Four way battle: LibreOffice, Microsoft Office, Google Drive, and Skydrive

Microsoft Office, my experience is well... I won't say vast, but well informed. That might be a better word. I've messed with Microsoft office from middle school to somewhat present day. Its professional, although sometimes it can be complicated at times. With many different options, buttons, and do-dads one can get lost. Still lets talk about the features shall we?

This is Microsoft word's tool bar. For starters it has the basic File, Home, Insert, Page Layout, and Mailings tab. Now, I'm going to state this as well, this is the 2010 version. So it is outdated. It still has its uses, and can make one hell of a resume for a job. Although my skills with the program has dwindled over the years, I still tend to use it from time to time.

The funnest thing to play with by far is the text animations, and background manipulations. You can bring new life to your work, giving it a more edgier approach.

I'm also going to add this in, Skydrive is a slightly inferior version compared to Microsoft office. You receive 5gb of space to use for files, you can buy more space if needed, and the best part is that its perfectly free! All you need is a live account. So if you have a xbox live account then you're golden. Heck you don't even have to make a new email for it. You can link one of your own to log in with. For example, instead of having frankbillbobjoemanthefifth12@live.com I can use rememberflapjack53535@yahoo.com instead. (These are not real accounts, and if they are I apologize in advance. I came up with these at random.)

Now Skydrive is really cool, I prefer google drive over it. Yet it still stands tall. With a Skydrive you have access to slightly downgraded version of Microsoft office. In addition you can sign in on the desktop version and it will sync your work. So its automatically saving itself onto the web-base version; internet is required for this to work. I give it a B+.

Google Drive. I probably post about this quite a bit to be honest. I know it isn't the first time I've done it. In fact, this topic has been around the block once or twice. So I'll try not to bother you much about it. Now the google drive is completely free, unless you want to buy for additional space. It has everything that Microsoft office has, but its more simplified. Although there is beauty in simplicity. It is easier to find more what you need, BUT you don't have too many options in customization like Microsoft office does. That is one of the downsides for me.

Libre is kinda like Microsoft office. It has the same fonts, almost exact options, and is shockingly compatible. You're asking what's so compatible about libre office aren't you? well I'll tell you. Libre office documents can be opened with Microsoft office, and Microsoft live. I figured it out by accident. Now its not 100% keen, but when it comes to saving Word docs then it'll do its job. I will say this though, I still prefer some of the templates you can use in Microsoft Excel over libre office's version. Still its free, and that's always good.

The beauty, and horror of Social Media.

Social media has become a major part of modern day life. Can you think how many times people visit a social media website such as You tube, Facebook, or Google plus? Have you ever went an entire day, out of your own free time, without visiting one of these sites? I can't, I'm on Youtube almost everyday. If not I get on facebook for a minute or two. Still, all these social medias have become a major part of our lives. Both in a positive and negative way.

Facebook has become most likely  the largest social media site around. They have enough users to create their own country if they wanted to. Yet they don't, because that'd be weird. Any who, Facebook has grown in popularity quite fast, every day they get more and more users. Even then they have at least 300 million users on daily! Heck that's a major feat in itself.

It also allowed the users to keep in touch with old friends, family members, or even celebrities (if you're in to that). It has allowed us to make new friends, keep in touch with older pals, and even have long political debates that seem to never end. Amazingly all of that blends beautifully.

Personally, I tend to hate most updates for facebook. Sometimes their good updates, don't get me wrong, but other times its just down right confusing! At least its not as tragic as You tube updates. And yes, I said tragic. Yet its the little things that tend to bug me the most. Mainly because it messes up the group settings.

Super Sonic boom is our little clan that was made back in 2011. I, and 3 other friends, run this little group to host events. Such as tourneys, game days, and casual tie day. The picture to our left is our clan's symbol, and motto.

Facebook has quite a few perks does it not? How could something this good be so bad? Well there is a downside. Facebook has affected newspapers and the school reunion companies.

