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3 Questions You Should Ask Before Buying a VPN

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Staying safe when using public Wi-Fi is questionable. There’s no guarantee how safe these networks could be.

One of the best ways to stay secure on such a network is to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Simply put, a VPN is an encrypted tunnel between your device and the internet that protects your information from more-than-inquisitive people.

While there are a number of free VPNs, it’s still a good idea to pay for one as they’re faster, don’t have ads and have a bigger bandwidth than free options that are available.

That said, here are 3 questions that you must ask before you buy one:

#1: Are you located outside the United States?

There are a number of services such as Hulu, Netflix and Amazon on Demand that will be blocked if you’re outside the United States. Most people opt for a traditional VPn if they’d wish to get beyond these restrictions. For this, you will have to pick a VPN that has exit servers located in the United States which will make you look like a US user. One excellent sample to use is Media Hint.

#2: Do you use torrents regularly?

A number of these VPNs block torrent traffic. It’s a good idea to read over the policies of the service before you opt for it. This also includes checking as to whether you are able to download a number of Linux distributions that you’ve been meaning to try out.

#3: Is it a cross-platform VPN?

Another important aspect of picking a VPN involves whether it is cross-platform or not. Simply put, the VPN should be able to work across all devices and not just on your PC.

3 Ways by Which You Can Save Money Using Office 365

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There are a number of reasons why an Office subscription might be the thing you require be it the Microsoft Office apps for the iPad.

Probably an hour of free world minutes on Skype or even 27 GB of OneDrive storage for each user which is also just as tempting.

However, you don’t have to pay $10 a month or $100 a year. You can get some time for free while also saving money on the aforementioned standard rate.

So, here are three ways by which you can save money when using Office 365:

#1: Enjoy one free month

The first thing that you should know about Office 365 is that you get one full month free of cost. For that, you’ll have to set up a free Microsoft account – your Xbox Live, Outlook.com or even your OneDrive account should do. Be advised that if you do provide your credit card, you will be charged $10 if you don’t cancel your account before the free month is finished.

#2: Don’t subscribe from Microsoft directly

By the time you are done with a month of using Office 365 for free, you’ll know whether or not it’s right for you. However, you don’t have to subscribe for this service by visiting the Microsoft website or as an in-app purchase. A cheaper option includes a discounted subscription key card for just $68 from Amazon.

#3: Subscribe for multiple years

If you wish to purchase multiple subscriptions for several years, you can do that even if Microsoft does not advertise. So, all you have to do is purchase a couple of the aforementioned cards and which works out much cheaper compared to buying it in other ways.

Explaining Diamond-Like Carbon

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Diamond-like carbon is made under controlled circumstances inside a laboratory.

Written by: Denton Vacuum, LLC

There are seven varieties of “man-made diamond” to be found. These materials are meant to replicate the hardness and luster of a naturally occurring diamond, but they are produced in a laboratory under controlled conditions. As a result, the synthetic materials are usually considered “perfect.” On a molecular level, the materials are nearly indistinguishable from those of a naturally occurring diamond, but there are definite differences apparent to those in the know.

Diamond like carbon is used in materials that would benefit from the extra durability, like drill bits or saw blades for construction. You’ll also find the material inside of the housing in hard disks, and the engines of modern day sports cars use the dust to coat their parts too. The main benefit is reduced abrasion, which is especially important in high performance tools.

Natural diamonds sometimes have a hue that is barely noticeable, but does change the color of the diamond. In manufacturing, it is possible to use plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition to achieve the same goals.

Coating a substrate with these materials requires extreme heat. This is why manufacturers rely on ion beam deposition. It allows a producer to create the conditions needed to break down the diamond-like carbon, and use those molecules to produce a thin-film coating. This material can strengthen glass, making it scratch resistant.

An increased lifespan for the product is also better for the environment, because it cuts down on unnecessary waste. With diamond-like carbon, a variety of old tools can find new use with an increased durability.

3 Photo Apps That Will Transfer Your Photos Easily

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Probably one of the best features of a smartphone is the ability to take pictures just about anytime and anywhere.

While that might seem simple enough, the truth is that getting them off your smartphone and on to your PC can be a real headache.

