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Passwords with Simple Character Substitution are Weak

Learn why you shouldn't use the common advice of substituting numbers or special characters for letters in passwords.

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Book review: Teach Yourself VISUALLY Web Design by Rob Huddleston

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Web Design (Teach Yourself VISUALLY by Rob Huddleston My rating: 2 of 5 stars Absolute novices may benefit from this book's introduction to HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and SQL, but it's so elementary that it's useless for anyone with any web design experience. Only the essentials of each technology are covered, so […]

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10 common WordPress plugins for starters

These are 10 free, popular WordPress plugins that I've found useful for most WordPress sites. I presented this list at the Kalamazoo/West Michigan WordPress Users Group on Dec 9, 2010. Please add your feedback and favorite WordPress plugins in the comments! Akismet Chap Secure Login Contact Form 7 FD Feedburner Plugin Google Custom Search Plugin […]

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Book review: WordPress for Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson

WordPress For Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the best WordPress book I’ve read so far; it’s great for beginners and intermediate WordPress designers. Lisa Sabin-Wilson, a well-known WordPress authority with firsthand experience, starts with the basics and builds up in each chapter. Beyond the essentials, there’s an appropriate […]

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Listen and learn with podcasts

If you listen carefully, you’ll hear one of the sounds I hate most in this world... that’s the sound of wasted time. How many hours a week do you spend cleaning the house, working out, driving, or doing other things that put your brain on idle? Put those otherwise wasted hours to good use by […]

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Budget home computer Fall 2010

I recently built a custom home productivity PC for a client. The PC was built for web browsing, Microsoft Office, and watching DVDs. The operating system (OS) is Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. Here are the components, with links to Newegg. Processor (CPU): AMD Athlon II X2 245 Motherboard: Foxconn A6GMV Video card: GIGABYTE […]

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Book review: Website Owner's Manual by Paul Boag

Website Owner's Manual by Paul Boag My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book instructs website owners in using their website(s) to engage customers and build their brand. I’ve read several technical web design books lately, but wanted to read this one to see things from the site owner’s perspective, in preparation for working with […]

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7 technology trends from Holland Chamber of Commerce Tech Lunch

Today I went to the Business Technology Trends Tech Lunch at Herrick District Library, put on by the Holland Chamber of Commerce. Jason Kehrer, Chief Problem Solver at The Image Group, presented 7 emerging technology trends to an audience of local business owners and professionals. Throughout the presentation, we discussed how these technologies are affecting […]

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xkcd map of online communities (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.)

xkcd, one of my favorite geeky web comics, posted their second proportionate map of online communities: Online Communities 2. It represents the relative amount of social activity of various sites and programs as the size of fictional countries on a map. I wasn't surprised that Facebook is so huge, but I had no idea that […]

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18 keyboard shortcuts for Windows

Stop wasting time moving your hands from the keyboard to the mouse! These keyboard shortcuts will work for most Windows programs: Alt+underlined letter: Open menu, select option, or press button F2: Rename file or folder (after clicking to select it) Windows Key+E: Open My Computer Windows Key+D: Minimize all open windows, show the desktop Home/Ctrl+Home: […]

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Book review: Sams Teach Yourself WordPress in 10 Minutes

Sams Teach Yourself WordPress in 10 Minutes by Chuck Tomasi My rating: 2 of 5 stars Don't let the title fool you, because you won't learn WordPress in 10 minutes! Each of the 13 lessons takes 10 minutes, and at the end, you won't be able to say you taught yourself WordPress because it barely […]

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Book review: Teach Yourself Visually WordPress

Teach Yourself Visually WordPress by Janet Majure My rating: 2 of 5 stars This book is for absolute beginners looking for the most basic essentials of WordPress. If you've graduated from beginner to amateur or above, there's not much for you here. I also wasn't a fan of the cartoony robot pictures infesting the book. […]

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