When I was learning how to use audio editing software, my teachers always stressed the use of keyboard shortcuts. After learning how much faster and simpler keyboard shortcuts made editing on specific software, I started to take their advice and use it towards my everyday computing. With that being said, here are my top 5 favorite Mozilla Firefox Keyboard Shorcuts:

#5

CTRL+U = View Source

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My brother sent me an email with a very cool tool that will automatically detect if your computer is indeed infected with the Conficker Virus. Just go to this mcafee url (this is a safe and 100% secure url)
http://www.mcafee.com/us/local_content/downloads/conficker_detection_tool.zip
and then download the Conficker Detection Tool. Unarchive or unzip the detection tool to your desktop and then run the detection tool. Follow the attached screenshot to test your computer. If your result is “Not Infected” you are safe. However, if you are infected, please head on over to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=AD724AE0-E72D-4F54-9AB3-75B8EB148356&displaylang=en to download the Malicious Software Removal Tool from Microsoft or have Microsoft scan and clean your computer at http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm?s_cid=sah with their Live OneCare Safety Scanner.

DownloadSquad.com recently talked about how the Conficker Worm’s latest variant is to be release within a week from today. The worm can and has affected Microsoft Windows machines from Windows 2000 and up.

To make sure you are clear of the Conficker Worm, visit Bit Defender’s website on it HERE.

I have been helping out at Cuyahoga Community College’s Recording Arts and Technology department since my graduation and have found myself alone with my PC in a world of Mac computers.  90% of our computer labs are outfitted with completely brand new Mac G5 Pros and only one of the small labs consists of Core 2 Duo PCs.  Also, almost all of the instructors and any student with a laptop are carrying around shiny new Macs, while I carry my Core 2 Duo (Thanks MusicXPC) PC.  It has been quite a struggle to crossover any large amount of information from my PC to everyone elses’ Mac.

I know there is a huge OS war on the ‘internets’ but I will leave that for much more educated (read non-educated) people to fight that out.  However,  I am a firm believer that an operating system choice should be made by deciding what applications you will be working with.  I feel that applications strongly define how an operating system feels to a user.  An OS choice also depends on what is standard in the particular field you are looking to use your computer in.  This brings me to why it is difficult for me at times to collaborate with my PC and everyones Mac.

If I have a PC, I can’t readily, out of the box, read or write to any Mac formatted (HFS+) drive.  With a Mac, I can read but not write to a Windows formatted (NTFS) out of the box.  Over the last few years with Macs becoming much  more popular in both the public and in artistic fields, a lot of development has gone into crossing the two platforms.  Unfortunately the speed at which these two platforms are groing is quicker than the development of crossing applications.  As soon as someone has figured out a way to link the two devices together, that platform releases something completely new and unsupported.  For example, newer Leopard Macs now feature an optional and brand new file system developed by Sun Microsystems.  I can’t imagine that someone has already thought of a way for PCs to read this file structer for customers right now.

As of right now, there are a few ways to work around this cross platform dilema:

Read on for the work arounds…

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