer is first started – when Windows hasn’t fully loaded.

The cause of this error is (surprise) usually a damaged hal.dll (DLL file) or a hal.dll file has been deleted or moved from its proper location. Less commonly, a damaged or missing boot.ini file or a physically damaged hard drive can cause this error.

To troubleshoot this type of error, begin by restarting your PC – it is possible that the hal.dll error could be a mistake.

Your next step, if restarting didn’t magically get rid of the error message, is to check for the proper boot order in BIOS. You could be seeing the hal.dll error if the boot order in BIOS is looking at a different hard drive other than the main hard drive.  If you’ve changed your boot order or flashed your BIOS recently, these actions could be causing your problem.

If that didn’t work, you might want to run Windows XP System Restore from a command prompt. If this doesn’t work, or if you receive the error message before you can complete the process, continue onto the next step.

Moving on, you should repair or replace the boot.ini file. The problem is often times the Windows XP’s boot.ini file instead of the hal.dll file.

Still getting a pesky hal.dll error? Try writing a new partition boot sector to the Windows XP system partition. If the partition boot sector has become corrupt or improperly configured, this could be causing your hal.dll error.

Next you should recover your data from any bad sectors on your hard drive. The cause of the error could be the physical part of your hard drive that stores any part of the hal.dll file has been damaged.

If you still haven’t found the cause of the error message, try restoring the hal.dll file from the Windows XP CD.

Another strategy involves performing a repair installation of Windows XP to replace any missing or corrupt files.  If this doesn’t work, try preforming a clean installation of Windows XP. This will completely removed Windows XP from your PC and install it again from scratch. This will definitely resolve any hal.dll error you have, but it is very time consuming, as you have to back up all of your data and then restore it after you reinstall Windows XP.

Finally, if all the other troubleshooting steps have failed you, you’ll have to test your hard drive. If you’ve done all the above, chances are you’re facing a hardware issue. If your drive fails any of the tests you’ll have to completely replace your hard drive and install Windows XP.

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Cheetah Deals Travel Guide: The Top Five Cities for a Winter Vacation

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Brian Sfinas

Every year, Travel and Leisure comes out with its America’s Favorite Cities Survey. Categories include the people of the city, nightlife activities, culture, shopping, food and beverage quality, quality of living, and finally – when the best times to go are and what kind of vacations are best for that city. As we’re deep in to the winter season, many of us who are lucky enough to have some time off may be taking or planning a much-needed vacation. So let’s look at the top five cities in America for a winter vacation, and discuss what makes each one a great idea for the colder months of the year.

1. San Juan, Puerto Rico

A bustling ocean-side resort city, San Juan was voted the number one city in the US to visit during Christmas, New Year’s Eve and winter in general. It also placed number one in the categories of ethnic cuisine and aesthetics. If you’re looking for a romantic escape, San Juan ranked number 2 of the 35 favorite cities, and was in third place for both family vacations and wild weekends. The notable blemishes on San Juan’s record are the low quality of their microbrew beer (ranked 20th), their theaters and museums (20th and 17th) and possibly most importantly the cleanliness of the city (ranking 21st). On the other hand, if you’re going to San Juan, you’re probably going to spend time on the beach or at one of the many luxurious resorts and casinos, not perusing art or seeing a play. If you can deal with the low cleanliness score, San Juan, Puerto Rico is the ideal place to go for a winter vacation.

2. Honolulu, Hawaii

Going to Hawaii for winter break should be a no-brainer. Out of all of the cities that made the list of favorites, Honolulu ranked number 2 for the best place to visit during winter and also number 2 on how pleasant the weather is.(#1 was San Diego) . It ranked in fourth place for romantic escapes as well as family vacations. While Hawaii should be an obvious choice for a vacation (regardless of the time of year, but winter especially) there is one downside: the food. Hawaii was number 33 on the list as far as hamburgers and pizza are concerned, their microbrew beer ranked 30th and barbecue, cafes and fine-dining restaurants are all lower than 20th on the list. If you have a stubborn or picky-eater going with you to Hawaii, you might have a hard time, especially if it’s a child who’s only used to or cares for American food. Aside from this concern – it’s Hawaii. That alone should make you want to pack up for the Aloha State.

3. Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona

Number 3 on the list of America’s Favorite Cities in the winter category is the tandem cities of Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona. As far as holidays are concerned, it’s ranked in the top ten for Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day and Spring Break. Spring Break is obviously not really part of winter, but having grown up in upstate New York, I’m aware that the powder could still be coming down as late as May in some parts of the US. The thing you don’t want to do is go there during the summer. For both the 4th of July Weekend and all of the summer in general, Phoenix and Scottsdale Arizona ranked 35th of the 35 cities that made the favorite cities list. You know what they say about Arizona in the summer: the worms have to use potholders to pull worms out of the ground. However, in Winter, the temperature is just great and that’s why Phoenix and Scottsdale made number 3 for places to visit this season.

4. New Orleans, Louisiana

As far as ranking number 1 for categories is concerned, New Orleans is, well, number 1. New Orleans ranked in first place live music, concerts, bands, visiting for a wild weekend, cafes, fine dining restaurants, cocktail hour and their singles/bar scene to name a few. It also ranked first for how proud the residents are of the city. On the other hand, New Orleans suffers from the same problem as Phoenix and Scottsdale: It’s just too hot in the summer. New Orleans ranked in 31st place for summer in general and 29th for 4th of July Weekend. In addition, it ranked 34th for cleanliness and 30th for family vacations. If you’re single or are looking for a crazy few-day excursion, New Orleans is your place for winter break. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a family vacation or are looking for something to plan for for the summer, New Orleans may not be the best choice.

5. Houston, Texas

Lots of the top cities to visit during the winter have a lot of diverse culture and ethnic qualities to them. But, if you’re looking for a straight-up, all-American city, look no further than Houston, Texas. Some of Houston’s highlights include their barbecue and their hamburgers (ranked 4th for both) as well as offering high-quality luxury stores (also ranked 4th) while still remaining affordable (ranked 6th). On the other hand, Houston is also not great in the summer (are you noticing a pattern here?) ranking 33rd for both summer in general and 4th of July weekend. Houston unfortunately also ranked second-to-last as far as public transportation quality and friendliness of pedestrians. People-watching and public parks also ranked 30th and cleanliness and architecture don’t break the top 25. These things aside, Houston is great for winter and as far as all-American cities go, Houston is really high on that list.

So, there you have it, a break-down of the top 5 favorite cities in America for a winter vacation. If you and your loved ones are thinking about taking off for the holiday season, these are the locales that should be near the top of your list of choices. What do you think? Where do you think the best winter vacation location is? Let us know by sounding off in the comments section below!

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How-To: Speed Up Your Computer

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Brian Sfinas

There are a number of programs out there that claim that they can make your computer run as fast as it did when it first came out of the box. This can range from programs that eliminate processes running in the background and eating up memory to mechanisms that restrict or distribute your available memory to programs on a priority basis.

Today we’re going to take a look at one of the leading solutions to making your PC run faster, www.myfasterpc.com, and discuss what it does for you.

