Jeff Keeping It Real!

Are you like me and forget what print cartridge goes to your printer?  Wonder no more, Cartridge Finder makes finding your printers cartridge a snap.  Cartridge Finder has an easy to use interface that makes it simple to figure out which cartridges are required for more than 10,000 different models of printer, copier, and fax machines.  All you need to know to start is the name of your device (i.e. HP, Brother, Epson, etc…).  They even provide pictures to help if you don’t know the model number.  The site also checks PriceGrabber.com’s merchant listings to find you the best price on the product you need.  They will look online along with local store’s that might have a deal in your area.  My printer came up a bunch of different online locations to purchase the cartridge along with local stores like Office Depot and Circuit City.

I recommend bookmarking Cartridge Finder for future reference.

I came across an interesting post by Productivity501 called Correct Way to Send Out Group Emails.  In it he says:

Simply put yourself in the To field and everyone else in the BCC field.  That way both “Reply” and “Reply All” will only come back to you and recipients can’t see each other’s email addresses.

Let’s take this a step further and remind people to remove the header information when they click on Forward.  This is the information that looks something like this.

—– Original Message —–

From: John Jacob

To: thisperson@help.com, thatperson@ok.net, someoneelse@hotdog.org

Sent: Mon Nov 12 12:13:29 2007

Subject: FW: This is so funny you will laugh!

There once was a man from Nantucket……..

The From, To, Sent, and Subject is considered the header information.  When you forward an email that information is continued forward to the next person.  Even if you follow Productivity501 post called Correct Way to Send Out Group Emails you still need to do a little more clean up work.

People often ask why worry about doing this?  There are some good reasons.

1) It helps stop people from selling your email address to spam/junk email companies.

2) It cleans the email up and eliminates a person from having to scroll as much they do right now.

3) Your contacts may not want there email address given out.

Technorati tags: email, protecting contacts, computers, email groups

Logitech® Premium Stereo Headset (P/N: 980369-0403)

I recently purchased this new headset by Logitech. I like the over the head earphones a lot more then I like the in the ear or around the back of the head. I found that it has great sounds and the microphone I have not had any complaints from people I have talked to on Windows Live Messenger and Logitech

Overview

Stylish, convenient, and comfortable, the Logitech Premium Stereo Headset may be the only audio accessory you need. It complements your PC´s sound card to deliver high-performance stereo sound from music, games, movies, and more. Its high-quality, noise-canceling microphone lets you get more from applications that use voice chat and voice command, such as multiplayer gaming, audio and video instant messaging. Inline volume and mute controls let you adjust or mute the sound, and you´ll enjoy maximum comfort thanks to soft foam earpads and a high-grip, premium rubberized headband.

Features

Dynamic stereo sound immerses you in your games and music.
Convenient inline controls let you adjust volume and mute the microphone.
Noise-canceling microphone filters out unwanted background noise for the highest possible audio quality.
Soft foam earpads and soft rubber headband deliver superior comfort even during extended listening periods.

Specifications

Package Contents
Requirements
• Stereo PC Headset
• 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack
• User Guide
• 3.5 mm microphone jack
• 1-year limited warranty Technical
• Frequency response:

Headset: 20-20,000 Hz
Microphone: 100-16,000 Hz
• Microphone Sensitivity:
-59 dBV/µBar,
-39 dBV/Pa +/-4dB

Microsoft LifeCam VX-3000 ( 68A-00001 )I have recently purchased two of these webcams. I put one at home and one at my desk at work. I wanted to start playing with the video conferencing aspect of technology. I also wanted to use it with Skype. So far the webcam is very nice it allows my 2 year old to see me in the morning when she wakes up and I am at work. There is a lag in video but nothing to bad. The audio is great I have no complaints with the built in microphone. It has face tracking and it does work if you turn it on but I find that when you do that it zooms in to your face and you don’t see your surroundings. In the case of talking to my wife and baby, that is not good, cause it focuses on one face and you miss the other. We use the webcam a lot with Windows Live Messenger. Works as advertised can’t complain.I have not found a way to have the webcam take a picture at a designated time and post it to a website. This is one feature that I would like to use it for that does not appear to be an option. I really like it’s compact size and look forward to taking it with me when I go out of town. Should keep the family in touch and save on phone bills.My next experiment will be taking pics with it and adding them to my blog.

I give the Microsoft Lifecam vx-3000 a Thumbs up or 4 stars out of 5.  Here are the specifics from Microsoft.

High Definition Photos
High Definition photos (1.3 megapixels interpolated)* show you in the best light.

Built-in Microphone
The built-in microphone automatically picks up your voice with remarkable clarity.

Windows Liveâ„¢ Call Button
Just press this button and select an Online Contact to start a video call.

Automatic Face-Tracking Software**
Move around without disappearing from the screen—advanced software keeps your face front and center.

Universal Attachment Base
It’s a snap to attach the LifeCam to any monitor.

Pan, Tilt and Zoom
The pan and tilt functionality make it a snap to capture the big picture, however you want to see it.

Flexible Six-Foot Cable
The long, flexible cable gives you more room to move.

Video Effects
Surprise your friends with cool video effects, accessible right from the Windows Live Messenger Window.

Up To 30 Frames Per Second
LifeCams capture life at 30 frames per second, which means the video images you see are smooth and seamless.I hope you find this review helpful and start using a webcam yourself.

Later
JB