Have you ever needed good subway directions in New York? Typically, to find your way in Manhattan would first require checking out MapQuest or Google Maps to see where your destination is. Then, a gander at a NYC Subway Map would show how to get there. If you needed bus directions in the city, yet another website would have to be checked out.

As New Yorkers, we like convenience and Hop Stop provides this to us.

Hop Stop allows you to enter your start and end location, and then voila…you’re provided subway and/or bus directions. You may specify if you prefer to walk more, just take the subway or bus,or all of the above. You may even enter what day and time you are departing so that construction or detours will be provided.

Hop Stop is only customized for 5 cities, including New York, and you may even sign up to text your end destination so you can get directions on the fly when you’re on the go.

This site definitely gets our thumbs up!

My Space has become very popular. It allows members to create personal websites and meet others. Even celebrities have caught onto the trend to promote their image to the MySpace community.

Below are the top My Space celebrity sites you’ll find voted on creativity and popularity:

1. Diddy - Go watch Diddy (Puff Daddy) pick his nose, go to the bathroom, wake up, and oh yeah check out his music.

2. Paris Hilton - Ok, so this one is mostly for guys who are not looking to read intelligent content.

MySpace is free to sign up and is a good source of networking and publicity.

E-mail signatures are a great way to document your contact information and save time by automating it for all your correspondence.

Here is how to set it up in Microsoft Outlook:

1. From the main Microsoft Outlook window, on the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Mail
Format tab.

2. In the Compose in this message format list, click the message format that you want to use the signature with.

3. Under Signature, click Signatures, and then click New.

4. In the Enter a name for your new signature box, enter a name.

5. Under Choose how to create your signature, select the option you want.

6. Click Next.

7. In the Signature text box, type the text you want to include in the signature.

Spyware can slow down your computer, prevent Internet access, and cause pop-ups and shutdowns. Below is free software that the experts use to remove spyware for good.

1. SpyBot Search & Destroy - updates and removes latest spyware

2. Windows Defender - automated to update and run scans nightly

3. Ad-Aware - Performs thorough registry and folder scan for pop-ups & adware

4. CWShredder - Remove annoying Internet browser hijackers and redirectors

Which software should you use? Well, they all contain different ways to remove malicious content, and some programs remove spyware that others do not. Typically, using Spybot and Windows Defender in combination seem to perform an exhaustive removal of spyware.

So what’s so special about the new iPod?

Three reasons. Video, audio recording, and even better audio quality.

Once again, Steve Jobs has done it again by improving upon an already popular Apple model. iPod fanatics would also be happy to hear that new iPod comes with newly improved headphones, a brighter screen, and longer battery life. This improved functionality comes in 30GB and 80GB capacities in white and black.

The colorful Nano line has been improved upon by its thinner design, longer battery life, and higher capacities at 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB.

There is also a new 1GB Shuffle that is smaller than a credit card. The Shuffle is great to use for gym workouts or on the go. Steve Jobs has touted it as the smallest MP3 player on the market.
You may read more about the new iPod family’s enhancements at Steve’s Jobs announcement on Tuesday, September 12, 2006.

Are you ready for some football?!

Football season is in full gear. How are you going to stay on top of all the NFL games on Sunday? We’ve reviewed some sites to provide the top three football sites for watching real-time scores on your computer at work or home.

1. ESPN.com

2. CBSSportsline.com

3. NFL.com

For e-mailed alerts of football scores, updates, and news, go to John Madden’s site.

If you are itching to get involved with your own Fantasy Team, CBSSportsline.com has a user-friendly interface.

Go Giants!

With the 5th year anniversary of 9/11, security measures at the airport are still at a heightened level. What computer equipment is prohibited? What can you carry-on and check?

The good news is that just about everything can be carried on or checked. This includes laptops, cell phones, pagers, BlackBerry’s, Treo’s, camcorders, and cameras.

There are a couple of items that can be damaged by the checked baggage detector. Undeveloped film in older non-digital cameras may be damaged with this scan. Also, older laptop batteries have been known to be damaged by the checked baggage detector.

To avoid damaging your film and laptop batteries, take these items as carry-ons. Apparently, it has been found that the carry-on medal detectors are not as strong and damaging as the checked baggage detectors. We cannot help you with the airport delays and waiting time, but hopefully, this tip will prolong your wait for replacement equipment.

Your computer may be infected with a virus. But, is it really a virus? Viruses, worms, and trojans may be the culprits. These words are sometimes used identically although they have different meanings. This monthly tip is dedicated to de-mystifying these terms so that you are aware of their meanings, causes, and effects.

Virus

Definition: A virus attaches itself to a program or file so it can spread from one computer to another, leaving infections as it travels. Almost all viruses are attached to an executable file, which means the virus may exist on your computer but it cannot infect your computer unless you run or open the malicious program.

Cause: A virus cannot be spread without a human action. The Internet is currently the main virus entry point. This is due to the enormous possibilities it offers for exchanging information (e-mail, browsing web pages, file downloads, chats, newsgroups, etc.). Other virus entry points are CDs, floppies, and networks.

Effects: Certain viruses deliberately damage files or the computer’s operation, while others just try to spread themselves around. Nevertheless, the ones that just spread themselves are just as harmful, since they damage files and may cause other problems in the process of spreading.

Worm

Definition: A worm is similar to a virus by its design, and is considered to be a sub-class of a virus. The biggest danger with a worm is its ability to replicate itself on your system, so rather than your computer sending out a single worm, it could send out hundreds or thousands of copies of itself, creating a huge devastating effect.

Cause: Worms spread from computer to computer, but unlike a virus, it has the ability to travel without any help from a person.