  1. Disk Cleaning and Upkeep: The software you can get from My Faster PC goes through your computer to find temp files, cookies, your internet history and other irrelevant data on your machine and deletes them automatically at regular intervals. This is a really good idea for those who don’t have time (or don’t remember) to clean their internet cache every now and then. On the other hand, the time it takes to delete these things via a standard web browsers Internet Options is less than fifteen seconds, so while handy and reliable, the disk upkeep feature isn’t something entirely necessary.
  2. Settings Optimization: The optimization of your computer’s settings may seem like a daunting task to many casual computer users. Adjusting the size of the paging file on your system to optimize virtual memory may seem complicated, but there are pages on Microsoft’s own support page that can walk you through the process.
  3. Finding and Fixing Erroneous Files/Defrag: My Faster PC scans and repairs a myriad of problematic files that may exist on your PC. It finds missing references and invalid entries on your hard drive and remedies them, as well as having an option to defrag your hard drive. Windows does offer a do-it-yourself solution for this problem and defragmentation, and to be honest – it’s probably going to take a long time (especially if you’ve never run it before). Don’t be put off by the time it takes to sort through all of your mistakes – after all, they are your mistakes. Again, if you’re looking for an all-in-one solution, a program like the one offered at My Faster PC may be the best way to go.
  4. Start Up Items/Updates/Browser Management: Unless you’ve set all of your programs to launch on start up and have loaded your browser up with toolbars from every site that offers one, you’re probably not going to need these features. Computers let you know when they need to be updated, and sometimes it’s better to have the choice of whether or not to update. Start up programs and toolbars on the browser are easily manageable, and usually ancillary at best. However, if you have a lot of kids in the house who are just randomly clicking on things on the internet, this is probably a good feature to have running at regular intervals.

In summary, there are really two ways to speed up your computer.

The first is to purchase a program that does it all for you, and for many Americans, this is probably a logical purchase. You don’t have to worry about it working and your computer will work better because of it. There are a lot of solid options out there for this route, including My Faster PC, so you should be able to find one that suits your specific needs.

The second is a little time consuming, and requires some input on your part. If there’s something you want to improve about your PC, somewhere on the Internet, the information as to how to do that exists. If you have a spare hour, it’s possible to do it yourself.

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How-To: Lojack Your Computer

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Brian Sfinas

Lojack your computer and get it back when stolenI have a very expensive laptop. It is my window to the world, my looking glass if you will, and if anything ever happened to it – I simply don’t know what I would do. Even if your laptop is older, or slow, or just lame, it probably has a lot of information on it that is near and dear to you. Imagine what it would be like if that novel you had started, the pictures from Christmas or the link to that awesome site was suddenly gone tomorrow.

Maybe you lost it. Maybe it was stolen. Either way, you should’ve lojacked it.

Lojack is a company that started off with vehicle recovery. Using a clandestine radio transmitter installed on the vehicle, Lojack could track where it was and relay this information to the owner or the police. With a suggested 90% recovery rate and a reliable track record, Lojack gained a lot of popularity.

Soon, Lojack expanded to motorcycles, construction equipment, cargo and eventually… You guessed it, computers – specifically, laptops.

Wherever your laptop is on Earth, Lojack can track it down for you. The system is vulnerable, and if a genius computer technician nabs your laptop, and you don’t realize this for a few hours, it can be deactivated. This represents the 10% of times that a Lojacked system is irretrievable. However, most of the time, if your laptop is going to be stolen, it’s going to be snagged by some kid who thinks he just made a major score with no repercussions.  An hour later, you can be at his mom’s house – with the cops – and get it back before he even has time to download a bootleg movie.

Lojack is an investment though. Right now, it costs fifty dollars for two years (previously fifty dollars per year). This is roughly the same amount of money that you’d pay for an Xbox Live membership for one year, or for Netflix service for three months. The question you have to ask yourself is whether or not your computer (and all of the potentially personally sensitive data stored within) is worth twenty-five dollars a year.

If you don’t use your laptop for anything important, you should probably skip the Lojack system. However, if (like many young Americans) your computer is your bread and butter, it might be worth it to invest in Lojack.

Just think, in a few years, the technology will exist to self-destruct your laptop from across the planet, assuring that your sensitive data isn’t available to prying eyes. In the present, Lojack is better – besides, the last thing you want to do is blow up your computer when you realize that you left it in the bathroom because you wanted to listen to Ke$ha while taking a shower.

