Category Archives: General Tech Info

General topics that are of interest to the technologically appreciative communities of the web.

Windows 8 Shortcuts

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Here is a list of Windows 8 shortcuts that i have compiled.

Windows key
Windows key Opens Start Screen
Windows key + B Go to the Desktop from the Start Screen
Windows key + C Opens Charms bar
Windows key + D Show Desktop
Windows key + E Locks device orientation
Windows key + F Opens Metro File search
Windows key + G Cycle through desktop gadgets
Windows key + H Opens the Metro Share charm panel
Windows key + I Opens the computer Settings charm panel
Windows key + J Switch focus between snapped ans larger apps
Windows key + K Opens the Connect Devices charm panel
Windows key + L Lock System and show Lock screen.
Windows key + M Minimize all Windows on the desktop
Windows key + O Locks device orientation
Windows key + P Choose between available displays.
Windows key + Q Opens Metro App Quick Search
Windows key + R Opens the Run box
Windows key + T Set focus on taskbar & cycle through running desktop apps
Windows key + U Opens the Ease of Access Center
Windows key + V Cycles through toasts
Windows key + Shift + V Cycles through toasts in reverse order
Windows key + W Opens Metro Settings search
Windows key + X Opens the Start Menu
Windows key + Y Peak at the Desktop
Windows key + Z Opens App Bar
Windows key + Tab Cycles through Metro style apps
Windows key + Shift + Tab Cycles through Metro style apps in reverse order
Windows key + Ctrl + Tab Cycles through Metro style apps and snaps them as they are cycled
Windows key + Spacebar Switch input language and keyboard layout
Windows key + Enter Launches Narrator
Windows key + PgUp Moves Metro style apps to the monitor on the left
Windows key + PgDown Moves Metro style apps to the monitor on the right
Windows key + Shift + . (period) Snaps an application Left)
Windows key + . (period) Snaps an application Right)
Windows key + , (comma) Aero Peek at the desktop
Alt key
Alt key + (1-9) Go to application at the number position on the taskbar
Alt key + + (plus) Zoom in
Alt key + – (minus) Zoom out
Alt key + Break System Properties
Alt key + Left Arrow Snap Window to the Left
Alt key + Right Arrow Snap Window to the Right
Alt key + Up Arrow Maximize App
Alt key + Down Arrow Minimize App
Alt key + D Select address bar (Explorer)
Alt key + Enter Properties
Alt key + Spacebar Shortcut Menu
Alt key + Tab Switch between apps
Alt key + Left Arrow Previous folder (Explorer)
Alt key + Up Arrow Go up one level (Explorer)
Alt key + F4 Close active item or application
Ctrl key
Ctrl + A Select all
Ctrl + C Copy
Ctrl + E Select search box (Explorer)
Ctrl + N New Window (Explorer)
Ctrl + R Refresh
Ctrl + V Paste
Ctrl + W Cose current Window (Explorer)
Ctrl + X Cut
Ctrl + Y Redo
Ctrl + Z Undo
Ctrl + Esc Start screen
Ctrl + Tab Cycle through metro app history
Ctrl + Ins Copy
Ctrl + Left Arrow Previous word
Ctrl + Right arrow Next word
Ctrl + Up arrow Previous Paragraph
Ctrl + Down arrow Next Paragraph
Ctrl + F4 Close active document
Shift key
Shift + Tab Move backwards through options
Shift + Ins Paste
Ctrl + Shift key
Ctrl + Shift + N New folder (Explorer)
Ctrl + Shift + Esc Opens Task Manager
Left Arrow Select a block of text
Right Arrow Select a block of text
Up Arrow Select a block of text
Down Arrow Select a block of text
Ctrl + Alt key
Ctrl + Alt + D Docked mode (Magnifier)
Ctrl + Alt + I Invert Colors (Magnifier)
Ctrl + Alt + L Lens mode (Magnifier)
Ctrl + Alt + Tab Switch between apps using arrow keys
Alt + Shift key
Alt + Shift + PrtSc High Contrast
Alt + Shift + NumLock Mouse Keys

FCC to vote on net neutrality

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Hello, Citizen of the Internet!  Today the FCC is going to vote on Net Neutrality, something we should all (for the most part) support.  It’s expected to pass.  The problem is, now, we’re not entirely sure what all is being proposed OR if the FCC even has jurisdiction over broadband providers (which may open a whole other can of worms).  So if NN is going to pass, there will no doubt be a massive landslide of lawsuits.  What IS expected to be a part of net neutrality are a set of rules keeping providers from outright blocking legal content on the internet.  Some speculate that while this will protect the customer, it may create a loophole that will allow broadband providers such as Comcast and AT&T to charge “congestive” services such as youtube and netflix a fee to pass data through their networks – something we’ve already seen happening.  All-in-all this is definitely something to watch – especially this close to the holidays.

