Q: I work in a sheriff's office. I would like to monitor activity in the courtroom upstairs. There is already a webcam installed, and the computer has Internet connectivity. Is there software I can use to access it?
A: Webcams are becoming increasingly popular. With a little work, one can be an effective monitoring camera. Before you proceed, make sure you have permission to do this. Monitoring your own property is one thing. Monitoring a public place is completely different. With that said, EyeSpyFx's My Webcam Broadcaster is a good solution. Find it at Komando.com/news . The program streams your webcam video over the Web. You can watch it from any computer and many phones. It even does time-lapse recordings.
Q: I just bought a computer with Windows 7. It came with some trial games. After the trial period expired, I deleted them. However, the icons still remain in Windows Game Explorer. How can I get rid of them?
A: Windows 7 has an area called Games Explorer. It is designed to group games in one convenient location automatically. Game information and updates are also provided automatically. Uninstalling a game should remove its icon. But that's not always the case. And, there is no easy way to remove the icons. But it is possible to hide game icons in Games Explorer. Simply right-click an icon and select Hide This Game. The icon will disappear. Click Options, then Unhide All Items to show hidden games.
Q: My husband is a musician. I have started to book shows for him. We have two other people booking, as well. Where can I find a collaborative calendar program?
A: Organizing multiple schedules can be a pain. A single, shared calendar is a good solution. Many people swear by Google Calendar. It's easy to use. And it can be shared with as many people as you want. For the desktop, you can check out Mozilla's free offerings. Sunbird and Lightning are its two calendar applications. Sunbird is a standalone calendar program. Lightning is a calendar plug-in for the Thunderbird e-mail program. You can get everything you need at Komando.com/news .
