Over the years, I have waived back in forth about the usefulness of the desktop for storing more than a few shortcuts to programs.   Yeah, it’s a nice place to drop attachments you received via email or things you need to save quickly before heading home at 5:00, but by in large I have always felt the desktop to be an unorganized, clutter collector.

However, that has recently changed for me.    I found a nifty little program that lets you create containers on your desktop to help keep like items grouped together.   It’s called Desktop Fencesby Stardock, and it’s FREE.   

Here’s how it’s helped me.   

Below is my desktop before installing Desktop Fences:

And this is my desktop after installing Desktop Fences:

Desktop Fences will auto-organize for you if you wish or you can manually create and move your own fences.   Definitely worth checking out if you have a need to organize your desktop.   You can also hide all your fences by double-clicking the desktop.

The download is available at the product’s website.

Editor’s Note: 
Desktop Fences is not compatible with Apple OS X, but I’m sure a comparable program exists.

Whether I like or not, technology is part of my life, and part of that is helping others use technology to make their lives simpler, efficient, and organized.   In order to share that passion, I am going to start to post a tip or resource every other Tuesday.   This might be a tool, a concept, or something I just really think I need to share.

The web is filled with a ton of content – some of it’s awesome, a lot of it not so much.   The problem is that sifting through all the good content everyday can be cumbersome.   So I’ve been telling every one I can about Google Reader.

What is Google Reader?
Google Reader is a what many call a “feed reader”.   There are many feed readers out there, but Google’s is just my favorite.   A feed reader consumes RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, which is a standard for how content can be passed into a reader.    Outlook and even some web browsers have built in feed readers that you can use.

Isn’t RSS just for blogs?
No, RSS is being used all over.    You can consume many types of content such as news sites like CNN, FOX, and most newspapers.   But you can also use it to look at Twitter feeds and other social media information.   But yes, blogs use RSS too.

To determine if a site has a RSS feed, look for the orange icon like the one shown here either on the page, or in the browser toolbar.    By clicking that link, you can get the web address of the feed that can be pasted in Google Reader.

Here are some notable blogs to follow:

• Michael Hyatt – some thoughtful articles on self-leadership.
• White House – stay in tune with what the government is doing.
• Tim Challies – a full-time Christian blogger with some awesome resources and articles
• Free Money Finance – a personal finance blog.

How to get started:

1. Go to the Google Reader website.
2. Sign in or create a Google account
3. Click the “Add Subscription” button to add the URL of the RSS feed.

Advanced Tip:
One of the things that sets Google Reader apart for me is the keyboard shortcuts it has available.   Take a minute to learn the shortcuts.   It helps me browse through 50+ feeds quickly everyday.

I’ve been meaning to write this post for weeks addressing the issue of spyware & malware.  In my job at work, we continue to see a growing number of computers that have become infected with these viruses, to the point where we have been asking the user’s to walk through a 12-step manual to clean it up themselves.   I’ll post some links below, but this is not about cleaning up spyware necessarily, but rather preventing it in the first place.

Now before I get too far, my Mac Reader(s) is probably already mounting his response regarding the fact that this isn’t a problem on the Mac.   While yes, for the most part I’d agree with them, I do agree with caution.   Recently, Adobe Flash, announced vulnerabilities that weren’t specific to PC installations of Flash, but Mac as well.   Mac’s aren’t Fort Knox, so proceed with caution.

I am going to go out on a limb here, and suggest that the following two steps could prevent 98% of spyware/virus infections.  I don’t say that flippantly, but I do believe that spyware/malware infections say more about the security mindset of the user than it does about the computer.   Here they are:

1. Browse safely and with a purpose 

Spyware doesn’t infect you by searching for content on Google, rather most often Spyware gets installed when we get off the beaten path and start clicking links and ads outside of what we opened up our browser for in the first place.    Being wise with our clicks is the number one way to prevent spyware.     If the ad really seems so outrageous that you can’t believe it, then don’t click it to find out more unbelievable details.

One of the common instances of this I’ve been seeing is the “High School Video” on Facebook.     No, your long lost friend doesn’t have a video of you from high school, so don’t go try to watch – it’s a trap.   That’s how spyware works.   It’s get’s your attention, and then it infects your computer.

While not recommended, the truth is that in between various operating system installations, there are times when I don’t run any sort of anti-virus/anti-spyware package at all.   I believe that because I follow this principle, I can be just as safe I am with security software installed.

2. Know your security software’s warnings

Any computer should only have one (maybe two in some cases) type of security programs installed, and those programs will have their own set of warnings that it shows the user, whether it be for virus alerts, or program updates.    You should know what these warnings and notifications look like.  