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How-To: Remember Everything

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Barry Schreibman

ifttt if thenWell, everything you want to remember. There’s a lot of stuff in all our lives worth forgetting.

But for those things you don’t want to forget – that strategic moment to put in the eBay bid, for example, or when you have to pay your rent – there’s a nifty new web service that will allow you to program any number of reminders. It’s called “ifttt” (like “lift,” but without the “l”).

You don’t have to be a genius at algorithms to program your reminders. It’s real simple. To automate reminders, the basic construct is this: You tell ifttt that if “A” happens, you want “B” to happen. ifttt calls these first-this-then-that constructs “recipes”.

A basic recipe is that wake-up call you thought you could only get from room service when you stayed in a hotel. Wrong. Now ifttt will let you automate a wake-up call for every morning at the same time.

But the tasks you can automate can get a lot more imaginative than that. The recipes you can program can automate any number of tasks. Here are some examples:

-   Want to know if it’s going to rain? Tell ifttt to send you a text message when the weather forecast predicts rain in your area.

-   Want to archive your tweets? Tell ifttt to send them to Evernote whenever Twitter moves to scrap them.

-   Want to read your Twitter links starred as “favorite” at a later time? Tell ifttt to sent them to Instapaper.  The same recipe can tell Google Reader to send anything saved to Instapaper.

-   Bored with managing both your Facebook and Twitter accounts? Use ifttt to send your Facebook status to your Twitter feed.

-   Always know when that movie you want to see is showing and where. Have ifttt populate your Google calendar with a current schedule of film releases you’re keeping track of.

-   If somebody tags your picture in Facebook, iftt will let you know.

-   When is your favorite band coming to town? Let “A” be the concert announcement and “B” an email letting you know about it.

ifttt opens up a treasure trove of possibilities – both practical and entertaining. Figuring out new ways to remind yourself of even the most obscure possibilities could soon qualify as an Olympic sport. Comments Linden Tibbets, one of ifttt’s creators: “We got really enthralled and immersed in the idea that when a designer builds a tool and puts it out in the real world, there are hundreds of ways it could be used” that the builders didn’t anticipate.

Something this much fun takes off fast. Since the service came out of beta in December of last year, more than 1,500 recipes have been created and more than 25,000 tasks have been used to trigger reminders using one of these recipes.

For now, the service is free. But, not surprisingly, Mr. Tibbits is looking for financing to reach a bigger market.

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Holiday Recipes: Raspberry Tiramisu

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Alee Bluff

raspberry tiramisu recipe

One of the holiday treats I look forward to every year is Tiramisu. Something about this delicious dessert makes my taste buds dance and my heart buds sing with holiday cheer. And an even more delicious twist on this holiday favorite of mine is to raspberries. To create a scrumptious Raspberry Tiramisu for your friends and family this holiday season you will need:

  • 1 pound of fresh or frozen raspberries
  • 6 tablespoons of white sugar
  • 1 cup of white sugar
  • 1/3 cup of hot water
  • ¼ cup of brandy-based orange liqueur (i.e. Grand Marnier)
  • ½ cup of cold water
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 6 tablespoons of white sugar
  • 1 pound of mascarpone cheese
  • 4 egg whites
  • 6 tablespoons of white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 12 ounces of ladyfingers
  • 4 ounces of grated semisweet chocolate
  • 3 tablespoons of sliced almonds, toasted

To begin making this delicious treat, you’ll need to combine the raspberries with 6 tablespoons of sugar in a medium sized bowl. Next you should crush a few of the berries and set them aside. In a small bowl, dissolve 1 cup of sugar in 1/3 cup of hot water. Once the sugar is dissolved, stir in the Grand Marnier (or comparable liqueur) and cold water and set the mixture aside.

