However, luckily this is easily fixed by installing one package called Ubuntu-Restricted-Extras. Installing this package will install Microsoft Fonts, Java Runtime Environment, Flash, LAME, MP3 and audio encoding and decoding as well as DVD playback.

To install them first you have to allow the extra repositories in Ubuntu, these are where the software are downloaded from and also will help keep your software updated in the future. To do this on the top panel in Ubuntu click on System > Administration > Software Sources. As shown below make sure the boxes are ticked, and choose your country from the "Download from:" box.

(a screenshot of the sources window)

Next click on the Third Party Sources tab and make sure all the boxes are selected, then click close and from the dialog box click refresh, which will refresh the list all the available packages and programs now available to download and install.

Finally, click on System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager. As shown below you need to search for ubuntu-restricted-extras and selected it, then click apply and it should download and install. Now you can listen to you MP3 files, watch DVD's and video files, and view flash flash files.

(A screenshot of the package manager)

As a final note, Kubuntu users should search for kubuntu-restricted-extras and Xubuntu users should search for xubuntu-restricted-extras

There are many websites with collections of themes created by other users. If you are using gnome as the window manager (which you will be using unless you have changed it) one of the best websites is gnome-look.org, which offers hundreds of themes, icons and other items such as login screens, but the section for gnome themes is the GTK 2.X section.

Once you have the found a theme you like and downloaded it, from the top panel click on System > Preference > Appearance. A window similar to the following should open.

From this window you can either click on the Install button and then browse and select the downloaded file (probably with the extension tar.gz) or you can drag the downloaded file onto the appearance window.

A message box saying the new theme has been installed should appear, so from this box click Apply New Theme and then enjoy!

Before we start, here are a few terms you may need to know:

Mb/Gb: measures of storage; in this order, a megabyte (1,000 kilobytes) and a gigabyte (1,000 megabytes).
RAM: Random Access Memory. The temporary storage location for a computer.
Hard disk: the drive that stores your files.
Processor: the "heart" of the computer. Data that is pumped into it is routed to wherever in the computer it is needed. (Please note that I will not be recommending any AMD processors in my article, below; this is because, in my experience, they are unreliable.)
Ghz: measure of processor frequency; higher means faster (well, there is some debate on that, but it is generally accepted that a higher number is faster).

Also note that I may recommend values with a "~" in between them. For anything with that value, the lower end is better suited for your need and less costly; the higher value will work better and last longer, but will be more expensive.

Can you give me a basic rundown?

There are way too many factors for getting a new PC to just give a basic rundown. However, I can at least tell you this much about PC's: if you don't know much about PC's, go with a manufacturer's PC's. I recommend Gateway highest out of all of them; I have good experiences with their tech support and with the performances of their PC's. Hewlett-Packard (HP) is also a very reliable PC manufacturer. The worst choice would be Dell. Their computers are built sloppily and their tech support is more likely to not assist you in a moment of need.

However, if you're technically proficient, you should try to build your own PC. I'm going to cover that in a later article posted here. But the advantage to that is that your PC's performance is going to be much better due to the missing manufacturer crapware that negatively affects the performance.

Or, there's a third option, for those who want to do a little more work: contact a local PC builder. I'm one in my area; PC builders get parts from wholesalers, meaning that the parts are cheap. They don't install crapware on your PC. And most importantly, they won't overcharge you for a good PC.

What specifications do I need for a sturdy at-home PC?

I would recommend something that's not high in specifications, if you're not going to be using it for very intensive applications (running Internet Explorer or checking your e-mail, and maybe typing up word documents, for example; the occasional online game works as well in this package). Here's a sample build:

Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor: Intel Pentium Dual Core, 2.0~2.4ghz.
RAM: DDR2, 1~2gb.
Hard Disk: 80~100gb, any speed.
Graphics Card: go with an onboard card, don't buy a separate adapter.
Sound Card: go with an onboard card, don't buy a separate adapter.
CD/DVD Drive: just get a CD writer/DVD reader. You'll be able to make your own CD's and watch DVD movies on your PC.

How about a PC for business use?

I'd recommend to follow almost the exact specifications as above, but go with Windows Vista Business instead of Home Premium, and maybe to get a hard disk that is slightly larger (120~150gb) so that you can hold more files.

I need a PC that can handle home media. It's not quite a gaming PC.

This would be a good thing for those who use digital media quite a bit. To complete the package, I'd recommend (if you don't already have one) a TV that has a DVI (white; its shape is like a rounded parallelogram) or S-Video (black, round, small) on the back of it so that you can watch movies on your TV that are on your computer.

Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium.
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo, 1.8~2.4ghz, or for better performance, Intel Core 2 Quad at 2.33ghz.
RAM: 2~4gb, PC6400 (if you don't know what that is, then don't worry).
Hard Disk: 120~200gb (more towards the 200 if you want to store movies on your PC), at a speed of 7200RPM.
Graphics Card: any card that has a DVI port or S-Video port in back so that you can use your PC and TV in conjunction.
Sound Card: you don't necessarily need a separate sound card, but for best sound quality, get a Turtle Beach Riviera (uses the PCI standard port), which can handle surround sound.
CD/DVD Drive: go with a CD writer/DVD reader for writing CD's and reading DVD's on your computer, or get a CD/DVD burner if you want to be able to make your own DVD's.

I need a low-level gaming PC...it doesn't have to handle multiple games at once.

You might need to learn your terms better. Gaming PC's require some special specifications for the equipment used. I can try to define them better, but in reality, you may want to use Wikipedia or a Google search to figure out better what you need.
The term I'll introduce here is latency. Latency is the time between when data is received and when it is written to the memory. Latency configurations usually look like this: X-X-X-XX (where each X is a number). Lower numbers are better when dealing with latency.

Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.66~3.0ghz for standard performance, Intel Core 2 Quad 2.44~2.8ghz for improved performance, or Intel Core 2 Extreme (Dual or Quad) at 2.93ghz.
RAM: 4gb of PC6400 or above at a latency of 5-5-5-18 or better (lower).
Hard Disk: 250~500gb at a speed of 7200 or 10,000 RPM.
Graphics Card: an EVGA GeForce 9500 GT, which supports 512mb of onboard memory (so that your standard RAM isn't touched by the graphics card, for better performance) or better.
Sound Card: anything goes, unless you have a surround sound configuration, in which case I recommend a Turtle Beach Riviera (for good performance, up to 6 channels of sound) or a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE (for best performance; it supports up to 7.1 channels of surround sound, and is actually quite inexpensive). Do not, however, just go with whatever is built into your motherboard.
Multimedia: CD/DVD burner, hands down. Unless you want to watch Blu-Ray movies or play Blu-Ray games on your PC, in which case I'd recommend a Blu-Ray reader (which is very expensive, so watch out).

I'm a gamer that needs it all. I mean, ALL. What are the specs I need?

Despite being a geek, I'm no gamer. Well, maybe on occasionally, but no WoW or any of that. I really wouldn't know. But I can put together a PC with all the best parts. Note that this will be, hands down, EXPENSIVE. So if the regular gaming PC I've specified above cuts it, take that. If not, then read on.

Operating System: Windows Vista Ultimate.
Processor: for great performance, a Core 2 Extreme Quad at 3.2ghz or for ultimate performance, a Core i7 or Core i7 Extreme Edition at 2.66~3.2ghz.
RAM: 8gb of DDR3, between PC12800 and PC15000, with latencies close to or lower than 7-7-7-24.
Hard Disk: 1tb (that's a terabyte, or 1,000 gigabytes), at a speed of 10,00RPM.
Graphics Card: actually, you'll want a two-pack of cards for best performance. My recommendation would be the PNY XLR8 GeForce 9800 GTX, which has 1 GB of GDDR3 memory between two cards. It can be found at TigerDirect.
Sound Card: see what I said in the last computer category for sound cards.
Multimedia: CD/DVD burner, Blu-Ray reader.

Final thoughts.

Finding a computer with these exact specs is a hard job. You'll need to call around to a lot of manufacturers and ask each for a custom PC; many of them can't customize to exactly what you need. Especially when we're talking about gaming PC's (unless you call Alienware, but they'll charge you thousands for a PC as good as the last one I describe).

For gamers, you'd more than likely want to build your own computer, both for cheapness and so that you get EXACTLY what you need from a PC. Not to mention that processors in manufactured PC's won't overclock (getting your processor to operate at a higher frequency than the default, which also helps gamers a lot).

In the near future, I'll be writing a guide to building your own PC. It's a lot simpler than you'd expect, actually. But for now, enjoy your new PC. I hope it works the way you want.

One of the most obvious reasons is when you see something that asks for bank account numbers. It will ask for credit card numbers. (don't get me wrong some good things require it but be cautious.) Don't give it to the scammers. Some will try to entice you into it by telling you that they will give you part of a sum of money for you bank numbers.

