The Joy of Podcasts…

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Lee Grant

Inspiration Computers Guide to PodcastsIn our opinion, one of the most useful applications in our digital word are Podcasts  – short pieces of audio or video that can be downloaded & listened to on a PC or MP3 player. A podcast can be anything – music, a play, an audiobook, a short documentary or just a repeat of an old sitcom. They can be long or short, daily, monthly or a one off.  The brilliance is their simplicity and diversity so keep reading and enjoy our basic guide to Podcasts.

Regular visitors to the Inspiration Computers Facebook page will know that I’m a fan of Radio 4′s The Archers.  I don’t listen to the show during transmission but I download The Archers’ podcasts using iTunes onto my PC.  Here is a screengrab:

iTunes has downloaded two episodes of The Archers for me.  It has done this because i’ve told iTunes which podcasts I want and each time I open iTunes it will automatically download any new episodes.  I can now listen to these episodes on my PC or get iTunes to put them on my iPod or portable MP3 player.

Inspiration Computers Guide to PodcastsPodcasts are brilliantly useful because they are automatic.  Using a program such as iTunes (and I suggest you do the same if you’re new to podcasts) makes downloading and listening really easy.  I subscribe (for free) to about fifteen different podcasts covering subjects as diverse as Harry Potter, Quantum Nanotechnology & The Reduced Shakespeare Company. If I had to check different websites for new episodes, it would be a disaster.  Thankfully iTunes downloads every new episode of the podcast automatically.

A podcast exists for almost every subject and topic you can imagine.  If you have a particular interest then I’ll bet my wife’s money on that fact that there is a podcast to match.  Here are some of our favourites that we recommend:

The Dave Gorman PodcastThe Dave Gorman Podcast: A family favourite in our car – Comedian Dave Gorman hosts a radio show on Absolute Radio on Sunday mornings.  The podcast comprises of the (many) highlights of the show and extras recorded after the show that can only be heard by listening to the podcast.  As an extra bonus, Dave also records an extra mid-podcast which will never be broadcast – more podcast exclusivity. A brilliantly funny show. Average podcast length: 55 mins.

Witness from The BBC World ServiceWitness: This is a BBC podcast focusing on history as told by the people who were there. There are 5 episodes a week and you’ll hear from people who lived through moments of history which brings a very personal perspective on world events.  As you would expect from BBC World Service, Witness is brilliantly written and beautifully produced. Average podcast length: 9 mins.

The Flying LapThe Flying Lap: This comes in both podcast and vodcast versions (vodcast being a video podcast – works in exactly the same way. F1 journalist Peter Windsor’s weekly show is only available online and is a great watch for any F1 or motorsport enthusiast. Average podcast length: 70 mins.

Friday Night ComedyFriday Night Comedy: This podcast is a repeat of what ever is played on BBC Radio 4 at 6.30pm on a Friday – ie comedy.  The podcast is the most popular on the UK iTunes charts and usually comprises of either The News Quiz or The Now Show (which ever is currently being transmitted). Using the brilliant simplicity of podcasts, you don’t have to listen to your radio at transmission time – just let iTunes download the podcast for you. Average podcast length: 24 mins.

Anyway you get the idea.  Podcasts are brilliant ways to relax, learn or be entertained & there is thousands available for you to enjoy for free.  Do yourselves a favour and download iTunes and have a listen.

If you do like the sound of podcasts (and you will!) but you need a little help then come and ask us, we’re happy to help.

Don’t forget….

You can follow us on Twitter – @userfriendlypc
or become a fan on Facebook – www.facebook.com/inspirationcomputers
You can also join our news letter by clicking here.

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Simple backup basics – are you ready to recover?

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Alison

The key to unlock a lifetime of carefree computing is simple – backup.

What happens if your computer is stolen? What happens if it simply fails?  We can supply you with new hardware but have you ensured that the thousands of photographs, music tracks and documents are safely backed-up?