Next you should beat 4 egg yolks with 6 tablespoons for about 5 minutes, until ribbons form. After the ribbons form mix in the mascarpone until the entire mixture is smooth. In a large glass or metal mixing bowl (with clean beaters), beat the 4 egg whites until they become foamy.  Gradually add 6 tablespoons of sugar to the egg-white foam while continuing to beat the mixture until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the mascarpone mixture, and then quickly fold in the remaining whites until no streaks remain.

Take the Grand Marnier syrup mixture and brush the ladyfingers on both sides. Place the syrup brushed ladyfingers on the bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch glass baking dish. Next spread the raspberry-sugar mixture evenly over the ladyfingers. After the raspberries, spread ½ of the mascarpone mixture over the raspberries. Next sprinkle chocolate shavings over the cream and then cover the shavings with the remaining cream mixture. Finish by topping with the toasted almonds, cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

After the Tiramisu has been refrigerated overnight, unwrap and serve this delectable concoction, and let the satisfied belly rubs begin! This dessert is sure to bring smiles to faces this holiday season.

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Cheetah Deals Travel Guide: Airplane Comfort

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Brian Sfinas

Flying on an airplane has been an option for commercial travelers ever since 1914. On January 1st of that year, Tony Jannus conducted the first U.S. government sanctioned commercial flight from St. Petersburgh, Florida to Tampa Bay, Florida. The flight lasted around twenty-three minutes. Chalk’s International Airlines in Florida then became operational in 1919 for commercial use, and claimed to be the longest continually operating airport until its closure in 2008.

On that first historic commercial flight, people weren’t worried about getting a window seat, getting upgraded to first class, or whether they were going to sit near a crying baby. They were worried about whether or not they would live. Nearly a century later, we’ve changed our perspective about what we expect from a commercial flight drastically. With a long history of service comes many innovations, set-backs and redundancies – but Cheetah Deals is here to help you make the most of air travel for the 2011 holiday season.

1. How to get your flight upgraded – A recent article from MSNBC.com discusses the way that airlines choose who is upgraded to first class in the event that upgrades are available. The first thing (and this may be well out of your control, which is why we’re putting it first) is to fly the same airline often. Most airlines will upgrade passengers with “diamond” or “platinum” flier status before the plane even boards. So, if you’ve been using Delta for over a decade, there’s a good chance you’ll get bumped to first-class. The next is to dress up. Most airlines agree that their agents on the plane make the decisions for upgrades as the plane is loading. In this scenario, active servicemen wearing identifiable military garb are usually upgraded first, followed by identifiable medical staff. Beyond that, many believe that if you are simply dressed as if you are an important person and are overly polite to agents of the airport, they will also upgrade you (this is improvable, but kindness does go a long way). As purported in the article, John Discala of JohnnyJet.com says that the best way to get a good chance for an upgrade is to bring a box of chocolates to the gate agents and flight attendants. Literally, food for thought.

2. How to get the best seat in the house – The first thing you need to know is what your goals are for a comfortable flight. Do you want to get off the plane first? Do you want to get served your meal/drinks first? Do you have leg-joint issues? If so – you want an aisle seat. Another great article from MSNBC.com discusses some strategies for achieving these, and other, goals. For instance, if you want to eat sooner in the flight, you want to be closer to the 1B and 1C seats (this gets you closer to the bulkhead galley, where they begin serving food from). If you want a window seat, buy tickets with a 3 in the number (four on some flights, and some larger flights with a center row may have a different numbering system, so research that before you make your decision). Also, be sure to use common sense – for instance, if you’re with your family and you get split up, ask the passengers around if they’d mind trading seats. Most people will accommodate these kinds of requests, and some people (according to the article) don’t even care where they sit! Keep these tips in your back pocket for when you’re reserving your flight, at the gate, and on the plane.

