Spellmann & Associates

How to Test Your Internet Speed

July 29th, 2010

Is your Internet speed slow? Are you getting the speed promised by your provider? Well, there are ways to find out, but they are not foolproof. Before I started my company, I worked for an Internet Service Provider. We got calls all the time from people claiming their “Internet was slow.”
So many factors can contribute to a slow Internet connection, so do not immediately blame your ISP. First, how old is your computer? Believe it or not, your computer may not be able to handle a high speed connection well. If your computer is over four years old, the weak link in the speed equation may be on your desk.
Second, if you have more than one computer hooked to your Internet connection (also called a network), the other computers may be hogging all of the bandwidth (amount of information that may flow between you and the Internet).
Finally, run a few tests. I recommend testing your speed at SpeedTest.net and DSL Reports. You will be measuring two things: upload speed and download speed. Typically, your download speed will be much higher. Write those numbers down and call your ISP. Find out if that is close to what they promised you. If not, there may be a problem and they can help you figure it out.

Posted in Newspaper Articles

Microsoft Excel Tip: Increasing the MRU

July 26th, 2010

By default, Excel only shows the last four “most recently used” workbooks under the “File” menu. Increase that to nine by pulling down the “Tools” menu, choosing “Options,” hitting the “General” tab, and then increasing the value. Big time-saver!

Posted in Microsoft Excel

Site of the Week: eCampus

July 26th, 2010

It won’t be long before you college students go back to school. Buying textbooks can be very expensive, but not if you head to my site of the week, eCampus. Here, you can buy, sell, or even rent textbooks. The interface is dead simple. Just enter the name, author, or even a keyword to see what books are available. I wish this service had existed when I was at college. Heck, I wish the Internet existed then. Anyway, to save a bunch of money on textbooks, head to ecampus.com.

Posted in Cool Sites

Free Anti-Virus – My Recommendations

July 26th, 2010

Everyone knows they need an Antivirus program. But which one is best? And are any of them free? Let’s break this down. First, you MUST have an antivirus program on your system, free or not. Some of the best for-pay products are Symantec, Trend Micro, and McAfee, and AVG. But what if you don’t have a lot of money to burn. My favorite free antivirus program is, believe it or not, made by Microsoft. Security Essentials does one of the best jobs I’ve seen and doesn’t eat up your computer’s processing power. It ranks well in the industry tests which pit antivirus programs against each other. Once you install it, there’s nothing you need to do. It scans all by itself. It updates itself when it needs to. And best of all, it puts a little cute green house in your system tray. What more could you ask for?

Posted in Television Articles

Microsoft Word Tip: Quick Org Chart

July 25th, 2010

Need to create an organizational or genealogy chart? Pull down the “Insert” menu, choose “Picture” and then “Organizational Chart.” in Word 2007, pull down the “Insert” menu and choose “Smart Art.” It’s one of those little hidden gems in Word!

Posted in Microsoft Word

Internet Tip: Quick Security Check

July 24th, 2010

For a quick virus check (especially when you don’t have an antivirus program loaded), go to Symantec Security Check site. It’s great in a pinch.

Posted in Internet

Windows Tip: Unclutter Your Icons

July 23rd, 2010

If your icons appear “cluttered,” right click on your desktop or within a window and choose “Arrange Icons.” If you click the “Auto Arrange” option, you’ll never have to worry about them being out of line with each other!

Posted in Windows

Online Diversion: Monopoly World

July 22nd, 2010

Sometimes the classics are still the best. Take, for instance Monopoly World. While there is no such thing as a “quick” game of Monopoly, there is no easier site to play it on than Pogo. You can be in the game in seconds. The 3D board is easy to see and all of the animations make it seem like a real game. Best of all, you don’t need any extra players to start a game. So, take a break from that spreadsheet, grab your mouse, and start your journey to Boardwalk!

Posted in Online Diversions

The iPhone 4 and Early Adopters

July 21st, 2010

The iPhone 4 is an amazing device. In my opinion, it is the best smartphone on the market today. But will I buy one today? Tomorrow? Probably not. I currently own an iPhone 3G. My wife, believe it or not owns version “1″ of the iPhone! They still work. Despite the fact that both of us easily qualify for the cheaper contract rates with AT&T, we have no immediate plans to upgrade. When we do, however, it will most likely be to the iPhone 4.
Many of my friends are “early adopters.” These are people that are first in line when a new technology comes out. In my opinion, these people are “beta testers” paying for the privilege. I usually wait until version 1.1 or even version 2 before I dive in. By then, 99% of the bugs have been fixed and the price is cheaper.
The feature I am most intrigued with on the iPHone 4 is the videoconferencing capability. Keep in mind the limitations, though: You can only use this feature when connected to WiFi. In other words, it will not work on the road. I can only imagine what would happen to the already overloaded AT&T network, if it was allowed “in the wild.” Once AT&T moves to a 4G network and beefs up its infrastructure, look for this capability no matter where you are!
I am also watching how people are using the HD video recording features. The results are amazing. You could almost justify buying an iPhone 4 as a replacement for your camcorder. The new iPhone has many more features than I have room to list. To see a great demonstration, check out the six minute Apple Video.