Yesterday, I mentioned that Google is in the process of replacing the black navigation bar with a more intuitive and smart Google bar. This new Google bar is being rolled out in a phased manner. Google promised to roll it out to most users by this weekend. However, if you can not wait, there is a very simple hack that can help you in getting your hands on the new Google interface.

The hack works in all browsers that support cookie editing. As far as I know, Opera is the only one to provide this feature out of the box. Here are the steps Opera users need to follow to edit cookies.

• Open www.google.com (or any other Google property).
• Right click on any empty spot in the page and select Edit Site Preferences.
• Navigate to the Cookies tab.
• Opera users also need to perform the additional task of masking browser agent as Firefox (from the Network tab), since Google unfairly blocks Opera from having access to the new navigation bar.

Firefox, and Chrome users can use Cookies Manager+ and Edit This Cookie extensions respectively. Once you have figured out how to edit cookies in your browser, change the following cookies to the specified values and refresh the page to see the new Google Bar in action.

• Cookie Name: PREF Value: ID=c72428966817e8fe:U=0247a1d2e28446ef:FF=0:LD=en:CR=2:TM=1322682576:LM=1322682591:S=T5G5rNwHMa3DgMyR



• Cookie Name: NID Value: 53=V2nPJ9pLZAt-hYsRLus7W3U4dlBY8HoXbAWgvVeTwg31Our1k1bgCphflivpX21wsKVV3K62La_Qo9qWr-CvRz__HppNYqCjFf03JsFz81zcc0TLXT6I0Kj9LlE_AcsA

If you want to do this without using any extension, you use the alternate method specified below. First you will need to open your browser’s developer console. Fire up Opera Dragonfly (Ctrl+Shift+I), Firefox Web Console (Ctrl+Shift+K), Internet Explorer Developer Tools (F12), or Chrome JavaScript console (Ctrl+Shift+J), and type the following code into the console.
document.cookie=”PREF=ID=03fd476a699d6487:U=88e8716486ff1e5d:FF=0:LD=en:CR=2:TM=1322688084:LM=1322688085:S=McEsyvcXKMiVfGds; path=/; domain=.google.com”;window.location.reload();

Ensure that the domain value correctly represents the page that you are currently surfing (example domain=mail.google.com for Gmail). Refresh the page to see the new navigation bar in action.

via PureInfoTech and GoogleSystem

As we reported earlier today, Facebook has made some changes to the Account Settings dashboard. The option to export (or backup) your profile is now in the center of the screen making it more visible. While going through the dashboard, I decided to give the export option a try.

Clicking on the Export account option will initiate the backup which once completed will be available to download. (An email notification will be sent.) The size of the backup generated in my case was 130MB, not surprising given the number of images I’ve uploaded since 2007. The Facebook backup is essentially an offline version of your profile. It has all your Messages, Notes, Wall posts, Pictures, Videos, Friend list and even the events. All of this information is presented as an offline HTML website, screenshot:

(You can export your Facebook Profile from the “Download a copy” link in your Account Settings.)

The archive has 3 folders, with your albums in their own sub folders. Launching the index.html file one can browse through his profile. I came across my first wall post that dates back to April 2007!

Google has been making a lot of noise about your data being your datawith Google+ so I decided to test the option. My Google+ profile is a meager 3MB. (I am not a Picasa user.) However, Google+ creates .vcf files of your circles. The .vcf file can be imported into Outlook, Gmail or any contact management application. This is much better than the static friend list prepared by Facebook. Besides this, the backup option is Google+ isn’t nearly half as good as the one from Facebook. Here’s a screenshot of Google+ backup folder:

The folder segregation is pretty good but inside plus_one is a HTML file of the links you +1-ed. The Buzz and Stream folders have several HTML files of the links and posts you shared. This representation is pretty useless offline. The Google+ backup does not create an offline HTML version of your profile. And here’s where I realized Facebook is much better.

(To get a backup of your Google+ profile, head over to Google Takeout.)

Every so often, you   might want to disable something on your PC. However, you’ll need to dig deep down in the Control Panel settings to make that happen. Here are five apps that let you disable everything from your Aero Glass effects to your keyboard at the click of a button.

