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My children are participating in summer classes this year, and ran into this issue. Looks like Polar site has a little trouble with latest and greatest Internet Explorer 9 – so here is very easy fix: Compatibility Mode. Internet Explorer 9 can “behave” like previous IE, simply by triggering compatibility soon as soon as you arrive on healthyschools.net site.

The button is up in the address bar – and to make it easier, we added BIG BLACK arrow to point to it (Click on the image for larger picture). Once that button lights up blue, web site should work on all pages and buttons. As an aside – that feature in IE works with most any other website you may be having troubles with in IE9. But if you continue to have any further problems, simply post comments below – I am sure collectively we will figure this thing out.

That is what my daughter exclaimed, after learning that we purchased Kobo eReader from Borders and mishearing the name. She came to this natural conclusion after seeing that our new device prefers ePUB books to feed it’s appetite for content!

If you have a Borders store closing near you (sadly, they are struggling with bankruptcy – which seems inevitable, in retrospect) you should be able to pick one up for just $60 as well. I wasn’t even sure about this price, with company going bust. But, it reads EPUB and PDF format, even if Borders were to decide to discontinue their online store as well. Though, I think it is more likely that they will keep that business or sell that unit to someone. And why not, it’s virtually free money, as almost no overhead for operations there – just online servers to sell digital downloads and manage DRM. Seems no brainer – a business with no complex warehousing or shipping, and no chance of “overstocking” or “under-stocking” a title.

We only had it for one day, but so far works as advertised! Like Kindle, it is eInk (so black and white and no videos, naturally) and should last for almost a month on a single charge. Ours came preloaded with about 100 classic titles, and I didn’t even realize at first that it also lets you read Free eBooks From Your Local Library!!! Plus, it should let you read various languages through loading up your own specially formatted PDF or EPUB files, though I haven’t tried that yet. Here is full features recap from Kobo eReader site.

Enjoy!

UPDATE: Looks like timely news on shaky state of Barnes and Noble today. I like their stores, but I also must admit that in the last year hardly been there, or bought anything.

Forgive the loud title of this post, but I promise that it is totally relevant! For the past few weeks I have tremendously enjoyed several audio-books from my local library. Our local Gwinnett county library had Digital Downloads for a long time via OverDrive Media Console. However, the big breakthrough is my discovering that they are offering iPhone App!

Actually, the Media Console client software is also for Android, Blackberry and it even works on iPad 2 ! This is most likely US only (sorry International friends), and probably not all local libraries offer it, though I hear very high percentage do.

Pretty simple to use – just look up your county’s library and login via your mobile device’s browser, using your library card. Then select latest blockbuster eBook or Audio Book in your favorite category, and click Download! Voila, it should download and be available for you to enjoy in seconds! Although, having selected long Audio Book myself, I had to wait until I was in Wi-Fi zone to be able to download it. It works just like any other Library material, in that it will expire within 14 days (or whatever your library designated). No need to “return” anything to the library, it will just disappear off your device.

I started off with absolute classic 1984 by George Orwell, which I enjoyed even more than expected. Then, I continued onto modern fiasco tale in All The Devils Are Here – The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis.  Ironically this “other side of the coin” book seems most appropriate to me, and will undoubtedly stimulate my further exploration into alternative structures for society next.

Did I mention that OverDrive Media Console is Absolutely Free? I haven’t checked on all platforms, but I can confirm that it is free on iPhone, Android and Windows. Enjoy!

PS: I read that some libraries offer Audio Books in WMA format – these won’t play on iPhone (not sure about Android), but can be enjoyed on your Windows PC. Just glance at Audio Book format which should be listed on your library’s Audio Book page, before the download.

Yesterday, while reading an article on USA Today, my eyes gazed over to prominently displayed “News Stories” on the right side of the page. Clicking through seems to reach respectable site, apparently presenting TV affiliated news site, complete with anchor photos, videos and long authentic looking article.

Except all of that is just an elaborate scheme to try and get gullible consumers to trust this fabricated article. Fancy backend algorithm generates random people names (sometimes for same photos, as I confirmed clicking on similar Ads from another page) and even articles themselves change depending on the area your IP is coming from, to try and get you to think that local reporter is bringing you this important news “information”. Of course the content of the article itself is also mostly fake, and so are all the other links on the page, purporting to be other categories of this “news site”. In reality, these links are just a cheap-trick, redirecting people to unsuspecting sites which are probably paying for “click through”, hoping for quality leads but instead getting ripped.