A common way of getting innocent users to install spyware is to show them a generic pop-up saying “Warning, you have a Trojan Virus.   Click here to remove it.”   And because they aren’t aware of what these alerts should look like from the security software they do have installed, they click to remove it and that’s when the virus installs.     You must know the difference between your software and a pop-up.

so what do I do now?

1)  Make sure you have security software installed.   Anti-Virus is essential on PC, and one with anti-spyware is nice too.    And there’s enough of these free, that I never recommend paying for one unless a user just is to stubborn to follow the rules above.    I recommend Avast or Microsoft’s new Security Essentials.

2)  If you think you have spyware, then run a scan right a way.   I really like Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.   It seems to do a very through job of scanning a cleaning up this stuff.

Hopefully this information will help keep you and your computer protected!

I was sent this video the other day, and some of the statistics it showed were astounding.    Whether you agree with the term “social media” or not, the people-driven content that is being created and consumed is powerful stuff.   We have little choice but to recognize the trend and give it the credit it’s due.   

Much to the despise of some of my friends, I’ve become an avid user and fan of Twitter.    Twitter is what some call the “best part of facebook” without all the clutter.   Whether that is true or not, I can’t say, but I can say that Twitter has been an easy & convenient way to keep track of what people are doing, reading, and talking about.

But I have found Twitter to be useful for more than just keeping up with people, but for other tasks as well.  Here’s a few examples:

@TrackThis – Need to track a FEDEX or UPS, @TrackThis will send you a direct message every time the package moves.

@Woot – I’ve been tracking the daily deals on Woot.com for nearly two years.  Having the daily deal sent to me via Twitter saves me a few clicks every morning.    There are many websites like Woot, who have Twitter accounts to send website updates via Twitter, such as @CNN, @ESPN, among others.

And like all great web services, Twitter has a great programming interface which has allowed me to most recently combine our Polymon Monitoring System with @joepruitt’s PoshTweet PowerShell script to enable tracking our server’s online status with Twitter.    I’m still working out some kinks, but it’s been cool to find was to use Twitter for this. I’m sure more useful uses for Twitter, and tools like it, but I thought I’d share some of the ways I have been using it with my blog readers.

If I have any blog readers using Twitter, that I haven’t began to follow, give me a shout @andyjgarrett

Sometimes I need to be a "nerd".    This is one of those times.

When I came to AIA, my programming knowledge was very small, so it was only natural for me to set aside what I already knew and pick up and learn C# which my boss was using.    I got the basics down, and have been able to pick up new items fairly quickly along the way.     I've sort of made the challenge to myself that as I grow in my skills, I would try to bite off one or two new pieces of what .NET has to offer at a time, and not too much.    It's worked out pretty well for me.

However, my latest find has been one of the most exciting.   

Subsonic is an open-source tool that builds objects and classes off of your database, to give you the ability to do true object-oriented programming in code.   (I realize that this last sentence makes no since to most of my readers!)    In layman's terms, with Subsonic I am able to talk to my database in the same manner I talk to other pieces of code.    Maybe this visual will help:

Here's my original code -

Here's my code with Subsonic -

Look at the difference... it's like 7 lines shorter.     Subsonic makes my job as a developer so much quicker and more efficient!   It's unreal what options I now have available to myself.   And in the end, I become a better programmer through seeing how it does it's stuff as well.

And best of all, this is just one small piece of what this tool offers.   There's a whole bunch of utilities I have not even touched yet.  

So what does it all mean.   It means I can begin to get more done,  in less amount of time, and hopefully accomplish a handful of my goals in 2009 as a result.  I am sure in the coming months, you'll here me reference this tool more.

It seems like a few times a month someone walks into my office, glances at my screen, and asks "What Language is that?"  Whether it is C#, HTML, SQL or something different, if you don't have knowledge of what code looks like, it very well looks like some foreign language to someone else.  

However my knowledge of code, and ability to use it, is no different than the talents that other people have that I may not.   I look at those who can play guitar and I am amazed.   I wish I had the strength to rock-climb like the guys I see in outdoor magazines, or produce creative videos that would interest people in watching.

The reality however is that anything is able to be accomplished with the proper practice, tools, and patience.

All that to share this.  For those who might be interested in learning to program, I read this great article yesterday on 10 Tips for Learning a New Programming Language via the NetTUTS blog.   It's a great resource on how to get started.

At the risk of breaking one the few and only rules of blogging, don't upset your readers, I feel the need to discuss my love-hate relationship with Mac computers.

Please hear me out here, I like Macs.    There are a lot of things that I will admit that Apple does better than Microsoft.   Out of the box they are cleaner, typically more stable, and have pretty-intuitive features that come with them.   I do like their look.    When I see someone sitting in a coffee shop with a MacBook Pro open, I assume that he's a pretty cool guy.   And yes, I too have been persuaded by their marketing campaign to some degree.   