1. Disable the touchpad with TouchFreeze

Changing specific settings to automatically disable the touchpad when typing could be cumbersome, so TouchFreeze comes to the rescue. You needn’t fiddle with the Control Panel settings anymore – just install the utility and you’re done – the touchpad will not be active during typing if TouchFreeze is running.

2. Disable Aero Effects with Aerofoil

Aerofoil is a simple utility that runs from the system tray and lets you disable all snazzy Aero Glass effects in Windows 7 with a single click. You can also use it to switch between multiple power plans you’ve created.

3. Disable the keyboard with Kid Key Lock

Kid Lock disables standard and special keys on your keyboard and mouse buttons. Pretty useful when you’re going to clean your keyboard or if you have kids or pets in your home. The program runs from the system tray.

4. Disable the CapsLock key with Handicapslock

If you find yourself hitting the Caps Lock key often when you shouldn’t, chances are you want to disable it. A Lifehacker reader created an AutoHotkey script that activates the Caps Lock key only when it’s pressed twice, and you can download the same as an .exe from here.

We haven’t tried this ourselves, but give it a go and let us know.

5. Disable UAC Prompts with TweakUAC

If you never want to get annoyed by those User Account Control notifications that often pop up, download TweakUAC and just hit Leave UAC off. The UAC is completely disabled, so you’ll never get to see those again.

=== About the Author ===

Shankar writes at Killer Tech Tips, on everything ranging from keyboard shortcuts that make you productive to advanced Google search operators you may not know about. Check out his blog!

Nobody likes having a slow computer. But even though some don’t mind waiting a while for the computer to boot, everybody hates dealing with a slow freezing-up browser. Even if you have a fast Internet plan, your browser can be the bottleneck.
Web browsers can slow down for a number of reasons, from memory leaks to bloated cache and buggy add-ons. Luckily, there are some simple ways to speed things up.

1. Set your homepage to blank

Do you always like to go to the same Web page when you launch your browser? If yes, then skip this tip. But if not, then it’s best to set your homepage to blank, as it will make your browser open a lot quicker. To change your homepage to blank, simply go to your browser’s Tools or Settings menu, find the entry that refers to homepage, and set your homepage to blank.

2. Delete temporary Internet files

Every time you visit a website, your browser saves images and other info and stores it in the cache. In theory, this is great because it speeds up opening the website the next time you visit it. Unfortunately, there is a downside to it as well the more files get stored in the cache, the more bloated it becomes. As a result, your browser needs more time to open and your hard drive becomes cluttered. Moreover, deleting temporary Internet files will help you protect your privacy.
To clear the cache in Internet Explorer, go to Tools Delete Browsing History. Click Delete All, then click Close. You’re done.
Firefox users need to go to Tools Clear Private Data. Don’t forget to check the checkboxes for the things you want cleaned up, like Cache, Cookies, Search History, etc. Then click Clear Private Data Now.

3. Use pipelining

Firefox users are in luck, because their browser has a way to boost page loading time. Pipelining lets Firefox send multiple request to a single socket without having to wait for the corresponding responses, which makes all the difference.
To enable pipelining, do the following:

1. Open Firefox and type about:config into the address bar and hit Enter
2. Find network.http.pipelining, set it to True to enable pipelining
3. Check that network.http.proxy.pipelining is set to True
4. Double-click network.http.pipelining.maxrequests and set the number of requests to 8

There are many other ways to boost your Web browser’s speed and productivity. But these quick tips really do make a difference. Enjoy faster browsing!

==== About the Author ====

Andrew Breen is the Marketing Director of Auslogics Software, an Australian developer and publisher of computer maintenance and optimization software for Microsoft Windows. Auslogics software is used by over 10 million people worldwide to help defragment and speed up their slow computers
.

A challenging undiagnosed illness benched me from my corporate job seven years ago. With little warning, I had to discover my inner entrepreneur. I had always had a goal of someday working from home full-time – but, like the rest of my career up to that point, the decision was pretty much made for me. It took a change in mindset and some creative risk-taking to keep myself afloat.

When I heard that I was going to be laid off from my last job, I decided it was time to take the hint. In my mind, I was entirely capable of continuing my work as an art director, webmaster, or technical writer at another company, but my body couldn’t take the corporate environment. Whether I liked it or not, I was about to be my own boss.

