Site Unseen

If you have a website, you really should be tracking your visitors to find out how effective your pages are. I've been using Sitemeter for years and they just came out with a brand new version. I use the free version, but at $6.96/month, the Premium version isn't a bad investment at all.

Eight is Enough?

If you're an iPod or iPhone user (and many of you are), then you should know that Apple has released their latest version of iTunes. You can see all the details here. I like the fact that you can now download TV shows in HD and that you actually get two downloads when you do: one for the computer, one that fits on an iPod screen. Very cool!

Another Fine Mess

There's nothing worse that dealing with malware infections: spyware, viruses, spam, etc. At least, there was nothing worse until I started putting together some programs that seems to get the job done quickly and do a great job. Here's a great article that outlines four different programs you can use when disaster strikes.

Spam be Gone

If you've ever bought anything online you know that there's no such thing as a simple, one-time transaction. Once you give an online retailer your email address there's a good chance you'll continue to get emails letting you know about other items the company would like you to buy, coupons, or sales until the day you die (or opt out of these email messages, whichever comes first). And that's if you're lucky. There's also a chance that your email address will be sold to marketers and you'll start getting messages from dozens of companies you've never done business with at all.

There are a bunch of services that provide you with disposable email addresses that disappear after a few hours or days. You can use these services to create a temporary email address to sign up for a new web service or purchase an item online. But you need to sign up over and over again every time you need an email address. OtherInbox simplifies the process by letting you register for a single account which comes with a virtually unlimited number of email addresses.

Hidden Gems

There are always online lists of decent sites that you may not have head of. When it comes from PC Magazine, I tend to take notice. Here's the list of the Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites....some real gems in here.

Googling for a Phone

After a lot of speculation and rumors, Google has finally released the first version of their iPhone-competitor, the G1. I really like some of the features of this phone, such as the slide out keyboard. If you use Outlook or Exchange for email, this phone is currently a non-starter as it syncs with neither, but if you use Google's GMail and other online services, this phone has some real potential. You can read many online previews, such as this one here. The phone is expected to go on sale on October 22 for $179, with the T-Mobile service (yuck).

Seeing Double

A very common occurence for me and many of our clients is the need to add a new hard drive to your computer. Perhaps you ran out of room, perhaps the old drive crashed. Sure, you can install Windows from scratch and reinstall all your applications, but that's a full day project. A drive image is the perfect solution, as it takes a snapshot of your entire computer and recreates it on the new drive. There are many paid programs that do this, but why pay for something that is often free? Here are some free applications to clone your hard drive.

DVD 4 Me

Just a heads-up for all the Dentrix users out there. The next version of Dentrix, G4, is expected in a few months. That's the good news. The (potentially) bad news? It is shipping on a DVD only. Most computers have DVD drives, most servers do not. There are ways around this, but the bottom line is that if you plan to get new computers for G4, make sure both the server and workstations have DVD drives. And, you may want to invest in an external USB DVD drive if you plan to keep your CD-based hardware.

Executive Decision

The old method of searching for a program to launch is very inefficient. You often need to go to the Start Menu, then All Programs, then find the folder you need, then the program file. There's got to be a better way...and there is. I've been playing with Executor for a few days and it's really slick. It's highly customizable and once you have it set up, makes launching programs, emails, documents...you name it.

Google Tips

With all the buzz the last few weeks about Google's Chrome browser, it's easy to forget that the core of Google has always been, and will likely always be, their excellent search engine. There are many ways to improve how your search that are built into Google, but few people know about these. Here's 101 Tips, Tricks, and Hacks.

Chrome II

A few weeks ago, I posted about the release of Chrome, Google's new browser. Having played with it a few weeks, I am torn on it: there are some features I like, some I don't. Rather than having me try to explain it, here's a great post of the main differences between Chrome and your current browser.

Spinning Around

Here's a really cool utility that you have to try to see how effective it is. It's called Circle Dock and the basic premise is that it eliminate the need to moive your mouse to click on an icon...instead, the icons travel with your mouse. It's hard to describe....download it and see what I mean.

