Liana demonstrates how to change the fuse in a car!

Liana demonstrates how to properly wrangle cords to increase their longevity and improve functionality.

In this episode of Home Ec for the Tech, Staci shares a tip from the Audio/Visual Room. Using a Pinnacle Video Transfer device, she demonstrates how to easily digitize VHS tapes for playback on everything from a DVD player, computer or even a video iPod.

**HELPFUL HINT - IF you decide to digitize to a portable hard drive or video iPod, make sure the device is formatted to FAT32. FAT32 is a computer file system supported by Microsoft (but readable on Macs). It is simply a way to format hard drives or memory cards so that they are easily shared across platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.). CLICK HERE to learn how to format a drive in Windows. CLICK HERE to learn how to format a drive on a Mac.

Ever want want to add more memory to your computer? In this quick and easy tutorial, Liana will show you how to easily swap out an old hard drive for a newer, bigger or better one.

If you have an questions or comments, be sure to leave ‘em below!!!

Hasta Luego Geeksters!

Liana is hosting this show and she made sure our studio looks like it’s on a Hawaiian beach. And she also has a great tip on how to avoid harsh flash light on your photos. Check it out!

In this new episode Maria is throwing a retro style monster movie party. But her invite is all Web 2.0.

Great free or cheap video editing tools include:

- Microsoft Movie Maker for Windows (included in Windows Vista) or as a free download for Windows XP.

- Avid Free DV (which is no longer offered by Avid but if you google it, you can find it somewhere.

- Jahshaka, a new open source video editor.

- for Windows there is a free tryout of Adobe Premiere Elements

- for Macintosh we found another simple editor: Easy Movie, which is free to try, later $9.95

But why install a program at all on your computer, web based video editing is on the rise with Adobe Premiere Express which is the underlying technology for YouTube Remixer and video editing at Photobucket. Or you can check out Jumpcut which is part of Yahoo.

A great free audio editor for all platforms is Audacity and royalty free music (for private use) can be found at Current TV and Creative Commons. And great royalty free monster movie footage is at Archive.org.

I picked this curtain wire with clips up yesterday at Ikea for $4.99 USD. I went shooting with a the Los Angeles Strobist group this past weekend, and there are many instances when we could have used a solid backdrop. As creatives, we made due with our surroundings. After some thought, I still wanted to be ready for next time. While I could run to my local photography store and buy a $150 backdrop stand, I wanted and needed to find a cheaper and less bulky alternative. I remembered seeing many uses of these Ikea curtain wires at my brother’s house, so I ran out and bought some. Then, I picked up some remnant material for less than $5 and was able to make a solid backdrop within 5 minutes for less than $10. This is a savings of at least $150 over buying a professional backdrop stand. To use it, we’ll have to take turns hand-holding the wire up during a photographers shoot. But, we’re a friendly and accommodating community. We help one another out.

Has anyone else used this Ikea curtain wire or any other Ikea product for a geeky hack? Post a photo to our Flickr group and tag it with: ggg ikea curtain wire hack

Taking traditional arts & crafts to make accessories to compliment our electronics and techie gadgets is fun. We would love to see what you’ve made.

Join our Flickr group and post a pic of your most recent project here. If you can include some info on how you created it, that would be great!

SMALL or MEDIUM size photos will work best! Thanks!

Here is how to post a picture in a Flickr discussion thread. You must be logged in to Flickr to do this.
1. Click on your picture you want to post.
2. Look on top of your picture for the icon that says “All Sizes” and click it.
3. Look on top of your picture for the choice “Medium” and click it.
4. Now look in the FIRST BOX below your picture and copy that code. (do not copy from the second box…your picture will not be displayed using that code)
5. Paste the code to the comment box of the discussion you want and it should show up.

Thanks to Orbitgal of the Los Angeles Flickr group for the explanation of how to post pics to a discussion thread.