1. Gunpolicy.org
While this isn't specifically a news site, it contains a wealth of data about firearm ownership, use, and crime in virtually all countries around the world. There are a multitude of charts to choose from and you can even create your own (to a point) if you want to compare data; for example, comparing gun ownership rates in the U.S. and Canada from the last 10 years. I used this site as a resource when doing an essay on gun control facts in a previous class.
Address: http://www.gunpolicy.org/
Link: GunPolicy
2. MacroTrends Unemployment Data
A nice, graphical line representation of our nation's unemployment data since September of 2002. According to the site, the data is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Address: http://www.macrotrends.net/1339/unemployment-rate-last-ten-years
Link: MacroTrends Unemployment Data
3. GasBuddy.com
A nice site with a variety of charts showing average gas price data throughout the United States. You can select several different charts showing gas prices for the last month, year, and several other time period ranges.
Address: http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_retail_price_chart.aspx?time=24
Link: GasBuddy
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
3 Sites with Examples of Nice Resumes
1. Resume.com
This website features several different resume designs that range from old school and "classic" to modern, crisp and professional. I didn't see any downloadable templates for use in Word; it appears that you have to build your resume there using the website interface. Either way, they have some very nice looking templates to choose from.
Website and Link: http://www.resume.com Resume.com
2. Microsoft Templates
In addition to what comes pre-loaded on Microsoft Word, Microsoft offers downloadable resume templates for use in Word. Good variety of themes and designs available for download.
Website and Link: https://store.office.live.com/templates/Resumes%20and%20Cover%20Letters Microsoft Word Resume Templates
3. Primer Magazine
Primer Magazine (online) offers 7 free resume templates for use in Microsoft Word. There's a preview for each template (or you can download them all) and in all reality I did not see one that I didn't like the style of. And if those 7 aren't enough to choose from, at the bottom of the page there's a link to 12 more.
Website and Link: http://www.primermagazine.com/2011/earn/7-free-resume-templates
Primer's 7 Free Resume Templates
This website features several different resume designs that range from old school and "classic" to modern, crisp and professional. I didn't see any downloadable templates for use in Word; it appears that you have to build your resume there using the website interface. Either way, they have some very nice looking templates to choose from.
Website and Link: http://www.resume.com Resume.com
2. Microsoft Templates
In addition to what comes pre-loaded on Microsoft Word, Microsoft offers downloadable resume templates for use in Word. Good variety of themes and designs available for download.
Website and Link: https://store.office.live.com/templates/Resumes%20and%20Cover%20Letters Microsoft Word Resume Templates
3. Primer Magazine
Primer Magazine (online) offers 7 free resume templates for use in Microsoft Word. There's a preview for each template (or you can download them all) and in all reality I did not see one that I didn't like the style of. And if those 7 aren't enough to choose from, at the bottom of the page there's a link to 12 more.
Website and Link: http://www.primermagazine.com/2011/earn/7-free-resume-templates
Primer's 7 Free Resume Templates
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
4 Free Online Resources for Learning Office
1. GCF Learn Free
This website features free tutorials for all of the Microsoft Office products. I looked into the section dedicated to Microsoft Word and they had their tutorials neatly broken down into different categories depending on what kind of task you were trying to accomplish. Quite a few screen caps of the menus as well which would help in finding the right button for the job.
Address: http://www.gcflearnfree.org/word2013
Link: GCF Learn Free Word 2013
2. Microsoft Office Training
Microsoft's own training section which covers all of their products. Categories are typically broken down by skill level, ranging from "Beginner" tasks to "Advanced".
Address: https://support.office.com/en-US/Article/Training-courses-for-Excel-2013-aaae974d-3f47-41d9-895e-97a71c2e8a4a?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US
Link: Training Courses for Excel 2013
3. MrExcel
They claim to be "Your One Stop For Excel Tips & Solutions" and from what I've seen, that claim definitely looks to be accurate! A wealth of information on the Excel program. There is also a Youtube channel that features Excel video tutorials several times per month.
Addresses: http://www.mrexcel.com/ and http://www.youtube.com/user/bjele123/
Links: MrExcel and MrExcel on Youtube
4. Udemy
Udemy offers a free introductory PowerPoint course. The course is broken down into a series of videos that start with introductory videos and progress to basic functions. The tutorial does require signing up with an e-mail address but the content is free. They also offer more advanced courses for a fee if people want to continue their learning.
