Sometimes I wonder how many tech people (aka geeks) have college degrees and how many are self-taught. I’m not putting down a college degree; I wish I had one. With technology, though, it seems there’s a lot to be said for hands-on education. I taught myself enough to be hired by an ISP in 1999. The owners at the ISP were very generous with their knowledge and I found myself learning even more than I ever thought possible.

Over the years I’ve come to the conclusion that I learn best by just rolling up my sleeves and jumping in to whatever project interests me. From xhtml and css to taking a screwdriver to my tower, I learn by doing. While I’m sure I would do well in college classes, I’d much rather find online tutorials or the cool programming lesson at HacketyHack.

Hackety Hack is a free download that walks you through lessons (currently) on Ruby. Kids are using Hackety Hack but there’s no reason why adults wanting to pick up new skills can’t use it as well. It’s a quick download and is written in easy to understand language.

Part of the “bylaws” of Hackety Hack state:

• Beginners should be greeted to Hackety Hack by a cartoon character. (For the sake of argument, let’s call this character: Hacky Mouse.)
• Also, helpful sentences. Preferably short and with a period.
• Hackety Hack is fundamentally a browser and a programming language. For now, Gecko and Ruby.
• I’m only using Ruby because I know it. Hopefully, more languages can be added!
• Again, this isn’t about Ruby, it’s about simply offering a place for plainspeople to tinker with code.

My kids love video games but I’m hopeful that installing Hackety Hack on their computers and bookmarking the site for them will encourage at least one of my kids to give programming a shot. Surely, I can’t be the only geek in this family.

I’m still going to pick up a few books on programming since I like having a hard copy of whatever I’m learning. (And because I’d rather hold a book while I’m soaking in the jacuzzi than a laptop.) Hackety Hack is perfect, though, for hands on experience and for capturing a kids’ interest.

If you use a Windows based computer, you probably know all about protecting yourself from Malware, worms and other nasty stuff. It isn’t that other OSes aren’t vulnerable, they are. It’s partially because Windows is more widely used so those wishing to create chaos are naturally drawn to Windows.

Anyone who has been infected by one of these exploits knows the signs. Your computer slows down. Your interent connection slows down or gets flaky. Windows pop up. The machine shuts down. And those are just some of the things you may notice; other behaviors may be happening underground that are even more dangerous. Your files may be erased, sent out to random email addresses or who knows what else.

If you’re going through this or if you just want to be prepared for the chance that it might happen to you, check out Castle Cops Malware Removal and Prevention Guide. Read carefully. Follow all the instructions. Download the programs that are listed and run them in the order the Guide gives you.

These are some of the best programsfor cleaning a computer. They each hunt down bad files, clutter and general nonsense from your drive. It’s like they have Nikon rifle scopes honing in on each problem file. Of course, you want to always back up your machine first, just in case something is removed that shouldn’t have been.

For additional help, check out Castle Cops refernce on HijackThis as well as how to get help with your Hijack This log.

Once you’re all squeaky clean, follow the instructions to Prevent Re-infection. And stay alert!

I have teens. Mostly, my teens hang out online to talk to their friends. I’ve tried to encourage them to blog but they usually look at me as if my lips are moving but no sound is coming out. Kids can make you question your sanity, you know.

And yet, I still love finding sites for my teens. I love being able to say, “Hey, look at this great site I found for you” even though I know they’ll roll their eyes. I love even more when they check out the site and realize that maybe – just maybe – mom is really on to something. Such is the case with Teen Freeway.

This site is jam-packed with free stuff for teens. Yes, I said free. From cool pens to blemish acne cream to mascara to magazines to phones to…. well, you get the idea. Free stuff. For teens. It’s magic!

If you have teens, pass this one on to them. It’ll keep them busy for hours as they sign up for all the stuff that’s offered here. In fact, even if you don’t have teens you might find something that appeals to you. So sign up and get some free stuff!

You can map anything, you know. You can map your trip to avoid detours. You can map the shortest journey to your new home to reduce moving services expenses. You can map the distance between your home and office. Heck you can even map different terms for carbonated beverages.

HUH? Is that right? Well, yes, it is. Strange Maps is just that: a blog full of maps that depict all sorts of odd things. The pop vs. soda map is one of my favorites but there so many others there that everyone will find something to amuse and entertain.

For instance, did you know that there was once a state in the US that never quite made it to official status? Check out the map of Absaroka. Or how about a view of cannibalism throughout history? Didn’t know that map existed, did you?

Go ahead and look around the site. See something really odd? Let me know about it. With two years worth of entries, there’s just too much there for one person to discover alone. Post your favorites in my comments!

Everyone has a favorite super hero. Most of us have a most coveted super power, too. My confession: even though being invisible or having x-ray vision may be more useful, I’d rather be able to fly. Yes, that is my secret desire – to fly.

Kevin Cornell and Matthew Sutter play an online game in their blog, The Superest, creating superheros to “out-super” each other. Okay, maybe that’s a confusing explanation. From the site:

The Superest is a continually running game of My Team, Your Team. The rules are simple:

Player 1 draws a character with a power. Player 2 then draws a character whose power cancels the power of that previous character. Repeat.

