The Madden Corner Has Moved to Word Press

Hello everyone! I finally had time to make the jump from Blogger to Word Press. I will continue to make constant improvements to the new site so bare with me, but I look forward to bringing you more great content and added features. So please visit me at MaddenCorner.Com from now on, and thank you for your continued support.

Cloudty Let's You Report the Weather

If you don't know I'm a weather forecaster. So I'm always looking for something cool in the world of weather. The other day I came across this cool web app named Cloudty. It's like Twitter except you report the current weather conditions. Cloudty gives you the option of sharing your location and sign up is simple with Twitter and Facebook integration. It can be used for anywhere in the world. If you have a home weather station this is a great way to put that information to use.  


Twitter user interaction is what makes it great, and I see Cloudty having that same kind of potential once more people get on board.   Cloudty can be accessed through your mobile browser and was created by Mario Trunz a web developer out of Ontario, Canada.  The site is only a few month old, and Mario says there more plans and improvements to come. Hopefully a mobile app is not far off and the ability to upload pictures. So give Cloudty a try and start reporting.  

What is the Cloud and Why it's Important to You

Cloud computing is a term that is being used more and more over the past year or two, but surprisingly many still don't know, or understand what term means. If you're unfamiliar with cloud computing I'll bet you'll be surprised that most-likely you use it every day. If you have a web based email account like Gmail or Yahoo then you're in the "cloud". Simply put cloud computing refers to any program that is not housed on your local computer.

Think of it as out-sourcing. Instead of using a program on your computer you're using a application online which gives you access to that information from anywhere and various devices. This is why online backup services like Carbonite and Mozy can be life savers. Having a backup drive for your computer is great idea and I highly recommend it, but most backup drives will not survive a fire or flood. So taking the extra step to back up your important information in the "cloud" is a valuable resource you should not overlook. You can also find some non-paid sources to backup or have access to our information from anywhere. (See Previous Post)


Another form of cloud computing I believe will even become more popular are virtual computers. Simply log into an account and get an entire operating system.  You have access to everything you would on a normal PC except it's all in an on line interface. To see one in action checkout EyeOS. It's currently in the early stages, but it will give you a feel for what a virtual desktop is like.

The Cloud is a very important part of our digital life and embracing it can help make your life a lot easier. Is there something in the world of technology you don't understand? Drop me a note and I'll answer your questions.

The PlayStation Disaster and What you should Do

For the second time in the past few weeks millions of Americans personal information has been compromised by hackers. Now the hack attack on PlayStation Network has affected over 70 million people worldwide and has caused the service to be shut down for more than a week now. If you don't play online games or download movies to your PS3 then you have nothing to worry about, but for those of us that do what to do next?

You will need to change all of your account information as soon as the PSN network comes back online, but before that follow my guide on how to "Life Lock" your credit. Next I recommend using Yahoo Mail Plus to thwart off future events. It's around $20 dollars per year, but for that you get disposable email address along with a few other nice features. You simply create a prefix-suffix for your address (ex:maddencorner-blogs@yahoo.com, maddencorner-accounts@yahoo.com, maddencorner-test@yahoo.com).

The prefix will remain the same, but you can make up to 500 separate suffixes. These messages are still delivered to your in-box, and it keeps you from handing out your primary address. If the address ever becomes compromised create a new suffix for the effected account and delete the old address. I know there are plenty of tips and tricks out there, but I've tried most of them and I find this one the most effective.

The next great feature from the Yahoo's Mail Plus service is the ability to receive your email messages through POP access or mail forwarding. That way if you use another email program or client you can forward all of your Yahoo messages to your primary email address and create a filter/sub-folder for the Yahoo messages so they don't clutter up your inbox.

Have you been caught by the recent data breaches? I have, but I'm not worried. We live in a digital world and sometimes these things will happen, but don't let it deter you from getting on-line.

Get A Paid Android App Free Everyday

Did the word free grab your attention? Well it did if for me. A few months ago Amazon announced that they were coming out with an app store and I pretty much ignored it, my mistake. If you're an Android fan you may already be using AppBrain or another 3rd party application site, but Amazon have set themselves apart in a big way. They're giving away a FREE paid app every day! Which if you're an app junkie then you can't pass that up. First you will need to have an Amazon account and credit card on file if you don't already. They want charge you, but you will get an email saying you have been billed $0.00 for your current purchase.

Before downloading the Amazon App Store you will need to make a change on your phone. Go to Menu-Settings-Application and then check allow "Unknown Sources" box. Next go to the Amazon App Store and enter your phone number in the upper right corner. You will receive a text to download the app store. After the app has downloaded and installed simply enter in your Amazon username and password and you're good to go.

Amazon gives out one free paid app every 24 hours. Even if it's an app you're not interested in download it anyway. Because once you download an app it will remain in your Amazon app account even if you deleted if from your phone. That way if you change your mind you want have to pay for it later. How do you manage your android apps? Are you already using the Amazon App Store?