Newspapers used to make money from advertisement banners. This was once a gold mine for local newspapers. Companies would post job openings, events, and advertisements. That way everyone in the community could see it anytime they would look at a newspapers. Now days companies make facebook pages, which is perfectly free to do. Now they may pay a little bit for advertisement, but not as much as they would if they stuck to using banners.

Just because some companies choose to advertise over the web doesn't mean they don't use newspapers. They're just not making as much revenue as they used to.

Remember back in the day when non turtle wranglers would have a special event to celebrate an X amount of years out of high school? I sure don't, because I've only been out of high school for 2 years, going on 3. With jokes aside, they took a hefty blow. You see, people now days use facebook to stay in touch with one another or use some other type of social media. This has nearly killed organizations that due high school reunions.

Google plus... you know, I've had no problems with it. Heck compared to facebook's setup, Google plus is extremely organized. How, you may ask? Well much like the groups in facebook, google plus has a similar thing called Circles. Circles are like little clicks in school, or whatever they call em. Now each circle can have its own, unique, category. Such as Friends, Family, Dogbert, SSB, or something along those lines.

Lets say you'd like to post something for a specific group, aka SSB, but you don't want everyone and their grandma to see it. Well you can actually post to said circle without anyone else knowing. That is one thing that I find amazing about it.

Another thing you can do is hold group chats, and do video sharing. In the video sharing option, where you can host videos from youtube or other types of medias. Its cool, and easy to setup to boot.  The only problem is that you can only have 10 people per hangout. That's kinda lack luster when you want to have a movie night with the guys. It also makes it extremely awkward when you have to pick who gets in and who doesn't get to come.  

So lets say a new episode of Game Grumps is uploaded and I'd like to watch with my pal Noah. All I'd have to do is go to google plus and invite him to hangout. I put the video up, then we both get to enjoy a few good laughs. That or we could even have a movie night, sadly that may require money depending on where you go.

With all that's said out of the way, we can all accept that social media has become apart of our every day lives. Whether it be facebook, youtube, google, or anything along those lines. It has had some positive effects on us, and some negative on a few businesses.

To be continued with the Myspace Struggle...

I do not own anything from the video. All rights go to the developers of the game and the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWPYF5thVPw

Life with Google.

Using google is like a love/hate relationship for me. Sometimes I love it, other times I'd like to strangle it. Either way I can always say one thing. It owns me. No matter what, its always the go to guy. I've used it for projects, research, laptop backgrounds, shopping, and so much more. Its unbelievable. Come to think of it I hardly ever use yahoo, unless its for my gaming email. That's because Google has the superior search engine. I've used Bing, Ask.com, and so many others over the years. None of which stood up, for me at least, like google did.

With Google, I was able to complete my senior project for high school. I used it not only for research, but as a place to save and do my work. With its Google drive, then I could just add onto it whenever I liked. Then once I got home it was saved on my email. So I never really had to worry much about it. (You know Google is important when you type it without capitalizing the G and spell check says you spell it wrong). That worked wonders when I did my Senior project and I was at a jail with no internet wireless connection. It allowed me to keep notes, and didn't have to worry about losing them unless I deleted them myself.

Now its just common use! I use Google probably hundreds of times daily. Mainly for research on Marvel characters, or past video games. But those are just some of the smaller things. If I ever have a problem, I simply Google it and receive an answer almost instantly. Its unbelievable. Besides, you'd look like a fool if you told a friend to "Bing it". I think not.

What else can you do on Google? Well, you have Google books. Think of a kindle, but replace it with Google and you get the idea. In fact they're both compatible! Like two peas in a pod field of information. Although, I never really used Google books, but I can say one good thing about them. In my System architecture book I am missing chapter 1, so I Googled it. Google books allowed me to preview the entire 1st chapter for free, and some of the later chapters as well. Now there is a time limit for this, so don't get any ideas. Its so many hours a day. Although its still nice to have a back up.