Thankfully backup is a simple task providing that you have the right tools.  This is the Inspiration Computers guide to easy basic backup.

Step 1 – Choose where you wish to store your data.
Most of you have large libraries of digital data so we’d advise to use a device such as an external hard drive for your backups.  We supply drives starting at around 250GB which are very simple to use.  If you don’t have too much data then using a USB flash drive can be an alternative solution.

You can also backup to ‘the cloud’ – online storage.  We’ve trialled (and are trialling) a few online services & when we’ve found we’re happy to recommend we’ll let you know.

Step 2- Choose your backup software.
Once again we find ourselves recommending Bullguard Internet Security (Which? Best Buy for January 2012 – available to purchase from us!) as it has a great backup tool built in.  It will walk you step-by-step through the process.  If you already have Bullguard then here is a great guide to help you.  You can schedule Bullguard to backup as often as you want – every day, once a week, twice a month – it’s your choice.

If you don’t have Bullguard Internet Security (and we do highly recommend it) then there is a piece of software called To-Do made by EaseUS which is free to use for home users but not for commercial users.

Step 3 – Check that your backups are working correctly.
Every so often, It’s best to check that the backup process is working correctly.  It’s also a great idea to recover some files out of your backup so you’re aware of the process.

Simple backup is a painless process and a quick check once in a while is all it takes to be certain that if your computer develop a fault, then your precious data has been secured.

Please don’t be scared of backup, if you need help, come and ask us, we’re happy to help.

Don’t forget….

You can follow us on Twitter – @userfriendlypc
or become a fan on Facebook – www.facebook.com/inspirationcomputers
You can also join our news letter by clicking here.

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Are you making sure that your child is safe online?

Posted on February 7, 2012 by admin

We all love using the internet & we can now surf away on PCs, tablets, mobile phones & game consoles.  So when your child is left alone with an internet connection, are you certain that you’ve done all you can to keep your child safe?

“But my little Jimmy is *so* sensible!” is what we’re usually told by parents that are clueless as to why “Little Jimmy’s” laptop now only display pornographic pop-ups.

There are frightening statistics available – nearly ten years ago, nine out of ten children aged 8-16 had viewed pornography online, often in the process of doing homework (source, London School of Economics).  Since then the web has become much more accessible (via mobile phones and games consoles) and much more sophisticated.  Cyberbullying, sexting & grooming are now common parlance & the world uses Facebook & Twitter instead of telephone calls & SMS text messages.

Don’t panic!  February 7th is Safer Internet Day 2012 and we’ve got some advice to help you learn, understand and improve your awareness of online safety.

ThinkUKnow

We know that many parents struggle to understand the aspects of the internet.  A great resource is the Thinkuknow is an education initiative by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre – the UK’s national law enforcement agency that focuses on tackling the sexual abuse of children.  There are practical parental guides to help you and your children to use the internet safely on PCs, games consoles or mobile phones.  Here is there ‘Where’s Klaus’ video…

YouTube Preview Image

There are easy steps to take to keep your kids happy and safe. There are some great internet safety tips around, why not have a look at this page from Mumsnet

You don’t need to spend any money on parental control software for your PCs & laptops, one program that we’ve used with clients is K9 web protection – as recommended by Which? magazine.  It’s easy to setup (or we can help you do it.) and it’ll help you prevent access to websites you don’t wish your children to visit.  It even gives an audible warning if an attempt is made.

The Home Office have also produced a booklet entitled ‘KEEP YOUR CHILD SAFE ON THE INTERNET‘. This publication is currently available as a free pdf download which you can download from this link.

Don’t just stick your head in the sand – be security savvy! If you need help understanding anything, come and ask us, we’re happy to help.

Don’t forget….

You can follow us on Twitter – @userfriendlypc
or become a fan on Facebook – www.facebook.com/inspirationcomputers
You can also join our news letter by clicking here.

 

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