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Mike recently graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Information Systems and currently works as a data manager in the organ transplant department for a large healthcare company, mainly working with Oracle databases and systems administration and occasionally doing some web development. On the side he enjoys playing with the Android platform and Windows Media Center. He also spends time as an administrator on the Mintywhite Forums.
Mike's website.
Mike's Archive
The Top 5 “Most Bang for your Buck” PC Upgrades
On June - 16 - 20118 COMMENTS
If you are anything like me, every time you sit down at your PC you think of all the component upgrades you could invest in. The problem is that there simply isn’t enough cash in the world to do everything you’d like to (for most of us at least – good riddance to those of you that have that kind of cake). Using my own experience I’ve compiled a short list of the most cost-effective upgrades you can make to boost the joy you experience every time you use your PC. Read the rest of this entry »
Ultimate Media Center: Integrate Hulu Desktop into Media Center
On October - 8 - 20102 COMMENTS
I stumbled upon this neat trick a little while ago and thought it would be a good share for the rest of you “Media Junkies” out there. While we do have to wait a little over a week to get Google TV here in the states, which will combine over-the-air broadcast TV from your set-top box and videos you can access over the net, this little fix brings that to you now if you’re running Windows Media Center. It combines the beauty and ease of use from Windows Media Center with the vast amounts of content available on Hulu.
Ultimate Media Center: Use External Players for Broader Media Center Playback
On August - 17 - 20103 COMMENTS
We already know from Deck’s great posts and RSVR85’s Media Center customization guide that Windows Media Center is a robust media hub with a great user interface. The ability to pull in internet TV, act as a DVR for broadcast TV, and serve as a library for music, pictures, and videos has made it my choice in my home entertainment center. However, it does have its shortcomings, one of which is its inability to play some types of video files without third-party software. I’m going to show you how to make this a non-issue by configuring Windows Media Center to utilize non-Windows Media Player programs to play these files.
Read the rest of this entry »
Editorial: The Future is in the Cloud(s)
On July - 22 - 20104 COMMENTS
I recently posted in Windows Forums about what I think will be the emphasis in Windows 8 development. In a nutshell, I talked about “the cloud”. For those of you not familiar with this terminology, just think about local storage; your C: drive. Now imagine all of the things you hold dear on that little hard drive platter floating around on the internet, ready for you to grab from anywhere. Photos, contacts, e-mails, notes, files, application settings; the list goes on and on. That is the concept of the cloud. Read the rest of this entry »
Make Google Chrome even more Useful with Extensions [How To]
On April - 21 - 20106 COMMENTS
We all know Google Chrome is a wicked fast and secure browser (the only left standing at Pwn2Own this year) – and I would say that many of us are using it. I also know that many of you out there are using FireFox and are quite attached to it because of its extensive extension support, but did you know that Chrome now has over 4,200 extensions? Today I’m going to walk you through installing extensions in Chrome and showing you some of my favorites.
GIMP – A Powerful Yet Free Photoshop Alternative
On March - 16 - 20103 COMMENTS
| Windows Guides’ Rating | Compatible with |
  4 out of 5 |
   |
 PROS: Free, feature-filled graphical editing CONS: Not made by Adobe? VERDICT: Almost all of the tricks at none of the price. Unless you are a professional, GIMP will be a great all-inclusive tool for you. PRICE: Free VERSION REVIEWED: 2.6.7 DOWNLOAD: GIMP |