The Host With the Most

File-sharing sites seem to be popping up like weeds. While many charge you, there are tons of great sites that can store files for free. Here's a list of the 5 Best Free File Hosting Services. Scroll down to the comments section, where many others are also mentioned.

Back to the Beginning

While we do everything in our power to protect clients' computers, sometimes, dentists and their staff just make some silly mistakes. Most can be fixed, but a few cannot, and in those circumstances, a complete reinstall of Windows is necessary. If you find yourself facing that, here are 5 Apps For Painless Windows Reformats.

Oldies but Goodies

A few days ago, I posted about 100 of the best undiscovered web sites out there. Over time, some will succeed, some will not. But, there are still many sites out there that have withstood the test of time. Here are The Top 100 Classic Web Sites. There were even a few in here that I didn't know about...but do now!

Crazy 8's

Microsoft has released the beta version of version 8 of Internet Explorer. As with any beta, use at your own risk. It has some cool new features and improved speed and security.

$100,000 Bar

Care Credit has hit an incredible milestone: 100,000 practices and counting!

Here's the press release:

COSTA MESA, CALIF. — AUGUST 2008 — CareCredit®, North America’s leading patient payment program, is celebrating an important milestone ¬¬– the 100,000th practice to begin offering the program as a convenient payment option.

Dr. Charles Mattison, from Inglewood, California, understood the benefits of offering No Interest and Low Interest Payment Plans to his patients and practice, prompting him to call CareCredit to get started with the program. “With the technology and treatment available today, patients are excited about dentistry,” explained Dr. Mattison. “I had been thinking about adding CareCredit as a payment option to help patients get healthy and beautiful smiles. When a patient who had used CareCredit before came to our practice and wanted to use it for their dentistry, I knew it was time to call.” What he didn’t know was that he was going to be the 100,000th practice to add CareCredit, making him somewhat of a celebrity to the company as it achieved this very important milestone. “It was an exciting day for us,” explained David Fasoli, President, CareCredit. “We are not only celebrating him, but all our other practices that are committed to providing patients with quality care.”

For over 20 years, CareCredit has been helping patients get the dentistry they need and want. CareCredit is exclusively selected for their members by ADA Member AdvantageSM , AGD, AADOM, AAOMS, and AAP, and is also recommended by leading practice management consultants. For more information, call CareCredit at 1-800-300-3046 ext. 4519 (new to CareCredit) or 1-800-859-9975 (if already enrolled) or visit www.carecredit.com

An Interesting Marriage

I just heard that two systems I really recommend, Open Dental and UAppoint, have created a hybrid system that leverages both of their products. Here's a link to the press release.

...And Nothing But theTruth

Ever think that when your printer tells you it's out of ink, it may not be 100% accurate? Well, guess what...you may be right. In many cases, you can get hundreds more prints out of your printer with a few "tricks:. Check this out here.

Excellent...as Always

Photomed has released their always-great newsletter for September. Look for two brand new cameras from Nikon and Canon!

Ultimate Steal

Do you have a kid in college? Or, do you still have your email address that ends in .edu? If you do, Microsoft has the deal of a lifetime for you. It's called the UltimateSteal and it's the FULL version of Microsoft Office...every module you'd ever want. This package normally costs over $675 retail...and you can get it for $60! Amazing deal, if you can get it.

I-Con Do It

Here's a neat little utility for those of us who like to tweak our icons, such as the color, background color, and text color; D-Color. It's a free programs and is nice it you like to have complete control over your desktop appearance.

Are 29% of US Really Doing That?

I've often wondered why there is so much spam out there. I'd always heard that it often takes one million spam emails to get 10 people to buy...a very low response rate. Well, according to this survey, I now have my answer: a whopping 29% of people have made purchases from spam email. Ouch! Now you know why there are 150 billion spam emails sent around the world each day.

Converting the Masses

You've all been there...you have a movie file you downloaded and you want to get it on your iPod. Or, you have music on your iPod that you want to get to a MP3 player? No problem...Quick Media Converter (the name says it all) is just what you need. It's fast, and best of all, free.

