How to Blog For Search Engines Without Becoming a Content Mill

Being a blogger is not the easiest job in the world. It requires patience, determination, and persistence. You have to be willing to write for nothing, and sometimes less than nothing, when you’re starting your own site. One of my favorite bloggers Darren Rowse – the owner of Problogger and one of the Internet’s more financially successful bloggers – once wrote, “The Internet makes money for you when you build something that is real and when it matters to people.” There are lots of web designers and Internet entrepreneurs that believe they can build a website within some popular niche,...

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Calligra vs. LibreOffice: Which Is The More Productive Linux Office Suite?

Is LibreOffice the only worthwhile office suite for Linux users? Possibly not, thanks to KDE’s Calligra. LibreOffice, and its predecessor OpenOffice, have long been known as the leader in free office suites available for all Linux. While it’s certainly the most popular choice among Linux users, it certainly isn’t the only full-fledged office suite available for that operating system. Calligra is another choice for a complete office package. With two very good choices at hand, which one do you go for? I compared these two office suites head-to-head on features, design, and compatibility to see which one is the best....

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Don’t use Google+? You can still use it for Enhancing your Photos

You can use the photo editing tools inside Google+ to quickly fix your photos and make them look awesome with a click. The online editor also offers Instagram like filters and stylized borders.

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This story, Don’t use Google+? You can still use it for Enhancing your Photos, was originally published at Digital Inspiration on 17/09/2013 under Google Plus, Image Editing, Internet

Gmail's Old Compose Interface, Still Available

A lot of people complained about Gmail's new compose interface. Google addressed some of the issues with the "full-screen" mode, but there are still people who dislike the new UI.



If you want to go back to the old interface, there's a Chrome extension that does this. I rarely recommend third-party apps that change Gmail, especially if they're not from a reliable company or developer. I checked the extension's source code and I was surprised to see how it works: it only changes your browser's user-agent to IE8's user-agent, but only when loading Gmail. I'm not sure why the extension is not restricted to mail.google.com.

Obviously, this is a temporary workaround. At some point, Google will stop supporting Internet Explorer 8 and this will no longer work. It's a better idea to get used to the new interface.

How To Find And Use The Wallpaper And Lock Screen Images In Windows 8

Windows 8′s Start screen. You either love it or hate it. Or more likely, you’re just indifferent to it. And why shouldn’t you be? On most full Windows 8 machines, you rarely even have to look at it. But if you take a closer look, you may find some surprises. For starters, the Start screen and lock screen are more customizable than you think. You can use different backgrounds and themes for them, customize and rearrange the tiles, and use all kinds of different hacks to make things look just right. You can even make the whole thing work right...

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How To Change Folder Background In Windows 8.1

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In Windows XP, we could change the folder background colour without having to install third-party tools. In Vista and Windows 7, one could set a custom picture as folder background with the help of third-party tools such as Folder Background Changer. A quick search on the web reveals that there is no workaround or free […]

This Is What Computer Animation Looked Like In 2001 [Stuff to Watch]

In 1974, SIGGRAPH was formed by a small group of professionals who shared a common interest in an emerging trend: computer graphics. Since its conception, conferences, events, and award ceremonies have been held to promote the generation and dissemination of this relatively new artform, and thanks to the Internet Archive the entries from 2001 have been preserved in time for all to see. This is a snapshot to some 13 years ago, when Wikipedia first graced the Web and Apple released an odd-looking white box of tricks known as the iPod. That year Microsoft put the final touches to Windows...

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Yahoo Answers Gets A Refresh And Climbs Out Of Neglect With New Features

The new Yahoo Answers is being advertised as better, faster and simpler. After many years of neglect, it looks the part. Yahoo Answers in its prime was one of the best question and answer websites. Even Google could not beat this one. Now, the sweeping winds of change around Yahoo have finally touched one of its popular assets. The new user experience starts with the color – purple. For now, the new Yahoo Answers is being rolled out first in the U.S. So, users elsewhere won’t get to enjoy the revamped interface and the new features riding with it. The...

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Facebook ‘in talks’ to add Skype video calls

Facebook is said to be back in discussions with VoIP outfit Skype over adding video telephony to the social-networking site.

The pair have talked before but failed to friend each other on a permanent basis.

While Skype is keeping mum on the matter, a spokesFace conceded: "Last year we announced the integration of Facebook in Skype, so people can keep up to date with their Facebook friends through News Feed in Skype and even call and SMS their Facebook friends on any phone from Skype. With regards to any further integration, we don’t comment on rumor and speculation and have nothing to announce at this time."

Chances are that users of mobile devices will be able to talk over VoIP services through FaceBook’s walled garden when connected to the web. That’s a big deal.

The post Facebook ‘in talks’ to add Skype video calls appeared first on Hack Illusion.

10 Ways To Make The Most Of Google Groups

Once upon a time Google Groups was on the cutting edge of online social interactions. Today, social media is the elite. With an upgrade earlier this year, Google Groups has come out to create an identity of its own. It’s easier said than done because the age of Usenet and discussion boards seems to be drawing to a close. Google Groups needed an overhaul that would let it stay relevant against its own Google+ Communities and all-round integration with other Google products. Google Groups has come out of the surgery. I am happy to report that it looks fitter for...