Make sure to ignore all get rich fast options. People try to get you to do it. Remember there are professional scammers. Make sure when you are looking into something that you look for complaints against the website or company. Make sure to note the terms of privacy and the other terms. If repairs or something like that is happening make sure that you have a guarantee on it.

Know that all pictures on items are real. Check people who are selling things to see if they have a good rating. Be careful online when attempting to buy something. A great way to do things is to deal locally like craigs list and other local dealers.

I hope you don't get scammed after reading my guide.s

First and foremost I must tell you I love pictures of all shaped as well as sizes. I am always doing things with my pictures weather it be for personal or professional use really doesn’t matter I love them all just the same.

Then secondly I am a pc freak, I mean I am a pc junky and even have a laptop when I just have to do something and need to be portable. I guess you could say I am addicted. I try my best to function as a well rounded off-liner, or what I like to call an OFFerr lol but you know how it is.

OFFerr- a person who never or hardly ever goes online-(known to most people as the net or internet).

I soon find myself imagining the sweet seducing idea of endless information on the information supper highway. I think of the promise of meeting another new best friend who could live in Australia or even Zimbabwe or even Thailand.

The lure of breaking the mundane for something so much more exciting is always lingering near.   

All right back on the topic of capturing a screen shot. The first thing that hangs me up when I am working on a picture is not having the correct program for the job at hand. With that said I feel the best photo viewing program out there has to be Irfanview.

That is of course just my opinion the program you use to view your pictures is of course up to you. The first thing you will need for capturing a screen shot will be to open your photo viewing software on your pc. You can use any program you wish Paint, MS Photo Editor or what ever program you like.

The thing I like about Irfanview is the simple design of the program with a tool bar at the top consisting of drop downs with endless properties you can use to change and manipulate your pictures. The usability of the program is just beautiful and straight foreword I love that. Being a simple gal myself that is the most appealing feature to me with open it and use it right away with out reading long instructions or studying for hours on how to crop a photo.

On to the next thing, now you will need to go open IE, Internet Explorer, or Firefox what ever you’re browsing with go ahead and open an internet window.

Then find a picture you want to have a screenshot of on the internet or you can even take a screenshot of your desk top if you like. The picture I will use will be the logo of Triond.

Now once you are on the picture or web page you want a screenshot of look at the top of your key board. Look along the top row of keys on your keyboard until you see a key called or labeled PrtScn or SysRq or Insert it should be the third key right on the top row.

I think some people will see where I am going with this but you are like okay what is next come on already, just be patient keep hanging in there. Others of you are slapping your forehead right now saying on man! To the -oh man people well you could at least leave me a comment before you leave to go print screen your little hearts out lol just kidding.

For those of you still following me now you can push that button called or labeled PrtScn or SysRq or Insert.

Next go to that open program that you use to view your pictures.

Once you have your program open you can click edit on your menu bar and then click paste or you can use a short cut, you can push your Ctrl button PLUS your letter V button. I love short cuts. Your picture should be there in your program. Now you can manipulate your picture all you want. Then save your picture in what ever folder you chose or even create a new folder to put it in. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask I like comments and feedback.

Here is my photo that I cropped from my screenshot that I took of this page.

Browser hijackers can be very annoying. If they set your page to that strange page, it may stay there (you close your browser, then open it, and it's still there). When you want to get rid of it, sometimes it is necessary to change your Windows register.

Some of those hijackers use a technique that won't let the websurfer leave the strange page.
They like do it by pop-ups (you close a page, then it jumps up again) or in a page you can't close (an application is runned, where no menu is accessible). And as I wrote before, the objective is earn visitors long visiting on the page, to get more advertising benefit.

To be continued in PYC : Part 3 : Pop-up's and keyloggers

Protecting computer

Why is important to protect your computer, and everything inside it?

Computer and information inside it is exactly like your home, car, CD's etc. Nobody thinks, that when you leave your home, you close the doors and windows, strange. No it's not odd. But still some careless users leave their computers on, while going away from home (shopping etc.).
Don't think that your propery isn't any valuable anyway, and nobody cares about it. Also, if somebody breaks your window, takes food out of your fridge and eats it, then leaves with filthy boots and your floor is not clean. And it is disturbing, right?

The same is with you computer. Your computer may be attacked by viruses (adware, spyware etc.) and sent stupid e-mails (pictures, spam) . Supervise your computer, turn it off after you have done using it.

