IT

Information Technology

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Contents

• Information Technology Links
• Operating Systems
• Displays
• Personal Computers
• Macintosh Operating System Tips
• PC-Based Software
• Web Browsers
• Web Browser Tips
• Browser Add-Ons
• FireFox Add-Ons
• FireFox Tips
• GreaseMonkey Scripts
• Web-Based Software
• Content Management Software
• WordPress Tips
• Social Messaging
• Twitter Tips
• Midas Oracle On Twitter
• Feed Reader Tips
• Midas Oracle Feeds

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Information Technology Links

• We are compiling the best IT links for you —see our linkroll, under “Computer & Internet Technology”.

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Operating Systems

• Linux + Ubuntu;
• Mac OS.

We recommend that you get rid of MicroSoft Windows.

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Displays

• Get a computer that has a big screen.
• Set the screen resolution of your PC at the maximum.
• You might need to augment the size of the font(s) used by your browser and your other software packages.

That way, you will have more things on your screen.

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Personal Computers

• Apple iPhone
• Apple Macintosh —with WiFi capability, of course.

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Macintosh Operating System Tips

• Put all the applications and utilities you use on the (always apparent) dock. Your cursor should magnify the icons upon hovering.
• In “System Preferences” and “Mouse”, pair the secondary button to the right-click of the mouse.
• In “System Preferences” and “Mouse”, set the launch of “Application Switcher” when the scrolling ball of the mouse is pressed.
• In “System Preferences” and “Mouse”, set the launch of “Exposé (Desktop)” when the mouse is squeezed.

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PC-Based Software

• Open-Source Software Packages
• Open-Source Mac
• Open-Source iPhone Software
• Open-Source Windows

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• Linux:
• Soon…
• Macintosh:
• Adium
• Alarm Clock
• AppCleaner
• Apple iLife
• Apple iWork
• Aquamacs Emacs
• Bean
• Burn
• Calcul Engine
• Check Off
• ClamXav
• Clipboard Checker – Apple URL
• CyberDuck
• Desktop Inspector
• Disk Inventory X
• Fight Gear
• Fink – Fink Commander
• Fish
• Formulate Pro
• HighLight – Apple URL
• iRed Lite
• iTools
• KisMac
• LiquidMac
• Menu Countdown
• MercuryMover
• MultiAlarm
• MyMind
• MySQL Launcher
• NameGenr8er – Apple URL
• NeoOffice
• Norrkross MorphX
• Notes
• OnyX
• Password Builder
• Plex
• QuickSilver
• Raw Photo Processor
• Romeo
• Second Time – Apple URL
• Service Scrubber
• SketchBox
• SnapNDrag
• StickEmUp
• SWF & FLV Player
• Text To Audio File
• The Unarchiver
• Tweetie
• Vienna
• Word Counter
• Xee
• Xyle Scope
• YourSQL
• Windows:
• AVG Free
• ClamWin
• Core FTP
• IZArc
• IrFanView
• WinAMP
• Cross-Platform:
• Adobe AIR
• Adobe PDF Reader
• Apple QuickTime
• Apple Safari
• Audacity
• BitTorrent
• Blender
• DivX
• FileZilla
• FreeMind
• GIMP
• Google App Engine
• Google Chrome
• Google Desktop
• Google Desktop Gadgets
• Google Earth
• Google Quick Search Box
• Google Picassa
• HandBrake
• Inkscape
• Java
• Jing
• Kompozer
• Komodo Edit
• Miro
• Mozilla FireFox
• Mozilla SunBird
• Mozilla ThunderBird
• MPEG StreamClip
• Open Office
• Opera
• RSS Owl
• Skype
• TimeLoc
• The R Project For Statistical Computing
• uTorrent
• Vdrift
• VLC
• XBMC Media Center
• XMind

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Web Browsers

• We recommend open-source software:
• Mozilla FireFox
• Google Chrome
• Opera
• Apple Safari
• Please, dump MicroSoft Internet Explorer where it belongs: in the trash can.

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Web Browser Tips

• When you spot a web link, right-click it and open it in another browser tab. That way, you will have many webpages open at the same time, and you will be able to back-and-forth between them.

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Browser Add-Ons

• Google Earth Plugin
• Google Gears

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FireFox Add-Ons

• FireFox Add-Ons
• BetFair ToolBar
• Brief
• Download Helper
• Favicon Picker
• FireBug
• FireSizer
• FoxClocks
• Google Page Speed
• Google ToolBar
• GreaseMonkey
• Live HTTP Headers
• RefSpoof
• Server Spy
• ShowIP
• United States English Dictionary
• Web Developer
• YSlow

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GreaseMonkey Scripts

• GreaseMonkey for FireFox.
• Library of GreaseMonkey Scripts
• Apple Trailer Download
• Download YouTube Videos as MP4
• Google Reader for Wider Screens
• Google Reader Preview Enhanced – (Use: Shift + V)

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FireFox Tips

• Use iTools for Macintosh to clean up your Internet footprints.
• iTools will screw up your FireFox bookmarks. Any bookmarked URL will be deleted when you restart FireFox. To cure that, read this and do what they tell you to do.
• You will now be able to see the brand-new favicons, instead of the old favicons stored in the FireFox cache.
• Another useful tool is Favicon Picker, which is a FireFox extension.

