Create a Pinterest Widget for Your Blogger Pages

Adding widgets and links to your blog will not only help it get a nice fat rank in search engines but also gives interest and entertainment to your readers.
As you customize your blog you will undoubtedly find yourself looking for options to add a Pinterest link of some sort.

It was finding myself in that place which led me to find the two most popular options. First you have your basic Pinterest button. The big "P" so to speak.

If you want to just add the button to your blog follow these simple steps: Pinterest Buttons for Blogger. This button will just suggest Pinterest to your readers without being too flashy.

The other option allows you a little more flash by showing a sample of your boards. You tweak the widget to build a Pinterest billboard which allows readers to enter you Pinterest pages. As you can see below this is a beefy chunk of real estate that showcases your Pinterest pics... nice.
Try it here, Widget Builder - Pinterest for Business





by Linda Maintanis

Donate Spit to Science - Common Tech for the Common Cold Healthcare - Scanadu - Linda Maintanis

If you've been reading me lately you already know about the nasty germ I picked up from a toddler; he was competing in an Olympic Cough event on a Delta Airlines flight November 30... Yes, that germ was live and contagious so along with a couple of hundred other folks I was infected.

My own symptoms were of  a sinus infection with a touch of pleurisy. After two weeks I began to tire of the flavor of mucus and was spending way too much time online. Then, a post on Facebook led me to a surprise, to Scanadu.

It read, "Scanadu Invites You to Donate Your Spit for Science!"

Do you have a cough, fever, sore throat, achy muscles and/or a runny nose? YES!

If You Do, help us better understand the biology of upper respiratory infections and/or the flu. Your spit may, down the line, help reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, help limit the spread of respiratory pathogens and contribute to a new product design.

I read more and learn that all participants will receive a $10 Amazon gift card for their contribution. Sweet.

I find the idea that someone is tracking which bacteria and viruses are in sick people's mouths clever. Mapping them by region and specific strains is brilliant. Imagine watching a wave of pathogens shift around the country...hmmm, maybe the contagious toddler from the Delta flight had spread germs out of his home base, Raleigh, NC.

Count me in.
I completed the online application and as promised, received my collection vial
in a plain brown wrapper.

Instructions are provided and quite simple. The plastic collection vial is well designed and it's just like they say.

They want your spit.

Next, you complete a brief, very brief, questionnaire and seal it all back into the pre-labeled box they provide you with.

I dropped mine into
the mailbox today.
The webpage says that when they receive the sample they will send
the gift card.

New Modem, New Router? Things Here May Never Be the Same, Coping With Transition Fears

When I heard the voice on the phone tell me that my problematic modem was from 2004, "and no, it was not under warranty", I reacted with mixed emotions. The idea that my difficulty had a diagnosis and could be fixed was pleasing, but the thought of a disruption in a system that was "still working" was not.

  

A trip to Walmart for the modem left me empty handed. They had not a single one in stock. So, off I went to Staples... thinking that that delay should have been avoided. Staples was well-stocked and with some helpful advice I had a modem in hand. I purchased the Motorola SURFboard SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem for $89.99. Installation was quick, like five minutes, with no disruption in service.

But, my problems didn't go away. Things on the network were moving very slooooowly. Apple TV and Slingbox, in particular, were skippy. And just forget about the computer, I would literally count the minutes waiting to open a program... if you're reading this then you must have had the experience.

So, six weeks later, with serious trepidation, I find myself at the threshold of a new ROUTER. Yes, many fingers had pointed in that direction and I had to put my fears aside and face the task. My fears of having to set it up with a new password. To have to type in a new network key and password for three Apple TV's, Slingbox and a multitude of WiFi accessories was causing me to tremble.

So, I did what needed to be done. A call to our IT man got me a qualified recommendation. The TL-R600VPN 4-Port Gigabit Broadband VPN Router, from TP-Link for $61.99 at Newegg. Really? really.

The installation was no big deal to get done. I had absolutely no reason to be fearful of a system collapse. In fact, I can see the difference in performance - a huge change in speed and function.So, all-in-all a smart and easy upgrade.

Need Help Syncing Movies From Your iTunes Account to Your iPod? How to Make the Transfer in One Easy Fix.

I've had an annoying problem with my iTunes library lately. The trouble starts when I sync my iPod the night before a trip. I select the movies I want to sync from my movie section; but they don't all sync, one or two stubbornly stay back. I waste precious time trying to troubleshoot my way through iTunes help archives with serious tension. Then I end up giving up on the whole idea in favor of getting finished packing and sleeping. A few weeks later I find myself in the same cycle. And again today.

So I dipped my toe into the Apple Tech Support Pool with a phone call for help. At first my Applet didn't seem to know any more than I did, but soon enough we had chatted our way around the account and found a way to correct the problem.

So, if you find yourself needing this, or shall I ask, when you find yourself needing this, it is a very easy fix.

The first thing you need to do is stop trying to sync the movie from your account. Start by clicking the iTunes Store "home" button. Now click "Movies" from the header. Click "purchased" from the bottom of the Movies Quick Links column on the right side of the page. This should open your list of all purchased movies in your iTunes account. Notice: the small check-box at the bottom right of page, "Download HD When Available", make sure it is NOT checked.

Next, select the movie you are having the problem moving to your iPod. It probably has a little cloud next to it which means that you never actually downloaded it to your computer, you've been watching it from the cloud. Click to download. This will take approximately ten minutes for the average movie...

After downloading is complete you may click the iPod from your Devices on the left page menu bar. Make the movie selection now and "sync" as usual. You will have your movie on your iPod.