For starters, let me explain port forwarding in nice plain english, that you might understand the concept of what we are going to be doing here. Port forwarding is the process of opening a hole in your router to allow internet traffic to pass through it and to your computer with no interfence. When you are connected to the internet directly (modem to computer) you are fully exposed to the glory - and wrath - of the online world. If you are part of a network, your router will not only act as a buffer between your computer and that dangerous thing that we are so addicted to, but it will also allow you to pass files and information back and forth between other machines on the same router.

Now that you have an idea of what port forwarding is, why should you use it? Many programs these days will automatically set themselves up to play nicely with your router, but they won't tell you why. On most networks, all machines connected to the router will use the same IP address to connect to the internet. This is call Network Address Translation, and there are a number of reasons this is useful, but at the same time, it can confuse a lot of internet traffic. Now for example, let's say your using Limewire and you're trying to download a song. When you start downloading the song you want, the various sources the song is coming from will attempt to connect to your computer to give you your requested file. As I explained above though, if you have more then one computer on your network, you all use the same IP address, and that could make it hard for Limewire to know which computer to pass the song to. So we use port forwarding to tell it that certain programs go to certain places on the internal network. By doing so, Limewire will connect to your IP address, which will redirect to your router, which in turn consults your port forwarding to see which internal machine to redirect to.

If you are reading this on a computer running Windows XP or newer, you probably don't need to do any manual port forwarding, since Microsoft introduced uPnP, applications can access your router and make changes automatically. If you are not using a newer version of Windows, or the application you are running does not support uPnP, then it is time to roll up your sleeves and poke around inside your router a little. I cannot give you exact instructions, as most routers are different, but I can give you a great website to help you with the specifics beyond what I can explain here. Just pick the model of your router off this list http://www.portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/routerindex.htm and follow the instructions it gives you. Make sure you note what it tells you your IP address is, up near the top of the page.

If you are unsure as to what the model of router you own, take a look at it. 9 times out of 10, somewhere on the router, there will be the manufacturer, model, serial number, and quite often the MAC address as well. We don't need all that right now, but it's a good thing to know should it come up later down the road. If you do not have physical access to your router, talk with your network admin, as they will probably set up port forwarding for you.

Thats it. A quick and painless explanation of what port forwarding is and why to use it. If you still have a hard time figuring anything out, drop a comment and I'll try and help.

Also please note that this tutorial only covers the exterior of the house and that more specific things like creating custom chimneys/windows are not included. If you would like specific info/tutorials on any more specific house components please leave me a comment. And finally all components used here are provided by Google with Sketchup Free.

1. Create a blank document then create a rectangle (using the rectangle tool) the size of the house and garden (Type values as you drag the rectangle to create precise sizes).
   
   
   
   Don't worry if the plot is not rectangular we will deal with this later. Then use the line tool to split the rectangle into a grid. This is not essential but you may find this helpful.
   
   
2. Now draw out the layout of your building on the rectangle as shown. In this example green is for garden, white is for 2 floors, dark gray is for 1 floor and light gray is a glass conservatory.
   
   
   
   I am only texturing them like this to show what I'm doing but you may also find it useful.
   
   
3. Then using the push/pull tool pull up the different sections to the correct height.
   
   
   
   Use the value typing system from Step 1 to get the height accurate.
   
   
4. Create a vertical rectangle coming up from the flat top of the cuboids to the desired height of the roof.
   
   
   
   Then create a line from the bottom corners to the centre of the top line.
   
   
5. Cut out the top of the roof rectangle leaving only a triangle as shown.
   
   
   
   Make sure the angle/size of the roof triangle is correct.
   
   
6. Use the push/pull tool to pull the roof triangle to the far side of the building or the point where you want the roof to come.
   
   
   
   
   
7. At this stage you can use the offset tool to add detail. In this example I used it to slightly push in (with push/pull tool) the ends of the roof.
   
   
   
   This little detail creates a much better model.
   
   
8. The next step is to texture your model using the paint bucket tool. In this example I just used the textures that Google provide, although you can download many more or even make your own.
   
   
   
   Note: Glass textures like the one I used can be found under transparent in the textures gallery.
   
   
9. Almost done! Use the components gallery (found in the windows menu) to find and add components (i.e. windows and doors).
   
   
   
   I find it helpful when adding windows to draw a line on the face and place all windows on the line.
   
   
10. You're basically finished now.
    
    
    
    Just get rid of any unwanted lines and make any final adjustments.

Congratulations - you just built your house in Sketchup!