IBM’s Jeopardy Challenge

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IBM amazed people when Deep Blue beat Gary Kasparov in May of 1997. Well, IBM is at it again, but this time the game is Jeopardy, and the computer system is Watson. Watson is being built to take on some of the best Jeopardy contestants. Check out the video after the break.

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Windows 7 to kill Linux; Linux to retaliate and firebomb Windows 7

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It’s the same old story every year: Linux will finally dominate Windows, Windows will finally kill off that pesky open-source Linux. My dad’s better than your dad; my mashed potatoes can beat-up your mashed potatoes. The truth simply is it’s not going to pan out like that. Linux will still dominate the server world and Windows will still dominate the desktop world (and if you think vista’s failing is a sign of Microsoft’s slipping, I kindly ask you to remember Windows ME followed by the popularity of XP). So what’s new to the battle front? Well, honestly, it’s not really ‘new’ it’s just what people are talking about these days. ‘Netbooks’. And I highly doubt it will be some epic battle of Good Vs. Evil, either. Continue reading →

Webcam Multitouch Interface, Nvidia 4Gig RAM graphics Card, Vmware for Your Phone

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I watched one of the most amazing videos I’ve seen in a while – It’s of a “multitouch-like hand gesture interface” that uses only a standard webcam. I could describe it for you, but really, you need to see it for yourself . I can only imagine how this will affect even just the design aspect of computing, among many others. Amazing, even for being in early development.

Watch the video here!

Stick around after the jump to hear about a new Nvidia Quadro graphics card with 4gigs of ram and how vmware is wanting to bring virtualization to your cell phone.

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Cloning drives for free, no matter the operating system.

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Pretend you’ve got 5 identical windows 2003 servers (or any server for that matter – cent os, windows 2003, 2008, and mac os even!) to setup in one work shift. Why break your back trying to install them one at a time on top of doing all the updates? You can just do one base install and ‘ghost’ the drive. “That’s expensive”, you might proclaim! Not so – in fact, I’ll let you in on a little secret – Gparted. Why spend $700 on cloning software when you can just do the same job for free? Yeah, free! Free as the air you’re breathing right now (unless you’re in space, reading from the ocean, or maybe reading from Mt. Everest).
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Recover disk space by removing windows hot fix backup files.

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When windows performs it’s updates, often but not always some of the hot fixes leave backup files so that you can later uninstall those hot fixes should they themselves be a problem. Normally these backup files present no issue and can simply be ignored. On the occasions where this is not the case and you need or simply want that space back, there is a free tool to help.

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DEMO 08

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NetworkWorld has a slide-show of 15 new technologies from DEMOfall 08. Showcased are everything from services dedicated to finding ‘spin’ in news stories, to new money management, to finding musicians for project collaboration, to RFID tags for home use, to streaming media from your house to your cellphone! Don’t worry, IT gang, there’s new ways to spy on you, new ways to monitor servers/tickets/inventory (like we need anymore of that – there’s enough open-source options to fill a colo), to a PCIe card that uses flash memory for a SAN. It’s worth the few minutes to check out. The one thing that’s strangely absent from the list is a new product to take a slide-show and put it into a normal html based page.

Remember WebTV?

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It seems that Intel and Yahoo are teaming up to create a new version of the failed WebTV. An article on bbc describes it pretty well. The main difference here is this new chip from intel, designed specifically for web-connected devices, will allow you to use widgets (if you have an igoogle account, you’re probably quite familiar with widgets) and still view television as normal – something WebTV could not do. I could see this actually catching on, depending on initial price, etc. How many people do you know who watch television with their lap-top on the coffee table? I can think of five off the top of my head. One thing that is not mentioned, is if the ability to harness the internet outside of the widget capability will be included. The picture-in-picture functionality could be quite fun; one screen playing the new season of Heroes, while the other is posting “OMG did you see that” in the fan-boy forums. It could just be what WebTV was trying to do.