When was the last time you defragged your hard drive? If your computer is more than a year or so old, chances are your files are heavily fragmented all over the drive, which typically results in poor performance.

The defragmentation process reviews your hard drive and determines if it needs to be reorganized (defragged). There is a simple utility called “Disk Defragmenter” in your accessories, system tools folder (Windows only) that you should run about 1x per year that will keep your hard drive well organized and giving you the best possible performance.

It’s easy to do and pretty safe, though this might be a good time to make sure you’ve got a good backup.

Checkout the video for a step-by-step demonstration!

If you’d like to see how iTunes 4.9 works, check out this video.

Overall, nice, simple UI. Better than iPodder Lemon. You can drag and drop podcast links to subscribe, and the directory is easy to browse. I like it.

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Checkout the video for a step-by-step demonstration!

If you don’t have an iPod but you want an easy way to synchronize your podcasts with your Pocket PC or any other MP3 player, you can configure Windows Media Player to automatically sync newly downloaded podcasts and even deleted podcasts.

It took a little while to monkey around with this but I got it to work and it works like a charm. Check out the video I’ve put together and let me know what you think!

If you don’t want to watch a video, here’s what I did:

• Set Podcatcher directory
• Set WMP additional directory
• Create new auto playlist
• Insert removable media
• Edit sync settings
• Assign playlist
• Open properties of removable media
• Uncheck convert files
• Check create hierarchy & start sync

Subscribe to the Podcast and automatically download new video and audio tips as they come!

Checkout the video for a step-by-step demonstration!

Somebody asked me:

“I recently received an email notifying me that my account with Ebay had been suspended and I had to fill out a form to re-activate it. They asked for all kinds of personal information. Is this legit?”

I’m sorry to say that you’ve been the victim of what’s known as “Phishing” which is a new, dangerous breed of spam. This spam doesn’t ask you to buy anything, but rather warns you about having your account canceled unless you fill out a form. The official-looking form asks you the deepest, most personal information such as mother’s maiden name, social security number, bank account number numbers, bank card PIN access codes, and the like.

Of course what really happens is that this information goes to a thief who proceeds to take all the money out of your bank account and uses your credit cards to go on a shopping spree. Disclosing this kind of personal information gives someone else everything they need to completely steal your identity and perhaps cause a lot more damage than “just” stealing your money; for example, a criminal that gets arrested can use give out your identity instead. Suddenly, you have a criminal record!

How can you avoid becoming a victim of a Phish? Here’s a super-easy way: If you get an email that warns you of an account being canceled, don’t click on any of the links in the email under any circumstances, no matter how legitimate they may seem. Instead open up a new browser window and go ahead and log into your account using your known user name and password. If your account is truly in danger of getting canceled, the Web site will repeat the warning and tell you how you can recover from it.

Today’s Internet-connected world brings fantastic productivity but you must always be vigilant about scams like Phishes. It’s sad to say but you just can’t trust email these days, especially emails that “smell like a Phish”. But the good news is if you just don’t click on that link, and instead open a new browser window, you can easily avoid becoming another victim of identity theft.

Subscribe to the Podcast and automatically download new video and audio tips as they come!

Checkout the video for a step-by-step demonstration!

What do the Pope and Paris Hilton have in common? They both have a Podcast.

Next Big Things don’t come along too often and those of you that know me may recall that my other company CyberCom created the first commercial Web site in Hawaii and I was very active in getting Hawaii to make the most out of that Big Thing called the Internet.

Well, I’m here to tell you about the Next Big Thing and while this one won’t be quite as earth-shattering as the Internet, it will completely change the way you listen to audio content and I’m not just talking about music.  Drumroll please…

The Next Big Thing is "Podcasting" and it’s a new way to surf the Internet for audio content. A podcast is typically an mp3 recording of a radio-like show that’s available for you to download to your mp3 player.  There are over 5000 different podcasts going on right now on just about any given topic you can think of.  What makes podcasting different from just downloading mp3 files is the use of a free "podcatcher"application which lets you subscribe to your favorite podcasts. The podcatcher then checks those Web sites on a regular basis and automatically downloads any newly published audio content.

When you combine the podcatcher’s automated download feature with your existing mp3 player’s ability to synchronize files on your computer, the end result is that your mp3 player is automatically updated with the latest shows you asked for. You simply get up in the morning, disconnect your player, and off you go with your favorite audio in your ear.  And if you consider yourself an uberGeek you can add on an FM transmitter to your mp3 player so that you can listen to your favorite Podcasts through your car stereo.

I’ve put together an introductory video that will get you started on subscribing and downloading to podcasts. If you have an mp3 player or if you play mp3s on your computer at work, you gotta see why I’m all excited.  This truly really is the Next Big Thing.  When you get everything hooked up, make sure you visit my new sites VoteHawaii.com and a completely redesigned YourComputerMinute.Com and download the podcasts I have waiting for you over there.

Let me know what you think!

Subscribe to the Podcast and automatically download new video and audio tips as they come!

Show notes (things I mention in the video):

• Download the free podcatcher
• My other podcast site
• Buy Todd Cochrane’s book on podcasting
• TechPodcasts.com Directory founded by Hawaii Resident Todd Cochrane
• HawaiiUp local podcast by Ryan Ozawa
• RoughTake local podcast by Burt Lum
• More information at the Hawaii Podcasters Association