Writing my business plan was dismal. I was used to working for Fortune 500 companies with teams of the best and brightest accomplishing initiatives with massive impact. I had no idea how to set goals for a company of one. My network consisted mostly of people who already had their hands full with work and family – I couldn’t count on them to come through for me if a project became more than I could handle on my own. My office was the living room of my small apartment, and my sole asset was a computer. Exit strategy? Non-existent.

I did have two things going for me – a unique combination of skills, and a history of being laid off. My background was in Web development, marketing, graphic design, project coordination, business analysis, and technical writing – all skills that are easily outsourced (especially in Boulder, Colorado in the ’90s). Little did I know that being laid off as often as I was would give me exactly what I needed to succeed as a consultant.

During my time in Boulder, temp agencies quickly became the most convenient way to find the next job between lay-offs, and eventually my primary form of employment. I became a quick study. I could walk into a client’s project and hit the ground running. Projects usually lasted for six months to a year, and then I’d have a month or two before the next job came along, so I started looking for side projects that filled in the gaps between temp jobs. At the time, I was just looking for a way to keep the momentum going, but looking back, I was starting to approach my career as though I was self-employed.

As I faced for the first time the "big plunge" into full-time business ownership, however, I had a confidence problem. I didn’t think of myself as an entrepreneur. Reading books, magazines and websites on entrepreneurship helped, but it took a solid year for me to realize that being my own boss was a familiar feeling – it wasn’t that different than playing an active role in my career management.

Because I could wear so many hats, and needed opportunities to build up my creative consulting portfolio, small businesses – especially startups – were my most likely clients. I started out by spreading the word and following up with former colleagues, but my saving grace was discovering small business networking groups. There I found other starting entrepreneurs who were eager to exchange complementary services, willing to partner on projects, also actively marketing for projects from which we could both benefit, and equally grateful to have allies.

That summer, as I started my business in Tampa, Florida, five hurricanes came through the region. For three months everyone was glued to the TV, deciding whether to pack up or stay put. Paying a measly invoice to a lowly consultant was the last thing on my clients’ minds. I had plenty of time to question how I was going to make being self-employed work, but I stuck with it because I really didn’t have a choice.

Over the following seven years, I learned the hard way how to pick and choose clients, and when to fire them. I learned to properly value my time (and convince clients to value it as well). When business was slow, I would donate my services to worthy causes to build business connections, demonstrate my abilities, and enhance my portfolio.

Eventually I established some reliable long-term clients who keep the wheels turning, and trustworthy collaborative partners who I count on daily to take over where I’m lacking. My business hasn’t grown much – that was never my goal. But I did end up accomplishing my "someday" dream of working from home full-time, and in the process discovered an array of hidden personal potential. Most importantly, I learned how to take control of my career.

Here are some important tips I learned along the way:

• Start considering yourself as your own boss – If you are getting yourself to work each day and doing your best to pay your bills, you’re acting as your own boss already. There really isn’t that much difference between working for an employer or a client – it’s more about mindset. Consider becoming a sole proprietor, which is the easiest form of self-employment. Check out your state’s small business website – it may be that you don’t need to do anything other than make up your mind that you’re in business for yourself, and just like that you’re your own boss (at least for a few hours a month).
• Work with what you have now – It’s easy to say, "I should have a great business idea, or a solid plan, or a reliable team before I take the leap." Instead, look with new eyes at what you have now, and take it up on the opportunity. For example, you may have bought a book three years ago on event planning that has been sitting on your shelf – taking it out and reading it seriously may be all you need to get your momentum going.
• Find great collaborative partners – Look around you for like-minded colleagues who have strengths where you are weak, and are equally motivated to generate new business. Take a night course in starting a small business, or join a small business networking group, to meet others with similar passions.
• Choose clients carefully – When it comes to doing consulting work, for the most part corporate clients are more likely to understand costs involved with doing the work you do, as well as refer other corporate clients. Small businesses are often more personally attached to their business, and take setbacks personally. They are reluctant to part with money if they can’t truly value the work you do. However, they are eternally grateful when they see the benefits of what you do, and will come to you faithfully for years, where corporate clients can drop you with one word from their manager.
• Use a contract – Find a template for a clear, user-friendly contract with realistic pricing for every business agreement to prevent overcommitting yourself. This will help you keep your head about you when in negotiations on price, time and terms, and it will weed out the clients who don’t value your work enough to pay your rates. This will also prevent you from getting too many clients to manage.
• Create your own microcosm – You may have a grand vision for a unique product or service that you believe requires big action, or perhaps you want to create a business that’s going to grow fast in capabilities and in profit. If you’re putting together a business plan that requires substantial upfront investment, it’s best to start small. Consider creating a mini version of your plan in a pilot program that is manageable and requires less investment. This will provide the documentation you need to create a more persuasive business plan that you can present to investors. In the meantime, take some classes in the legal, corporate, financial and planning aspects of developing a business.