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Web-Based Software

• Google
• Google Accounts
• Google Apps
• Google Calendar
• Google Checkout
• Google Docs
• Google E-Mail
• Google Fusion Tables
• Google Gears
• Google Mashup Editor
• Google Maps
• Google Moderator
• Google Reader
• Google Translate
• Google Wave
• iGoogle
• Yahoo!
• Yahoo! Mail
• Yahoo! Sign In
• Yahoo! Pipes
• My Yahoo!
• For much more:
• See our linkroll, under “Computer & Internet Technology”.

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Content Management Software

• WordPress is the best.
• Here’s the list of plugins that Midas Oracle uses.
• For the authors registered on Midas Oracle, here’s how to publish using WordPress.

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• Programming Language: — PHP —
• Open-Source Database Software: — MySQL — phpMyAdmin —
• Open-Source Blogging Software: — WordPress.org — WordPress Documentation — WordPress Development RoadMap — WordPress.tv —
• Free WordPress Web-Hosting: — WordPress.com by Automattic —
• WordPress Themes: — WordPress.org – Themes — WP FrameWork — Carrington — P2 — Fall Season —
• WordPress Plugins & Widgets: — WordPress.org – Plugins — BuddyPress —
• WordPress-Related Services: — Gravatar —

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WordPress Tips

• Do prefer WordPress.org over WordPress.com and WordPress MU.
• If you want to add plugins, make sure you know the techniques that clean the MySQL database and the WP options. Some plugins don’t delete the data they inserted in WordPress when you de-install them.

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Social Messaging

• Twitter

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Twitter Tips

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A good explainer:

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The Twitter Book – by Tim O’Reilly et al.

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The Best Twitter Readers

Web-based Twitter readers: FriendFeed, etc.

PC-based Twitter readers: Tweetie for Macintosh, etc.

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Midas Oracle On Twitter

• Midas Oracle @ Twitter

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Feed Reader Tips

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Site Feed Explainer

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RSS in plain English

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The Best Feed Readers

Web-based feed readers: Google Reader, iGoogle (with the Google Reader module), FriendFeed, BlogLines, NetVibes, etc.

PC-based feed readers: browsers (e.g., Mozilla FireFox, MicroSoft Internet Explorer 7+), browser extensions (e.g., Brief), cross-platform and open-source software (e.g., RSS Owl), Macintosh software (e.g., Vienna), etc. Do parameter your feed reader so that it fetches each site feed once an hour, no more.

RSS feed to e-mail: Feed My Inbox, etc.

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How To Subscribe To A Feed Via Google Reader

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• Click on “Add a subscription”;
• Paste in the box the URL of the feed you want to subscribe to;
• Click “Add”;
• Click on “Manage subscriptions” (at the bottom of your list of feeds) to put your new feed in a folder;
• Click on “Folder settings” and “Sort by oldest” (in the main view), to read your feed items starting with the oldest items.

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Getting Started with Google Reader

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Reading Feeds with Google Reader

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Sharing Items with Google Reader

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Feed Reader Advice

• I recommend that you read any blog within a Web-based feed reader, and I recommend Google Reader.
• You should be able to scan-read quickly the items within your feed reader —classify them, tag them, share them, and search them.
• Choose between the headline view or the full-content view.
• Read your feed items starting with the oldest items.
• Create a main folder for your most important feeds, and set it as your “start page”. Put your less important feeds in other folders.
• Tag the important items that you want to highlight and/or share.
• Share items with like-minded people who have good taste.
• Perform searches in your archived items —in all of them, by category, by tag, or by feed.

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Sharing Feed Items With Friends

To share feed items with me (Chris Masse) within Google Reader, send me an invite thru either Google Reader (”Sharing Settings”) or GMail (”Add Contact”). Once I receive your invite, I’ll accept it.

chrisfmasse +++at— gmail +dot— com

- Chris Masse’s Shared Feed Items at Google Reader

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Midas Oracle Feeds

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For people who want to read all the Midas Oracle blog posts within their feed reader:

Site Feed – Posts Only

http://www.midasoracle.org/feed/

Subscribe to the Midas Oracle site feed via Google Reader

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For people who, additionally, want to read the comments within their feed reader:

Sub-Site Feed – Comments Only

http://www.midasoracle.org/comments/feed/

Subscribe to the Midas Oracle comment feed via Google Reader

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For people who don’t want to read all the Midas Oracle blog posts, but only the selected pieces:

Sub-Site Feed – Best Posts Only

http://www.midasoracle.org/category/all-best-posts-ever/feed/

Subscribe to the Midas Oracle selection feed via Google Reader

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For people who want to read all the Midas Oracle blog posts, but not Chris Masse’s ones:

Sub-Site Feed – Guest Authors Only

http://www.midasoracle.org/category/all-guest-authorss-posts/feed/

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For people who want to read only a small part of the Midas Oracle content, there are three other types of sub-site feeds:

Sub-Site Feed – Category

Sub-Site Feed – Tag

Sub-Site Feed – Author

Snatch any of the URLs at Categories, Tags or Posters, and add “feed/” at the end.

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Midas Oracle Contents

- Pages

- Posts

- Best Posts

- Probabilistic Predictions

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About Midas Oracle

- About Midas Oracle .ORG

- Blog Authors

- Contact

- Terms Of Use

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