Resources
for Solution Gurus
All
Gurus are required to read at least chapters 1 and 2 of Google
Hacks available at Amazon.com
and Half.com
for as little as $11 (retail: $25) or at your local
library for free. This book will help you take advantage of some little-known
and powerful features of the world's most popular search engine. You will be responsible
for knowing this information.
If
you want an excellent primer on Google, download this
PowerPoint presentation. It's a 3.6 mb zip file that will
take a while to download. You must have Powerpoint to view it.
After it downloads, double-click on the file and then click
on F5 to start the slide show.
Searching
Tips and Tricks
Google
Web Search Features
Google
Help
Google
Help Central
Cheat
sheet of Searches
Google
is a powerful resource, but most people have only scratched
the surface of its potential. To discover all the amazing things
Google can do, click
on this list of Google links. You'll discover why I don't
refer to Google as a search engine, but rather a resource. Prepare
to be amazed.
An essential
program for all Solution Gurus is Dave's
Quick Search Deskbar.
It's
free, it sits quietly in your system tray and it saves you time by making it easy
to search the web (just type in an item or web site and hit Enter), access a calendar
(right-click or double-click), or any of hundreds of other time-savers.
This
should be standard equipment with any Windows system. As you can see, it doesn't
take up any room because it replaces your clock. Active web searchers will use
it 50 to 100 times a day or more.
If
you want the date and time to appear like the one in the screenshot above, the
calendar to appear with a double-click instead of a right-click, and the little
magnifying glass icon to disappear, then unzip this file
and extract the resulting file (localprefs.js) to the folder where the program
is stored, replacing the existing file of the same name.
The
file is probably located in C:\Program Files\Quick Search Deskbar.
Most online newsletters are worthless, but there is one that stands out:
Langalist.
It's hardware and software information for all Windows users. It regularly receives
the highest ratings by industry magazines, values your privacy, and is always
a good use of your time. Click
Here to sign up for FREE. For 14 cents an issue, go ahead and get the PLUS
edition. It's worth every penny.
Another
time-saving newsletter is Neat
Net Tricks, which focuses on programs and shortcuts to make
your computing experience more effective. The NNT
premium version is only $12 per year. Just
go ahead and fork over the 12-dollar bill. You'll be glad you
did.
Frustrated
with the high cost of inkjet cartridges? We are too. We discovered a
place with the best prices (sometimes less than half of Office Depot's), a
100% guarantee, free shipping, no tax, and fantastic service. Really. Visit their
web site, or, better yet, call their friendly staff: 1-888-465-7765. They're open
10:00 to 7:00 EST.
When
looking for information about a topic, always check About.com
to see if there is an article on the subject there.
We're
big fans of GuruNet, a free
software/online solution for the fastest way to find definitions, synonyms (thesaurus),
and lots more. Just hold down ALT and click on a word. If you don't want to pay
for the annual subscription (a little steep at $30 we think), make sure to cancel
within the first two weeks.
The
quickest way to find files on your computer (amazingly quick)
is AvaFind.com. It indexes your folders like search engines
index the web. It's so much better than the search feature in
Windows, and it's free.
AvaFind
(above) is great for finding files on your computer, but if you want to find every
file that has a particular word or phrase in it, you need Wilbur.
It's a free program that uses indexing technology and can find any text anywhere
on your computer in under two seconds. Wow!
