New Video: Installing Linux Mint 15

In our latest video we step through how to install Linux Mint 15 'Olivia' on a clean hard drive.  In our example, I am using a new VirtualBox machine and Linux Mint 15 'MATE' edition with No Codecs.  If you have ever installed Ubuntu, then you will have no problem stepping through the installation wizard and successfully installing Mint on a system.

However, if you have not installed Ubuntu, and Mint is your first experience with Linux.  Do not fear.  As the wizard is rather simple and straight forward.  Check out our video, and as always make sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel to stay up to date with all of our videos as they are released.



Thanks for watching!
Checkout our YouTube channel for more videos on Linux Mint, Ubuntu, and Windows! http://www.youtube.com/techiesmarts

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New Videos Coming Soon!

We've been working very hard to bring some new videos to our YouTube Channel!  The first couple of videos are almost out of production and should be hitting our channel within in the next days.  We will initially be covering Linux Mint (from installation to optimization post-install).  And will bloom out into other topics as they occur, or as watchers request more info on other topics.

As always, I want to know what you would like to see covered in future videos.  Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email at: ask_techie@gmx.com and I will be more than happy to try and oblige!

Be sure to swing by and checkout the channel and look for more video fun coming real soon!

Nerd On Friends!,

-Techie

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More Techie's Tool Box Videos Coming Up!

I have been getting numerous requests via our Facebook page asking when more "Techie's Toolbox" videos were going to drop on the YouTube Channel again...  

My response is officially, 'Coming Soon!  Very Soon!'. 

A little background on the 'Tool Box' videos: I started posting a couple videos highlighting tools and free/cheap software that can be a valuable asset to those in the IT field.  It doesn't matter if you are only repairing friend's or family computers in your spare time.  Or if you are a field technician needing a few more flexible options in your tool kit.

After making a couple of these videos, the response was somewhat small, and people seemed to want help with more Linux/Ubuntu based issues.  So we spun several series of videos based on Linux and Ubuntu.

Unfortunately, life has been pretty busy for a while and my attention had to shift off of the website and videos for a little while.  Now I'm shifting gears in my spare time and trying to start contributing again.  So hang on tight, we've got more good stuff up our sleeves.

Here is what I need to ask from my loyal readers/viewers: FEEDBACK.

I need to know what you folks would like me to cover?  Want help finding the proper tools to analyze hard disk space, cloud backup/storage services, backup solutions, antivirus support, remote support, etc.  Drop a line in the comments section below or swing by our Facebook page and leave a suggestion.  If you drop a suggestion, be sure to leave a username and I'll give you a shout out in the video.

Drop by our Facebook Page and leave a comment at: TechieSmarts on Facebook

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Retro Game Curator on YouTube is Now Live!

Well, you can tell we got snow here in my area today.  Why?  Because I was finally able to get some time to sit down and do some recording!  As mentioned in a previous post, we have a welcome addition to the TechieSmarts network of websites/YouTube Channels!  It goes by the name of: Retro Game Curator.

There is also an associated blog as well.  Check out: http://retrogamecurator.blogspot.com where we have a growing selection of posts covering topics concerning old school gaming, reviews, news, and yes; links to all of our video content (which will be growing soon).

If you follow me on Twitter, keep an eye out for posts with the hashtag:
#RetroGameCurator as that tag will designate everything concerning that site.

So be sure you drop by and show us some love guys!

Happy surfing!

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New Video on Our YouTube Channel!

After a long hiatus, I'm back!  Just uploaded a brand new video to our YouTube Channel, so feel free to swing by and check it out (or watch it below).  Regardless of how you watch it, be sure to swing by our channel and subscribe so you stay up to date as we add new videos!

Ubuntu 12.10: Install Cinnamon Desktop

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Retro Game Curator coming to the TechieSmarts Network!

Do you love games?  Do you love old school games?  If you answered yes to either of those, then be sure to checkout a new site to the TechieSmarts network: Retro Game Curator!  Over at the Retro Game Curator we will cover news and reviews as each pertains to Retro and Vintage style gaming.  And some pretty cool YouTube content as well.  There is a growing generation of gamers today that have not experienced some of gaming history's greatest games.  And our goal is to showcase some of those games and inform younger gamers of what they have missed.

And who knows, maybe inspire someone to be a fellow game collector as well.

Stay tuned!

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New Web Project!

Hey everybody, I'm sorry for the lack of posts as of late.  But I have been very busy trying to get our latest web project off the ground which is being included into our growing network of online resources.  And it looks like it is ready to roll!  Be sure to checkout SlimTechie!  Over at SlimTechie we will try to bring fitness tips, progress reports, encouragement, help from social media (like YouTube), and reviews for apps and web services that you can use to help get into shape (or even just a healthier lifestyle).  And to top it off, I will be practicing what I am preaching.

That's right, you can keep up with me as I work towards my fitness goals and keep track of my achievements or shortcomings as I will update with progress reports on how I am doing in hopes that others may be inspired. So if you want to see how you can use technology to bridge the gap between being a geek (like me) and getting fit then swing by and pay us a visit.  The best thing about it, since I am a rather cheap individual just about everything we will cover will be either free or so cheap it might as well be free.

So come by and hang out with us!
http://slimtechie.blogspot.com

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Launching New Weekly Video Series!

Later today we will be launching a new weekly video series entitled: "TechieSmarts Tech ToolBox"!  And it is exactly as it sounds!  I receive emails all the time asking for recommendations for tools, software, etc.  Some people ask what I prefer to use for certain circumstances or computer issues.  So what better way to answer that question, than to just discuss it?



So with the following goals in mind:
#1- Offer reliable and valid information pertaining to various pieces of software (most open source) that I use.
#2- Help other people discover the "magic behind the curtain" per say.
#3- Let my readers and viewers help me learn their favorite tools!