Address: https://www.udemy.com/introduction-to-microsoft-powerpoint-2013/?siteID=je6NUbpObpQ-YmBdQlvnd_6JG_XQyKPyiQ&LSNPUBID=je6NUbpObpQ
Link: Udemy PowerPoint Free Course
This website features free tutorials for all of the Microsoft Office products. I looked into the section dedicated to Microsoft Word and they had their tutorials neatly broken down into different categories depending on what kind of task you were trying to accomplish. Quite a few screen caps of the menus as well which would help in finding the right button for the job.
Address: http://www.gcflearnfree.org/word2013
Link: GCF Learn Free Word 2013
2. Microsoft Office Training
Microsoft's own training section which covers all of their products. Categories are typically broken down by skill level, ranging from "Beginner" tasks to "Advanced".
Address: https://support.office.com/en-US/Article/Training-courses-for-Excel-2013-aaae974d-3f47-41d9-895e-97a71c2e8a4a?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US
Link: Training Courses for Excel 2013
3. MrExcel
They claim to be "Your One Stop For Excel Tips & Solutions" and from what I've seen, that claim definitely looks to be accurate! A wealth of information on the Excel program. There is also a Youtube channel that features Excel video tutorials several times per month.
Addresses: http://www.mrexcel.com/ and http://www.youtube.com/user/bjele123/
Links: MrExcel and MrExcel on Youtube
4. Udemy
Udemy offers a free introductory PowerPoint course. The course is broken down into a series of videos that start with introductory videos and progress to basic functions. The tutorial does require signing up with an e-mail address but the content is free. They also offer more advanced courses for a fee if people want to continue their learning.
Address: https://www.udemy.com/introduction-to-microsoft-powerpoint-2013/?siteID=je6NUbpObpQ-YmBdQlvnd_6JG_XQyKPyiQ&LSNPUBID=je6NUbpObpQ
Link: Udemy PowerPoint Free Course
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
4 Software Programs I Use Most Often
1. Google Chrome
Google Chrome has been my web browser of choice for quite some time now. Previously I used Internet Explorer, however I felt it was becoming overly complicated and "clunky" and I was looking for something new. I was already using Google as my main search engine, and decided to give their browser a try. I instantly liked it better than IE and I've been using it since. It feels cleaner, sleeker, and faster; I also like that I can save my settings and favorites to my Google account and then retrieve that data from any computer that has Chrome installed. That way I never have to worry about keeping a separate list of my favorite websites. It's also rather nice being able to search just from typing in the address bar.
2. Webroot Secure Anywhere
This isn't necessarily a "get things done" program that you use for productivity, however since it is always running in the background of my laptop I feel that it's worth mentioning. Secure Anywhere is an all-in-one program that protects your computer from viruses, worms, and malware, as well as maintaining a firewall. You can use it to manually scan specific files, your entire computer, or just leave the real time shield active and it is always monitoring things in the background. The settings can also be setup to scan your computer at specific intervals, like most virus protection programs. Although I haven't used it, the program includes 25 GB of cloud storage and a handy "System Optimizer" tool which cleans up unnecessary junk files and data to save hard drive space.
3. Textra
Since I send a lot of text messages on a day-to-day basis, it is only fair to include this Android phone app as well. My phone came with a texting app installed but at one point it stopped working. None of the messages would load and I got stuck with an infinitely lasting "Loading..." message. Since I didn't feel like dealing with tech support at the time, I looked around on the Android Market and found an app called Textra. Mostly good reviews, so I installed it and I've been using it ever since. I would even go as far as saying it's better than the phone's stock messaging app. In addition to having all of the standard features one would expect from a messaging app, this one feels a bit faster to me. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wanted to try a different texting app on their smartphone. Great app for keeping in touch with friends and loved ones.
4. Calendar App on Phone
The stock calendar app on my Android phone has proven itself useful time and time again. I use this to help keep track of my work schedule, appointments, and other important reminders. I can set certain events to repeat at specific intervals and also set alarms to go off prior to events as a reminder (such as a reminder before an appointment somewhere) so I won't forget about it. Another nice feature of this app is you can set events to occur (such as a work schedule) for a period of time and it will warn you if you try to schedule another event at the same time.
Google Chrome has been my web browser of choice for quite some time now. Previously I used Internet Explorer, however I felt it was becoming overly complicated and "clunky" and I was looking for something new. I was already using Google as my main search engine, and decided to give their browser a try. I instantly liked it better than IE and I've been using it since. It feels cleaner, sleeker, and faster; I also like that I can save my settings and favorites to my Google account and then retrieve that data from any computer that has Chrome installed. That way I never have to worry about keeping a separate list of my favorite websites. It's also rather nice being able to search just from typing in the address bar.