Third Time's the Charm

The USB interface, which is called USB 2.0, hasn't changed in a long time. Not for long. The USB 3.0 interface, which will be a whopping 4.8 GB/s, 10 X faster than 2.0, is coming soon. It will also be backward compatible with USB 2.0. Here's a great review of Everything You Need to Know About USB 3.0.

Air Apparent

While many of use use Wi-Fi for our homes and business, few of us know that there are many things you can do to speed up the connections. Here's a great, comprehensive article on what you can do to speed up your wireless network.

15 and Counting!

Patterson has just announced that version 15 of their Eaglesoft software has been released. Here's the press release:

Patterson Dental Supply Introduces EagleSoft Version 15.00

Patterson Dental Supply, Inc. announces the release of Patterson EagleSoft Version 15.00, the latest version of the leading clinical and practice management software. New and enhanced features are based on feedback from current Patterson EagleSoft users, making the software even more convenient and user-friendly. Patterson EagleSoft practice management software is now free to new users, and the clinical software may also be attained at no cost with a qualifying digital technology purchase.

New to Patterson EagleSoft Version 15.00 is the ability to print CAESY patient education literature automatically during the patient walkout process after a service procedure code is entered. Built directly into Patterson EagleSoft and not requiring a separate CAESY system, this tool allows dental professionals to ensure that their patients have applicable information regarding post-op care recommendations before they leave the practice.

“The abundance of innovative support options that are available from the Patterson Technology support team demonstrates Patterson’s commitment to industry-leading customer service,” said Jim Garrett, Patterson EagleSoft development manager. “New features present in Version 15.00 ensure Patterson EagleSoft users that their voices are continually heard in recommendations for both current and future product enhancements.”

Additional Features of Patterson EagleSoft Version 15.00

· View Production Goals—Users are able to view actual production numbers against production goals for each day in the Month-at-a-Glance calendar. This gives dentists and office managers an opportunity to gauge their progress in assessing their productivity and obtaining goals.
· OnSchedule Notes—This feature allows users to make notes within the practice schedule as they pertain to appointments, patient requests, and staff meetings and needs. Pertinent notes appear each day on the schedule, allowing all staff members to easily stay up-to-date on scheduling notices and changes.
· Insurance Changes—When employer or insurance information is modified, a note appears in the System Activity Log to record what was changed, when, and by whom for the software user’s records.
· Chart Update—Users can quickly and easily track the status of patient treatments by color-coding the chart to represent “walkout” and “rejected” services.
· Lab Tracking—Practices can track cases sent to the lab and take notes with an expanded description field. An AutoNote button has also been added for additional convenience.

Patterson EagleSoft Version 15.00 continues Patterson’s commitment to customer service and technical support users have come to expect. With Patterson’s multitude of support options, such as Live Help, Remote Support, e-mail support and an FAQ online knowledge base available, Patterson continues to provide the best technology and support resources in the industry.

For more information about Patterson EagleSoft Version 15.00, call the Patterson Technology Center at 1.800.294.8504, contact a local Patterson Technology Representative or visit www.eaglesoft.net.

Shining the Chrome

In news that may shake up the industry, Google has released their own browser, called Chrome. As a recent convert to Firefox, I don't see myself changing anytime soon, but this is definitely worth a look, as is anything from Google. As with all Beta softwrae, be careful with this program.

Hodge Podge

I often recommend multiple programs for controlling your office computers from home, such as VNC and a VPN. So, I was very happy to see a program that combines both of those plus remote file sharing all in one package. It's called Remobo, and while just beta right now, is very slick.

Searching for Answers

I have been using a desktop search program called X1 for years. I don't see how I could function without it: it indexes all my emails, tasks, appointments, tasks, files, etc. so that I can find them within seconds. While X1 is my favorite, there are others out there that are becoming popular. Lifehacker is conducting a survey to find the best desktop search applications. Scroll down and you'll see what others are using.