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This is a step-by-step process for taking a Screen Capture using a Ubuntu application named GIMP, saving that screenshot and inserting it into a WordPress post or page. Before I switched to Ubuntu I would have done this using SnagIt but it did not install properly for me under Wine so I went searching for another solution.

Searching online for +”screen capture” +ubuntu turned up How to take a screenshot or region capture like Snagit in Ubuntu. Thanks to Richard Baxter at SEOGadget for taking the time to share this process. This post elaborates on his by adding how to insert the captured image into a WordPress post.

I already had GIMP installed and using the directions provided at the SEOGadget link I was able to grab a piece of a screen using this step-by-step process: Read more…

In order to install .exe programs on a PC running Ubuntu you use an application called Wine. Installing Wine is simple. Just click on Applications, then Add/Remove, type Wine in the search box and and place a check in the box in front of Wine Windows Emulator. Click Apply Changes and Wine will be installed for you.

So far I have tried to use Wine to install two of my favorite programs that do not have Unix versions and found several excellent references on using Wine. Read more…

If Google isn’t Big Brother they’re doing a pretty good imitation. And escaping them is no easier than getting away from the Thought Police was for Winston. Once you understand how Google Web History works you’ll have a pretty good idea how all the others who are following us around work. Read more…

Before you start using any online method to grow your business - whether that be blogs, directories, social networking, advertising or any other method - you MUST understand how your activities online are being tracked so that you can control to which accounts your activities are being linked.

Bear with me because this is a very important concept that all Internet users really need to understand and absolutely critical to those who are using the Internet to promote their business, non-profit, personal interests or any worthy cause.

There is no way to know how many sites are in collusion to track your activities across the Net. Read more…

When most companies - and especially corporations - provide extremely desirable and advanced services without charging you it is definitely NOT out of the goodness of their hearts. You can be assured that there is always a profit motive - always. That is a given - the obvious truth; what is not so obvious is what the means of generating profit is. Read more…

You need to clearly understand how data mining works because it is already affecting your life and will do so much more in the very near future. It is simple to understand and if you’re reading this there is a 90+% chance you use it yourself every day. Any person who wants to know all about you can do a similar search across multitudes of supposedly private databases.

A search engine (Google, Yahoo, Ask - even my favorite Zuula) are all data mining services. You type in what you want to find and the search engine provides the information you’ve requested. It isn’t quite that simple as the search engines filter the data they provide. Filtering is used to eliminate some results and decide in what order the information is presented.

Since most people only view the first page or two, the search engine has great power to influence what information is widely viewed and what is likely to be overlooked. Some are taking this further and actually censoring what appears to be available online. For now we’ll focus on data mining though.

So why should you care about data mining? Try this example. Type in the name of any famous person in your favorite search engine or tool bar. Notice all the information that you would consider private that is available to anyone online. That is just what is supposedly publicly available. What do you suppose is in private databases on that famous person - and on you? Read more…

There was a furor when Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy told reporters “privacy issues are a red herring; you have zero privacy anyway…get over it!” Many could not believe he would say that; however, he was simply stating the truth - an obvious truth to those with access to the many databases that contain your life - and more problematic - things that did not actually happen but got recorded as though they did.

Still believe we have privacy? Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said “The privacy you’re concerned about is largely an illusion. All you have to give up is your illusions, not any of your privacy.” They have both known about the erosion of our privacy for so long they apparently didn’t even realize their comments would be a surprise.

Why do they say we have no privacy? Do you know what information you think is private can be easily accessed? Read more…

Be honest. How fast would debts consume whatever savings or property you own? Our fairy-tale middle class is one life-line away from living in the street. To truly be middle class now in the U.S. would require at least a six figure income and a net worth of over a million dollars. The United States is now the land of the great imaginary middle-class.

If you lose your job or have a medical emergency your credit is very likely to be damaged. Once that happens you can forget about getting insurance, or a corporate position (or any other employer who uses credit screening), or even renting to put a roof over your head! Read more…

Could something you reveal today radically change your life without you realizing it? The answer is a resounding yes - and I hope you will take the time to understand how and why. Information you share online or off is being used to control your future. How can that be? Here are some examples of what can happen: Read more…

We will always write so that those who have no computer background can understand. The information below is organized in sections to allow advanced users to skip over material they already know.

Many people who have used computers for years or even decades may be familiar with common terminology without truly knowing what it means or how it all fits together. It is not absolutely necessary to know any of this; however, I find that understanding the big picture helps me to learn new subjects faster. Read on for hardware, software, operating systems, Linux, and Ubuntu. Read more…