But I must admit, one of the biggest turn-offs from buying a Mac for me, right now at least, is not something that has been on my usual list of valid reasons, but actually a new one - their users.    This is not a blanket statement by any means, but in this last month, I have met three Mac users, that have just really been ill-informed Mac elitists (or want-to-be's), and their comments have just been the biggest bunch of junk ever.     Anyone that knows me, knows I love a decent technology debate, but that's not what I seem to get when talking with these "I thought that Mac commercials were cool, so I bought a Mac" converts.    Believe me, I would be more than open to switching to a new system if someone can honestly tell me how I could do my job better on Mac, but pulling an uneducated reason out of the sky, is not helping your attempt to convert me over.

Now let me be honest here, if I seem angry, I'm not.   Actually quiet the opposite.   I tend to turn and chuckle from these interactions.   Just yesterday, I was in a conversation with a guy at work, who basically said that he had to switch "'cause I do web stuff."   Now why wouldn't I laugh at that, because I know what he really means is that he creates some simple graphics and videos and plugs them into a content management system built on Windows Machine, hosted on Windows Server, running on ASP.NET - a Microsoft programming language.   I won't argue that his job might be easier with a Mac, but walking into a room with two web designers that have built every-tool you have used to do your "web stuff" (on Windows), with an uneducated comment like that, is no way to make a convert out of me.

The reality is there is still a large segment of technology needs out in world, that I feel Apple has not gone after yet, and until they do, there's a large number of users for better-or-worse that are still better off with a Windows PC.    And I believe we all need to come to a point where we can admit that, no matter what side of the fence we are on.   If a Mac vs. Windows conversation can't start there, then we will never be able to be honest about the pros and cons of one switching.

And above all, I wish that at the end of the day, whatever the topic is, that we attempt be educated.  I don't know it all either...

From the get go, one of the reasons for this blog has been to enable me to explore new technology and learn some new coding methods.  BlogEngine, my blogging engine, is known for being one the best examples of proper C# coding standards   I made some site updates on Monday, but with the business of life -- especially with closing just two weeks away on the house -- I just haven't had time to discuss them much.

First thing you notice is the header is changed.  That's simple, but fun to reflect the season of life we are in.   

Second, I am experimenting with Twitter, which I have yet to truly find the purpose of.   Twitter allows you to send short messages, 140 characters max, to it via multiple devices.   People use it to track life-in-real-time, or to share links of news or websites to read.    It's probably not going to last on here but Chelsey does have plenty of PREGO quotes flying these days related to her hunger cravings I could share.  Anyway, there's an area on the right with my latest "Tweets" via Twitter.

Last,  but not least is I have added my Picasa site to this website.   If you visit my photos page, you'll see the 15 most recent albums listed.   This is using an API which allows me to directly talk to Picasa.   I am not doing anything here to update them, but rather communicating with Google's servers for thumbnails and album counts.    Currently clicking an album takes you to Picasa, but I might adjust that in the future.  It's pretty cool, and was a fun challenge for me to learn. 

I'll acknowledge that Danny Douglass' Flickr Gallery was helpful to see how some else crafted something similar  (I don't know Danny Douglass, just read his blog).

Over the course of the past 18 months work for me has been more divided than ever for me between help desk for end-users  and web design.   I can truly call myself a "coder", because more than often I spend a majority of my week writing code for some project or another.

In September I pushed live two sites:

The first was a Sportlinc website, for the recently revamped AIA Sportlinc ministry.  SportLinc is designed to help resource student-leaders to lead AIA on campus where we do not have staff there to lead, mainly DII & DIII schools.   Chelsey actually is helping administratively to get this movement off the ground.   The website is resource-centered for students to be able to come and get resources to help lead team meetings, discipleship, weekly AIA meetings and more.

I am still not completely satisfied with all of the design, but am awaiting a new SportLinc logo to be created see what direction that make take the site.  My favorite piece however is the Campus Locator, where I integrated all of the campuses with Google Maps.   We were also able to copy that tool to AIA.com as well.

The second site is our Application Center.   As we begin to connect with more and more students we needed a more robust site be able to handle the multiple application needs as well as various forms.   This site has had over 50+ applications go through in three weeks for next summer already,  and will see somewhere between 1500 - 2000 total between Sept. - May.    I actually built the back-end for this site (what the staff use to process the applications) last summer.

I also want to share, not necessarily being the product of my work the new AIA.com.  It went live just over two weeks ago, and still has some tweaking to do, but definitely makes for an exciting September for our IT department.

I posted a page with brief descriptions of all my work here.