Lets say you don't have Microsoft office, nor a live account. Then you're not going to have access to Microsoft word, excel, power-point, etc. Well if you use Google, you'll get something very similar. Its called Google docs. Google docs isn't the prettiest thing in the world, in fact its quite simple. It doesn't have all the buttons and do-dads like Microsoft office apps have. Yet it still gets the job done, and a pretty good job at that.

In many ways Google has changed the way we look at things. If something peeks our interest we google it. Its like having an infinite amount of knowledge at the palms of your hands. (Don't take that literally.) I've learned a lot from Google. Although 75% of it will probably never be used in actual conversation. Or ever used, but still it works. Now children of the chore how about we all type "Zerg Rush" into google and enjoy ourselves for a bit.

Simple, Yet Wonderful Software

Howdy folks, its me again and today I have a little bit of software to share with you. Now these are some common names, and you probably know about most of them. Personally, I use these on a daily basis. Mostly for work, or for play. But still the usefulness still stands tall. Skype, Outlook, and Evernote (desktop).

Microsoft Outlook is email based software. Now what's cool about this is that if you play Xbox live then you must have a Live.com account. Why is this related you ask? If you have a Live account then you, my friend, have access to a web based outlook. Cool huh? Although the Live account version is extremely different.

Compare the picture to the right to the one up top. Instantly you can see that there are more options on the Live version. Which is true. But lets get back to the topic shall we?

The desktop version of Outlook doesn't have all the bells and whistles as the Live version. In fact it seems quite bland. Microsoft Outlook 2010 looks similar to the top picture. BUT, you have the ability to save your emails. Its quite easy too, all you do is drag a email from the Outlook window to the desktop or to a folder. Instantly it will download the email and you now have access to it at all times. Another cool thing about the desktop version is that you don't need a internet connection to access it. You can still access older emails, download documents, and even write drafts. Nifty huh?

Now there are still some downsides to it. Out of experience, I've had some trouble with receiving emails or it randomly disconnecting. Other than that its a pretty solid piece of software.

Do you have a friend that is out of state, or out of Country? Do you have difficulty communicating with them? Well Skype might be your answer (or facebook, but lets pretend it doesn't exist). Its simple to install, and easy to use. Advert your attention to the right and you'll see the basic layout of Skype.  If you're wondering about the green icons beside black blobs, their online indicators. They come in several colors. Green is online, red is busy, blank is offline, and yellow is away.

To send a message, all you gotta do is click a contact. It'll pull up a small profile picture with several  options. look to the right for examples. Now lets go into more depth. Lets say you want to talk to one another. First go to the contact you wish to talk to. You'll see a green tab that says Call. Click it and let it run. On the opposite end they'll be getting a ring. If the answer it then you'll be able to talk.

The video feature is pretty cool as well. Me and my pal Noah used to play Yugioh over Skype. Mainly because we kept accusing the other for cheating when we did it over the xbox. Now we can see what the other is doing. The downside is the occasional lag spike, but other than that its a pretty solid feature.

Now I've bragged about evernote several times in the past. So one more time won't make a difference. When you think of the desktop version of Evernote, think of google drive. The desktop version of Evernote syncs with the online version. Thus allowing you to edit notes, see past notes, and make new ones. This comes in handy if you're at work and you want something to read. Or maybe you're at a place where there is no internet, that's where Evernote shines. You can still access old notes, create new ones, and once you get a connection it will sync with the online version thus updating it. Amazing is it not?

Now maybe these pieces of software will help. Maybe not. The important thing is that you get the general idea. Heck maybe you know of some better. If you do then post a comment about it.

Evernote vs Springpad

Here you have it folks, two great combatants firing out notes as if it was going out of style. Weighing in at 750,000 premium users, an organized killing machine that not only holds your notes, but takes pictures too. In the left corner you have the unbeatable, all sensational EVERNOTE! To the right we have a lean, mean, organization machine. The new rookie of the year, and direct competition to the champ, we bring to you SPRINGPAD. Lets fight!