Effects: One example would be for a worm to send a copy of itself to everyone listed in your e-mail address book. Then, the worm replicates and sends itself out to everyone listed in each of the receiver’s address book, and the manifest continues on down the line. Due to the copying nature of a worm and its ability to travel across networks the end result in most cases is that the worm consumes too much system memory (or network bandwidth), causing network servers, and individual computers to stop responding. In more recent worm attacks such as the much talked about Blaster Worm, the worm has been designed to tunnel into your system and allow malicious users to control your computer remotely.

Trojan Horse

Definition: The trojan horse, at first glance will appear to be useful software but will actually do damage once installed or run on your computer. Those on the receiving end of a Trojan Horse are usually tricked into opening them because they appear to be receiving legitimate software or files from a legitimate source.

Cause: This type of program doesn’t copy itself but does do damage to your computer. These types of programs rely on people to pass them around and to run them. They do not e-mail themselves. The idea is to make the program look like it is something harmless, like a screen saver or joke, so it gets sent around.

Effects: When a Trojan is activated on your computer, the results can vary. Some Trojans are designed to be more annoying than malicious (like changing your desktop, adding silly active desktop icons) or they can cause serious damage by deleting files and destroying information on your system. Trojans are also known to create a backdoor on your computer that gives malicious users access to your system, possibly allowing confidential or personal information to be compromised. Unlike viruses and worms, Trojans do not reproduce by infecting other files nor do they self-replicate.

This is a crash course on the most popular infections. Make sure you have your anti-virus software updated to prevent viruses, worms, and trojan horses!

An easy way to stay in touch with loved ones and friends is through a Webcam. A Webcam may be hooked up to your computer so your friends and family may see you in real-time. If a grandchild or friend is far away, you can use a Webcam along with sound from your computer to see and talk with each other. Best of all, it is free!

Cynics might say Webcams have slow video or poor sound quality. Listed below are some questions you should ask to ensure your Webcam has premium video and sound quality.

1.) What resolution does it have? You want people to be able to see you clearly, so you’ll want a good resolution rate. The standard is 320×240, but there are better ones out there that go up to 640×480.

2.) What is its frame rate? In the end, your Internet connection really decides the frame rate of a Webcam, but when you’re buying one, shoot for a frame rate of 30 frames per second. (Webcams don’t usually run in a continuous stream of film, they go by frames, so you want your rate to be pretty high). Thirty frames per second is pretty good and most decently priced cams can handle this rate with no problem.

3.) How will my Internet connection factor in? As I said above, the type of Internet connection you have is a big deciding factor on how well your Webcam will run. If you have a faster Internet connection, you’re going to be able to get more frames per second. If you have a slower one (such as dial-up), it may not be able to go that fast. You should check your upload speed of your Internet connection before you buy a cam. For example, to get an image of approximately 15 frames per second, you need an upload speed of at least 256 kbps. So, just keep that in mind.

4.) How will my computer’s age affect the Webcam? If you have an older computer, you may want to think about purchasing a more pricey cam. The reason for this is that the image processing will be done in the Webcam and not on the computer. That makes a difference.

5.) What type of lens is best? Webcams come with both glass and plastic lenses. A glass lens will give you a clear image, but they are also a bit more expensive. This feature isn’t always spelled out on the box the cam comes in, so you’ll want to make sure you ask about that before you purchase it.

6.) What about light sensitivity? Higher end Webcams will perform better in lower light, but the others will work just as well in more lighting. You will just need to keep in mind what type of lighting you have on when you’re using your cam.

7.) What type of images will show? Well, the more expensive cams will give out a better image. It will be a little more crisp and clear. It’s all up to you on what you want in a cam though.

8.) What about prices? As you’ve already read, I’ve mentioned some higher prices for higher end Web cams, better images, glass lens, etc. Also, if you have an older computer, you may need a higher priced camera. Webcams can run anywhere from $10 to $1,000. It all just depends on what you’re willing to pay and what you want to do with your cam. Before you go out and buy one, write down some features you would like and then look for them when you get to the store.

You’ll also want to keep tilting options in mind and find out where you can place the cam on your computer. Those are important factors as well. Hopefully with these guidelines, you will be able to find the perfect Webcam for yourself!

Below are five steps to take periodically to ensure your computer is running smoothly and your data is backed up and preserved. The better care you take with your computer, the longer it will last and you will stay more productive with less downtime due to problems.

1. Trash Unnecessary Files & Programs

Take the time once a month to go through your hard drive and examine the files there. Determine which should be saved elsewhere for future reference and which can be trashed. If you download programs on a regular basis to try new things or just to have access to new programs for projects, properly un-install those programs when no longer needed. A cleaner hard drive runs smoother.

2. Defrag Your Hard Drive

Defragging your hard drive is another step to ensuring your laptop will run more efficiently. Taking the time to defrag once a quarter will allow your programs to run quicker and make better use of the space on your hard drive. When you defrag your hard drive, you should notice fewer freeze-ups and your programs will run better.

3. Clean Your Computer

Physically cleaning your computer helps prevent overheating and those nasty dust bunnies from building up inside your fans and exposed ports. Cleaning the screen also means you’ll always view your data clearly and it’s much easier on the eyes. Keeping your case free of dust and dirt buildup will help prevent dirt from getting inside.

4. Back Up Your Files

Full back-ups should be conducted periodically to secure your important data. There are a variety of software and hardware options available. You should choose the method that is easy and can be done without much fuss. It may require trying different methods before you find the best back-up system for your needs.

5. Update Your Software

Just as you keep your anti-virus and firewall software up-to-date, you should also keep your software programs updated. For many programs the updates will address security issues which help keep your computer and data protected.