==== About the Author ====

As a member of the BrainTrack.com writing team, Ellen Berry offers sage advice to those interested in a career in business management, among other careers fields.

You just wrote an Excel formula and it isn’t producing the result you expected?  Have no fear – this article will introduce you to the Evaluate Formula’ tool which you can use to discover why your formula isn’t working. The Evaluate Formula tool achieves this by showing you the steps Excel takes to calculate your formula.  This is very useful when you need to find a problem with a formula, or to understand the calculation process.

Finding the wrong value

Let’s look how the Evaluate formula’ tool can be used to trace a problem, by looking at the following sample:

You can see that something is amiss with the formula in cell C3. The formula adds 1+2+3 (cells A2, A3 and A4) and then divides the result by 3 (cell B3); this should evaluate to 2 (6 divided by 3). But we got 2.4. By opening the Evaluate Formula tool (from the Formula Auditing area of the Formula ribbon), we can work the calculation of this value step by step (click the Evaluate button in the Evaluate Formula dialog to advance):

Listed are the evaluation steps for the formula above:

• (A2+A3+A4)/B3
• (1+A3+A4)/B3
• (1+2+A4)/B3
• (3+A4)/B3
• (3+3)/B3
• (6)/B3
• 6/B3
• 6/2.5
• 2.4

First we’ll examine the mechanics of the display. The underlined part of the formula in each step is the part that will be evaluated in the next step. The italic part of the formula in each step is the part that was evaluated in the previous step.

In this case, the one-but-last step seems off: we expected B3 to contain 3, but it seems to contain 2.5. The problem is probably that the cell’s display is set to show zero decimal places:
And there you have it – we’ve found the problem. Changing the cell’s formatting to show decimal places will show that cell B3 contains 2.5.

Summary

This article provides a little taste of how the Formula Evaluation tool can be used to help us fix problems in our formulas. It’s also a great tool for helping us write formulas, but that discussion can wait for another time.  Can you think of ways this tool can serve you? Please share with us in the comments…

==== About the Author ====

Joseph Reese is the founder of Excel-Formulas.com an Excel consulting firm. Head over to his website if you want to improve your performance with Excel.

Twitter has had a big hand in popularizing social networking on the mainstream forefront, and the microblogging platform gets plenty of use from high profile players in the world of media, sports, and entertainment. This doesn’t even count the millions of regular Joes who use the service to talk about everything from video game scores to unfortunate incidents at their local supermarket.

Unfortunately, it may be tempting to follow any request for the sake of building a larger audience, but if you’re trying to promote a consulting business and you’re connected with users who tweet about sports and partying, those followers are serving very little benefit to your cause.

Successful Twitter marketing starts with having a target audience that has a strong interest in your niche. Think quality over quantity when it comes to Twitter followers, and here are five methods and services to help you find the right ones for your list:

1. Twitter Search
The best place to start with finding relevant followers is within Twitter itself. Twitter’s internal search feature has improved significantly since its early days, and now it provides an easier way to locate potential connections. Twitter’s search tool lets you find people by email address, first name and last name, and this makes it quite useful for hooking up with people you already know will enhance your network of followers.

2. Promote Your Twitter Profile
One of the easiest ways to find relevant Twitter followers is to simply promote your profile. To do that, publish links to your profile everywhere you possibly can. These places include your website, blog, email campaigns, Facebook fan page, and even forum posts. Couple these links with a compelling call to action for people who share your interest, and you’ll build a relevant following in no time.