What have we gotten into now....

Now with all introductions aside, lets begin our review with Evernote. This outstanding piece of software, that started out as a beta in 2008, has gained a massive amounts of popularity. Tending to well over twenty-million people worldwide; if not more now. Growth of success sprouted out nearly instantly, especially on the android. No longer did the user have to worry about their notes being lost. Because if you used evernote you'd have a offline copy, as well as a online one. Did success go to their heads? No, especially when you compare it to the McAfee guy.

So if they didn't go mad with power, then what did they do? If you're asking yourself this go pat yourself on the back because you earned it soldier. Not only did they focus on the stability of the evernote software, they branched off and made things like evernote clipper or Skitch.

Personally, I don't use a lot of skitch. But I use evernote clipper almost on a day-to-day basis. With it I can save enitre pages onto my evernote all my Warmachine needs. Thanks to it, I can now read about my favorite pieces and form strategies during my down time at work. I can also save some recipes, notes, and even past homework!  Or, I can keep a collection of pictures. Such as posters, wallpapers, backgrounds, funny comics, or just daily use photos.

Next up, we have the underdog. Ladies and gentlemen hold onto your hats for Springpad!.This handy tool has out of this world organization and categorization. Like evernote, they use "Notebooks" to help organize the users things. But what sets them apart is how it goes about it. Especially when it comes to sharing. While playing around with Springpad, I figured out that you can post lists to facebook. These lists do not require user acounts to view and are a dream come true when you're recommending games to friends. Instead of sending one link at a time, one can now send them a large list of links along with pictures.

Now what I don't like is the way they save web pages. Unlike Evernote, springpad likes to save the url and give a brief description of the website. While as evernote will save the ENTIRE webpage. So when it comes to reading at work, I'd give the point to evernote any day of the week. Also another cool thing about springpad, that and I forgot to mention, was that you can also attach videos.

Basics of a Gameboy advance emulator.

I hope you all enjoy this little video I put together. Its about how to use the basics of a VBA emulator. Enjoy.

Wonderful apps that are quiet handy to have

Now google chrome has some amazing extensions, themes, and much more to it. Some of my personal favorites are grooveshark attack. Its an extension to for the popular radio website Grooveshark.com. Then you have Facebook disconnect. Normally I wouldn't recommend this, but it has become a big hit with me since the skype fiasco. Another that I started falling in love with is Evernote clipper. I absolutely adore this, but I'll continue about that here in a bit. And last, but most certianly not least, I present Lyrics For Google Chrome. I love songs, but tend to not know the words. So this little app saves me the trouble of searching around for em.

I have been running Grooveshark Attack for well over two years now. Now you may ask "What is Grooveshark Attack?" well I'm here to tell you Billy. Grooveshark attack is a slightly upgraded  version of the standard grooveshark that the basic user gets. So how is it better? Better organization of songs, playlists, and it just looks a lot sleeker. Instead of the using the bottom right hand corner of the screen to open up playlists, Grooveshark attack shows your entire playlists on the right side of the screen. This allows for quicker access and helps the user organize it better. Now it does nothing to the sound quality, Its pretty much the same, but its still a good little thing to have. I use it almost on a daily basis.

Now Facebook Disconnect is... okay... I use it mostly to keep it off of my skype account. Which only works half the time. But, ever since I installed it messages stopped popping up 24/7 on my skype. That's why I like it. But hey, its not for everyone and its somewhat useful I guess.

Mother duckin' Evernote clipper has become one of my best friends. Ever since I started playing Warmachine I've found it hard to save the model pieces that I need or like. So this year we were introduced to Evernote clipper. By jove has it been amazing! I have been able to save large columns of information and pictures that its absolutely mind boggling.  With it I have been able to organize each piece to a certain section and have been able to plan several strategies. It also helps me learn about other factions. Trust me, it comes in handy.