3. Comfort Pre-Planning – You know the score. Every once in a while, you get put near a crying baby, an elderly individual or someone else who (whether they can help it or not) might inconvenience you during the flight. For this, all that is needed is pre-preparation. One of the first things to talk about it your acoustic situation. Are you going to sleep during the trip or are you okay with watching an in-flight movie or rocking out to the satellite stations? If sleep is your goal, Cheetah Deals recommends sound-cancelling ear phones through which you can play a familiar soundtrack, natural sounds or even white-noise to help you sleep. Always enter a flight with the assumption that you WILL sit near an infant. Next is head and neck support. Airlines provide pillows, but they are very thin and usually unwieldy with the limited space you have. Consider bringing your own pillow/blanket on the flight, as the ones they give you might not get the job done. Finally, don’t forget your want-amenities. Need-amenities are things you probably won’t forget – medication, formula for a child, etc. However, there’s nothing in the rules that say you might not be delayed and have to remain on a plane for ten hours at a time. In this event, you want things you want – like a portable video game system for a young child, a book of sudoko puzzles for your wife or husband or even just an extra battery for your laptop so you can watch one more movie while you’re stuck on the ground.

Flying commercially in the United States has been an amazing part of our culture for almost a century – but things have certainly changed. When you go on your next vacation, remember to take into account the worst-case-scenario situations, as they may show up at any time. Let us know any tips you have for having an enjoyable flight or just sound off on the article in the comments section below!

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How-To: Get More Out of Facebook

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Barry Schreibman

How To Get More From Facebook

If New York is the city that never sleeps, then Facebook is the social medium that never rests. Its designers are constantly tweaking it and adding new features to it – especially now that Google+ has come along to compete.

So much utility gets added to Facebook so often that a lot of users can’t keep up. Indeed, one study shows that most of Facebook’s 750 million users don’t know that many of its features exist, or don’t know how to find them, or don’t even associate with Facebook the functions that these features serve.

So here are a few of the features that will let you get more out of Facebook and make it a pleasure to use, not just a habit.

Edit Link Names and Descriptions. Don’t like the title or description that Facebook automatically attaches to a link you post to your Facebook page? You can change it. Instead of clicking on the Share button, click on the title or description in the pending post. This will open editing boxes. Edit away. Then click Enter to save your changes.

Post a Playable MP3. You can create an MP3 player in the middle of a status update by pasting a link that ends in “mp3”. The player you create will let other users play the music file without having to click through to its host site.

Make a Photo Your Profile Picture. It’s a snap to make any photo tagged with your name your profile photo. Just read the fine print. The fine print in this instance is that extra blue link at the lower-left corner of the photo page labeled “Make Profile Picture.” Click that and up pops an editing page letting you crop the picture until it’s perfect for your profile.

Collaborate on a Document. Here’s a valuable feature that let’s you easily collaborate with colleagues on drafts of documents. Within a Group page, click on “Docs” at the top of the page and then the “Create a Doc” button on the right-hand side. This will create a text-only document that everyone in the group can edit.

Minimize the Ticker. The constantly scrolling window on the right side of the screen showing your friends’ updates as they come in is fun for some – but highly distracting for others. If you’re in the latter group, you can’t shut the ticker off but you can make it small. Use your cursor to grab the bar that separates the ticker from your Facebook Chat window and drap it upward until the ticker is as small as possible.

Track Your Page’s Success. You can have Facebook plot a graph of the number of times you page has been viewed and user feedback, plus a breakdown of which web domains are sending traffic to your page, and the demographics of your visitors. Just click “View Insights” in the upper right corner.

Block Annoying Commenters. You can get rid of annoying comments from obnoxious “friends” without letting them know you’ve “unfriended” them. In the uppermost right corner of Facebook, click “Account” and choose “Privacy Settings.” This will take you to a page labeled “Choose Your Privacy Settings.” Near the bottom is a section labeled “Sharing on Facebook.” Tucked away at the bottom of this section is a link labeled “Customize Settings.” Scroll down to “Things Others Share.” You have finally arrived at a setting for “Permission to Comment on Your Posts.” Click “Customize” to enter the names of those you want Facebook not to present with comment features when they look at your posts.

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