Instead of having to deal with wires, a better idea would be to use photo apps that are already on your phone or can be easily downloaded.

That said, here are 3 photo apps that makes the task of transferring photos effortless:

#1: OneDrive

This storage option offered by Microsoft is very similar to DropBox, in terms of its backup method.  Not only can you upload pictures by using Wifi but you also get 3 GB of storage completely free. With Windows 8 combining SkyDrive and OneDrive, it’s very simple to upload pictures that will end up on your PC easily. Just set OneDrive to download your camera backup folder by default.

#2: Google+

Even though there have been rumors about Google+ meeting its end, you can still upload all your pictures to this social network. Best part: they aren’t shared with anyone but kept private instead. Even though you won’t have them on your hard drive, it takes only a few clicks to download them on to your desktop.

#3: AirDroid

With this app, you don’t have to sync your phone and PC either. You can pick when you wish to connect to your PC (without a wire, of course). It’s also very simple to move files between your PC and AirDroid.

Windows 7 – A Simple Replacement for the Outdated Windows XP

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No matter what you think, it isn’t safe using Windows XP anymore for the simple reason that it’s a magnet for malware.

Well, it’s almost been a decade now since the operating system has been around and so, it’s being phased out as Microsoft has released Windows 8 instead.

Speaking of which, your only options include replacing XP with Windows 7, 8 or jut opting for Linux altogether.

Among the three, Windows 7 is the simplest to try since it has the least learning curve than the other two.

Yet before you purchase a copy, it’s good to know whether your hardware can support Windows 7 or not.

In order to find out, it’s a good idea to install and run Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. In more cases than not, you will have to obtain a 32-bit version of Windows as most if not all XP PCs did not use 64-bit processors.

If you’d like to be absolutely sure, then use Gibson Research’s Securable which will look at your chip and let you know if it’s 32-bit or 64-bit.

Now, once you know your processor, all you have to do is Google the keyword ‘windows 7’ and look for the cheaper upgrade option.

Once you purchase the copy, just make sure you back all your data up. Better still, use the EaseUS Todo Backup Free to create an image backup just in case something goes wrong.

After this, insert your Windows 7 DVD, boot your PC and follow the instructions to install Windows 7.

Once you’ve completed the installation, you’ll find all your old files in a folder with the path: C:\Windows.old.

Face Recognition Time Machines

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Written by: Allied Time

Invest in your time and money on time systems that offers a great value on offering a hygienic, secure and fast verification of your employees’ identity when they punch in at work everyday. We guarantee that all our products are created in such a manner that each employee is secured with their identity and that it would only take them less than a second to verify themselves when they come in for work. Our leading attendance technology has been acknowledged by our long list of happy and satisfied customers because we make sure that we only create and offer a really great electronic time clock or other products that we offer. Visit our website and browse through our many featured products that have proven to be bestsellers over the years. We carry all sorts of time machine systems and we are confident that the solutions that we came up with will help any business. Any business with employees will definitely need to avail of our products because keeping track of time worked is very important in a company for the manager to process the money that should be allotted for each employee. One of our very sought after products is the Lathem time system, which is unique because it instantly detects faces of employees and it is a great alternative to fingerprint time machine systems because it is more hygienic and it is quick, efficient and highly developed with technology. Managers will be able to connect to multiple clocks to a single systems and it can store up to 500 employee faces if you upgrade the system.

Lathem time truly is a testament to our highly digital world and it is a new way for employees to punch in for work. Avail of this product and so many more when you visit our website.

2 Features in Windows 8 That Will Help You Manage Disk Space Easily

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Managing your disk space is now easier with Windows 8.1. In the past, people had to use My Computer or My PC and File Explorer to get basic information about the space on your drive.

But all that’s changed now since two features in the PC Settings makes the task of managing your disk much easier, and they are:

#1: Disk Space

For this, open the Charm bar and select Settings and after which, select Change PC Settings. Once the PC Settings app is open, then move to PC Settings and Devices as well as Disk Space.

Since you are checking for disk space, the results will take a while to pop up especially if you have a number of files on your disk.

Just keep in mind that these summaries are grouped by folders that are named specifically and NOT the Windows libraries.