3. JustTweetIt
A lot of what makes Twitter great is not the actual service, but all the third-party applications designed to support the platform. The growing number of user-built directories such as JustTweetIt are a perfect example of this. JustTweetIt helps you find relevant followers by simply submitting your profile and interests. Once your details are entered in the system, Twitter users can potentially run across you by browsing through a variety of categories, and follow if they find you interesting.

4. Twellow
Many hail Twellow as the internal search component Twitter should have developed for its own site. Often called the Twitter Yellow Pages, it is perhaps one of the best directories of its kind. Twellow offers tons of public profiles that can be found through hundreds of categories and a broad range of search features. It also has a built-in feature known as Twellowhood, an exclusive directory that lets users find local individuals and brands to follow, which can be very   advantageous if you are executing a regional marketing strategy.

5. Study the Competition
What’s a great way to find relevant followers? Analyzing going through your competitor’s follow list. Tools such as Tweepi and TwitterCounter are available to help you discover the competition’s most influential followers, how quickly they are building their network, and much more. This is valuable information indeed, but it should never be abused. Instead of spamming the competitor’s connections in hopes of stealing them, focus on ways to connect and build genuine relationships with them.

====

Contel Bradford is an experienced freelance writer, eBook author, and a frequent contributor to Benchmark Email’s email marketing blog.

I guess many of you might have received an Amazon Kindle as a present this Christmas. So what do you do with it now? You can read tons of books on it and also purchase books through the Amazon Kindle Store.

But since you have just got that Kindle, why not give it a try with some Free Kindle Books? Yes, Amazon does have an option for users to download and read Free Kindle Books which do not cost you a cent, before you can go ahead and make your first purchase.

Interested? Well head over to Amazon’s Free Kindle Books page to download books including Serial by Jack Kiborn, The Wild’s Call by Jeri Smith, Star Wars by John Jackson MIller and several other books from a list of 40 books.

Do try this out before you head over to buy some really good books for the Kindle.

What’s the purpose of having high speed internet if the connection is not as fast as you would like? It can be a nightmare to be paying a premium price for unacceptable performance, but with a few tweaks, you can get your high speed internet running faster than ever.

1. Router Issues

If you use a wireless router to provide internet access for your home network, you need to make sure that it is functioning properly and is in a good location. First of all, make sure that you buy the fastest router that you can afford. The latest wireless standard is 802.11n and provides the largest range and fastest transfer speeds. Also, the location of your router can have a huge influence on its performance. The longer the distance between your wireless device and the router, the worse your speed will be. Objects like walls, doors, electronic devices, and furniture can also interfere with the signal. Place your router high off the ground and close to your wireless devices for maximum signal strength. You can also purchase antennae extensions to increase your range. Finally, make sure your router has been equipped with the latest firmware, which you can find on the manufacturer’s website.

2. Accelerators

There are is effective software that you can buy that will make changes on your computer to speed up the network connection. Windows is designed to work with many different types of hardware and network set ups and by tweaking and optimizing the TCP/IP and System Registry to your specific set up it will be possible to get faster in fact optimum speeds. It is fine tuning to create a more stable and reliable internet connection which will give you a boost in speed.

3. Don’t over load your system

It sounds simple but proper use off your applications will really help your speed and system out. If you have a lot of programs on your computer that access the internet, make sure that you don’t have too many of them open at once. Messaging, email, file sharing, and other services can bog down your broadband connection if they are all running concurrently. Also take note of internet-connected programs that start up automatically when you turn on the computer and disable them.

4. Economize Your Broadband Devices

The bottom line is that the more devices that you have hooked up to your internet connection, the less speed there is to split among them. Cut down on the number of devices that you have connected to your router to get faster speeds. Also, make sure that no one is stealing bandwidth from you off of your Wi-Fi network by encrypting your router’s signal. Not only will this help to speed up your connection, but it will also help to protect you against cyber crimes.

5. Speak to Your Service Provider

Sometimes no matter what you do, your internet connection may be slow. In this case, try consulting with your broadband service provider, who may be able to give you more insight into your problem. You may live in a neighborhood where there are a lot of homes sharing the same connection. Or, perhaps you have faulty wiring in your home. Only your service provider can help you to resolve these issues. You may also want to consider upgrading to a package that offers more bandwidth if one is available. Finally, you always have the option of changing service providers, but be sure to research your options before making the switch and ask about any early termination fees that may apply.