In one of the links I landed on a site claiming to be New-York’s WSVI television station. Of course in reality it is just another site scammers generated, and I wonder what real ABC affiliated WSVI station, which actually broadcasts in Virgin Islands, would say about this?

The wares they are peddling are suspicious or worse. The Work-At-Home scam is especially nefarious and I found earlier reference to similar tactics, even infringing on CNN’s trademark logo.

I am pretty sure the $5 cream they are peddling is either unsafe for your skin, or completely inert. And the $9 a week miraculous Insurance they are promising – I calculated that I pay less with respectable Travelers insurance, instead of their “unidentified” company.

How can (supposedly) respectable USA Today newspaper and online site stoop to such low quality advertisement sham? I literally felt that I need to run and tell my children about yet another evil on this planet that they need to protect themselves from.

But I also tried to take a step back and consider if I am overreacting. Perhaps this is the future of online Advertising? Should we just adjust our expectations that anything and everything we click on the web may end up directing us to Insurance site (regardless if we have a car) or maybe Viagra-like cheap pills offer (regardless of….). After all, how else are quality sites like USA Today can support their staff of professional journalists? We always knew that everything we find on the Internet cannot be trusted, right? Why would we ever use Wikipedia at all?

You have to draw your own conclusion, and talk to your own kids. Meanwhile I am uninstalling USA Today app from my iPhone and will think twice before clicking on any link leading to USA Today site – I hope the advertising revenue they got from AdBlade was worth losing all those readers over.

Welcome to 2011, oh how time flies!

I decided to start the year off by putting together a little post to help all you good people out there make computing decisions for 2011.

First thing you need to decide about 2011 is that this is the year is when you need to come out of hiding. I know many people are still scarred by major malware attacks and endless virus invasions of the past few years. This is especially true for those of you still out there using Windows XP and claiming that it is “perfectly fine” for your needs.

The biggest reason your old Windows XP (and even Vista) is not going to cut it is Security! Exactly the reason you were afraid to Bank online, do your Taxes or key other sensitive information into your computer! Solution is simple – get a new Windows 7 based system or even a Mac. Both platforms are finally secure, which is key to your positive experience, in my humble opinion.

Windows 7 PCs are more affordable than ever, and getting a Laptop is really the best option this year. They are often as inexpensive as their bulky desktop counterparts. The big thing for desktops was always the 3D Gaming, but you can get that on many laptops also nowadays. Microsoft also offers free antivirus, so you don’t have to spend a second without protection. Be sure to get 64 Bit version with at least 4 GB of RAM, this will make your new PC even more secure and will seriously boost performance.

Mac already comes only as 64 Bit and I don’t believe they sell any 2 GB models now. Apple’s premium cost can possibly be justified by light and elegant hardware, still offering long battery life. You need to decide that this is important for you to spend that extra cash. Another plus is the excellent iLife software Mac comes with, for organizing Photos and editing Videos, among other things. On the flip side don’t let Anyone tell you that Mac is easier to use, you will have tough learning curve if you are used to Windows.

But what about all the Pads, Tablets and other Mobile gadgets? Frankly, it all depends on your usage patterns! I increasingly find that iPhone 4 lets me do pretty much Everything (except type large blog posts like this one). I recently started using Chase App on my iPhone, which not only lets me pay all my bills right from the phone, but even Deposit Checks! Yep, you simply take picture of check’s front and back and voila!!!

iPad 2 rumored to be coming out this Spring and should finally have camera to let you video chat with friends and family, Can’t wait until then or just insist on having Flash on your Tablet? There are new (albeit still pricey) options – like this Asus Eee Slate with powerful i5 CPU and wireless keyboard, making it into a hybrid solution you are sure to enjoy. Or, the Android option, with hottest one today being Motorola Xoom, but many more options are coming very soon, from myriad of manufacturers, most of who we never heard of. The newly refreshed Android UI coming soon in version 3 looks really exciting and can finally offer iPad some competition.

The important thing is to refresh your computer to the point where you’re happy with it. The modern platforms can easily manage thousands of your photos, wirelessly video chat with your loved ones and offer hours of entertainment with Videos and Games. You will feel safe to visit your bank online, do some wireless investing (check out Prosper) and effortlessly read the whole web. Yes, even in warm bed on lazy Saturday morning! Enjoy!