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How to get on a sold-out flight

If you've got a little flexibility in your travel schedule, you can try to hit the optimal flight even if it's booked. Cancellations happen more frequently than you may realize, but it's crazy-making to keep checking back with the airline's Web site. ExpertFlyer lets you select a flight, then sends notifications if a seat opens up. Here's how to use it: 

Head over to the  ExpertFlyer Web site and sign up. The free version lets you keep one seat alert active at a time. Once you've validated your account, click "… Read more

How to create a banner photo for your Google+ profile

Google+ has a cool five-photo lineup near the top of your profile page, so why not utilize it for something awesome?

Bored of five random images? Then it's time to try this free Web tool. You don't need to install any fancy programs; all you need is a Web browser, a large picture you like (of yourself or anything else), and a few minutes of your time.

Step 1: Head to this site and click on the Upload Your Picture button.

Step 2: Locate the picture you want to use for the banner. This image should be at … Read more

How to control Google Music with keyboard shortcuts

Google Music, like most of Google's services, supports keyboard shortcuts. Here's what you can do with them in Google Music:

Space bar : play/pause music Right arrow : next track Left arrow : previous track Shift+right arrow : search forward in current track Shift+left arrow : search back in current track Up arrow : select item above current Down arrow : select item below current Delete : delete track

= : volume up - : volume down Alt+= : thumbs up Alt+- : thumbs down s : shuffle on/off r : toggle repeat (off, all, and one) p : make new playlist i : make new instant mix from current … Read more

How to use iTunes Match to upgrade audio quality

Accessing your iTunes library from other computers and iOS devices is the chief benefit of iTunes Match, but it's not the only benefit. You can use iTunes Match to upgrade the low-bit-rate tracks in your library to 256kbps AAC files.

After subscribing to iTunes Match and letting it back up your library, all you need to do is create a Smart Playlist to round up all the songs in your library with bit rates less than 256kbps, take the leap of faith of deleting those files, and then use iTunes Match to download 256kbps versions of the songs you just deleted. Here are the steps required to perform this audio upgrade:… Read more

How to get started with Google Music

Finally out of beta, you no longer need an invite to use the free Google Music service. For now, it's available to anyone in the U.S. with a Google account.

Two new features that weren't available in the beta are Google+ sharing and a music store in the Android Market. If you want to try the music service du jour, here's how to get started with Google Music:

Using Google Music on your computer

Uploading music: To upload your own music to Google Music, you need to install the Music Manager (Windows XP/Vista/7, Mac … Read more

How to keep tabs on multiple e-mail accounts

If you are like me, you have a number of Webmail accounts. I have two Gmail accounts, an old Hotmail account I use for filling out Web forms, and a Yahoo Mail account for fantasy baseball purposes. Thankfully, I can keep an eye on all of these accounts with a single Firefox extension.

WebMail Notifier is a simple Firefox extension that alerts you when new e-mails arrive from a variety of Webmail clients, including Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, and even ol' AOL. After installing WebMail Notifier, you'll see that a small envelope icon gets added to your Firefox toolbar. It's gray when no new messages await (or before you add any accounts). When you have unread e-mails, the envelope turns yellow and displays the number of unread messages to the right. And by default, a subtle audio alert plays when new messages arrive.… Read more

How to use iTunes Match

After weeks of speculation, Apple finally launched iTunes Match yesterday. For $24.99 a year, iTunes Match grants you access to a copy of your iTunes library stored in the cloud. Subscribing to and setting up iTunes Match is a snap; all you need is patience commensurate with the size of your iTunes library.

First, make sure you are running the latest version of iTunes. On a Mac, go to iTunes > About iTunes to see which version you are running. If it's not version 10.5.1, go to iTunes > Check for Updates to download and install the latest version. On a PC, you can access the About iTunes and Check for Updates menu options from the Help menu.… Read more

How to access Google's new Verbatim search feature

Google removed the "+" operator from searches a few weeks ago, but the replacement hasn't been received with open arms.

According to Google, the plus operator was being used incorrectly and was used in a very small amount of searches. In its place, double quotation marks were implemented and seen as operators that would be used more efficiently. However, a lot of users were not excited by this alternative.

To please the masses, Google is rolling out another way to make sure you're searching for something worded in the exact way that you typed it in: meet … Read more

How to secure your PC in 10 easy steps

There's one thing you can do to avoid being the victim of identity theft: follow this 10-step PC security plan.

Encrypt your network connection Most popular sites offer HTTPS connections at least some of the time. In Gmail, click the gear icon in the top-right corner and select "Always use https" under the General tab.

To select Facebook's HTTPS setting, click the down arrow in the top-right corner and choose Account settings. Select Security in the left pane and Edit in the Secure Browsing section of the main window. Check "Browse Facebook on a secure … Read more