So, in using this tool, you’ll be able to find out which folder is taking up too much space and take the necessary action by moving files to cloud storage or an external hard drive. Another feature of this app is that one can empty the Recycle Bin.

#2: App Sizes

Another aspect of managing disk space includes monitoring the size of applications which can be seen as soon as you click the link See my application’s sizes. This will take you Search and app and then to App sizes.

What you will find is a list of all your UI apps and the amount of space they take up. All you have to do from there on is to uninstall the ones that you don’t need – one by one. If you want to remove several at a time, you can use the Windows 8 App Remover instead.

3 Ways to Protect Sensitive Data on Storage Devices

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With the growing possibility that deleted files can be recovered from your PC especially if it is passed on to someone else, there’s a growing threat that someone can gain access to sensitive information and blackmail you with it.

That said, here are 3 ways by which you can protect sensitive data from just about any storage device:

#1: About Drives

If you use mechanical drives, then it is possible to recover data from these older forms of storage. In order for you to prevent this from happening, you will have to overwrite the drive with something else. This applies to external solid state drives such as USBs and SD cards and so on and so forth too. External drives have a feature called TRIM which ensures that all memory cells are deleted permanently.

#2: Use Windows 8

Prior to Windows 8, people had to use third party software to delete files permanently from one’s hard drive. However, now a feature has been added makes this task easier while also installing your operating system as well.

The feature is “Reset your PC feature in Windows 8 or 8.1” where you can “fully clean the drive” and have your operating system as a result.

#3: Use encryption for your files

No matter whether deleted or current, encrypting them means protecting all types of files. Software such as TrueCrypt or the BitLocker feature where the former can encrypt entire drives or even create encrypted containers too. Of course, in order to access these files, you will have to enter an encryption passphrase without which, the data still on your PC will appear as gibberish.

Why You Don’t Need to Encrypt All Your Backup Files

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The golden rule pertaining to your data involves carrying out steps to backup and encrypt all your files.

If it wasn’t for backup, all your files be it audio, video, documents and spreadsheets and so on and so forth would be gone in no time from your hard drive.

Also, if your hard drive fell into the wrong hands, they’d have access to all your sensitive (and personal) information which could result in identity theft among other disasters.

Simply put, the best case scenario is to not only backup your files but encrypt the sensitive files in the same hard drive.

While some commercial backup programs come with an option to encrypt files, it doesn’t seem to make sense to some experts to encrypt their backup files.

For the simple reason that if you are worried about people reading sensitive information off your external drive then you should also worry about them being able to access this information from your PC if it’s stole.

So, it should be obvious that you should encrypt your files on your internal drive and which will be encrypted when backed up.

Also, there’s no point in encrypting everything. Well, a thief won’t be able to do much with your vacation pictures either. Of course, legal documents, bank statement or even tax forms are important.

It is for this reason that one should consider trying an open source program such as TrueCrypt but only as a volume in a place that is a part of your regular backup routine (like My Documents) instead of a separate partition itself.

IT and cooling units

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At first blush, one would think that “what’s the relation between IT and air conditioners? Does this mean that IT guys feel uncomfortable and sweat just like the rest of us when it gets warm?” Well of course, they’re every bit as human as we all are. But if you take a second and think, you’ll realize that computers, terminals, and all the equipment these guys run consume a whole lot of power – and when we talk about large power consumption, that means an equally large amount of heat generation too. Computers love the cold, and that’s because these machines function a whole lot better if it’s temperatures are maintained at a certain level. Computers that get too hot can malfunction or totally break down. Circuits and chips inside these things can warp, or even burn up if it isn’t cooled properly. That’s why IT equipment need spot cooling as well as dehumidification to ensure that these machines operate at constant temperatures so they don’t get damaged and worn out too quickly. What this means is that properly cooled IT equipment would require less maintenance due to unexpected failures, malfunctions, or breakdowns. That translates to less dollars spent on repairs and overhead, and more dollars focused on your core business. Perhaps, the most important thing you should take from this is the fact that poorly-cooled IT equipment such as servers and mainframes can malfunction and break down much sooner than its supposed to. So don’t scrimp on cooling units for your IT department!