===

Written by James Helliwell Tech and Eco writer from London UK, with a specialty in high speed internet technologies. High speed internet  broadbandexpert.com

Are you still paying for cable? No, this isn’t going to turn into an ad for satellite television, which seems to be just as, if not more expensive than cable these days. It just seems that in the current economy, when people try to cut costs and save money, cable is one of the first things to go, along with eating at restaurants, and other entertainment, like going to the movies. Some people haven’t gotten rid of cable altogether, but have cut it down to the bare minimum, only receiving the four major networks, public television stations, and maybe a couple of local stations. If you can’t watch cable, you can at least watch network prime time, right? Well, there’s good news. Whether you no longer have cable at all, or you want to save even more money by doing away with that cable bill entirely, you don’t have to miss out on your favorite shows. Instead, you can watch streaming TV through numerous websites on the Internet. These are just some of the options out there.

Network Websites

The major networks saw how many people were doing away with cable, and did something about it. They began making many of their most popular shows available on their websites. This was also in response to NBC-owned site Hulu putting up many shows for free, supported by advertising revenue. The other networks realized how much money they were missing out on, and did the same. It wasn’t long before some of the cable networks caught on as well.

Now, in addition to seeing prime time shows that appear on CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX, you can watch cable shows from networks like TBS, and even TV Land, which has just started producing their own original shows like Hot in Cleveland in addition to showing classics such as I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show. And they’re all available for free. All you have to do is sit through a few commercials. It’s almost like you’re watching real TV!

Hulu

After a somewhat rocky beginning in March 2007, Hulu has grown into a popular destination to watch TV online. Not every network show is available on the site. Some, like CBS, prefer to keep their shows on the network’s own site. But in addition to major network shows, many cable shows can be seen on Hulu as well, not to mention programs that are no longer on the air, such as Bewitched and Ugly Betty. Also, miss an episode of your favorite soap? You’ll be able to catch up with who did what to whom on General Hospital, All My Children, and a few others.

Hulu is in the process of launching its Hulu Plus service. It began a testing phase in July 2010, and after reviewing the data, lowered the subscription price from $9.99 to just $7.99 per month. With Hulu Plus, you can watch entire seasons of shows without worrying about missing an episode because it expired. The premium service offers more shows than the free service, and many of them are available in high definition. In addition, Hulu Plus allows subscribers to stream TV shows not just on computer, but via the iPhone, PS3, and soon the Xbox, as well as other devices.

Netflix

Another venture that had a bumpy start, Netflix is now edging out competitors Blockbuster and Movie Gallery, once thought to be the end all, be all of entertainment rentals. It began as a service that allowed customers to receive DVDs through the mail, and keep them as long as they wanted with no late fees. Accounts range from the basic that only allows one DVD per month, to the highest-priced option with four DVDs at a time. But no matter which account you choose, they all allow instant streaming. The service also recently added a new price point of $7.99 per month for streaming only. You can also now stream Netflix on the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

Blockbuster and other rental establishments were mostly known for providing movies, with a few TV shows thrown in here and there. Netflix went above and beyond there, too, providing access to hundreds of television shows, from classics to recent hits such as Dexter and Weeds. These are especially nice to find through the service since they normally not only require cable, but premium channel subscriptions. What Netflix charges per month is a fraction of what you would pay to have Showtime or HBO.

Yidio

In our busy lives, free time is at a premium. When the workday is over, household chores are done, the kids are in bed, and the mood to relax and watch some TV strikes, you don’t want to spend half your free time jumping from site to site trying to find something good to watch. That’s where Yidio comes in. The site acts as an aggregator, listing all the locations on the Web where you can find the shows you want to watch.

Some of the results are for pay sites like Netflix, but it also lists a ton of free sites where you can watch streaming TV for free. You can either browse the more than 500,000 episodes from 5,000 TV shows, or use the site’s search function to pinpoint exactly what you want to watch, and find out where to get it. Yidio also offers points that give registered members access to premium content. You earn Yidio points for your activity on the site, everything from signing up, to adding favorites, to sharing content once you’re a member. The best part is, it’s free to join!

