Microsoft Office 2007 can save documents as PDF if you download a free plugin while later versions  offer the option to save as PDF along with all the other available formats by default.

If you have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer you can save documents as PDF by starting to print as usual but choosing Adobe PDF as the printer. A dialog box will then open allowing you to choose the location and filename of the document to be saved. This works for webpages as well as other documents and can be the ideal solution for saving pages as they would be printed on paper.

There are a few online photo editing websites that allow you to manipulate images simply from your web browser. These websites are useful because they are free to use and you do not need to install any software on your computer  making it available wherever you can access the internet. Another advantage of these photo editors is that, since they are web based, they are also cross platform and work on Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.

Pixlr provides a photo editing experience that users of photo editing software will find familiar. It’s layout is similar to that of Photoshop, admittedly without all the bells and whistles. It is however a step up from Microsoft Paint and offers features such as layers and filters that can be applied to these layers. Pixlr can be used both to create images from scratch as well as edit existing images.

Picmonkey is a less conventional photo editing application focussed on editing existing images ad not creating new ones. It allows for basic editing such as cropping and resizing and also offers a large range of predefined effects that can be adjusted to your preference. Although it lacks advanced photo editing capabilities its quick results and fun image modifications make it another interesting option.

The latest versions of popular browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer allow you to browse the web without storing browser information on your computer after you are finished with your browsing session.

In Firefox this is known as Private Browsing and can be accessed by clicking on the Firefox button (or Tools Menu) and selecting the Start Private Browsing menu item.This will close all current windows (to restore them after private browsing is completed) and start a new session where  your browsing history and other information about the sites you visit are not stored on your computer.

In Chrome this feature is known as Incognito  Browsing. It can be accessed by clicking on the gear icon then New incognito window menu item. This will open a new window in which browser history, search history and cookies will only be stored until you close all incognito browser windows.

In Internet Explorer this feature is called InPrivate Browsing. It can be accessed by clicking on the gear icon then Safety menu then InPrivate Browsing menu item. This will open a new window in which cookies, temporary Internet files, history, and other data will not be stored on your computer.

Please note that while incognito/private browsing may help protect your privacy on your computer it cannot control data websites store about you remotely and it cannot hide your online tracks from your ISP.

The Problem

Over the past few months the company that we host many of our websites with has been experiencing some security problems. Malicious attacks on the company’s servers resulted in certain security vulnerabilities being exploited.Some of our websites especially those based on blogging software were affected and we found unauthorized code in some files on the server. While we were investigating and fixing the problems with the  affected websites, and taking precautionary measures to make sure no other websites were affected, some of our websites may have gone offline or malfunctioned for a period of time.

The Solution

These security breaches resulted in a few changes and recommendations  from our host on how to better secure our websites on the server. We have followed the recommended steps as well as implementing steps of our own. All websites with offending code were deleted and rebuilt from local backups that  did not contain the unauthorized code. This blog was also affected and is now fully functional once again. We have been monitoring all our websites for any signs of the problems reoccurring and have so far found none.

Security is an important issue and there are constantly people coming up with new ways to exploit vulnerabilities and gain unauthorized access to files. Even though no confidential data was accessed, and only public files affected, this is still a very serious problem. We are currently exploring various options to ensure that this does not happen again or to have a contingency plan in case it does. We apologize to all visitors and clients who were affected by the downtime and thank you for your cotinued support of SeizerStyle Designs.

Browser specific syncing

Browsers Firefox and Google Chrome both offer their own default solutions to syncing bookmarks. Firefox Sync can be used to sync not only bookmarks but passwords and browser history across different Firefox browsers including Firefox for mobile devices. If you have a Google Account you can sign in to Google Chrome to sync bookmarks, extensions, themes and browser preferences.

Cross-browser syncing

If you do not use only one browser or prefer not to use Firefox or Google Chrome’s syncing services you can alternatively sync your bookmarks using Xmarks. Xmarks is a free bookmark synchronization service that provides extensions for Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer and Safari. You simply sign up for a free Xmarks account and download the relevant extension for the browser of your choice.You will then have access to your bookmarks whenever you are using a browser with the Xmarks extension installed and you have signed into your Xmarks account. Xmarks bookmarks can also be accessed via a web interface that does not require you to have any extension installed. After you have created an account you simply log in at www.xmarks.com and click on the My Bookmarks link to access all your synced bookmarks.

This technique can prove useful for mathematical and scientific discussions where symbols are commonly used. Using the actual symbol is more visually appealing than referring to the symbol by name. Alternatively, you can also search for the symbol you are looking for by name online and will likely get a relevant result.

Tagging Files

The best way to ensure that your library remains organized is to tag your files before adding them to your music library. Tagging a file simply means appending metadata  such as title of the track, artist name, album name, genre to the file. Music players use this metadata to display information about the songs in your music library and on playlists you create. Most media players such as iTunes and Windows Media Player allow you to tag and rename files. These programs also offer to keep your music library organized but with limited options.

Free programs such as Mp3tag and easytag offer a wider range of options when tagging and renaming your files. These include case correction as well as the ability to move renamed files to any directory you choose. These programs can use the information in a file’s tags to generate its filename or use the information in the file’s filename to populate its tags.

Whichever way you choose to tag your files,  it is the first step in creating and maintaining an organized music library. As your library grows this becomes an invaluable step that may save you a lot of time in long run. Properly tagged music is easier to identify on disk and locate in search results.

Data is stored on computers on rotating discs called hard drives or flash memory modules. Either type of storage can get corrupted over time, damaged in an accident or even lost. For this reason you should regularly copy important documents onto  alternative storage media. This could be a flash drive, DVD, an external hard drive or even online in the cloud. Whichever medium you chose, it is wise to keep it in a separate physical location than the original data to decrease the possibility of both your original files and backup files suffering the same fate.

Backing up files is just the process of copying them from one storage medium to another. Files can be organized according to your preference. It is a good idea to date your backups so that you will be able to identify your most recent copies and differentiate them from older backups. If you want to back up programs make sure that you copy their installation files and any other data or preference file the program may have created that you will need later. Also ensure that you back up all important files especially those that may be in stored in uncommon locations on your computer.

By backing up your files you have something to revert to in case you suffer from data loss. This will help you get back to work without starting over from scratch. It is especially important to back up regularly so that the copies of your data are not too dated and therefore more useful.

• More detailed information about the Dominica  Sports Division including it’s vision, mission statement, roles and responsibilities and organisation chart
• Rules for various competitions
• Integrated site-wide Google search
• Filtering of  results by sports category
• Photo of the month for front page
• Links to affiliate sporting entities

As with any major redesign we worked closely with the staff of the Dominica Sports Division to make these changes possible. The website should now be a lot more accessible and content should be easier to find. Let us know what you think about this redesign  in the comments.