Archive for the ‘Computer tools’ Category

• AncestorSearch using Google Custom Search

• Security, Surveillance, GPS Tracking, Camera Systems, Spy Devices

• Lost, Unclaimed, Abandoned Assets

• "torrance" site:https://businessfilings.sos.ca.gov – Google Search

  Example of Ca SOS search by address, town, Agent or company name: "torrance" site:https://businessfilings.sos.ca.gov – Google Search Not all corporations are included.

• Historical newspapers and obituaries – free to search

• Newspaper Archives – fee

• Newspapers – Footnote – images – free to search

• Newspapers – search pages and images – free

• How can I see old posts on my Facebook wall?

• Lasting Memories – Palo Alto, Ca area obituaries

• Newswise: news for journalists

• Biznar: Deep Web Business Search

• GovSpeak: A Guide to Government Acronyms & Abbreviations

• IrfanView – graphic viewer

  Show EXIF/IPTC/Comment text

• blekko search engine review

• Federally-funded health centers

• FullShot Screen Capture

  "FullShot is a professional screen capture (print screen) application designed for any Windows user who needs an effortless, effective way to take screenshots of Windows screens."

• Screen Capture Elite :: Add-ons for Firefox

  "Screen Capture Elite lets you copy or save any visible, complete or selected region or a webpage and save it as a jpeg or png image file."

The rest of my favorite links are here.

I did have one techie admit that he learned something new at the presentation I did for the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. Their Sunny Climate Seminar is held every year in Hawaii, very painful…

Almost as soon as I minted my PowerPoint, So You Think You Know Google? (see an edited version), Google released design changes to Google Maps and added a new feature, SearchWiki, to Web search. SearchWiki — a search results comment feature that can be public or private — is potentially an investigative tool to see what people are saying about incidents and people and companies in the news. But SearchWiki may die before much of a database of comments develops because the addition has been fairly negatively received. Read more about this at Internet News. In a trial search example, enter “searchwiki” in the Google search box then scroll to the bottom of the search results page. Click on “All notes for this SearchWiki” and start reading the comments by selecting the link under the URL of each search result.

There are other blogs that are featuring screenshots and discussing all the new features on Google Maps Street View, but one feature improvement stood out to me — the revamped 360 degree rotate. Now, in the Street View image just hold your mouse button on the “N” on the circular dial as you move around the circle to get smoother, more incremental views of the street scene. An addition that I’ve long wished for has been added, although it’s not as seamless as the new panorama rotate, the “look up”/”look down” function. Remember zooming to get a good shot of a street address only to have it disappear from view? Now you can zoom, then elevate or lower the view for the enjoyment of a tall building (but no simulated scaling of the building) or to get a closer glance at the part of the frame that disappeared in the older Street View version.

One last Google note for those of you who use gmail. You no longer need fear a panic attack on the discovery that your email account has been swallowed by the cybermonster. Thanks to Inter Alia for the pointer to Gmail Backup.

TechBargains is a comparative search tool for reviews and products related to electronics and computers. This site keeps an eye on specified products that go on sale, then sends you an email alert.

The UK publication, The Register, has an article citing the difficulties with avoiding tracking of your Internet activity. Privacy and anonymity – Just how far does Big Brother’s Eye See? is peppered with links to news articles and data security sites. The author offers the surprising conclusion that a wireless connection through an Internet cafe may better shield your IP address.

I think the final frontier is still wireless. If you need a cheap, easy-to-borrow IP address that isn’t yours (but is entirely legitimate), there is always one available inside a Wi-Fi coffee shop, an internet cafe, or your local public library. Surf with a cappuccino, along with everyone else. Socialise a bit. Your IP address is a cup of beans. When combined with a system like Anonym.OS, these are good and mostly anonymous options for most people.