IMDB

You may be most familiar with this site as the place to look up information about TV shows, movies, and actors. It’s a comprehensive site where you’ll find all kinds of data—when a TV show was released, when and where an actor was born, movie trivia and quotes, and thousands of photos. IMDB also allows registered members to post on message boards, rate movies and TV shows, and even add synopses and trivia items.

Not long ago, IMDB took the final step in being an all-around entertainment site, and added streaming video. While the site does offer full-length TV shows, they are far outnumbered by clips and movie trailers. In addition, it’s sometimes difficult to find consecutive episodes of TV shows. The ability to watch TV on IMDB has improved since it was introduced, but it still has a long way to go to be a viable alternative to most other sites that offer streaming TV.

TV.com

Look out NBC. CBS is coming up right behind you with a site eerily similar to Hulu—TV.com. Seriously, they either hired the same designer, or NBC and CBS are the same company, and we just don’t know it yet. In any case, TV.com offers a wide variety of streaming TV content, just like Hulu does, and is free, just like Hulu is.

How do the sites differ? Well, TV.com seems to be comprised mostly of clips from TV shows rather than full episodes. Hundreds and hundreds of clips with a whole episode thrown in here and there for good measure. If you’re an NCIS or Medium junkie, you’ll appreciate the availability of full episodes on TV.com since they’re not available on Hulu, but for the most part, you’ll have to sit through a lot of clips to piece together entire episodes of most shows.

Amazon Video on Demand

Amazon.com long ago diverged from being just a book seller. You can now find products on that site from food, to clothing, and everything in between. Amazon also owns IMDB, and is one of the largest retailers of DVDs, so it just follows that it would eventually come around to providing a streaming video service.

Amazon Video on Demand offers a wide variety of methods for watching both TV shows and movies. The fastest way to get access is to watch instantly online. Once you find a show you want to watch, simply choose the Buy or Rent option. When the payment is confirmed, click Watch Now,and the video will automatically begin playing on your computer over your Internet connection. There are certain connection requirements for the best quality, so be sure to check those first. Buying a show will allow you to watch it anytime through the free Amazon Unbox video player you can download and install on your computer. Renting is the most affordable options, but only gives you access to a program for 24 hours.

Joost

With so many streaming TV options out there, new services really need to find a way to stand out, and Joost has done that pretty well. Not only can you find great TV shows and movies to watch, Joost offers entertainment news videos, and featurettes about popular movies like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The service is still in beta, so its library will no doubt continue to grow and improve.

Parents will especially love Joost. If you’re tired of the overly merchandised cartoons on TV nowadays that only get your kids asking for toys and other products they’re going to forget about next year when the new cartoons and products come out, sit them down with Joost. There’s a Cartoon Classics channel where you’ll find old favorites such as Rocky and Bullwinkle, Mr. Magoo, Fat Albert, Casper the Friendly Ghost, He-Man, and even a handful of old black and white treasures, and classic character cartoons like Felix the Cat!

YouTube

It may surprise you to know that YouTube isn’t just for surprised kitties, or those wonderfully unique OK Go music videos. YouTube started out as a place for amateur videographers to get their work out there, and gain public attention. It’s since evolved into a tool for entertainment and marketing, and while there are many imitators, no other site has been able to duplicate YouTube’s popularity.

Many people have taken to creating their own channels, and producing their own shows, but you can also find many network programs on YouTube as well. The only thing is, there are very few full episodes of network and cable shows. You’ll mostly find clips of shows such as Survivor, Man vs. Wild, and Mythbusters. But if you’re an MMA fan, you’ll love the ESPN MMA Live channel, which not only offers full episodes, but highlights and commentary.

One of the best things about watching streaming TV is that you don’t necessarily have to watch it on your computer. With a little tech savvy, you should be able to connect your computer to your television so you can watch the shows you want, when you want to, on a larger screen. This is easiest to do with a newer television, so if you’re still hanging on to that console set you got from your grandparents, you may want to think about upgrading. Don’t get rid of the console television, though. It’s a classic!

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Guest post by Darren Kowalska

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