Lyrics for Google Chrome isn't essential. I just find it useful for when I'm watching a video and a song I don't know pops up. If I like it, then I just click the Lyrics symbol and, of course, gives me the lyrics to said song. It saves me a few minutes for searching for the song. That and I don't have to pause the video while it runs. When it pops up, it pops up in the right hand side of the screen and will give you the full song, along with its name.

Are they useful? Somewhat. Are they needed? No. Unless you want to use everclip, that thing is AMAZING.  Still, there pretty cool and I highly recommend to try them. 

Also, my pal James hill has a thing or two to add in. Check out his blog here: Now google chrome has some amazing extensions, themes, and much more to it. Some of my personal favorites are grooveshark attack. Its an extension to for the popular radio website Grooveshark.com. Then you have Facebook disconnect. Normally I wouldn't recommend this, but it has become a big hit with me since the skype fiasco. Another that I started falling in love with is Evernote clipper. I absolutely adore this, but I'll continue about that here in a bit. And last, but most certianly not least, I present Lyrics For Google Chrome. I love songs, but tend to not know the words. So this little app saves me the trouble of searching around for em.

I have been running Grooveshark Attack for well over two years now. Now you may ask "What is Grooveshark Attack?" well I'm here to tell you Billy. Grooveshark attack is a slightly upgraded  version of the standard grooveshark that the basic user gets. So how is it better? Better organization of songs, playlists, and it just looks a lot sleeker. Instead of the using the bottom right hand corner of the screen to open up playlists, Grooveshark attack shows your entire playlists on the right side of the screen. This allows for quicker access and helps the user organize it better. Now it does nothing to the sound quality, Its pretty much the same, but its still a good little thing to have. I use it almost on a daily basis.

Now Facebook Disconnect is... okay... I use it mostly to keep it off of my skype account. Which only works half the time. But, ever since I installed it messages stopped popping up 24/7 on my skype. That's why I like it. But hey, its not for everyone and its somewhat useful I guess.

Mother duckin' Evernote clipper has become one of my best friends. Ever since I started playing Warmachine I've found it hard to save the model pieces that I need or like. So this year we were introduced to Evernote clipper. By jove has it been amazing! I have been able to save large columns of information and pictures that its absolutely mind boggling.  With it I have been able to organize each piece to a certain section and have been able to plan several strategies. It also helps me learn about other factions. Trust me, it comes in handy.

Lyrics for Google Chrome isn't essential. I just find it useful for when I'm watching a video and a song I don't know pops up. If I like it, then I just click the Lyrics symbol and, of course, gives me the lyrics to said song. It saves me a few minutes for searching for the song. That and I don't have to pause the video while it runs. When it pops up, it pops up in the right hand side of the screen and will give you the full song, along with its name.

Are they useful? Somewhat. Are they needed? No. Unless you want to use everclip, that thing is AMAZING.  Still, there pretty cool and I highly recommend to try them.

For James Hill

There are a lot of Google chrome extensions.  There are so many extensions that you cant even count them all.  Evernote Web Clipper is one of the best ones. Use the Evernote web clipper extension to save things you see on the web into your Evernote account. It even lets you search through your notes.  A lot of people use Facebook.  There is Photo Zoom for Facebook extension that integrates directly into Facebook so you can see the larger images of photo albums, profile photos and more whenever you hover over a zoomable image! You do not even have to click on the pictures.  It is the best way to view facebook pictures.  Do you like to watch Youtube videos.  Staring at the computer screen all the time can really mess up your eyes.  Google lights off extension can fix that. It makes the entire page  dark, so you can watch the video as if you were in the cinema.  With one click on the lamp button, the page will be fading to dark. And automatic focus to the video. Click again, the page will return back as normal.  The fourth extension is cool.  Website destroyer lets you pick a wepon and shoot at what ever page your on. 

Check out his amazing blog http://jamesnhill.blogspot.com/