2. Webroot Secure Anywhere
This isn't necessarily a "get things done" program that you use for productivity, however since it is always running in the background of my laptop I feel that it's worth mentioning. Secure Anywhere is an all-in-one program that protects your computer from viruses, worms, and malware, as well as maintaining a firewall. You can use it to manually scan specific files, your entire computer, or just leave the real time shield active and it is always monitoring things in the background. The settings can also be setup to scan your computer at specific intervals, like most virus protection programs. Although I haven't used it, the program includes 25 GB of cloud storage and a handy "System Optimizer" tool which cleans up unnecessary junk files and data to save hard drive space.
3. Textra
Since I send a lot of text messages on a day-to-day basis, it is only fair to include this Android phone app as well. My phone came with a texting app installed but at one point it stopped working. None of the messages would load and I got stuck with an infinitely lasting "Loading..." message. Since I didn't feel like dealing with tech support at the time, I looked around on the Android Market and found an app called Textra. Mostly good reviews, so I installed it and I've been using it ever since. I would even go as far as saying it's better than the phone's stock messaging app. In addition to having all of the standard features one would expect from a messaging app, this one feels a bit faster to me. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wanted to try a different texting app on their smartphone. Great app for keeping in touch with friends and loved ones.
4. Calendar App on Phone
The stock calendar app on my Android phone has proven itself useful time and time again. I use this to help keep track of my work schedule, appointments, and other important reminders. I can set certain events to repeat at specific intervals and also set alarms to go off prior to events as a reminder (such as a reminder before an appointment somewhere) so I won't forget about it. Another nice feature of this app is you can set events to occur (such as a work schedule) for a period of time and it will warn you if you try to schedule another event at the same time.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
3 Types of Computers I Use Most Often
1. Laptop
I would say that my trust laptop is the computer I use the most. Especially since starting college, my laptop has acted as my virtual hub for doing homework and staying organized. I cannot really imagine what it would be like not having a laptop for college work. Granted, some people are able to pull it off but I would imagine it's much more difficult. Mine has gotten me through a number of papers, powerpoints and various other homework related projects and I'm sure that will remain the case throughout the course of my education. I'm especially looking forward to learning Excel in this class, as I have no clue how to do anything in it as of now. I did try fooling around in it once, but didn't get very far.
The only thing I don't care for much about my laptop is the Windows 8 system. I feel that the interface would be more suited to a tablet design, or something with a touch screen (which my laptop is not). I've mostly gotten used to it, but the vast majority of the time I just go straight to the desktop since I'm used to that format.
2. Android Phone
My cell phone is another computer that I use frequently. I still remember the days when cell phones folded in half and had retractable antennas and you could only use them to make a phone call. Now we have touch screens and the ability to video conference with people on the other side of the world from the palm of your hand.
I mostly use my phone for communication. I definitely text more than I call, unless I feel that a phone call is more appropriate for the situation. I also have my e-mail linked to it so I can get my e-mails no matter where I'm at, which is useful when an important college-related message pops in. I also use my phone to check my Facebook periodically throughout the day, but I am not a social media addict by any means. It's also nice having the ability to look up something online if I wish to do so and I'm not near a computer. I don't play many games on my phone, but I do enjoy a good game of Words With Friends with a few people.
3. Playstation 3
Last but not least, my PlayStation 3 system. Being a college student leaves me very little time to actually use this device currently, but I chose to include it due to the immense amount of time I spent on it before college. Mine is an original that I've had since they were first released; one of the old "fat" models. In all these years I have only had a single "yellow light of death" event, which I had fixed and it has ran like a champ ever since.
My gaming interests right now are mostly RPG-focussed. The Souls series is my hands down favorite, and one of my proudest gaming achievements has been earning the platinum trophy on all 3 souls games (took forever!). Not a huge fan of shooters unless they're 3rd person; a few years back I was a very dedicated player on Metal Gear Online before the servers were shut down in 2012.
The PS3 has also been somewhat of a social tool via gaming; I have "met" and played with people on various games from all over the U.S. and abroad. I've developed good friendships with a few people and I still remain in contact with them to this day, despite not being able to spend as much time gaming as before. These days, I look at getting on the PS3 as a treat instead of a habit.
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