Never Be Afraid To Ask

In the past couple of days I went to Microcenter because the gaming mouse that I was looking for. The mouse, a Razer Deathadder, was listed at full price. However, I had already done my price comparison and checked to find the lowest price online. J&R listed the price as 45$, a whole 15 dollars less then retail price. So I went down to Microcenter and went straight to the mice isle and picked out my Deathadder. Right as I did so I was approached by an employee, he kindly asked if I needed help with anything, and I responded "Yes". I then showed him a print out from J&R with the same mouse and asked if he could match their price. To my surprise he told me he could. He got the manager to sign the paper and I was able to get it for 45$... or so I thought. On my way home I noticed that the person at the checkout counter had read the 45$ as 49$ and charged me the wrong amount. Ironically that was the same price I would have payed on J&R with shipping. I was too far away to return and get my five dollars back, but it just goes to show that if you don't ask you will never know if you can get a lower price. Also check your receipts before leaving the store, life lesson learned right there.

~Dave

Gamers Gotta Game

Most of you who game probably know that one of the most important, if not the most important thing, is your mouse. Your mouse is your weapon of choice, the thing that separates you from the rest. It is the thing that helps show if you are a noob or a pro. However, the hardest thing about your mice, is choosing which one you should be using. There are just so many mice out there, it can be daunting to choose a good brand. So, what should you be looking for a in a mouse? First and foremost would be form factor. Does it fit your hand comfortably? Are the buttons in good places so as not to get in the way or be accidentally clicked? Is it big enough for your hand? Things like this are very important. The best way to decide that is to go hands on. Find your local computer store and try out the mice there, see how they feel. Next, does it support button assigning? You want to have full customizability over your mouse. This is very important because some buttons on the keyboard are in such bad places, it is better to map them to your mouse. For example, when in Team Fortress 2 the button to use voice chat is "V", but when you hit that button it prevents you from walking right. That can cause you to die, and you don't want that. Hence the reason I assigned "V" to one of my mouse's buttons. Up next is the DPI, dots per inch, which essentially means how far your mouse will move on screen every inch you move off screen. So if you display is 1024x900 and your mouse dpi is 1000 then you would move across your entire screen every one inch. The higher the dpi, the faster your mouse will move across the screen. Also, you will want to have an optical gaming mouse, it is the most accurate when it comes to movement. Finally, the compatibility with your operating system. Most of you use Windows, so that is not a big issue for you, but Mac gamers will have a tougher time. With the recent addition of Steam to the Mac's arsenal, Mac gamers have to find a mouse that is compatible with their OS. I know for a fact, as a Mac gamer, that Razer supports the Mac OS with their mice. With all that said, who should be buying from? Top brands that I recommend are Logitech and Razer. If you wish, leave a comment below about which mouse you have!

~Dave

Turn Your Favorite Website into an App!

If you constantly have certain sites open, but hate switching between tabs, this is the right article for you. Fluid is an application for Mac that allows you to take any URL and make a small application out of it. Simply put the link of the website you wish to use, give it a name, choose a folder to store it in, and give it an icon. Once it is done, you can run your application whenever you want, and get rid of all those nasty tabs. No more jumping between windows, you can just switch between applications. Plus, if you use spaces, you can have your app always open in certain space. That makes it even more organized! Not to mention the fact that you can reset browser history just like in a normal browser. This is useful in case the site gives an update. This is a great way to give Skype some competition, just make a Gmail app. Leave a comment below stating what applications you have made out of websites!

~Dave

They're like tentacles!

Those of you working with desktop computers can know how frustrating it is to have wires everywhere. Behind your computer, in your computer (if you built it), behind your desk, it can get very messy and hard to deal with. Not only does it make clutter, it also prevents airflow. This is bad, especially inside your case and on the back side of your case. Here are some tips on ways to make your wire management better.

1. 1. Label all your wires by wrapping a little piece of tape around them like a tag.
2. 2. Bunch all the wires in the back of your case/leading to your monitor by tying them up with velcro straps or zip ties.
3. 3. If you have a bigger case, and it support wire management, wire all your wires through the back of your case. You can use 1x1 base mounts with adhesive backing to create areas for zip ties to go. Use the zip ties to fasten down the wires in those areas.
   

I hope these tips help some of you struggling with wire management. You can also search YouTube for tutorials.

Leave a comment showing your cable management!

~Dave

*Ring* *Ring* Gmail Calling

As some of you may have heard, Google has announced a new feature that has been added to Gmail. This feature allows you to make calls anywhere in the US and Canada for free, while you are in Gmail. Call qualities all depends on the speed and quality of your internet connection, and it costs extra to call outside of the US and Canada. Plus, this option works hand in hand with Google Voice, if you have one. If you don't have a Google Voice, don't fret, you can still use this feature. So why use Gmail Call? For starters, it doesn't disrupt your workflow. For example, if you want to call someone, but the phone is in another room. In addition, if you do have Google Voice, you can use the two together. You can use Gmail Call as a Caller ID if someone calls your Google Voice number. Also, you can transfer calls from Gmail to your phone, or vice versa. Say you are in the midst of a call with someone, and then you look at the time and you have to go or you will be late. It is a hassle to hang up and call back, instead you can easily press the asterisks key and send the call to another Google Voice number. Your cell phone will then start ringing, pick up and then end the call on Gmail. There are many other things you can do with Gmail Call, so give it a try. If you haven't set it up already, you will need to install the video and chat plugin. Then just log onto Gmail and scroll down to where it says "Chat", you should see something that says "Call Phone". If you don't see this, don't worry, it just means your account has not been activated yet. It took my account a full day until it was activated. Give it a try and post your thoughts below.

*Thanks to Lifehacker for some of the ways to use Gmail Call.

~Dave