As you can see this will be a two way street.  As I hope to provide you (my loyal watchers/readers) with meaningful information on how to get things done; I also hope to better understand some of the things you guys like to use too.  So please, do me a favor and leave some comments suggesting tools you use or questions on things I use and I will incorporate those into the weekly episodes.  If you don't want to leave a public comment, feel free to email me at: help_me@techie.com

As a perk to our followers on the YouTube Channel each new episode will be posted there first for viewing.  After a day or two the video will become available here on our website as well.  So if you want to stay up to speed be sure to subscribe to the YouTube Channel or our website's RSS Feed!  When new videos go live we will send out a Tweet about it!

Look for the first episode to arrive today around 3:00p! @ TechieSmarts on YouTube

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Android App Review: AirDroid

After what feels like a really long time, we are back in the saddle again with a app review for an awesome little Android app that just happens to also be free!  It's named: AirDroid.  Basically, the concept behind AirDroid is simple.  It allows you to access the contents of your Android phone via a Wifi internet conncection just as if the phone was directly connected to the computer via a USB Cable.






This is accomplished by using a pretty slick looking web interface.  Essentially here are the steps to using AirDroid.
1- Turn on your phone's Wifi Connection and connect to your router.
2- Launch the AirDroid app on your phone or tablet.
3- Press the blue 'Start' button.
4- Enter the IP Address in your computer's web browser address bar.
5- At the Web Login Screen type in the password given to you from the app.
6- Your in!

Once inside the AirDroid web interface, you can launch various file manager type dialog boxes to move files to your computer from the phone or vice-versa.  If you need to backup anything like your music, pictures, and even apps; all this can be done quickly and easily.  In my example, I was able to backup all of my pictures to my Desktop computer in the form of a .ZIP file for extraction later.  And it took a couple of seconds to get it done.

The price of AirDroid is great considering it is free.  But even if the devs decided to start charging for it, I'd happily pay a couple of dollars for this type of app.

Be sure to watch the video for the full review:

Android App Review: AirDroid

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As always, be sure to swing by our YouTube Channel and subscribe to stay updated when new videos go live!
http://www.youtube.com/techiesmarts

You can also follow me on Twitter as well!
http://www.twitter.com/techiesmarts

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Techie's Update

Hey everybody, I just wanted to drop a quick update and let you all know that I am sorry for the recent lack/delay of posts and videos on both my blog and my YouTube Channel.  I came down with a pretty rough cold that claimed my voice and overall motivation for a large part of this past week.  Leaving in it's wake a voice that sounded like a sick Darth Vader (hence the lack of new videos).

I am feeling a lot better now and hopefully will have some new videos up on the YouTube Channel soon (my voice is almost back to normal so production should resume in a few days).  As far as the blog is concerned, we're not dead or stuck in some weird form of stasis, and new posts will be rolling out over the next few days so stay tuned!

Thanks everybody, have a great weekend!

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Our Facebook Page!

Just a reminder, be sure to follow our Facebook Page to stay updated on when new stories roll out on the site.  And for some extra goodies from time to time!

http://on.fb.me/qwpd4i

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Video: Installing Gnome Shell 3

Our latest video has just gone live on our YouTube Channel and it cover's yet another alternate desktop environment for your Ubuntu 11.10 installation.  This video covers installing Gnome Shell 3!

The latest version of Gnome Shell brings with it some changes and some rather fancy looking eye candy as well.  I honestly haven't had a whole lot of hands on with Gnome Shell 3 since making the video, but I do plan on digging in this week and learning how to get around in it and I will chronicle my sessions with at least one Gnome Shell 3 Basics video.

Overall the new Shell looks pretty slick.  It's a very clean looking desktop with a lot of the usual screen clutter (i.e.: menu's, icons, etc.) all being hidden in the activities menu.  I kind of like the concepts behind it as well.  And my first initial impressions of Gnome Shell 3 are:
- I can't wait to try it out a little more in depth.
- It looks amazing, and with the right theme could look even sweeter.
- Seems to be very snappy and responsive under VirtualBox.

So without further delay, checkout our latest video on how to install Gnome Shell 3:

Ubuntu 11.10: Installing Gnome Shell 3

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As always, make sure you stay up to date with our YouTube Channel for the latest news and videos by subscribing!
http://www.youtube.com/techiesmarts

Be sure to follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/techiesmarts

And be sure to 'Like' our Facebook Page!
http://on.fb.me/qwpd4i

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What Is Your Single Favorite Android App?

Earlier I sent out a tweet across my twitter feed at:  http://www.twitter.com/techiesmarts asking what is your favorite Android app?  And I would like to open the discussion to our blog readers.  Leave a comment below or tweet us a message with hashtag #techiesmarts via Twitter and let me know!

Only one condition, you have to pick only one app from your collection to suggest and whether it is for a smartphone or tablet device.  I will pick up to 5 of the suggested apps and will credit your twitter handle in the review if you'd like!  We will leave this topic running for the next 24 hours to give people a chance to chime in.  So let's chat!

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New Video Posted: MultiBoot Live Ubuntu DVD Demo!

The new video went live on YouTube this afternoon, it is a short demo of a Live MultiBoot Ubuntu DVD I created using the multicd.sh script.  Look for another video coming soon of how to use to the script.



You can find the script at: http://multicd.tuxfamily.org
Feel free to drop by my YouTube Channel for more videos (and more coming soon) at: http://www.youtube.com/user/TechieSmarts
Happy Surfing!

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Merry Christmas!

On behalf of TechieSmarts, we'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
Take this time to enjoy your friends and family and remember the reason for the season!

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