Some of the Super Heroes look like they’ve been spending their free time with the latest fitness equipment while others look like they might need some time at the gym. And that just adds to the fun!

This is one of those blogs that you want to read each day so be sure to add it to your feed reader.

We all know there are some really great videos on youtube, especially funny ones that help to break up the workday. Some videos are inspirational, too, but those are usually too sappy for me. I don’t like sappy. Most of the videos I see are passed around in emails so if I’ve seen one, you probably have as well. It’s the whole viral thing you know.

One series of youtube videos, though, are worth mentioning. Lauren Luke aka panacea81 is a makeup genius. She applies makeup with step-by-step instructions. Whether she’s creating a Sweet & Innocent Wedding look or Amy Winehouse eyeliner, you’ll be treated to a transformation that is amazing and yet very easy to follow at home.

Keep in mind that Ms. Luke is very lovely with great eyes. Her eyebrows are perfection. Since I’m afraid of being waxed (yes, I’m a wimp) I’ve been inspired to invest in Rubis tweezers so I can mimic panacea81′s brows. My biggest dilemma is deciding which video to watch and what look to copy. There are just so many videos to watch that I could spend days on end watching, trying, washing and then starting over.

If you’re a girly geek or just a girly girl and you’re looking for a site that’s fun and feeds your “inner pretty” then head on over to Lauren Luke’s YouTube site and try on a new You. If you have a blog, post your pics and then come back here and let me know about it. I’d love to see what you do with these great video tutorials.

While I was preparing for a trip, searching through my linen closet and medicine chest for small bottles to satisfy the TSA and their 3 oz. “liquid” in a ziplock baggie requirement, I noticed a number of prescription bottles that had been shoved to the back of the closet. I also found a few loose pills that I couldn’t identify as well a bottle of liquid medicine for Kendyll that I had no idea what it was meant to treat.

I suppose if I were the only person in the house it would be easy to remember what each pill was but with so many people of such a wide variety of ages all in one house, there’s no way I could figure out what is what. Certainly, I wouldn’t want to confuse an antibiotic with an OTC like Leptitrex or Excedrin. And yet, I don’t want to toss medications that are still usable, especially with drug prices so high.

While it’s easy to do an internet search on any drug name, either brand or generic, identifying a loose tablet or capsule isn’t so easy. That is, unless you check out RxList.

Just click on the advanced search link and fill out as much information as you can about the pill that you have. Choose shape, color and imprint, then search and look through the results. Both prescription and OTC meds are listed. If you’re not sure which listing is correct, click on one and then find the View Images link to the right of the listing. There, you can see pictures of how the tablet or capsule looks so you can match it up with the unknown pill that you have.

RxList also lets you search for drugs alphabetically and provides both a medical dictionary and a section on diseases. Its most useful feature, though, is the ability to identify loose pills.

Have you ever remodeled your home? If so, then you know that planning is probably the most important step in the process. Of course, you can always hire the best architect, list your desires and let the experts do their magic. That is, if you have the money to do that.

If you’re like the rest of us, you have to rely on your own research to make sure the project turns out the way you want. When we remodeled our home, I used a yardstick to measure everything in the house (like toilets, counters, wall widths) then drew out my remodeling plans on graph paper. If only I’d had some of the online tools that are available today.

Some of the nicest tools are those that are included in Bob Villa’s Home Renovator Suite. I started off with the Drywall estimator and even with my limited knowledge was able to fly through the questions and generate a report in pdf format.

I haven’t played with the other tools so I don’t know if there’s anything that allows you to layout your room with details like carpet placement, adding a wall sconce, or arranging kitchen applianaces. I’m going to look around the site a little more. If you find other interesting tools there, do let me know. I love designing rooms and this site is a treasure trove of cool tools for just that.

Now I’m off to design a deck!

Although I find many interesting sites by researching tech related terms, I’ve found just as many – maybe more – while researching things related to my kids. I’m not talking about kids’ TV shows or games but everything from health to law to psychology.

A few days ago I noticed that my 12 year old son had a spot on his cheek that could have been the first sign of adolescent acne. Something about it, though, made me think otherwise. It just seemed too big and too red to be a first pimple.

When in doubt, I turn to the internet. In this case, I did some research on this type of skin eruption which led to talk of irritants and bites and eventually spiders. That part of the search led to a very nice page detailing venomous spiders. (The eruption on my son’s cheek turned out to be a spider bite.)

The Spider Identification page has excellent graphics of each spider featured. Even more, the site offers free spider identification and First Aid charts to keep on hand for emergencies. I just love a site that provides great information as well as a freebie. Don’t you?

Now that I’m approaching the half century mark, I’m even more concerned with my health and fitness. I’ll soon be eligible for AARP membership so I’ve been looking over their site. What a wonderful resource for those interested in staying healthy and active!

AARP’s fitness section covers topics like staying hydrated, Diabetes and Exercise, and even mental attitude. Their tips for following a more active lifestyle are excellent.

I’ve debated whether I should join a fitness club that offers fancy machines like electronic treadmills and ellipticals, or if I should just keep up my daily walks. After reading a little at the AARP site, I’m thinking that I should probably add some weight training, at the very least.

I know that AARP is for those over 50 but the tips and information on the site will benefit any age group. Do check it out!