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How to Issue a Command to Your Computer With a Text Message

You’re on the road, racing to your morning meeting, and then it dawns on you that in your haste out the door, you’d left your computer turned on. Normally, you’d kick yourself all the way to the office for the electricity you’re going to waste leaving your computer idling all day at home, but not today. Today, you pull over to the side of the road, send a quick text stating “shutdown #mycomputer”, and then head off again to work. Job done. This scenario is possible – or one where you need to kick off a virus scan, initiate a...

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How to Issue a Command to Your Computer With a Text Message

You’re on the road, racing to your morning meeting, and then it dawns on you that in your haste out the door, you’d left your computer turned on. Normally, you’d kick yourself all the way to the office for the electricity you’re going to waste leaving your computer idling all day at home, but not today. Today, you pull over to the side of the road, send a quick text stating “shutdown #mycomputer”, and then head off again to work. Job done. This scenario is possible – or one where you need to kick off a virus scan, initiate a...

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3 Free Tools To Capture Stills From Video Files

Have you ever wanted to grab an image from a video? When doing this, you usually want to capture a very specific moment. One second earlier, and you end up with an embarrassing or ugly frame you want nothing to do with. One second later, and the moment’s gone. To grab a good image from a video, you can either rely on your superb pausing skills, and manage to pause it at just the right moment for a screenshot, or you can use a tool to do the hard work for you. If you’re using an older version of Windows...

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ShareX: Screenshot Capture, Upload, And Share All Wrapped Into One

What if you could take a screenshot at any time, in any shape, in any format, all with no more than a simple click of the mouse or tap of the keyboard? What if you could instantly upload your taken screenshots to an image host, so you can share them immediately with friends? And what if you could also share image files from your computer? If any of that sounds intriguing to you, then I have the perfect program for you: ShareX. A few months ago, I wrote about a popular screenshot program called Puush. Up until now, I’ve been...

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How To Change SkyDrive Folder Location In Windows 8.1

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SkyDrive has been deeply integrated into Windows 8.1. Users who have chosen to sign-into Windows 8.1 using Microsoft account can sync PC settings across all devices using SkyDrive. In Windows 8.1, you don’t even need to install a dedicated SkyDrive desktop client, as you can manage your SkyDrive right from the File Explorer (Windows Explorer). […]

Chrome's Offline Dinosaur

A few weeks, an engineer from the Chrome team improved the "you are offline" error page by replacing the sad face with a dinosaur. I only get the new version of the page in Chrome Beta for Android, but some people report that it also works in Chrome Dev/Canary. The icon's address is: chrome://theme/IDR_ERROR_NETWORK_OFFLINE.

New Google Trends Interface

Google Trends has a new interface that changes how you add search terms and how you compare search volumes. There's still a search box at the top of the page, but its role has been deemphasized. The old interface placed search terms in the left sidebar, while the new UI shows some big building blocks above the chart. Filters have also been moved to the top of the page.

The "Top Charts" page now includes trending charts, not just lists of the most searched topics. There charts for actors, animals, authors, books, cars, chemical elements, cities, colleges and universities, countries, drinks, games, medications, movies, people, scientists, software technologies, space objects, sports teams, TV shows, and more.

The "Hot Searches" section has a calendar view that shows the hottest topics from the past 30 days. It looks nice. "Click the new calendar icon at the top of the Hot Searches page for any of our thirteen supported countries. Hover on a topic for some quick information and a link to see more search trends from the day," informs Google.

{ via Inside Search }

How To Disable Auto Brightness In Windows 8.1

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Automatic brightness or adaptive brightness is one of the features introduced with Windows 8 to automatically adjust the screen brightness in real time on computers that ship with ambient light sensor. In simple words, this feature automatically updates the display brightness as ambient light changes. Even though this is a fantastic feature for users who […]

Faster Google Maps Navigation

The new version of the Google Maps app for Android made turn-by-turn navigation more cumbersome. Google removed the navigation icon and integrated the navigation feature in the Maps app, instead of using a separate app. The new interface is more difficult to use because it requires more taps and the directions button is really small.



Fortunately, Google addressed some of the issues and you can start the navigation mode a lot faster. "Select a place, then tap and hold on the transportation icon. This will automatically open voice guided turn-by-turn GPS navigation and you'll be ready to go," informs Google.

It's not an obvious feature, but it lets you skip 2 screens. You first had to pick a route, see the list of directions and then tap "Start".



This tip also works in the Google Maps app for iPhone and iPad, so it's not limited to Android.

Google Keep to Integrate With Google Drive

Google Keep was supposed to integrate with Google Drive, but it's still a distinct app. Google Keep is a pretty basic app and doesn't have a lot of features, so you can't expect that it will improve.



Right now, you can only insert images and save audio files when using the dictation feature from the mobile app. Google Keep's code includes multiple references to an upcoming feature that lets you upload any file to Google Drive and add it to a note, preview the file using the Google Drive Viewer or open it using various apps. You'll also be able to add videos (YouTube URLs or videos uploaded to Google Drive) and play them inside Google Keep.

While this isn't the Drive integration I expected, it's still a cool feature. Hopefully, Keep will become a Google Drive app and you'll be able to open and edit your notes from Google Drive.